Action, Effects Aside, ‘Attack On Titan’ Film Not For Hardcore Fans

One of the most anticipated anime-to-film adaptations is finally here … in Japan at least. Shingeki No Kyojin or more popularly known as Attack on Titan is set to premiere in the U.S.A on Sept. 30, 2015. But here at Nerd Caliber we were able to get the inside scoop and hopefully prepare all you out there for what’s to come — because it’s not pretty.

While most of us out there knew or had some kind of idea that the film adaptation would differ from the anime and manga series I was still perplexed to see just how certain scenarios and relationships were portrayed. Other critics and people involved with the film have stated before that the film adaptation is better for newcomers to the fandom and they were definitely right.

If you’re expecting a spoiler-free review you may want to click away in 3…2…

[divider]

WHY, OH, WHY are Eren and Mikasa a romantic couple? Of course we knew this based on the trailer but seeing it come to life? Gross, and not to mention, short lived. In the film you hear more about how they “were” an item at one point instead of actually seeing it. This is because Mikasa has seemingly lost all kind of hope and has turned into a morbid piece of cardboard. Two years have passed since the Titan incident separated our two lovers and joining the scouting regime has brought them back together. During this time we meet Mikasa’s new love interest, Levi … whoops, I meant Shikishima, who is also proclaimed to be some kind of savior to humanity. But then why bother changing the name? Clearly, this new character is meant to represent our beloved Levi Ackerman. My guess is it was to add in the unnecessary love triangle. So far not only do we have unnecessary love affairs but also pointless name changes and the grievance that some characters — like Erwin Smith — didn’t even make it into the film.

As for character personas, pretty much all the characters (the ones that made it to the screen) were lesser versions of themselves. Eren wasn’t always angry, Armin wasn’t super sappy and Mikasa was as previously stated, a morbid piece of cardboard.

But while I could rant about what else the film did wrong I would like to say what it did right: TITANS! I loved seeing these hideous giants come to life. They couldn’t have portrayed the Titans more realistically if they tried. Seeing Eren’s Titan form was also pretty cool and I look forward to seeing the other Titan Shifters, assuming these characters get introduced in the upcoming second half. The graphics and gore in this film were surprisingly done very well. Director Shinji Higuchi definitely did a wonderful job capturing the sinister way that living under the terror of the Titans affected the citizens. These components alone are probably the only thing that has me excited for the second part of the film.

Overall the film is definitely meant for those new to the fandom. For those of you who are loyal fans and hereby morally obligated to watch it, make sure you go into it completely unbiased with a brand new set of eyes and ears.