This review is up to chapter 45.


First of all, if you haven't read Shingeki no Kyojin yet, go do it. I'm not usually this enthusiastic about shounen manga, but SNK has managed to become the exception, simply because it's so damn good. Why? What makes it better than other works in similar genres? Well, my little ones, SNK is so well thought out. Meticulously so. From the plot to the characters, everything has just that extra layer that pushes SNK to become an outstanding piece of writing. There are plot twists often, and boy, can they catch you off guard. All of the characters contribute to the development of the story and each other. I'm picky when meeting characters, and even though this manga has about 1,000,000 of them, it is easy to differentiate and love even the most minor. This is definitely a story that I would buy and read over and over until the pages are worn.

And, well, as for the art.... There are some 'inconsistencies' that kind of annoy me - mainly that they way jaws are drawn from profile makes their faces look like tomato cans - but aside from minor things, it is a refreshing style. Isayama's art doesn't have "copy/paste face" - meaning that the only thing that physically changes from character to character is the eye size -- rather each character has their own specific features. It doesn't sound like that much to ask for, but this is regrettably rare for anime/manga. It's actually quite daring, and I can appreciate a good oasis in the desert of generalized faces.

Overall, this is the kind of manga that makes you think. I've been reading for a long time, but never have I spent so much time going over possibilities and predictions in my head. Not only that, but you genuinely care about what's happening. It's the kind of story that your jaw drops, your eyes widen, and your heart beat wildly with anticipation. And as for the fandom, it has an amazing range of artists, writers, thinkers, and crackifiers, and I enjoy every second of being apart of it.

Simply put, Shingeki no Kyojin is fantastic; a regular 10/10 would bang. I'd recommend it to anyone, even people who don't read manga. Go. Go read it now. Then friend me so we can talk about it into the wee hours of the morning.