First Impression of Attack on Titan

          Attack on Titan, originally a manga written by Hajime Isayama became commercially successful recently thanks to its animated adaptation of season one reaching a conclusion. I heard about it from one of my friends on a recommendation, but refused beginning the series due to a weak stomach. My first impression is a show concerning humanity trapping themselves inside their own walls to keep away the outside world, where cannibals reside. To me, it sounds like we are narrating our own fear of the world and its uncertainties. I mean, building ourselves a fortress to keep the outside out, from encroaching on our comfort and peace of mind… it sounds like a taste of classic fear from the unknown.

           I eventually got the nerve to watch the first episode, and eight episodes later I was hooked. Attack on Titan truly captures the feel of someone diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. It is difficult to do a light analysis of the themes in the show because each character has complex relationships with each other, themselves, and the wider world. Overall, Eren the main protagonist faces extremely difficult choices for a teenager as he decides how his actions will ensure the survival or death of his friends and comrades. He struggles with the validity of his responsibility to aiding humanity with his shifting powers.

            The show asks the question of whose authority you are subscribing to, and do you fully understand how you have the things you have. There is political subterfuge, but it isn't revealed in the first season. The hidings of the government make me think about contemporary leaders making the calls on what information to make public versus remain private. These calls could be for the benefit of people, or the detriment. It also plays the importance of obedience to authority that many members of military struggle with when faced with death. The countless characters lost in the show are remembered and honored as “another step towards freedom” against the creatures.

            Trust as a value makes the cut for important themes in the anime too. Just because we have relationships with people and know who they are as they reveal themselves does not necessarily mean we know them and their intentions. Trust is very important in the military, which is tested during one cycle in the season. The intensity of feelings each character undergoes put their own humanity to the test as they make choices concerning war and ethics.

             In conclusion, I want to make a recommendation for Attack on Titan if you are a person who enjoys the goose bumps feeling scene after scene. It is a roller coaster of emotion as you see characters die endlessly. There are political and religious tones to the show as well. Watch this if you really like animation and epic music. The soundtrack is on Spotify, and I use it for pump-up music. Watch the show if you are curious. See the pilot here and make your decision after that… but be warned, it is chair gripping intense. 

An update 06082014

My intention of blogging stems from wanting to explore new ways of expressing myself. I don't write for the attention of readers, nor in the intent of somebody actually reading this. I write because I think that we can learn unique and sometimes hidden things in our personality after reflecting on it for a few moments.

Everyone that I know gets asked how they are doing on a daily basis. I have yet to form a coherent and appropriate response that is both truthful and real. I am in the group of people who smile and give a thumbs up. Even when Facebook asks me what I am up to, I never give a real response. this post is intended to be a real response, so strap yourself in future me, you'll remember this was a hard time.

I just graduated from Abilene Christian University one year early with a B.S. in Communications and  minor in Political Science, you didn't want to stay in school any longer than you had to because you were fed up with the education system in America, particularly the societal pressure of going off to university right after high school. You did your best to enjoy your experience at ACU, but you were hurt your freshmen year in Oxford by glass half empty people. This made you resentful for a couple years and it became very difficult to be vulnerable with others. Graduating from college one year early opens up different opportunities for you. You are currently discerning your vocation seriously. You have complicated relationships with several friends, especially your best friend. You feel ineffective in one-on-one conversations because technology has impaired your ability to relate with other people. You are spending one year in Abilene working with a halfway house, doing mission work with a group of people that your hear has become attached to during your time in college. You are looking for a job in either construction or using a CDL to drive trucks. You are a fitness freak addicted to CrossFit and it distracts you every hour of every day. You leave for Zambia tonight, which is why you are blogging thoughts and feelings now so that they can be fresh for your trip as you close this chapter of your life and begin a new one.

Most importantly though, your relationship with God has never been so Pharisee looking. This is what you are striving to fix every single day. You look clean on the outside, but dirty on the inside. You help others but can't help yourself. You are genuinely trying though, you just finished the Bible's audiobook. You lead praise and worship and encourage others to act. It is just the small moments, those tiny, insignificant at the time choices, that pile up and bury you. You hope that going to Zambia can help you get back on the right path, living a more simple life and being present with the people that you are in community with. It will only work if you remind yourself everyday that your life is not your own.

That is all I can say, and I hope that it is better than a thumbs up and a smile.