A franchise that has captivated its fans for more than a decade across multiple mediums,Attack on Titanwill undoubtedly go down as one of the most important anime to air during the past decade. Despite having deftly rendered Hajime Isayama’s source material on screen in parallel to its serialization in Kodansha’s Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine, the anime adaptation of the series has alwayssuffered from a staggered release schedule. This was especially evident during the premieres of the first three seasons, when the show was produced by WIT Studio. An almost four-year-long gap between the end of the first season in 2013 and the launch of the second season in 2017 left fans wondering whether they would ever see the Survey Corps and their struggle against the insurmountable might of the Titans on screen ever again.
However, this was eclipsed byAttack on Titan’sthird season, split into two cours that aired between 2018 and 2019. This was also the first time the series was animated by MAPPA Studio, who oversaw the second half of the series after taking over from their predecessors. With the airing of the final season,now in its third and last installment, the series has seen a somewhat more regular release schedule, even if the individual parts have been spaced out over three years. Even with all this in mind,Attack on Titanhas continually remained at the top of the rankings when it comes to the most anticipated anime airing each season. This begs questioning on why a show with such sporadic releases, airing less than 90 episodes over the course of a decade, has continually been blessed with such hype and popularity, in the face of all the agonizing hiatuses that fans have been subjected to.
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Setting The Bar With Animation
Even back in its first season,Attack on Titanhad incredible standards of animation, both in the fluidity of its motion, and the beauty and detail of the art style used to render it. While certain scenes and sequences did rely heavily on still frames with only minor movements to show characters engaging in dialogue, the action sequences and backgrounds more than made up for any perceived shortcomings. Scenes of the Scouts zipping across rooftops and treetops with their vertical maneuvering equipment took the world by storm at the time of the show’s global premier and many of its highlight moments have continued to come from this aspect of the world. A few sequences featuringhumanity’s strongest soldier, Levi Ackermanstand out on this topic, particularly the chase scene from Season 3 Part 1, with clips of its dynamic, buttery-smooth animation doing the rounds on multiple social media platforms at the time of its release.
On the other hand, when looking past the aesthetic quality and fluidity of motion, whereAttack on Titan’sanimation fares really well is in its depiction of the stakes and emotional weight of the actions it is portraying on screen. The Titans seem massive, terrifying, outlandish, and eerie, all tempered by a touch of the absurd. All of their movements have been paired with immaculate sound design that allows viewers to really feel the mass and force behind each step, punch, jump, and bite. Shifting perspective, clever use of camera angles, and the sheer expressiveness in the character designs by both studios behind the anime help to accentuate all these facets of the show. Another area where the animation succeeds in the sheer visceral nature of the visuals on show and how they make the story’s most heart-wrenching moments even more horrifying. Gory scenes of helpless people being devoured by Titans, or Scouts slashing through their foes take on a whole new meaning on screen. Together, this heightens the experience so that it can keep any viewer — whether devoted or casual —right on the edge of their seat.
Capturing The Essence Of The Manga
TheAttack on Titanmanga did face considerable criticism for its art style during the early days of its serialization. Even its creator, Hajime Isayama admitted to this, although the latter arcs and chapters showed significant improvement, such that many may have forgotten about the deficiencies in the manga’s quality back in the day. Notwithstanding this shortcoming, there was an eeriness to the manga’s visuals that stemmed from its distinct line work and almost unpolished nature. Over time, it evolved in tandem with Isayama’s own drawing skills to become an essential aspect of his storytelling. In the first season of the anime,WIT Studio’s artwork diverged considerablyfrom this, to better compare to its peers that were airing at the time. Their clean lines, saturated colors, and a visual character that boasted appeal from every angle, were a stark departure from the manga, but where did they not falter was in bringing the same eeriness to every frame in their own unique way.
It is perhaps the very beauty of the show’s early artwork that served to enhance the feeling of unease pervading the anime when it mattered most. Beginning with the scenes of Titans entering Shiganshina after the fall of Wall Maria to the Scouts' encounters with these mysterious, monstrous beings during expeditions outside the walls, the eeriness of the show is also grounded in a sense of realism, gritty, harrowing, and overwhelming in many respects. MAPPA Studio’s ongoing tenure has seen this style grow into one that replicates of the detail and line work seen in the manga while stillretaining the aesthetic appeal of their predecessors. The result is a visual language that captures the shades of gray underlining the storyline, but at the same time, it also bursts with the charm and appeal that sold fans during earlier seasons.
Elevating the Narrative Experience
When adapting a successful manga to the medium of animation, it is easy to fall into the trap of simply coloring in panels, adding music, voices, and sound effects, and packaging it as a retelling of the story. It would be sacrilege to even claim thatAttack on Titanis a title that can be grouped in this category. Many fans of the series might even prefer theanime for its more immersive experience, as well as the consistency in its quality. Although quite a few of the manga’s panels have been adapted shot for shot, there is a clear sense of value being added in this version of the story that enhances the impact in way that static drawings cannot.
Each moment hits harder due to all the machinery and different departments that have come together to make it a reality. Scenes that were crucial to the emotional escalation of the story are given new meaning from a different perspective, even while telling the same story. Till date,Attack on Titanis a show that has been firing on all cylinders in all departments, be it the star-studded voice cast, the epic and emphaticmusical offerings of Hiroyuki Sawanoand Kohta Yamamoto, the dynamic and action-filled animation, and the art style used to depict it. Hence, even though the franchise has faced all the pitfalls associated with a production of this scale and importance, it has never failed to entice its fans, growing in stature, hype, and quality, with each successive installment in its run.
