Attack on Titan 1

I gave four just because it is not hardcover. When you hold it, you're gonna definitely feel like cover is gonna wear off and you'll see many white stripes.

Otherwise, everything is great. Reading is enjoyable. You're gonna feel the difference.

Every Attack on Titan fan should buy this. You're not gonna regret it!

*Note - This is my review based on my impression of the first book, and not the entire series itself.
I bought this because lately, this manga/anime series is all I've been hearing about the past weeks. "Check out Attack on Titan, it's so good, etc etc". So, I bought the first book and to be honest, I don't really understand the hype it's been getting. I rate manga based on art, plot, characterization, originality, and how well it kept my interest.

Art - 2 stars. To all those saying the art is fantastic, you need to check out some more manga. Granted, I'm not an artist myself but then again, I'm not drawing for a living. None of the characters look unique in any way. I was confused on who was who sometimes because they all have a similar look. Not even get me started on the titans - the proportions of their bodies was comical to say the least. They either have massive torsos and little arms or little torsos and gigantic heads. It's somewhat amusing in some parts.

Plot - 3 stars. It seems to have a plot going for it, but how it goes on for another 11 or so volumes, I have no idea. These giant things known as Titans just decided to start eating people and now the rest of humanity is holed up in a giant walled city that they somehow managed to build without getting eaten up. So, what are they gonna do when the titans start knocking down their wall? That pretty much sums up the plot right there.

Characterization - 2 stars. The characters really don't seem to have much personality other than wanting the titans to go away and go outside the wall. Therefore, I really don't find myself rooting for any of them to live or hoping for any of them to die (we all have those characters we just want to die already haha).

Originality - 5 stars. I do have to admit this particular series in itself is pretty unique. I haven't read anything quite like it. Although, it does remind me of those zombie/infection movies where humanity has holed itself in a city to block out the zombies and then the eventually the zombies get in yada yada yada.

Interest Level - 4 stars. Despite the lack of characterization and the mediocre art, it does keep my interest. Other than the occasional stop to look at a page to see what was happening (the transition scenes aren't the best), I did finish the book to see what would happen next.

Overall - 3 stars. It is not the best manga I've read, but definitely not the worst. I will still probably buy the next books to see how the author will play this out or I'll watch the anime because it seems more people like the anime than the manga. I can't say I don't recommend it because if I still plan on buying the rest of the books, it means it's good enough to read. However, I can't say I do recommend it because it's not a "must read". So, I'll leave it as good enough to read if you're bored, but not the right book for you if you're looking for something to just blow your mind away.

On the store's side of the deal - 5 stars as always. Cheap, available, and fast.

The title may sound stupid but the manga is not. The genre is mystery, action, with horror elements set in a Renaissance steampunk-ish world. This is not your normal Japanese manga in any way it has its own art style, very plot driven, and has zero or close to it fan service(a good thing in my opinion). Very graphic and gory at parts so beware as the main cover illustrates there are giants and they kill humans in anatomically correct ways. Probably not suitable for younger reads because it is word heavy and the story is complex has more adult themes in it as well that carry real consequences. This guy should have just written a novel because it is that high of quality. If i could only read one manga right now this would be the one. It is the struggles of the Protagonist and the mysteries of the world they live in make me come back for more.
I would try and think of similar mangas to this i would think of maybe
works by Hitoshi Iwaaki (parasyte, historie)
Berserk (attack of titan is definitely less hardcore)
any good steampunk, mystery novel?
regards.

So this review isn't about the manga itself but the actually quality of the book. My main reason for purchasing it was to see the artwork up scaled and to notice better detail. However with the size of the pages being a plus, there is one big negative.

This book should be in hardcover. As it stands it's very easy to get corners bent and just for the amount of pages it is I feel like it can come apart any minute. I look at the hardcover edition of HOTD which is roughly the same size but because it is hardcover I don't have to worry about damaging the book.

I think as a hardcover this book could be beautiful and a wonderful collectors item. But as it stands I have to give it the weakest of 4 stars.

Pros

- enlarged images, getting to see the Titans in a "collosal" form.

- color pages mixed in, adds a unique touch

- price for a large format book that contains the first five volumes you can't go wrong with this

Cons

- weight, makes it harder to read. Even though I agree having five volumes is a plus, this is certainly a hard to read book if you read on trains and buses like myself

- damages easily. I'm a collector with over 1000 graphic novels. I take excellent care of all of them. So far this book is hard to take care of and is very vulnerable to corners getting damaged.

Overall despite the cons I would still recommend this as I know I am in the majority who don't really care a book gets a little scuffed or damaged. The stories alone make up for any flaws I might find with this book

Thank you for reading my review and I hope you enjoy the books!

Book is good it got to me a little beat up corners were all beat and front cover had a fold but, I'm reading it not collecting it so no biggie. The material is great quality and the art does not suffer for increasing the size. I am happy with my buy for sure

Humanity hides in a walled-off territory from the Titans, gigantic humanoids. The walls have preserved security for a hundred years but a new threat arrives in the form of a colossal Titan, taller than the wall and powerful enough to destroy it. After he breaches the wall, other Titans swarm in and eat people. The remaining humans retreat into the area of a second wall (there's a third wall also) with five years of relative peace. The Titans don't come back; occasional survey teams go out and try to drive back the Titans. Those teams have always failed.

Eren and Mikasa are two youths who witness the attack and the death of Eren's mother. They are trained to fight and after graduation have three choices. They can join the Garrison, which reinforces the walls; the Survey Corps, which takes the fight to the Titans; or the Military Police Brigade, which maintains order within the walls. This year's graduates debate about which branch to join. The MP Brigade provides the safest life. The Survey Corps paradoxically provides hope to humanity that they might overcome the Titans, if the Corps can ever find a way to win. The Titans have only one vulnerability--a brutal blow to the back of the neck that will stop them from regenerating (even if their heads are shot off by cannon fire, they regrow in a few minutes). As the graduates have one last celebration together, the colossal Titan appears again and they are forced into action before they can even get settled into their new life.

This manga is the basis for the hit anime show and seems to anticipate it. The volume is divided into four "episodes" that have titles similar to four of the first five episodes of the television show. TV episode three, about life in the training corps, is an addition. Maybe the manga will have a flashback to training in a future volume? Otherwise, the story is identical.

The action in the manga is a little hard to follow at times. The battle tactics aren't immediately clear. The art does a good job of showing the scale of the Titans and the horribleness of their eating people. I found the anime easier to follow, except for the exposition about the walls that flashed by too fast. And the anime is more visceral. The music and vocal performances add a bit extra to the story.

I found the manga intriguing but I'm going to stick with the anime version for the rest of the story.

This is my first manga ever... While I enjoyed the pseudo-mystery surrounding the Titans themselves, the rest was...really meh. Honestly, I was quite underwhelmed by this first volume of a highly recommended and acclaimed series, thinking that it's overhyped. Albeit, most people I know refer to the anime version of this manga story. And I do realize that it may get better with each volume (or I sure hope so!).

It was neither good nor bad. It was just...well, a beginning of a long series, which I understand. The main problem is that there is virtually no plot other then that the Titans arrived 100 years ago and in the present day, we follow two adolescent 'heroes' Mikasa Ackerman and Eren Yeager. (Was I the only one distracted by their non-Japanese names and constantly annoyed by Eren's petty and childish behavior for the WHOLE volume?!) Neither character really held my attention. I was more interested in the Titans. But, essentially, the story is this: The Titans attack, it and they eat people, some very scant explanations and plot movement then onto the next episode, and repeat. No development of the characters who read the same from when they're kids to young adults (though maybe that's typical in manga?). I'm not sure if all manga is like that and something I should accept? What we learn is so basic and barely there that I thought I'd missed something by the end. However, I will say that the author/writer/artist didn't hold back in being brutal and violent, so that was kind of surprising.

Overall, this whole volume/series intro was mostly confusing and not written remotely well or even coherent most of the time. Transition into each 'episode' (4 in this volume) was very jarring and abrupt. The whole time, even as the characters 'grow up', Eren runs around screaming at everybody and acting belligerent and annoying while robotic Mikasa acts all Jedi-dull saying very little of consequence but seems so protective of Eren. Very little is explained about the plot and characters but there was plenty on what gear the soldiers use and the layout of the town this story is set in and some background of the Titans themselves (though even that was kind of nonsensical in how it was explained--there's the 'colossal' Titan that can break the walls but the other humanoid-like Titans seem to walk around like zombis waiting to eat humans but the fact is, they don't really require actual nourishment and just...enjoy killing and eating people...???). I also had to look up why Mikasa and Eren were presented as 'siblings' but they actually aren't and that was confusing too since that's not explained, or I missed it. The graphics...were okay but sometimes (maybe because of the book-sized shape?) many picture panels/windows were jammed with too much, which made the whole page very busy and hard to follow. That in turn, made the story a bit muddled as I was reading along. Granted, I'm not used to reading manga, especially left to right, back to front and that did take some time getting used to. I felt that a lot of the pictures were kind of pointless or hard to interpret at times.

I dunno. Not sure what the hype is all about this series but I will give it a chance and cross my fingers it gets better and more engaging. But I'm keeping my expectations rather low at this point. (I'm also going to see if I should just ditch the manga and start the anime.)

So, normally I don't review graphic novels on this blog but I'm making an exception with this one because it's totally crazy. I think it's a perfect read for anyone into fantasy, futuristic crazy monsters that lay siege to the human race. My friend actually lent me this book and at first I was skeptical but after a few pages, I was like "this is totally awesome".

The story starts out by introducing our heroes as kids and essentially introducing us to this new world where the human race is on the brink of extinction. These giant humanoid looking creatures are called Titans and they devour humans, it's seriously gory but neat none the less. The "City" or last of the human race lives in a walled in city that's quartered offed by different social classes. The inner most walls conceal and protect the wealthy and royalty, while the outer walls protect the poor and middle class. These people live in a maze.

The idea of the walls is pretty much make them as tall an thick as possible so the Titans can't come bashing through. This solution worked until now, a new Titan has emerged and it's nothing like the others. Luckily or unluckily for the humans left there are a few different types of "military" branches to protect them. However, since no Titans have breached the walls in years, they're far from prepared to protect anyone.

This is a pretty wicked start to a series, I'm going to keep reading it and reviewing it. I think if your into action and stuff like this you'll really like it. Even if your not into graphic novels, manga or whatever you wanna call it, it really is something you should check out. Just take a peak at it when you go to the library or store.

This book is graphic with gore& violence, readers be warned.

Absolutely fantastic. An intense, hardcore sci-fi dystopian world that has been invaded by humanity's "natural enemy", the Titans. This omnibus edition collects volumes 1-5 and is a massive, oversized tome. A beautiful book to add to your collection and one I'm glad to own. I prefer to read older manga in these omnibus editions as there is nothing like sitting down for an epic mass reading of several volumes at once and this volume delivers on all levels. Published in an oversized edition, the gorgeous, creepy art is maximized, each individual volume features a few full-colour pages. The paper is quality and it has a lay-flat binding. Well worth the money, especially when bought at a discount on-line. This is my first time reading the story, but it's been on my want-to-read for some time now and the availability of the omnibus edition pushed me to get started. It's a must-read for manga enthusiasts; a highly intelligent, futuristic military story. Just don't get attached to any characters as no one is safe from the author's sword; I got quite involved on an emotional level as well.

There must be some people wondering that I, with my aversion to intense violence, picked up this first volume of the Attack on Titan series. I was quite nervous, I admit, when I first picked it up to read it as I don't handle intense scenes of violence well. On this score, it was a mixed bag. On the one hand, there were some panels I couldn't handle, and didn't really look at much, but overall, with some judicious averting of my eyes, I was able to handle the story so far.

Let me caution that this story is extremely violent, but also extremely worth reading. It is not violent for the sake of just having tons of gore, but neither does it shrink from showing gore. It is realistic, so far as the premise can be realistic, and shows the violence accordingly.

For those who don't know, the story is a simple one. Two thousand years from now - as indicated by the title of the first chapter, "To You 2,000 Years from Now" - mankind finds itself being exterminated by the sudden appearance of these giant humanoid beings that are dubbed "Titans". These Titans proceed to capture and devour any and all humans they come across. Eventually, humanity manages to construct a huge walled fortress state that the Titans can't escape, until the first chapter of this manga, that is. That is when a giant Titan around 60 meters tall (all others are between 3 to 15 meters tall) breaches the outer wall of the fortress, letting in regular-sized Titans who devour most of the village near the breached wall.

The most puzzling - and horrifying - fact about these monsters is that they don't NEED to eat human, or indeed anything else. They ignore all animal life and get their nourishment from the sunlight, which enabled them to survive for a hundred years with few humans (only those who ventured outside the fortress on military expeditions) to "eat". They don't digest humans, but throw them out when full.

It is in this horribly dark and depressing story that we have our three heroes, the main protagonist Eren Yaeger, his adopted sister Mikasa Ackerman, and their childhood best friend Armin Arlert. After witnessing Eren's mother murdered and devoured by a Titan in the breach of their town, they join the military in an effort to help defeat the Titans.

Well, that isn't entirely true. Eren joined the military, and then the Survey Corps. (those who go outside the fortress to scout out what is outside, ways to defeat the Titans, so on), while Mikasa just joined to keep an eye on him. She always possessed unnatural strength, agility, and speed well beyond that of an ordinary boy or girl. In the terminology of those who describe "Badass Normal" comic book characters like Batman and others, she'd be said to possess "Olympic-level" abilities in these areas. Before she and Eren were forced to leave her crushed body to the approaching Titan that killed her, she asked Mikasa to protect her adopted brother. Mikasa, for this reason and others, is incredibly protective of and loyal to Eren.

This world was kind of difficult to handle at first. I found myself horrified and fascinated by the complex story, and both depressed and yet hopeful for the characters' chances of survival and ultimate victory (I hope, please Hajime-sensei) in the end.

The themes so far are hard to identify other than a few about the way life feels futile and you have to try your best to do what you can in the horrible situations you are given in life. Loyalty is a huge theme as shown in Mikasa to Eren. Being realistic about life is another. It's too early to pick out exact themes, but I can see some already.

The artwork is not as good as most manga. It doesn't have the crispness of some works like Yu Yu Hakusho or Rurouni Kenshin, and neither does it have the beauty of Sailor Moon or Fruits Basket. Whether this is just the author isn't as good as those authors at the art aspect of the manga, or he wants to show the rough, dark world, I don't know.

Be warned that this manga is very, very bloody. I had to be careful not to take in things I couldn't handle, just as I had to do with other stories. So far, I can handle it and will see if it gets to be too much for me. It is violent and bloody, so be forewarned to be careful if you read the manga (or I imagine watch the anime, as I wouldn't know as the bloody stuff might be too realistic in animation for me so I'm not sure on that one). If you can't handle such things you might have to not watch it or ignore certain parts (me! me!).

Overall, it's a brilliantly-plotted, complex, and just very good piece work in the dark fantasy and dystopian genres.

Highly Recommended.

I went at this backwards - seeing the Anime first. Both the subbed and dubbed versions of the anime are well done. It’s a story with suspense, action and likable characters. Now I’m reading the manga and seeing that the anime was so good because Hajime Isayama wrote a very compelling manga with the same depth and development I felt the anime had. The mythology behind this world he’s created feels original and fascinating. The art and writing are imaginative food for the hungry mind.

It’s a fast-paced, turbulent, riveting story that evokes cringes, tears and cheers. I would never say “this is the best ever” because I feel superlatives don’t belong in literary reviews. Attack on Titan is certainly a prime example of great storytelling.

I love this story and am certainly interested to read or watch anything created by Hajime Isayama.

I am not in the target group for manga in the US (41 year old Dad of three). My whole life I loved comics but comics seemed to leave me behind as everything got re-booted and re- thought and spiffed up for the movies. I was never very into manga, but AoT got me into the store and buying those funny little Japanese comic books I had never really been into. If you are in the same boat as me, manga like AoT is the place to get your fix. This story is as deep as you want it to be. The characterizations are great. The titan concept is fascinating and the execution is amazing. I can honestly say I have not been so into a "comic" for a very long time. Reading this makes me feel like a kid again, not being able to put it down and just waiting for what happens next. AoT lives up to the hype and then some. Am I going to buy a Captain Levi t shirt? Probably not, but watching him carve up some titans is a lot of fun for this old dude. Highly recommended for the former comics readers who thought manga was all big boobs and high schoolers. This is where it really is at.

So I can't really say that I'm expert on manga as this is the first one that I've ever read but I have done a lot of reading of fantasy novels so I'm familiar with these types of stories. Also, it should be noted that I have watched the anime before reading the manga so there's that as well. What I can tell you is that I wasn't expecting such an amazing story when my husband was bugging me to read the manga and watch the anime.

It should be noted early in the review that this is not a fairy tale, happy ending type of story. There is violence and gore and death but all of those things are found in the real world as well so it didn't bother me so much. This story immediately throws you into the action of what is happening so you're pretty much playing catch up from the beginning of the story. The action keeps you on the edge of your seat, wondering what will happen next and sometimes what is going to happen next.

I think this would be a great place for people who may not be as familiar with manga to get into it because the story is so engrossing that it pulls you right in and you can't help wanting to know what happens next. The violence is there as, of course, which might be a turn off for some but I really enjoyed the story because it was unique and not predictable like so many other stories out there. I definitely would recommend

I picked up Attack on Titan because of a recommendation from a friend – and I noticed that my public library stocked the whole series in manga, so I thought I would give it a shot. This is my review of books one to three out of thirteen.

I thought it was a captivating tale – an entire civilization is kept hostage, caged in to a self-imposed prison to protect themselves from a series of titanic giants of various sizes that eat people. There is a vague history that seems to rear its tiny head little by little as the authors reveal a backstory and a variety of revenge cycles. We learn that there is a way that the citizens can defend themselves a great deal easier, but at great cost. Family, self-sacrifice, friendship, and social order are all important motifs that show up as these brave people try their best to move forward with their lives in the face of grave danger.

There are some really cool elements to the story. The characters are captivating, there is an entire mythology and technology to the story that the authors and artists reveal to us between chapters, and the order and execution of each of the books is tight. The thing that got me, however, is that there were only a few places where some really incredible themes pop up – for instance, a scene with a young girl watching her father shoot and kill a bird as she is looking at a praying mantis devour a moth in two pages. It is beautiful, and the only words that appear on the page, completely outside of speech, is “that's right, this world is cruel.” The artwork, themes, and execution dramatically increased from issue one to three... but I feel like there is something more important to say about the text.

My library and Netflix also stocked the complete animation series – and here is where I decided I would stop at book three. While there was some great stuff in the books, the need to visually tell the story in action frames detracted from what the authors were trying to say thematically because the books were confusing to my eye at times. Furthermore, the artwork's increase in effort and production value between the three books was a little bit concerning. It got better, but then, why wasn't it that good to begin with (this might have to do with my ignorance to the industry – perhaps they create a lot of one-offs before the publisher decides to pick up a series, so there ends up being many single-issue manga with no conclusion. I am sure there's also a lot of junk, and I really have nothing to compare this to). That said, when I finished book three, I decided to watch the show.

After the first three episodes of the show I decided to put the books down. It was significantly better – the art, the writing, the presentation.... everything about the program was better than the books, and that says something about the ingenuity of the writing and the originality of the story, but the production value just didn't cut it. I will be finishing the show, though. The format is just more conducive to the story they are telling, and in the end it won me because it was simply executed better than the books.

As a fan of the show; I had to pick up the series. I am now re-reading to get ready for the new season. The TV show does follow the Manga and you will recognize many scenes. But, there are some differences.

*spoiler warning*

You do get to see the survey corp in action in the beginning. Of course there is the attack on Shinsigama and Maria. The kids join the military. Missing is the drill Sargent( I did kind of like him). This issue ends with the attack on wall Rose and Erens unit goes into action.

There is an extra from the author and it rightfully warns you of spoilers. Do not read it if you are new.

The artwork is good! I grown to like Manga for many reasons one that you see is the way emotions are expressed without words.

This is the start of a fun series.

Attack on Titan is my first Manga so I’m not exactly sure how to do the review but I’ll try my best.

Attack on Titan is a dystopian horror story that comes from the point of view of Eren. He’s joined with his adopted sister Mikasa and friend Armin. Three friends who’s world has been ripped apart by the titans who have destroyed their lives. Titans are huge humanoid beings that eat humans but we aren’t really sure why they do it yet or how they exist. The novel starts out with them as children when they encounter a colossal titan that destroys the wall that has protected them from the titans. After losing their home and family to the Titan the children join the military when the time comes. Eren is out for revenge to stop the titans. After years of training the time has come for them to battle the titans that once again are joined by the colossal that had destroyed the wall in the past. Will they all survive this encounter?

I don’t mind Eren he’s hot tempered but that’s because he’s been through the emotional trauma of watching a titan eat his mother. He’s not the only one who has seen the horror of real life even Mikasa has her own story. I’m curious to see how Armin will handle fighting the titans since he seems to be the more relaxed of the trio.

I saw the first few episodes on Netflix but it’s still in Japanese so I decided to read the manga since I was already hooked on the story from the anime. I’m super curious to see what the story is behind the titans because so far we don’t know. I find the concept captivating even if I don’t love the main character it’s still holding my attention and I want to see what’s going to happen next. I like the artwork, it’s not in color but it still very detailed on my kindle fire. Since this is my first manga I don’t really have many to compare it to but I’ve learned I really enjoyed reading it. Attack on Titan vol 1 was a quick read it’s hard to put down and I ended up reading it in my downtime. I’m looking forward to continuing the series and already have the next couple on my kindle ready to go.

The book Attack on Titan is a great book I wanted to read it because I can't watch the show. The author is Hajime Isayama, and he did a great job on the book. The book is adventure book it is very exciting as well. I like the book because it is like a comic book ,and I like comic books. You should read the book if you like action. It has a lot of action and things like that.

The book takes place in a wall. There are people that live in the wall. It is a huge circle around them with more walls inside the biggest wall. The wall is 50 meters high (164 feet). There are towns in the wall. There is a wall because of something outside.

~4/5

[More of my reviews are available on my blog, Geeky Reading, to which there's a link on my profile.]

At this point, I have heard a lot of really good things about this series. I’m majorly slow on anime, so I hadn’t expected to get around to that, but finally thought I’d pick up the manga when I got the chance. And I was extremely iffy.

First because it’s not my usual genre. I do romance, shojo, josei most of the time. I don’t mind action or dystopian or any of that, and tend to enjoy it in anime and manga, but I just don’t get around to it very much. Then there was the art. I’m very picky about art, and usually if I don’t like the look of it, I don’t want to read it. And the art wasn’t particularly bad in this series, but I wasn’t sure if I’d like it. But now I’m really glad that I picked it up.

I’ll start with the art. It’s very hard lines and rough around the edges and violent. Not normally what I like, but it grew on me by the end of the volume.

Next is the storyline, which is what I was sure would pull me in, if anything. And it did. There’s violence and yelling and titans and death. The human race has been secluded to a ring of a village inside a village inside a village, all surrounded/separated by tall walls to keep the titans out. And the titans are giant, man-eating monsters. They don’t communicate with the humans, their whole mind-set and body are much of a mystery or puzzle to the people trying to study them. Whenever they see humans, they kill and eat and step on them. And they are trying very hard to get to the humans inside the walls. And now there’s one, much taller than any of the rest, who can break down the wall.

They’ve been kept inside for over a hundred years at this point, and it seems like none of them have been fighting or training very well, and only a small number are even willing to fight the titans.

Which is when we start with Eren and Mikasa. Eren is the main character, determined to go out and fight the titans, figure them out, save the human race. Mikasa is his tough friend, silent but kickass, who is just trying to keep Eren from getting himself killed, and has the means to back him up.

I don’t want to spoil the contents of what happened in this book, because a lot happened to Eren and Mikasa. A lot of really terrible things. Including the ending, which I am positive is not the end of something. I’m intrigued and believing of Eren, and I really like Mikasa, as well as their friend, Armin.

At first, I was a little skeptical. Mainly because I was wondering how this series could keep going, why wouldn’t the titans just kill them straight off? Like, there’s only so much you can do before they actually eat you, right? But I’m looking forward to seeing what happens.

There’s still a lot left to explore, especially the titans and how they work, more characters to meet I’m sure, they’ll probably go outside the wall at some point, Eren still has to kill a titan. There’s a lot left to do, this volume opened up a whole world and characters to explore. I’m definitely intrigued. And looking forward to getting the next volume.

I guess this was supposed to be graphic...giant beings eating humans for no reason. For a first episode it lacked more details and explanations, and the flashbacks popping up in the middle of present events were sometimes confusing, especially when you're still learning the characters ' names and backgrounds. Also, flipping the pages backwards was strange, though I grew up reading both Japanese mangas and American comics there should have been a note from editors with instructions. I gave 3 stars because I liked the plot overall, It's like revisiting mythologies ( giants devouring weaker human beings, with some sort of dystopia. But not 5 stars because I did find the storyline messy and confusing.

Great story, even if it is a little hard to follow. For one, the characters have a bizarre way of talking to one another. They say things & switch moods in a way that isn’t congruent with normal human speech or mood changes. Second, there are a lot of “sound effects” (e.g. Fwoooo!) that don’t make sense in the context. There are kanji, but if you don’t know what they mean, & you have to rely on the English onomatopoeia, they frequently don’t appear to signify anything. Third...look, if you’re going to the trouble of translating it to English (thank you), why make us read it backwards like the Japanese do? Confusing. Despite these issues, I still recommend the story.

Every now and then, each year, a certain manga suddenly appears in the spotlight and becomes popular. Not just that, but so popular everyone seems to know and talk about it. The question then, for everyone, is whether said manga is actually worth reading and lives up to the hype it has caused – something which is quite uncommon considering how this typically works for series. The popularity of Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin) is undisputable, but worth the read? I certainly think so, as I will explain below.

Written by Hajime Isayama, Attack on Titan is one of those series which against all odds, presents an original concept and makes it work. Its story is simple: a threat has befell humanity as ‘Titans’ appeared out of nowhere and drove humans to near extinction after they began devouring one person after another. In order to avoid total annihilation and rebuild society, humans have been forced to live in a small section of the world where three walls defend them from the Titans devouring them.

The manga focuses around this premise, along with how the humans fight against the menace that the Titans suppose. The story of Attack on Titan develops beautifully. Not only it is an original concept, which hasn’t been seen a lot in this media, but it also plays and develops it well. Despite the concept behind the story having been played down in the past by other similar apocalyptic series, this doesn’t apply to it. It not only focuses on the sheer horror that the human-devouring Titans present, but also on the very real human society which still exists and attempts to rebuild itself. Attack on Titan succeeds in not leaving any of these elements behind, and paints a clear picture of its world as a whole via its story. It leaves no elements behind, and doesn’t let its complexity bring it down. The story of this series is amongst the greatest that I have seen, and a real pleasure to follow.

One of the elements which I like the most of Attack on Titan, however, is its art. Not only is it beautiful, but it manages to convey exactly the sheer horror the Titans present. Though it appears strange at times, this only makes it all the better, as it represents fantastically all which the story represents. Not only the emotions of the characters; but also glory, courage, sadness, happiness, and finally horror precisely when it is required to do so. It completely memorable, and probably amongst the best that I have had the pleasure to read in the last years. It mixes with all of the elements of the story perfectly, and instead carries them forward.

The character cast is wide, well-developed, and complex. They all have motivations and are truly products of their world. They are incredibly human, not only the main protagonists (Eren, Mikasa, and Armin), but also the other secondary ones. None seem to fall into the typical stereotypes one might imagine, something welcome. But best of all, is how the author treats the characters as the plot develops. There are no qualms about what happens to them, or how events affect them. Whether characters live or die, they do so in a way which is not only completely natural to the story in the manga, but also in a way in which a reader is immediately marked by. There is no ignoring any certain character, or little events. Everything is relevant, and the author certainly succeeds in conveying this.

These elements make Attack on Titan an incredibly enjoyable read. Not only is the story original, but the way it is drawn just makes it even greater. Hajime Isayama presents everything in the most realistic and human way, whether horrifying or courageous, and it is something which made reading Attack on Titan a truly enjoyable experience from the very start. There was no point at which I was bored, and instead I could only continue reading it.

Attack on Titan certainly lives up to the hype behind it – a rare occurrence considering how this usually is not the case – and does not disappoint. The way in which all its elements converge make it a truly enjoyable experience, which I recommend for anyone who is interested in manga or good fiction at all. It works perfectly, and I can’t wait to see how Hajime Isayama will continue to deveop it in the future. Attack on Titan is in every way, awesometacular, and fully deserves a rating of 5/5 and a complete recommendation. To not read it would be to miss a truly great work of fiction.

I say that because he pitched this series to Weekly Shonen Jump first (being Shueisha - publishers of WSJ). And they turned it down saying the art was below their standards and the story too adult and intense. So he went to Kodansha and had it published in Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine, a less popular periodical with monthly releases. Despite these seeming 'setbacks', the manga maintained his style and fans flocked to the series.

The story involves three youths: Eren Jaeger, Mikasa Ackerman, and Armin Arlert. They are friends from childhood and share some pretty deep ties which are depicted in later volumes. Everything seems fine at first. Humanity is safely ensconced inside a giant walled country separating them from the mindless, ravenous Titans - whose favorite meal is fresh human. Things go to hell when a never before seen 'Colossal Titan' appears and smashes in the gate to the wall, allowing the rest of the Titans to enter before suddenly vanishing.

Humanity flees and abandons the outer wall, losing a massive amount of land and a huge chunk of the remaining population. Eren, Mikasa, and Armin vow retribution and decide to work to join the military, eventually wanting to join the Survey Corps and go outside the walls to recon and kill Titans.

The first volume really sets the stage and gives the reader quite a bit of character development. Things move ahead pretty quickly from the Fall of Shiganshina toward the youths all grown up and becoming trainees. The anime differs slightly in the earlier chapters, but syncs up with the manga quite a bit once the 'Battle for Trost' begins.

I won't give any spoilers, but I will say that it was quite satisfying to watch the anime first, THEN read the manga. This way I wasn't peeved at any changes or any story or plot points left out from the anime - or additional scenes added in. But whichever way you decide to go, the series is amazing. Get past the very crude art style (it really works - especially for the Titans) and enjoy the characters and the story. You won't be disappointed.

Also note: the manga is MUCH more graphic and violent than the anime. Enjoy!

I have had this on my to be read pile for quite a while. This was a great start to this manga series. I watched the anime (which was pretty slow) and I am liking the manga a lot more than I liked the anime.

The artwork is well done and easy to follow. I also enjoy the detailed descriptions between chapters that explain the cities and weaponry.

This volume is action packed and also introduces a lot of mysteries: where do these titans come from, why does Eren keep having these strange fits, and why is Mikasa so indestructible?

Overall a wonderful start to this shounen series. The writing flows well and is easy to read, it is action packed and I am really enjoying this world, the plot, and characters so far.

I read this book for my Contemporary Lit class and i have to say that this book/books are good. Having three of the books in my own opinion is nice but its such a thick book to carry around. The art is really nice. I was expecting different from what the anime was shown but having this much of a difference is really nice.The story is keeping on track and not adding unnecessary filler. After each volume of the book it shows extra stuff like concept art and how everything works like the omni directional gear which the characters wear. To show appreciation for the fans they showed some fan art that is at the very back of the book. Seeing some pages in color made certain pages pop which was really nice. Each volume of the book just brought more excitement to wonder what will happen.
Story wise it's alright. My expectations are gonna be the same for most manga i read until it starts getting more exciting to where someone dies and shows a character start to act differently. With this example is really shown how how different each character is portrayed from being faced with death.

Having read this series through book nine, I find it an enjoyable, entertaining, creative, plot-driven story. The narrative flow doesn't always work -- some flashbacks appear out of nowhere -- but they don't detract too much from the narrative's power.

The highly stylized, jarring art -- energetic hatching and bold force lines -- complements the tale's horror nature, especially with the grotesque Titans. The art's downsides: difficult to distinguish characters (a problem with many a manga, alas), proportions sometimes completely out of whack and some close to impossible to follow action sequences. Which is part of why this title earns four instead of five stars.

One final note: given I bought this based on a friend's recommendation reinforced by great marketing (i.e., Japan's Walking Dead), you ought to know that this is very different than the Walking Dead (I've read all the Walking Dead graphic novels). Don't let that dissuade you from reading Attack on Titan, the author/illustrators has created a unique, compelling world, just be prepared for something different than Kirkman and Adlar's stellar work.

giant creatures who eat people alive fantastic art work lots of action but you better be ready for some real gory parts i have to admit i love it i love the anime and the manga tooooooootaly request it your gonna be hooked eren mikasa and armin. how do you think it like being stuck in a birdcage with titans giant creatures who feed on humans for the fun of it well read this isnt it all lovely?

This story is unlike a lot of the main stream manga/anime that are out there. It focuses on one character, yes, but is more concerned with the survival of humanity as a whole. What this series offers is a story of a failing society, desperately trying to survive, having to make choices even when the people are fighting among themselves. We follow a young man named Eren, and the people he comes in contact with as they fight and die trying to defend what's left of the human race and their last hope. What I love about this series is the true complexity of the characters, the plot, and the way nothing is ever quite what it seems. It introduces characters that are both incredibly strong and incredibly weak, injures them, kills them off, makes them stronger or weaker... it deals with fear and reaction to the horrors of death and being hunted by something that is both bigger and stronger... and the bravery, betrayal, anger and grief that surfaces in its wake.

I suggest this title to anyone who likes complex plots and survival action/horror. I do not suggest this series to younger audiences. Maybe I'm just blind, but I have yet to find out what this series is actually rated. Understand that when it says that "humans get eaten," it means it... and it shows it happen. If you're expecting a lighthearted series where the hero always prevails, this probably isn't for you.

This was one of the more original ideas for a comic I've read. Mindless giants roaming the world eating humans ultimately causing the near extinction of all human life. I've seen a few episodes of the show which is what interested me in the first place. So I grabbed this on prime when I saw it. I didn't care for the writing and art too much honestly but the story is so intriguing I couldn't put it down. Looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

I have to admit that is series is not a faint of heart. Graphic content warning. It is different from anime that intend to drag out certain scene. But, in the story it is straight to the point which I can appreciate. The art is not greatest but, using the outlining pen understandably difficult to use so I understand. I did not like how Eren treats his mother when first introduced and even how treat Mikasa (Mikasa threw Eren to the wall which hilarious). Yeah Eren blind hatred for titans got his entire friends killed (Yeah, so not joining Eren's team I am most likely to get killed). Armin is one who encouraged Eren to go outside world although, he bit weak sauce he get points for good character. Armin and Mikasa are my favorite characters in this volume.

This is the only manga I've ever read but I feel like I lucked out and stumbled into the perfect introduction to epic manga storytelling. Attack on Titan manages to find a unique spin on the post-apocalyptic tale, telling the story of the few survivors of humanity as they struggle to fight giant humanoid creatures called Titans. A story spanning decades and multiple locations, Attack on Titan never loses focus on its characters and turns what could be just another sensational genre story into something very heartfelt and compelling. I blazed through all 16 volumes currently available. Don't be turned off by the cover! The anime is also great and is how I discovered the manga!

Attack on Titan is set in a steam punk Mid-Evil word where humanity lives inside cities surrounded by enormous walls due to the Titans, gigantic humanoid creatures who devour humans seemingly without reason. The story centers on Eren Yeager, his adoptive sister Mikasa Ackerman, and their friend Armin Arlert, whose lives are changed forever after the appearance of a Colossus Titan brings about the destruction of their home town and the death of Eren's mother. Vowing revenge and to reclaim the world from the Titans, Eren, Mikasa and Armin enlist in the Military and join the Survey Corps—an elite group of soldiers who fight Titans outside the walls.

Like Robert Kirkman's "The Walking Dead", it's a dark but exhilarating title where nearly any character gets killed off, nothing seems to go right, there is a bigger story in play, certain major players have their own agendas, and that the world has so much more to show in future installments. If you want a more serious Shonen title that doesn't sugarcoat it's grey world and rarely uses the typical tropes that is usually found in most Japanese comics, this is the title for you!

I don't feel qualified to give much of a review here, since I'm unfamiliar with the genre. The illustrations were good for the most part, though when the action picked up it seemed as if the drawings became more chaotic and less help in explaining the situation. The storyline I understood but it felt like it jumped around a bit.

A quick read about a typical hot-headed hero in a violent world. I would have liked a slower build to the main action, but there were interesting elements bought up (such as the details of Misaka's devotion & what are the Titans exactly) that raised my curiosity for Vol 2. The bonus interview provided some needed humour. Recommended for fans of action or horror comics.

Good Read. There`s a lot of depth in the series, it explores human nature and folly more than just following the recipe for a basic manga plot. Though there is the classic manga element of an almost overwhelming number of 'significantly secondary' characters, they look different enough that you don`t confuse characters with each other. I really do love that the art is unique and the plot is a little different. It also reveals war as a tough, rather than glorious, thing. People are trying to ignore the fact they live in a walled cage, they ignore the fact that man eaters are right outside their walls, then they have refugees and hunger when the monsters break in. We`ve got world weary refugees who have seen loved ones eaten alive, and they are training as warriors to fight back. But they can still have fun, they still laugh, and they aren`t so battle worn that they`ve somehow magically become insanely skilled at fighting. My only issue with this series is that it is gory. People get their heads bitten off in front of you, people get stepped on. Gushing blood and other lovely details are also drawn in. That`s the reason I ultimately had to stop reading. But I`d say if you are 14+ and have an average gore tolerance, or watch 'not very scary' horror or horror spoof movies, you should be fine with this. I think the black and white aspect of the blood also makes it more tolerable than the series, as far as that goes.

Got this first issue free on Prime, surely as a teaser for the entire series. I heard a lot about this series and it lives up to expectations. The story holds your interest by sowing a bit of mystery as to the origins of both the protagonist and the titans.

I'm not a huge anime/manga fan as I tend to be picky with them. However I would recommend this to people who are unfamiliar with manga as well (as long as they enjoy even light sci-fi).

I have been wasting my time NOT reading this series. I was missing out. The way the characters talk about their life and history makes me feel tons of emotion and empathy for them. If violence isn't your cup of tea, turn away. Otherwise read until your hearts content.

OK so I have heard of the show watched some of it like the first 5 or 4 episodes and the book is the exactly like the show. I really like the graphics and how there was so much action. I would recommend this book to others that like anime or manga like me. Can't wait read the 2nd book! *spolier!* Is Eren and the others really dead!?!? I need to know! ?

I had watched the first season of the anime and had been wanting to get into the manga. Unfortunately the mountains of manta available from this well established series was a bit off putting. I am glad that I took the first step with this volume and look forward to reading more.

This manga is not something I would recommend to readers that do not care for extreme violence and/or horrific imagery. With that stated the story is engaging and kept me wanting to read more. The illustrations are not that great, in my opinion, but it can be more of a stylistic direction made by the author. The volume also provided side notes revealing additional details to enrich this dark futuristic setting, while not distracting from the overall flow of the story.

The first volume of this manga was thrilling and laid out just enough tidbits of information throughout the story to make me want to read the next volume.

It's a good start to the series. The art gets a bit wonky at time but not too often or too badly. Mostly it's just in comparison to the excellent animation in the anime series. This manga reads really well on the Kindle. If you don't know of you'll like it it's worth reading, maybe you'll want more maybe you won't, but you'll know for sure.

I was expecting something else, as I have watched a couple of seasons of the video releases, I think it spoiled me. My biggest problem is adapting to the Japanese way of sequencing the graphic panels; during high activity sections, it was a bit hard to follow. I was also a bit disappointed that the panels were rendered in black and white, but I am certain that was a cost consideration.

III choose 5 stars because it actually held my attention. I couldn't put it down! Sometimes mangas are so complicated I have to reread until I can grasp what is going on (dense I know) but this has enough going on that you have to know what happens next.

It's in English but it's still the manga style which just isn't my thing. Reading it backwards gets confusing and frustrating and it seems like everyone is always yelling. If you like manga and anime then you'll probably like this but I'm just not the target audience.

I understand this series has a HUGE Following. For me the anime did it better than the manga, I really could not get myself motivated to read this series. The anime was good but I was not hooked on it like everyone else.

The idea and story Is great and everything about it is really good! If you love the anime then buy the manga.

I got as free read on prime. The story was good. The graphics were very crisp and detailed except fight scenes hard to follow to get action the drawings seems to blurr. Book one leaves questions so you bare drawn to the next

Read it free on Prime Reading. Very intriguing story. Immediately after finishing this volume, I ordered more volumes. Can't wait to finish out this series. I guess the Titans represent the problems in everyday life because they're always eating at us and sometimes we get swallowed into a world of despair. We must look to others and helping them in order to cope.

Please read this book. Highly recommend.

The manga goes by so much faster then the manga and i don’t just mean because of fillers or whatever but in the manga you can’t really make much of a connection with a character before they die, IMO I found it funny

I highly recommend this book to anybody looking for a survivor/action/horror manga. The first book gives us an introduction of what is going on the world since these Titans have appeared. We are introduced to our two main protagonist Eren and Mikasa who are siblings basically, and we find out Eren goal in life is to become a scout for the legion and rid the world of the Titans. Mikasa is just along for the ride and is willing to help Eren in whatever he wants to do.

Story: We get a sense of the world as despair and depressing. The soldiers are drinking and partying while on their on guard duty because they're comfortable that the wall will protect them from attacks since nothing happen for 100 years. Something big breaks the party up and shocking stuff happens. Human kind is on the brink of destuction can these individuals cope and discover a way to rid the Titans of this world. Lets hope so :). 4/4

Character development: We are introduced to many characters like the top 10 trainees, but the two most important people to focus on are Eren and Mikasa. We learn a lot about these two, and their personal goals in life. Overall, their is a lot crammed in this book about these two especially and we learn a lot. 3/3.

Artwork: The drawings of the characters is superb, the drawings of the titans are creepy and disgusting thats a plus, the atmosphere itself feels haunting so thats good as well. Also the combat drawing of the Three dimensional maneuver was straight up awesome. 3/3

Overall, I highly recommend this series and please give it a read you won't regret it.

10/10

I never read manga before and this was a great beginner read for me. I got so sucked into the book that I read this in one sitting. I'm a little late in the manga world but this is an awesome book to start with. Can't wait to read the next book.

All my friends couldn't stop talking about this series . They force me to read and I am very thankful they did. I don't really like manga that much because they is all way waiting list at the library. This one might make me wait for it. I really do recommend this manga.

Excelent history, true manga drawing black and white, reverse reading style like the original japanese version, i think the book is just to short for me, but when the story is good there is never enough

My daughter is into Attack on Titan pretty serious and had been borrowing the 1st few books. As a comic aficionado myself I have to say I was really impressed with this book. The size is HUGE and very fitting for the Attack on Titan story-line. The front measures 7" x 11", 2" thick, and weighs in at a hefty 4lbs. Its an impressive book.

As for content, there seems to be many additional features including several unreleased short stories, as well as a few colored pages.
Contains books 1-5

The book and story are amazing but the book is very sad it has a lot of action however the book is gory and has a big use of blood so yeah don’t read it if you don’t like that do read it if you want to I don’t care I’m not you, you do you

This was my first time reading a manga so the right to left style was a little odd to get used to. That said, the story was riveting. The artwork was exciting and highly detailed. I read this one for free and bought the next one. Now I'm watching the anime series on Hulu.

This is one of those stories that hits all the right notes. One of the few Dark Fantasy/ Horror stories that will get to you. Characters that are developed with horrifying back stories and stolid revelations of self-worth and mission, Attack On Titan is one of those rare stories that may or may not follow original narrative themes, but either way, is imagined and told in an original interpretation, filled with innumerable moments that'll keep your heart pumping and leave you wanting for more.

The action in this show is so intense, especially since they are driven by such emotional motivations, it would be hard not to find that this shows leaves you feeling disturbed.

This Manga has an extremely compelling story, I got the first one in a gift type thing and since have bought all of the remaining books released to the US and read some that were translated by a noble being who's beyond my ability to contact.

So many twists and turns, and you never see it coming. It's like M. Night Shyamalan but if he had gotten better rather than worse over the years. Or at least that's my approximation of it.

Loved it. Can sometimes be a little confusing with the pics but I understood it completely because I have also watched the show. The book did help clear up a few things that was confusing from the show however. Great read and great illustrations as well.

I understand that this is popular for a reason, but for the life of me I can't find it. The start of this series was pretty darn at setting up the world and introducing its main characters, and giving them a believable reason for trying to fight the titans but once they get out of training and the action begins the whole thing starts to fall apart. I understand that the titans are supposed to be dangerous and stuff but it seems like half of the cities population must be poorly trained soldiers because I lost count of how many times I had to deal with 4-5 pages of main characters turning around and watching entire squads or battalions getting eaten by titans before they freak out and run away some more, and the plot seems to have gotten scared of the titans and gone into hiding with the rest of the city as well, 'cause by the time I reached a point where it decided to actually show up and move the story along I just felt burnt out and tired of this whole series. I'll admit I did not get very far into "Attack on Titan", but I can say for certain that if you're a fan of grim dark and folks getting eaten you definitely found the right series, but you're gonna be hard pressed to find any kind of overarching story or end goal aside from "kill the titans, and don't get eaten!" until WAY later. Overall an excellent start with a poor follow up in my opinion.

What just happened? that was... Well most definitely interested me in whatever just happened. sorta sad i mean i get why but... little farish in that category. but anyway other than that its a good book. it definitely gives you something to think about but WOW.

This manga is great! Originally retails for about $60. Purchased on the store for $30-$40 and it's worth it for what you get. Pages are luxuriant. I don't have the original smaller manga yet so I can't compare the pages to the feeling of those yet, but I think it's definitely worth the upgrade to this edition. I didn't want to spend an excessive amount of money for each manga individually so I got this omnibus which contains stories 1-5. The only drawback to this version of the story is that it is huge, weighing in at almost five pounds I cannot throw this book easily into a handbag. I'm pretty sure that it's worth buying for all of the extras and color pages.

Attack On Titan is a welcome change of pace considering the quality of most recent manga. It's basically a zombie story if you replace zombies with giant naked people. Now volume 1 is a great introduction to this epic series. Volume 1 establishes the story, tone, and several characters. It's a bit weak on character development, but it's more than acceptable for the first volume.

The 3 most major characters are Eren Yeager (A boy who isn't good with strategies, but relies on strength and his indomitable will. He also swears generic vengeance on the titans, which is justified considering one of the scenes in the volume), Mikasa Ackerman (A badass goddess of destruction who's able to slay titans left and right at ease), and Armin Arlert (The brains of the group. He easily cracks under pressure, but he comes up with some pretty smart plans that usually help most of the group survive).

The volume is partly action, and partly establishing and introducing characters. At this point, we don't know much about the titans other than there are more than 1 type. The action scenes are quite good with fast-paced bloody, stylized combat, and detailed, vivid artwork. Speaking of artwork, the art is very different from something like One Piece. It's more realistic (especially as far as facial expressions go), but still seems manga-ish.

This volume takes some risks considering it's only the first volume; There's a pretty big character death that I did NOT see coming. I wanted to give this a 5/5, but considering the fact that there are many questions about the titans, and the characters haven't gotten much time to develop, I will have to rate this a solid 4 stars.

Incredible story, dark and disturbing, yet some humor in it every now and then. If you liked the anime show, then you have to read tnks, there are some content that isn't present in the anime. Totally worth checking out!

I wish the first book was longer and the other ones didn't cost as much money. Please make them cheaper to make them more appealing for people. In the long run it is possible for this to make more money.

This is not really my type. I would have been helpful to have the notice that is in the BACK of the book that tells you how to read it. That way I would not be confused the first few pages. This was my first manga and I did not know that everything was reversed.

First let me say, I was that one person out of my friends who said "Manga and anime are weird and a waste of time." I realize after reading this series I was wrong. Dead wrong. This amazing series is the perfect mix of horror and action. The anime is just as amazing (which has recently been english dubbed and can be seen on ADULT SWIM at 11:30 pm.) Read this series. You WILL get hooked instantly and be begging for more. Happy reading and watching☺️

Excellent manga, as many of the other reviews will tell you. However, panel-for-panel its almost identical to the animated series, so if you've already seen that you won't get much extra out of the book, and vice-versa.

I watched the anime first before reading the manga. The manga is as awesome than the anime.
Attack on Titan blew literally my mind. This manga is dark, but is very fascinating by its settings, its characters and its unique scenario.
I recommend it to anyone.

Hajime Isayama's "Attack on Titan" ("Shingeki no Kyojin") is a dark fantasy comic (his first major published work) that has been serialized in Kodansha's monthly "Bessatsu Shonen Magazine" since 2009. The manga is a huge hit in Japan (according to the magazine, it has sold more than nine million copies), with eight volumes already published at the time of writing,

Eren, Mikasa, and Armin are childhood friends living in a fortress city surrounded by 50-meter-high (164-feet-high) walls. Humans were once attacked by the "Titans," giant humanoids that had eaten up most of the population in the world. But the tragic event happened more than 100 years ago, and now the dependents of the survivors are living in the safe territories inside the walls no Titans can break down or climb over.

However, the human race's hard-earned peace is about to be broken due to the emergence of a "colossal Titan" that can break through the wall. That is when an intrepid young boy Eren, a cool and strong girl Mikasa and a physically weak but smart boy Armin join the army of soldiers fighting the Titans.

Set in a unique universe where humans have to fight the flesh-eating Titans, the series is often violent with graphic deaths. That is understandable, but the comic's real problem is the artwork that is raw and dynamic, but sometimes rough and even awkward, if not poorly done. Also, the story itself is fast-paced and action-packed, but manga creator Hajime Isayama tends to use flashbacks more than necessary.

In the second volume the storyline takes a surprising turn after the cliffhanging ending of this volume. This may not be your kind of manga, as far as its illustrations go, but there is one great thing about "Attack on Titan," and it is that with an unpredictable story the comic is never boring.

(Volume 1 has a bonus, three-page interview with the manga creator.)

For the record, I am a huge shonen manga fan. However, I thoroughly disliked this book.

The artwork is unpolished and amateurish compared to "Bleach", "Naruto", "Toriko", "One Piece", and most of the other successful shonen series. Clearly, Kyoji Asano's character designs for the anime were an improvement over the original ones. The pacing was also slow, which surprised me. Based on the runaway success of the anime, I expected MUCH more. Sadly, this book did not provide the thrills or excitement of the show.

As far as I'm concerned, you should watch the anime if you wish to see the promise of adventure that this manga failed to deliver. On the other hand, if you want something exciting to read, try a different series. I recommend anything from VIZ's outstanding line-up of graphic novels based on truly impressive manga in the shonen tradition.

This manga I has a very interesting concept. Giant humanoids a.k.a "Titans" who eat humans. The eat them because it is their instinct. While this war is happening the last of humanity lives in these walls. I loves this manga and you will to go buy it

Let me start this review by saying that I haven't watched a single minute of the anime Attack on Titan. I have only read the manga. This means that I'll be judging this manga series on its own merits. I won't complain that it's like the anime, or not like the anime, or that the anime did anything better or worse. Now, on to the review.

The premise of the series should be familiar to you unless you've been living under a rock up until now. Humanity is no longer the dominant species. Gigantic, humanoid creatures called titans have usurped that role, and the few humans that are still alive (despite the best efforts of the titans) spend all their time trying to survive, fighting a losing battle against the brutal, brobdingnagian beasts. Modern technology is almost completely gone, and life in general is no more fun than you'd expect.

The artwork is a bit amateurish, but paradoxically enough, it's also the best thing about the series. No, Isayama isn't all that good at keeping a character's proportions exactly the same from panel to panel, but there's an undeniable enthusiasm that more than makes up for that. And unlike many other manga creators, he realizes that the point of the artwork isn't to create pictures that will look good on a poster -- it's to tell a story. And that kind of art, he's good at.

The storytelling isn't bad either. The atmosphere gives an amazing sense of hopelessness. Right from the beginning, it's clear that this is no series where the good guys will win just as soon as somebody says something poignant about the power of friendship. Nobody's going to discover a quick-fix solution that makes everything hunky-dory in two seconds flat.
The story moves forward relatively slowly, but not so slowly that it becomes a problem. Isayama is intelligent enough to realize that the premise is fascinating enough on its own, and there's no need to add much more. Doing so would only have been ditracting and annoying to the readers.

All in all, I can recommend this series. It's not a masterpiece, but it is pretty darn good.

This edition includes volumes 1-5 of Attack on Titan with 15 color pages that have never been published. This oversized edition has 960 pages, and has been printed on higher quality paper than previous volumes.

Previously, I had watched the anime of this show, which really got me into the intensive titan craze, so I wanted to order the manga out of respect for the creator and extra things that are usually found in anime based off manga.
I was disappointed by the artwork, which seemed really unpreportionate and truly mediocre, the characters weren't very expressive of unique, and It didn't have fluid transitions.
The plot was still true to the anime, and really fantastic. But the bad artwork made it difficult to enjoy, and it was hard to finish.
I ended up giving it to a friend of mine, who had the same opinions as me about the artwork and the lack of fluid writing.
So, this was a mediocre, mildly exciting, unique manga, but not up to par on my standards with the expectation that was set by the anime.

It was possibly our fault, but we did not realize the language was so rough in this book. We bought it as a gift for someone, and was embarrassed when they told us about it. Parents beware if you are purchasing this for a child or teen.

First off, I'm not much of a manga or anime fan at all. I started watching the show on Netflix because of all the hype around it. I gave up on it after 3-4 episodes. A couple months later, I gave it another try and fell in love with it. I liked it so much, I wanted to pick up the books to get further into the story. Who knows when the next season will ever air?! So I figured this book would be the way to go. The book is solid quality for such a large paperback. That's about all the good I can say about it. I'm sorry but the artwork is terrible. It's simply amateurish. Flipping through it, it looks like it gets a little better later on, but still pretty poor. I could live with that, if half the art wasn't covered in huge word bubbles. You have a panel that's a 1/4 of the page and the word bubble still covers it up. I dont get it. I can't accept that this is commonplace in manga comics. Everything just seemed way too unprofessional. To be honest, the show followed nearly word for word the writing and art style, but it just works better in that form. The fact that it didnt have anything more to offer than the show really bored me with it as well. I thought it would at least go a little deeper into things. I recommend that everyone stick with the anime and leave this book alone.

I purchased this because I enjoyed Neon Genesis Evangelion so much. This first book was predictable and doesn't really capture the emotion of the situation. It feels somewhat clinical. The animation is not that exciting either. I stopped after Book 1. Maybe it gets better, but I don't know. I'm still looking for another series...

A lot of people like this anime, I never really got it. I don't get what makes it so great. I don't know why but I'd rather read something more along the lines of Vagabond, Berzerk or even Claymore before reading it. Maybe, I'm just so stupid I can't get what's so great about it. Taking the story as a whole, it's just action action and more action. I'd say I'd probably compare it to something like DBZ in that respect. While there is a lot of death, I feel you never really get to care about the characters before they die, you never get to relate to them, they just die, some might chalk this up to the crapsack world that the characters live in, although Bokurano's world is the definition of a world without hope, a complete shoot the shaggy dog story but even then the characters were relate-able despite the complete sci-fi setting it takes place in.

The Main Characters:

From What I've read the main characters are pretty one dimensional. Eren's basically all angst, and he's the most angsty character I've encountered in an anime. I don't really know why, even with all the bloodshed all of Eren's screaming seems really I don't really know what's the word contrived. Mikasa's basically just "the ace" the bad-ass and despite her back-story it just doesn't seem to ring of anything but a failed attempt to get people to relate to her. The only character in the main squad you feel for is Armin, which is pretty well written and seems like the only sane man at times.

The Story Itself:

While it's a very interesting take on giants, and the parable of David and Goliath is very well applied. It still clings to tired old shonen-cliches. Coming from things like Higurashi, I was never really surprised by the so called "twist." which comes from a natural lead Brandon Sanderson says it should be unexpected but inevitable but when it comes to the plot the darker twist for me is either completely random or it's completely predictable ala Shamaylan. (however you spell his name.)

The Setting:

The Setting is pretty inventive for a post-apocalyptic novel the world seemed extremely interesting and was something that I found to suite it's themes quite well.

Other Criticism:

There's a lot of jabs at China in this, blatantly Sina latin for China. It also feels like an extremely right-winged writing, it's extremely militaristic and nationalistic. Although this could just be me reading to much into things, if you don't know/think about it it's enjoyable I guess.

aside form mediocre art and the fact that you can't keep up with the action scene because the art doesn't clearly depict what's going on the whole story is just ridiculous.

From the Japanese video games and shows I've watched I know the characters often well be over emotional and just say whatever's pin their mind and scream at one another for no reason but this is a whole new level. The characters are so one-dimensional and flat that I could relate to any of them. And the story is so over-simplified that I was shocked. The whole city is a within a 50m height circular wall on flat land. Why would they back up to a mountain or the sea to only build half the wall. Not that this is vital point but the stupidity of it and the boring landscape really take away from the realism. The sorry well often jump years in time with no indications. and like all simple books, the complicated parts are explain through classrooms or diagrams or just people screaming obvious statements "I can kill him, his weakness is the back of his neck." Save your money unless story, art, character-building and common sense aren't important to you in a book

In the future overly simplistic stories exploring the Japanese xenophobic mindset will bore you with their complete lack of imagination! The evil Titans (or, “foreigners”) threaten the tiny human population (or, “Japanese”) by eating them (or, “consuming their culture”). The humans live in medieval-type castle structures with multiple layers of walls that don’t work to attempt to protect themselves from the Titans who want to eat them for some reason.

Our hero is the perpetually constipated Some Guy who wants to join the ineffectual Something Corps who go out and get eaten by the Titans sooner rather than live as well as they can inside the large walls before getting eaten later. To combat the Titans, the humans have developed grappling hooks and spears that don’t work - this is set in the future!

Snore as Some Guy and his sister Some Girl fight to become part of the elite Something Corps so they can fail to defeat the TItans first while swinging from hooks like a fairground attraction! Attack on Titan Volume 1 sucks ostrich balls! Do ostriches have balls? Well, Attack on Titan Volume 1 is sure sucking something! Stop molesting those sexy ostriches, Attack on Titan Volume 1!

Marvel as you feel your brain actually punching the inside of your head for subjecting it to this drek and then attempt to escape through your ears! So long, Attack on Titan Volume 1, you were a total waste of time!

i reay hate this book as i reading this book i realize this drawing is sooo bad and this arthour think that jpan should rule the world an worldwar 2 was not thier fault so i think thisbookwould throw in trash