feedingbrett's review
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Perhaps it is the condensed manner of its exposition that lags its momentum and impact. Rather than let emotions sweep its readers, the heavy explanation appears to be desperately needed for Hajime Isayama to get there. Without knowing how this will all fall into place, it is clear that there is a desire to lead towards something colossal, but the journey doesn’t seem to be as interesting as I hoped it would be - despite the gravity of its themes.
miniando's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
nathanrester's review
5.0
First off: I can't believe I just read seven-thousand pages of manga. Second: I'm not normally the type of dude who drops massive, multi-paragraph reviews on Goodreads. But I'm making an exception here, mainly because the act of actually writing these reviews and giving physical form to jumbled thoughts is actually a pretty cool form of synthesis, and it allows disconnected strands of opinion to be wound together into something resembling a coherent thought. Let's do this, I guess.
At the risk of sounding like an enthused fanboy fresh out a midnight screening, I'm just gonna come out and say it: after chewing on it for a little more than a week, I think the final run of Attack on Titan (the slow-build, intrigue-laden "War for Paradis" arc and the apocalyptic "Rumbling" arc that follows) is damn near perfect. It manages to distill that perfect chemical blend of fan service and unexpected reversals that really makes this whole thing stick the landing in a way that few series manage: long-running plot-threads are paid off admirably, character arcs land with fury, and tensions you're not even consciously aware of are resolved in a prolonged finale whose stakes are borderline-eschatological. If you want to justify reading almost seven-thousand pages of manga, then this is how you do it.
But you can't talk about this last volume without addressing the ending. I try not to pay attention to fandoms or online discourse because I value my time and my sanity, but I'm generally aware that a lot of people didn't care for the denouement (i.e. the last fifty pages or so). Without getting into spoilers here, I'll just say that the longer I dwell on the last few chapters, the more I appreciate the creative guts it took Isayama and company to take this thing in the direction they did and use this ridiculous, overstuffed epic to make a genuinely poignant statement about human nature and the cyclical complexity of war. And you know what? It works.
Because this series has always been about the nature of cycles, whether those cycles take the form of violence, revenge, love, creation, or death. It's about how these patterns are perpetuated, broken, and harmonized. Eren Yeager's obsession (which ultimately turns to anguish) over free will forms the focal point of this literal and metaphorical ouroboros, and the fact that all these patterns bring us back to the same place is perfectly in tune with the series' fatalistic outlook. (It's almost like the titans were a metaphor or something). Our behavior and intentions within that structure of repetition means everything, because those things are the foundation of our humanity and purpose. The ending - and really, the whole series - is a wonderfully realized distillation of that sentiment.
Long story short, they nailed it.
At the risk of sounding like an enthused fanboy fresh out a midnight screening, I'm just gonna come out and say it: after chewing on it for a little more than a week, I think the final run of Attack on Titan (the slow-build, intrigue-laden "War for Paradis" arc and the apocalyptic "Rumbling" arc that follows) is damn near perfect. It manages to distill that perfect chemical blend of fan service and unexpected reversals that really makes this whole thing stick the landing in a way that few series manage: long-running plot-threads are paid off admirably, character arcs land with fury, and tensions you're not even consciously aware of are resolved in a prolonged finale whose stakes are borderline-eschatological. If you want to justify reading almost seven-thousand pages of manga, then this is how you do it.
But you can't talk about this last volume without addressing the ending. I try not to pay attention to fandoms or online discourse because I value my time and my sanity, but I'm generally aware that a lot of people didn't care for the denouement (i.e. the last fifty pages or so). Without getting into spoilers here, I'll just say that the longer I dwell on the last few chapters, the more I appreciate the creative guts it took Isayama and company to take this thing in the direction they did and use this ridiculous, overstuffed epic to make a genuinely poignant statement about human nature and the cyclical complexity of war. And you know what? It works.
Because this series has always been about the nature of cycles, whether those cycles take the form of violence, revenge, love, creation, or death. It's about how these patterns are perpetuated, broken, and harmonized. Eren Yeager's obsession (which ultimately turns to anguish) over free will forms the focal point of this literal and metaphorical ouroboros, and the fact that all these patterns bring us back to the same place is perfectly in tune with the series' fatalistic outlook. (It's almost like the titans were a metaphor or something). Our behavior and intentions within that structure of repetition means everything, because those things are the foundation of our humanity and purpose. The ending - and really, the whole series - is a wonderfully realized distillation of that sentiment.
Long story short, they nailed it.
very_vero's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0
iamangieh's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
rikku813's review
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Murder, Gun violence, and Cursing
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