Attack on Titan

Started Attack on Titan and loving it. I watched the first episode when it first came out and have been putting off the show till a time when I could sit down and gorge on it. Watched the first 10 episodes over the past few days and I can't recall the last time that an anime hooked me so quickly.

The storytelling is top notch and it manages to be suite emotional and moving, far more often than many more respected and lauded dramas manage. There's a sense of urgency to each episode but the writers know when to slow down and take a breather. The way in which the relationship between the characters and their past is woven into the mayhem creates genuine warmth for them and allows the writers to explore a number of interesting and topical themes and issues. It's a rather brave and adult show and that it doesn't pander to genre expectations is a breath of fresh air.

All that said there are some issues with the pacing. The training episode seemed to hint at a struggle we never saw, talk of cadets dieing and the strain they were under but we never saw this or the affect it had on the others. It felt like a missed opportunity. The training episode did remind me quite a lot of Starship Troopers. Similarly the show does like to pad out rid idea with lots of recycled material and long scenes where the characters spend an age discussing not a whole lot. Still, they're minor complaints which don't take a lot away from the show. It's one of those rare adult anime shows that's more concerned with philosophising than it is with cheap gore or titillation.