Attack on Titan (Japanese: 進æ'ƒã®å·¨äºº, Hepburn: Shingeki no Kyojin, lit. "Advancing Giants") is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hajime Isayama. The series began serialization in Kodansha's Bessatsu ShÅnen Magazine on September 9, 2009, and has been collected into 15 tankÅbon volumes as of December 9, 2014. It is set in a world where humanity lives inside cities surrounded by enormous walls as a defense against the Titans, gigantic humanoid creatures who devour humans seemingly without reason. The story initially centers on Eren Yeager, his adopted sister Mikasa Ackerman, and their childhood friend Armin Arlert, who join the military to fight the Titans after their home town is invaded and Eren's mother is eaten. As the story progresses, the truth behind the origin of the Titans arises and the story shifts to one about political subterfuge.
A spin-off light novel series began in December 2011, and has received a manga adaptation. An additional light novel series and three additional spin-off manga series are also being serialized. A television anime adaptation produced by Wit Studio and Production I.G aired in Japan on MBS between April and September 2013 and a second season is confirmed to be released in 2016. Four video game adaptations developed by Nitroplus staffers in collaboration with Production I.G were announced to be released as bonus content for the third and sixth volumes of the Blu-ray Disc release of the anime, with another game developed by Spike Chunsoft for the Nintendo 3DS. A two-part live action film adaptation is also in production and set to premiere in 2015. Attack on Titan and three spin-off manga are published in North America by Kodansha Comics USA, while the novels are published by Vertical. The anime has been licensed by Funimation for North America, by Manga Entertainment for the United Kingdom, and by Madman Entertainment for Australasia.
Attack on Titan has become a commercial success, with 45 million volumes in print as of November 2014. The release of the anime also saw a boost in the series' popularity, with it having received critical acclaim for its atmosphere and story. Although it also gained fame in neighboring Asian countries, the series' themes have been a subject of controversy.
Overview
Setting
Over one hundred years prior to the beginning of the story, giant humanoid creatures called Titans (巨人, Kyojin) suddenly appeared and nearly wiped out humanity, devouring them without remorse or reason. What remains of humanity now resides within a country surrounded by three enormous concentric walls: the outermost is Wall Maria (ウォール・マリア, WÅru Maria); the middle wall is Wall Rose (ウォール・ãƒãƒ¼ã‚¼, WÅru RÅze, pronounced like rosé) and the innermost is Wall Sheena (ウォール・シーナ, WÅru ShÄ«na, alt. "Wall Sina"). Inside these walls, humanity has lived in peace for one hundred years; many people growing up without ever having seen a Titan. This all changes when one day, a giant 60-meter (200 ft)-tall Titan mysteriously appears and breaches the outer wall of the Shiganshina district, a town at Wall Maria, allowing the smaller Titans to invade the district. An Armored Titan smashes clean through Wall Maria, forcing mankind to abandon the land between Wall Maria and Wall Rosé, evacuating the remaining population into the inner districts. The sudden influx of population causes turmoil and famine.
The Titans are giant humanoids about 3â€"15 meters tall that are usually masculine in body shape but without reproductive organs. They instinctively attack and eat humans on sight, but do not prey on them for food. Their skin is tough and difficult to penetrate, and they regenerate quickly from injuries, except for a weak spot at the nape of their neck.
Combating the Titans is the military, which is divided into three branches. Foremost in the story is the Survey Corps (調査兵団, ChÅsa Heidan), which goes out into Titan territory in order to try to reclaim the land. The Survey Corps are heavily derided in society because of their high casualty rate and little sense of progress. Another branch is the Garrison Regiment (é§å±¯å…µå›£, ChÅ«ton Heidan), which guards the walls and the civilian populace. The third branch is the Military Police Brigade (憲兵団, Kenpeidan), who guards the royal family and live a relatively relaxed life. The soldiers use a tethering system called Vertical Maneuvering Equipment (ç«‹ä½"機動装置, Rittai KidÅ SÅchi) which allows them to jump onto walls, trees, or nearby buildings to attack Titans.
Plot
The story of Attack on Titan centers around the adventures of Eren Yeager, his adopted sister Mikasa Ackerman, and their friend Armin Arlert. After the wall which protects their hometown of Shinganshina is breached by Titans, Eren watches in horror as one of them eats his mother. Vowing to kill all Titans, Eren enlists in the military along with his friends.
Five years later, the three cadet graduates are positioned in Trost District, one of the border towns jutting out of Wall Rose, when the Titans attack again. In the ensuing battle, Eren is eaten by one of the Titans before Armin's eyes. However, a Titan later appears that begins fighting the other ones instead of harming humans; the Titan is revealed to be Eren, who has somehow developed the ability to transform into one. Though he is seen as a threat by some, he helps the military take back Trost. After being placed on trial for being a danger to the humans, he is taken in by the Survey Corps' Special Operations Squad, led by Captain Levi.
In an expedition to Shinganshina, the Scouts are attacked by a Female Titan who attempts to capture Eren. Although the Scouts are able to briefly capture the Female Titan, she breaks free and devastates Levi's squad, forcing the expedition to retreat. Armin determines that the Female Titan is Annie, one of the cadets who taught Eren to fight, and devises a plan to capture her at Stohess.
Others are discovered to be able to transform into Titans, with several seeking Eren for some unknown purpose which they refer to as the coordinate. The Walls themselves seem to be hiding something from the populace as shown by the fact that Titans make up the walls. As is the royal family and the Military Police who also need Eren to keep him from causing an uprising, as well as his friend Krista Lenz, who is really named Historia and is next in line to the throne.
The Survey Corps, seeing the turmoil and decadence caused by the current royal family, the Reiss Family, decide to mount a rebellion and use Eren and Historia as bait. The rebellion is successful but Rod Reiss, the current king, captures Eren and Historia. He reveals that a Titan was the one who created the walls 100 years ago and it modified most people's memories. A few bloodlines were spared from the modification but their children did not gain these details. Eventually only the person who held the Titan's power knew anything of the new world. Through a series of circumstances the power has come to Eren, who Rod says Historia must consume to retake the power.
Production
Hajime Isayama first wrote a 65-page one-shot version of Attack on Titan in 2006. Originally, he also offered his work to the Weekly ShÅnen Jump department at Shueisha, where he was advised to modify his style and story to be more suitable for Jump. He declined and instead, decided to take it to the Weekly ShÅnen Magazine department at Kodansha. Before serialization began in 2009, he had already thought of ideas for twists, although they are fleshed out as the series progresses. The author initially based the scenery in the manga on that of his hometown, which is surrounded by mountains. While working at an internet cafe, Isayama encountered a customer who grabbed him by the collar. It was this incident that showed him "the fear of meeting a person I can't communicate with," which is the feeling that he conveys through the Titans. When designing their appearances, he uses several models such as martial artist Yushin Okami for Eren Yeager's Titan form as well as Brock Lesnar for the Armored Titan. George Wada, the anime's producer, stated that the "Wall of Fear" was influenced by the isolated and enclosed nature of Japanese culture. He also said that the inner feelings of every individual is one of the series' main influences.
Isayama estimated his basic monthly timeline as one week to storyboard and two weeks to actually draw the chapter. The story is planned out in advance, even marking down in which collected volumes a specific "truth" will be revealed. In September 2013, he stated that he is aiming to end the series in 20 collected volumes. Originally, Isayama planned to give the series a tragic conclusion similar to that of the film adaptation of Stephen King's The Mist, where every character dies. However, positive response to the manga and anime has caused the author to contemplate changing the ending due to the impact it could have on fans.
Media
Manga
Written and illustrated by Hajime Isayama, Attack on Titan began serialization in Kodansha's monthly publication Bessatsu ShÅnen Magazine in its September 2009 issue. The chapters are collected and published into tankÅbon volumes by Kodansha, with the first released on March 17, 2010. The most recent, volume fifteen, was released on December 9, 2014. As of November 2014, the manga had 45 million copies in print. The series' twelfth collected volume was given a first printing of 2.2 million copies, making Attack on Titan one of only two manga series ever to get an initial print surpassing 2 million, the other being One Piece.
A comedic spin-off of the series, titled Attack on Titan: Junior High (進æ'ƒï¼å·¨äººä¸å¦æ ¡, Shingeki! Kyojin ChÅ«gakkÅ) and written by Saki Nakagawa, began serialization in Bessatsu ShÅnen Magazine's May 2012 issue. It follows the main characters as they battle the Titans while in junior high school. Another manga series based on the prequel light novels Attack on Titan: Before the Fall started running in Kodansha's Monthly ShÅnen Sirius from August 2013, drawn by Satoshi Shiki. An additional spin-off based on the No Regrets visual novel was serialized in the shÅjo manga magazine Aria, titled Attack on Titan: No Regrets (進æ'ƒã®å·¨äºº æ‚"ã„ãªãé¸æŠž, Shingeki no Kyojin: Kuinaki Sentaku). It is written by Gun Snark and illustrated by Hikaru Suruga. It focuses on the origins of Levi, one of the most prominent characters in the main series. Kodansha increased Aria '​s print count by roughly 500% because of the demand for the prologue chapter, which was published before the manga's serialization began in the November 28, 2013 issue. A yonkoma spin-off, called Sungeki no Kyojin (寸劇ã®å·¨äºº, "Titan Short Skits") and drawn by hounori, is released on Kodansha's "Manga Box" smartphone and tablet application since December 2013.
In North America, the series is published in English by Kodansha Comics USA. They published the first volume on June 19, 2012, with the fifteenth set to be released on April 7, 2015. In January 2014, the manga reached the mark of 660,000 copies in North America. The first three spin-off manga have also been licensed by Kodansha Comics USA, who published the first volume of each between March and June 2014.
Light novel
A light novel series titled Attack on Titan: Before the Fall (進æ'ƒã®å·¨äºº Before the fall), written by RyÅ Suzukaze and illustrated by Thores Shibamoto, began on December 2, 2011. Its story is set before the events of the manga and it is published by Kodansha. Three volumes have been published so far. While the first tells the story of Angel, the blacksmith who develops the first prototypes of the Vertical Maneuvering Equipment, the following two follow a young man who was found as a baby in the stomach of a Titan. A second light novel series called Attack on Titan: Harsh Mistress of the City (進æ'ƒã®å·¨äººã€€éš"絶都市ã®å¥³çŽ‹, Shingeki no Kyojin Kakuzetsu Toshi no JoÅ), written by RyÅ Kawakami and illustrated by Range Murata, began on August 1, 2014. Vertical began releasing the novels in North America in the summer of 2014.
Anime
An anime television series adaptation produced by Wit Studio (a subsidiary of IG Port) aired on MBS between April 6, 2013 and September 28, 2013, directed by TetsurÅ Araki (Death Note) with YÅ«ki Kaji starring as Eren, Yui Ishikawa voicing Mikasa and Marina Inoue as Armin. Both Funimation and Crunchyroll simulcast the series on their respective websites, and Funimation began releasing the series on North American home video in 2014. The anime has been licensed in the UK and Australasia by Manga Entertainment. An OVA version of the "Ilse's Notebook" special chapter from tankÅbon volume 5 was originally scheduled to be released on August 9, 2013, bundled with the volume 11 limited edition, but was postponed and included with a limited edition of volume 12, released on December 9, 2013, instead. A second OVA was released on April 9, 2014, bundled with the 13th volume of the series, this one focused on the members of the 104th Training Corps. The anime currently airs on Adult Swim's Toonami block at 11:30 p.m. EST, with the first episode having aired on May 3. In Australia, the anime currently airs on SBS 2 on Tuesdays, in Japanese with English subtitles, with the first episode having aired on September 30.
For the first thirteen episodes, the opening theme is "Guren no Yumiya" (ç´…è"®ã®å¼"矢, lit. "Crimson Bow and Arrow", styled in German as "Feuerroter Pfeil und Bogen") by Linked Horizon, and the ending theme is "Utsukushiki Zankoku na Sekai" (美ã—ã残酷ãªä¸–ç•Œ, lit. "This Beautiful Cruel World") by YÅko Hikasa. For episodes 14â€"25, the opening theme is "JiyÅ« no Tsubasa" (自ç"±ã®ç¿¼, lit. "Wings of Freedom", styled in German as "Die Flügel der Freiheit") by Linked Horizon, and the ending theme is "great escape" by Cinema Staff. Both "Guren no Yumiya" and "JiyÅ« no Tsubasa" were released as part of the single "JiyÅ« e no Shingeki" on July 10, 2013.
The anime will be compiled into two animated theatrical films with new voice acting from the same cast. The first film Attack on Titan Part 1: Crimson Bow and Arrow (「進æ'ƒã®å·¨äººã€å‰ç·¨ï½žç´…è"®ã®å¼"矢～, Shingeki no Kyojin Zenpen ~Guren no Yumiya~) will cover the first 13 episodes and be released on November 22, 2014, while the second film Attack on Titan Part 2: Wings of Freedom (「進æ'ƒã®å·¨äººã€å¾Œç·¨ï½žè‡ªç"±ã®ç¿¼ï½ž, Shingeki no Kyojin KÅhen ~JiyÅ« no Tsubasa~) will adapt the remaining episodes and is set for release in June 27, 2015.
In August of 2014, a new OVA series adapting the prequel manga Attack on Titan: No Regrets was announced. It will consist of two episodes, to be bundled with the 15th and 16th volumes of the main series, scheduled for release on December 9, 2014 and April 9, 2015, respectively. Just like the original anime series, it will be produced by Wit Studio with direction by TetsurÅ Araki.
A second season of the anime series was announced on the opening day of the first theatrical film. It is set to be released in 2016.
Video games
There have been four video game adaptations of Attack on Titan developed by Nitroplus staffers in collaboration with Production I.G. Nitroplus clarified that the studio as a company is not involved in the Attack on Titan Blu-ray Disc games, while individual staffers are. The games are visual novels and were included in the first copies of the third and sixth Blu-ray Disc volumes of the anime. The games cover spin-off stories about the characters of Attack on Titan. Hajime Isayama himself is supervising the development of the games.
The third Blu-ray volume was released on September 18 with Seko's Lost in the Cruel World visual novel about Mikasa, and a preview of Gan Saaku's No Regrets (æ‚"ã„ãªãé¸æŠž, Kuinaki Sentaku, lit. "A Choice With No Regrets"). The sixth Blu-ray volume was released on December 18 with the full version of No Regrets about Levi and Erwin's past, Jin Haganeya's visual novel In the Forest of the Night, Burning Bright about Eren and Levi, and Seko's Wall Sina, Goodbye visual novel about Annie.
An action game, titled Attack on Titan: The Last Wings of Mankind (進æ'ƒã®å·¨äºº ～åæ'ƒã®ç¿¼ï½ž, Shingeki no Kyojin ~Hangeki no Tsubasa~, subtitle lit. "Wings of Counterattack"), was developed by Spike Chunsoft for the Nintendo 3DS and released on December 5, 2013.
A smartphone social game, titled Attack on Titan: Howl Toward Freedom (Shingeki no Kyojin ~JiyÅ« e no HÅkÅ~) is in development by Mobage for iOS and Android platforms. In the game, players play as a character who has been exiled from Wall Rose. Players must build and fortify a town outside the wall and expand it by manufacturing items as well as using Titans and exploiting resources from other players.
Live-action films
A live-action film was announced to be in production in October 2011. In December 2012, it was reported that Tetsuya Nakashima has left his position as director of the live-action film. According to film distributor Toho, Nakashima had considerable creative differences on the scriptwriting and other matters. In December 2013 Shinji Higuchi was revealed to be directing, and would also be responsible for special effects. YÅ«suke Watanabe (live action Gantz, 20th Century Boys and Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods) and critic/subculture expert Tomohiro Machiyama will be scripting the movie with series creator Isayama. In July 2014, it was revealed that two films will be released in summer 2015.
Other media
Two guidebooks to the manga titled Inside and Outside were released on April 9 and September 9, 2013, featuring concept art, character profiles and interviews. They were combined into one and released in North America on September 16, 2014 by Kodansha USA.
A 16-minute drama CD was created with the anime's staff and included in the January 2014 issue of Bessatsu ShÅnen Magazine.
On November 3, 2014, American writer C. B. Cebulski revealed that a crossover between Attack on Titan and Marvel Comics was in the works. Cebulski scripts the scenario written by the original author Hajime Isayama. The one-shot crossover will feature Spider-Man, the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy facing off against several Titans, including the Colossus Titan, the Armored Titan and Female Titan, on the streets of New York City.
Reception
Attack on Titan won the Kodansha Manga Award in the shÅnen category in 2011, was nominated for the 4th annual Manga TaishÅ award and both the 16th and 18th annual Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize. The 2012 edition of Kono Manga ga Sugoi!, which surveys people in the manga and publishing industry, named Attack on Titan the eighth best manga series for male readers, while the 2014 edition named it the sixth best. Attack on Titan was the second highest selling manga series of 2013, with 15,933,801 copies sold in a single year. In April 2014, Oricon reported that 30 million volumes of the series have been sold. In the first half of 2014 it topped the chart, ending One Piece's five-year reign as the highest selling series in that period, with Isayama surprised about it and thanking the readers. The manga's publisher, Kodansha, credits Attack on Titan for the company's first revenue increase in eighteen years. The anime is noted to have helped in boosting the series' sales while Mainichi Shimbun called it a "once-in-a-decade hit."
Six of the seven English volumes published in North America at the time charted on The New York Times Manga Best Seller list for the week of October 13, 2013, and volume one has been on the list for 78 weeks straight. Volume one was also number one on Nielsen BookScan's list of top 20 graphic novels in American bookstores for October 2013, and for the month of September, the series had more volumes on the list than any other series. The Young Adult Library Services Association in the United States named the series one of its "Great Graphic Novels for Teens". Kodansha USA's English release won the 2014 Harvey Award for "Best American Edition of Foreign Material".
Many have analyzed Attack on Titan as representing "the hopelessness felt by young people in today's society." while writer Mao Yamawaki called it a "coming-of-age story of the boys and girls at its core," with a new mystery every episode. It is these mysteries that critic Tomofusa Kure says amplifies readers' expectations. The artwork of the manga has been criticized as crude by some reviewers, with Isayama himself admitting his drawings are "amateurish." However, those same critics stated that after years of serialization, the art has been improving, and Kure believes that had the illustrations been "refined", it would not have conveyed the "eeriness" that is a key characteristic of the work. In a short review, Jason Thompson noted how the characters conveniently receive "power-ups" to create plot twists, but concluded that these said plot twists and the manga's post-apocalyptic world are "too good to miss."
The anime adaptation won multiple prizes during the 3rd Newtype Anime Awards, including best director, best script, best soundtrack, best theme song, top female character, and title of the year. It received the award for best TV animation at the 2013 Animation Kobe Awards. Carl Kimlinger from Anime News Network was sharply critical of the first two episodes of the anime adaptation. He did praise the show for "[bringing] back the terror of the fee-fi-fo-fum set", but then said that it "does not a good show make". Kimlinger criticized Araki's direction, saying he "clearly intends it to be powerful and unsettling, but it's just crude and unpleasant." On the other hand, other critics from Anime News Network praised much of the series. Rebecca Silverman said it "is both gorgeous and appalling in its visuals", and "an excellent mix of what 18th century Gothic novelist Ann Radcliffe defined as horror versus terror: the one is physical, making you want to look away, and the other is intellectual, making you want to know what's going to happen next." Though there are several apocalyptic action shows, Carlo Santos noted that "few get as close to perfection as Attack on Titan does". Santos described it as "a masterpiece of death and destruction" even if he only watched the first episode. Theron Martin praised the musical score and the "intense, impactful first episode" despite he felt it has "limited animation". Martin also compared Attack on Titan's vibe and visual aesthetic to Claymore.
The series has also gained popularity in neighboring Asian countries. For instance, coverage of the anime appeared on the front page of the Hong Kong free newspaper am730 on May 27, 2013, concerning its popularity within Hong Kong as well as China and Taiwan. However, the series also attracted criticism: the South Korean Electronic Times magazine accused Attack on Titan for having a militaristic message that serves Japanese Prime Minister ShinzŠAbe's political leanings; while the series also resonated with Hong Kong youths who saw the invading Titans as a metaphor for Mainland China. Hong Kong media commentator Wong Yeung-tat praised Hajime Isayama's style and the versatility of Attack on Titan '​s setting, which opens itself to the readers' various interpretations. In 2013, after media linked to a 2010 blog post by Isayama indicating that the design of the character Dot Pyxis was based on the Imperial Japanese General Akiyama Yoshifuru, an Internet flame war about the general's war record ensued on his blog, including death threats to Isayama.
Notes
References
External links
- Official manga website (Japanese)
- Official anime website (Japanese)
- Attack on Titan at Funimation
- Attack on Titan (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
- Attack on Titan (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
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