Why I Keep Going Back to the First Five Episodes of 'Attack on Titan'

The first season of Attack on Titan aired during the spring season of 2013. The show was produced by the then relatively new Studio Wit, who has also produced Seraph of the End, Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress, Hal, and Empire of Corpses. The show is an adaptation of the manga that is written by Hajime Isayama, published in Bessatsu Shounen Magazine. The show has since produced three more seasons, the latest of which is airing at the time of this writing. The series is directed by Tetsurou Araki, the same man who directed Death Note, Highschool of the Dead, Guilty Crown, and Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress. In addition, the music for the show was composed by Hiroyuki Sawano, who also did he music for Kill la Kill, Re:Creators, and The Seven Deadly Sins.

This piece is not a review of the show Attack on Titan, it is a statement as to why I find myself watching the first five episodes of the show again and again after various intervals. Five episodes that never fail to reignite my love for the property. Having recently watched these set of episodes again for the nth time, I still feel the exact same way I felt when watched these episodes for the first time six years ago.

The first thing that really draws me to the show is the visual presentation. Considering this was an anime that came out six years ago, it looks fantastic. The animation is fluid, the colors are intense, and the thick line work was, at the time, something I had not seen before in an anime. The combination of both 3D and 2D animation made the action set pieces dynamic and exciting to watch, and the differences between the two mediums are not openly noticeable unless you are specifically looking for them. The detail in the background is wonderful as it really makes the world feel lived in, and believable. When the Titans attack the humans, the animation does not shy away from the violence. In fact, in true Araki fashion, these moments are intense and exhilarating to watch. There are limbs being ripped off, people being crushed, broken, eaten with copious amounts of blood being spilt, and all this really hits home the apocalyptic feel of the narrative.

Speaking of the narrative, it is an incredibly simple premise. Humans are no longer at the top of the food chain and most live in a world where they are hunted and eaten by giant naked people living outside the walls of the human's territory. The narrative follows Eren, Armin, and Mikasa (Mikasa will forever be best girl, fight me). Within the first episode, we get a clear vision of the landscape, structure of class, and the motivations of the three characters. Even though there are multiple time skips within these five episodes, there is a believable momentum to things and you can see characters grow. Each of the characters that are introduced also have a strong character moment that helps them stand out. Whether it be their ability to eat, humor, or fighting ability.

The tone within the show is dramatic, dark, serious, horrific, shocking, and hovers on the surface of complete despair. However, despite this constant sense of hopelessness, episodes three and four still manage to get some of the best laughs out of me even though it is probably the tenth time I have watched them. These moments of levity help to give a different dimension to the characters, allowing us to know them better, and in turn making us care for them all the more when it comes to actually attacking the titans. This raises the tension that much more as by this point the show has made clear that it has no qualms with killing characters.

What brings the quality of the show to a much higher level to what it already is, is the soundtrack that is composed by Hiroyuki Sawano. The music swells in a patriotic manner when the humans are charging with belief and drops to something much closer to a funeral march when the true enormity of the situation is recognized by our characters. In between is a mix of whimsy for comedy and soft orchestral for the more intimate moments. All round, it is one of the best soundtracks I have listened to in any medium and one I revisit regularly, especially when working.

Attack on Titan is a show that I love six years later. The main reasons are the stellar direction by Tetsuro Araki and the soundtrack by Hiroyuki Sawano. If anyone asks me if they should give the show a chance, I would not hesitate in saying yes.

Attack on Titan is available to watch on Netflix, Crunchyroll, and Funimation.