Attack On Titan Cast Explores Why the Show Appeals to Non-Anime Fans

Anime has grown by leaps and bounds over the decades, with the advent of the internet helping to spread the medium to new audiences that otherwise might have not seen series like Attack On Titan. To help in celebrating the English Dub of the second half of the final season, we were able to chat with Bryce Papenbrook, Trina Nishimura, and Josh Grelle to discuss many topics, including the appeal that Attack On Titan has for non-anime fans.    

Josh Grelle took the lead in the discussion when it came to Hajime Isayama’s series’ appeal to those who might not be familiar with the medium of anime, with the voice of Armin stating his love of anime and how it’s been a long time coming when it comes to the world’s reception of the animated medium:

“I’ll tell you what, as an anime fan from the earliest age, the initial reaction is, “It’s about damn time.” Oh man, there was so many times as a young fan and when I first started getting into doing actual, professional voice work with the EDV films and Funimation, way back when about 18 years ago, now. I would try to show my family, specifically, my dad, who is a traditional freaking cowboy. Some of these animes, magical girl shows, were not his cup of tea, but he loves Attack on Titan. That is the first and only anime, that, not only that he’s gotten into, but that we’ve bonded over. 

Knowing that and the fact that it’s happening for a lot of different… That we are a part of a show like this, and there’s a ton of other anime right now that do that for different people from different walks of life. But to know that we’re a part of something that has broken through those walls, essentially, and started bringing more people in, is really freaking cool. It was just, “Yes, finally people see what I’ve been seeing about this genre of visual storytelling since I was a kid and seeing how amazing it could be.”

What series do you recommend to friends who aren’t into anime? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of the Titans.