Attack on Titan - Part 1

Attack on Titan Promo Image. Source: Crunchyroll

A few weekends ago I marathoned all the existing episodes (that were available at the time) of Attack on Titan, otherwise known as Shingeki no Kyojin. I 100% do not regret this decision and hopefully you won't either should you choose to embark on this journey. If you've been following me on Twitter, you may have noticed my subtle hints to listen to the first opening song of the series over the past few weeks. I'm not entirely sure how I should best declare my love and enthusiasm for this song, other than to use CAPS LOCK or blast the music through some speakers as I walk down the street (gotta keep it cool yo).

Attack on Titan is based on the best-selling manga series by Hajime Isayama. The story is set in a dystopian world: the remnants of humankind live within towns and cities surrounded by enormous walls that are meant to protect them from the flesh-eating Titans. And for some unknown reason, the Titans enjoy devouring humans. Tasty. This is where we meet a young Eren Jaeger, who believes that people have grown complacent over the last 100 years of peace and wishes to join the cause to fight the Titans that roam outside the walls (even though many do not return home). Eren's speculation proves to be correct when the Titans attack and destroy Eren's entire life leading to his enlistment in the military, along with his adoptive sister, Mikasa, and friend, Armin.

Attack on Titan is compelling, well-written, and manages to convey both heartfelt and gruesome story lines and visuals. It is thoroughly unsettling, if not disturbing, to watch these Titans mindlessly stomp through streets, ripping apart and eating humans. The complex variations of human emotion are portrayed accurately as each character reacts differently to the violence and terror of their surroundings. In comparison to the usual 'yes violence is great and it definitely does not impact my psychological well-being at all' attitude that many recent films convey, it was refreshing to view a more multifaceted approach to battle scenes. It's difficult to discuss other interesting aspects of the storyline thus far, in great depth, without revealing too much information - so I think I'll have to do this in a later post.

Essentially, Attack on Titan, is a well-written, captivating anime that consistently leaves me wanting more. The characters are strong, and the music is excellent, so if you're interested in some dystopian fantasy horror, go check it out at Kiss Anime.

First Impressions: Free! - Iwatobi Swim Club

Free! Promo Image. Source: Wikipedia

In recent months there has been a lot of hype surrounding the much anticipated anime, Free!, since this promotional clip for Kyoto Animation and Animation DO emerged online in March. A fandom developed (particularly within the Tumblr community) immediately in response to the unconfirmed and unnamed anime resulting in fanart and fanfic for what was dubbed the 'swimming anime'.

In the last few weeks Free! - Iwatobi Swim Club has caught my attention and inevitably I have now watched the first two episodes.

The story revolves around four boys - Haruka (our main protagonist), Makoto, Nagisa, and Rin - who all participated in a competitive swimming tournament before graduating elementary school (aka primary school). They parted their separate ways after Rin announced his relocation to Australia to advance his swimming skills. Years later, the group reunites and Rin challenges Haruka to a race and wins. Haruka rediscovers his passion for competitive swimming (even though this kid literally lives in his bathers/swimming trunks every single day) and along with Makoto, Nagisa, Gou, and the yet to be introduced Rei, they form the Iwatobi High School Swimming Club.

The tension between some of the characters is really intriguing and I hope that more details about their pasts and their current predicament will be raised throughout the remainder of the series. It's clear that Haruka, Rin, and their relationship with not only swimming, but also their connection with each other and the rest of the group, will need to be explored in more depth. I love Haruka's intense passion and emotional connection with water, and there is a beautiful scene that reflects this as Haruka reaches out to a hand made of water while he's swimming, demonstrating elements of magic realism.

There is plenty of fan service, which essentially means that the intended audience is given exactly what they want - and in the context of Free! this means there are A LOT of topless guys with plenty of close-ups and as Haruka has a deep connection with water he basically starts stripping off the second he steps near the stuff (I am not kidding).

On top of this, the animation is wonderful and the music is brilliant. I can't get enough of the outro song and have been listening to it on repeat. I'm definitely going to keep watching and I would recommend checking out the first episode if you haven't already - I've been watching it over at Kiss Anime.