Season 1: You Have to Fight to Win!

[Cranberry]

Discuss the first season here!

[the fresh maker]

So, Episode 5...

 

I laughed at the ending.

I knew there was no way the (subverted) hero of a shonen anime/manga, whose last name is featured prominently in the first opening theme, was going to die in the fifth episode. I was just wondering how he'd come back.

This is my favorite reaction video.

 

The first time I saw the episode, I wondered how Eren could keep that titan's mouth propped open, especially when he had only one leg. Upon rewatch, I see that he had his blade between the titan's teeth to get leverage. Even the little details are gruesome--and it's awesome.

 

I continue to be amazed that some of these deadly creatures are truly derpy looking. I'm totally talking about you, moe titan.

 

[PrincessEnnui]

Ha! I knew Moe Titan would be on tumblr as soon as I saw it. Even though some are derpy, I still find some them terrifying. The ones that move quickly, like the one that snapped up the blonde kid? Brrr...

 

[Ubiquitous]

I want to like this show, but I just can't. The bungee-trapeze thing is way too contrived for my liking and in the last ep, a guy's falling down a Titan's throat, then suddenly still in his mouth, then being helped by the guy on the roof who was bleeding to death and could barely limp...

 

ETA:

Can someone explain how a blade to the neck is fatal but blowing their head (and neck) off isn't?

Edited June 6, 2014 by Ubiquitous

[PrincessEnnui]

I dunno, the 3D system doesn't seem any different than Batman's grappling hooks. I thought the whole thing was implemented pretty well in the story. I also think its a lot better than the bird and monkey runs in other series (Naruto). I sent you a pm to answer your other question.

[lathspel]

The pneumatic grappling hooks make sense in the city or forest. Not sure how you go after titans in a meadow, unless you do it like Mikasa did and just climb the Titan itself.

[weyrbunny]

I finally caught up on what's aired on Toonami--the first eight episodes. Unfortunately, I'm just not engaged by it so far. I keep thinking I should like Attack on Titan more, because in terms of themes and despair event horizons, it's solidly in my wheelhouse.

 

I can objectively appreciate a lot about the show: the plot moves quickly--fine! The characters actually age--great! There are consequences and death--outstanding! I'm just...unmoved by the sobbing teenagers, even if its a symptom of survivor's guilt or the horrors of war.

 

I expect I'll marathon another batch of episodes further down the line, because so far it doesn't hold my interest enough to watch weekly.

[WhoAmIWorkingFor]

I acknowledge that sometimes for drama to work, certain things have to be taken at face value.  Here, though, the maintenance of the grimdark atmosphere and the supremacy of the 3D Maneuvering System/Swords Are Cool, Man! aspects kept spawning nagging questions that were only answerable with "Because it is written to be that way." (Then there's the OMG! Shocking! Revelations! that will occur later in the season.)  Some series can work despite that; here it just bothered me for much of the time.

 

It may also be that while I'm somewhat cynical in my day-to-day living, the level of People Are Bastards/Crapsack World/general screwed-over-ness in this series (and in Muv-Luv Alternative from a couple years back) is just too much for even my liking.

[Ubiquitous]

I watched last and something else bugged me. Just how tall are those walls (they appeared to be at least twice the height of the Titans) and how were they built while mankind was about to be wiped out by Titan attacks?

[ZoqFotPik]

The walls are approximately 50 meters/164 feet tall.

[Eri]

How many people have watched the original version of the show? After watching the dub for the first half and the sub for the second half and then re-watching everything in subtitles, I noticed some differences in the translations in certain episodes.