Not a fan of the dub for a lot of reasons. I must say, at the end of the series though, the dub crew did well. But I guess, for me, the lesson they should now have learned, in case another anime like AOT comes along, would to be very careful of the choices they make with regards to artistic liberty. Example would be the very opening line of the anime which is the same narration over which Eren watched Carla die: "On that day we knew... Our home was a pen,. Humanity, cattle." This line becomes irrelevant four episodes later, when we learn that it's not about food. Compare to the sub translation, the opening line remained consistent to the theme of the series up to the end...
Oof S1 dub is ROUGH (Not only voice acting wise, they change A LOT of dialogue, they dont even correlate or mean near to the original lines) that even i can say its close to character assassination sometimes, they got a little better in S2. But their work in S3 and S4 are comparable to the sub. I applaud them for that Edit: I would say Eren voice in the dub will always be their weakest link. Even in later season.
trust me this show is extraordinarily subtle, there are so many major clues given in these first 10 eps that relate to the bigger picture which you cant possibly see on first watch but repeat viewers see it staring them straight in the face. the author is a master at storytelling and giving out clues to the bigger puzzle allowing you to predict things if you are the most keen of observers, its extremely rare that first time watchers can pick up on these clues.
Aot being described “as holding your hand” is a first for me😅. The only thing I’ll add to that is how sure are you that you’re being shown what you’re meant to be shown? The dialogue you’ve described sound foreign to me ,from the comments it seems your watching dub so that explains a lot ,some of Jeans lines and Mikasa’s lines are completely different. On Jean not saving his friends, part of it was like you say , freezing up and being scared especially with how likely death is but also it was also gas preservation, they mentioned how everyone was low on gas, some of the guys that got caught didn’t have enough to escape. The Ang dudes name is Connie lol When they were surrounded Eren does mention that the only way they can escape is over the wall and he knows full well how unrealistic it is for them to survive,the best thing they can do is convince the military that he can be of use to humanity, while the scene may have been drawn out a lot of this is happening in seconds. Thanks for the reviews
You said this show was obvious and not subtle, but it was enough so that you missed why Jean's choice was necessary. They couldn't have save anyone since they don't have enough gaz for that. The only chance everyone had was to go directly to hq. Jean took in fact the best deicison in this situation, and saved a lot of lifes, when saving people would have cost everyone's life.
True. Both Eren and Mikasa made the mistake of rushing into battles, which got a lot of their followers killed. Eren's entire squad besides Armin was taken down immediately becouse he didn't think about it strategically. Mikasa hyped everyone up and then left them behind, so that Jean had to step in for her. Neither Jean or Armin would've made that mistake, which tends to get overlooked. Eren and Mikasa lack leadership skills, atleast during this battle. Which Marco also highlights, why Jean would make a great leader.
It's hard to discuss subtly, and give examples of hints without going into spoilers. For me AOT is of one of the best realizations of "mystery box" storytelling, and I think foreshadowing and reveals were masterfully done for the most part. There is plenty of stuff that the shows don't treat you stupid enough to not realize, but there is also a lot of small hints that you may not know even existed
Again, the best part about this is hearing some of your phrases which are said as sort of a joke but are literally the plot of an entire section of the show. And it’s not even the times when you’re actually making predictions
Great reviews! I don’t remember that the sub was that obvious on foreshadowing it’s actually more careful with the wording since it’s directly from the author, I guess the dub tends to simplify the dialogues, direct them and change some and that would affect the original experience that the author has created with his original cast (voice actors) that he supervised them closely, so I strongly recommend you to continue with the sub version if not rewatching it from the beginning
Love the review! I recommend you rewatch episode 9&10 again in Japanese just to hear some really great voice acting especially in episode 10 from armins VA it’d be a shame to miss out on that
Speaking of subtle moments, I would be interested in your interpertation of the dying soldier scene with Levy in the sub. I could never be sure but it always seemed to me like he did not truly mean any of the things he said to the soldier as he was dying, and only said them because he wanted them to be the last words he heard. The main reason I say this is because his demeanor seemed totally different than usual, and he reverted immediately from it once told the soldier was dead. That is only present in the subbed version though. That flower scene was a mistranslation, one of the many instances they, for some reason, decided to totally alter the meaning of words. He never says the flowers were not there before, he just notes that they survived within the titan enclosure. I never saw a problem with that scene and there are many subtle scenes in the show that you can try to piece together before they are fully explained, if ever. I would suggest going back and watching certain scenes that you have already seen in their original form in sub, especially notable ones and ones you found confusing or off. It may reshape your perception on their meaning or propriety.
Slight spoiler about Levi: He starts by saying that he hates getting his hands dirty. As we know later, Levi is very fastidious. Yet when his soldier is laying there with his hand covered in blood. Levi gets on his knees and graps his hand without hesitation. While his demeanor changes after the soldier is dead, we do learn later on in the show that he cares deeply for his fallen comrades. There's many scenes where he thinks back on them and says he'll make their sacrefices worth it. Gotta remember Levi isn't very expressive due to his upbringing. Though his actions speak for themselves.
@@beastvicious8672 I have seen most of the show, I know what Levi is like. The reason I think he was putting on an act is that his change in demeanor was so abrupt and out of character to what he usually says and acts like that it just seemed it was not fully sincere. This is not inconsistent with his caring for the fallen soldier, it is the opposite. the reason I think he did it was to have that soldier hear what he would have wanted to hear in his final moments. Because he is not very expressive he had to force himself to be for that brief time until the soldier died. (Dont read the following if you have not seen the entire first season) Remember the incident with the badge. He did a similar thing. He lied to a soldier about whom the badge belonged to to acheive a certain effect.
Episode 6 - i hate most flashbacks in most stories because i just want to keep the momentum going. I was prepared to be bored. Then these two kids turn out to be completely fucking mental
if you are a first time viewer of aot then prepare for more backstories on characters throughout as a way to deep dive into the characters and why they are the way they are. aot treats flashbacks/backstories better then any show ive ever seen
FMA, you don't seem to realize that many people, even reactors, don't immediately think that it's an Eren titan. It's crazy actually but most people don't jump to the conclusion that the titans come from humans, so it's not obvious that Eren *can* become a titan.
To be fair there are a lot of hidden foreshadowing but you notice much later. In the case of Mikasa I like her character more in the manga, not in this part but in next seasons that they cut or change her dialogues. Also there are some OVAs (special episodes) that you can watch after season 1 and others after season 2.
Aot has the most subtle clues strewn through the anime, you just can’t notice them because it’s your first watch, e.g the whole opening is a foreshadowing
Sleight of hand is used quite a bit in the earlier seasons .Without spoiling , language is very important in this series pay close attention to the actual words and phrases being used(don't know how much the Dub affects that tho). Also, don't assume a character thoughts and feelings for a situation just because the story is currently framing it a certain way. There are plenty of videos you can watch after the series is done 😊
Not that anyone should hold it against you. I remember being on Tumblr when season 1 aired, and EVERYONE was memeing about this "dumb' show about an idiot screaming about killing titans. The show definitely uses heavy handedness on purpose and tricks you when think your clever and think you spotted a clue , I know I did😅
There is the plot (like eren returning and things like that, that yes its on the nose, even more in dub) and THE PLOT (things that are imposible to notice until you advance on the story), so when people tell you that you are wrong for calling it "not subtle", they are pretty much refering to THE PLOT (its imposible for you to see, its like reading the "the house of the undying" chapter in ASOIAF and predicting the red wedding)... so dont worry, its just because there are two plots happening at the same time, and one of them its not for you to see until later.
I havent watched the dub so cant comment on it but Armin's speech in episode 10(sub) is very good. There is also an acknowledgement from the other 2 that he never realized they had for him. A realization that he is not as useless as he thinks. Its such an important piece for him and his character imo.
One of the scenes that I love from the manga that's cut from the anime is in the begining when Mikasa tells Eren "Fighting is not the only way to save humanity" and goes to talk about the importance of fields such as food production, farmers etc. It really informs of her seld sustained life in the mountains with her parents. Her aversion to being a soldier, something she now has to work with to protect Eren. Also Your complaint with subtlety is also my complaint with the anime but with certain of my favourite characters like Mikasa. Mikasa is a very subtly written character from the start with little internal monologues and more symbolism. But the anime really cuts a lot of it in a laspe of judgment in favour of high emotion action. For eg. Her loyalty to eren is a significant part of her character as is obvious now and an important interesting part of the story but the anime focuses on that and even adds repetitive scenes pertaining to that while cutting a lot of the other subtle character stuff. So would be great to read the manga after anime.
Certain things could've been a bit more subtle but there's so many subtle things in the show that almost no one picks up on. Let's take first episode when we're introduced to Armin. He gets beat down and when Eren reaches his hand out to help Armin up. Armin refuses to take Eren's hand and says he can get up on his own. This may not seem like much at first but it did show how Armin felt in this moment. Which plays into the episodes you've just watched, where Armin hates himself for always needing to be rescued by others. In a regular show he'd just take Eren's hand and that'd be it. There's also the scene with Eren's mom. At first she tells them to leave her behind and is ready to sacrefice herself. But when Hannes takes them away, reality sets in for her. She then holds her hand in front of her mouth and says "please don't go". Showing how scared and desperate she is, that she actually doesn't wanna die alone. Again, a normal series would've just let her be happy to see them get away. Another one is that we know titans steam a lot when they get injured. If you look in episode 3, after Eren hits his head. There's steam evaporating over him while he's sitting at the table. Once again a little hint to his titan ability. At first you think it's just becouse it's anime but there's an actual reason behind it. I could mention much more but my point is there's so much subtelty in the series that you can't possible get on your first watch. Though if you look out for these things, you'll appreaciate it much more.
Yeah she still doesn't even know what the heck is happening, The show is not subtle but when you finish the show and rewatch you'd see things completely different
In response to the first criticism you had in regards to being too on the nose about what you should pay attention, I would say this show actually uses that as sort of a subversion later on in the show, so it is kind of intentional, especially when the little details that are the true foreshadowing get lampshaded by something else more bombastic. Just my two cents
The stuff she brought up right at the start are all very heavy Anime troupes, which I personally believe AoT is really light on compared just about every other anime I've seen
The show is subtle and you'll probably miss a lot of foreshadowing along the way and only really find out when it's revealed in the show or by someone else. Be interesting to see you revisit this opinion after you've finished the show. Also, biggest advise...watch in sub..
I actually firmly disagree with your comment on subtlety and i think its one of the shows strengths. I can't really explain why without spoiling though.:) Also some of your frustration is because of the dub..which is way more overt in some of its language. Ex(flower scene)
If homegirl thinks she caught on to ALL the INSANE foreshadowing in this anime - to the point that she feels there's too much hand-holding, she needs to work for the CIA
(As a big fan of the series) Attack on Titan is the opposite of subtle: for themes especially, some phrases and symbols will be drilled into you ad nauseam. Rewatchability value, however, is still high IMHO -- in a way, the non-subtlety plays out as a magician's trick; many things that are very much shown and that are not explicitly pointed to that you will understand only in hindsight. Inner monologues are a big thing here and IMHO that has to do with the "true genre" of the story. It poses as zombie/survival horror, but is that it, really? (Open question because, while IMHO it's evident from the very start -- although more in the manga than in the anime --, saying it could color your reading too much and spoil things). Armin fan from the very start, here, so I think that even on first watch I was more drawn to his arc, but episode 6 has a lot, a lot of things to say, and it's a great episode overall, so I get your point. I hope you will have fun with the switch to the sub.
So, I know a lot of people are telling you to watch it subbed and by all means I say go for it! See which one you enjoy more and go from there. However, I will say one of the things I enjoy from these reviews is you making fun of the dub lines or in this video even calling out specific actors you recognize, so I’ll miss that. If you do enjoy the sub and watch the rest of the anime that way, I would still recommend looking up some of the most iconic scenes with the dub, since they dub actors really put their all in it and you can see that effort appreciated in the comments. Either way, really enjoying this series so far and I’m looking forward to more of your thoughts 😁
The hottest of hot takes: I was shocked and pleasantly surprised when I thought Eren had died. I was excited to see Armin and Mikasa step up and be our main characters and then nope, Eren is not only alive but also can turn into a titan? Yuck! 🤮 A similar and even hotter take: when I thought Frodo was killed by the giant spider at the end of Two Towers and that Sam was gonna step up and be the hero I was so excited and then nope, Frodo is not dead just captured. The rest of the show is good to great (though I did eventually stop caring when the final season became like 3 parts) I want to see a version of the show where Eren dies and it remains grounded and survivalist the whole time.
23:16 super late, but you confusing “Annie” for “Gabby” (unless I misheard) and saying the voice is Fiona Frost (English dub, not sub) is the funniest piece of unintentional comedy I have seen on this channel and I can’t even explain the reason why until much later in the show
Ep 6 is my personal favourite in s1 as well just because it means so much to our main characters and their bond! Talking about it being not subtle enough I’d say I felt like that too at first but each season makes you see it all in different light so don’t worry about that… very long monologues would stay but would get better… and pacing def gets better.. s1 is the weakest for sure but next seasons make it so much better
This show is not subtle for you ? What it will be in next episodes, when you'll see that you were manipulated to believe that since the begenning. This show is one of the most subtle anime and fictions in general. They create obvious things, but for others things, no one noticed. It's even too much subtle for its own good, since a lot of people missed a lot of things during the show. I would think there are things too much obvious and things too much subtle. In some ways, it went in both extreme.
If you've seen enough shounen anime, AOT is definitely subverting expectations. It's fine without knowing it, but things like people fresh out of the academy scared shitless and freezing up is welcomed change
Not true. I've seen people say it has "bad pacing" and whenever i ask what specifically they're refering to. Either they don't have an answer, or they're picking moments that're essential for the characters and themes of the story. If it was up to them, it should just be action 24/7. Slow pacing doesn't equal bad pacing. Armin's development, Eren's questions about his powers and the people's reaction to it and their questions do matter quite a lot. You may not be interested becouse you just want action but people who want a coherent and somewhat realistic story, this adds a lot of depth. Also really, weak subtelty? The only people i hear saying this, they don't see any of the details in the show. Then complain there is no subtlety when it's pretty much everywhere. Let's take the scene where Eren's titan just saves Mikasa. When Armin reaches her, he gives her his entire gas tank so she can survive. Then he wants to keep his blade to commit suicide, in case a titan is gonna eat him. Mikasa knows what he's thinking and throws the blade away, saying he doesn't need it. Implying she wont let him commit suicide. The amount of people i've seen ask "Armin how're you gonna kill titans with a broken blade" or "Mikasa why throw that away, now Armin can't kill the titans like he wanted, poor Armin". The show completely goes over their heads and then they say there's no subltelty becouse they don't understand moments like this. And the show is littered with things like this almost every episode.
@beastvicious8672 I actually think the pacing of the show is bad when it does not stop action. I don't care too much for action and while it's exciting to start with when it goes on for episodes at a time I find it tedious. The character moments are where the show shines the most (and the twists and turns). In particular, I think the second part of season 1 has a lot of pacing issues and a certain arc in particular goes on for far too long. While it does have subtly in terms of the character moments (like i said character work is where the show shines), overall, I found for me that it hits you over the head with the themes it's exploring and what it wants the audience to feel. But that's just my opinion. Everyone's got one, and what works for one person might not work for others.
Please watch it in sub. The dub is very weak compared to the sub. Aot probably has the weakest dub of any anime
Good to know! I think I’ll try the sub for the next week; I hadn’t had the chance to look at that advice before watching this chunk 👍🏻
The difference in tone in AOT between sub and English dub is like the difference between the original German vs English dub for the show 'Dark'.
Not a fan of the dub for a lot of reasons. I must say, at the end of the series though, the dub crew did well. But I guess, for me, the lesson they should now have learned, in case another anime like AOT comes along, would to be very careful of the choices they make with regards to artistic liberty.
Example would be the very opening line of the anime which is the same narration over which Eren watched Carla die:
"On that day we knew... Our home was a pen,. Humanity, cattle."
This line becomes irrelevant four episodes later, when we learn that it's not about food. Compare to the sub translation, the opening line remained consistent to the theme of the series up to the end...
Oof S1 dub is ROUGH (Not only voice acting wise, they change A LOT of dialogue, they dont even correlate or mean near to the original lines) that even i can say its close to character assassination sometimes, they got a little better in S2. But their work in S3 and S4 are comparable to the sub. I applaud them for that
Edit: I would say Eren voice in the dub will always be their weakest link. Even in later season.
@@mustofaakmal7493for sure
Bro all of her frustrations are boiling down to the English dub changing lines, good to know.
trust me this show is extraordinarily subtle, there are so many major clues given in these first 10 eps that relate to the bigger picture which you cant possibly see on first watch but repeat viewers see it staring them straight in the face. the author is a master at storytelling and giving out clues to the bigger puzzle allowing you to predict things if you are the most keen of observers, its extremely rare that first time watchers can pick up on these clues.
She didn’t realize how many subtle clues she missed. Of course you’re only gonna notice the overt stuff if you miss the subtle things.
Aot being described “as holding your hand” is a first for me😅. The only thing I’ll add to that is how sure are you that you’re being shown what you’re meant to be shown? The dialogue you’ve described sound foreign to me ,from the comments it seems your watching dub so that explains a lot ,some of Jeans lines and Mikasa’s lines are completely different.
On Jean not saving his friends, part of it was like you say , freezing up and being scared especially with how likely death is but also it was also gas preservation, they mentioned how everyone was low on gas, some of the guys that got caught didn’t have enough to escape.
The Ang dudes name is Connie lol
When they were surrounded Eren does mention that the only way they can escape is over the wall and he knows full well how unrealistic it is for them to survive,the best thing they can do is convince the military that he can be of use to humanity, while the scene may have been drawn out a lot of this is happening in seconds. Thanks for the reviews
You said this show was obvious and not subtle, but it was enough so that you missed why Jean's choice was necessary. They couldn't have save anyone since they don't have enough gaz for that. The only chance everyone had was to go directly to hq. Jean took in fact the best deicison in this situation, and saved a lot of lifes, when saving people would have cost everyone's life.
True. Both Eren and Mikasa made the mistake of rushing into battles, which got a lot of their followers killed. Eren's entire squad besides Armin was taken down immediately becouse he didn't think about it strategically. Mikasa hyped everyone up and then left them behind, so that Jean had to step in for her. Neither Jean or Armin would've made that mistake, which tends to get overlooked. Eren and Mikasa lack leadership skills, atleast during this battle. Which Marco also highlights, why Jean would make a great leader.
It's hard to discuss subtly, and give examples of hints without going into spoilers. For me AOT is of one of the best realizations of "mystery box" storytelling, and I think foreshadowing and reveals were masterfully done for the most part. There is plenty of stuff that the shows don't treat you stupid enough to not realize, but there is also a lot of small hints that you may not know even existed
Again, the best part about this is hearing some of your phrases which are said as sort of a joke but are literally the plot of an entire section of the show. And it’s not even the times when you’re actually making predictions
Great reviews!
I don’t remember that the sub was that obvious on foreshadowing it’s actually more careful with the wording since it’s directly from the author, I guess the dub tends to simplify the dialogues, direct them and change some and that would affect the original experience that the author has created with his original cast (voice actors) that he supervised them closely, so I strongly recommend you to continue with the sub version if not rewatching it from the beginning
Love the review! I recommend you rewatch episode 9&10 again in Japanese just to hear some really great voice acting especially in episode 10 from armins VA it’d be a shame to miss out on that
Speaking of subtle moments, I would be interested in your interpertation of the dying soldier scene with Levy in the sub. I could never be sure but it always seemed to me like he did not truly mean any of the things he said to the soldier as he was dying, and only said them because he wanted them to be the last words he heard. The main reason I say this is because his demeanor seemed totally different than usual, and he reverted immediately from it once told the soldier was dead. That is only present in the subbed version though.
That flower scene was a mistranslation, one of the many instances they, for some reason, decided to totally alter the meaning of words. He never says the flowers were not there before, he just notes that they survived within the titan enclosure. I never saw a problem with that scene and there are many subtle scenes in the show that you can try to piece together before they are fully explained, if ever.
I would suggest going back and watching certain scenes that you have already seen in their original form in sub, especially notable ones and ones you found confusing or off. It may reshape your perception on their meaning or propriety.
Slight spoiler about Levi:
He starts by saying that he hates getting his hands dirty. As we know later, Levi is very fastidious. Yet when his soldier is laying there with his hand covered in blood. Levi gets on his knees and graps his hand without hesitation. While his demeanor changes after the soldier is dead, we do learn later on in the show that he cares deeply for his fallen comrades. There's many scenes where he thinks back on them and says he'll make their sacrefices worth it. Gotta remember Levi isn't very expressive due to his upbringing. Though his actions speak for themselves.
@@beastvicious8672 I have seen most of the show, I know what Levi is like. The reason I think he was putting on an act is that his change in demeanor was so abrupt and out of character to what he usually says and acts like that it just seemed it was not fully sincere.
This is not inconsistent with his caring for the fallen soldier, it is the opposite. the reason I think he did it was to have that soldier hear what he would have wanted to hear in his final moments. Because he is not very expressive he had to force himself to be for that brief time until the soldier died.
(Dont read the following if you have not seen the entire first season)
Remember the incident with the badge. He did a similar thing. He lied to a soldier about whom the badge belonged to to acheive a certain effect.
Episode 6 - i hate most flashbacks in most stories because i just want to keep the momentum going. I was prepared to be bored. Then these two kids turn out to be completely fucking mental
if you are a first time viewer of aot then prepare for more backstories on characters throughout as a way to deep dive into the characters and why they are the way they are. aot treats flashbacks/backstories better then any show ive ever seen
FMA, you don't seem to realize that many people, even reactors, don't immediately think that it's an Eren titan. It's crazy actually but most people don't jump to the conclusion that the titans come from humans, so it's not obvious that Eren *can* become a titan.
To be fair there are a lot of hidden foreshadowing but you notice much later. In the case of Mikasa I like her character more in the manga, not in this part but in next seasons that they cut or change her dialogues. Also there are some OVAs (special episodes) that you can watch after season 1 and others after season 2.
Aot has the most subtle clues strewn through the anime, you just can’t notice them because it’s your first watch, e.g the whole opening is a foreshadowing
Mikasa's red scarf = Engagement ring.
Sleight of hand is used quite a bit in the earlier seasons .Without spoiling , language is very important in this series pay close attention to the actual words and phrases being used(don't know how much the Dub affects that tho). Also, don't assume a character thoughts and feelings for a situation just because the story is currently framing it a certain way. There are plenty of videos you can watch after the series is done 😊
Not that anyone should hold it against you. I remember being on Tumblr when season 1 aired, and EVERYONE was memeing about this "dumb' show about an idiot screaming about killing titans. The show definitely uses heavy handedness on purpose and tricks you when think your clever and think you spotted a clue , I know I did😅
There is the plot (like eren returning and things like that, that yes its on the nose, even more in dub) and THE PLOT (things that are imposible to notice until you advance on the story), so when people tell you that you are wrong for calling it "not subtle", they are pretty much refering to THE PLOT (its imposible for you to see, its like reading the "the house of the undying" chapter in ASOIAF and predicting the red wedding)... so dont worry, its just because there are two plots happening at the same time, and one of them its not for you to see until later.
I havent watched the dub so cant comment on it but Armin's speech in episode 10(sub) is very good. There is also an acknowledgement from the other 2 that he never realized they had for him. A realization that he is not as useless as he thinks. Its such an important piece for him and his character imo.
One of the scenes that I love from the manga that's cut from the anime is in the begining when Mikasa tells Eren "Fighting is not the only way to save humanity" and goes to talk about the importance of fields such as food production, farmers etc. It really informs of her seld sustained life in the mountains with her parents. Her aversion to being a soldier, something she now has to work with to protect Eren.
Also Your complaint with subtlety is also my complaint with the anime but with certain of my favourite characters like Mikasa. Mikasa is a very subtly written character from the start with little internal monologues and more symbolism. But the anime really cuts a lot of it in a laspe of judgment in favour of high emotion action. For eg. Her loyalty to eren is a significant part of her character as is obvious now and an important interesting part of the story but the anime focuses on that and even adds repetitive scenes pertaining to that while cutting a lot of the other subtle character stuff. So would be great to read the manga after anime.
Certain things could've been a bit more subtle but there's so many subtle things in the show that almost no one picks up on. Let's take first episode when we're introduced to Armin. He gets beat down and when Eren reaches his hand out to help Armin up. Armin refuses to take Eren's hand and says he can get up on his own. This may not seem like much at first but it did show how Armin felt in this moment. Which plays into the episodes you've just watched, where Armin hates himself for always needing to be rescued by others. In a regular show he'd just take Eren's hand and that'd be it.
There's also the scene with Eren's mom. At first she tells them to leave her behind and is ready to sacrefice herself. But when Hannes takes them away, reality sets in for her. She then holds her hand in front of her mouth and says "please don't go". Showing how scared and desperate she is, that she actually doesn't wanna die alone. Again, a normal series would've just let her be happy to see them get away.
Another one is that we know titans steam a lot when they get injured. If you look in episode 3, after Eren hits his head. There's steam evaporating over him while he's sitting at the table. Once again a little hint to his titan ability. At first you think it's just becouse it's anime but there's an actual reason behind it.
I could mention much more but my point is there's so much subtelty in the series that you can't possible get on your first watch. Though if you look out for these things, you'll appreaciate it much more.
Yeah she still doesn't even know what the heck is happening, The show is not subtle but when you finish the show and rewatch you'd see things completely different
In response to the first criticism you had in regards to being too on the nose about what you should pay attention, I would say this show actually uses that as sort of a subversion later on in the show, so it is kind of intentional, especially when the little details that are the true foreshadowing get lampshaded by something else more bombastic. Just my two cents
I had to run to the comments when you said it wasnt subtle and is "holding your hand" 😅
The stuff she brought up right at the start are all very heavy Anime troupes, which I personally believe AoT is really light on compared just about every other anime I've seen
The show is subtle and you'll probably miss a lot of foreshadowing along the way and only really find out when it's revealed in the show or by someone else. Be interesting to see you revisit this opinion after you've finished the show. Also, biggest advise...watch in sub..
I actually firmly disagree with your comment on subtlety and i think its one of the shows strengths. I can't really explain why without spoiling though.:) Also some of your frustration is because of the dub..which is way more overt in some of its language. Ex(flower scene)
If homegirl thinks she caught on to ALL the INSANE foreshadowing in this anime - to the point that she feels there's too much hand-holding, she needs to work for the CIA
(As a big fan of the series) Attack on Titan is the opposite of subtle: for themes especially, some phrases and symbols will be drilled into you ad nauseam. Rewatchability value, however, is still high IMHO -- in a way, the non-subtlety plays out as a magician's trick; many things that are very much shown and that are not explicitly pointed to that you will understand only in hindsight.
Inner monologues are a big thing here and IMHO that has to do with the "true genre" of the story. It poses as zombie/survival horror, but is that it, really? (Open question because, while IMHO it's evident from the very start -- although more in the manga than in the anime --, saying it could color your reading too much and spoil things).
Armin fan from the very start, here, so I think that even on first watch I was more drawn to his arc, but episode 6 has a lot, a lot of things to say, and it's a great episode overall, so I get your point. I hope you will have fun with the switch to the sub.
Eren being the titan was a total shock to me, it's funny how you got it right away and are complaining that it was obvious. I feel dumb lol😅
You’re fine, I think most people didn’t at the time
So, I know a lot of people are telling you to watch it subbed and by all means I say go for it! See which one you enjoy more and go from there. However, I will say one of the things I enjoy from these reviews is you making fun of the dub lines or in this video even calling out specific actors you recognize, so I’ll miss that. If you do enjoy the sub and watch the rest of the anime that way, I would still recommend looking up some of the most iconic scenes with the dub, since they dub actors really put their all in it and you can see that effort appreciated in the comments.
Either way, really enjoying this series so far and I’m looking forward to more of your thoughts 😁
The Mikasa "I felt something" line being kinda cringe is totally the dub's fault in my opinion. You should probably check that scene with subs
man I wanna watch AoT for the fist time soo much.
The hottest of hot takes: I was shocked and pleasantly surprised when I thought Eren had died. I was excited to see Armin and Mikasa step up and be our main characters and then nope, Eren is not only alive but also can turn into a titan? Yuck! 🤮 A similar and even hotter take: when I thought Frodo was killed by the giant spider at the end of Two Towers and that Sam was gonna step up and be the hero I was so excited and then nope, Frodo is not dead just captured.
The rest of the show is good to great (though I did eventually stop caring when the final season became like 3 parts) I want to see a version of the show where Eren dies and it remains grounded and survivalist the whole time.
I watch movies/shows dumb. I didn't know titan eren was Eren until I saw him transform. lol
23:16 super late, but you confusing “Annie” for “Gabby” (unless I misheard) and saying the voice is Fiona Frost (English dub, not sub) is the funniest piece of unintentional comedy I have seen on this channel and I can’t even explain the reason why until much later in the show
Ep 6 is my personal favourite in s1 as well just because it means so much to our main characters and their bond! Talking about it being not subtle enough I’d say I felt like that too at first but each season makes you see it all in different light so don’t worry about that… very long monologues would stay but would get better… and pacing def gets better.. s1 is the weakest for sure but next seasons make it so much better
*Please please please* put episode numbers in the titles... youtube doesn't know how to suggest your videos in order. It's *very* annoying.
she would really feel something if its eren she cant help it and people wont explain it because spoiler
and its not power of love
This show is not subtle for you ? What it will be in next episodes, when you'll see that you were manipulated to believe that since the begenning. This show is one of the most subtle anime and fictions in general. They create obvious things, but for others things, no one noticed. It's even too much subtle for its own good, since a lot of people missed a lot of things during the show. I would think there are things too much obvious and things too much subtle. In some ways, it went in both extreme.
The dubbed version really makes you feel like a dumb person from how on the nose the dialogue change is.
Mmm but yeah, episodes 9-12 are sooooo dragged out and slow, definitely the hardest part of the series to sit through
If you've seen enough shounen anime, AOT is definitely subverting expectations. It's fine without knowing it, but things like people fresh out of the academy scared shitless and freezing up is welcomed change
I love this show, but pacing and subtly are not its strong points.
I’ll keep that in mind! Good to know that a fan feels the way too, as it makes me predict the things it does do well will outshine those elements 😊
Not true. I've seen people say it has "bad pacing" and whenever i ask what specifically they're refering to. Either they don't have an answer, or they're picking moments that're essential for the characters and themes of the story. If it was up to them, it should just be action 24/7. Slow pacing doesn't equal bad pacing. Armin's development, Eren's questions about his powers and the people's reaction to it and their questions do matter quite a lot. You may not be interested becouse you just want action but people who want a coherent and somewhat realistic story, this adds a lot of depth.
Also really, weak subtelty? The only people i hear saying this, they don't see any of the details in the show. Then complain there is no subtlety when it's pretty much everywhere. Let's take the scene where Eren's titan just saves Mikasa. When Armin reaches her, he gives her his entire gas tank so she can survive. Then he wants to keep his blade to commit suicide, in case a titan is gonna eat him. Mikasa knows what he's thinking and throws the blade away, saying he doesn't need it. Implying she wont let him commit suicide. The amount of people i've seen ask "Armin how're you gonna kill titans with a broken blade" or "Mikasa why throw that away, now Armin can't kill the titans like he wanted, poor Armin". The show completely goes over their heads and then they say there's no subltelty becouse they don't understand moments like this. And the show is littered with things like this almost every episode.
@beastvicious8672 I actually think the pacing of the show is bad when it does not stop action. I don't care too much for action and while it's exciting to start with when it goes on for episodes at a time I find it tedious. The character moments are where the show shines the most (and the twists and turns). In particular, I think the second part of season 1 has a lot of pacing issues and a certain arc in particular goes on for far too long.
While it does have subtly in terms of the character moments (like i said character work is where the show shines), overall, I found for me that it hits you over the head with the themes it's exploring and what it wants the audience to feel.
But that's just my opinion. Everyone's got one, and what works for one person might not work for others.
@@megan397I completely disagree, I guess it's a matter of preference too