I was looking for a thread dedicated to this manga and didn't find one, so time to create one, clearly!
Shingeki no Kyojin (進撃の巨人)
Mangaka: Hajime Isayama
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Originally Posted by Story Synopsis
Several hundred years ago, humans were nearly exterminated by giants. Giants are typically several stories tall, seem to have no intelligence, devour human beings and, worst of all, seem to do it for the pleasure rather than as a food source. A small percentage of humanity survived by walling themselves in a city protected by extremely high walls, even taller than the biggest of giants.
Flash forward to the present and the city has not seen a giant in over 100 years. Teenage boy Elen and his foster sister Mikasa witness something horrific as the city walls are destroyed by a super giant that appears out of thin air. As the smaller giants flood the city, the two kids watch in horror as their mother is eaten alive. Elen vows that he will murder every single giant and take revenge for all of mankind.
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Synopsis taken from Manga Updates.
A friend recommended this to me a few days ago and upon checking it had gotten 7th place in
Manga Taisho, I finally decided to give it a go. Read the nine avaible scanlated chapters and I'm
really liking it. It's a shounen action manga, but it sets itself apart because of its unique setting and the overall more explicit approach to violence. The action is also pretty good, it's got a nice flow to it, and the machines they use to combat the giants are actually quite neat. Well thought out, and explained in detail to the reader in order for them to figure out exactly what sort of stunts the characters can (and will) pull off.
The weakest point so far has been the art, it's got a somewhat rough style that fits the giants very well since they are supposed to be ugly creatures that just vaguely resemble humans, but when applied to the actual humans it doesn't work as well as one would expect. Still, it's a minor nitpick, because the story so far's proving to be interesting, and the main characters are quite well written. In particular Mikasa, who's the star of the show. There's a clear lack of badass women right now, in particular those who just never really take the time to be whiny and sulk over the terrible things that have happened to her. Always looking forward and fighting with her own hands in order to assure a future to those who are precious to her and herself.
The title seems to be getting quite popular, and the fact it managed to get 7th place on "Manga Taisho" and actually winning "Kono Manga ga Sugoi!" in 2011. Funnily enough, the mangaka first took this to JUMP in order to get serialized, but he was told that the manga wasn't in line with the stuff JUMP usually published and was told to changed it around. Since he didn't feel like it, he took it to Magazine and that's where it's been running ever since, Bessatsu Shounen Magazine. Tough luck for Jump, I suppose? Then again if it isn't what they're used to publishing there's no helping it, hah.
That said, anyone reading it? Did it pick your interest? If so, then check it out, by all means. If you're a fan of shounen action manga which don't focus on the whole "powerlevel" progression method, this should be right up your alley. It might be a bit gore-y at times, but it's definitly something that adds up to the experience.
Looking forward to reading some people's impressions in order for us to setup some discussions about it in the future!
