The first arc of Attack on Titan has aired and we have the review here. Beware for this is an intense series, but if you think you can handle it click the link and witness the horror that faces and might cause the extinction of humanity.

For over a hundred years, humans have been living in a city surrounded by gigantic walls. These walls prevent the Titans, giant humanoid creatures who eat humans not merely as a food source but just grotesque pleasure, from entering. The Titans themselves are several story tall humanoid creatures that while are male are sexless whose only desire is to search and eat. Think of them as giant zombies and you get the picture.

Despite the city being safe and peaceful, young Eren Yeager wishes to see the outside world by joining the Recon Corps, a group of soldiers that venture outside and fight Titans, as he sees living in the city forever like trapped cattle. Despite his foster sister Mikasa Ackerman and their mother Carla are against him in joining the Corps and even after seeing the Recon Corps returning home with large casualties. This were the first part of the hopelessness of the series sets it. During the return of the recon troops the town witness’s not proud soldiers, but men utterly destroyed to the point of breaking. When a mother comes from the crowd asking for her son when she does not see him in the line of returning troops only to receive his arm as the only piece that could be salvaged from a run in with a Titan we are shown the truth. The commanding officer breaks down in tears and screams when the mother asks if at least her son was useful to their cause. He bellows that they were never a match for the Titans and the recon troops have made no progress in exploration or discovering a way to defeat the titans.  On top of that every mission was a failure and has been slaughtered every time and he is just leading his men to death.

Despite this Eren expresses his interest to his family that he wishes to still join the troops which of course impresses his father, but draws a flat no and is forbidden from his mother. An argument ensues and Eren runs from his house to run into his friend Armin who’s in the process of being bullied for his views on the town. Though Eren rushes to his rescue the bullies only relent when they see Mikasa coming in behind Eren proving she is clearly the most dangerous of the brother and sister team.  After a brief discussion between the friends, the nightmare begins, in a flash of crimson lighting a Mega Titan appears, it is easily taller than others towering over the 50 meter wall taking a section down then simply vanishing.

With the wall down the Titans eventually wonder into the town and the slaughter of the town begins. Those of the villagers that were killed in the fall of the wall are considered the lucky ones as the horrors that befall the survivors are nightmarish. The lumbering giants stumble through the town drawn by the movement and screams of the villagers are they pick them up and begin to devour them by literally the handful.

While the attack is going on Eren and Mikasa flee to their home to find it destroyed by rubble and their mother trapped beneath it. While the two children struggle with the beams of their house in vain. The Titans grow ever closer to the house. In the midst of the chaos as the children try to free their mother, Hannes a family friend and soldier in the town’s defense force arrives and at the pleading of their mother takes Eren and Mikasa to safety though Eren must be taken by force. However their mother makes a fatal error in screaming for her children to live, the noise draws the attention of a Titan. Eren being carried over the shoulder witnesses the Titan dig through the rubble and scoop his mother out. As his mother struggles in vain the titans pulls her to where she is killed, and then proceeds to eat her in clear view of her son. With the end of this horrific scene infront of Eren the first episode draws to a close.

The Second episode opens up directly afterwards with the Titans still moving about the town and eating all that is in their path. We see what survivors flee to the inner walls as boats await them. While the town defense force tries ultimately they are useless and do little more than stall for time. Eventually the guards lower the gate despite the pleas of Hannes saying there are still more people in the town.  As Eren, Armin, and Mikasa is loaded onto a ship and starting to move a second Mega Titan appears from out of nowhere. This one is smaller than the first however it’s seemingly more intelligent than the normal titan. Dodging both cannon fire and running at break neck speed it slams into the gate were the ferries are causing yet another whole as the titans slowly funnel in through the hole and killing the remaining survivors and defense force.

The children and a little over a quarter of the village makes it to the inner walls. However, a food shortage begins not long after their arrival causing resentment between those that already lived there and those that arrived leading to fighting. The higher ups debate what to do and praying that the titans will not be able to advance further.  Meanwhile in what is conceived to be a move to retake their home 250, 000 of the survivors along with some of the inner wall defense force launch and assault to retake their home. However, they are unsuccessful in the assault and only a mere 100 of the army returns in defeat. This was in fact nothing more than a way to ensure rations would not run over all. Eren however has a rather violent dream of his father holding him down and giving him some sort of injection and telling him must return to use the key that he had given him. Eren wakes up and unsure if it was a dream or not dismisses it and goes to get food with Mikasa. After run in with inner wall town defense Eren decides he will join the Army to reclaim his home land. He is joined in this pledge by both Armin and his Sister Mikasa. A brief time skip happens with it now being three years later and we are shown the trio in boot camp and thus bring us to a close of the two episode arc: Fall of Shiganshina.

This is both a great but very intense start to the series. I have followed the manga since I initially learned about this series and was kinda taken back by actually seeing it in motion. I knew it was coming it is the opening chapters of the series after all. I guess seeing it still frame and seeing it in motion with the wonderful and high paced music are just two different things.   Its does it’s job well as a two part arc setting up everything we need while still providing us some mystery to  keep plot lines going for the whole series. I”d recommend watching just be warned like I said before it’s very intense and the horror aspect is pretty high up there.