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REVIEW: Attack on Titan episodes 1-5 (English Dub)

spoiler[Annie] considered by the fans along with friends of mine are amused with her on just being a bitch.

I've seen the trailers before and thought it was okay for the voices. It's nice to see an improvement for the animation visuals although I thought Production IG did a pretty good job already. I kinda prefer the Japanese opening for the first episode.

Thats mostly what a, "anyones visions of a show should have been." is. Something different from the mentioned material. The survivor story overtime becomes boring. Over and over again they fail with the only success in one episode in the second half with incredibley slow pacing. Sure, I want the characters to be endangered and losing. Like the impending odds in Saving Private Ryan. But this takes it the wrong way.

I bet you wrong though. People were hooked since the first epsiode, already on the leash of the author. So they would be okay with whatever they dish out to the audience. Even if it had a lower fanbase. IMO, my changes would at least give this show the inspiration and heart that other shonnen shows have but with a different twist on the plot.

I apalogize if I sound like a snob, but with all the action of what little there is are inside the walls. Yet the only time they are outside is rendered with slow pacing yet the characters still being stale.

Plus, your ending sentence on your first paragraph addressing me seemed offensive.

Is the audience supposed to feel uncertainty that the enemies view of attacking them inside the walls as a counter to what humans inside the city did to be sympathectic and that they should reconsider what humanity inside the walls did before the wall was built? Unless this is From the New World, Berserk, or even Majestic Prince. Then IMO no. We viewed the side of the problem humans are facing for so long, that pulling a sympathetic antagonist is way too late in the game given the amount of supposed, "emmotional fuel." this show is pumping.

The general audience IMO, is going to hear it as a bunch of asians yelling, though understand what I typed is a racist statement. But its so far the generic stereotype for the public in the good ol USA of music not with english autotunes or bang rape with drug sex screaming, "baby, ooooohhhhhhhhRight."

(Key): What you are, I think, grossly underestimating here, bs3311, is that this show, as written, is essentially a zombie apocalypse show, only with giant-sized zombies. Those kind of shows are immensely popular in the West, and that's one of the main reasons why I'm convinced that this will be a big hit as is.

(bs3311): Is the audience supposed to feel uncertainty that the enemies view of attacking them inside the walls as a counter to what humans inside the city did to be sympathectic and that they should reconsider what humanity inside the walls did before the wall was built? Unless this is From the New World, Berserk, or even Majestic Prince. Then IMO no. We viewed the side of the problem humans are facing for so long, that pulling a sympathetic antagonist is way too late in the game given the amount of supposed, "emmotional fuel." this show is pumping.

(Key): This and concerning the quotes that follow: Boy, if that's how you are interpreting what I'm talking about and what the show is doing then it's no wonder that you don't like it as it. What's been animated so far does not provide us enough information to support most of those suppositions. That is especially evident in your last point about the spoiler[titans possibly being biological weapons]. We don't have enough information yet to conclude if the story is going in that direction or not.

(bs3311): The general audience IMO, is going to hear it as a bunch of asians yelling, though understand what I typed is a racist statement. But its so far the generic stereotype for the public in the good ol USA of music not with english autotunes or bang rape with drug sex screaming, "baby, ooooohhhhhhhhRight."

(Key): Sorry, but WTF are you talking about here?

What I see in the OP are character flying around in Spider Man-like maneuvers, dramatically attacking giants with fantastically intense music backing it. Besides, what does the song not being in English have to do with anything? You are aware that there is a long tradition in the U.S. of songs which are sung mostly or entirely in a non-English language being highly successful (even chart-toppers), right?

And by the way, your comments there are more than bordering on being prejudicial in a number of ways.

I'm on record as that being one of my main criticisms of the show - but that's because of how the production team decided to stretch it out, not because the survivor story was getting tiresome. I thought the story was cooking along just fine at the end.

Which would make it just like any other uninspired shonen adventure show. Why would I want just another uninspired shonen show?

What you are, I think, grossly underestimating here, bs3311, is that this show, as written, is essentially a zombie apocalypse show, only with giant-sized zombies. Those kind of shows are immensely popular in the West, and that's one of the main reasons why I'm convinced that this will be a big hit as is.

So what? That's where the focus of the story should be in the first half: inside the walls. By insisting on the characters spending most of their time out adventuring, you're ignoring all of the story possibilities within the walls; for instance, the politics and religious elements that seem to be going on are only touched upon here in a few places. And yes, the second half has pacing issues, as I've already said.

So you feel offended by being called out on something you were clearly doing wrong? Okay, sure.

This and concerning the quotes that follow: Boy, if that's how you are interpreting what I'm talking about and what the show is doing then it's no wonder that you don't like it as it. What's been animated so far does not provide us enough information to support most of those suppositions. That is especially evident in your last point about the spoiler[titans possibly being biological weapons]. We don't have enough information yet to conclude if the story is going in that direction or not.

What I see in the OP are character flying around in Spider Man-like maneuvers, dramatically attacking giants with fantastically intense music backing it. Besides, what does the song not being in English have to do with anything? You are aware that there is a long tradition in the U.S. of songs which are sung mostly or entirely in a non-English language being highly successful (even chart-toppers), right?

And by the way, your comments there are more than bordering on being prejudicial in a number of ways.

You bs3311 seem to be comfortable leaping to all kinds of conclusions well before there is sufficient basis for making them, or even treating things as probable outcomes/realities/theories way too soon instead of allowing the authour to, like, you know, actually start telling us for themselves what they have intended.

That did come off as being shall we say rather full of prejudicial concepts about Americans, it also completely misses the reality that Key points out to about how many songs with little to no English have done very well on American music charts and even become massive crazes in American culture beyond just the narrow basis/niche that music form originated out from. Indeed more than a few of them over the decades became not just chart toppers as Key notes but even cultural icons, so youir assumptions about how the OP will be seen by Americans comes off at the very least as incredibly uninformed as to the reality. I will close this by noting I myself am not an American, just one of their neighbours, and I don't kid myself about their culture's negatives, anymore than I do any others that I know of, since by nature all human cultures have their flaws. I at least though try to make sure that the flaws I believe I see have some basis rooted in reality, and not whatever fantasy your seeing.

Sorry if I messed up the multi-quoting, I was trying to prune things down to the relevant portions only for what I wanted to say. I had in fact been debating about replying to that person before you chose to do so, and much of what you said was what I was thinking so I initially left it alone, but the reply kind of left me feeling the need to underscore the points I mentioned above. Sorry for sticking my nose into it, I hope you don't mind, and I do not plan on doing this sort of thing often, but I have to say I found the things this person had to say first baffling and arrogant/presumptuous and then got worse from there, as you noted in the end of your comment that I've quoted.

This is an, "anime" though with a, "japanese" opening. Both of those words lead to several negative conclusions if they are no fans like us when watching this show for the first time. And with viewing the mass media and general public in mind. There reaction IMO is going to be like, "Oh, another crazy hentai japanese cartoon.", "This does have some cool action, but those female characters are looking a bit sexual to be taken seriously.", "What stupid language is this, speak english!", "I would like to watch more, but I have to much work to do. Besides, its nothing groundbreaking like Lost or Game of Thrones. Its just a cartoon."

Do both of you mean to say that none of you got scolded or even bullied around like most anime fans have from people that see this medium as a, "errotic", "stupid", "gay", or "retarded" hobby? To each his/her own experience, but nearly every forum or blog I see. There are alot with backstory on being bullied while in the fandom.

Oh really? Would'nt my concept have to have started from watching other shows though, ala; inspiration? Like One Piece, FMAB, From the New World, Berserk, Slayers, Guin Saga, etc. AoT is inspired but with lack there off of being unique in an overall medium IMO. In an anime, yes. Others, no. Why would you want to just watch another shonen show pulling heart strings instead of a show with logic and strong character development while pulling heart strings?

*MOST* of what we were exposed to was not related at all to that outdated notion of "oh, anime = porn". So there is has been a cultural shift that has de-stigmatized the idea of watching anime, at least to some extent.

Second, the "sexual females" you mention. There is not a single female character in the first opening that is sexualized--unless you count recognizing that, yes, women have breasts (fully-clothed and reasonably proportioned) as being sexual. Which it's not, that's just Anatomy 101. Razz

Third, the ever-present "It's just a cartoon" idea. Since this show will air on Toonami on the bleeding Cartoon Network, I'd say the viewers have a general idea of what they're getting into. Moreover, I'd say the ridiculously widespread appeal of The Last Airbender, being anime-esque AND a cartoon, has at least in some part debunked the idea that cartoon automatically means "childish". That's not to say that everyone has stopped thinking that, but I think the far-reaching demographics of The Last Airbender, coupled with it's still on-going popularity with The Legend of Korra has helped refute that idea.

Anime is still fairly popular amongst high school students, enough so that most students either like it or, at worst, are indifferent to it.

And why would an adventure concept like you've described automatically have more logic and strong character development?Besides, there's hardly anything that illogical that we've seen so far that can't be attributed to "we don't have enough information yet."

Also consider this: using the 3D Maneuvering Gear - which is one of the series' feature elements - can only really be done in a forest with large, well-spaced trees or an urban setting which features lots of multi-story buildings. Taking a pure adventure approach to the story would have dramatically limited the use of that element; remember how much of a disadvantage the humans were at (beyond their normal disadvantage, naturally) when they got out in the open country.

I have actual work I need to get done today, so I'll pass on responding to the rest, other than to say that your response to my comments about being prejudicial entirely ignores the most prejudicial element in your previous statement, which was your rant about current American musical interests.

(bs3311): Do both of you mean to say that none of you got scolded or even bullied around like most anime fans have from people that see this medium as a, "errotic", "stupid", "gay", or "retarded" hobby? To each his/her own experience, but nearly every forum or blog I see. There are alot with backstory on being bullied while in the fandom.

In any event, that is going far afield, and it doesn't exactly do much to help your argument. Most people have hobbies that they are sensitive about how others perceive, it is far from limited to we anime/manga/SF&F fans, I've known more than a few golf fans for example who can relate similar "bullying" for their interest as you described here for the anime fan. The original point was that your assertion that the OP for AoT would not go over well in the NA marketplace and be seen as you characterized. Key disagreed, and I agreed with Key, and you came back with the part about how we don't understand about being bullied for our interests as anime fans. Seriously, I fail to understand this argument you are presenting. In any event I have taken this as far as I feel I need to go with it, and I am certainly not going to get into a ritual ego beating contest about who was more bullied with anyone, my sense of self worth long passed that need, I only went as far as I did to undercut your argument and to show that I have more than some first hand experience with such and therefore am not being dismissive out of ignorance. Yes, many of us have been bullied, so how does that make your assertion about whether the OP of AoT has a chance of being well received? To connect the two the way you did comes off a fallacy to me, and I suspect Key and others as well.

Even if the language is foreign, AoT's OP has such a blood-pounding, heart-thumping feel to it that I'd be pretty impressed if people weren't at least intrigued by the grandiosity of the score coupled by the weird and unusual imagery of the Titans and them terrorizing people.