Attack on Titan (2011)

[進撃の巨人]

Volume 4

Author/Artist: Hajime Isayama
Publisher: KC Magazine

Synopsis:
While the elite Garrison troops are being slaughtered all around them, Armin struggles to get through to Eren so that he can take control of his Titan form and complete the mission to seal off the gate and stem the flow of Titans into Trost.

Story/Characters:
Here we have Episodes 12 and 13 but also 3 and 4 sandwiched in. I commented before in my review of Volume 2 that I liked how the TV series showed the characters' training before the attack on Trost so that we got more attached to them before everything went to pot. Isayama's original placement instead builds up the connection before we're faced with the aftermath of the recapture of Trost. There's merit to it, but I still prefer their choice for the adaptation. (This is funny coming from me who was once derided as a "manga thumper" for my strident purism when I used to be active in the anime fan community.) Jean perhaps gets the most character development in this volume and as he arguably has one of the more interesting arcs in the series (in terms of personal development), there's good stuff to be had here.

Art:
Overall quality is still a bit on the middling side, with some very impactful panels offset by some awkward ones. Isayama is growing as an artist, but it's a slow road.

Conclusion:
We bring the Trost arc to close while stepping back to relive the training days of the main cast. The training chapters are among my favorite in the series, so that causes this volume to rate highly in my book.

Rating:
Own It