Title: Attack on Titan Part 2
Director: Tetsurō Araki
Original Creator: Hajime Isayama
U. S. Distributor: FUNimation
U. S. Release Dates: Sep 23, 2014
Format: DVD / 12 Episodes / 300 minutes
Genre: Fantasy, Action / Adventure, Shonen
Age Rating: TVMA
Overall Personal Rating: B
Synopsis:
Eren Jaeger vowed to rid mankind of the bloodthirsty giants who devoured his mother and destroyed his city. Now, after discovering that he has the ability to turn into a Titan, the world Eren promised to protect looks at him like he is the monster.
Narrowly avoiding execution, Eren’s fate is entrusted to the Scout Regiment where he must prove capable of following orders. But on an expedition outside the wall, a unique female Titan appears and cuts through the Scouts, leaving a trail of carnage and splintered bones behind her and making it difficult for Eren to control his rage. As it becomes obvious that a traitor is sabotaging the Regiment from within, Eren must ask himself who humanity’s true enemy really is.
Commentary:
When compared to part 1, Attack on Titan part 2 begins much less eventfully. While the first episode of the show jumped right in to the action, the first three or so episodes were a bit dull but full of story, unlike the rest of the episodes which were full of action but no plot. Only the first few and last few episodes on this part felt as if they were actually progressing the story in a meaningful way while the rest of the episodes consisted of overly drawn out battles. Honestly, Attack on Titan could have been half the length it is, and could have possibly been better for it.
While the art style of Attack on Titan is nothing inherently special, with many of the character designs being somewhat generic and the background art being bland and uninspired, where the show shines it the animation fluidity and choreography. Especially with the fight scenes, the animation is slick and powerful, making for truly dynamic action. Attack on Titan also has some of the best utilization of CG and standard animation I’ve seen in an anime. When many anime use both CG and standard animation, the CG is very noticeable and not that good looking, but with Attack on Titan when CG is used it is seamless and instead of taking away from the experience, really makes some of the scenes pop.
Overall Personal Rating: B
Attack on Titan strikes me as a show that tries to be dark and edgy with slick animation and gratuities violence, but under its thin veneer, it is simply pandering to the masses just like every other shonen anime. However, this does not mean that Attack on Titan is a bad anime. It was still an interesting and enjoyable show to watch, and I could recommend it to anyone who isn’t bothered by blood and gore but I don’t think it is a must watch.
