Shingeki no Kyojin

[deoxys]

Yes. Absolutely fucking retarded. Instadropped.

[Lady Kuno]

MEGA MANGA SPOILER

Spoiler: show

I'm pretty sure that's where Loki dropped it too. The series took a serious turn for the retarded.

[Fallen Icarus]

Talon's going to have a field day with that one ^^;

EDIT the First: I'm pretty sure he dropped it beforehand. He didn't like

Spoiler: show

how they killed people off randomly :p and made it seem trivial.

[deoxys]

Originally Posted by Holy Emperor

MEGA MANGA SPOILER

Spoiler: show

I'm pretty sure that's where Loki dropped it too. The series took a serious turn for the retarded.

Uh... there wasn't really anything spoilery about that ^_^;

[Lady Kuno]

Oh I was gonna type out something then decided against it. Oops. Whatever.

[Doppleganger]

I can't imagine what would drive you fellows to read ahead then drop the manga...when you've already reached the most recent chapter. I dunno, it's just odd, if I hated something I'd drop it before reading all the way rather than go through with it.

[deoxys]

First off, it's only about 20 chapters ahead of where we are right now in the anime. It's not a big effort to make it there in some spare time. Second... this isn't Naruto. Something I think has godawful writing but took several hundred chapters for me to make that realization, at which point it was just simply "in for a penny, in for a pound".


Not a spoiler but... figured I'd put it in here anyway

Spoiler: show

I can't really say much, but it's such a shark jumper that Fallen Icarus even says in his spoiler post he's afraid half of the anime viewers here will ragequit the show when it comes to that point, and I honestly think he's right, because "ragequit" is probably the best word for what I experienced.

[Midgeorge]

Jumped on the bandwagon and read ahead

... fuck this im out

[Talon87]

Wooooooow.

... Now come join us in the Rozen Maiden thread.

[Loki]

Originally Posted by Midgeorge

Jumped on the bandwagon and read ahead

... fuck this im out

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[kaisap112]

Originally Posted by Talon87

Wooooooow.

... Now come join us in the Rozen Maiden thread.

No no no.

JOIN US IN THE DANGAN RONPA THREAD.

*Red Trap has been set!*

[Loki]

Originally Posted by Doppleganger

I can't imagine what would drive you fellows to read ahead then drop the manga...when you've already reached the most recent chapter. I dunno, it's just odd, if I hated something I'd drop it before reading all the way rather than go through with it.

Going to disagree with that mind set. If it starts off poorly and you decide to drop it right away, sure. That's how it should be. But Attack on Titan started decently well enough. Then it picked up. Then it dropped a lot. Then it went into mindless mode. Then it went FULL BLOWN RETARDED. The author starts using cheap tactics to try and keep readers interested and possibly evoke emotion, but it really came off as stupid.

[kaisap112]

Originally Posted by Loki

Then it dropped a lot. Then it went into mindless mode. Then it went FULL BLOWN RETARDED. The author starts using cheap tactics to try and keep readers interested and possibly evoke emotion, but it really came off as stupid.

Ladies and gents, Naruto!

I'm actually curious as to how it's gotten "retarded".

[Doppleganger]

Originally Posted by Loki

Going to disagree with that mind set. If it starts off poorly and you decide to drop it right away, sure. That's how it should be. But Attack on Titan started decently well enough. Then it picked up. Then it dropped a lot. Then it went into mindless mode. Then it went FULL BLOWN RETARDED. The author starts using cheap tactics to try and keep readers interested and possibly evoke emotion, but it really came off as stupid.

So uh, what stage are we in the anime? Start, pick up, drop, mindless, or retarded?

[Talon87]

Yeah, I'd like to know this too. 'Cause if we're still in the phase you'd call "pick up", then I think it's high time I make an exception to my usual anti-spoiler policy and just read what all the fuss is about. I keep saying I'll drop this show and then it keeps hanging on by the skin of its teeth. A ten kiloton bombshell of the negative variety would be the sort of thing that'd free me from my torment and allow me to drop this show in peace.

[Loki]

@ Kaisap

Naruto took roughly 200+ chapters to get as bad as Shingeki no Kyojin gets in 40ish chapters. There's a huge different. Also, Naruto was more of a fun series. So when it fell into stupid fun stuff, you didn't care as much, but Shingeki no Kyojin is full blown SERIOUS SHIT. It's got giants that eat people, an army that fails to drive them back, the population sacrificed to ensure there's enough food for everyone. Naruto was butt jokes, perverted guys, and happy times for quite a while. Sure it's mindless, but it was enjoyable in that sense.

@DCD

Not been watching the anime, but I will say roughly what points are way.

Start off

Spoiler: show

Everything from the first episode to roughly a bit after the Colossal Titan shows up again. It picks up during the battle here.

Drop

Spoiler: show

Around the time you find our Eren is a titan. This kind of a drop off for me, but if you didn't dislike this fact, it's still the same level overall I guess. It keeps dropping during the battle to plug the hole.

Mindless

Spoiler: show

Just about everything after the battle. They introduce new characters and reveal some stuff, but it's all pretty boring, obvious, or mindless drivel.

Full Blown Retarded

Spoiler: show

This is a big spoiler. Stop reading if you haven't read the manga

Spoiler: show

Eren isn't the only human-titan. Okay find that's not so bad. This unfortunately leads to introducing characters purely for killing them off. What? Seriously, this is a cheap tactic for evoking emotion. Why should Eren care about them? Why should we?

Then they make this retarded story about how the walls are made of titans? And then there's the start of trying to find out more about the walls. Then everyone is randomly becoming Titans? Then Eren's fellow soldiers reveal that they're the titans that tried to kill off humanity years ago. What? Fuck this shit.

Effectively, a lot of really piss poor writing that doesn't fit the series or takes suspension of belief too far. The author keeps throwing curve balls to try and surprise or shock us, but when you do it like 9 times in a row, it's not a surprise, it's just stupid.

[Talon87]

Apparently we're embarking into Mindless right now according to Loki. (Did not click on Full Blown Retarded.)

[deoxys]

Dropping like flies.

[Fallen Icarus]

*cries and lone tumbleweed rolls across the thread*

Oh well, perhaps I'll become a denizen of the Silver Spoon thread now. Good manga that is.

[kaisap112]

I haven't dropped this show? :<

[Midgeorge]

It just feels like the writers made one of the best and most interesting introductions to a series (the first 5 episodes were fantastic), got everybody believing that the show was gods golden shower, and then made some stupid shit because they're so disillusioned with the thought that 'OMG SnK IS TEH BEST AMINE EVUR' that they don't know any better.

[deoxys]

I completely agree 100%. I actually had a little bit more leeway with it and (mostly) enjoyed it most of the way through the arc the show is currently entering.

[Talon87]

Thru Episode 17. Speculation about the newest threat. I should disclaim something first though. Don't click if you want to avoid any manga spoilers. This one concerns one of the cadets.

Spoiler: show

I haven't been spoiled on much, but one thing I have heard is that another of the cadets becomes a Titan. I would like to think I could've figured this out regardless given all of the signs in both Episode 16 and 17, but who knows.

So given that info ... (Episode 17 theory partially informed by manga info)

Spoiler: show

I suspect that the female human-Titan is Annie.

1. Looks just like her. Those telltale sullen eyes. That blonde hair.

2. Out of fucking nowhere the author decided to have Annie join the Gendarmerie (since when has she wanted to do that!? ) but more importantly he had her do it all alone. This reeks of wanting to protect as many cadets as possible from becoming science experiments -- by having them find within themselves a desire to join the Legion -- while at the same time wanting to throw at least one of their familiar faces to the wolves for our entertainment at home.

3. She spared Armin while brutally slaying Armin's guardians which, despite Armin's speculation about her agenda, suggests that she doesn't want to kill her old friends. (Though she did try and kill Reiner ... )

My suspicion is that the Gendarmerie may have been behind Eren's father's experiments, that the reason they wanted Eren executed was to cover up the truth of their involvement in his origins, etc.

As for their agenda, it's probably to keep humanity in a pitiful Medieval state of being that is so easy to lord over. By subjecting humanity to the constant terror of giants, they keep their hold over the public nice and tight. I could be wrong about this though.

While the series is perpetually treading on thin ice, I haven't seen anything new which would make me want to drop the show once and for all. In fact, my favorite character in the show -- Jean -- has gotten some great development these past two episodes. Man do I wish the show were more about him and less about Eren or Mikasa or these fugly giants.

[Marion Ette]

Originally Posted by Talon87

Thru Episode 17. Speculation about the newest threat. I should disclaim something first though. Don't click if you want to avoid any manga spoilers. This one concerns one of the cadets.

I have to say that I agree with your speculation regarding the latest development...

Spoiler: show

They're making it really obvious that it's Annie, to the point where I'm surprised that no other character has commented on the uncanny resemblance! That pointy nose is pretty damn distinctive. Besides, I imagine there must be a reason that they dwell on her image in the new opening, when she's been such a minor character up until now.

I do wonder if perhaps she spared Armin because she has feelings for him... It would explain why she took a swat at Reiner but not him. I'm trying to remember if previous episodes suggested that Annie might have a crush on Armin. I have a feeling that they did, very subtly, but I can't remember...

I've watched up to Episode 18. Honestly....

Spoiler: show

...I felt like Episode 17 and 18 could have been condensed into one episode. It didn't take a whole episode to show how this female titan can squash soldiers like bugs (though it was rather amusing to watch her swing around a cadet on his maneuver gear like a toy). In addition, it did not require a whole episode to set up the fact that people are doubting Captain Levi's decision to dart into the forest. I feel like everything in this series is belabored, and every plot point is dissected so thoroughly that it hurts my attention span... but that could be my ADHD talking.

That said, I have not read the manga spoiler, and I still find the series as a whole rather interesting, even if the plot drags occasionally. I still find the designs and expressions of the titans fascinating (and oftentimes amusing). They're deliciously grotesque.

[Talon87]

Just watched Episode 18 myself. While I agree with the point about a belabored plot delivery, that's been Shingeki no Kyojin's problem since pretty much Day One.

Episode 18 was entertaining while it lasted but man did it feel like there should have been more before the cut to the ending credits. Oh well. Oh well.

Two additional speculative comments on the female intelligent Titan plus a third comment that's tangentially related:

Spoiler: show

Assuming the Titan is in fact Annie, I'm disappointed that she so relishes destroying her fellow humans. Yes, Eren had his own brief moment of wanting to attack Mikasa, so you know that it's got to be even harder for the human-Titans to resist the urge to kill strangers. But like ... a) Eren had no trouble not hurting strangers originally , and b) Annie seems to really relish killing humans. As a cadet, she wasn't this bloodthirsty. Sure, she kicked Eren's butt, but it was like how a karate instructor would, not like how a schoolyard bully would. She pwned him in martial arts but left him relatively physically unharmed. Yet here she is now swinging people around like yo-yos and kicking them and their horses like soccer balls.

Furthermore, assuming the Titan is Annie, I'm disappointed that she seems to have mastered handling her Titan form so quickly -- she can't have been a Titan for more than two weeks since we last saw her -- yet Eren is still trying to learn how to take very basic control of his Titan form. C'mon, man. Why should Annie be so gifted at this? There'd better be some explanation, otherwise it just feels like a dumb plot hole.

Finally, the tangential comment: this new girl Krista seems like a total replacement for Annie. I first saw her on the cover of some doujinshi a while back -- she, Mikasa, and a third girl (I think it varies) would always show up together in a group of three. At first I assumed it was Annie, but it became clear pretty quite early on that it had to be a new character I hadn't met yet. I didn't read any of the comics so I never found out, but over the past two or three episodes we've been showered with this Krista girl quite a bit. What I want to know though is, just where the hell did she come from!? 'Cause I don't feel like it was ever explained. I feel like we went from having no Krista (Episodes 1-15?) to suddenly having Krista as if she had always been one of the gang (Episodes 16?-18). It's like, really? ^^; You just invent a character out of nowhere but pretend like she's one of the gang who everyone already knows and remembers from training camp years ago? Anyway, it feels like the author basically realized that either a) he wanted to use Annie as he's currently using her but that she would not survive the conflict or else b) few of the readers liked Annie, and so whether A, B, or both, he decided to replace her with this Krista girl. That way we've still got a blonde amongst the cadets and so Annie becomes totally dispensable.