Attack on Titan / Shingeki No Kyojin

[Kato]

Manga:

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-Ymir may have originally been a Titan. She claims to have stolen the Shifter power from the mysterious Titan village, allowing her to become human.

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Ymir also said she was a Titan for 60 years and I'm not sure if outright saying but I think everyone assumes she was human before (I could be wrong on the latter and that's just me)
So, accepting this, every Titan we know used to be human.

Edit: By the way, has anybody brought up Ilse Langner yet? (Sorry, without a search function finding out is a pain.) She appears in the chapter 18.5 side story, which of course just provides more questions and no answers.

Well... there is very little to say about it. Except there appear to be somewhat intelligent abnormals? You can speculate a lot but no definite facts would come from it, I guess.

[lord_khaine]

manga spoilers

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Remember also the town where everyone in it suddenly turned into a wild titan.
I think its pretty likely that there exist some sort of titan poison, that earlier has been delivered to the world en masse, resulting in the romaing packs of immortal titans we know today.
And i also suspect that the people in control are the ones from the secret titan society, who holds the secret of creating controled titans.

[Flickerdart]

I'm getting tired of coming to this thread to see the new posts and having them all be "Manga Spoilers" and a green bar.

[Wolf_Haley]

I'm getting tired of coming to this thread to see the new posts and having them all be "Manga Spoilers" and a green bar.

Not reading the manga?

[Tectonic Robot]

What I want to know about is

(sorry Flickerdart, manga spoilers D=)

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The beast titan, and what his deal is. I'm under the impression he isn't a titan shifter at all, and is instead a before-unseen sort of master titan, the intelligent ones that run the whole show.

The normal titans attack titan shifters, even in titan form. But he commands and controls them. They hesitate at his voice. I suspect that ones like him are responsible for the whole titan shifter thing in the first place.

[t209]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HA-_5Xb0M18
To make it worse,

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Many of us who read the manga already seen some revelations.

[noparlpf]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HA-_5Xb0M18
To make it worse,

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Many of us who read the manga already seen some revelations.

"A roller coaster that only goes up" sums up this series very well. Continuously building suspense for...what, around two years now?—is not the best way to write a story.

[Cobalt]

"A roller coaster that only goes up" sums up this series very well. Continuously building suspense for...what, around two years now?—is not the best way to write a story.

Hey, as long as it doesn't disappoint, yo. I, for one, welcome years to come of Titan-involved story lines.

You know, I actually wonder how interesting the side stories, and the games for that matter, will be if the main manga reveals the secrets of the Titans before they get around to being made, or at least before I get around to reading/playing them. I wonder how the main story itself will actually stay interesting when these dying questions of mine are satisfied (in presumably the most epic way possible). I wouldn't mind humanity not being the underdog anymore once we get the whole "Where did they come from" business out of the way. Although clearly the ratio of deaths and injuries must be sustained.

Anyway. These pictures from the 3DS game are kind of hilarious.



I just rewatched episode 13, where they seal the wall and count the bodies. Even though I half-way remember seeing it the first time, Annie's petrified guilt as she said "I'm sorry" to the dead soldiers, to that soundtrack, was one of the deepest moments of this show's rewatch that I think I'm going to get-- excluding entirely episode 21. She's clearly breaking in that moment, as a *cough* human being. If you let it, the sound of her voice can silence you.

Screencap of Annie's face:

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Manga Spoilered additional comment (serious spoils)

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And seeing Reiner, and presumably Bertholt there in the background, pulling her back to her senses is damnably chilling, folks, I mean it.

"Just mourn them in passing."
Wow. Just, Isayama everybody.

Ha. Petra-fied. Because she murdered her.

[LaZodiac]

*lots of details that prove that this year is good for rereading and rewatching manga and anime*

I'm really happy that a lot of series are remembering how to write well.

[John Cribati]

[LaZodiac]

These never stop being awesome.

[Cobalt]

Reaction to 'Mercy' can be said in a few sentences:

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OH MY GOD DO YOU FEEL IT.
IT'S PURE RAGE COMING TO EAT ALL OF THE TITANS.
BUT WAIT IT'S THE END OF THE EPISODE.
DAMN IT.

I want moooooore, mooooooooooore I tell you.

But now I have this image of Hange, so it's all good.

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[CarpeGuitarrem]

Eventually, they're going to learn to stop taunting Titans.

Eventually.

[John Cribati]

Eventually, they're going to learn to stop taunting Titans.

Eventually.

[LaZodiac]

Remove the cape, put a combat jacket on her, and dye her hair black, and...she'll actually look a fair bit like Mikasa, I imagine.

Also, wow it's been forever since I saw that.

[t209]

These never stop being awesome.

Plus,

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It may not be great but it's the best fictional political cartoon on Drow Civil War.
Edit:
It maybe ponies but some of you will be happy enough to see them kill themselves out of fear, smacked into a wall, get eaten, regurgiated with pony skeletons and disfigured appearances, and get eaten partially (I wonder if Pinkie's bleeds happiness) .
I also want to know if you seen a Attack on Titan with a certain psychopath with regeneration power and faced by Wolverine.

[LaZodiac]

Although those are interesting, I think this is my favorite bit of fanart.

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[HamHam]

The pacing is pretty terrible. But this show is hilarious. I'd say not for the intended reasons, but I find it hard to believe this show isn't making fun of itself.

[Mx.Silver]

The pacing is pretty terrible. But this show is hilarious. I'd say not for the intended reasons, but I find it hard to believe this show isn't making fun of itself.

Eh, I dunno. For something making fun itself it really seems to play a lot of things fairly straight, and without much self-awareness (hence the aforementioned tonal problems). I can sort of see the possibility in some of the titan designs, which do seem to be taking the piss at times, but as far as the show generally goes if it is meant to be primarily comedic then it has a really odd way of presenting itself.

Not disputing that you can get ironic enjoyment out of it, mind you. Just that I'm not sure that was the intent behind it.

[GloatingSwine]

More than just fanart.

[Cobalt]

More than just fanart.

Should have been "Seid Ihr das Sherman? Nein, wir sind der Panzer!"

(I'm still surprised that the first OP line isn't what everyone thought/thinks it is.)

[Eric Tolle]

Some people have really odd senses of humor.

[Devonix]

Ok I'm fully caught up with the anime and I'm a bit confused. People call this a Grimdark show and are upset about how things are terrible all the time?

Maybe it's just me but I find it to be a rather hopeful series. We have reasonable commanders. Friendships in terrible times. Sure lots of people die but each death is given meaning and there is in general an upswing and a feeling of rising hope as the series goes on.

Perhaps the Manga is darker.

[BRC]

Ok I'm fully caught up with the anime and I'm a bit confused. People call this a Grimdark show and are upset about how things are terrible all the time?

Maybe it's just me but I find it to be a rather hopeful series. We have reasonable commanders. Friendships in terrible times. Sure lots of people die but each death is given meaning and there is in general an upswing and a feeling of rising hope as the series goes on.

Perhaps the Manga is darker.

Eh, I would disagree.

Heroic Fiction is usually a story of triumphs. When the protagonists go up against a foe the assumption is that they will win, the question is how. If the protagonists are ever outright defeated, then that is considered a shocking twist. This is the Standard with the Action genre.

Attack on Titan is a story of struggle, not Triumph. There is no endgame in sight, no evil emperor to defeat, only more Titans. Meanwhile we are constantly reminded of the costs of the struggle. The fact that "Dying with meaning" is a major theme of the story indicates how dark it is. Many of the deaths are visceral and pointless. Normally even a minorly established character's death is going to be a significant event with build up. Here they wiped out Squad Levi (who, admittedly, were Mauve Shirts at best) very quickly. If there is hope it is a vague hope that maybe in Eren's Basement there will be a thing that might help against the Titans.

I wouldn't call it Grimdark, since that's a loaded term. Grimdark is when a series is trying too hard to be serious and dark by instituting a strict "NO GOOD THINGS ALLOWED" policy. Grimdark is a wannabee-nihilist oth teenager who sulks in the mall trying to look miserable.

Attack on Titan is not Grimdark, but it is Dark and Brutal. There is good in it, but things are overwhelmingly terrible.

[Devonix]

Eh, I would disagree.

Heroic Fiction is usually a story of triumphs. When the protagonists go up against a foe the assumption is that they will win, the question is how. If the protagonists are ever outright defeated, then that is considered a shocking twist. This is the Standard with the Action genre.

Attack on Titan is a story of struggle, not Triumph. There is no endgame in sight, no evil emperor to defeat, only more Titans. Meanwhile we are constantly reminded of the costs of the struggle. The fact that "Dying with meaning" is a major theme of the story indicates how dark it is. Many of the deaths are visceral and pointless. Normally even a minorly established character's death is going to be a significant event with build up. Here they wiped out Squad Levi (who, admittedly, were Mauve Shirts at best) very quickly. If there is hope it is a vague hope that maybe in Eren's Basement there will be a thing that might help against the Titans.

I wouldn't call it Grimdark, since that's a loaded term. Grimdark is when a series is trying too hard to be serious and dark by instituting a strict "NO GOOD THINGS ALLOWED" policy. Grimdark is a wannabee-nihilist oth teenager who sulks in the mall trying to look miserable.

Attack on Titan is not Grimdark, but it is Dark and Brutal. There is good in it, but things are overwhelmingly terrible.

I don't know its just that each episode gives me the feeling that things are progressing. Not that they are just going to randomly beat the titans, or indeed they are a thing that can be just stopped. But that humanity can become stronger and work together.

Even with the conspiracies if that makes sense. Or maybe I'm just a hopeful person.

[CarpeGuitarrem]

Eh, I would disagree.

Heroic Fiction is usually a story of triumphs. When the protagonists go up against a foe the assumption is that they will win, the question is how. If the protagonists are ever outright defeated, then that is considered a shocking twist. This is the Standard with the Action genre.

Attack on Titan is a story of struggle, not Triumph. There is no endgame in sight, no evil emperor to defeat, only more Titans. Meanwhile we are constantly reminded of the costs of the struggle. The fact that "Dying with meaning" is a major theme of the story indicates how dark it is. Many of the deaths are visceral and pointless. Normally even a minorly established character's death is going to be a significant event with build up. Here they wiped out Squad Levi (who, admittedly, were Mauve Shirts at best) very quickly. If there is hope it is a vague hope that maybe in Eren's Basement there will be a thing that might help against the Titans.

I wouldn't call it Grimdark, since that's a loaded term. Grimdark is when a series is trying too hard to be serious and dark by instituting a strict "NO GOOD THINGS ALLOWED" policy. Grimdark is a wannabee-nihilist oth teenager who sulks in the mall trying to look miserable.

Attack on Titan is not Grimdark, but it is Dark and Brutal. There is good in it, but things are overwhelmingly terrible.

I think I agree with this. AoT doesn't fit neatly into the "optimistic" nor "cynical" categories. "Dark and Brutal" is exactly what I'd call it. There's hope and horror right alongside one another, and it's a really weird mix that works incredibly well in my mind.

There's a lot the show does tonally--both visually and musically--to play on this duality in the series. Because, my word, the music is just the most triumphant ever when things are on a roll, but when the shoe drops, it drops.

[noparlpf]

I thought SnK was a comedy.

[HamHam]

This show is absolutely grimdark. Just look at how the faces are drawn half the time. That much shading around the eyes is hilarious.

[Flickerdart]

This show is absolutely grimdark. Just look at how the faces are drawn half the time. That much shading around the eyes is hilarious.

Maybe they just wear very heavy makeup.

[Kato]

I don't know its just that each episode gives me the feeling that things are progressing. Not that they are just going to randomly beat the titans, or indeed they are a thing that can be just stopped. But that humanity can become stronger and work together.

So... what episodes exactly ended with a positive event? Okay, Eren & Co made it through their training. Eren fixed the whole in the wall. They somehow prevented Eren from getting kidnapped and only lost a few dozen people during this. Not counting all the other people dying left and right. Yeah, the number of dead "named" characters isn't that high but overall this show has a body count in the thousands so far. Admittedly, they could do a better job making us like the everyday people but I guess its enough to consider their deaths losses and feel for them.

I thought SnK was a comedy.

Sometimes I'm amazed this show can actually (intentionally) make me laugh. Rarely but it does happen.