Casey Covel, our former columnist and a staffer at Geekdom House, recently wrote an article about how Attack on Titan dives into different kinds of strength. The titans seem invincible with their size and power, and the humans helpless in their frailty, but time and time again the second season of the series demonstrates that strength is found in unexpected places and that the small may topple the large in their own ways.

Casey does a wonderful job of showing how Attack on Titan plays with this idea throughout; other shounen series do the same, though in less subtle ways. Naruto is an orphan and deviant who overcomes with big dreams, tenacity, and sincerity; Deku is given hope and uses his kindness and relentlessness to make the most of it; Goku is seemingly always the underdog, and yet finds strength within himself to protect others; and so on. Other types of series do the same–I immediately think of the shoujo series, Kimi ni Todoke, in which the awkward Sawako becomes a heroine that we all root for and whose in her weakness, draws, everyone together.

I think as an anime fans, a lot of us are those underdogs, those individuals who don’t exhibit the typical strengths we value in society. But in weakness, we can find our strength as well. In characters like Armin, Naruto, and Sawako, we see that the things we excel in, either by natural talent or developing skill, can make us “heroes.” And though we may never slay a titan or go out with the popular guy, we have the ability to make change for good, should we see that weakness can indeed become strength.

Check out Casey’s piece in its entirety at Geekdom House:

Survival of the Weakest in Attack on Titan

Here’s the rest of the best from this last month of 2017:

Dr. Steven, who has guest posted here a couple of times, has started his own blog! One of his initial pieces is on A Centaur’s Life. He compares episode 9 to a real-life experience of someone that survived the Holocaust. It was interesting to read, and I am sure you will enjoy it. (Curiously Dead Cat)

In another post from Dr. Steve, he writes about how anime got him through a difficult period in his family’s life. Entertainment can be a great stress reliever, and it certainly worked for him (and me!). (Curiously Dead Cat)

Jonathan provides some interesting insight into how formality in Japanese langauge can indicate one’s feelings for a topic or person, using a melancholy example about Akari’s father in March Comes in Like a Lion. (FunBlog)

Taka waxes poetic about poetic anime titles, including one that certainly grabbed me last season even before I saw a single episode, Tsuki ga Kirei (or as the moon, so beautiful). (Please, no hate.)

Kare Kano looks like a typical “boy meets girl” anime and manga, but it’s not–the main characters go through some difficult and personal situations. From physical abuse to abandonment and understanding love, there’s a lot going on with Soichiro that we learn about. The Anime Feminist dives into some of her experiences with the manga and how it helped her grow as a person and become stronger. (Anime Feminist)

Have you seen the new trailer for the live-action anime movie, Alita: Battle Angel? John Samuel presents his opinion on the trailer, and how he believes it will do well considering who is directing and producing it.  (Pirates of the Burley Griffin)

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and see y’all in 2018!

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Samuru

When not conquering digital worlds in video games, he can be found reading, watching anime, listening to music writing, and just enjoying life as a geek in the city.

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