Why I Disliked Attack on Titan the First Time but Loved it The Second time

The Setup

Early on in my anime-watching career, I heard that Attack on Titan was one of the best anime ever. Around 2023, before it was finished, my then-boyfriend and I started season 1. We got to episode 13 before quitting for something else. Well, I should say that *I* got to episode 13 before quitting--he gave up much sooner. 

I wouldn't say I was proud of dropping it, but I held firm that I wasn't going to try it again. I just didn't get the hype. The story wasn't for me. The drama wasn't for me. I didn't like how it was being executed.

 Or so I thought--fast forward to 2024, when I asked my friend Angie about it. She gave me an impassioned speech in my car, in the parking lot of a Vietnamese restaurant, on why she loved it and why I should give it another shot. I was convinced. I was going to give it another try.

So I began again. It was probably not long after (she is very persuasive and the picture she painted made me want to watch it as soon as possible). I loved it. Almost immediately, too. The story, the characters, the themes, the conflicts. I even declared it my favorite anime at the end, (though by now it's shifted down to number 4). What was different this time?

The Effect

First of all, the first time around, my boyfriend and I had just finished catching him up on Demon Slayer. We were waiting on the Swordsmith Village Arc to drop and were craving more. All we knew was that AOT was beloved, it had a lot of action, and it was a shonen (lol is it really a shonen?). It did not scratch that itch. Wasn't meant to scratch that itch.

Second of all, because of this difference between Demon Slayer and Attack on Titan--their styles, tone, audience--certain things, like how quickly the training happens for the Survey Corps in the first few episodes, felt incredibly unrewarding. Training arcs are a vital part of shonen! How could we skip over this? Watching in 2024 though showed me that the training at the beginning was such an incredibly small part of season 1, much less the entire show. In fact, everything I thought the show was about in season 1 would eventually be uprooted.

Third of all, this time around I had been properly primed by storytelling expert, Angie, and I had a whole crew of AOT veterans who I could talk to about each incredible moment or questions I had. It made the experience a lot more fun and it helped me synthesize the show details a bit better. Community is actually a vital and underrated aspect of experiencing anime--whether that's just in text with a friend who's watching alongside you, a group chat full of anime veterans, or posting on social media for all to interact (and possibly ruin). 

The Explanation That Kinda Negated that Long Story--The People Have ADHD, Jessica

So, let me distill this down to a one-word explanation as to why I disliked AOT the first time but loved it the second time: expectations.

My expectations were different each time. The first time, I expected Demon Slayer. The second time, I didn't know what to expect, except that it was going to probably blow my mind (although expecting that in of itself can ruin things. Thankfully it didn't this time).

How many times have you heard someone say that an anime is overhyped or they don't understand why everyone loves it? Maybe you're the one who says this the most. I've certainly said it, and not just about AOT. More often than not, its expectations ruining any chance you have at an unbiased viewing. When it's not that, it can easily be your mental state or environment that ruin an anime for the first time.

What's the answer then? Rewatch everything you thought you didn't like? Never listen to any opinions around you? Yes. To both of those. And if you're not doing this, then you aren't a real anime fan. Kidding, of course, but in truth, I'm writing about this to bring more awareness to it. It's easy to write off certain anime, but having self-awareness and realizing that you could be self-sabotaging might save you from ditching an anime masterpiece.

Expectations can work the opposite way, too, of course. You might get super hyped for an anime and then feel let down because it didn't match your preconceived notions. What is greatness to you? Were you picturing your favorite anime in that genre? If something doesn't match those expectations, it's probably not going to be good enough.

Truthfully, you should never watch something you're not into and rewatching stuff you previously dropped is a personal topic that I can't draw guidelines for you on. However, my word of advice is to ask yourself "why" more often. "Why didn't I like this anime?" "Why was I expecting it to be so good?" "Why did no one warn me about the massive incest vibes between those two character?" No, no, Bungo Stray Dogs aside, it's always good to critically analyze why we do the things we do and feel the way we do.

Otherwise, what's the point in entertainment like anime if we can't explain in detail why we did or didn't like something? Exactly. There is no point. None. I can't think of a single reason.

Of course, there's a fine line between failed expectations and something just failing to match your expected threshold for a good story, fleshed out characters, pacing, etc. My thing is if you can articulate why you didn't like an anime, then that's not what I'm talking about here. If you're saying something is overhyped or not for you and you can't put your finger on why, it might be worth it to analyze. Or not. Life is short; do what you want.

Like I said, I just wanted to talk about my experience and maybe bring awareness. 

Do with that what you will.