Attack on Titan: Shingeki no Kyojin [Archive] - Page 2

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Buffalobiian

Fri, 06-21-2013, 10:03 AM

Yesh...

It's a real twisted way to get back at humanity though, becoming huge to eat them. Straight up cannibalism right there, son. That is assuming all titans are controlled by humans and all humans have remained their consciousness while doing so...

I'm not sure that all titans are controlled by humans or are even reversible. I was thinking more that the original titans were created by humans (possibly from real humans), while the special ones have been fine-tuned with special powers and reversibility.

Killa-Eyez

Fri, 06-21-2013, 10:19 AM

Well I think all titans are human controlled, just not consciously. Like Eren lost his control in the last ep, the titans might be in this constant uncontrollable state. I think it requires some mental tweaking (injections Eren's dad gives?) to not only become one but to consciously control it also.

Eren just needs to hurry the F back to his old basement and discover some substantial shit so we may take some educational guesses as to how the titans came about and for what purpose.

KrayZ33

Fri, 06-21-2013, 04:04 PM

that would be weird, unless the titan starts to consume its host after some time, because we've only seen eren emerge from a vaporizing titan body

maybe humans unleashed "normal" titans at first, then started to use "abnormal" ones and then later human controlled.

its like having an army of beasts, sooner or later you want to control them properly

MFauli

Sat, 06-22-2013, 07:22 AM

Maybe the titans are "controlled" by the collective consciousness of all the people a titan ate. What allowed Eren to fully take over control was his dad´s medicine, that somehow separated Eren´s mind from the other victims. Whatever.

David75

Sat, 06-22-2013, 09:17 AM

Kraco

Sat, 06-22-2013, 09:59 AM

Non-Eren titans appear out of nowhere, without anyone spotting anything beforehand.

If Titans are all transformed beings, maybe we can think of other livning being thant humans?
Like rats, frogs etc? That could explain some of the abnormals behaviour.
That could also explain why they can transform so near to the walls. A human would be easier to spot, even from those high walls.

They manifest the behavior of no higher animals, like mammals. Most of the titans behave like some stupid insects or fish.

If humans developed Titans to unify humanity, it was an experiment gone wrong on a godly scale. Humans are next to extinct, assuming these really are the only humans left and the denizens of this city aren't just frogs in a well. Though it can't be denied that Eren's ability does suggest the origins must be related to humans and control was probably an intended attribute from the beginning.

MFauli

Sat, 06-22-2013, 10:13 AM

I´m just sometimes wondering ... what does the rest of the world look like? So we have a rather small area that´s protected by 3 walls. Okay. What about the big rest of the planet? Since humans only exist within these walls, why would titans roam the, say, opposite side of that planet? What I mean, is, these people REALLY should investigate some more :>

NeoCybercoin

Sat, 06-22-2013, 11:29 AM

The investigating you mention is sending a couple of squads into the world that's filled with Titans ( according to lore anyway) . Why risk that when you are too busy surviving inside the walls?

David75

Sat, 06-22-2013, 12:49 PM

Other details:
No attack at night yet
No attack under rain
Titans attack from the south.

MFauli

Sat, 06-22-2013, 01:10 PM

The "no attack under rain" sounds interesting considering the extreme body heat of the titans ... but it´s too stupid to be relevant, when you think about it some more. "Signs" anyone?

deadlydreamx

Sat, 06-22-2013, 06:51 PM

[GG] Shingeki no kyojin -12 (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=445315)

Buffalobiian

Sat, 06-22-2013, 10:40 PM

Dude was just tired huh? Well whatever. At least there was some action to fill in. Real shit's next week.

Sun, 06-23-2013, 12:33 AM

The "no attack under rain" sounds interesting considering the extreme body heat of the titans ... but it´s too stupid to be relevant, when you think about it some more. "Signs" anyone?

This isn't even remotely on topic but I'd just like to point out that the aliens' weakness to water is because they aren't aliens, they're demons, and they're vulnerable to blessed/holy water, not just any water. People really, deeply misinterpret "Signs".

DarthEnderX

Sun, 06-23-2013, 12:57 AM

People really, deeply misinterpret "Signs".Or you're just reading more into it than is actually there.

Sun, 06-23-2013, 01:03 AM

Yeah, the stuff that isn't there, like the fact that the entire arc of the film is about rediscovering faith, the power of belief, the main character is a priest, etc. Surely all just giant coincidences.

David75

Sun, 06-23-2013, 02:28 AM

Rain or night were not mentioned. Titans attacking from the South was mentionned though.
I was just trying to sort "energy" details.
Rain would probably lower the energy levels too much in these huge bodies, and it might be they need a minimal temperature to operate.
I also wonder if they attack on winters, if they have cold winters over there.

Not like it matters a lot.

Regarding this week's ep, well it was stalling quite a bit. Eren being too tired to operate the titan seemed to be the right call, so now he needs his second breath and just got out of his peaceful dream, beware of endorphins I guess?

Kraco

Sun, 06-23-2013, 05:04 AM

Eren's willpower is too low, which means his hatred of titans isn't genuine. I don't know if that makes him a sad case or not. It's not good to live for hatred, but what else has he got? Except for Mikasa, but he hardly looks at her.

Buffalobiian

Sun, 06-23-2013, 06:16 AM

KrayZ33

Sun, 06-23-2013, 06:40 AM

he has known her for more than just a few month or even years... not to mention that he sees her as his sister since they grew up as that.
I can understand why he isn't head over heels for her

shinta|hikari

Sun, 06-23-2013, 07:22 AM

Mikasa blushing was the best part of this needlessly extended uneventful episode. The gradually extending recap at the start of each episode is becoming way too annoying now.

Mikasa needs to clearly show (i.e. raep) Eren that she looks at him as a romantic interest and not family. Problem is, even she is denying her blatant feelings to other people, like she did in the episode.

Inazuma

Sun, 06-23-2013, 09:44 AM

Fuck, LIFT THE DAMN BOULDER ALREADY

MFauli

Sun, 06-23-2013, 10:38 AM

Fuck, LIFT THE DAMN BOULDER ALREADY

That boulder won´t be lifted, unless Eren turns into a 50 m-Titan.

Buffalobiian

Sun, 06-23-2013, 10:50 AM

That boulder won´t be lifted, unless Eren turns into a 50 m-Titan.

I'm thinking in the back of my mind about whether Armin needs to improvise some sort of transport mechanism to help Eren (like a lever or something), but that would mean Eren has to be smart enough to use it - and that I'm not confident in.

Kraco

Sun, 06-23-2013, 11:14 AM

but that would mean Eren has to be smart enough to use it - and that I'm not confident in.

Yeah, he might not be smart enough even in his normal human form, let alone in the compromised titan form.

DarthEnderX

Sun, 06-23-2013, 12:56 PM

Eren's willpower is too low, which means his hatred of titans isn't genuine. I don't know if that makes him a sad case or not. It's not good to live for hatred, but what else has he gotI think the problem is LITERALLY that he's just fucking tired.

He hasn't rested since his first rampage and it's taking it's toll on him. It's why all his subsequent attempts have sucked.
Yeah, the stuff that isn't there, like the fact that the entire arc of the film is about rediscovering faith, the power of belief, the main character is a priest, etc. Surely all just giant coincidences.If M. Night was a better writer, I might be more inclined to believe that stuff is all intentional.

lelouch

Sun, 06-23-2013, 01:07 PM

If M. Night was a better writer

Yes, and if Helen Keller could do nuclear physics.

Especially after the "Last Airbender" and "After Earth" debacles, M. Night would be lucky to get a gig directing traffic.

Ryllharu

Sun, 06-23-2013, 01:44 PM

I'm thinking in the back of my mind about whether Armin needs to improvise some sort of transport mechanism to help Eren (like a lever or something), but that would mean Eren has to be smart enough to use it - and that I'm not confident in.

If Armin keeps stabbing him, maybe he can drive the Eren-Titan?

shinta|hikari

Sun, 06-23-2013, 08:46 PM

If Armin keeps stabbing him, maybe he can drive the Eren-Titan?

Hahaha OMG that made my day!

Belial

Mon, 06-24-2013, 02:57 AM

Last 3 episodes were kind of slow, and now we get a recap episode... such BS, why not just make it a 20 episode show if you want to stop at a certain point and don't have enough material, why ruin a good thing with bad pacing

Xelbair

Mon, 06-24-2013, 04:02 AM

Stab right arm - go right
Stab left arm - go left
Hit back with hilt - stop
stab back - go forward
twist the sword - rotate

Carnage

Tue, 06-25-2013, 11:09 AM

Inazuma

Tue, 06-25-2013, 04:28 PM

OST will be available in two days.
http://www.hikarinoakariost.com/2013/03/shingeki-no-kyojin-ost-music-collection.html

shinta|hikari

Tue, 06-25-2013, 07:59 PM

I haven't started this yet and am about to. For those of you who have read the manga, which one is better? I usually read the manga first then watch the anime, but if the anime is well paced and doesn't discard any content then I'm just gonna go along with it.

The anime is better. It actually fills in some shortcomings of the manga, particularly in the plot development aspect.

Killa-Eyez

Tue, 06-25-2013, 08:25 PM

I don't think it's necessarily his tiredness (it plays part, a weaker mind) but more so, as mentioned earlier, his will power. I think it comes down to mental training to control the titan when in titan mode or maybe he just needs some more daddy-juice.

His father did mention something about being able to "use memories of those before him" I think, so maybe there's like memories-stored DNA in those injections. What they're meant for though, only Yeezus or his son North West knows.

that would be weird, unless the titan starts to consume its host after some time, because we've only seen eren emerge from a vaporizing titan body

The whole point of slicing them in the neck means that the humans controlling them are killed by that action, causing the vaporization of the titan and possibly also the human as it is merged with it. An explanation for the exception of Eren could be the injections his dad gave him. Maybe. I dunno.

I have a feeling the mystery behind the injections his dad gave him still won't provide all answers.

Kraco

Wed, 06-26-2013, 02:25 AM

The whole point of slicing them in the neck means that the humans controlling them are killed by that action, causing the vaporization of the titan and possibly also the human as it is merged with it. An explanation for the exception of Eren could be the injections his dad gave him. Maybe. I dunno.

I have a feeling the mystery behind the injections his dad gave him still won't provide all answers.

I don't think that's conclusive proof. Let's not forget Eren's titan acted like a normal titan when Eren chose to sleep. So, I reckon it's still possible the neck is a control point for a titan, but the titan can operate without a human in there (acting like normal, dumb titans). However, being a control point, the titan will die if it's destroyed as even its autonomous functions will cease.

MFauli

Wed, 06-26-2013, 12:28 PM

I´m totally expecting another Bokurano-moment :>

Sat, 06-29-2013, 07:58 PM

The anime is better. It actually fills in some shortcomings of the manga, particularly in the plot development aspect.

This post answers Carnage's question pretty well, and no I don't mean it's accurate.

The manga is superior because unlike the anime a manga is supposed to be composed of still shots. While the artist's style is rough he has a great sense of motion and the art problems like every character looking quite samey carry over into the anime as well. Also the manga will actually get finished.

When I hyped this series up in the OP I said it would be spoken of like Berserk. I was totally right - the problem is people will talk about this series like they talk about the Berserk anime series, as an entertaining but wonkily paced effort hampered by time and budget constraints with some pretty music that doesn't really make up for it.

Much like Berserk the ultimate option now is to listen to the anime score while you read the manga.

Buffalobiian

Sat, 06-29-2013, 08:36 PM

gg - Episode 13 (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=447658)

----------------------

I smell recap-ep next week..

lelouch

Sat, 06-29-2013, 09:44 PM

I wonder why Annie was apologizing over Marco's death... Also, I find it suspicious how Reiner is always seen together with Annie in almost every episode making subtle comments about things.. o.O Maybe they have something to do with this?

If the theory mentioned by someone else previously that the armored titan and colossal titan are actually humans like Eren, it could be possible that they're characters that have at some point already been introduced to build on the storyline, rather than just randos.

FelixZeroAlastor

Sat, 06-29-2013, 10:15 PM

I smell recap-ep next week..

I believe ANN confirmed a recap for next weeks episode.

Buffalobiian

Sun, 06-30-2013, 02:03 AM

[Shin-S] Shingeki no Kyojin Original Soundtrack (FLAC) [Various].zip (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=447784)
[Shin-S] Shingeki no Kyojin Original Soundtrack [Various].zip (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=447785)

I wonder why Annie was apologizing over Marco's death... Also, I find it suspicious how Reiner is always seen together with Annie in almost every episode making subtle comments about things.. o.O Maybe they have something to do with this?

Hmm, I don't know. If she was a titan though, why would she apologise? She should know full well what she's getting everyone into.

David75

Sun, 06-30-2013, 02:11 AM

I wonder if Eren would totally dissolve into the titan and lose all control if he stayed inside for too long.

Regarding that titan stomach ball, I was wondering if that's not one of the way we get more titans.

Now that they captured 2 4 meter class titans, maybe they can get some intel, do some research.

MFauli

Sun, 06-30-2013, 03:03 AM

Fantastic music. Makes me super excited for MonolithSoft´s Wii U-game "X", that´s featuring the same composer.

Good episode. Though I don´t like the nonsensical power variations. Sometimes, Mikasa just slays titan after titan, then she´s suddenly in trouble because of one or two. Then their group members were suposed to be the elite. Yet they weren´t all that strong. And instead of killing the titans, they just seeked their attention, or, like Connie, just punched them, lol. And then the recon squad arrives and Levi is strong like superman. A bit more consistency would be appreciated.

Anyway, looks like the story is about to really start now, with Eren being where he always wanted to be.

If the theory mentioned by someone else previously that the armored titan and colossal titan are actually humans like Eren, it could be possible that they're characters that have at some point already been introduced to build on the storyline, rather than just randos.

I´d prefer it to be someone random, as it would expand the story.

KrayZ33

Sun, 06-30-2013, 03:41 AM

this time around, the animation was really weird.. felt like I downloaded a censored version or something, anyone else had these issues when everyone helped Jean to reach the wall?
maybe my DL is corrupt or something..

edit: I guess something is wrong with my version, meh

MasterOfMoogles

Sun, 06-30-2013, 03:54 AM

The reason everyone had to just run out to the titans is that they weren't near any walls/buildings, which makes the 3d gear almost completely useless.
The only thing you can hook on to is a titan, and then they can just grab your wires and you're totally screwed. You can maybe do it if they're attacking someone else, which we did see some of in this episode, but it would be pretty risky.
The humans still ran out into the open where they knew they would die, just for the purpose of drawing the titans away from Eren.
Levi/Revai was able to use the wall since they were close enough to it. The titans were also distracted, so he could easily take them out (and he is super amazing).

MFauli

Sun, 06-30-2013, 04:16 AM

Well, I think Levi is a bit too amazing. Feels too much like a standard-shounen character.

NeoCybercoin

Sun, 06-30-2013, 06:13 AM

Levi is just the male version of Mikasa only with no love for Eren.

MFauli

Sun, 06-30-2013, 06:35 AM

Levi is just the male version of Mikasa only with no love for Eren.

Just a matter of time.

Dat yuri :/

Kraco

Sun, 06-30-2013, 07:35 AM

I believe ANN confirmed a recap for next weeks episode.

This show has been officially approved for memory disorders clinics. Already a fourth of the usable length of the ep is recap, and now we get a full recap episode.

No wonder the casualties piled up when most soldiers, even in the areas with buildings, were only concerned about screaming and running, not attacking the titans like they have been taught to do. It makes the story look stupid if Mikasa and Levi are the only bloody people who can kill titans like everybody with training should according to the theory of 3D warfare.

DarthEnderX

Sun, 06-30-2013, 09:16 AM

Good episode. Though I don´t like the nonsensical power variations. Sometimes, Mikasa just slays titan after titan, then she´s suddenly in trouble because of one or two. Then their group members were suposed to be the elite. Yet they weren´t all that strong. And instead of killing the titans, they just seeked their attention, or, like Connie, just punched them, lol. And then the recon squad arrives and Levi is strong like superman. A bit more consistency would be appreciated.I had that exact same issue. It's like the hole in the wall was somehow making everyone incompetent. Because everyone is just standing around eating shit. Then the hole is blocked and they kill like 100 Titans in a day.

I was really hoping Eren would go on a rampage after he finished with the rock, but I guess he just...

(•_•)
( •_•)>⌐■-■
(⌐■_■)

...ran out of steam.

Dat yuriYou mean yaoi?

shinta|hikari

Sun, 06-30-2013, 09:49 AM

I am loving this show, but I have no idea if that is because I have read the manga or not. I feel that the anime is the superior version, but that may be due to the fact that I am actually experiencing it completely different from anime only watchers because I am getting information from 2 sources.

I always feel emotional whenever the anime intends to afflict the viewer with emotions, so on that aspect I am sure the anime is doing well.

KrayZ33

Sun, 06-30-2013, 09:54 AM

now after redownloading it from a different source, I still get the freezes and purple bricks/debris, animation this week was horrible, so many errors its like they used a raw version without any fine tuning, looked like they had to delete some stuff in the last minute or something like that.

really annoying.

Buffalobiian

Sun, 06-30-2013, 10:02 AM

KrayZ33

Sun, 06-30-2013, 10:04 AM

are you telling me you dont get the errors?
@5:33
@6:30
@7;14 + 7:15
3 second freeze @ 9:47
and the most obvious one (so bad you can't miss it) : the stomp @ 10:43

etc

since /a/ is shitposting all over the place about it I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one

even the sound was way off most of the time.
I bet thats the reason why the next episode will be a recap, time for them to get back to schedule

DarthEnderX

Sun, 06-30-2013, 10:10 AM

I think I know the exactly moment you're talking about as far as censoring goes. It's starts at about 7:00.

Where Jean jumps away from the titan that dives at him, and then he looks forward and suddenly there's a slow motion shot of a titans head, then a slow motion shot of Annie's face, then there's an explosion of dust from behind a building.

I've watched it on two different versions now and it's the same. And yes, it's a really weird scene. It's like, she does SOMETHING to that titan, but they don't show it for some reason.

shinta|hikari

Sun, 06-30-2013, 10:12 AM

It is probably a BR promotion scheme.

NeoCybercoin

Sun, 06-30-2013, 10:15 AM

I also get the slow scenes and the purple bricks. Ahh well.

KrayZ33

Sun, 06-30-2013, 10:16 AM

It is probably a BR promotion scheme.
no, the whole episode is full of errors as I mentioned, 1 second of slow motion followed by 1 normal-speed second then 1 second of slow motion of the same scene again followed by a total frame freeze
seems like they didn't outsource enough after all :/

shinta|hikari

Sun, 06-30-2013, 10:19 AM

Even if those are actual errors, they will be fixed in the BR. So they are still a BR promotion scheme.

Buffalobiian

Sun, 06-30-2013, 10:21 AM

Ah, I see the purple debris now.

As for the stills.. I just assumed they were the usual still-cam animation and didn't pay too much attention to them until you pointed it out.

DarthEnderX

Sun, 06-30-2013, 10:53 AM

I don't remember any purple debris, but I definitely thought that scene was weird. At first, I though maybe my copy had lagged out, then skipped ahead. And when people here started mentioning it, I watched it again and it's just a really awkward scene.

darkshadow

Sun, 06-30-2013, 12:15 PM

Those aren't "errors" obviously, they are very deliberate; Attack on the Budget.

KrayZ33

Sun, 06-30-2013, 12:19 PM

i don't think it has to do with budget, but with time

Carnage

Sun, 06-30-2013, 12:37 PM

Apparently several animators had quit by production of this episode because of poor pay.

MFauli

Sun, 06-30-2013, 01:25 PM

can anyone explain why this super hyped up series of all would be suffering from low production budgets?

KrayZ33

Sun, 06-30-2013, 01:39 PM

its more of a studio issue
I remember how they tried to recruit animators back in april for this show

Thu, 07-04-2013, 05:23 PM

can anyone explain why this super hyped up series of all would be suffering from low production budgets?

Because instead of going "hey, this show is going to blow up in popularity, let's make it as good as possible!" the line of reasoning went "hey, this show is going to blow up in popularity, let's hand it off to a a new studio to crank out unfinished crap because it's going to sell anyway!"

On that note, I'm done with the show. Eager to see where the comic goes.

MFauli

Sat, 07-06-2013, 02:53 AM

ugh, just remembered its a recap this week :(

David75

Sat, 07-06-2013, 05:46 AM

Be patient, for the time being watch this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy83pwj33i8&feature=youtu.be

And just for some AOT fun:
http://www.memecenter.com/fun/1649493/muscle-leggings

NeoCybercoin

Sat, 07-06-2013, 06:15 AM

That's actually pretty awesome that someone made the 3D gear.

Buffalobiian

Sat, 07-06-2013, 09:38 AM

ugh, just remembered its a recap this week :(

It's not all bad. -see edit.

[Shin-S] Shingeki no Kyojin OP Single - Jiyuu e no Shingeki (FLAC) [Linked Horizon].zip (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=449817)
[Shin-S] Shingeki no Kyojin OP Single - Jiyuu e no Shingeki [Linked Horizon].zip (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=449816)

edit: woah - the full version sounds completely different. Completely unexpected.
edit2: and I can't say I like it that much. Perhaps I would like a masterfully-looped TV-version better.
edit3: or rip the sound off the youtube vid I found before.
edit4: alright.. maybe it's okay. Just not what I had in mind.

MFauli

Sat, 07-06-2013, 11:38 AM

Hm, dat song.

Had to laugh at the sudden e-guitar part, sooo unfitting. The rest of the song also is rather "unique". It´s like they threw 3-4 songs into one. But ... I think it could grow on me.

Omg, but the German voice ... wtf. that ruins the song. And it´s so intrusive, too. Ugh :/

Zinobi

Sat, 07-06-2013, 12:11 PM

can titans swim?

Buffalobiian

Sat, 07-06-2013, 08:00 PM

can titans swim?

I highly doubt it.

shinta|hikari

Sat, 07-06-2013, 09:54 PM

They don't breathe, so they can probably just get filled with water until they sink then walk on the bottom until they reach land again.

Buffalobiian

Sat, 07-06-2013, 10:31 PM

They don't breathe, so they can probably just get filled with water until they sink then walk on the bottom until they reach land again.

But if their body temperature is normally very hot, does the water cool them down below their functional level? That's what I was wondering about. I didn't even consider the breathing aspect, though it seems strange for things that don't breathe to have nostrils. At the very least they can scream, so they must have lungs.

shinta|hikari

Sun, 07-07-2013, 12:49 AM

They don't even eat right? Are they like solar powered?

Buffalobiian

Sun, 07-07-2013, 01:03 AM

They don't even eat right?

Not that we know of. The previous real episode said they didn't have digestive organs. I suppose that means no acid, which explains why Eren got to sit there and think.

Sapphire

Sun, 07-07-2013, 03:14 PM

People won't stop talking about this here at Anime Expo. Basically everyone was joking about it at the Last Comic Standing event.

Which group should I go with?

Kraco

Sun, 07-07-2013, 04:09 PM

Which group should I go with?

Unless you have something personal against them, gg.

Zinobi

Wed, 07-10-2013, 12:44 PM

i think titans r cute and really enjoy beach days

Buffalobiian

Sat, 07-13-2013, 08:07 PM

gg - Episode 14 (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=452284)

enkoujin

Sat, 07-13-2013, 08:33 PM

They don't even eat right? Are they like solar powered?

I don't think they eat except for humans, but they ingested humans are vomited soon after.

And yes, they're solar powered. I guess that's why we haven't really seen any titan attacks at night.

MFauli

Sun, 07-14-2013, 01:22 AM

I didn´t really get why he beat up Eren that badly.

Final scene was best, though. Dat Titan regeneration.

Oh, and I loved how Mikasa was so angry and wanted to interfere with the beating, but couldn´t afford to. Nice to see some female NTR :P

DarthEnderX

Sun, 07-14-2013, 11:57 AM

Yep. He gets to be Ant-Man AND Wolverine.

Kraco

Sun, 07-14-2013, 01:45 PM

Those cowards and fools are pretty lucky Eren wants to single-mindedly avenge his mother and slaughter titans in general; a less twisted man would have turned against this court since they certainly didn't spare any effort to antagonize him.

Watching Mikasa's reactions to the many troubles was the best part of this ep. It has been so long since she got to be all fussy around Eren that she must be nearing her nerves' end.

shinta|hikari

Sun, 07-14-2013, 09:27 PM

I liked how desperate Eren was to keep Mikasa alive, even abandoning his own survival by admitting he is a monster. It seems that despite his desire for vengeance and victory, he still has not lost touch of other important things.

Buffalobiian

Fri, 07-19-2013, 09:23 PM

I didn´t really get why he beat up Eren that badly.

He jumped in right when they were going to shoot to "punish" Eren. The immediate effect was that his attacks were heavy enough to replace their will to shoot.

It brought out their fear that Eren might turn into a titan should he be pushed further enough, something that they hadn't considered till now when they talked about "dissecting" him and such. (In fact, up until they pinned his arms to the pole, he could have just transformed and bailed).

The attack finally showed Levi's power to subdue Eren - a feat that the others lacked due to both might and guts. It made the Recon Corps the best candidate for Eren. Even the Police believed that to be the case, if only temporarily.

shinta|hikari

Fri, 07-19-2013, 09:48 PM

Levi actually "apologized" by explaining his actions. He is far better than other characters that belong to the same archetype.

Archangel

Sat, 07-20-2013, 07:53 PM

I'm considering reading the manga as to escape this terrible pacing, but then the art is so fucking terrible...

Buffalobiian

Sat, 07-20-2013, 10:09 PM

gg - Episode 15 (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=454663)

-----------------------------------------

Erwin looked like he killed the titans to see if Eren would favour the titan's side over the humans... though the preview eerily also suggested that perhaps he could be a fellow titan himself and was seeking the opposite stance.

Hanji.. she's like a mature Sasha with a fixation on titans instead of food. Maybe if Sasha fancies the idea of eating titans.. but I can't imagine her "loving" titans if she's going to eat them.

MFauli

Sun, 07-21-2013, 08:08 AM

i hate hanji, way too overdone.

what was the drama about the question at the end`? "What do you think the titans are?"

Buffalobiian

Sun, 07-21-2013, 08:24 AM

i hate hanji, way too overdone.

what was the drama about the question at the end`? "What do you think the titans are?"

I thought he asked who Eren thought the enemy was - and to which I answered with my first paragraph.

David75

Sun, 07-21-2013, 08:31 AM

Titans are almost totally like humanflesh eating machines.
The question could refer to who controls those machines, and also point to the enemies from the inside (wallist, MPs, merchants etc...)

DarthEnderX

Sun, 07-21-2013, 09:40 AM

Seems like the simple answer is just that someone's hatred of Titans overcame their desire for knowledge about them.

David75

Sun, 07-21-2013, 10:13 AM

Sure, but that also is part of the enemies from inside.
After all, it was a trained soldier who did this, against a very important research protocol to find Titans weaknesses... or at least better understand them to fight them better.
Even if it's the action of an individual who lost control of their hatred, this is treason.

Seems like I was right for the sun... it's their source of energy, explaining why they attack daytime from the south.
It is then likely that they can't swim, since water would lower their temperature too much.
My guess is also they do not attack on winters. It's still a problem for farming, but at least reclaiming one of the walls could be easier. If that community can survive that long that is.

Sun, 07-21-2013, 11:03 AM

I'm considering reading the manga as to escape this terrible pacing, but then the art is so fucking terrible...

So is the animation in this show. And the art, for that matter.

Archangel

Sun, 07-21-2013, 12:45 PM

So is the animation in this show. And the art, for that matter.
Maybe, but they're not on the same level of terrible.

DarthEnderX

Mon, 07-22-2013, 04:40 AM

Seems like I was right for the sun... it's their source of energy, explaining why they attack daytime from the south.How does it explain the South part? Or does the sun rise in the South on this world and I missed it?

MFauli

Mon, 07-22-2013, 05:25 AM

Kraco

Mon, 07-22-2013, 06:56 AM

i just really hope that it doesnt all come down to a single guy that hates mankind so much that he keeps sending titans, himself being one of them (the big one maybe). that´d be so dumb and boring if it was just some lunatic´s revenge.

If it's indeed some sect of humans behind the titans, it's hard to come up with another explanation, unless this human population is simply so ignorant they don't know millions of people are living happily elsewhere (and are using the titans to remove all possible competition). After all, only a lunatic would annihilate all humans and then himself to seal the deal when it's all over. A twisted evil overlord would still spare his own people, to have someone to rule over.

Buffalobiian

Mon, 07-22-2013, 10:16 AM

I'm inclined to believe the story about the Titans being made to "police" humans and keep them united. At least, that would be the the original intentions of the titan creations. As for the current ones.. they could do whatever I suppose. If they really did hate humanity though, I'm sure they could have wiped out the humans by now. There are other ways to sabotage civilisation other than creating a giant predator. Economics or depression could work wonderfully. I would even instigate some sort of revolt by the masses, THEN introduce the titans afterwards against helpless civilians if I really wanted to wipe every one of them off.

NeoCybercoin

Mon, 07-22-2013, 01:11 PM

Might as well be like in Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. With all of the buried villages. As far as they know there is nothing else ( as in other villages). There might as well be other settlements of humans just too far apart to reach safely with all the Titan's roaming around.

David75

Mon, 07-22-2013, 01:44 PM

Well, at the beggining they did leave little room for the idea that there are human beings living elsewhere on Earth.
But during the hard part when humanity collapsed under Titans attacks, it's hard to think the ones behind the walls would have enough ressources and time to scout a continent to check wether there are other such places or not.
They do not even have long distance and/or wireless communication systems. So even if there was another place with survivors, they would not know.

Writing this, I'm wondering how the walls came to be. You can't build them while under attack from the Titans.
And it's not like you need 40m+ high walls around your country, if not for that story.

MFauli

Mon, 07-22-2013, 03:09 PM

Writing this, I'm wondering how the walls came to be. You can't build them while under attack from the Titans.
And it's not like you need 40m+ high walls around your country, if not for that story.

i criticized that in the beginning, but apparently it´s accepted here that humans built those walls fine by themselves.

DarthEnderX

Mon, 07-22-2013, 05:02 PM

It could just be that the titans advanced slowly.

So after realizing they couldn't stop them, they moved someplace super far away and spent years or even decades building the walls for when the titans inevitably caught up.

neflight86

Mon, 07-22-2013, 08:27 PM

I thought that nobody knew for certain where the walls came from; especially if there is a religion formed around the idea of their presence.

Buffalobiian

Mon, 07-22-2013, 11:24 PM

Good titans built the walls to protect humanity from bad titans. If you're going to introduce titans into the wild to keep humanity united, it necessitates that the humans survive the ordeal.

As for wireless comm, I don't remember them having electricity.

shinta|hikari

Mon, 07-22-2013, 11:29 PM

He only have flares for long distance communication.

MFauli

Sat, 07-27-2013, 07:43 PM

new ep is out.

REALLY liked Erwin´s expression at the very end of the episode. In general, I like how all the higher ups are participating in the mission, instead of just sending out weaker soldiers.

Wonder how Mikasa would react to a direct confrontation with Levi, and if that guy would spare her a severe punishment for whatever reaction of her´s.

One problem I see is that every character of the group now is an "important" character, in the way of being one of the main characters. Since part of this show´s appeal have been the unexpected deaths of so-thought important characters, I hope that we haven´t reached a "safe zone" now, where everyone lives through, or where only the least significant ones die.

Preview looks nice, finally introducing some more mystery. Though, admittedly, there´s a lot that "more mystery" could ruin. For me, at least.

DarthEnderX

Sun, 07-28-2013, 12:23 AM

Given that there's a very real possibility that they have some kind of saboteur within their ranks trying to prevent them from learning about titans, I have to say announcing the thing about Erin's basement to the entire crowd was incredibly stupid.

Armin thinks so too, so I'm guessing there's a trick involved.

lelouch

Sun, 07-28-2013, 01:01 PM

For everyone claiming that the animation in this show is "terrible", can you suggest a few anime with better animation? Because I find this animation to be quite good.

David75

Sun, 07-28-2013, 01:20 PM

For everyone claiming that the animation in this show is "terrible", can you suggest a few anime with better animation? Because I find this animation to be quite good.
It's not bad all the time.
It's just it can get really bad... and sometimes that's for the most part of an ep.

On average, it's been a tad better I'd say.

But when you have fun, you tend to forget about those details, that's why you might feel it's still ok.

NeoCybercoin

Sun, 07-28-2013, 04:20 PM

So next episode we see a blonde and intelligent titan. That really narrows it down to who it really is. Or who is can be.

Archangel

Sun, 07-28-2013, 07:25 PM

So next episode we see a blonde and intelligent titan. That really narrows it down to who it really is. Or who is can be.
I like you man, i was just about to post that.

DarthEnderX

Sun, 07-28-2013, 08:47 PM

That would explain that weird scene from a few episodes ago.

NeoCybercoin

Mon, 07-29-2013, 04:53 PM

The only person who isn't with the group is Annie since she joined the military. That Titan is clearly like Eren since it looks nothing like the normal ones. Also guessing that she's the one who cut up those captive Titans. If it is her anyway.

DarthEnderX

Mon, 07-29-2013, 05:47 PM

She probably ate Marco too since they're suddenly making a deal out of how nobody saw him die.

David75

Tue, 07-30-2013, 12:52 AM

I hate spoiler previews, as I never watch them... but people keep talking about them.
Had to watch that one too.

So Eren would not be the only one to be able to transform and be able to go back to human form. But he's only a rookie at it... since it seems that other one might have more control. The problem being she's against humanity. Or should I say against that group of humans.

I guess everyone felt that when Eren got his power in the show, the Titans as they are would not be enough to have an eventful story. It's only normal we get something else to counter that new power.

Now we're back to who controls that Titan power, who conducts the experiments creating such monster, and why.
It could really be the inner walls humans, or another group from the outside.

BTW, having controllable Titans would explain how it is possible to build 40+ walls quickly, even under attack... The only problem remains information control. I wonder how it is possible nobody from the outer walls remembers how the walls came to be.

DarthEnderX

Tue, 07-30-2013, 08:18 AM

I hate spoiler previews, as I never watch them... but people keep talking about them.
Had to watch that one too.Same here.

Buffalobiian

Fri, 08-02-2013, 11:55 PM

For everyone claiming that the animation in this show is "terrible", can you suggest a few anime with better animation? Because I find this animation to be quite good.

Hanasaku Iroha.
Fate Zero
Gargantia
Psycho-pass
............................

Given that there's a very real possibility that they have some kind of saboteur within their ranks trying to prevent them from learning about titans, I have to say announcing the thing about Erin's basement to the entire crowd was incredibly stupid.

Armin thinks so too, so I'm guessing there's a trick involved.

The idea was to flush them out. Tell them you're getting some information that could compromise them, so they'll scramble to get there before you do (instead of carefully planning their move, their hand will be forced.)

His question for Eren was either designed to test Eren (does Eren feel sympathy for the titans and hatred for humans, or just to see what his reaction if Erwin showed that he taking the scene in at more than surface value).

BTW, having controllable Titans would explain how it is possible to build 40+ walls quickly, even under attack... The only problem remains information control. I wonder how it is possible nobody from the outer walls remembers how the walls came to be.

Because it's been 100+ years. Each outer wall was built before they became inhabited, and unless they posted guards back then on the walls, no one would have known about the walls until they were built. Titans definitely built those walls, no doubt about that.

MFauli

Sat, 08-03-2013, 01:04 AM

With all the mysteries about the Titans and known people using only a relatively small area to live in, I wonder just how big scale the frame of events will grow for this anime. Like, maybe there´s a whole other human population outside, maybe it´s like Gurren Lagann, though not subterranean. So, at some point Eren and Co. will leave the most outer wall, travel the land, and find another, unfamiliar 50m-wall. Then they´ll talk to the people inside, and as the story proceeds, those sealed off populations connect to each other, forming a true resistance against who´s behind the Titans. Part of it being the acquiration of more human-controlled Titans, which can only be done by risking your life, see Eren. Then we have a bunch of "good" Titans, Eren their leader, who go fight the Titan King. And after his defeat, it´ll be revealed that .... aliens! And it all ends with Eren fighting a black hole and the universe being reborn.

:i

David75

Sat, 08-03-2013, 01:09 AM

Buffalobiian

Sat, 08-03-2013, 09:11 PM

gg - Episode 16 (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=459210)
gg - Episode 17 (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=459596)

----------------------------------------

Wow.. Annie

Even degloved you're hot.

Thinking back, the Armoured Titan actually kinda resembles Reiner.

DarthEnderX

Sun, 08-04-2013, 12:04 AM

Yeah, when he burst out of her hand he looked like he was steaming. Which is the only way I could see him surviving her crushing his head.

I'm almost kind of annoyed that now it seems like people like Eren were all over the place already.

David75

Sun, 08-04-2013, 03:16 AM

That ep made the show interresting again.
Because honestly, "normal" Titans were getting a little dull.

I know he's some kind of plot device, but really Armin being able to compute that many facts under high survival stress is quite a feat.
But I guess it's a way to efficiently have the story evolve. Give new elements and build from there.

Regardless of who that female titan is, sparing Armin clearly is a bad choice. But I guess it's better story wise, even if it feels cheap to spare a MC that way.

KrayZ33

Sun, 08-04-2013, 04:27 AM

I'm almost kind of annoyed that now it seems like people like Eren were all over the place already.

why "now"?

its been like that from ep1 onwards, basically as soon as they understood that there are intelligent titans out there

I still don't get what they gain from destroying mankind, though I can see why Annie/Female Titan is going for Eren right now.
If it really is Annie (and it IS most likely one of the recruits, since she clearly doesn't want to kill anyone from the squad..and Armin clearly took advantage of that and saved Jean), then I'm going into sad-panda mode, because she's one of my favorites in this show and if Eren or anyone from the elitesquad ends up killing her, then I'm not sure if I can take it :(

Thinking back, the Armoured Titan actually kinda resembles Reiner

after rewatching ep2, he really does. especially his hair, but its not like hair doesn't change during titan-form (see Eren for example), however it would explain that somewhat fishy/awkward attack move, not really something a superb recruit like him would do.. and right after that, the female Titan went straight to the center for Eren.
now I watched it 3 more times and he clearly didn't give it away anywhere, but what he could have done is to cut his position into her hand in some way, because right after he escaped her grasp, the titan was looking at her hand closely
(could be the typical "herp derp he escaped , where did he go? :(" moment, but since she is intelligent and most likely human, I doubt that)

lelouch

Sun, 08-04-2013, 04:46 AM

gg - Episode 16 (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=459210)
gg - Episode 17 (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=459596)

Thinking back, the Armoured Titan actually kinda resembles Reiner.

Yeah, and considering how Annie/Reiner/Bertholdt are always shown together, Bertholdt is probably the colossal titan.

NeoCybercoin

Sun, 08-04-2013, 05:17 AM

You should take a look at the ED. It shows the normal group+ Eren on one side of the 'wall' and them on the other with Ymir and Sasha. ( I think those were their names ) So does that mean they are also Titans? Or is that just a coincidence?

KrayZ33

Sun, 08-04-2013, 06:16 AM

I don't think it is a coincidence, I believe it shows some kind of connection between them, the blonde girl is called Christa if I'm not mistaken, Sasha is the potato-girl.

I'm pretty sure "Ymir" was also called the "father of all giants" (later killed by Odin and his brothers) in the norse creating myth
at least something like that is what I remember from the time when I was into reading "Oh! My Goddess" fanfics and playing Age of Mythology

so it would fit her to be a Titan

MFauli

Sun, 08-04-2013, 06:54 AM

*cant stop staring at picture of Mikasa´s ass/pussy(lol) at the very end*

I just really loooove watching this field battle. The absurdity of this giant human like monster. Them riding on horses. And everything being gruesome. This episode gave me a very Claymore-esque feeling, which is nice.

Thr female titan indeed looks like Annie, but... dunno. Wouldnt like it if it turns out there have already been so many human controlled titans. well, depends on how they pull it off. risky plot direction.

KrayZ33

Sun, 08-04-2013, 07:06 AM

I liked the whole field battle scene alot too, it looked amazing and it took me by suprise that their formation was actually meant to spread 1-2 km instead of one nice huge blob for a titan to ravage through

made everything alot scarier too "what happened to my left flank, why is there no feedback coming from them anymore" etc. etc.
Since Armin is not really one who is doing well on his own (just like Sasha at the moment), the impact on me was even greater when that huge female Titan stormed towards his position.

everyone probably got that already, but noone mentioned it so far:
What I also liked is that Erwin clearly understood that there are enemies in his own group (last ep and this one), which is why he gave everyone wrong formation-charts to hide Erens position.
makes me wonder if Mikasa is really where she is "supossed" to be and if she knows that as well

by the way... they introduced that formation in an awesome fashion too, Mikasa riding alone - the prodigy she is

*cant stop staring at picture of Mikasa´s ass
the tight jeans and how the straps from the equipment are alligned sure add to that stimulating effect, its not just hers btw :/
1542

Buffalobiian

Sun, 08-04-2013, 09:07 AM

That would explain that weird scene from a few episodes ago.

I just realised which scene you were referring to. (http://forums.gotwoot.net/showthread.php/21487-Attack-on-Titan-(Shingeki-no-Kyojin)?p=531799&viewfull=1#post531799)

Yeah, when he burst out of her hand he looked like he was steaming. Which is the only way I could see him surviving her crushing his head.

I thought he survived simply because Annie wasn't out to kill him (though she did seem to act on the basis that she would attack anyone who tries to take her life). They do seem to retain their clothing after transformation, so I can't use that as a basis for argument though.

KrayZ33

Sun, 08-04-2013, 10:14 AM

I just realised which scene you were referring to. (http://forums.gotwoot.net/showthread.php/21487-Attack-on-Titan-(Shingeki-no-Kyojin)?p=531799&viewfull=1#post531799)

not this one?
1543

figures that the other 2 person present during that scene are Reiner and someone else that could be Bertholdt...
he sure likes to stay in the background during the series so far

Buffalobiian

Sun, 08-04-2013, 10:44 AM

not this one?
1543

figures that the other 2 person present during that scene are Reiner and someone else that could be Bertholdt...
he sure likes to stay in the background during the series so far

Ah. The one you posted was the first one that popped in my head when I read DE's post, but then I found what I linked and thought I remembered wrong. What episode was that again?

lelouch

Sun, 08-04-2013, 10:58 AM

Anyone try playing the Attack on Titan video game yet? It's actually pretty sweet.

http://fenglee.com/game/aog/

DarthEnderX

Sun, 08-04-2013, 05:54 PM

Yeah, and considering how Annie/Reiner/Bertholdt are always shown together, Bertholdt is probably the colossal titan.I don't think I know which one Bertholdt is. Has he done or said anything noteworthy?

KrayZ33

Sun, 08-04-2013, 11:54 PM

the really huge dude who ranked third in the trainee squad, he's always in the background staying with Rainer most of the time

he and Rainer helped Eren train when he couldn't handle the 3D gear
I'm pretty sure that was the only time Bertholdt spoke to anyone, saying that he and Rainer came from a small village in the mountains and when the titans were on their doorsteps, they tried to escape but "he can't remember anything" from back then because everything was so chaotic

MFauli

Mon, 08-05-2013, 11:31 AM

so if we assume that annie, rainer and berthold are titans .. so what?

why are they decimating mankind? why at such a slow pace? what do they intend to do after nobody lives anymore, assuming that all remaning people live inside the walls.

Im hoping for a reeeeaally good explanation here. My most simple solution remains: there a many different wall-ed human populations, and the king of this one did something to warrant the titan attacks. as for the slow pace, maybe it takes that much time for annie and co. to fully regenerate their titan powers. see how exhausted eren was the second and third time he transformed, even losing control over himself.
which then has the question: if the king knows about this stuff, what were his countermeasures?

Buffalobiian

Mon, 08-05-2013, 07:34 PM

I think they might have been introduced to their power in an "involuntary" way (in that they didn't really ask for it). Judging from what happened though, it sounds like the "secret protectors" of the secret decided that humanity has fallen into depravity enough and needs another "shock" to unite them again, while Eren's father thought that peace could be maintained without all the sacrifices (and thereby gave his son the power in a rushed manner).

The trio probably seeks not to "unite" humanity, but to put enough pressure on them to make them recognise the inadequacy of the current administration and make someone else take charge.

DarthEnderX

Mon, 08-05-2013, 08:12 PM

I wonder if Eren can gain the powers of the other titans by eating them...

Speed, armor, biggness...

The trio probably seeks not to "unite" humanity, but to put enough pressure on them to make them recognise the inadequacy of the current administration and make someone else take charge.That seems like not a very good plan given that each wall they allow the titans to take is essentially lost forever.

I mean, it's a pressure you can only apply twice more before you just straight up run out of humans.

Buffalobiian

Mon, 08-05-2013, 10:56 PM

At the same time it's what makes it a good plan. You only need to do it twice before they're on their final straw. The more times you mobilize the higher the chances are of getting caught.

shinta|hikari

Mon, 08-05-2013, 11:00 PM

I think causing that much damage to something you wish to protect is not going to work in your favor. What they did practically crippled the ability of the humans to fight because it also robbed humanity of land, manpower, resources and hope.

KrayZ33

Tue, 08-06-2013, 12:01 AM

its like throwing a nuke at north korea "yo guys, wake up - get your shit together!!"

NeoCybercoin

Tue, 08-06-2013, 04:08 AM

MFauli

Tue, 08-06-2013, 04:34 AM

Buffalobiian

Tue, 08-06-2013, 07:44 AM

shinta|hikari

Tue, 08-06-2013, 08:02 AM

-Decisive Battle plays in the background-

KrayZ33

Wed, 08-07-2013, 10:53 AM

Kraco

Wed, 08-07-2013, 01:28 PM

So let's say those 3 are naturals. They each have their own specialty. Annie is pretty fucking fast, Berthold becomes absolutely huge and Reiner is armored. Eren on the other hand would be an artificial titan with nothing special. I mean he is only around 15 m and has nothing else. Not counting the healing since I assume they all have that.

Nothing says the titan form has to be static and unchanging from the beginning. Maybe the others were nothing special as well but somehow managed to develop and alter the characteristics. After all, the titan body appears out of nowhere every time. That would leave the door open for Eren to gain special attributes - at least after he first manages to even remain in control.

DarthEnderX

Wed, 08-07-2013, 04:00 PM

Buffalobiian

Wed, 08-07-2013, 07:43 PM

I'm telling you, he's gonna eat them and take their powers!

I'm also remembering now that scene where Annie showed Eren how to fight hand to hand, and in that one scene when he was a titan, he used that style. Is it a secret Titan martial art?! I say yes!

Annie taught Eren how to flip someone onto their back by tripping their leg (he did to to Jean in the mess hall), while the only thing I really remember from Eren-Titan was the head-slap. I don't remember Annie teaching him that (:D)

She did beat the shit out of him though during training (and Reiner too, or whoever was telling Eren to "be a soldier")

shinta|hikari

Thu, 08-08-2013, 12:25 AM

Annie takes a kickboxing stance when fighting, and Eren emulated that when he was a Titan.

Go Muay Thaitan!

DarthEnderX

Thu, 08-08-2013, 04:21 AM

Annie takes a kickboxing stance when fighting, and Eren emulated that when he was a Titan.

Go Muay Thaitan!*nods sagely*

David75

Sun, 08-11-2013, 03:09 AM

[gg]_Shingeki_no_Kyojin_-_18_[82E15C2B].mkv (http://www.nyaa.se/?page=view&tid=461950)

-------------------
That female Titan sure does spice the eps up.
My interrest in that show was going down the well before it appeared, mainly because Titans were too simple in their actions.
Now that Female Titan gives variety and is a very tough opponent.

Regarding the Levi, my guess is that he didn't give an attack order because he understands none of the people here can fight that monster. He understands he stands no chance against it too. He knows that surviving is always the best option when it's available of course. Also, right below the survival priority, he still has a mission to protect Eren. Sending his group to death, fighting that Titan would just have him fail at surviving and protecting Eren. So he keeps running.
There's another point too, we all know by now that the mission's real objective isn't what everyone has been told.
Even if Levi doesn't know the true objective, he probably understands what to do.

Now regarding the trees giving an advantage.
Well it's true they are high enough to be out of reach from most Titans.
But you can not move around as easily as in a city environment because of branches. Even though I think I remember they did train in Forests, so maybe they can manage.
Last but not least, we've seen that Female Titan cut a tree with a simple chop. I guess other Titans could do that too, if they were smart enough, and have some people fall from trees...

Now, on a totally different note... I'm pretty sure there's some nasty ero titan doujin around... like Mikasa Titan doing things and all.
:D

Kraco

Sun, 08-11-2013, 04:02 AM

It's pretty safe to say there's a plan. It started with Erwin revealing publicly the goal. It continued with the decision to push forward despite the catastrophic casualties due to the abnormal titan. Thus it's safe to say the forest is no coincidence. Nobody knows shit because there are traitors among them, as slaying the two captive titans proved. Although it would make sense for Levi to be in. It might be too hard for Erwin to control everything by himself.

What annoyed me the most during this episode, in addition to people willingly getting themselves killed, is Eren. He was supposed to be an obsessed, almost homicidal titan-killer, but now he's like any regular greenhorn scared next to witless. He should be trembling from anticipation and fuming because they are held back, not given the permission to attack.

KrayZ33

Sun, 08-11-2013, 04:18 AM

What annoyed me the most during this episode, in addition to people willingly getting themselves killed, is Eren.

what exactly were they supossed to do? Armin Rainer and Jean did they same thing, they were just lucky that the titan decided not to kill them in one blow.

and Eren saw himself how that titan killed 3 guys in less than a minute without even stopping his charge

e was supposed to be an obsessed, almost homicidal titan-killer, but now he's like any regular greenhorn scared next to witless.
just like all the other veterans around him (who fought and killed more titans than Eren has even seen so far), nobody knows what to do, except for Levi, confusion leads to panic

this episode was amazing and got me hyped for the next one

Kraco

Sun, 08-11-2013, 04:28 AM

what exactly were they supossed to do? Armin Rainer and Jean did they same thing, they were just lucky that the titan decided not to kill them in one blow.

They aren't defending a city or evacuating civilians here. As soon as they noticed they are fighting a titan with the intelligence of a human, they should have just given up and decided to stay alive instead of heedlessly attacking.

just like all the other veterans around him (who fought and killed more titans than Eren has even seen so far), nobody knows what to do, except for Levi, confusion leads to panic

I'm pretty sure Eren has killed just as many titans as these veterans. He killed a score of them while in his titan form. Besides, that doesn't even have anything to do with what I said: I said Eren should have been obsessed with killing titans, after he watched them eat his mother. But there's no sign of that anymore. Now he behaved like any normal new soldier would. I preferred his old self that was stupidly eager to massacre giants.

KrayZ33

Sun, 08-11-2013, 05:47 AM

they had to keep the formation going and protect the center, if they just ran the whole thing would've collapsed ... thats not how it works, its not "everyone for himself"

and eren killing stuff in his titan form (he can't even remember that) and trying to kill stuff in human form are totally different things
its not like he's already so far to say "I'll simply transform into a titan and get rid of that thing.. and turn back to normal after I'm done with that"

that doesn't even have anything to do with what I said: I said Eren should have been obsessed with killing titans, after he watched them eat his mother.

of course it does, and after getting your leg bitten off and then being swallowed by a titan, you might think things change quite a bit.. because thats what happened when he charged into them just like you want him to
in fact you want him to do (or be eager to do) the thing you just said was extremely stupid ... attacking. I'm pretty happy to see that he's not Naruto.

Inazuma

Sun, 08-11-2013, 06:42 AM

Krista confirmed for maximum waifu material.

I think it's weird for Eren to draw fucking sword when he can transform into a Titan. Also the female Titan is IFF capable, sparing some, killing some, trying to capture Eren.

Now what I want to see here is theories. Whats the plan for the human and what is the goal of the female Titan ?

MFauli

Sun, 08-11-2013, 09:41 AM

I think it's weird for Eren to draw fucking sword when he can transform into a Titan.

He can transform. But he cannot guaranteedly control it.

Now what I want to see here is theories. Whats the plan for the human and what is the goal of the female Titan ?

female titan/annie wants to kill eren. it makes no sense to capture him, since there would have been plenty of less risky alternatives to get ahold of him.

Kraco

Sun, 08-11-2013, 09:43 AM

they had to keep the formation going and protect the center, if they just ran the whole thing would've collapsed ... thats not how it works, its not "everyone for himself"

What formation, huh? There's no formation exactly because they keep getting themselves killed! The whole idea of the visible plan was to use the scouts to inform the whole formation of the locations of the titans and adjust the movements accordingly. But now they ended up losing all the scouts of one sector and turned blind. Their objective wasn't to kill titans but to reach the target location. That's why the priority should have been to preserve strength to maintain the formation, not thrown everything they had at the abnormal one.

Not everyone single-mindedly eager to follow their path and fight needs to be a blistering idiot like Naruto. He could have been like Black Star. But right now he's back to being a nobody. Even Naruto might be better than a nobody, you know.

shinta|hikari

Sun, 08-11-2013, 10:14 AM

I think it should be obvious by now that the plan is to do something about the pursuer.

Eren is a noob, who is a weak piece of shit who loses almost all of his fights without Mikasa saving his ass. Even then, he dives in and gets beaten up. Yeah, he is a nobody from the get go, but at least now he isn't actively rushing in without realizing his position, which is basically a noob.

I would side with the complaints if this goes on for longer though, but juding from the preview title, it won't.

Buffalobiian

Sun, 08-11-2013, 10:55 AM

What formation, huh? There's no formation exactly because they keep getting themselves killed! The whole idea of the visible plan was to use the scouts to inform the whole formation of the locations of the titans and adjust the movements accordingly. But now they ended up losing all the scouts of one sector and turned blind. Their objective wasn't to kill titans but to reach the target location. That's why the priority should have been to preserve strength to maintain the formation, not thrown everything they had at the abnormal one.

The whole scouting thing was done so that the original plan looked like it was real. The entire thing was bait, and it doesn't work if you make it smell like a trap. The whole idea about the formation "changing direction based on flare input" means that the group running randomly into the forest seemed plausible, instead of making seem like it was a trap and an objective all along.

The weaker people were supposed to stay outside the forest and keep all the normal titans at bay while the central, titan-capable team were focused on luring out the traitors while using Eren as bait.

I'm not sure what trump cards the humans have though, since they'd need one to deal with the overpowering titan. Perhaps Erwin placed a giant pit-fall spike-trap earlier? :p

I seriously considered Krista a candidate for Blonde-Titan when she showed up. It was just... so convenient. But by the end of the episode, those mad CQC skills could belong to none other than Annie. I hope she doesn't die. I've grown to like her now (more so because of her titan form. I sure hope this doesn't develop into a de-gloving fetish for me.)

Regarding Eren, I think he's been beaten into submission and discipline after joining the Rangers. Don't forget that he was under trail and was supposed to be killed if he rebelled. He's had to dampen his desires and emotions since then so that he's always in control. It might even make his titan form more controllable. Annie's pretty cold/composed, and she rocks that titan like a boss.

Kraco

Sun, 08-11-2013, 10:59 AM

I wouldn't actually have wanted him to rush in now, possibly ruining what Erwin and Levi had in mind, but I'd have liked him to want to rush in. That's the difference. He wouldn't need to be an idiot who ruins everything, but he could be a man who would eagerly use every opportunity to kill a titan and get stronger by doing so. A main character with no initiative of his own is annoying.

The whole scouting thing was done so that the original plan looked like it was real. The entire thing was bait, and it doesn't work if you make it smell like a trap. The whole idea about the formation "changing direction based on flare input" means that the group running randomly into the forest seemed plausible, instead of making seem like it was a trap and an objective all along.

I wonder which parts of these episodes made you think anybody but Erwin and Levi knew that beforehand. Because it sure looked to me like even the brainman, Armin, realised it only when they were already in the forest.

KrayZ33

Sun, 08-11-2013, 11:23 AM

DarthEnderX

Sun, 08-11-2013, 06:44 PM

It's pretty safe to say there's a plan. It started with Erwin revealing publicly the goal.Yeah, that seemed pretty obvious last week, where everyone seemed to think Eren was in a different place.

It's obvious he announced to everyone that Eren could defeat the titans, then everyone was told a separate location for Eren,

So once the titan's attack drove them towards one specific section, now he knows who's the traitor based on who he told Eren was in that section.

The female titan basically made a bee-line to one specific section of the formation, ignoring everything else, when she got there, she started checking everyone. Armin figures out, out loud, where Erin ACTUALLY is, then Reiner gets himself caught by her, and "escapes" and then she suddenly immediately starts running towards where Eren actually is.

Krista confirmed for maximum waifu material. That scene was funny. To bad she'll probably die horribly.

Also the female Titan is IFF capable, sparing some, killing some, trying to capture Eren. She's basically checking all the ones she thinks might be Eren. Anyone who's not Eren gets destroyed, EXCEPT the ones she recognizes as her fellow cadets(like Armin and Jean). She's probably sparing them out of sentimentality.

Pandadice

Fri, 08-16-2013, 12:50 PM

So I've only watched through ep 13, but I can't really get into this. Like, the trailer was incredible, and the action fights are amazing. Really, I just want to watch a lot of grappling hook sky-surfing giant slashing, but they keep putting all this weird stuff in there. The whole story/characters are just weird. It's all just one giant oozing existential crisis. The angst drains out everything else.

And i don't really care about violence in my cartoons (like i said, ideally this series would be dudes flying and slashing, nothing more), but when it tries to moralize, glorify, and justify the violence then it gets weird. "oh, a mantis ate a moth, therefore killing is always justified" some kind of reverse Jainism going on here. Like, characters killing things, who cares it's a tv show. But making moral arguments through the character's actions elevates the relevance of the violence and how it's being presented. Suddenly it's not just cool animation, but it's about influencing my worldview and how i see real people/situations in real life.

I'm pretty sure the author just read a bunch of Nietzsche and decided to build a fantasy story around it.

or maybe I should leave the lit crit out of the cartoons.

lelouch

Fri, 08-16-2013, 01:26 PM

Really, I just want to watch a lot of grappling hook sky-surfing giant slashing, but they keep putting all this weird stuff in there.

And i don't really care about violence in my cartoons (like i said, ideally this series would be dudes flying and slashing, nothing more)

Perhaps some different anime would be more up alley...like Naruto fillers...or Pokemon.

MFauli

Fri, 08-16-2013, 02:46 PM

If you want a similiar anime but with more action and less talking, watch "Claymore".

Pandadice

Fri, 08-16-2013, 03:36 PM

Yeah, I've seen Claymore and Berserk and all those action-packed anime. But I don't want to see that type of stuff; I want to see the awesome sky-surfing fighting from the trailer, just, you know, without the "deep plot" (aka heavy fascistic overtones) that makes me feel uncomfortable with what I'm watching.

Perhaps some different anime would be more up alley...like Naruto fillers...or Pokemon.

I think it's really telling how you apparently divide "anime" into "story" or "no-story" opposed to, say, more traditional divisions like adult-male or for-kids. But, that's not just you, it's the whole of "anime" fandom really.

"you don't like shady and questionable morals being pushed through with your action shows? here, try this anime for 5 year olds, you'll probably like it more"

MFauli

Fri, 08-16-2013, 03:41 PM

Kraco

Fri, 08-16-2013, 04:31 PM

"you don't like shady and questionable morals being pushed through with your action shows? here, try this anime for 5 year olds, you'll probably like it more"

I haven't noticed any propaganda in this show. I have only seen the story investing in building its world. Dig up your time machine from under the layer of dust and jump back to the mid-late 19th century. Then imagine humanity of that era on the brink of a slow annihilation and the world of this show wouldn't be so far off the mark. Humans simply are power abusing, backstabbing scumbags, when given a chance. Try to give them the shining armor of a hero and you are on your way to a kids' fairy tale.

Pandadice

Fri, 08-16-2013, 09:49 PM

have you watched "Casshern Sins" already? Theres some "deep" talk in there, too, but also lots and lots of over-the-top fighting.

for the note, i love the non-fighting-scenes in Shingeki, fleshes out the world. And nonstop action would get boring soon imo.
Yeah, I've seen Casshern Sins. That was a really great one. My favorite parts were the beginning episodes where it was basically just dying things trying to find beauty in a decaying world.

And honestly, yeah, I really enjoyed how fleshed out it was (the detailed descriptions of everything on the eye-catches is cool). And surely we couldn't have just 20 solid minutes of fighting every week, but I'd take more suspenseful/calculated fighting over listening to the main character any day.

I haven't noticed any propaganda in this show. I have only seen the story investing in building its world. Dig up your time machine from under the layer of dust and jump back to the mid-late 19th century. Then imagine humanity of that era on the brink of a slow annihilation and the world of this show wouldn't be so far off the mark. Humans simply are power abusing, backstabbing scumbags, when given a chance. Try to give them the shining armor of a hero and you are on your way to a kids' fairy tale.
Honestly, it's been like 4 weeks since I watched the 13 episodes so I'm having trouble recalling specifics, but the main characters motivation is basically just a glorification of vengeance, and the female sidekick is a celebration of psychopathy. That mantis example is probably the most over the top example I could cite though. But I just remember sitting through it and it seemed like a ton of dialogue was pushing really questionable morals.

I mean, I like the historical/human nature argument you're making here, but to rephrase it a bit, what you're saying could be applied to a study of the Nazis. "Hey, they took advantage of their circumstances and nearly got away with it. They were only human, can you blame them? Human's are backstabbing scumbags." But, I also like that you point out how intentionally gray it is. Perhaps I was misinterpreting it; I was just assuming that I was supposed to relate to or be inspired by the main character, but actually I'm supposed to see him/everyone else as disgusting (as I did). I guess in that light it's actually a really cool demonstration of the breaking down of right/wrong, good/bad. So yeah, totally Nietzsche.

But really, the more I think about it, I think it's totally legitimate to criticize the moral worldview or underlying social/personal messages of any anime. It's all really just TV shows and movies, which are comparable to books in terms of communicating or impressing morals. Likewise, it seems entirely normal for one to criticize anime for historical inaccuracies, dubious science, physically impossible phenomena ("that door can't open that way," "an arm can't bend like that"), internal inconsistencies, flat or underdeveloped characters, or just bad writing in general. So in that sense, with all of that being fair game for judging an anime, then I think questionable moral values is also something that's worth considering when discussing the quality of a show.

I mean, if Titan was all about preaching fundamentalist Christianity every episode, I'm sure people here (if they even continued watching it) would constantly lament that it continues pushing the gospel truth. People would likely criticize the series for devoting so much time to the lead character talking about his heavenly reward and trying to convert all his friends. Imagine if such moral values were being pushed through in between bits of what you really care about watching (the sky-surfing grappling hook giant slashing).

shinta|hikari

Fri, 08-16-2013, 10:32 PM

You should learn to watch and appreciate something (even if it contradicts your morals) without being too affected by it.

The themes in this show are logical to the world and story it is trying to build. If you criticize it for that, it is not the show's fault as a narrative. It is just you rejecting a story because it does not coincide with your morals. That is perfectly fine though.

For example, despite being agnostic, I can watch/read stories about faith and religion and actually enjoy, even feel touched by them.

Also, lelouch might have said it in the wrong way, but he makes a valid point in recommending anime targeted for younger audiences because those generally contain morals that are probably more in line with what you are looking for. Anime targeted for more mature viewers generally have really questionable morals and themes. That does not mean they are pushing it or trying to influence the viewers though. If anything, I think SnK is trying to show the viewers the negative side of humanity in crisis to allow us to criticize the society they built, not to glorify it. If you read through this thread, most of the posts are complaints about the characters (except Mikasa, you are the first on that one, and made me write this post) and the government.

About your comment about liking or disliking the characters, it is quite possible to like aspects of a character and dislike others. For example, I hate how Eren is way too hot headed and arrogant, and how he treats Mikasa, but I also like his tenacity and concern for his friends. His desire for vengeance is understandable, but I am not too fond of it either since there is no future for him there, and his target is too vague an existence. Basically what I am saying is, just because you like a character or feel inspired by him/her does not mean that you have to be like him/her in every way. Also, just because you hate a character does not make everything about him/her crap.

There are also points in the story that show really positive human qualities. You seem to be picking out the worst aspects of humanity depicted while ignoring the positive ones, like self sacrifice, love, and hope.

Pandadice

Fri, 08-16-2013, 11:50 PM

wow, awesome post man, thanks. You've given me a lot to think about.

You should learn to watch and appreciate something (even if it contradicts your morals) without being too affected by it.

The themes in this show are logical to the world and story it is trying to build. If you criticize it for that, it is not the show's fault as a narrative. It is just you rejecting a story because it does not coincide with your morals. That is perfectly fine though.

For example, despite being agnostic, I can watch/read stories about faith and religion and actually enjoy, even feel touched by them.
I can, and do, watch plenty of things I don't agree with. Honestly, I take a fairly malleable "ironist" approach to my own moral worldview. Literature and movies/tv (including SnK) are one such place to find moral redescriptions or critiques or alternative views. However, when encountering such moral worldviews, I try not to outright accept or reject anything "i just don't agree with," but rather I try to critique it and make an assessment. I mean, at some point it's really about a certain inward resonance. And when watching a show and running into a lot of dissonance, and I constantly relate what is being presented to other negatively viewed experiences or ideas, then it just becomes uncomfortable to keep listening to the show. I guess on some level I do have trouble sitting through stuff I disagree with, but I think your agnostic/faith example is different from what I'm trying to say here. I did sit through 13 episodes after all, so it's not like I immediately shut the thing out. But it just got to the point where disagreeable worldviews were draining out the enjoyment.

Like I said in my first post, the whole thing is like one giant oozing existential crisis. That stuff can be cool sometimes. Maybe I'm just not getting into the fantasy appropriately, and am having trouble relating to whats happening. I dunno. I just want my angst-filled teens to be separate and put off to the side.

Also, lelouch might have said it in the wrong way, but he makes a valid point in recommending anime targeted for younger audiences because those generally contain morals that are probably more in line with what you are looking for. Anime targeted for more mature viewers generally have really questionable morals and themes. That does not mean they are pushing it or trying to influence the viewers though. If anything, I think SnK is trying to show the viewers the negative side of humanity in crisis to allow us to criticize the society they built, not to glorify it. If you read through this thread, most of the posts are complaints about the characters (except Mikasa, you are the first on that one, and made me write this post) and the government.
Like I said, I'm not about only seeking out things I agree with beforehand. Worldview pretty malleable. Those other "mature" shows with questionable morals and themes are usually totally open to my viewing/critiquing, but again, it's all about the assessment of what's being portrayed. It's not just about "questionable" as in it questions some really conservative worldview or something, but it's about the inward resonance and ability to withstand scrutiny (or even really just what the upshot of such scrutiny is--"withstand" isn't really what I mean, but it's more about examining them and seeing where such an examination goes).

But you also seem to be saying what Kraco said, which puts the show in a new light for me. The idea that the show is supposed to be viewed negatively I think is a really cool way to approach it. So we're more watching Orwell's 1984 rather than some army ad glorifying the awesomeness of violence. Redescribed this way, I might actually finish out the series.

About your comment about liking or disliking the characters, it is quite possible to like aspects of a character and dislike others. For example, I hate how Eren is way too hot headed and arrogant, and how he treats Mikasa, but I also like his tenacity and concern for his friends. His desire for vengeance is understandable, but I am not too fond of it either since there is no future for him there, and his target is too vague an existence. Basically what I am saying is, just because you like a character or feel inspired by him/her does not mean that you have to be like him/her in every way. Also, just because you hate a character does not make everything about him/her crap.
Yeah, I really don't like Eren, and you basically nailed down way. But I will agree that it is better to look at the characters with more complexity rather than trying to write them off on oversimplifications. (But still, I do have a problem with Mikasa's psychopathy).

There are also points in the story that show really positive human qualities. You seem to be picking out the worst aspects of humanity depicted while ignoring the positive ones, like self sacrifice, love, and hope.
wait, were such things present in the first 13 episodes? I mean, many of my complaints could be redescribed to fit such terms, as they're all malleable and subjective concepts. But yeah, I'm probably oversimplifying and emphasizing the negative at the expense of the good (the existentialism really does drain everything else out imo ;) )

DarthEnderX

Sat, 08-17-2013, 12:01 AM

I just want to watch a lot of grappling hook sky-surfing giant slashingUnfortunately, that's the part that costs all the money to make.

Perhaps some different anime would be more up alley...like Naruto fillers...or Pokemon.Naruto fillers and Pokemon have neither of the things he's asking for.

I haven't noticed any propaganda in this show.The Titans actually represent Muslims.

Kraco

Sat, 08-17-2013, 02:46 AM

But you also seem to be saying what Kraco said, which puts the show in a new light for me. The idea that the show is supposed to be viewed negatively I think is a really cool way to approach it. So we're more watching Orwell's 1984 rather than some army ad glorifying the awesomeness of violence. Redescribed this way, I might actually finish out the series.

At the end of the day this is still a product of the entertainment business, nothing more. So, if you don't find it entertaining, there should be zero reason to watch it. It's not like we were talking about some masterpieces of Nobel awarded world literature here and we were all students of literature that have to read a bunch of those and write long studies of their underlying messages and backgrounds. However, obviously you are mainly, at this point, going to get replies from people who are enjoying this show, more or less, (not having dropped it), and thus they are likely to defend it.

Yeah, I really don't like Eren, and you basically nailed down way. But I will agree that it is better to look at the characters with more complexity rather than trying to write them off on oversimplifications. (But still, I do have a problem with Mikasa's psychopathy).

I reckon Mikasa's psychopathy is there simply because this is an anime based on a manga. Her sort of characters will enjoy considerable popularity among the readers, and no doubt among the authors themselves, so you should take it as such. It's a popularity device, an anime trope, a moe agent. I don't find her particularly realistic in the bigger setting, but her inborn kung fu and everything else kind of make her so unbelievable that you just have to accept her and like her or let it bother you to no end. Fortunately I liked her instantly.

I actually liked Eren being more single-mindedly interested in revenge and striking back against the titans. Too few people really seemed to want that, being ridiculously content living behind the walls while 99.999999999% of the world was apparently ruled by the titans. Because of that the city was also so twisted: The king and government are only interested in maintaining their petty domain and the fragile status quo. It looks like not much effort had been invested in emergency resources or fighting the titans since some initial burst of innovation a long time ago when the 3D gear was first developed. Obviously a political revolution would benefit mankind the most, to get rid of the king who reserves the best fighters for his own protection from other humans rather than using them to fight titans, but that would be beyond Eren.

Buffalobiian

Sat, 08-17-2013, 09:05 AM

Mikasa is only 2 steps behind Gasai Yuno, so I can see why her character can be uncomfortable.

Pandadice

Sat, 08-17-2013, 09:46 AM

Can I just say, you guys are the only ones who have taken my complaints seriously and offered up reasonable responses. This is why gotwoot is awesome, you guys aren't afraid to discuss the shows past the latest episode. A lot of good points have been made, and I'm probably gonna continue with the series. But I really like this discussion so I'm gonna make a response.

At the end of the day this is still a product of the entertainment business, nothing more. So, if you don't find it entertaining, there should be zero reason to watch it. It's not like we were talking about some masterpieces of Nobel awarded world literature here and we were all students of literature that have to read a bunch of those and write long studies of their underlying messages and backgrounds.
I dunno, I don't by it. You're basically saying "leave the lit crit out of the cartoons," and I disagree with that, as I mentioned in my second post. I know we all need to suspend our disbelief and it's all just fantasy, but there still remains a certain element of realism for us to appreciate (given how fleshed out the 3d maneuver gears are and stuff). If this show tried to pass off really dubious and poorly thought out science then no doubt a discussion over such things would be warranted. If characters in the show *should have* died, but some dues ex machina arrives and saves them at the last minute, then no doubt we would hear complaints that it was lazy writing or unrealistic. Perhaps you have already had discussions like this in this thread (I haven't read past the first page). In this sense, to complain about anything in the series would go against your argument that "it is what it is" (when someone comes in and says "the episode shouldn't have ended like that" do you really respond "if you're not entertained then drop it"?). Likewise, I think authorial intent certainly matters to some degree, but at the same time i don't think you can limit your experience of the work to just what the creator's purpose was. That seems silly to me.

Further, you seem to be compartmentalizing literature arbitrarily into award-winning work and non-award winning works, as if one objectively has more to teach us morally than the other. I don't buy such a distinction, and I prefer to analyze whatever literature (including film and tv) I encounter (honestly, it's not like I'm heavily scrutinizing it all--a basic rational assessment/reaction just comes out of my head like one would have a natural emotion reaction to a work). Plenty of anime has been known to push a social message (a lot of directors make a point that everything needs some sort of social message (e.g. Miyazaki, Takahata)), and directors, whether they acknowledge it, certainly imbue their creations with their own worldviews. I know I just said authorial intent doesn't matter, but even if it did then I think you have to acknowledge it's more complicated than just raw entertainment.

I reckon Mikasa's psychopathy is there simply because this is an anime based on a manga. Her sort of characters will enjoy considerable popularity among the readers, and no doubt among the authors themselves, so you should take it as such. It's a popularity device, an anime trope, a moe agent. I don't find her particularly realistic in the bigger setting, but her inborn kung fu and everything else kind of make her so unbelievable that you just have to accept her and like her or let it bother you to no end. Fortunately I liked her instantly.
Alright, yeah, I was still considering our psychopathy from the viewpoint of a series glorifying vengeance. If I move beyond that view of the series then it's no problem to just consider her a moe device. But I'm not sure if acknowledging her to be a moe cliche makes her more likable. :p

I actually liked Eren being more single-mindedly interested in revenge and striking back against the titans. Too few people really seemed to want that, being ridiculously content living behind the walls while 99.999999999% of the world was apparently ruled by the titans. Because of that the city was also so twisted: The king and government are only interested in maintaining their petty domain and the fragile status quo. It looks like not much effort had been invested in emergency resources or fighting the titans since some initial burst of innovation a long time ago when the 3D gear was first developed. Obviously a political revolution would benefit mankind the most, to get rid of the king who reserves the best fighters for his own protection from other humans rather than using them to fight titans, but that would be beyond Eren.

I dunno, that whole "contradiction" that they made a big deal out of just made me cringe. Like, isn't that how everything works? The best soldiers go to protect the big boss while the lesser soldiers go do the suicide stuff? That just seems like such a typical structure imo that when they identified it as some sort of mind-blowing contradiction all I could do was cringe.

Buffalobiian

Sat, 08-17-2013, 10:10 AM

Alright, yeah, I was still considering our psychopathy from the viewpoint of a series glorifying vengeance. If I move beyond that view of the series then it's no problem to just consider her a moe device. But I'm not sure if acknowledging her to be a moe cliche makes her more likable.

Hold on, what parts of Mikasa constitues as psychopathy for you?

I thought it was the "I'll serve Eren even if it means destroying humanity" line of thought. She doesn't seem vengence-driven.

Kraco

Sat, 08-17-2013, 10:37 AM

I dunno, I don't by it. You're basically saying "leave the lit crit out of the cartoons," and I disagree with that, as I mentioned in my second post...

Further, you seem to be compartmentalizing literature arbitrarily into award-winning work and non-award winning works, as if one objectively has more to teach us morally than the other.

Hmm... I don't know if I expressed my intention poorly or if you put emphasis on all the wrong parts when reading it, but the two points I was saying were:

1) There's no reason to force you to watch any anime if you find some aspects of it too annoying. In the past I used to struggle through a lot of shows but these days I drop them like a rock if I don't find them entertaining enough. Because they are meant to be just entertainment. This is related to an opinion I have developed: An excellent story will please some immeasurably but annoy the rest just as much. You can't please everybody. If you try, you will only produce gray matter that's forgettable for everybody.

2) I only talked about award winning works because I'd assume that if you study literature, you'd probably be forced to read them. But nobody's forcing any of us to watch anime we don't find interesting.

Well, perhaps I have already said too much. It's not like I'd try to make you drop this show, after all. I just saw the past myself in your plan to change your views in order to keep watching this show despite finding it distasteful.

lelouch

Sat, 08-17-2013, 02:34 PM

(Things)

1. I don't think Mikasa is a psychopath. If someone saved your life as a young child from robbers, and put you in a position where you had to kill at a young age, I find it reasonable to devote your life to protecting them given you have the skill (which she does).

2. It's science fiction... I'm really not sure why you're so annoyed by all of these things. Do you get annoyed by Gundam Seed because everyone knows that hyper-particle beams of that size clearly need at least 4.2 seconds to power up and the beam should be red, not blue?

3. I still don't understand what sort of "message" you think is trying to be pushed through here, as well as why you find it in poor taste considering most adult anime does have at least some sort of message to some degree. Which is why I recommended Pokemon... Or maybe teletubbies. Although the Ukrainian government believes teletubbies, too, is pushing its own hidden agenda and has banned it so perhaps maybe just Pokemon. Or those chibi specials.

Pandadice

Sat, 08-17-2013, 09:56 PM

Hold on, what parts of Mikasa constitues as psychopathy for you?

I thought it was the "I'll serve Eren even if it means destroying humanity" line of thought. She doesn't seem vengence-driven.
Yeah, my use of vengeance there was misleading. I consider Mikasa a psychopath because of her complete absence of emotion outside of her relationship with Eren. If anything, her relationship with Eren is the one thing holding her back from complete psychopathy, in a way, and in more of a quasi-psychopathic state. Again, I'm sorry I can't be more specific with details without just going back and rewatching it, but her cold, calculated, emotionless intellectual nature is the main reason I would say she's a psychopath. the show just sort of comes off saying, as I interpreted it, "hey look how awesome you can be if you eliminate your emotions!" She's all about being a nietzschean eagle and eating some sheep. But then also, I guess you could consider her devotion to Eren as excessively self-interested, so maybe that obsession adds to her psychopathy. Yeah, it's like you said.

1) There's no reason to force you to watch any anime if you find some aspects of it too annoying. In the past I used to struggle through a lot of shows but these days I drop them like a rock if I don't find them entertaining enough. Because they are meant to be just entertainment. This is related to an opinion I have developed: An excellent story will please some immeasurably but annoy the rest just as much. You can't please everybody. If you try, you will only produce gray matter that's forgettable for everybody.
haha, my bad, I guess I got a little too into dissecting your post.

Trust me, I try not to struggle through anything anymore. I don't watch very much anime anymore, and the little Tv anime I try to watch I often quit watching. I learned my lesson years ago about struggling through poor anime. I mostly just consume anime through sakuga MADs, indie shorts, and an occasional feature film. And I'm not trying to be rude or condescending here, but do you really consider this to be an "excellent story"? I know (from experience) that the bar for an anime story line is pretty low, but honestly SnK comes across as pretty straightforward stuff. The settings unique and it's more gutsy with killing off characters, but besides such idiosyncrasies the story seemed pretty standard. I dunno, I have trouble watching anything these days that's not from HBO. But that said, there's gotta be something (probably the awesome sky-surfing) in SnK that kept me watching it for 13 episodes.

2. It's science fiction... I'm really not sure why you're so annoyed by all of these things. Do you get annoyed by Gundam Seed because everyone knows that hyper-particle beams of that size clearly need at least 4.2 seconds to power up and the beam should be red, not blue?
This is really interesting. Here I thought I could point to people criticizing piss-poor science in anime as a way to legitimize my moral complaints, but you've flipped it so that to complain about dubious, dues ex machina science is somehow beneath any true "anime" fan. Your "it's science fiction" argument might as well be "it's a tv show dude." In this way, really, you're eliminating the possibility to complain about anything within the series (beyond, perhaps, "oh no my favorite character died" or something). You've totally just severed any expectation of realism within the series.

However, as literature and film are mediums which actively influence the spectator's worldview, I think, even disregarding the poor science point, it is entirely legitimate to complain about the types of morals being presented within a series.

3. I still don't understand what sort of "message" you think is trying to be pushed through here, as well as why you find it in poor taste considering most adult anime does have at least some sort of message to some degree. Which is why I recommended Pokemon... Or maybe teletubbies. Although the Ukrainian government believes teletubbies, too, is pushing its own hidden agenda and has banned it so perhaps maybe just Pokemon. Or those chibi specials.
See, it is not merely that it has a message (any literature or series has a message--regardless of the authors intent--because it's all about how the viewer reacts or interprets what the text is saying), but my issue with the series stems from the fact that I feel like I'm watching nazi propaganda when I try to watch this.

And if it was just me watching it, who cares. But I watch this and see nazi propaganda, and then I see it being the most popular and highest praised series of the year. That's when I get concerned, because it seems to be promoting a fascistic, all-the-bad-parts-of-Nietzsche worldview.

But, after discussing it with the fellows here at gotwoot, I see that it's almost expected that I'm disgusted with what I'm watching. It's been flipped around so that rather than a glorification of violence, it's actually a critique and examination of such violence. But honestly, even such a reading of it is subjective and equally
valid either way. It's like This trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6wFpovHtnc) for the Cobra Special Forces movie. I see that trailer as a harsh critique of the US military, calling it out as "the bad guys." While this is one way of looking at it, it can also be interpreted as a patriotic celebration of militarism (and given the website devoted to signing up for and promoting the whole thing, I think that's more what the ad campaign was going for). See? The moral ambiguity of the thing makes it all subjectively determined by the viewer. In this sense, I was watching SnK as a celebration of violence, while others are considering it a critique. There's no right way to read into it, but I gotta say I like the way you guys are approaching it.

Further, as I said previously, maybe you can just "turn your brain off" so to speak when you're watching this stuff, but I just sort of naturally react to and critique what I'm being presented with in films/tv shows. To form a raw intellectual reaction is the same as experiencing a basic emotional response. I feel like I'm just repeating myself. You guys are free to enjoy the series, it's whatever. I think I might watch some more in a new mindset; hopefully i get to see a lot more grappling hook action.

DarthEnderX

Sun, 08-18-2013, 12:46 AM

Why is nobody talking about the new episode yet?!?!

darkshadow

Sun, 08-18-2013, 02:19 AM

Because some of us are lazy and wait for links in this thread.
Thanks for nothing.

Buffalobiian

Sun, 08-18-2013, 02:52 AM

Waiting, yes. gg is going to be late. I'm okay with horriblesubs in the meanwhile, but I just haven't been watching this show promptly anyway.

HS - Episode 19 (http://www.nyaa.se/?page=download&tid=464121)

David75

Sun, 08-18-2013, 03:11 AM

While the ep was overly long, we got some piece of data and that Titan has been stopped, though we don't know if it's permanent.

They clearly used that new Titan as a plot device. Worked quite well. I just fear they'll have us chew on that till the end of the season, end it with a cliffhanger when we're not even sure there will be another season...

MFauli

Sun, 08-18-2013, 04:24 AM

finally got that bitch!

But from the preview it seems like something will go wrong.

#regarding Eren´s failed transformation, I thought it might be related to a lack of iron. Like, he might not have eaten well enough for several days or something, so when he touched the metallic spoon, the transformation reaction could finally work again.

Also, it just has to be repeated: The music in this anime is incredible. And I´m so happy that the same composer works on the soundtrack for Monolith Soft´s "X" for Wii U. It´s insta-recognizable how similiar the music is, haha.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HW4j9EXiMZg

NeoCybercoin

Sun, 08-18-2013, 07:14 AM

Trailer looks pretty sweet as well. Music also reminds me of Team Medical Dragon and Guilty Crown. Turns out...also the same guy :P

Kraco

Sun, 08-18-2013, 07:25 AM

And I'm not trying to be rude or condescending here, but do you really consider this to be an "excellent story"?

Hell, no. This is barely above the gray matter for me. There are some things that annoy me in this series, but not enough to make me lose interest. However, I still watch plenty of anime and I'm not the most difficult person to please, all in all. I mean, sometimes I have struggled through whole pitiful shows because I liked one character (for example Morgiana in Magi).

Buffalobiian

Sun, 08-18-2013, 10:16 AM

#regarding Eren´s failed transformation, I thought it might be related to a lack of iron. Like, he might not have eaten well enough for several days or something, so when he touched the metallic spoon, the transformation reaction could finally work again.

But spoons are silverware!! :p

I agree totally with Hanji. Pain + Goal = Transformation.. though it seems that "Become a Titan" isn't good enough for a "goal". It might be a global requirement or just an Eren-specific one because his control is unreliable. The problem with having a goal prior to transformation is whether or not you have enough reason to change it. Annie seems to have full control over hers, so perhaps it's only a matter of practice.

Also...
Anniedon'tdieAnniedon'tdieAnniedon'tdieAnniedon'td ieAnniedon'tdieAnniedon'tdieAnniedon'tdieAnniedon' tdieAnniedon'tdieAnniedon'tdieAnniedon'tdieAnniedo n'tdieAnniedon'tdieAnniedon'tdieAnniedon'tdieAnnie don'tdieAnniedon'tdieAnniedon'tdieAnniedon'tdieAnn iedon'tdieAnniedon'tdieAnniedon'tdieAnniedon'tdieA nniedon'tdieAnniedon'tdieAnniedon'tdieAnniedon'tdi eAnniedon'tdieAnniedon'tdieAnniedon'tdieAnniedon't dieAnniedon'tdieAnniedon'tdieAnniedon'tdieAnniedon 'tdieAnniedon'tdieAnniedon'tdieAnniedon'tdieAnnied on'tdie

MFauli

Sun, 08-18-2013, 10:59 AM

please die, annie. bitch killed dozens of brave soldiers :/

darkshadow

Sun, 08-18-2013, 01:40 PM

Only noticed just now that the mural in the ED shows humanity fighting itself.

Killa-Eyez

Mon, 08-19-2013, 07:41 AM

Annie, are you okay? Annie, are you okay? Are you okay, Annie?

...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HW4j9EXiMZg

zOMG! Only for Wii U?! I see some Z.O.E. inspired stuff there.

Buffalobiian

Mon, 08-19-2013, 07:57 AM

Annie, are you okay? Annie, are you okay? Are you okay, Annie?

She'll be saved by Reiner, that's my bet.

Kraco

Mon, 08-19-2013, 09:49 AM

She'll be saved by Reiner, that's my bet.

More like the endless, baseless arrogance of the humans. They can barely capture the smaller, witless kind of titans under the best of circumstances, yet now they suddenly think they have this one under control.

MFauli

Mon, 08-19-2013, 12:12 PM

Annie doesn´t need saving. She´ll shake off her current titan-body like a snake/Orochimaru and ascend as a smaller, barely bigger than human titian with enormous agility.

zOMG! Only for Wii U?! I see some Z.O.E. inspired stuff there.

GOTY for 2014, mark my words! :o

Buffalobiian

Sat, 08-24-2013, 10:08 PM

HS - Episode 20 (http://www.nyaa.se/?page=download&tid=466340)

--------------------------------

lol at making Sasha into Mikasa's pet complete with intuition. It goes hand in hand with the guy who can identify titans by smell. It's an interesting skill, just kinda weird.

Erwin Smith.. it's not so much his calculating mind that I'm impressed with, but the fire underneath. Armin was completely right about Erwin being a monster - not because he is cold, but because he can be cold if the situation asks for it. The rage in his voice when he ordered the first volley was awesome.

Well done for tripping me up with the whole Annie/Krista thing again during the first half of this episode.

Kraco

Sun, 08-25-2013, 05:26 AM

These folks aren't interested in killing titans in the least, are they? In the beginning Eren was, but now he's just a coward and a fool to boot. Even when the female abnormal was being eaten, they suddenly stopped killing the titans even though it was the best situation imaginable: The titans were all in a circle, facing inward, totally oblivious to any attacks from the outside. If they had slaughtered them, they could have also potentially caught the human inside, trying to flee the scene. But no, since they have no intention whatsoever to kill titans (not counting when it's hopeless to attack, which is when they gleefully throw their lives away, like earlier against the still free abnormal). Even the ones guarding the forest borders were only concerned about sitting on their hands when perfect opportunities were right in front of their eyes. As a result there was a huge crowd of titans ready to storm the forest at a moment's notice. Naturally none among them, not even Armin, had the wits to realise how dangerous that is.

Now I remember why I eventually stopped reading the manga: This story is just too forced.

Buffalobiian

Sun, 08-25-2013, 06:55 AM

It'd be too instinct-driven if all they did was try to kill titans. It'll be like a hunt. Their current objective is to recapture land, learn more about the titans or lure out the traitors. I'd say it's "all of the above" if they had their way. It's certainly not a "let's just go outside and cut titans for a day".

They want to win against the titans, not just take a few down. First and foremost however, they need to find the guys who keep knocking down their walls.

Kraco

Sun, 08-25-2013, 08:29 AM

They want to win against the titans, not just take a few down. First and foremost however, they need to find the guys who keep knocking down their walls.

Doesn't seem to me they are doing awfully lot on that front. Unless you count wasting their time giving lectures to the enemy in the enemy territory.

They were wondering how they will be received upon their return after this fiasco. I hope very harshly indeed. Not that the people inside were any better, but still. This was a reckless and costly operation they plainly failed to carry out till the end. Unless Eren saves the day like a real shounen hero before the end.

shinta|hikari

Sun, 08-25-2013, 09:33 AM

Erwin's decisions and plans made sense. They just didn't know the female titan can summon.

Kraco

Sun, 08-25-2013, 10:23 AM

Erwin's decisions and plans made sense. They just didn't know the female titan can summon.

Indeed they didn't. Because, in fact, they don't know anything at all, really. Too bad none among them could guess a titan might attract another titan to the scene, even though titans seem to attack in hordes and they have seen Eren in the titan form seems to be a magnet for normal titans.

shinta|hikari

Sun, 08-25-2013, 10:25 AM

Attracting several titans is one thing, but summoning a crap ton of them who ignore anything else is another.

You mean you actually expected the female titan to do that? If so, kudos. I honestly didn't.

Inazuma

Sun, 08-25-2013, 10:48 AM

I can only imagine the design meeting around the female titan's power.

" Guys, she's female, so it's logical her special ability should be an uncanny thing that manipulates men into doing something that defy logic reason and self preservation. " Wink wink wink.

Oh Japan ... Sometimes, you are my weird crush.

shinta|hikari

Sun, 08-25-2013, 11:16 AM

Only they didn't know the fish that would take the bait is female until she actually showed up.

Kraco

Sun, 08-25-2013, 11:46 AM

You mean you actually expected the female titan to do that? If so, kudos. I honestly didn't.

No, I didn't. But then again, I'm not a battle scarred veteran of fighting titan wars, and a highly respected officer in addition to that. Nor did I spend days planning a big operation with trusted underlings, brainstorming responses to all kinds of unexpected events. Due to the fact they know so little, especially taking into account the (relatively) recent events when they have been seeing so many kinds of abnormals, they should recognize they don't know shit. I don't know if it was just bad direction in these couple of eps, but they became far too relaxed after they seemingly captured the abnormal female.

If you ask me, far too many lives were lost just to learn a female abnormal can scream...

DarthEnderX

Sun, 08-25-2013, 06:37 PM

They want to win against the titans, not just take a few down. First and foremost however, they need to find the guys who keep knocking down their walls.But not killing all those titans in that situation in no way hinders any of those objectives, and could possibly further them.

I'm with Kraco. It was free attacks on a huge pack of Aberrants, and possibly preventing the female's escape as well. There was no reason NOT to do it.

You mean you actually expected the female titan to do that? If so, kudos. I honestly didn't.I expected another intelligent titan like the Armored one to show up and free her, especially once she screamed.

I was pretty close.

If you ask me, far too many lives were lost just to learn a female abnormal can scream...And also diamond hands. Don't forget diamond hands.

Speaking of which, if she can turn part of her body super hard, why not just do the back of her neck?

Buffalobiian

Sun, 08-25-2013, 08:46 PM

Speaking of which, if she can turn part of her body super hard, why not just do the back of her neck?

Seemed like it was temporary. Diamond skin should also impact on flexibility, something that the female titan seems to use with her cqc. Batman in The Dark Knight requested a suit that allowed him to turn his head at the expense of overall defence.

But not killing all those titans in that situation in no way hinders any of those objectives, and could possibly further them.

I'm with Kraco. It was free attacks on a huge pack of Aberrants, and possibly preventing the female's escape as well. There was no reason NOT to do it.

They weren't really Aberrants. They were normal guys who responded to the female titan's scream. My understanding is that they all respond that way.

And as for the reason not to kill those things, they said before that the key to fighting titans is to NOT fight them. The soldiers were bait, just like in the mission where they tried attracting all the titans to the corner of the wall so Eren could move the boulder - they don't want unnecessary casualties. Killing titans, as far as they knew, didn't help their cause, but increases the chance of people dying while doing so.

Keeping the titans at the edge of the forest enhanced their visibility of the titans while leaving no trees for them to use for offence. If they wanted to kill them they would have had to bring them into the forest some more. Reducing visibility meant a higher possibility for a titan to have walked past them undetected, sabotaging the plan.

DarthEnderX

Sun, 08-25-2013, 09:38 PM

They weren't really Aberrants. They were normal guys who responded to the female titan's scream. My understanding is that they all respond that way.Well, they called them aberrants, like, twice. So I'm just taking their word for it.

And as for the reason not to kill those things, they said before that the key to fighting titans is to NOT fight them. The soldiers were bait, just like in the mission where they tried attracting all the titans to the corner of the wall so Eren could move the boulder - they don't want unnecessary casualties. Killing titans, as far as they knew, didn't help their cause, but increases the chance of people dying while doing so.I just, I don't agree, I guess. Seems like free titan kills to me. As long as they continued to ignore them, there was no reason not to be putting them down. Everyone you kill now is still going to be one less to fuck up some other plan in the future.

Buffalobiian

Sun, 08-25-2013, 09:56 PM

Well, they called them aberrants, like, twice. So I'm just taking their word for it.

So all the titans outside that were previously normal just became aberrants? They based that comment on the fact that they didn't act like how the humans expected normal titans would. The key here is that they never knew normal titans had a hard-wired KILL-THE-BOSS command.

I just, I don't agree, I guess. Seems like free titan kills to me. As long as they continued to ignore them, there was no reason not to be putting them down. Everyone you kill now is still going to be one less to fuck up some other plan in the future.

Are you talking about where Erwin told the troops to back off from the Titans who were attacking the female titan? Or how he told the recruits/soldiers to stay at the forest's edge?

If it was the latter, the titans weren't ignoring the soldiers. That's why the soldiers worked as bait.

DarthEnderX

Sun, 08-25-2013, 11:45 PM

So all the titans outside that were previously normal just became aberrants?I don't remember them ever showing that all the titans outside had left. Just that a bunch of titans suddenly ran past them.

I don't think it was clear whether it was the same titans, or a new group showing up.

Are you talking about where Erwin told the troops to back off from the Titans who were attacking the female titan?This, as I assumed this is what Kraco was talking about as well.

You have this big group of titans, completely ignoring the humans while eating the female titan. There's no reason not to use that opportunity to kill all of them, and maybe prevent the female from escaping at the same time.

Kraco

Mon, 08-26-2013, 02:05 AM

they don't want unnecessary casualties. Killing titans, as far as they knew, didn't help their cause, but increases the chance of people dying while doing so.

Allow me to laugh: Hahahahahaa! Which part of this arc exactly gave you an honest feeling of avoiding unnecessary casualties? I'm with Eren all the way through: This was an exceedingly cruel mission where a single objective was attempted to be reached, no matter how high the casualties. The border troops doing nothing but comfortably sitting on their hands was the one and only instance of anything trying to keep the death list shorter. And the operation itself paid the price, rather ironically, because that meant there was a full horde of giants right next to the forest to suddenly run in.

Keeping the titans at the edge of the forest enhanced their visibility of the titans while leaving no trees for them to use for offence. If they wanted to kill them they would have had to bring them into the forest some more. Reducing visibility meant a higher possibility for a titan to have walked past them undetected, sabotaging the plan.

Yeah, that sounds just fine theoretically, but the episode itself doesn't support your claim. We saw clearly enough the edge they were "holding" wasn't always the very last trees. And even if it was, if they had had any interest in the enemy, they could have maneuvered easily back and forth and taken down titans left and right, like the one climbing between two trunks.

There's simply no forgiving the last decision to drop fighting the titans. Not only did it allow the titan controller escape (if he/she was able to escape so easily from the very midst of the titans' attention, the level of danger wasn't much), but it also meant all those people had died for nothing but a couple of scraps of information, nothing more. Erwin is not just a man who can abandon everything, he's a man who can abandon everything and spit on the graves of those he abandoned. And somebody should tell him that.

Tue, 08-27-2013, 06:19 PM

Comparison shots of the show vs the bluray releases.

http://i.imgur.com/WS0zPKU.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ixHrDQI.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/1jYKMrE.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/NSLLKEG.jpg

A lot of the idiotface is gone in these shots, some unfinished shots are done, and Mikasa is no longer wearing lip gloss in training.

shinta|hikari

Tue, 08-27-2013, 07:35 PM

Lip gloss is gone. Perfect.

Buffalobiian

Tue, 08-27-2013, 08:19 PM

Hmm, damn. I've come to like a little bit of lip gloss.

DarthEnderX

Tue, 08-27-2013, 10:43 PM

Me too! Bring it back!

Seriously though, it's cool their making the BRs look better.

Is that a common thing in anime these days? Or is it new?

Buffalobiian

Tue, 08-27-2013, 11:16 PM

Me too! Bring it back!

Seriously though, it's cool their making the BRs look better.

Is that a common thing in anime these days? Or is it new?

I think it's relatively new. My impression is that current industry state meant that more companies are running into such problems more frequently. Some have gotten away with it in the past, so this approach now seems more "acceptable". If you don't make the airing deadline, there's always the BD.

I'm not sure how much of this is intentionally done to drive sales (censoring used to be a thing), or how effective it is in doing so.

shinta|hikari

Tue, 08-27-2013, 11:44 PM

Censoring works as a sales booster because even gag anime parody that trend.

Augury

Wed, 08-28-2013, 12:10 AM

Fixing the light sources really jumps out in the BD versions. I didn't notice it at all when watching, but with the still shots side by side the mistakes are a lot more obvious.

DarthEnderX

Sat, 08-31-2013, 08:19 PM

[HorribleSubs] Shingeki no Kyojin - 21: 1080p (http://www.nyaa.se/?page=download&tid=468588) | 720p (http://www.nyaa.se/?page=download&tid=468586) | 480p (http://www.nyaa.se/?page=download&tid=468581)

---------------------------------------------------------------

*ahem*

SO FUCKING AWESOME!!!

Titan power + Special abilities + obvious veteran combat training = quite frustrating opponent.

Eren is right though, he shouldn't have trusted them twice. He trusted his team the first time, and they failed, the titan got away. The 2nd time, he should have transformed and fought with them.

On the plus side, he's clearly much more lucid this time than he was in previous transformations.

She obviously took him alive, so I'm guessing the titans also want whatever is in Eren's basement.

Buffalobiian

Sun, 09-01-2013, 12:38 AM

I can't stop cheering for Annie. She's killing lots of people, both directly and indirectly (I'm assuming the wall breaches were the doing of her party), but I don't want her to die. The reason may be that I don't see her as a complete monster. She leaves the lives of the people she knows (and cares to some degree about), and her human character wasn't a bitch either. All this leads me to think that she does everything for an unselfish reason. Ever the less, I want to hear her side of the story.

Oh, and she's hot.

I also don't think I'll end up getting a Mikasa nendoroid, but I find this face hilarious. The 3D gear's kinda nice, so who knows..

http://img802.imageshack.us/img802/5059/4pzr.jpg

DarthEnderX

Sun, 09-01-2013, 02:20 AM

The reason may be that I don't see her as a complete monster. She leaves the lives of the people she knows (and cares to some degree about), and her human character wasn't a bitch either.Given that her human character is likely a complete act, and as a titan she's a TOTAL bitch, I'm comfortable assuming she's really a bitch.

All this leads me to think that she does everything for an unselfish reason.Yeah, but I'm sure it's some titan-centric reason.

I've no doubt there's going to be some Shyamalanian twist eventually, but until then, I'm just going to act as though the titans are dicks, and anyone helping them are also dicks.

David75

Sun, 09-01-2013, 02:27 AM

She's way too smart to categorize her I guess.
She has an objective we do not know about and she does what's needed for that.
Her reasons for not killing one or another can have multiple reasons, friendship might be one of those, but I would not use that too much.
She's incredibly gifted in fighting, Titan control, strategy, reflexes, planning. She knows to take huge risks and evades dire situations.
You really can't exactly pinpoint why she makes some choices.

Buff, I guess you like her for all those reasons, and that's why that show got a second boost in interrest. That character is the best to date. No one comes close in any department yet. Levi might be good too, but we've got no sound proof yet, and his party died, so he'd need to be several orders of magnitude more awesome than what we've seen so far to catch up.

Also, a good hero show isn't good because of the hero, but thanks to the villain(s). And for the moment that character is nicely depicted in that role.

MFauli

Sun, 09-01-2013, 03:48 AM

super awesome episode, loved every bit.

the titan vs titan-fight, sooo good. only complain: why did eren stop moving right before annie finished him off? he just stood there, watching what was coming (and what was it that had him so shocked?!). kinda annoying.

i had hoped that at least one of eren´s squad members would (severely wounded) survive the encounter with the female titan, just so there´s someone who can properly report to Levi what really happened. As is, it could be interpreted as Eren losing his mind and going all friendly fire and stuff. though i assume levi is smart enough to figure out what actually happened.

while great to look at, i just dont like mikasa´s super human abilities. it´s simply too much.

one objective complaint for last: so now everyone has enough gas fuel to use their 3d gear for long travels? lol okay ;)

edit: @Buff: Im waiting for a "hotter" Mikasa figurine :P One with more of dat cleavage. :>

Inazuma

Sun, 09-01-2013, 07:42 AM

You see, and that's why SNK ranks so high.
You fall asleep watching railgun, you lose track of HxH, you stay for SxS comedy and boobs but you stay fidel to SnK because shit is going to hit the fan and Mikasa is going to get sexyangry.

Buffalobiian

Sun, 09-01-2013, 07:53 AM

I'd love to see sexy angry, because so far Mikasa gives me the impression that she goes lunatic-angry when something happens to Eren. It transitions from the above pic to something like this:

http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/4397/h66g.jpg

Erwin Smith... now he's a sexy angry. :3

the titan vs titan-fight, sooo good. only complain: why did eren stop moving right before annie finished him off? he just stood there, watching what was coming (and what was it that had him so shocked?!). kinda annoying.

I think he was tired. He trashed around a lot when he tried to hit Annie. She was tired too because she transformed twice and had to heal from the previous attacks. Her own attack must have pushed her really close to her limits.

I just realised why she looks so good as well (besides boobs): she retains her small mouth. Everyone else has crazy-mouth.

David75

Sun, 09-01-2013, 09:22 AM

Now that you mention the small mouth, it really is a distinctive element. And thinking about it, lots of other parts are a lot less deformed compared to other titans we've seen so far.
Should we assume that the more human the transformation, the better that person is at controlling their powers?
Or we could also factor the fact that since it is a female titan and that female has lots of control on transformation, maybe choosing something more elegant was instinctive/obvious/easy so why not?

shinta|hikari

Sun, 09-01-2013, 09:52 AM

I'm thinking that Eren recognized that turning roundhouse kick as something that Annie does, and that made him pause.

Buffalobiian

Sun, 09-01-2013, 10:16 AM

I thought he was just tired from thrashing around so much while Annie dodged them all. She herself was tired because she transformed before already and had to also regenerate from the cuts before.

As for her form, she's got good proportions. She's not centrally obese, doesn't have lanky limbs and doesn't have a stupid smile on ehr face. In fact, none of the the human titans smile like the non-human ones. Eren's "grin" (even though it's just the way his mouth curves upwards) is as close as they get.

It also just occured to me that the other three human titans lack skin (armour titan has his armour.. but it's not skin underneath, right?), while Eren's the only one who doesn't show off his muscles.

DarthEnderX

Sun, 09-01-2013, 12:21 PM

I'm thinking that Eren recognized that turning roundhouse kick as something that Annie does, and that made him pause.Agreed. He probably recognized her moves, and realized who she was.

It also just occured to me that the other three human titans lack skin (armour titan has his armour.. but it's not skin underneath, right?), while Eren's the only one who doesn't show off his muscles.He's probably just not advanced enough yet.

David75

Sun, 09-01-2013, 02:23 PM

Funny, I'd classify more skin as more evolved.
And that leads me to why they want to get Eren's secrets.

It might be that people that can transform into Titan, control that transformation and revert back to their human form are actually a few and it only occurs on a random basis.

Eren might be the first of his kind, given those powers and with a nice and physically fit Titan form.
It's not hard to understand that piercing the secrets behind Eren could help build an army.

On an another note, I remember Commander Pixis saying: "I wouldn't mind being eaten by a giant, if she has a nice ass" or something like that.
I wonder if he knew about other humans with powers like Eren's

Inazuma

Mon, 09-02-2013, 01:45 PM

Also, the last sceen with Mikasa. Anyone can confirm thats its not on the OST, or is if then which track ?

Thanks in advance.

DarthEnderX

Mon, 09-02-2013, 07:13 PM

On an another note, I remember Commander Pixis saying: "I wouldn't mind being eaten by a giant, if she has a nice ass" or something like that.
I wonder if he knew about other humans with powers like Eren'sOr it's just...foreshadowing. Dun dun duuuun!

Penner

Mon, 09-02-2013, 07:54 PM

I haven't seen any episodes of this myself, but literally everywhere i go on the internet people are posting/talking about it... is it really that good?

Mon, 09-02-2013, 08:31 PM

Read my OP for some massive hype and then enjoy some massive budget cuts in what would otherwise have been a pretty smashing show. Download the Blurays maybe?

Kraco

Tue, 09-03-2013, 07:56 AM

David75

Tue, 09-03-2013, 01:03 PM

Is this a comedy series now or something? Why does everybody but the female titan suck so much? Like, how can you miss punching twice somebody you have pinned under you, against the ground?
When watching that scene, my thoughts were:
Ok she's fast and I can't connect anything with impact. I just missed my latest punch when I'm in such a good position. Why would I tried the very same punch twice? When I could try to punch the trachea that should be impossible to miss...

But then, we have to remember Eren does not get a very high level of control. And since he's not that clever to begin with...

Kraco

Tue, 09-03-2013, 02:15 PM

But then, we have to remember Eren does not get a very high level of control. And since he's not that clever to begin with...

Nah, he wasn't a total berserk in this fight, far from it. He had time to stop and purposefully fill himself with hate (even to the point he tragically froze at the end of the fight and lost), plus he did maintain a fighting pose and used some boxing moves.

It made no sense and thus this is comedy.

DarthEnderX

Tue, 09-03-2013, 02:57 PM

Nah, he wasn't a total berserk in this fight, far from it. He had time to stop and purposefully fill himself with hate (even to the point he tragically froze at the end of the fight and lost), plus he did maintain a fighting pose and used some boxing moves.What you have to remember though is...Eren sucks. And Annie is badass.

If they weren't in titan form, I could see the exact same thing happening. Him having her pinned and throwing punches at her and her STILL being able to dodge them.

Hell, not being berserk probably makes Eren fight WORSE because...Eren sucks.

shinta|hikari

Tue, 09-03-2013, 07:09 PM

Eren only sucks relative to Annie and some others in the top 10. He did graduate among the top after all.

Eren however is a dumb ass that always does stupid things when he is angry, so yeah, I can accept his full swing telegraphed smash being dodged twice. Even proper punches made by MMA fighters in the mount position sometimes miss. It just so happens their hands don't explode when they do.

DarthEnderX

Wed, 09-04-2013, 04:41 AM

They kinda would if they weren't wearing gloves.

shinta|hikari

Wed, 09-04-2013, 06:50 AM

At most it would be a fracture. Exploding hands that leave nothing from the wrist when hitting a mat (or even concrete) is fiction.

Eren should have elbowed Annie when he lost his hands, but then again, he is a moron.

Kraco

Wed, 09-04-2013, 09:13 AM

Eren should have elbowed Annie when he lost his hands, but then again, he is a moron.

He should have hit her chest the second time if he's too lousy to hit the head. After the two idiotic misses it seemed to me he's going to bite into Annie's throat, but no, instead he thought he has all the time in the world to wait for his hands to regenerate. A first class idiot if I have ever seen one. If he was among the top ten, it's no wonder humans are losing the war, haha.

Buffalobiian

Wed, 09-04-2013, 10:01 AM

He should have hit her chest the second time if he's too lousy to hit the head. After the two idiotic misses it seemed to me he's going to bite into Annie's throat, but no, instead he thought he has all the time in the world to wait for his hands to regenerate.

That was a pretty rape-y scene with Eren saddling Annie yelling aggressively.. naked titans and all.

MFauli

Wed, 09-04-2013, 01:45 PM

screw you all, i like eren.

MFauli for hot-blooded shounen heroes!

That was a pretty rape-y scene with Eren saddling Annie yelling aggressively.

that´s what made it so hot.

erm.....

:>

DarthEnderX

Wed, 09-04-2013, 02:22 PM

At most it would be a fracture.That's the exploding hands of the MMA world!

MFauli for hot-blooded shounen heroes!I love me some hot-blooded shonen heroes.

Eren isn't a hero. He's a genocidal maniac. He's just too weak to actually be good at it.

shinta|hikari

Wed, 09-04-2013, 07:45 PM

I don't hate Eren though. Calling him the idiot that he is is different from hating him.

Kraco

Thu, 09-05-2013, 01:47 AM

I don't hate Eren though. Calling him the idiot that he is is different from hating him.

Tragically his stock has been diminishing in my eyes ever since he joined the recon troops. Although I have said it before, but it seems to me like he was castrated the moment he joined. Which isn't actually so far from the truth thanks to the fact everybody around him suspected him and accused him of being a traitor simply because of what he is and then proceeded to lecture him about the importance of doing nothing at all no matter how many people are thrown to the wolves around him. So, he turned into a quivering mass of nothingness who didn't anymore even remember a little earlier he had still been swearing to stop at nothing to slay the titans.

I really hope this incident will return him to what he once was. At the very least there will be less people around badmouthing him and holding him back - because there are literally less people remaining after this farce of an operation.