By Eric Vallen
The word, masterpiece, defines Attack on Titan without argument; the show contains no filler episodes, holds scenes with deep thematic significance, and illustrates extremely fleshed out characters. A good watch to say the least. Recently, the show has beaten out the most long standing TV shows in the United States, pioneering the feat for anime as a whole. As with any top show, the show has amassed a large following, but the show’s fans are unlike any other. The sheer amount of toxicity across every single social media platform remains absolutely mind-boggling. You cannot search up Attack on Titan anywhere without viewing similarly named burner accounts trashing opposing shows for no reason. IMDb, a previously widely respected website for rating shows, has now been disgraced due to Attack on Titan’s fandom so irately, disgustingly focusing on the show remaining first. Fans have purposefully created tens of thousands of burner accounts to down vote episodes of other shows. The top five rated episodes for any show, of all time, now only include Attack on Titan. Woo Hoo! So Amazing! No show can even compare! It must be so good! The show remains an all time favorite of many, however, the show isn’t that good. Breaking Bad’s “Ozymandias” deserves a 9.9, other episodes of Attack on Titan like “Assault,” “The War Hammer Titan,” and “Scream” should not even be within artillery distance of the top 50. Similarly, “The Winds of Winter” from Game of Thrones should be within the top five, but unfortunately the episode places thirteenth. The hive mind of pre-teens has latched onto Attack on Titan and won’t let go, not until the show becomes a world religion. I’ve preached about the amazing experience of the show for three years now, only recommending the show. Shows should not be competitive. In most cases, the show’s statistics don’t matter the most for the show’s producers and directors. By taking offense, disregarding criticism, and turning a blind eye to differing opinions about any show, you ruin the beauty of entertainment for everyone. Every show holds independence from the next, and entertainment holds endless amounts of forms, so anything may be deemed as entertaining. Not everyone needs to like the same show. Some people watch friends, unironically, for fun. This itself should provide enough evidence. Attack on Titan’s newfound fanbase is ruining the allure of the show, because fans can’t fathom something being better in someone else’s eyes. Sometimes, I believe the year and a half of online learning might have caused the end of civilization and these people just keep hammering the notion into my head.