Shingeki no Kyojin
If Aku no Hana is the series that succeeds through experimentation, then Shingeki no Kyoujin is the one that succeeds by squeezing all it can out of convention. Through it's efforts, it achieves the grandiose visual power that most TV anime producers only dream of. In pairing a powerful opening narrative with stellar and smart animation, I think it's only fitting that I give it special treatment similar to Aku no Hana. Through it's promotional materials, it already set a high bar for the episode to jump over; but not only did the jump over it, they pole-vaulted over it in what may become the best thing Araki's directed since his famous adaptation of Death Note all those years ago.
Araki Tetsurou has made a name for himself as an anime director with his boisterous and showy visual style. Starting back in 2006 with Death Note (though he did direct an OVA a year prior); his propensity for wild animation, wild effects, and even wilder camerawork shot him into the limelight, as fans of the manga were positively ecstatic at this marvel of an adaptation. That was followed with action romp Kurozuka, then an arc in grim Aoi Bungaku, and then the fanservice-laden zombie-fest Highschool of the Dead. After that long stint at MADHOUSE, he took on Production I.G.'s ill-received Guilty Crown; which still contained elements of his visual flair, even if they were sterilized by the prolific studio's creative direction. Now, in 2013, he returns to direct another series, but not just with Production I.G. this time. Brand new studio Wit (like, “founded in the summer of 2012” new) heads up the production with I.G. as a partner.
Given Araki's natures as a director, the big concern here is the same one as with Aku no Hana. The only difference? Well, everything. The animation in this episode is glowing. The action scenes on display are breathtakingly vivid and epic. One of the strongest elements of the manga was its sense of momentum, and Araki along with talented animators capture this perfectly. The camera never stays in place or follows the same thing for too long, constantly zipping around the field with its flying subjects. The detail of 3D-Gear used to zip between trees is immaculate, and dynamism of the movements is a true spectacle. Even beyond the action scenes, though clearly not of the same caliber, are still very smart. When the characters move (and trust me, they don't move any less than most anime), it's fluid and really goes the extra mile in terms of detail. However, being a TV anime, those undoubtedly expensive action set pieces do have a trade-off in the form of relatively frequent still shots. Fortunately, they choose great shots to do this with, such as the defeated Recon Corps as they return home. Better still, they make sure to up the quality of those frames, to give it a more dramatic presence.
Based on artistry in this episode, I can tell that Wit is being given a lot of room to flex their young and creative muscles. The series does not look like a Production I.G. anime. In fact, it looks closer to MADHOUSE than it does to the creators of Ghost in the Shell and Eden of the East. The character models have this strong gradient shading. In fact, the lighting on them in general is great, and the eyes have a greater amount of detail to them. That's how I know that Wit's been given a lot to do, because you can see the same kind of visuals in the trailer for their upcoming Hal film. The sheen on the city is glorious, and the use of the eye-catches for the declassified information sections of the manga is genius. Of course, the titans themselves are downright spectacular. They are nothing but the creepiest bastards you'll ever see.
Now, one thing about Araki is that he relies on the source material to be good beforehand, because he typically doesn't change all that much. He's more about making what he's given look good, not so much about retooling it to make the narrative work. Good thing that Shingeki no Kyoujin has no problem with that. This tale of human survival in the face of overwhelming odds kicks things off into high gear from the very beginning, the full weight of Araki's expression driving home humanity's helplessness against the titan onslaught. It showed how quickly their notion of peace was shattered, and ended the episode with one of the single most powerful and moving scenes of a lot of recent anime. Often times with protagonists, you don't always feel their motivation. You understand it, but it doesn't quite hit you in the gut. Here, it hits you so hard that it punches a hole through your chest.
Another thing that I got from the episode here, which is just as crucial a part of the manga's impact, is its lore. One of the source's greatest strengths was how it described the current status of humanity. It put effort into detailing their current society and the world that had been built out of necessity. While not fully there yet, the anime certainly made a promising start. As I mentioned, the eye-catches delivered crucial information to the structure of their world, and that really helped bring me into the setting in the manga. Beyond that, we're already given a look into the citizen's mindset. We see how they view things, and both the logic and the irony of it. We get brief insight to the various corps through Erin's interactions with those he knows. It's little things like that which help flesh out the world and draw the audience into it.
But I don't want to forget the music. The powerful choir projected over booming drums and a dramatic orchestra is a clear sign that Ao no Exorcist's Sawano Hirokyuki is composing the score. Though he's done multiple styles with various shows (Guilty Crown's OST sounds nothing like Sengoku Basara's), Shingeki no Kyoujin's soundtrack very closely resembles that of A-1 Picture's tale of a half-demon. Hell, it's even grander than that score, bringing more emotion to Araki's heavy direction of the fantasy visuals. That's not to say there's no Sengoku Basara influence though, as you will hear guitar riffs playing alongside the orchestra. Even the slower moments feature heavily atmospheric strings. All of this is topped with Linked Horizon's charismatic combination rock, orchestra, and rough vocals in the opening theme.
Shingeki no Kyoujin was the most anticipated show of the season, and it is not hard to see why. Araki delivers what may be his most defining work since his TV anime directorial debut. The animation flows freely with an intense sense of momentum. The visuals are crisp and detailed. The music is epic and powerful. But better than all that, it does the manga all the justice in the world with this premiere, capturing humanity's desperation in a way that only Araki can. Wit was given a grand opportunity here, and they're putting their all into it. The amount of passion put in this adaptation shines through every frame. If you can only watch one anime this season, you would not be wrong in choosing this.
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