5 Reasons Why Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin) Deserves to be called the Best Anime of the Decade
Currently, the anime Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin) is experiencing hype and increasing popularity along with the season finale or season 4, which has been running since last December 2020. This manga anime by Hajime Isayama has indeed been popular and has had many fans since the manga was published in 2009, while the first season of the anime aired in 2013.
Here I will not discuss the full story of Attack on Titan because it will be long, but rather explain why Attack on Titan is the best anime in this decade or at least since the 2010s until now.
Entering the era of the 2010s, the world of anime cannot be said to be experiencing a setback; quite some high-quality anime have emerged. However, Attack on Titan is the most prominent and seizes the daily lives of anime lovers worldwide.
Broadly speaking, Attack on Titan tells the story of humans who take refuge and survive behind high walls from the attack of a wild giant named Titan. But as the story progresses, the premise changes. Eren Jaeger is the central character in this anime.
There is a reason why Attack on Titan deserves to be called the best anime in this decade. Here's a brief review.
1. Brilliant Story Ideas
Before there was a plot twist that was quite astonishing in season 3, the premise of Attack on Titan was as if it was a post-apocalyptic genre or after a major disaster and humanity was on the verge of extinction and survived the giant Titans. Within the walls, there are governments and troops whose duties are divided.
But as the story progresses, the mystery begins to unravel. It turns out that the world in Attack on Titan is actually normal. The cause of the chaos was the conflict between Eldia and Marley nations, which had been going on for thousands of years.
The author of the story Attack on Titan, Hajime Isayama, deserves to be called a genius mangaka. He changes the plot in the middle very smoothly and makes the story a lot more interesting. From the beginning, it was just an ordinary shounen anime, becoming an anime full of political and social intrigue and war.
2. Attractive Character
Like Game of Thrones, which has tons of characters, Attack on Titan is the same. Various characters appear here, and all of them get their respective portions. Each character has their own and strong motivation. Maybe some minor characters pass by and die quickly. But the passersby are still interesting.
Moreover, major characters like Eren, Mikasa, Armin, Jean, Sasha, etc. Of course, the one who stole the most attention was Levi, who became an idol for the female fans of Attack on Titan. Admittedly, Levi is cool. Much cooler than Naruto Sasuke.
3. Elements of Politics and Fascism
As mentioned above, Attack on Titan has changed its premise since season 3 into a conflict between humans and a strong political nuance. The Eldians, who were once superior, became defeated by the Marley, and Eldians were forced to flee to the island of Paradis and build a wall there. The remaining Eldians outside the wall were turned into Titans so that the Eldians inside couldn't get out. On the other hand, King Fritz (King inside the wall) wants to make "peace" by making the residents forget their memories.
The remaining Eldians in the Marley state were allowed to live as second class citizens, discriminated against, humiliated, and became a pathetic race. Those Eldians were obliged to wear a badge on their hands. This reminds us of World War II, in which Nazi Germany carried out genocide on Jews.
Stories like this are certainly a lot harder to digest and as if Attack on Titan is intended for adults (seinen).
4. There is no filler
Unlike the long-running anime, which has hundreds of unnecessary filler episodes, Attack on Titan doesn't have a single filler episode and purely follows the manga's plot. Even though Attack on Titan has a very high popularity, the studio is unwilling to increase the number of filler episodes to rake in more profit. Maybe they realized it would only spoil the story.
Instead comes Attack on Titan: Junior High School, which is a manga and anime comedy by Saki Nakagawa, and this is a parody of Attack on Titan.
5. The Unusual Protagonist
Shounen anime characters are generally depicted as angels, optimistic, and heroic. For example, Naruto is a hero not only for his country but for the whole world. He is noble and not vindictive, likewise with Goku and Luffy and shounen protagonists in general.
This is not found in Eren Jaeger. In the beginning, he vowed to exterminate Titan because Titan ate his mother in front of his own eyes. Then the oath changed again to slaughtering humanity outside the island of Paradis. From the start, we realize that Eren's motivation is revenge, not being a hero. Eren is a soul full of vengeance who burns; anger and hatred have possessed Eren. Maybe Naruto's lecture wouldn't work on him either.
Well, that's the discussion. What do you think?
Source: fandom, google
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