You never know what goes into an anime … until you dive in head first!
Creative Staff:
Planning & Text: Ryosuke Sakuma & Munehiko Inogaki
Design: Takashi Shimoyama, Saya Takagi, Manami Fukunaga (Red Rooster)
Production: plus Beta
In Collaboration: George Wada, Tetsuya Nakatake, Yuusuke Ueda, Susumi Ootani (WIT STUDIO), Norie Shimizu (Production I.G.), Tetsuya Kinoshita, Yakayuki Konishi (Pony Canyon) & Attack on Titan Committee
Translation: Ko Ransom
What They Say:
Created by Hajime Isayama
The definitive guide to the Attack on Titan anime, just in time for season two!
The creators behind the hit anime tell it all! Colossal-sized and in full color, this official guidebook includes:
• An in-depth interview with Hajime Isayama and director Tetsuro Araki, where a surprise about Eren and Armin is revealed!
• A detailed look at the world of Attack on Titan–from side characters, to weaponry, and even all the Titans
• Exclusive interviews with the unforgettable voice actors, and the musicians behind the iconic theme songs
• Four special-edition postcards you can’t get anywhere else!
Content (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
(This compendium consists of information and interviews restricted to the first season of Attack on Titan.)
Ever since this series was splattered across our screens in the Spring of 2013, we have become infatuated by the nightmares of humanoid abominations plaguing our nightmares thanks to mangaka Hajime Isayama. Set in a world where humanity is forced to live within walled-in cities, one cannot forget the opening scene of a colossal titan ripping through the outer defenses. That was how it all started, beginning of the end of a blissful, if not strained childhood for Eren, his adopted sister Mikasa and their best friend Armin, to watch their world crumble just like the wall which protected the citizens had become useless rumble. But of course the most memorable scene was the image of a mother trapped under rubble, screaming for her children to run as they saw her crumpled form lifted effortlessly and gnashed between gigantic teeth, within a sickening face sporting a disproportionately ominous grin. This was the event which would spell the downfall for mankind unless they found a way to fight back – and these children would have to grow up fast if they wished to fight on the front lines to survive … and for revenge.
We have watched as they suffered the indignities of training camp, learning how to use Omni-Directional Mobility Gear, find the weak spot of the titans and how to kill them, and finally the shocking revelation of Eren’s secret and the truth behind how he would become the key in reclaiming their home. So many friends fell before these titanic foes, beneath their feet, swatted away like annoying gnats or most gruesomely, to be eaten and later regurgitated like so much refuse. This was the horror of war, a one sided battle which some knew they could never win, and yet promising soldiers like Mikasa fought to protect those they cherished, even if Eren never acknowledged his need for help. But it was the persecution of being unique, this boy was an abomination, able to change into the very creatures they despised and still he was willing to endure that hatred to prove he was worth saving and worthy of being their supreme weapon.
It is this story by which we have become enamored, wanting to learn more about this world of giants and the people who strive so valiantly to survive within its crushing realm. Luckily, it is within the bindings of this book called Attack on Titan: The Anime Guide by which we may glean more facts about Shiganshina District, the citizens who live there and insightful interviews from the people behind the animation who breath life into its gripping tale. This tome is packed with so many detailed portrayals of the characters, weapons and sickening facts about the titans that we may once again leap into the majesty of a living nightmare … much to the joy of its creators. But be forewarned, once you enter this world of information, you may never leave unchanged in your need to satisfy a hunger which never wanes, just like the Titans.
In Summary:
When I first picked up this book, I honestly thought this was something put together like a Wikipedia site concerning the popularity of this show. Character design pages outline the bulk of this tome, with each actor seen from various angles, alternative costumes, a small motivational blurb and an occasional sketch from Isayama-sensei seem simple enough and not very interesting; in opposition are the analysis of selected scenes, with an excerpt from the manga, the storyboard and then the actual animated event, showing how it evolves from start to finish. True while they do give some mediocre facts, both are very limited due to the size of the pictures taking up most of the real estate on each page. It is only until you start reading the interviews from the various people behind the scene by which this book becomes something more than a fan based compendium. Through these insights do we accumulate the most information and by which something that is worth buying this collection.
They range from the obscure for Western audiences, being musical artists Revo Kyoji who composed the opening themes and Yoko Hikasa, creator of the closing songs, since they rely on the reader knowing about various concert events and the singers’ background. The most interesting conversations for Titan fans would be all the others concerning the creation of the anime, including: chief animation directors Kyoji Asano and Satoshi Kadowaki, titan designer Takaaki Chiba, action animation directors Yasuyuki Ebara, Arifumi Imai and Yuko Sera, scriptwriter/series structure Yasuko Kobayashi, voice actors Yuki Kaji (Eren), Yui Ishikawa (Mikasa), Marina Inoue (Armin) and Hiroshi Kamiya (Levi) and then we cannot forget series director Tetsuro Araki and mangaka Hajime Isayama. All of these unique perspectives glean insights to which reveal how each contributed to the sight, sound or feel of this amazing series, but the most affirming would be the last with Araki and Isayama, showing how much a struggle it can be to go from manga to screen. It is through their conversation by which we learn what can change and how it makes both medium better for both audience and creators.
Attack on Titan: The Anime Guide at first seems like a shambles of visual information, meaningless pictures from the anime with no real substance when taken out of context. It is only when you dive deeper into the book by which you take away the best conversational tidbits which add to the feast which is this show. If you take the time to read these interviews, it is soon revealed to be well spent and only makes you want to watch the animation again, if not for pleasure, then to see how each perspective reflects upon the show. I for one cannot wait to see how the sequel will open up the next season and show us that this anime is not just mindless slaughter, but a reflection on humanity and its struggle with itself.
Content Grade: A
Art Grade: A+
Packaging Grade: A
Text/Translation Grade: A
Age Rating: Teen
Released By: Kodansha Comics
Release Date: April 18, 2017
MSRP: $19.99
