Attack on Titan – SoraNews24 -Japan News-

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There are a lot of questions fans of anime and manga mega-hit Attack on Titan want the answers to. Where did the series’ naked, man-eating giants come from? What did protagonist Eren’s father hide away in the locked cellar he gave his son the key to? And when are we going to see the next portion of the story adapted to animation (in more specific terms than “eventually”)?

But series creator Hajime Isayama did reveal something a lot of fans want to know, as he recently told reporters his personal estimate as to when Attack on Titan’s manga serialization will end.

Isayama recently spoke with reporters from Japanese culture magazine Da Vinci, as part of the Attack on Titan spotlight planned for the publication’s October issue, The series is Isayama’s first long-running serial, and the artist has been at it since 2009. With new installments appearing every month in Kodansha’s Bessatsu Shonen Magazine, Isayama has now penned 61 chapters, which have been collected into 14 volumes.

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Of course, the sky’s the limit on manga longevity. After all, pirate saga One Piece now has 75 collected volumes, and police gag story <em<Kochikame is up to 191, thanks to it being continually published since 1976. Should Attack on Titan’s readers brace themselves for a similarly long ride?

No, at least not according to Isayama. “In the beginning, I estimated I’d need about 16 volumes to wrap everything up,” he explains. “But there are more characters involved now, and to do the story justice, it’s going to need to be more longer than that…If each character doesn’t change into someone different between the start and end, then I don’t think there’s any point to a story, so I want to show readers the moment when they change.”

“Personally, I think the manga will continue for three more years. I’d like to end things quickly, with a tight pace of story developments…and then I always end up feeling like I should qualify that with a ‘but,’ so for now, I can’t say anything more specific.”

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As an example of a character arc, Isayama spoke more about Eren. “In the beginning, his character was more symbolic, so I sometimes didn’t know what to do with him. But then I heard Yuki Kaiji’s performance as him in the anime, and I started to think, ‘Ah, this is how Eren is.’ There’s a bit of weakness in his voice, with the nuance that he’s forcing himself to be stronger than he really is. It’s brave, bur deep inside, he’s bluffing as hard as he can, which is something I started to better understand as the manga went on.”

With three years to go before the finale, those looking to get a hint of what’s in store for Attack on Titan’s cast might want to check out a musical recommendation from Isayama. “I love Rhymester’s ‘Prisoner No. 1, 2, 3,'” he says, referring to a jazzy song by the Japanese hip-hop trio. “They sing about three people being held prisoner, and their different ways of thinking. It’s just like the Survey Corps, Garrison Regiment, and Military Police Brigade from Attack on Titan. It wouldn’t be going too far to say the song is about the manga’s story.”

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Isayama says he’s especially fond of this kind of intellectual categorizing. “There are people who try to use existing systems for their own purposes, and others who stand against that. Most people, though, fall somewhere in between, sitting on the fence and waiting for an opportunity.”

Just like the legions of Attack on Titan fans waiting to see what happens next.

Source: Ameba News via Jin
Top image: Fluentu
Insert images: Twimg, Gamefaqs, Amazon Japan

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Origin: Attack on Titan’s creator estimates manga will end in three years
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Namco‘s indoor theme park, Namjatown, is collaborating with Attack on Titan and getting them into the Halloween spirit with adorable cat ears.

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The special campaign will include a variety of game prizes and limited-edition merchandise, but for the time being, only the above teaser image is available.

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The theme park has also redrawn their cat mascots as Attack on Titan soldiers, and visitors can be sure that there will be plenty of merchandise opportunities there as well.

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While Namco and Attack on Titan already have a partnership, the theme park collaboration will take place between November 8 and January 18, and will also include themed food and drink items. It is timed to coincide with the release of the first compilation Attack on Titan film, Shingeki no Kyojin Zenpen ~Guren no Yumiya~ (Attack on Titan Part I: Crimson Bow and Arrow), which will open this winter.

[Via Nijimen]

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Origin: Attack on Titan characters don cat ears for Namjatown collaboration
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2014.10.05 attack on titan posters

If you’re a fan of the wildly popular manga and anime series Attack on Titan, then you’ll be more than familiar with the violent and jarring scenes of gigantic monsters biting off and chewing human heads, arms and various other body parts. But while you might expect such gruesome images in your comic books, commuters riding the Tokyo subway might not appreciate seeing such gory poster images on their way to work every morning.

So when advertising a new Attack on Titan exhibit opening next month at a Tokyo museum, the poster designers decided to creatively self-censor their own work with some very cleverly placed food items.

The digital artwork will show up starting October 6 and will be on display for about a week inside the Roppongi subway station. Instead of the normal diet of people, the titans on the “self-censored” posters are eating various fast food options like friend chicken or hamburgers. Although some may argue about the health effects of a human-based versus fast food-based diet, advertisers probably thought the latter would be a bit easier for commuters to “swallow.”

▼ Do you know how many grams of cholesterol is in that hamburger Mr. Titan?

2014.10.05 attack on titan posters i Image: Kai-You

The Attack on Titan exhibit opens next month at the Ueno Royal Museum and runs through January next year. Besides images, artwork and an exclusive short film, visitors will be able to experience the true terror of a titan through a special part of the exhibit using the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset. The simulation will make participants feel like they have come face to face with one of the man-eating titans.

This exhibit and self-censoring posters just adds to the excitement for Attack on Titan fans as the first part of a two-part movie will be coming out next month. And later next year, the second film will hit theaters and star the dreamy Haruma Miura as the angtsy protagonist Eren Yeager.

Need any more reasons to get excited about the upcoming Attack on Titan exhibit? Check out two of the TV ads below and let us know in the comments below if you happen to see the fast food eating-titans in Tokyo!

Feature image: Kai-You
Source: Niconico news, Anime News Network

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Origin: (Self) Attack on Censorship! Gruesome titans skip humans and eat fast food in Tokyo station ads
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Producers sometimes run into a tricky problem when picking voice actors to portray anime characters: In the case of a teen boy, is it better to cast a man or a woman to play the part?

Especially if the character isn’t a particularly macho lad, and if the production committee is thinking long-term, such roles are often given to women. The rationale is that an adult man would sound too old, and an adolescent actor’s voice will change once he hits puberty. In fact, some of anime’s most famous male characters, such as Dragon Ball Z’s Goku, Evangelion’s Shinji, and Rurouni Kenshin’s Kenshin are all played by women.

Until now we’d have been confident in adding Attack on Titan’s blond and gentle Armin to the list, as the supposedly male friend of protagonist Eren is voiced by Ms. Marina Inoue. But is Amrin actually a guy? Maybe not, and the source of the rumor looks to be none other than Attack on Titan creator Hajime Isayama himself.

A photo, originally attributed to Twitter user Futomayu, has been making the rounds online in Japan. The snapshot looks to be of a question-and-answer column in which fans could ask Isayama what they wanted to know about his hugely successful anime and manga franchise.

One question came from a Saitama Prefecture resident going by the name Hello Again, who was curious about the always professional Mikasa.

▼ Mikasa, ready to go to work killing Titans

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Mikasa isn’t just cool in the sense that she takes down her giant foes without showing a trace of fear, though. She’s also a bit standoffish and intimidating, which got Hello Again wondering about the kind of relationships she’d formed with her comrades in the 104th Training Corps graduating class. “Out of the girls in the 104th, who is Mikasa closest friends with?” the fan asked.

Isayama’s terse response?

“That’d be Armin.”

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Internet commenters had the following reactions:

“I knew it.”
“So, does this mean Eren and Armin can hook up?”
“The fujoshi must be crying.”
“Isn’t his gender ‘Armin?’”

Isayama didn’t go into any greater detail, and some fans aren’t sure whether he’s being serious or just showing off a deadpan sense of humor. Given how many other characters in Attack on Titan are harboring startling secrets and hidden identities, though, we can’t just dismiss the possibility outright that Armin is actually a woman.

For that matter, off the top of our heads, we can’t recall a point in the series when Armin directly refers to himself as a guy, although there’s a possibility we’ve just forgotten. Maybe it’s time to take on the solemn and difficult task of rewatching every episode of the hottest anime series in the last 20 years. You know, for research purposes.

Sources: Hamster Sokuho, Jin
Top image: Natalee
Insert images: Divine Gate, Imgur

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Last January, fans got hit with a mix of awe and envy at an Attack on Titan event in Osaka where the heroes’ 3-D maneuver gear was on display. Looking over the intricate harness and paired swords, it was hard not to find yourself wanting a set of your very own.

Soon enough, that anime daydream can come true, as preorders have now started for life-size replicas of Attack on Titan’s iconic giant-killing battlefield technology.

The colossal cosplay bundle is crafted by Movic, the same veteran merchandising company behind the 3-D maneuver gear shown in Osaka (and also the elegant Japanese-style Pokémon artwork we’ve been eyeing for our bare living room walls). At 99,800 yen (US $915), Movic is asking for a serious hunk of change, but it’s offering a serious hunk of awesomeness in return.

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The kit, made out of aluminum, ABS plastic, and silicon, looks to include all the accouterments of the anime design, including two gun grip-mounted blades. Movic’s even sent out a couple of teaser photos of the rig being modeled, in order to help fans get over the high wall its price point constitutes.

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The 3-D maneuver gear can be ordered directly from Movic here, with delivery scheduled for late January of 2015. While that won’t be soon enough for this coming Halloween, it should still arrive in plenty of time for next summer’s anime convention season, and you can spend the time until then working out so you can move around with 10 kilograms (22 pounds) of Attack on Titan love strapped to your hips.

Source: Jin
Top image: Movic
Insert images: Retro Anime, Movic, Ow.ly