As you read these lines, a story that gained worldwide popularity and recognition during the last decade comes to an end. Today, with the premiere of Attack on Titan Final Season The Final Chapters: Special 2the story of Shingeki no Kyojin closes in animated format a series of surprising twists, the arcs of endearing characters and a world that raised metaphors about war, loss and freedom.
In commemoration of this milestone, we look back at the origins of the acclaimed creation of Hajime Isayama. A work that enters the list of the most memorable of recent times.
An effective hook
Much of the appeal of Shingeki no Kyojin lies in its story: an identifiable conflict and secondary plots that enrich the main action, a fantastic world with precise rules and solid cohesion, as well as an effective approach that begins in media resthat is, at the midpoint of the entire argument.
The hook, on its debut, was simple, but with strength and dramatic impact. The remnants of humanity, after being on the brink of extinction, live in a walled city that prevents the entry of the titans, human-eating humanoids that appeared out of nowhere. Peace has reigned for a hundred years, but one morning thunder shakes the sky and the earth; Then, a titan taller than any ever seen emerges above the wall. That threat that shakes his world reminds humanity that he lives in fear and that those walls were actually cages.
“I wanted to create something short, simple and interesting when someone saw it. Making it complicated would alienate people,” says Hajime Isayama in Attack on Titan Guidebook: Inside & Outside. Due to the length of the first chapter, she decided to focus on an event that would attract attention from the first pages. Thus was born the iconic image of the Colossal Titan, seen from a low angle view, looming over the wall.
What are Titans and where do they come from? How to defend against such a threat? What to do with hate after being a victim of a tragedy? These questions raised the basic mysteries to continue. They were resolved little by little, with new questions for each answer. Until that twist that revolutionized the plot to one focused on an old war between two nations and its impact on the character of the characters, as well as the motivations for their actions.
An intimate story
Isayama has been a diligent author with his work. Despite his withdrawn personality, he did not stop fighting for an opportunity. In 2006, when he was barely 20 years old, he arrived in Tokyo with the dream of becoming mangaka, although, by his own admission, he always struggled with drawing, which was one of his greatest hobbies. He believed that his work lacked the quality necessary for the medium’s standards, a self-criticism that was supported by multiple editorials.
“I visited many companies. They liked my story, but they said the quality of the drawing was poor. I was going to give up because there are a lot of people who want to become manga artists. I didn’t think I could become one of the greats,” Isayama confessed in an interview with the BBC.
When a Kōdansha editor finally expressed interest in Shingeki no KyojinIsayama had such low self-esteem that he thought, “what’s wrong with this guy?”
The themes within the work have deep ties to his own biography and perhaps that emotional honesty made it easier to identify with readers. In an interview with NHK, The author revealed that his childhood harbored feelings of inferiority with respect to his environment: both physically, due to the mountains that surrounded Hita, the town where he grew up, which made him wonder what lay beyond them; as social, as he often lost competitions or failed to demonstrate his abilities. A desire to change his way of being motivated him to leave Ōita Prefecture: “It wasn’t ambition that drove me. “I felt inferiority, a certain frustration,” he recalls..
The first conceptual influence for manga (via) was Muv Luv Alternative, an adult visual novel about an alien invasion that nearly wipes out humanity. Later, her bad experiences in Tokyo with drunk and angry customers in an Internet cafe where she worked at dawn would be added. Isayama thought about how terrifying it was to be in front of someone who was impossible to communicate with and that idea encouraged the creation of the titans.
In interviews for Kōdansha and the magazine Kaboom In 2013, he said that the early designs were inspired by a zombie Mona Lisa that came out of the frame to eat people in the horror manga. Cloud, the master of hell (Jigoku Sensei Cloud). Later, monsters like Godzilla, Mothra and Gamera and Japanese horror cinema would add to his influences.
The grotesque and the unusual are perceived as a nodal point in the work’s appeal:
“To draw the titans I choose expressions that cause discomfort. The expression of the titans is not suitable for every situation, for example, from the moment they find one until they kill it, they do not stop smiling. I chose to do it this way to produce the most unpleasant sensation possible,” he explained.
These visual references mixed with their experiences, built a world abundant in details that kept the fandom committed to the story of liberation of Eren, Mikasa and Armin, outlined with dramatic undertones that strengthened its appeal. The care that author and publisher put into the story is reaffirmed in the words of editor Back, who stated in Attack on Titan Guidebook:
“Isayama listens to every opinion before deciding. There are countless suggestions and he listens to them all. He thus takes a position and builds around everyone’s proposals. Shingeki no Kyojin It is not just his, many people have influenced Kōdansha.”
That was the power of a creative story. A balance between what it showed and what it didn’t, between depth and spectacular action. One that captivated us with his enthusiasm.
Titans of Japanese pop culture
The economic factor also played an important role. When something accumulates success, the cultural industries give it more exposure, translating it into greater prestige and reach. The manga debuted in September 2009 in the publication Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine. From the beginning it had a successful reception, managing to sell almost 3 million 800 thousand copies by the end of 2011, as recorded Oricon. In 2013, a peak of nearly 16 million copies sold gave Kōdansha its first profit increase in 18 years, it said. ANN.
That rebound was driven by the premiere of the anime’s first season on NHK television in April of that year. The adaptation – in its first three seasons by WIT Studio and in its final season in the hands of MAPPA – catapulted Shingeki no Kyojin as a global phenomenon, by making its plot available to an international audience, even those who did not consume anime. Two months later, the Japanese publisher printed 8 million additional copies to satisfy the demand for the, until then, 10 compilation volumes.
The franchise expanded to numerous spin-offslight novels, video games, movies live-action Japanese and merchandise. Although sales have decreased since that time, largely due to the increase in digital consumption, the manga currently exceeds 120 million copies in global circulation. It is thus located in the Top 20 of the best-selling manga sagas of all time. His achievements include the Kōdansha Award in the category shōnen in 2011 and nominations for awards such as the Manga Taishō and the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Award.
“There is nothing more valuable than people being able to share emotions, which cannot be expressed in words, thanks to a story. It made us happy to feel this way together with our readers and partners through Shingeki no Kyojin. Although the series came to an end, these memories will always remain warm in our hearts. Thank you for reading us,” wrote the Editorial department of Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine about the manga’s divisive finale on April 8, 2021, which closed with 139 chapters and 34 volumes
Today, the final point of this successful and memorable story is written. Nevertheless, Shingeki no Kyojin will still live. On the one hand, in the remaining projects, such as a bonus chapter of the manga that will go on sale on April 30, 2024. Or, the long-announced movie live-action Hollywood by Warner. On the other hand, and more importantly, in the memory of his followers: those from the beginning, those who caught up and those who are still missing. Because good stories, it is known, are timeless.
You can purchase the work printed in Mexico courtesy of Panini Manga. On the other hand, all the episodes of the anime can be found on Crunchyroll.
Carlos Carrizales Communicologist. I learned to graduate in everything as an apprentice. Irredeemable cinephile, who can never see everything he wants. Also aspiring journalist. Lover of series, trova, and everything that involves learning new things.