Attack on Titan, also known as Shingeki no Kyojin is one of the most popular manga in Japan at the moment.
The mangaka of Attack on Titan is Hajime Isayama. Isayama was born on the 29th of August in 1986, in Oyama, which is currently part of Hita. In high school Isayama already participated in several manga competitions and after he finished school he worked at Kushu Designer Gakuin for a while, on a manga design program.
In 2006 he participated in the Magazine Grand Prix, sponsored by Kodansha Ltd. Here his one-shot of Attack on Titan won the “Fine Work Award”. When he was twenty he moved to Tokyo, where he started working in an internet café to chase his career as a mangaka. He applied to Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump first, but refused to work there when he was told he’d have to change his story and style. After this he applied to Kodansha’s Weekly Shonen Magazine, which did suit his needs.
In 2009 he started the series Attack on Titan in the monthly Bessatsu Shonen Magazine. These days Attack on Titan has four spin-off manga, two roman series, a TV anime, a few visual novels, a video game and a two part live-action movie that’s still in production.
The Attack on Titan series fits in the following categories: adventure, action, mystery, fantasy, drama, tragedy and a little bit of horror paired with a historical note. And of course shounen.
The story is set in a time when humankind almost fell due to the appearance of mysterious giants; so-called Titans. These days the remainder of the human race lives, protected by three big walls. But when one day an even bigger Titan appears, the wall gets broken and Titans invade the city.
A few years after this event a lot suddenly becomes clear about the Titans in a very short time, where they might come from and how the one that broke the wall might’ve come to be. A complot is brought to light and it’s up to a small group of soldiers to solve the mystery surrounding the Titans and free humanity from their confined existence within the walls.
The story is filled with a decent amount of blood and the storyline is sometimes a little hard to follow, but that’s something that makes this manga a mystery-manga. The drawing style of Isayama is also pretty unique and often gets criticizes, but there is clear progress in his drawing abilities.
Personally I think this is a good manga. Aside from all the horror, drama and mystery, there’s also a good amount of humor in it. The story and the character also have a brilliant depth to them, which makes it easy to stay in the story. Isayama is very good with cliffhangers, which makes it completely worth it to wait a month for the next chapter. In conclusion, I enjoy the mysteries of this manga a lot and would definitely recommend it!
Mangaka: Hajime Isayama
Published: 17th of March 2010
Volumes: Ongoing
Rating: 85/100
