Enjoyed or not it's a story so conflicted and controlled it's difficult to see just how deeply you were trapped.

Overview

Shingeki no Kyojin mislead the public, and as I write this I realize it also mislead me. What I mean is not some mystery contained within the manga, a misunderstanding or conspiracy/fan theory where countless hours are spent trying to connect the dots which have been left unconnected by the mangaka. Rather - and most likely on purpose - I mean that we were demographically mislead as by no means is this a textbook shonen piece.

It was shocking. A brilliant case of where Hajime Isayama (the mangaka) had lured us in so discretely, that whether we enjoyed it or hated it we were trapped in Isayama's world whether we liked it or not. The storm surrounding Shingeki no Kyojin is justified as this by many is deemed a masterpiece, a launch pad for many into anime as it has become ever-more increasingly mainstream and popular.

Many love this manga, others hate it - but as always you will find a large following and long forums where arguments and agreements are made by countless amounts of people expressing their thoughts. This large storm is the creation of Hajime Isayama, and we are all caught in the aftermath of his masterpiece.

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Rating: 92

I believe that we can safely define Shingeki no Kyojin as a must-read. At a point in time, manga's overstretch the boundaries of tags and demographics - bleeding into the point of whether you like it or not it's in a top list and is deemed as a must-read. The manga has definitely been cemented as a classic and in an overall sense - it is quite frankly a "masterpiece". Whether you personally enjoy it or not is of course to preference.

The manga's art style feels raw, from the moment you read the first panels you know you are in for something different. It feels uneasy, something is wrong, and you immediately get the sense that you feel helpless and are going to witness something quite extraordinary. The gore may not be for everybody but it is by no means the defining piece of this manga nor is it centralized around it. It is the shock factor that draws you in, portrayed by the art style as it compliments what is a quite incredible story which escalates to a level that you never thought possible even near the end. And on a side note - seriously pay attention to the art, as you will find things that tie into the story and are eggs for future chapters.

The story itself... wow. The only slight negative is that at first, things may seem slightly confusing in the manga. It definitely is better then the anime in portraying the complex story and lore but you must read it carefully as immediately from the offset you must pay attention to what you are reading. This is not for the case of deep thinking and philosophical internal debate, rather it is to fully connect the dots in what is an incredibly intricate web. Picture it as this, while you are playing checkers, Shingeki no Kyojin's story is not just playing chess, it's playing chess within chess while in another dimension. If that makes you fear, do not worry and hold onto the ride - because eventually everything is made perfectly clear and you will be left in pure shock and awe. The lore in the manga may come at times a bit late, but it is all done for a reason and it is only after you fully read it that you realize that everything was just so perfectly placed.

Character development is unique, in short I could finish it by saying "reserve your judgement to the end" and in truth you should with this manga but the story has many characters to both love and hate. At times it may feel frustrating with character development and for that many people dock points, or grow frustrated at the manga in general but as always it has a proper time and place. I myself dock it a point or two in the character development department as overall it is great but could be done better - but if you are to read this manga I would say you will not like every character. You will hate some of the characters, to the point that you may want to drop the manga or you find it less enjoyable - but that is all apart of what this manga is about and in the end, I guarantee you will be conflicted to some degree and find some understanding with at least a few characters.

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Hajime Isayama has made full use of the 139 chapters, without one missing a beat. I feel a score of 92 accurately reflects the "masterpiece" nature of Shingeki no Kyojin but not quite to the extent of being the absolute best-of-the-best as there are a few points which dock it to such a score - including the nature of the ending. My main piece of advice to you reader would be this; it is a definitive must-read, but I would highly recommend that you read the manga fully before you watch the anime - because only then will you fully understand just how insane of a ride you were on.