Shingeki no Kyojin literally translates to 'Advancing Giants' and they certainly deliver.
Episode 1- To You, 2,000 years in the Future- The Fall of Zhiganshina (1)
This anime is really beautifully drawn and fluidly animated. The action sequences are interesting. Though, it's mostly people fighting or being destroyed by giant monsters called Titans. People live behind a wall to keep the monsters out, though there is a small squad called the Survey Corps that ventures outside.
The free-form zip line, pulley system they have for quick travel and battle is actually pretty damn awesome. The cross sectioned, moving part shot was a little excessive and disorienting, but it only happened once.
Cue what I assume are the main characters, Eren and Mikasa. Children. Oh anime, how unsurprising. Eren seems to hold radical viewpoints about living behind a wall, wishing to join the Survey Corps to explore beyond his little fish bowl and kick some Titans in the nuts. Mikasa, I can only assume is a little older, and seems to be the balancing point to Eren's crazy antics, pulling him out of trouble and talking sense into him. Pretty sure they're not related, but I'm unsure where Mikasa's family falls into all this or if she just lives with Eren's. She was at least having dinner at their house and bringing them firewood.
Eren is super grumpy at Hannes, one of the gate watchers. The entire garrison is pretty much drunk. Who wouldn't be? Nothing ever happens. How else to pass the time?
The Survey team from the beginning of the episode returns home, pretty damn beat up. Mikasa asks Eren if he's still interested in joining the Survey Corps. Of course Eren is. Don't be dumb. When has a little bit of death and dismemberment ever stopped the MC from wanting to go balls to the wall for fame and glory?
Um, here's your son's floppy dismembered arm. Sorry.
After getting in a scuffle with the local grumpy old man, Eren and Mikasa head to Eren's house for dinner. Eren's family is pretty adorbs. His dad is a doctor and has to go off on some fancy sickness curing tour of some of the inner walls (oh yeah, the walls are in layers, like and onion, or an ogre, or a parfait). Of course Mikasa mentions Eren's job aspirations and his mom goes from adorable to shrieking crazy shrew. Eren shrieks back and her and runs off. I LEARNED IT FROM YOU, MOM.
Insert obligatory scene in which the mother implores the best friend to watch out for the main character. There is so much goddamn foreshadowing in this episode, it's getting disgusting.
The kids rescue another little boy from bullies. His name is Armin and he's just a fatalist. "What if the walls fall down right now, you guys?"
Suddenly, a larger Titan appears and smashes a huge hole in the wall. Falling debris crushes several folk as the smaller giants start pouring through the hole.
Since there was not really a scale to where the houses were, we learn that Eren's house is actually close enough to the wall to have succumbed to debris. As he runs back to find his mother, he finds her half crushed and shouting about the need for him to save himself.
Drunk Hannes ends up rescuing the kids, but not until after a little bit of comic relief in the midst of this carnage.
The episode ends with the mother's death, and her blood resembles pretty floating blossoms, until it splats on the ground.
First episode was pretty exciting. Cliffhanger-ed. Yeah, I'm def continuing this series.
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