So a post by a certain gaming news outlet decided that the Attack on Titan anime is a breeding ground for hatred and “fascism”! You know what, now that I think about it, I have begun to manifest a hatred towards a group of rather large, disproportionate human-like beings who’s sole purpose is to devour humanity. Man, fuck those Titans!
Nah, but on a serious note, this article by Polygon tries to guilt trip you into thinking twice about watching Attack on Titan after the latest Attack on Titan episode 57 came out, which revealed a major plot twist to the story. For the sake of not spoiling it, I’ll make it as vague as I possibly can. So basically, theme of that episode drew inspiration from the Nazi period in a way that Polygon feels will inspire people to begin harbouring hate.
Now, I’ve been watching Attack on Titan for a long ass time now, knowing that the anime draws similar parallels with Nazi Germany and other aspects from that period. Even so, not once did I begin to foster hatred or fascism ideology. Just like any other media that tells a story, it too, took inspiration from the outside world and formed a compelling story that people enjoy.
I would assume that anyone who’s a fan of the Attack on Titan anime, isn’t suddenly going to be sympathetic towards Nazis now, are they? Nah, we still condemn the Nazi and fascism ideology, the horrific acts that were committed by them and the atrocities it brought to everyone, most importantly, the Jewish community. No sane man on this planet will try and justify what happened during World War 2, well most sane man wouldn’t justify it.
This hit piece as I’d like to call it is unwarranted. They made it out to be like everyone started shaking their heads or cringed in worrisome when the episode launched, whereas that couldn’t be further from the truth. Yes, people immediately saw the similar parallels between the two, but if you actually paid attention you’d realize that the scouts aren’t what you’d call the Nazis of the story. In fact, that’s part of what makes this twist interesting. In my latest review, I talked more about it there.
Polygon needs to chill with their misguided “good intentions”! The world is a large place and because of this, not everyone will share their political views. It’s anime man, entertainment that tells a compelling story. Sometimes, it feels like people like Polygon attack anime because it’s a media that won’t bend their knee to the far-left ideology of the West. Either way, I thought I’d share my thoughts on this to balance the dialogue, as all things should be.
