Reviews

Attack on Titan: Colossal Edition 5 by Hajime Isayama

tealeighfbooks's review

adventurous dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

hotleifuice's review

5.0

Something about Jean just makes me feel funny.

feedingbrett's review

dark sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

A clear transition point that certainly challenges our biases towards our familiar characters. Sympathy swings like a pendulum but with it come depth through context. Moving forward from the internal turmoil that its previous volumes have repeatedly served, now the bigger picture has been offered, but with it a logical anchor that gives greater meaning to such tragedies that we have previously witnessed. While the abstract philosophies that once hypothesised the repetitive chaos have begun to dwindle, I think the continuous search for meaning and a solution has kept my interest throughout this period of the story. I can only hope all of this contextualising will pay off.

nathanrester's review

5.0

Hot damn. I'm inclined to say that this is the series at its apex, if only because I can't imagine anything really topping this run. The "Marley" arc should feel like wheel-spinning and late-in-the-day backstory exposition, but everything from the bold direction to the excellent execution to the compelling characters all coalesce to make this an essential detour through a hitherto-unseen corner of this fictional space.

Earlier in the series, I had a bit of trepidation about the bend of the story's larger thematic arc and how it relates to the series broader uses of real-world symbols to communicate the sociopolitical layout of the Attack on Titan universe. People will inevitably feel how they feel about the use of certain symbols and imagery, but this run has convinced me that the often-uncomfortable real-world parallels are ultimately being used to disseminate big-ticket themes like empathy, relativism, and whether or not generational cycles of violence can actually be broken. It's all great stuff, and this chapter alone cements the series as a benchmark for dark fantasy.

miniando's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

very_vero's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense fast-paced

5.0

thulu36's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

skseifert's review

5.0

After being a strict anime-only of this show for almost 7 years, I decided to finally pick up the manga and finish the story before I was spoiled for the ending online once the last chapter came out. It was delightful to watch the art get better over time, see characters I love on the screen be even more improved in the manga, and watch this seemingly simple story spiral into one of the most intricately plotted and complex stories I have ever experienced. While I still am more of an anime gal than a manga gal, I am so glad to have read the manga and gotten all the story beats in context rather than spoiled online. Isayama's ability to trickle information until it all comes full circle in these incredible reveal moments is astounding and there are multiple points throughout the series that I'll always remember how I felt when it first "clicked" what was going on. 10/10, one of my favorite stories of all time!