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Attack on Titan, Vol. 1

(Attack on Titan #1)

Hajime Isayama,

Sheldon Drzka (Translator)

4.42 · Rating details · 107,482 ratings · 1,964 reviews

In this post-apocalyptic sci-fi story, humanity has been devastated by the bizarre, giant humanoids known as the Titans. Little is known about where they came from or why they are bent on consuming mankind. Seemingly unintelligent, they have roamed the world for years, killing everyone they see. For the past century, what's left of man has hidden in a giant, three-walled c ...more

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Paperback, 193 pages

Published June 19th 2012 by Kodansha Comics (first published March 17th 2010)

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Community Reviews

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4.42 ·

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· 107,482 ratings · 1,964 reviews

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May 12, 2015 Raeleen Lemay rated it really liked it

Shelves: graphicomanga, own, spooky-scary

WHOA. LOTS OF STUFF. I just watched the first few episodes of the anime recently, and this volume had so much action all packed into it! (around 6 or 7 episodes' worth).

I think I'm going to take my time reading these, as I really enjoy being surprised by the show.

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Jul 05, 2013 Anesha †Curious & Obsessive Bookworm† rated it it was amazing

Shelves: action, adventure, army, manga, supernatural-paranormal, shounen, mystery

Honestly speaking?

I didn't think I'd love this manga SO MUCH

I dived in because I wanted to watch the anime, but felt the need to read it first... Then it just blew me away. I loved everything about this manga... the rawness, the gore... the action...the mystery... omg am just in awe and am eager continue it~~!!!

I havent had a manga hold my attention for a while to such an extent (apart from usual obsession of those I keep up with xD)

Ah~!!

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Jun 24, 2013 Shannon rated it liked it

Shelves: manga, dystopia, horror, fantasy, dark-fantasy, shounen, 2013, science-fiction, 2017

2nd reading: You know what, I liked this a little bit more after reading it again. It's possible that the crap I read before this made this seem better overall ... but, meh. Not bad.

~

Original review:
I don't know man ... I finished this and started on the second volume and I feel like this might be one of those instances where I just don't get the hype. I also don't understand how this is already up to 11 volumes when (some spoilers for volume 2 as well) (view spoiler) 2nd reading: You know what, I liked this a little bit more after reading it again. It's possible that the crap I read before this made this seem better overall ... but, meh. Not bad.

~

Original review:
I don't know man ... I finished this and started on the second volume and I feel like this might be one of those instances where I just don't get the hype. I also don't understand how this is already up to 11 volumes when (some spoilers for volume 2 as well) (view spoiler)

I don't think the art is particularly good, and while the story is pretty unique, I was kind of bored, honestly. Everyone is going nuts for the anime and I even started the first episode though got distracted halfway through and stopped watching for some reason and never went back. What I watched though was pretty much scene-by-scene for what happened in the manga, though I'm not sure how long the anime stays like that.

I found the main character brash, whiny, and annoying, and the fact that he's prone to shouting and going nuts didn't endear him to me at all. The other characters were practically faceless/nameless to me and completely forgettable, except for Mikasa (thanks, FREEBIRD.) She's a badass and should be the real main character, (view spoiler)

I guess a part of me wasn't really paying attention that this is dystopia, because I'm not a big fan of the genre at all and would normally just steer clear of it. The fact that this isn't clicking with me could be my own fault, since dystopia almost never entertains me. So many people were talking about the manga and the anime though that I wanted to see what all the fuss was about, and that's not always the greatest idea.

I don't know, I might give this through volume 3 before I drop it, just because it's so popular and I'd hate to miss out on something that turns out to be spectacular. No way am I reading all of it though if I just end up feeling the same way after three books. I'm glad it has its fans though and that a series that breaks the mold is doing so well, but I have a feeling this might not be for me. ...more

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Nov 17, 2014 Jan Philipzig rated it liked it

Shelves: kodanasha, manga, action, family, fantasy, mystery, apocalyptic, sci-fi, youth, friendship

Trash That Works

Formulaic? Crude? Amateurish? Appalling? Yes, definitely, all of the above. Make no mistake, this series falls squarely into the trash category. Not tongue-in-cheek-I-am-actually-so-above-this pseudo trash, but just plain trash. I mean, this guy tries hard but simply isn't the most gifted of artists. And yet - somehow - he has been able to capture the imagination of millions around the world with this story centered around an eerie mystery: Who are those "titans" that have nearly ...more

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Jun 20, 2015 Mario rated it it was amazing

Shelves: own, graphic-novels, own-read, manga

I didn't think that this would be as good as anime (because anime is bloody fantastic), but it was. I loved the art style, characters and above all amazing and brutal story.

My first manga, but it definitely won't be my last.

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May 30, 2016 Magdalen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: manga

This is my second time reading the entire series 'cause season 2 is coming to an end and the waiting for new chapters has become unbearable.
Although i know exactly what happens next I can't help the shivers and the tearing up especially when I see characters whom I love and are no longer alive. (view spoiler)
The artwork is amazing and the plot is phenomenal I mean could I ever say something bad about shingeki? Hell no.
The cliffhanger in the end ...more

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Dec 08, 2014 Sam Quixote rated it did not like it

In the future overly simplistic stories exploring the Japanese xenophobic mindset will bore you with their complete lack of imagination! The evil Titans (or, “foreigners”) threaten the tiny human population (or, “Japanese”) by eating them (or, “consuming their culture”). The humans live in medieval-type castle structures with multiple layers of walls that don’t work to attempt to protect themselves from the Titans who want to eat them for some reason.

Our hero is the perpetually constipated Some ...more

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Nov 14, 2018 Coffee&Quasars rated it liked it

3.5 stars.

Coming in as an anime fan, I think the anime did this a lot better. This seems like a rough sketch by comparison.

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Jun 22, 2013 Lottie Eve rated it really liked it

4.5 Stars!
I have always felt that the giants in fiction today are starting to become bumbling, stupid fools that just happen to be oversized and love destroying things, stripped of the fear they held around them a long time ago. So whenever I see this wildly popular manga series online or in the bookstore, I think nothing of it and pass by it. That is, until the anime adaption started airing this year and I saw the opening. And that opening was just so glorious that I just had to at least try ou 4.5 Stars!
I have always felt that the giants in fiction today are starting to become bumbling, stupid fools that just happen to be oversized and love destroying things, stripped of the fear they held around them a long time ago. So whenever I see this wildly popular manga series online or in the bookstore, I think nothing of it and pass by it. That is, until the anime adaption started airing this year and I saw the opening. And that opening was just so glorious that I just had to at least try out the first volume of Attack on Titan.

After reading the first volume, I couldn’t help but think of myself as an idiot for ignoring this title. Hajime Isayama has completely went above my expectations with his portrayal of the giants, or titans in this manga. These monsters aren’t intelligent but they actually make that up with their extreme brute force and numbers, causing humans to go down in the food chain and become prey. The humans are constantly losing battles against the titans, losing hope, and losing dignity, later retreating inside a wall that is no more than a cage in humiliation, only to have it be broken down one hundred years later, right when the people inside it are starting to feel safe and peaceful . Hopefully the mangaka keeps writing the titans in this way.

There are always people who don’t like gore and nudity, so I feel the need to talk about how those things come into play in this manga… There isn’t much gore in this manga so far as I’ve seen in other manga, but there is definitely a lot of dead bodies shown and the necessary gushing of blood whenever a titan slaughters and eats a human. Although, manga is in black and white so I don’t think that this should take away someone’s enjoyment of the series. Also, while the giants are naked, they can’t reproduce sexually, meaning they don’t have sex organs (thank God). So for the people like me who don’t like excessive nudity don’t have to worry… Unless Isayama spontaneously decides to change that…

As of this first volume, my favorite aspect is the wonderfully realistic depiction of emotion that Isayama write and draw. Screaming and crying isn’t just inserted, but is executed in a powerful way that made me want to cry also. Like that scene when the only surviving members of the scouting legion that come back from a mission outside the wall and a mother finds out that only her son’s hand is with them, or that scene when Eren finds his mother stuck under a pile of rumble that was their house before the titans broke through the wall, is carried away from her, and watches as she is killed by a titan. Both those scenes and others were beautifully executed in a way that only made it more terribly emotional.

The characters are great and I am really invested in their story of fighting back and survival. One of two male leads, Eren, does have the common motive of trying to avenge his mother’s death by crushing and killing all of the enemy and also has a desire to escape from the confines he is currently under, but it doesn’t matter if the motive is common in fiction if it is done well, and it is in this manga. Armin, the other male lead, is very weak and hates himself for that, ignoring all his other good qualities. Again, it has been done before but is written well. I’m really looking forward to reading about his growth. And like Eren, he also has a desire to escape from inside the wall. Mikasa isn’t at all like many other females in the shounen genre. She hasn’t had much page-time yet, but she is clearly a person who is tough and won’t be a damsel in distress.

Attack of Titan‘s current side characters are not exactly memorable and really only serve as characters to help out the main three and to get eaten. I’m not exactly a fan of this but it is kind of required as this manga is all about titans and humans battling. But this is the first volume, and If the side characters do get a more important role than their current one, my love for this manga is only going to increase.

Isayama also includes a couple of lovely pages that give information on how the wall was constructed and how the equipment the characters use to fight the titans work. It’s all very thought out and I appreciate that a lot.

The art is hand-drawn and it shows quite a bit. Not that that is a bad thing. The backgrounds are wonderfully detailed, as well as the characters. I do think that the body proportions are a little off sometimes, especially in the beginning, which is when the characters are children. But the flawed drawings of the humans are immediately made up for with how the titans are drawn. They are incredibly unsettling, many of them having mouths that are set into huge grins, never turning into anything else. The colossal titan is the most remarkable as it is literally only muscle, bones, and teeth.

Attack of Titan‘s first volume is an extremely good beginning and introduction to what the mangaka is able to do. If the utter brilliance of this manga continues, well, I dare say that it might be able to tie with Pandora Hearts as my favorite manga and might even beat it. I know that this might be too early to start assuming things, but I am seriously impressed. Also, that cliffhanger is freaking genius. ...more

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Feb 22, 2016 Bradley rated it it was amazing

Shelves: manga, fantasy, sci-fi, 2016-shelf

So I'm finally using my three-dimensional gear to jump on this bandwagon, at long last, and what a wild ride it is!

After what seems a slow start but still an interesting world-build, the emotional impact is still severe and bone-crunchingly immediate. There's usually never a warning before someone you love dies, but it's doubly so here.

The manga has a very serious tone and it wears its heart on its sleeve.

The ending of this volume is very strong, but honestly, I am not entirely certain I like t ...more

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Feb 20, 2017 Ivan rated it liked it

Shelves: graphic-novels

This is very hyped but so far I'm unimpressed. I really hope it gets better because volume 1 was just ok-ish.

flag 22 likes · Like · see review

Jul 26, 2017 Jennymort ♔ Dark Lordette rated it really liked it

Shelves: amazon-kindle, favorites, gimme-gimme-gimme, hell-to-the-mf-yes, i-have-no-chill, i-needs-it, i-m-not-crying-you-re-crying, own, part-of-a-series, re-read

Y'all know I love me some Attack on Titan. I just couldn't help myself.

description

Don't look at me like that.

One thing I really like about this book was that it pretty much was in line with the show. (I saw the show before reading this.) So that could be why I read this so fast. Might have skipped a bit.

~~#sorrynotsorry~~
description

This first book was the only one that was free, so I think I will just wait till I have the fucking Colossal Edition before I read more. Cause DAYUMN . Look at those fuckers. They HUGGGGE!

A ...more

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Sep 12, 2013 Sesana rated it it was ok

Shelves: comics, dystopian

There's a lot of hype surrounding Attack on Titan, though a lot of that is for the anime version. I've never seen it, and after reading the first volume of the manga, I don't know if I'll bother.

Attack on Titan is based on a solid premise: a century ago, man-eating giants, called titans, suddenly appeared and attacked humanity en masse. Now, the remaining survivors live inside high, thick walls, and have generally given up on defeating the titans. So far, so good. And what the manga does best i ...more

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Apr 07, 2017 Sarah rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2017-reads, graphic-novels-manga

“Channel the anger swelling inside you
Fighting the boundary 'till you break through
Deep in your soul there's no hesitation
So make yourself the one they all fear

There is a wild fire inside you
Burning desire you can't extinguish
Your crimson arrow
Rips through the twilight
This is the moment for war!”

I am obsessed. Please send help.

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Sep 04, 2015 Hassan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favsssss, on-my-shelf, high-fantasy, fantasy, manga

BEST. MANGA. EVER.
if you're hesitant to pick this up because you think the anime is better, don't be, this is as good as the anime.

I LOVE THE HECK OUTTA OF THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Nov 13, 2013 Rob rated it really liked it

Shelves: graphic-novels-and-manga, fantasy, read-2013, author-male

Story
I knew I'd enjoy the story coming into it, because I watched this anime already. I decided to check out the manga because the series ended in a terrible place and there is currently no plans for another series/second season.

There wasn't really anything I didn't know from this book. The first two stories or line up with the first few episodes of the show. The manga skips over most/all of the training however. I'm not sure if the people who did the show added all that in to give the charact ...more

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Aug 15, 2013 Mizuki marked it as to-read

Shelves: only-when-it-is-for-free

I had heard a lot of good things about this series, I also agree that the concepts are refreshing and exciting. I even read *part* of the first few volumes.

But I just don't think this series has successfully held my interest. I read one volume...then... I stopped.

So it's one of those Read only when it's for free books.

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Apr 03, 2015 Elena marked it as to-read

I'm currently OBSESSED with the Anime and I NEED to get my hands on this!

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Dec 01, 2015 David Schaafsma rated it it was ok

Since one of the Goodreads Graphic Novel nominees this year was Attack on Titan, Vol. 16 (I think), I thought I would check this out. Fans of this, does it get better, because I would have to say it is not worth my time. A post-apocalyptic story about the remaining human race, confined to a walled area for a century to protect itself from Titans that once devastated the planet. 50 meter walls that the Titans cannot reach, but there's a larger one out there, and folks are going to have to do some ...more

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Mar 03, 2015 Kristijan rated it really liked it

Nije loše za početak - intrigantna distopijska priča, dobra grafika, interesantni likovi.
Na nekim mestima je pomalo zbrzana radnja, ali sve u svemu jedva čekam nastavak :D

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Nov 07, 2018 Shaina rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2018, borrowed, ebook, kindle, ku, manga-comics, my-own-1001-book-list, sci-fi-dystopian, series, eerie-spooky-gothic-weird-creepy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 28, 2018 Lashaan Balasingam (Bookidote) rated it it was ok

Shelves: digital, read-in-2018, manga

Attack on my understanding! That's what this is.

The buzz and hype around the anime is larger than life itself, so I thought I should get around to catching up on the manga before checking out the anime. It's safe to say that I am confused and staggered by what I just went through.

The artwork is horrible. The characters are frustrating. The writing is pretentious and too obvious.

The premise of humanity being confined within a concentric city with giant walls in order to protect themselves from T ...more

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May 30, 2018 Sandra Uv rated it it was amazing

Este manga lo empecé en el año 2009 y casi diez años después, así estoy, fangirleando a muerte con la historia. El primer tomo, al igual que todos los demás, me lo habré leído unas tropecientas veces. Me sé todas las escenas y diálogos de memoria y es que...para mi, es una obra maestra del manga. Este 1º tomo es bastante introductorio y el dibujo de Isayama es bastante pobre en comparación a como dibuja ahora pero la historia consigue atraparnos hasta límites insospechados. Para mi, imprescindib ...more

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Aug 11, 2017 Foad rated it liked it

Shelves: کمیک, فانتزی, انگلیسی

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Apr 17, 2016 Nərmin rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: action shounen manga fans

Shelves: manga, action-battle, supernatural-paranormal, horror-blood, dystopian-utopian, favorites, read-manga-comic

First volume review
So, the idea wasn't interesting for me first, but when I gave it a go, I got invested in the story. Now I am wondering that why and from where did the titans come and if only a bunch of people remains.
I have seen first episodes of anime and I quite liked calm and clever Armin. Eren shouts a lot and have impulsive and impatient character but I liked his determination and courage. Mikasa has no emotion in her face though she is more rational than Eren. I liked her too.
The art ...more

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Jun 21, 2017 Chantal rated it really liked it

Io lo amo troppo!

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Apr 02, 2017 Berfin Kanat rated it liked it

Shelves: manga

Manga animesi kadar güzel gelmedi. Aksiyon sahnelerini izlemek okumaktan daha keyifli. Yine de izlerken spoiler yememek için animenin önüne geçene kadar okuyacağım. .d.d

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Apr 10, 2013 Yasiru (reviews will soon be removed and linked to blog) rated it really liked it

Shelves: manga

Below is my original review, but having caught up I wanted to add that I finally realised why I was drawn to this in such an apprehensive way- it's because the series taps directly into the Evangelion centres of the brain. That may not make much sense if you haven't seen Neon Genesis Evangelion (something of a badge of honour and a trope/trauma codifier series when it comes to subconscious-tapping secrets being uncovered in the course of a desperate struggle against a powerful but to initial app Below is my original review, but having caught up I wanted to add that I finally realised why I was drawn to this in such an apprehensive way- it's because the series taps directly into the Evangelion centres of the brain. That may not make much sense if you haven't seen Neon Genesis Evangelion (something of a badge of honour and a trope/trauma codifier series when it comes to subconscious-tapping secrets being uncovered in the course of a desperate struggle against a powerful but to initial appearances mindless foe), but this might give you a bit of an idea (still sends a chill down my spine)-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kFhPV...

Disturbing, but also a fascinating turn for shounen manga- the anime, if successful, might (hopefully- given other recent successes like the new Hunter x Hunter) encourage studios to return to more serious manga-based work rather than continue to indulge in the largely light novel based 'moe' craze.

In Shingeki no Kyojin it's as though the author combined the lately very popular zombie genre with giants from Norse mythology (despite the rendering 'Titans'). There's a vividness to the rather Middle Ages Germanic-looking villages reminiscent of Berserk, and the tone so far at least is dark and oppressive enough to belong firmly in the seinen category. With people getting picked up and eaten by these giants very graphically, being crushed, broken and losing limbs whilst trying to buy time for others to evacuate, a hell-like vista opens up whenever the giants appear, often overwhelming these very soldiers as though the scenario were unreal (very Gantz-like this). The variety of size and the silence of these giants, combined with how little humanity knows about them save that they appear to hunt humans for pleasure and how complacent humanity has grown behind their walls make for hopeless situations where even when an objective is achieved it's at too great a cost (sometimes for logistical reasons the cost is borne by the administration, deliberately consigning to death those it can no longer support after losing territory).
You also can't help but think there's some sort of Freudian metaphor being worked at here when it comes to the Titans. We shall have to see in later volumes, though a 'folktale' referred to in the story of an outside threat being used to unite humanity (as familiar from science fiction) does suggest other, in-narrative possibilities.

Doré's Titans

Gustav Doré's depiction of the Titans in Dante's Inferno does seem apt here... ...more

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Dec 22, 2016 Annie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

That was sooo good! I knew I would enjoy it but HOLY SHIT!!

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Feb 03, 2017 Nicole rated it liked it

Shelves: manga, 2017

RTC. Might drop my rating to 2 stars.

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About Hajime Isayama

Hajime Isayama

1,833 followers

Japanese name: 諫山創

Hajime Isayama (諫山創 Isayama Hajime, born 1986) is a Japanese manga artist from Ōyama, Ōita. His first and currently ongoing serial, Attack on Titan, has sold over 22 million copies as of July 2013. He has mentioned Tsutomu Nihei, Ryōji Minagawa, Kentaro Miura, Hideki Arai and Tōru Mitsumine as artists he respects, but stated that the manga that had the biggest influence on him ...more