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進撃の巨人 [Shingeki no Kyojin] #11-15
Attack on Titan: Colossal Edition 3
What's left of humanity lives in fear of their lives in this exciting, terrifying new manga that's a number one bestseller in Japan. Humankind is down to just a few thousand people who live in a city surrounded by three concentric walls. The walls protect them from their enemies, the ravenous giants known as the Titans. The Titans appear to have only one to consume humanity.
Attack on Colossal Edition 3 is an oversized collection of volumes 11–15 of the Attack on Titan manga series. Weighing in at a massive 944 pages and a 7-inch by 10.5-inch trim, Colossal Edition 3 , like its predecessor, contains the same material as the original volumes but is bigger and printed on higher-quality paper.
Attack on Colossal Edition 3 is an oversized collection of volumes 11–15 of the Attack on Titan manga series. Weighing in at a massive 944 pages and a 7-inch by 10.5-inch trim, Colossal Edition 3 , like its predecessor, contains the same material as the original volumes but is bigger and printed on higher-quality paper.
944 pages, Paperback
First published September 27, 2016
34 people are currently reading
532 people want to read
About the author
Hajime Isayama
691 books4,654 followersJapanese 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 was ARMS.
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 was ARMS.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
June 12, 2022
*3.4 stars, rounded down
Volume 11: 3 stars
Volume 12: 3 stars
Volume 13: 4 stars
Volume 14: 4 stars
Volume 15: 3 stars
Volume 11: 3 stars
Volume 12: 3 stars
Volume 13: 4 stars
Volume 14: 4 stars
Volume 15: 3 stars
July 23, 2022
Book: Attack on Titan: Colossal Edition, Vol. 3
Author: Hajime Isayama
Rating: 5 Out of 5 Stars
I’m going to go ahead and call it. I think Attack on Titan is going to top Death Note. I understand the hype surrounding this manga series because it is that good. The characters, the world, the action, and the political elements are all top tier. The bleak artwork fits into the story that the author is trying to tell and allows everything to come alive. This is grim dark at its finest.
In this edition, we kind of take a small break from fighting the Titans and get to the political side of things. We see the Survey Corps at its lowest. They are being blamed for everything that has gone wrong and the government is after them. The stakes are very high and once again, you feel that. I’ve said this before in my other Attack on Titan reviews, you feel the stakes. The way that everything is presented does make you worry about the characters. It does look like no one is going to get out of this in one piece. The sequence that jumps out to me the most is when Levi is trying to get away from the military police. We see him cornered and outnumbered. His weapons are weaker. You can see and feel the tension through the artwork. It’s an all-around bad situation. It doesn’t look like Levi is going to make it out of there. You feel this. You are concerned about his well-being. It was this sequence that made me grow attached to his character. Up until this point, he was just kind of there in the background and was just the squad captain. However, having this fear and worry made me realize just how important he was to our core group of characters. We start to see the bigger role he has had all along.
One thing that I think that made this volume from me is we get a shift in characters that we follow. Up until this point, the story has focused on the younger and inexperienced characters. Here, we get to see some of the older and experienced crowd. I just mentioned Levi and how I grew fond of him in this arc. That is the case with some of the others. Up until this point, many of these older characters have just hovered in the background. Here, they get their moment in the spotlight. This gives the reader a chance to form a bond with them. This, I think, needed to happen. We needed to feel the same way about them as we do our main cast. I hope we get more of the older characters in other volumes. I am now very interested in their characters and what they will keep adding to the books.
We get good like into the government. Like in our world, the one percent controls everything. They will do everything in their power to make sure it stays that way. The Survey Corps are in their way and now they must be gotten rid of. We see how the government uses their means to make it look like the Survey Corps is the problem and turns the public against them. This is to keep everyone loyal to the government-even though the Survey Corps are right. The idea of the government showing what they want the people to see is very much a real thing. Throughout the series, we have gotten hints of an absolute government and we now got to see it. We see just how far the government will go to make sure that they are the ones in power. I am very interested to see where this arc goes. It can’t be finished…I’m telling you that it can’t end there.
Overall, I did enjoy this volume and I can’t wait to pick up the next one.
Author: Hajime Isayama
Rating: 5 Out of 5 Stars
I’m going to go ahead and call it. I think Attack on Titan is going to top Death Note. I understand the hype surrounding this manga series because it is that good. The characters, the world, the action, and the political elements are all top tier. The bleak artwork fits into the story that the author is trying to tell and allows everything to come alive. This is grim dark at its finest.
In this edition, we kind of take a small break from fighting the Titans and get to the political side of things. We see the Survey Corps at its lowest. They are being blamed for everything that has gone wrong and the government is after them. The stakes are very high and once again, you feel that. I’ve said this before in my other Attack on Titan reviews, you feel the stakes. The way that everything is presented does make you worry about the characters. It does look like no one is going to get out of this in one piece. The sequence that jumps out to me the most is when Levi is trying to get away from the military police. We see him cornered and outnumbered. His weapons are weaker. You can see and feel the tension through the artwork. It’s an all-around bad situation. It doesn’t look like Levi is going to make it out of there. You feel this. You are concerned about his well-being. It was this sequence that made me grow attached to his character. Up until this point, he was just kind of there in the background and was just the squad captain. However, having this fear and worry made me realize just how important he was to our core group of characters. We start to see the bigger role he has had all along.
One thing that I think that made this volume from me is we get a shift in characters that we follow. Up until this point, the story has focused on the younger and inexperienced characters. Here, we get to see some of the older and experienced crowd. I just mentioned Levi and how I grew fond of him in this arc. That is the case with some of the others. Up until this point, many of these older characters have just hovered in the background. Here, they get their moment in the spotlight. This gives the reader a chance to form a bond with them. This, I think, needed to happen. We needed to feel the same way about them as we do our main cast. I hope we get more of the older characters in other volumes. I am now very interested in their characters and what they will keep adding to the books.
We get good like into the government. Like in our world, the one percent controls everything. They will do everything in their power to make sure it stays that way. The Survey Corps are in their way and now they must be gotten rid of. We see how the government uses their means to make it look like the Survey Corps is the problem and turns the public against them. This is to keep everyone loyal to the government-even though the Survey Corps are right. The idea of the government showing what they want the people to see is very much a real thing. Throughout the series, we have gotten hints of an absolute government and we now got to see it. We see just how far the government will go to make sure that they are the ones in power. I am very interested to see where this arc goes. It can’t be finished…I’m telling you that it can’t end there.
Overall, I did enjoy this volume and I can’t wait to pick up the next one.
January 29, 2021
We slow down a bit on titan warfare to give us more time focused on political warfare and the fight against the people who know the secrets.
This is basically the regular people verse the 1% who control everything. In a clever and interesting way Erwin along with Levi and the others try to figure out a way to turn the tides here in this huge epic battle of who will control the future of everyone. Before that though we do focus on Erin, find out more about why he's so important, a new power is unlocked, and a new queen is pushed into the spotlight that'll shape the future of this series.
This is a great volume once more. Some would say the slowing down of pacing is a bit rough or jarring but reading it in one big book it all makes sense and the final reveal makes the slow burn worth every damn moment.
I also can't comment how great the artwork is, only getting better with each volume. The final moments lead to a "What the fuck?" moment that was just as shocking as the TV show.
Attack On Titan might be one of the best manga/animes of all time if the ending of the entire thing lands. Must read.
This is basically the regular people verse the 1% who control everything. In a clever and interesting way Erwin along with Levi and the others try to figure out a way to turn the tides here in this huge epic battle of who will control the future of everyone. Before that though we do focus on Erin, find out more about why he's so important, a new power is unlocked, and a new queen is pushed into the spotlight that'll shape the future of this series.
This is a great volume once more. Some would say the slowing down of pacing is a bit rough or jarring but reading it in one big book it all makes sense and the final reveal makes the slow burn worth every damn moment.
I also can't comment how great the artwork is, only getting better with each volume. The final moments lead to a "What the fuck?" moment that was just as shocking as the TV show.
Attack On Titan might be one of the best manga/animes of all time if the ending of the entire thing lands. Must read.
February 5, 2025
This omnibus collects chapters 43-62 (volumes 11-15).
3.5
The internal consistency of each of these Colossal Edition volumes (at least, so far) is truly extraordinary. The endings alone () testify to the fact that each of the volumes consists of a well-defined arc that organically evolves from the previous one while developing its own distinctive features. The same goes for this third volume, which, in many ways, is what I would call a "bridging" entry in the series: as a reader, you can distinctly feel that the main aim of this section was to set up the stage for some big stuff that is about to happen. And of course, the volume is also held together by the running subplot of political unrest, internal strife, etc., in addition to a very purposeful, it seems to me, attention given to secondary(-ish) characters - the main cast definitely takes a step back, here. For me, the protagonists of this volume are Hange, Erwin, Levi, and Pixis, more or less in this order.
Some elements somewhat out of place (why a saloon?) and the feeling that a few plot progression points could have been slightly slowed down made me just a bit less appreciative than the previous volumes did.
3.5
The internal consistency of each of these Colossal Edition volumes (at least, so far) is truly extraordinary. The endings alone () testify to the fact that each of the volumes consists of a well-defined arc that organically evolves from the previous one while developing its own distinctive features. The same goes for this third volume, which, in many ways, is what I would call a "bridging" entry in the series: as a reader, you can distinctly feel that the main aim of this section was to set up the stage for some big stuff that is about to happen. And of course, the volume is also held together by the running subplot of political unrest, internal strife, etc., in addition to a very purposeful, it seems to me, attention given to secondary(-ish) characters - the main cast definitely takes a step back, here. For me, the protagonists of this volume are Hange, Erwin, Levi, and Pixis, more or less in this order.
Some elements somewhat out of place (why a saloon?) and the feeling that a few plot progression points could have been slightly slowed down made me just a bit less appreciative than the previous volumes did.
November 19, 2016
This is a mind-bending epic series, so different than anything else. Of course, it's impossible to describe five volumes binge read in this tome. However, it was non-stop action and behind the scenes plotting. The final outcome is that the survey corps is no longer being hunted, a new king is being sought and Arin may have finally remembered what his father had been up to. A question we've wondered since practically volume 1. Awesome! And I love the giant size of these editions!
did-not-complete-series
November 21, 2023The sheer relief I felt when I decided to drop this after several months of putting off Vol. 11 is a pretty clear sign that it isn't for me. The art keeps getting worse and the dialogue is so clunky (in translation at least). It's a cool plot though, so I'll look up a full synopsis and maybe watch the anime.
January 9, 2025
3.5 ⭐ (I Really Liked It)
Another good entry. I wasn't as invested as I was in the first two volumes. But I appreciate that things keep moving and evolving and don't feel forced. This is an extremely solid series so far and I can see why it is beloved by so many.
Another good entry. I wasn't as invested as I was in the first two volumes. But I appreciate that things keep moving and evolving and don't feel forced. This is an extremely solid series so far and I can see why it is beloved by so many.
February 22, 2021
Woah. Theres so much that was changed or cut out completely in the anime. Im glad I’m reading the manga before the ending!
February 3, 2023
This took me a hot minute to get through - 900+ pages is no joke, even for a manga! I love how the story progresses, and I love seeing how the tv show brought the comics to life, and I love reading source material for the show. AoT is political and emotional and philosophical, and I’m always struck by what a good story it is.
January 24, 2024
che isayama dibujaste tu manga con las patas o qué
el arco de la monarquía es el mejor de este manga no me importa nada más
el arco de la monarquía es el mejor de este manga no me importa nada más
October 23, 2025
obviamente
October 3, 2025
4.5/5
So good. Tragic the Levi and Kenny fight wasn’t as epic as it was in the anime, but that’s fine. It’s more impressive that the animators developed something that epic from just a few panels.
So good. Tragic the Levi and Kenny fight wasn’t as epic as it was in the anime, but that’s fine. It’s more impressive that the animators developed something that epic from just a few panels.
October 28, 2020
Heureusement que Charles a le 4 ! C'est tellement haletant hehe !
October 12, 2021
Resuming my read of "Attack on TItan" after FAR too long an absence!
(I re-read the first 2 Colossal volumes in preparation.)
THEN I will finally get around to watching the anime in it's entirety now that the 4th season is a reality.
***
4.5 stars.
The long delay in this instance was not an indicator of the quality of the book, or my interest in it. :)
(I re-read the first 2 Colossal volumes in preparation.)
THEN I will finally get around to watching the anime in it's entirety now that the 4th season is a reality.
***
4.5 stars.
The long delay in this instance was not an indicator of the quality of the book, or my interest in it. :)
October 20, 2020
This is a review of the entire series.
Attack on Titan takes place in a horrifying dystopian fantasy world that somewhat mirrors our own, like an apocalyptic Europe where the last remnants of humanity live behind massive, skyscraper-sized walls to protect themselves from the giant, man-eating monsters known as Titans lurking just beyond them. The walls have successfully protected humanity for a hundred years, yet that short era of false peace comes to an end when a colossal titan bigger and deadlier than any other of its kind brings judgement to the last survivors of the world. The story follows an ambitious and hotheaded young boy named Eren Yeager, who vows to take revenge on the titans after they break down the walls of his city, killing his mother and thousands of innocent people right before his very eyes.
The story begins with Eren having a disturbing nightmare. At first, the nightmare appears to be a senseless series of violent images that don’t seem to mean anything in particular and the images we see are quite easy to forget about when you view them without any kind of context. It’s not until a hundred chapters later that the nightmare and the events that follow it begin to come together. Incredible foreshadowing is a reoccurring thing in Attack on Titan. The most minor and seemingly insignificant characters and events always end up having major significance much later down the road. The further you get into the series, the more you begin to realize that the author had every single plot point, revelation and twist planned out before he ever even published the first chapter. Speaking of which, the name of the first chapter (to you, 2000 years from now) is a huge foreshadowing in itself, but we’ll touch on that later.
After Eren wakes up from his nightmare, we are introduced to Armin and Mikasa. Armin is Eren’s best friend and he fills Eren’s head with dreams of seeing the outside world beyond the walls, telling him stories of oceans, deserts, mountains, volcanoes and all sorts of things they could never imagine witnessing with their own eyes if they continue to spend the rest of their lives hiding in mundane safety behind the walls. Armin is frail and timid, but he’s incredibly smart and proves his worth as a brilliant tactician. He’s also very loyal and protects his friends when the going gets tough.
Mikasa is Eren’s adopted sister who watches over him and comes to the rescue whenever he’s in trouble using her superhuman combat abilities, a signature trait of the Ackerman bloodline that’s been passed down to her by her warrior ancestors. After their relatively peaceful lives are torn apart by a titan invasion, Eren, Armin and Mikasa enlist themselves in the survey corp, an organization of soldiers and tacticians that are trained in the art of killing titans and defending civilians from their wrath using a pair of swords and a device known as 3D Maneuver Gear.
The 3D Maneuver Gear was created to be able to navigate through a three dimensional space. With it, a person can travel from point to point at extremely fast speeds by firing steel wires with hooks attached on the ends so they can latch onto structures and titans. This is a very unique way of portraying tiny humans being able to stand a chance against giant titans in combat. The weakness of all titans is the nape of the neck, and the only way to reach the nape is to perform all kinds of twists and turns in midair with the maneuver gear until you can give yourself an opening.
After being put through years of brutal military training, Eren and his friends are prepared to lay their lives on the line to exterminate every last titan in the world and bring freedom to humanity once more. But Eren doesn’t yet realize that he isn’t prepared for the many horrors that lie beyond the walls he grew up in. There’s more than just titans out there that want him and his friends dead.
The biggest strengths of Attack on Titan are the numerous plot twists and the layers of mystery that are evident from the very beginning. Some of the twists are so massive, that they literally change the genre of the entire series because of the new perspectives they bring. It can go from survival horror, to psychological mystery, to political thriller at the drop of a hat and none of it is ever done just for shock value. There isn’t a single twist or plot point that wasn’t already planned out from chapter one. All the pieces of the puzzle are right in front of you the moment you begin reading, you just don’t realize they’re there until much later. Because of the amount of planning ahead at play here, Attack on Titan has a truly impressive level of re-readability. The constantly shifting genres and conflicts is what keeps it fresh and exciting. There are human vs titan conflicts, titan vs other titan conflicts, and finally, there’s the tried and true conflict of humans vs humans.
That’s always been a recurring theme in most dystopian fantasy and horror stories. Even when the world is destroyed and overrun with monsters, humans will still clash and tear each other to pieces. I’m happy to say that the human vs human conflict in Attack on Titan is extremely different from what you would normally expect from a series like this. It’s not like the average zombie apocalypse movie where people kill each other and cause havoc just because there’s no law and they’re free to do whatever the hell they want, there’s a much bigger twist behind the cruelty of the humans pulling the strings from behind the scenes. I won’t delve too deep into that because of spoilers, but let’s just say that there are no real winners or good guys here, morality is extremely gray in Attack on Titan and it only continues to get more complex and conflicted the longer it goes on. Near the very end of the series, I honestly couldn’t bring myself to root for or against anyone, I just watched helplessly from the sidelines as the chaos unfolded. There are so many good characters on every side that it was making my head spin around in circles because I couldn’t decide what the best outcome could possibly be. And I absolutely loved the ridiculous levels of tension this conflict caused.
All in all, I can’t believe how good Attack on Titan turned out to be. Let me just say that the early chapters of the series are extremely misleading and I don’t mean that in a bad way. Just like everything else in this series, the misleading nature of the early chapters is totally intentional. I went into this series expecting a straightforward, action-packed monster movie type of story like Jurassic Park or Godzilla, and it does start out that way to be perfectly fair. But it progresses into one of the most genius stories I’ve ever seen, that’s rich with psychological depth, human morality, countless twists and even quite a bit of intelligent commentary on the unspeakable tragedies of war. Don’t let the simple premise of Attack on Titan fool you, there’s so much more to it than I’m sure anyone could’ve possibly predicted when the series first started being published.
***
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Attack on Titan takes place in a horrifying dystopian fantasy world that somewhat mirrors our own, like an apocalyptic Europe where the last remnants of humanity live behind massive, skyscraper-sized walls to protect themselves from the giant, man-eating monsters known as Titans lurking just beyond them. The walls have successfully protected humanity for a hundred years, yet that short era of false peace comes to an end when a colossal titan bigger and deadlier than any other of its kind brings judgement to the last survivors of the world. The story follows an ambitious and hotheaded young boy named Eren Yeager, who vows to take revenge on the titans after they break down the walls of his city, killing his mother and thousands of innocent people right before his very eyes.
The story begins with Eren having a disturbing nightmare. At first, the nightmare appears to be a senseless series of violent images that don’t seem to mean anything in particular and the images we see are quite easy to forget about when you view them without any kind of context. It’s not until a hundred chapters later that the nightmare and the events that follow it begin to come together. Incredible foreshadowing is a reoccurring thing in Attack on Titan. The most minor and seemingly insignificant characters and events always end up having major significance much later down the road. The further you get into the series, the more you begin to realize that the author had every single plot point, revelation and twist planned out before he ever even published the first chapter. Speaking of which, the name of the first chapter (to you, 2000 years from now) is a huge foreshadowing in itself, but we’ll touch on that later.
After Eren wakes up from his nightmare, we are introduced to Armin and Mikasa. Armin is Eren’s best friend and he fills Eren’s head with dreams of seeing the outside world beyond the walls, telling him stories of oceans, deserts, mountains, volcanoes and all sorts of things they could never imagine witnessing with their own eyes if they continue to spend the rest of their lives hiding in mundane safety behind the walls. Armin is frail and timid, but he’s incredibly smart and proves his worth as a brilliant tactician. He’s also very loyal and protects his friends when the going gets tough.
Mikasa is Eren’s adopted sister who watches over him and comes to the rescue whenever he’s in trouble using her superhuman combat abilities, a signature trait of the Ackerman bloodline that’s been passed down to her by her warrior ancestors. After their relatively peaceful lives are torn apart by a titan invasion, Eren, Armin and Mikasa enlist themselves in the survey corp, an organization of soldiers and tacticians that are trained in the art of killing titans and defending civilians from their wrath using a pair of swords and a device known as 3D Maneuver Gear.
The 3D Maneuver Gear was created to be able to navigate through a three dimensional space. With it, a person can travel from point to point at extremely fast speeds by firing steel wires with hooks attached on the ends so they can latch onto structures and titans. This is a very unique way of portraying tiny humans being able to stand a chance against giant titans in combat. The weakness of all titans is the nape of the neck, and the only way to reach the nape is to perform all kinds of twists and turns in midair with the maneuver gear until you can give yourself an opening.
After being put through years of brutal military training, Eren and his friends are prepared to lay their lives on the line to exterminate every last titan in the world and bring freedom to humanity once more. But Eren doesn’t yet realize that he isn’t prepared for the many horrors that lie beyond the walls he grew up in. There’s more than just titans out there that want him and his friends dead.
The biggest strengths of Attack on Titan are the numerous plot twists and the layers of mystery that are evident from the very beginning. Some of the twists are so massive, that they literally change the genre of the entire series because of the new perspectives they bring. It can go from survival horror, to psychological mystery, to political thriller at the drop of a hat and none of it is ever done just for shock value. There isn’t a single twist or plot point that wasn’t already planned out from chapter one. All the pieces of the puzzle are right in front of you the moment you begin reading, you just don’t realize they’re there until much later. Because of the amount of planning ahead at play here, Attack on Titan has a truly impressive level of re-readability. The constantly shifting genres and conflicts is what keeps it fresh and exciting. There are human vs titan conflicts, titan vs other titan conflicts, and finally, there’s the tried and true conflict of humans vs humans.
That’s always been a recurring theme in most dystopian fantasy and horror stories. Even when the world is destroyed and overrun with monsters, humans will still clash and tear each other to pieces. I’m happy to say that the human vs human conflict in Attack on Titan is extremely different from what you would normally expect from a series like this. It’s not like the average zombie apocalypse movie where people kill each other and cause havoc just because there’s no law and they’re free to do whatever the hell they want, there’s a much bigger twist behind the cruelty of the humans pulling the strings from behind the scenes. I won’t delve too deep into that because of spoilers, but let’s just say that there are no real winners or good guys here, morality is extremely gray in Attack on Titan and it only continues to get more complex and conflicted the longer it goes on. Near the very end of the series, I honestly couldn’t bring myself to root for or against anyone, I just watched helplessly from the sidelines as the chaos unfolded. There are so many good characters on every side that it was making my head spin around in circles because I couldn’t decide what the best outcome could possibly be. And I absolutely loved the ridiculous levels of tension this conflict caused.
All in all, I can’t believe how good Attack on Titan turned out to be. Let me just say that the early chapters of the series are extremely misleading and I don’t mean that in a bad way. Just like everything else in this series, the misleading nature of the early chapters is totally intentional. I went into this series expecting a straightforward, action-packed monster movie type of story like Jurassic Park or Godzilla, and it does start out that way to be perfectly fair. But it progresses into one of the most genius stories I’ve ever seen, that’s rich with psychological depth, human morality, countless twists and even quite a bit of intelligent commentary on the unspeakable tragedies of war. Don’t let the simple premise of Attack on Titan fool you, there’s so much more to it than I’m sure anyone could’ve possibly predicted when the series first started being published.
***
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July 8, 2021
Yeah, this series is what the kids call "a slap." This third entry focuses almost entirely on the "Royal Government" arc, which divorces the series from its premise of humanity under siege by unearthly monsters in favor of a more nuanced saga of fascism, propaganda, and sociopolitical intrigue. Just like the previous volume focused on the more ancillary characters in the story's primary group of terror-harrowed neophytes, this chapter shines a light on the older, more experienced characters and the various spaces they occupy in this (admittedly corrupt and jingoistic) societal structure. This offers some great worldbuilding opportunities as the saga fills in the gaps of its fictional space and offers a more holistic view of the premise's inevitable consequences.
And while there's a ton of great character work, fun action sequences, and hypnotic moments of detached reflection, there's also a ton of potentially problematic material in this particular run. This story has always been dark, almost to the point of parody, but this plot of rebellion and deposal is Exhibit A in this series' complicated relationship with real-life political extremists. Here, I'm torn, because while this plotline is handled with care, I wish Isayama had offered more clarity of purpose in presenting it. There's still enough nuance here to persuade me that Isayama himself doesn't sympathize with these groups; and after all, every countercultural movement wants to believe that they're the needle in the eye of a detached and abusive aristocracy - it's just a matter of which wealthy subgroup your particular ideology chooses to scapegoat.
Anyway. This is just a really long way of me saying, "I'm enjoying this greatly, though I am concerned about the thematic trajectory." Very excited to read more.
And while there's a ton of great character work, fun action sequences, and hypnotic moments of detached reflection, there's also a ton of potentially problematic material in this particular run. This story has always been dark, almost to the point of parody, but this plot of rebellion and deposal is Exhibit A in this series' complicated relationship with real-life political extremists. Here, I'm torn, because while this plotline is handled with care, I wish Isayama had offered more clarity of purpose in presenting it. There's still enough nuance here to persuade me that Isayama himself doesn't sympathize with these groups; and after all, every countercultural movement wants to believe that they're the needle in the eye of a detached and abusive aristocracy - it's just a matter of which wealthy subgroup your particular ideology chooses to scapegoat.
Anyway. This is just a really long way of me saying, "I'm enjoying this greatly, though I am concerned about the thematic trajectory." Very excited to read more.
October 29, 2020
I'm a huge fan of this series. Having watched all the anime so far I've been absolutely loving the manga. It's really interesting how both sides differ ever so slightly. For example, the fate of one of the characters in the show is blatantly shown here. Either I was paying as much attention to the show as I thought I was, or its chosen to leave it for later when the anime comes back. Either way, it's nice to finally know what's happened. I'll not spoil anything here. Since this is the third colossal edition I'm not going to waste time saying anything about the series as a whole. By this point you're already a fan, and have probably already decided to buy this. What I will say is that the first half of this is essentially the conclusion to where we left off in the second edition. The latter half if full of revelations and is much less action orientated. If you've watched the show you'll know which section of the show I'm referring to. You either like it or you don't. In regards to the actual reading side it's not too bad, just very dialogue heavy, and while this is fine in prose it doesn't translate as well to comic format. Lots of close ups of faces and different angles coupled with speech bubbles. It's interesting stuff, but it can be draining. However, it didn't ruin the anything for me, but in fairness for a review I think it's worth mentioning. Either way, you're going to buy it, and you'll enjoy it. You don't need my recommendation to do so.
April 26, 2021
This compendium of the manga marks a potentially jarring, but nonetheless necessary shift in the plots focus. The story becomes less centered around the gruesome interactions between the inhabitants of the walls and the Titans that lurk outside them, and more enmeshed in the intricacies of inner-wall politics during the usurping of a corrupt & mysterious monarchy. If you’ve watched the anime and/or completed the manga you’ll definitely begin to notice the masterful way in which Isayama has laid the groundwork for future revelations brought to fruition later in the series.
The illustrations also show a marked improvement during this volume, especially compared to the first. The anatomy is much more consistent and characters possess more expressive faces & dynamic action sequences. I particularly enjoyed seeing more complex scenery and background art in panels that would have previously been left blank.
The illustrations also show a marked improvement during this volume, especially compared to the first. The anatomy is much more consistent and characters possess more expressive faces & dynamic action sequences. I particularly enjoyed seeing more complex scenery and background art in panels that would have previously been left blank.
April 24, 2019
Wow. What a manga. This is an epic telling of what can happen when humanity can do when pushed to the edge of extinction by "monsters." But truthfully, are we the real monsters here? Because the things we do to each other, sometimes, can rival what the monsters do to us. It's full of twists and turns, hidden romance, honor, EPIC COOLNESS (I'm sorry but I'm in love with the Survey Corps), crazy horrifying "monsters" (the titans are horrifying at best), and perfect storytelling. I loved reading this manga and it's been an epic rollercoaster ride from beginning to end. I loved every bit of it. I am left wanting more. Isn't that everything a good series should be?
May 5, 2022
This series reminds me a lot of its English counterpart “The Walking Dead”. Much like Robert Kirkman’s classic zombie epic, this run pumps the breaks on monster mayhem and changes gears towards human conflict.
An Anastasia-level royalty usurping has transpired, leaving the bastard heir to the throne unwittingly in the Survey Corps. It’s the regiments job to restore her crown.
There are snippets on whatever Eren’s background is; Captain Levi elevates himself to everyone’s favorite character.
Do I prefer when there is kaiju level brawling amidst Titan warfare? Of course. But the intricacies of the world, and the corrupt politics that transpire, are a nice change of pace.
An Anastasia-level royalty usurping has transpired, leaving the bastard heir to the throne unwittingly in the Survey Corps. It’s the regiments job to restore her crown.
There are snippets on whatever Eren’s background is; Captain Levi elevates himself to everyone’s favorite character.
Do I prefer when there is kaiju level brawling amidst Titan warfare? Of course. But the intricacies of the world, and the corrupt politics that transpire, are a nice change of pace.
May 7, 2023
We get a few revelations on how the Titans work and oh boy is it intriguing. The plot also thickens as the kaiju fight slows down and the political warfare begins. The switch-up was necessary for the story and was not boring or slow at all! The pace stays at a constant high even if there were barely any big fights. It just shows how great the characters are to keep the reader engaged. I have grown to love Erwin, Hange, and Levi! What a trio, and I can't say I "hate" or strongly dislike any character at all, these many chapters into the story.
April 14, 2022
This has to be the start of my favorite arc in the series, but also the one that most deeply affected me. As much as I enjoy our three main protagonist, here is when the side characters, who were already stealing the show in my opinion begin to really shine. From Hange and her struggles to Levi's assertive nature and Connie & Sasha's trials. This and the next book are where the story reaches its zenith before it's fall. Definitely the most complex, but worth the time.
April 2, 2023
Motivations revealed, internal corruption, scandals and disputes exploding, the fate of humanity on its last leg, this Colossal volume places its focus on bringing insight into the world-building and characterisations on the fringes of its core characters and story, recognising their motivations and the potential loss upon failure. For those searching for a kinetic narrative, these chapters may not serve as much as their predecessors, but enough are provided for good measure.
October 27, 2024
Weakest one so far. Starts out really great, there's even the first scene of any real tenderness between Eren and Mikasa (I know they are almost constantly fighting for their lives but where is the love, y'all?), but by Vol. 14 we have officially gone off the rails and lost the plot. Kind of insane to contrast Vol. 11 and 12, when it is still sick, to where it is at Vol. 14-15, when it is mostly silly.
October 13, 2023
Although this part of Attack on Titan deviates a lot to focus on the politics of the world Isayama created, it is one of the best chapters in my opinion. I absolutely loved the lore of the kingdom within the walls, and how it all builds up to the future mysteries of the story. Characters like Eren, Levi, Historia, and Ymir shine so much here.
March 28, 2025
If you’re still reading Attack on Titan, you’ve accepted that Isayama will never let you have nice things. You’ve stopped getting attached to characters (who are we kidding, no you haven’t), and you’ve realized that any moment of triumph is just the setup for the next devastating gut punch. Welcome to Colossal Edition 3, where the paranoia is dialed up, the betrayals hit like a freight train, and the horrifying realization sets in: The Titans were never the real problem.
May 10, 2025
the splitting of volumes makes this edition feel slightly awkward but it doesn't take away from the story and how it develops! the anime switches up the events but honestly the manga is better. it's the little bit of Historia being told by the merchant to get revenge on Levi once she's queen which makes me love the original storyline
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 4, 2019
3.5/5. I feel like this volume starts off strong--and ends strong--but gets a little bogged down in the middle. Still some pretty intriguing stuff throughout, though. Just perhaps stretched a little thin?
April 13, 2022
Has many of the same issues as the prior collection of volumes, but does begin to culminate in Something we can tangibly understand.
The coup plot by the Survey Corps puts the characters we like more front and center, forces more of the history of the world into focus, and has better action.
The coup plot by the Survey Corps puts the characters we like more front and center, forces more of the history of the world into focus, and has better action.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 24, 2022
After some crazy action in last few volumes, we finally slow down a bit. Some questions are answered, other pop up of course. There is less action than before , but if there is, its more meaningfull. Story, plot and characters get more depth. Good, really captivating manga so far 4,5
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