Attack on Titan

A well-deserved phenomenon that in its time upset stagnant waters and reached into every corner of the world. The unprecedented pacing, shocking twists, and love for the central trio of Eren-Mikasa-Armin, as well as for the outstanding secondary characters (Levi, Sasha, and more and more as time went on), resulted in Attack on Titan becoming one of my favorite anime worlds even before I knew it. Such fierce editing, soundtrack, and effects are simply unprecedented, and even with the increasing number of episodes and seasons (though waiting for them is often painfully long), I can't help but marvel at how daringly rational answers are given to the boldest plot questions. I know that the biggest charm now lies in the biggest question mark, that is, the question "How can this possibly end?" However, I would eagerly follow every clue for a good few more years, and I am deeply saddened that this is not possible. (18.12.2013)

An unprecedented blast, which dazzled me faster than a terrifying giant could materialize after a flash. It only took a few character traits for Eren, Mikasa, and Armin to be cleverly introduced, alongside supporting characters (the indecisive Jean, the spot-on Sasha "Potato Girl" Blouse), and before the closing credits even appeared, the suspenseful action saga had me in its grasp. I can't even remember the last time an animated series consumed me so quickly, when even I – as a person who savors and doesn't waste beloved tales – don't know when to take a break and would prefer to let all of Attack keep playing. The pace of the first few story arcs (roughly until the end of the Battle of Trost) is legitimately the most brisk I have ever seen in anime. At that moment, it simply had to slow down, occasionally play with memories, carefully let the plot run for a longer time on multiple fronts, and then conclude everything with a fight that takes your breath away with each blow. After so many crushing moments, when the viewer repeatedly realizes that any character in any quantity could die behind the walls of the three districts, all I wished for was a small, optimistic victory. After the first season, I regularly dreamed at night of flying over rooftops, cutting into giant necks, riding alongside Captain Levi – and last but not least, of getting the next season as soon as possible. Sie sind das Essen und wir sind die Jäger! (You are the food and we are the hunters!) (02.09.2019)

Even if it had only stayed in one place, emptily chatting and having any unit occasionally collide with any titan, the creators would have been guaranteed success. And yet they did not bet on headless action or stretching the plot, but instead turned all expectations upside down. They let new characters enter the story without hesitation, laying the foundations for obviously grand future stories around them, and just when the tension of the dialogues becomes too much, a fight scene comes that takes everyone's breath away and once again proves that this Attack on Titan has a big lead over the competition. In combination with very modest seasoning in the form of at least small mythological insights, the second season is an event that was worth waiting those four years for. (09.08.2017)

An incredibly balanced season, where for every dialogue and intrigue in the first half, a fascinating war scene comes a year later, and for every deepening of relationships within the walls, we get an answer to questions we didn't know we needed to know the answer to. Considering how drastically the whole concept is changing at this moment, I understand perfectly why we the wait for information from the cellar took so agonizingly long. (02.09.2019)