Attack on Titan 1

When I first picked up this manga I was highly sceptical about it, first of all because of hype surrounding it. I tend to find that most of the popular manga nowadays aren't all they are capped up to be and are actually quite disappointing. The artwork also had me hesitant about reading it since is was like nothing I'd ever seen before in a shounen manga. But I decided to give it a go after hearing some friends talk about it. And it was the best decision I've ever made. The story is absolutely fantastic. It's wonderfully played out, and you're constantly left wondering what will happen in the next chapter. The characters really come to life in this manga, as they each have their own unique personality, and I just love all the interaction with each other. Another thing I love about it is the fact that the main character isn't like your typical shounen protangonist at all, where he suddenly gets a power up during a fight and seemingly defeats all the villains. Eren, the main lead, gives it his all throughout the series, and yet most of the time the effort is futile and he has to experience the loss that comes along with it, usually in the form of a character death. Reading this manga is a very emotional experience, since you are so connected with each character from the start that it's a shock to watch them die after all they've been through. While the art was disconcerting at first, and took me a long time to get used to, in my opinion it suits the manga very much. I can't imagine it any other way now that I've read the series. One thing to take into account it that it is quite scary and gorey, and may cause upset if you're not used to it. I would highly recommend this manga to anyone interested in an action-adventure/shounen plot.

Attack on Titan, or Shingeki no Kyojin, is one of my favourite manga, and one of the best to be recently published in the UK. Humanity lives penned within a series of walls like livestock, all but helpless against the man eating Titans that roam the world outside. Even their 3D movement gear, a series of grappling hooks and blades, can't lead them to victory. When a Collosal Titan capable of breaking the wall appears, humanity has to take drastic action to survive. Influenced by the classic Visual Novel "Muv Luv Alternative", this manga is all about despair and hope. Whilst it's not painful to read, humanity is on a constant downwards slope towards extinction. The main characters are hardly overpowered heroes. The sense of simple fear the Titans give off is quite impressive, translating well from a still image. Although the art is a little underwhelming, this is a series that picks up 100% from the first volume, so don't be afraid to buy it from the start. I wholeheartedly reccomend reading this manga, which only gets more intriguing, mysterious, and thrilling, with each new chapter.

I started reading Attack on Titans manga long ago, at the I'm both reading the manga and watching the anime. The anime graphic is absolutely stunning! But I still like the original illustration by Hajime Isayama, black ink on white paper gives the story a different texture. It may be just my personal opinion, but I think the depth of human emotions and fear a re better illustrated in black and white, and I respect this very artist who is able to convey such desperation through illustration. When I first read Attack on Titan it gave me the impression that is similar to those of Japanese horror manga by Junji Ito. Very thrilling. Attack on Titan manga has been going on for quite a few years, and it was not too popular until it was animated and became an international hit. I bought this first volume for collection, it's very nostalgic, how the illustration has developed since when it was first published in 2009.

I'll be honest, I picked this up because I saw Pacific Rim and it looked like there were similarities, giant monsters attack, people hiding behind huge walls, big damn heroes... I was wrong... This is a much darker story than Pacific Rim, and somewhat more over the top (which you'd expect), whilst stressing the importance of humans standing up to things personally rather than building giant robots to fight them. It's clear that even a single Titan (the creatures doing the attacking) is a very dangerous creature and that it's only the skill of the characters that can bring them down. The first book is literally setting the scene, with Eren (the main protagonist) witnessing his mother being eaten in front of him and signing up to fight against the Titans, a few skirmishes, but nothing that significantly advances the storyline to the point where you've got something beyond his revenge to draw you in. I found it interesting, but it didn't inspire me enough to get the second book. That said, the whole series is on Prime now, so I'll be watching that and if the story improves there, I may be back to get the other books. Note for those new to manga in general, this does read from right to left rather than left to right, and so begins at what many consider to be the back of the book, working forwards. Not impossible to read, it does slow you down when reading if you're not used to it, which in a story as fast paced as this, can be an issue.

Fresh from finishing the Deathnote series I was eager to continue reading manga and this was recommended to me by friends. The last surviving group of humans are living in a walled city surrounded by human-eating titans. They are safe and sound behind their huge walls until one day, when the colossal titan appears and puts a huge dent in the gate! I thought this book was great, packed with action, gore and intense scenes which makes you care for the characters straight away. some of the titans are pretty gruesome and horrifying, but in a very simple way. It was so good, I went an bought the rest of the series...

What can I say about Attack on Titan that hasn't already been said? Though the art style is a bit rough and "sketch-like", it makes up for the fact that this is probably the most epic story you are ever going to read within manga. I'd easily dub this the manga version of Game of Thrones (walls, conspiracies, tragedy, etc), without a doubt. Thought don't get me wrong, it may borrow some elements from the TV series, it is in itself easily the most original concept I've read in a manga (the extinction of mankind). And if anyone is up-to-date like me, they know that a presence is lurking, and that there are twists and massive plot points that are going to come: and they haven't even been revealed. The more you find out about the titans, the more the story becomes engaging. The more the characters interact with each other, the more concerned you become for their safety. I really hope this manga gets the credit and appeal it deserves in the Western culture because... DAMN, is it one that should carry on through the ages. I just hope that it doesn't die out of popularity over here like other epic mangas have done, such as Reborn! or Gintama.

Attack on Titan is about humanity's survival after 100 years when a majority of humans are wiped out by titans. They live surrounded by walls up to 50 metres high to keep the titans out. The story focuses on the characters Eren Jaeger and Mikasa Ackerman. Attack on Titan is an original manga that I highly recommend to anyone who likes drama, action, fantasy or horror. The emotions and atmosphere are portrayed amazingly and the story is really awesome. I look forward to buying volume 2. A must read.

Amazing manga! Been a fan since the anime was first released and honestly have no idea how it took me so long to pick up a copy of the manga. The copy received was definitely an ex display or shelf version though- dented spine and pages, and the front cover was bent- if I wasn't so desperate for a copy I probably wouldn't have kept it.