Attack on Titan 1
Registered by 
GoryDetails
of Nashua, New Hampshire USA on 5/16/2013
This book is in a Controlled Release!
GoryDetails of Nashua, New Hampshire USA on 5/16/2013 This book is in a Controlled Release!
2 journalers for this copy...
I started reading this series after seeing its TV Tropes page. It's wonderfully horrifying and bleak, yet with sympathetic main characters struggling against a devastating fate. I picked up this copy of Vol. 1 from the sale rack at Harrisons Comics, to have another release copy.
The story starts off with a disturbing scene: a gigantic, smoking, skinless creature is peering over the top of the 50-meter-high wall surrounding the humans; city. (The walls are to protect them from the Titans, gigantic, grotesque humanoids whose only purpose seems to be to devour the humans. But the tallest of the Titans have only reached 15 meters tall - until now...)
Turns out that's just a dream that young Eren Jaeger has, and he and his friends Mikasa and Armin go about their normal business - which includes a disturbing look at the returning Survey Corps who've been outside the wall. So few have returned, and the survivors are so badly wounded, that it shocks our young heroes, but they still dream about finding a way to live outside the walls someday.
But Eren's dream turns out to be prophetic, and the wall that's sheltered the humans for a hundred years is breached, with disastrous (and gory, and appalling) consequences for many.
The last two chapters in this book take place after a time-skip, with Eren and his friends old enough to join the military, where they learn how to use special gear that gives them a chance to outmaneuver and kill Titans - if they're very, very skilled, and very, very lucky. But will they be able to keep their nerve when next they face the Titans?
The artwork's a bit sketchy, and at first I wasn't crazy about it, but I've grown to like it - it suits the often-frantic tone of the story. I enjoy the asynchronous storytelling - visions of the future, flashbacks to fill in the back-story, setting up the most horrific fates for key characters and then shifting to a "previously..." part of the story to let us get to know them better (which does not guarantee that they'll survive)... The story does seem relentlessly grim, with the disturbingly grotesque Titans being creepy enough even when they aren't eating people, and mind-bendingly horrifying when they are, but there's just enough of a hint of hope here and there to keep me from just giving up and sobbing {wry grin}. I'm really enjoying this.
(There's an anime adaptation in progress, with some episodes available on the Crunchyroll site here. I've noticed that the anime has reordered many of the episodes, but so far it's faithful to the manga, just not always in the same order, and I like it very much. The fabulous opening theme doesn't hurt!)
The story starts off with a disturbing scene: a gigantic, smoking, skinless creature is peering over the top of the 50-meter-high wall surrounding the humans; city. (The walls are to protect them from the Titans, gigantic, grotesque humanoids whose only purpose seems to be to devour the humans. But the tallest of the Titans have only reached 15 meters tall - until now...)
Turns out that's just a dream that young Eren Jaeger has, and he and his friends Mikasa and Armin go about their normal business - which includes a disturbing look at the returning Survey Corps who've been outside the wall. So few have returned, and the survivors are so badly wounded, that it shocks our young heroes, but they still dream about finding a way to live outside the walls someday.
But Eren's dream turns out to be prophetic, and the wall that's sheltered the humans for a hundred years is breached, with disastrous (and gory, and appalling) consequences for many.
The last two chapters in this book take place after a time-skip, with Eren and his friends old enough to join the military, where they learn how to use special gear that gives them a chance to outmaneuver and kill Titans - if they're very, very skilled, and very, very lucky. But will they be able to keep their nerve when next they face the Titans?
The artwork's a bit sketchy, and at first I wasn't crazy about it, but I've grown to like it - it suits the often-frantic tone of the story. I enjoy the asynchronous storytelling - visions of the future, flashbacks to fill in the back-story, setting up the most horrific fates for key characters and then shifting to a "previously..." part of the story to let us get to know them better (which does not guarantee that they'll survive)... The story does seem relentlessly grim, with the disturbingly grotesque Titans being creepy enough even when they aren't eating people, and mind-bendingly horrifying when they are, but there's just enough of a hint of hope here and there to keep me from just giving up and sobbing {wry grin}. I'm really enjoying this.
(There's an anime adaptation in progress, with some episodes available on the Crunchyroll site here. I've noticed that the anime has reordered many of the episodes, but so far it's faithful to the manga, just not always in the same order, and I like it very much. The fabulous opening theme doesn't hurt!)
I'm adding this book to the Otherworldly bookbox, which will be on its way to its next stop on Monday. Hope someone enjoys the book!
Taken out of the otherworldly bookbox.
Gave to a friend's daughter who likes this series. Enjoy.
