First Impression: Shingeki no Kyojin

SHINGEKI NO KYOJIN: Very interesting start, but now it’s beginning to slow down

Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan) is all over the place, so I decided that I should check it out. And I must say that I’m not disappointed! In fact, I’m pretty impressed overall.

The series starts in a stasis point, wherein the walls have not been breached by the titans yet. However, it is established that even though the walls have been protecting the human civilization, the citizens still see titans as a threat. Because of this, soldiers have been marching out of the walls to find out ways on defeating the titans finally -- but to no avail. This stasis point makes the start of the series quite slow, but it is a necessary establishment to build up the lurking danger in the back doors.

            Finally, the stasis point has been broken by a trigger, the colossal titan, which gives rise to a major conflict. What makes this conflict very successful is the effectiveness of the stasis point. This is the time that I clearly set my eyes on the desperateness of the situation the human civilization is going through.

In the middle of all this chaos, many characters have been introduced. Most of which are soldiers preparing themselves to fight the titans. Even though they are underdeveloped, they are not flat either, for they have their own unique qualities. Once the battle has finally broken out, the series becomes very fast-paced that it turns into a rollercoaster ride. Characters that I never imagined would die are just eaten effortlessly. It just proves that the series is not afraid to add unconventional twists and turns, which is always very enjoyable for it keeps me guessing.

            After the battles has finally calmed down, the series begins to develop the characters further. This is where Shingeki no Kyojin starts to slow down. I get the idea that developing a character takes time, but the way the series shows it just appears to be very slow. It could have been faster yet effective. Aside from this, the development of the plot also slowed tremendously, and this slowing is very obvious because the series used to be very fast-paced in the battles.

Despite this sudden change of pacing, I must admit that Shingeki no Kyojin still possesses the air of suspense and immediate danger of the titans. I just didn’t expect it to slow down in such an abrupt manner.

The series is still ongoing. I’ll still be watching it to see for myself if it will continue to live up with all the hype. As of now, it does. But will it continue to deliver until the end? Only time will tell.

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