Attack on Titan Creator Shares How the Anime Altered the Manga
Attack on Titan has certainly earned its reputation as one of the bleakest anime franchises, with the final season throwing in some wild curveballs at the Scout Regiment as Eren Jaeger is the new villain threatening the world. Recently, the creator of the dark anime series, Hajime Isayama, traveled to North America for the first time as a part of Anime NYC, and revealed some of the major impacts that the anime adaptation had on the manga and vice versa.
It's been a few years since Attack on Titan's manga came to a close, with the ending being quite controversial in the anime world. So controversial in fact that creator Hajime Isayama took the opportunity to apologize for it during his recent trip to the United States. Needless to say, it will be interesting to see how this ending is received by fans who have only been following along with the anime.
In chatting with outlet ANN following his North American debut at Anime NYC, Isayama had this to say when it came to how the anime adaptation and the manga-influenced one another, while also stating how they remained separate at the same time:
"When my work became an anime, that's when I really felt like it has become larger than my life. Because the characters kind of start to develop on their own depending on the voice actors' acting skills. It became quite different from what I originally imagined them to be. So I kind of treat them like "that Eren," which is different from my version, but I also recognize it as a different version of the character."
Isayama also took the opportunity to reveal the changes he wanted to be made to the anime adaptation, with both Wit Studio and MAPPA taking notes from Attack on Titan's creator:
"One example, I can think of is when Attack on Titan became an anime series, when they introduced the vertical maneuvering equipment, I wanted the design to be more improved by the time it became an anime. That was a request that I had put to the anime team. Later I realized that was a very difficult request that I have put in and I felt really bad later."
Did you prefer Attack on Titan's anime or manga? 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.