Attack on Titan Omnibus 2 (Vol. 4-6)

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I don’t know what he is either but we have to give our lives for him with as much bravery as we can muster! Pitiful, isn’t it? That this is the only thing we humans can do. We’re probably going to die like insignificant worms, for something we have no guarantee will pay off. So, what will you do? This is the battle we can fight. This is the struggle we can undertake. […] I can’t go along with that. I’ll follow the plan. I think what you’re saying is right. But while I struggle, I’ll teach them how terrible human beings can be. Because I refuse to die a dog’s death.” Is there anything better than a good political thriller with awesome action scenes, deep character exploration, detailed worldbuilding, and some very interesting thematic and moral explorations? For me, the answer is no. So, this arc is exactly all that I love and more.

Volume 1 = The short time with the 104th before Trost is this volume biggest weakness. However, I do enjoy the set up for Trost. The Colossus titan create some good mystery and is the main cause for the entire arc. Another part I like is the brief clash with Eren Squad with the titans. How even with their training they are massacred within seconds of encountering the titans. The manga builds up some hope before crushing it immediately. Eren being eaten leaving Armin as the lone survival with Mikasa looking off into the distance. On a positive note, I'm glad I dove in with an omnibus, including 3 volumes (and 13 episodes). Frankly, if I hadn't have had the opportunity to cover so much ground ... if I'd just read a few individual issues, I probably would have abandoned it relatively early on. Yes, we might still be far away from any sort of resolution or concrete explanations, but the continued development, character-wise as well as plot-wise, makes the experience all the things that I love the most.Having so many personalities in such a complicated world already makes it feel real and raw. Which at the same time enriches the experience of the overall story and helps really take you in and transport you to the feelings and sensations of the moment. Small thing about the titans: They are a big threat at the moment, however as most series go on, they are gradually replaced by far more serious threats. But what makes them so dangerous in my opinion is their crazy and erratic movement. Along with their strength and speed they are very dangerous. With great action as well as profound emotion, these early issues shape the potential of an incredibly interesting and nuanced story that can shape to be as epic as soul-filling in a fellswoop. From the beginning, we are introduced, slowly and quite cleverly, to a pretty significant cast of characters. All of them are more different than the last and bring so much personality and charisma to the story, even in their short interactions. Really, I just wanted to hug and cheer with each character in turn, they made the whole experience that much more enjoyable.

It is, quite honestly, impressive to see how the cast seems to continue growing and expanding, and yet we can give focus to all of them and develop them to make them distinct, interesting, compelling characters. From those that have accompanied us from volume one to those that were just introduced, there was not one character that wasn't raw, achingly human. Though certainly not a horror Isayama did not pull punches when depicting what living in a war-torn world, plagued by human-eating monsters would signify; and that is often not pretty.After all, if we went through so much in just the very beginning of it I can hardly imagine the kind of twists and turns we are going to get as the story progresses and develops.