Ready, set, Attack On Titan
In 2013, Attack On Titan hit screens, following a successful manga run that started in 2009 from writer and illustrator Hajime Isayama. But almost a decade following the first onscreen premiere, it’s been announced that its fourth and current season would be its last. What’s more, the manga will conclude this April, too.
So with the ends very clear in sight, is now the time to catch up? Or, if you were there from the beginning, is it time to revisit the past?
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To be completely honest, Attack On Titan never has been on my radar—not because I haven’t seen news or trailers or clips, but because my post-high school self never really had a soft spot for new anime. So why am I so curious now?
The numbers
As of December 2019, Attack On Titan had sold over 100 million copies on print, which is a feat in and of itself. But if you take that and consider the anime series, the live action movies, the animated movies and the games, Attack On Titan is on a league all on its own. Very few titles hold a library of media this varied and beloved.
The options
Not to be redundant, but the library of media really is something that intrigues me—and it’s amazing that you can consume the content in so many different ways. If I were to choose, I’d start with the films and see where I could go from there. But hey, if you’re just starting out then you can totally choose your own preferred medium.
The story
Let’s get the general synopsis out of the way: Attack On Titan takes place in a fictional world where men are secluded to a town that’s surrounded by a wall. This wall traps them inside, of course, but it saves them from the giants (AKA the titans) that wander beyond it as well. We are introduced to Eren Yeager, who sees his mother get killed when the walls surrounding them are breached. With his foster sister Mikasa and friend Armin, he joins a group of soldiers called the Survey Corps. And as they fight to protect their world, Eren discovers the power to become a Titan himself.
The world of titans in a dystopian world isn’t exactly novel, but there is something eerily intriguing about the protagonist becoming the thing he sought to destroy in the first place.
The ending
Don’t worry, no spoilers here. But it can’t just be me that hates having to wait for the next chapter of something to get on with the narrative, right? Knowing that Attack On Titan will soon enough have a clear ending is something important to me. Call me impatient, but I know myself and having to wait in between seasons have often times caused the death of once binge-worthy titles in my book.
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The symbolisms
I’ve read about Attack On Titan, and one thing really sticks out: how its symbolism reflects the world we live in right now. The walls have become a metaphor of something else altogether for the people that have involved themselves in this fictional world. It’s become a symbolism of the quarantine, of their countries closing their borders, of their personal barricades that are meant to keep out pain or fear or disappointments. And the Titans that break through and we must face? It could be the new normal and us having to figure out how to live now, it could be a person that finally gets through to you, a job you took because you needed it and became something so much more.
It’s interesting, don’t you think, how people read into things differently? I guess it’s time to figure out my own personal take on Attack On Titan—after all, it’s already given so much to everyone else.
Art Alexandra Lara
