Attack on Titan (進撃の巨人 Shingeki
no Kyojin, lit. "Advancing Giants")
is a Japanese manga. series written and illustrated by Hajime Isayama. The
series began serialization in Kodansha's Bessatsu
Shōnen Magazine magazine from September, 2009 and is published in North
America by Kodansha Comics USA. A spin-off light novel began release from
December 2011 and has also received a manga adaptation. A television anime
adaptation produced by Wit Studio and Production I.G aired in Japan on MBS
between April and September 2013. A live action film adaptation is also in
production. Four video game adaptations developed by Nitroplus staffers in
collaboration with Production I.G were announced to be released as bonus
content for the third and sixth volumes of the Blu-ray Disc release of the
anime. Another game is being developed by Spike Chunsoft for the Nintendo 3DS.
The manga series has become a
commercial success, selling over 20 million volumes as of mid-2013. The release
of the anime also saw a boost in the series' popularity with several writers
receiving critical acclaim for its atmosphere and story. Although it also
gained fame in neighboring Asian countries, the series's themes have been a
subject of controversy.
Setting
One hundred years prior to the
beginning of the story, giant humanoid creatures called Titans (巨人
Kyojin) have forced humanity to retreat into a system of
concentric walls known as Wall Maria (ウォール・マリア Wōru
Maria, outermost), Wall Rosé (ウォール・ローゼ Wōru Rōze, middle), and Wall Sina (ウォール・シーナ
Wōru Shīna, innermost). Inside these walls, humanity lived in peace
for one hundred years, but a sudden attack by a gigantic sixty-meter Titan and
a smaller Titan covered in armor plates caused the outermost wall to be
breached, forcing mankind to abandon the land between Wall Maria and Wall Rosé,
resulting in turmoil and famine.
Little is known about the Titans;
giant creatures ranging from 3-15 meters tall, which instinctively attack and
devour ordinary humans on sight. However, they apparently do not require meat
as sustenance, as they do not prey on other animals, even with the long absence
of humans, and apparently gain their energy directly from sunlight. They have
hard skin and regenerative abilities, and can only be killed by a deep incision
at the base of the neck. This weakness led to the development of the Vertical
Maneuvering Equipment (立体機動装置 Rittai
Kidō Sōchi), allowing humans to navigate
quickly in a three-dimensional space. Although it premits great mobility to a
skilled user, it carries a large risk of overtaxing the muscles, requiring
extensive physical conditioning and agility.
Plot
The series follows the story of Eren
Yeager, his adopted sister Mikasa Ackerman, and their friend Armin Arlert.
After the outermost Wall is breached by Titans, including the 60-meter tall
skinless Colossus Titan and the abnormally intelligent Armored Titan, and his
mother dying in the resulting destruction, Eren vows revenge against the Titans
and later enlists in the military, accompanied by Mikasa and Armin. Years later
during his first battle against the Titans, Eren discovers that he has the
ability to transform into a Titan at will. Seen as a threat to mankind by some,
and as a ray of hope by others, Eren joins his companions in a desperate fight
to protect what remains of their society while looking for answers to the
mysteries surrounding the Titans, the Walls, and his own existence as well.
Anime
An anime television series
adaptation produced by Wit Studio (a subsidiary of IG Port) aired on MBS
between April 6, 2013 and September 28, 2013, directed by Tetsurō Araki. Both
Funimation and Crunchyroll simulcast the series on their respective websites,
and Funimation intends to release the series on home video in 2014. The anime
has been licensed in the UK by Manga Entertainment. An OVA version of the
"Ilse's Notebook" special chapter from tankōbon
volume 5 was originally scheduled to be released on August 9, 2013, bundled
with the volume 11 limited edition. It has since been postponed to be included
with a limited edition of volume 12 instead.
For the first thirteen episodes, the
opening theme is "Feuerroter Pfeil und Bogen" (紅蓮の弓矢
Guren no Yumiya, lit. "Crimson Bow and Arrow") by Linked Horizon
whilst the ending theme is "Utsukushiki Zankoku na Sekai" (美しき残酷な世界,
lit. "This Beautiful Cruel World") by Yōko Hikasa. For episodes
14-25, the opening theme is "Die Flügel der Freiheit" (自由の翼
Jiyū no Tsubasa, lit. "Wings of Freedom") by Linked Horizon
whilst the ending theme is "great escape" by Cinema Staff. Both
"Feuerroter Pfeil und Bogen" and "Die Flügel der Freiheit"
were released as part of the single "Jiyū e no Shingeki" on July 10,
2013.
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