Attack on Titan and Too Much Whining

[Gravekeeper]

It lead to one of my favourite quotes of mine: if I can skip three pages and understand the story perfectly then those three pages shouldn't have been there.

Yeah, I got to the point where I would skip entire chapters of the latter Wheel of Time books and I never felt like I missed anything story wise. By the last book I read I wasn't even bothering with that. I would just skip every chapter that didn't involve Rand, Perrin or Matt and Matt I would only skim because he's fucking insufferable.

Its an interesting exercise, skip every chapter that doesn't involve a main character from book 1 and see how much of a book you have left. ( Answer: Not much ).

[HYHYBT]

There are other main characters on book one besides those three, and many of the side stories are interesting, ultimately relevant, or both.

[Gravekeeper]

There are other main characters on book one besides those three, and many of the side stories are interesting, ultimately relevant, or both.

No, no they're not. Most of the side stuff is pointless or in the case of Egwene, Elayne and Nynaeve mostly insufferable and sexist. Random side characters likewise get entire chapters by surprise than vanish again for the rest of the series. Main characters don't get much better treatment. Half the prominent female characters serve as little more than Rand's Mormon sex harem. The only vaguely competent and mature female character gets neatly dispatched early in the series and is gone for most of it before being magically hand waved back.

Entire books go by with virtually nothing occurring plot wise. Then he expects you to remember some minor side event that happened 6 books ago and has never been mentioned since.

The latter books he wrote are almost entirely filler, frankly. It took him dying and another author taking over to finally slim it down and move the plot forward properly. >.>

[Andara Bledin]

I'd heard that he'd stated at some point that as long as people kept buying the books, he'd keep writing them. He had no intention of completing the series within his lifetime.

When I got to book five, I think, I stopped reading. I realized that absolutely nothing of interest had happened in an entire book and wasn't interested in reading lack of conflict.

[Gravekeeper]

I'd heard that he'd stated at some point that as long as people kept buying the books, he'd keep writing them. He had no intention of completing the series within his lifetime.

That would explain a lot, frankly.

When I got to book five, I think, I stopped reading. I realized that absolutely nothing of interest had happened in an entire book and wasn't interested in reading lack of conflict.

You're lucky, it only gets worse with each book. Its almost kind of awe inspiring that he could write 700 pages where nothing really happens.

The top Amazon review for book 10 sums it up perfectly. 10 being the last one he wrote before his death if I recall right.

[gremcint]

A lot of stuff not involving the main three was plenty important and enjoyable but not the Shaido.

God not the Shaido, burn the motherfucking shaido.

[Kara_CS]

I actually just decided to check this series out last night. I'd heard a lot of great things about it, so I caved from peer pressure and watched the first 5 episodes on Netflix. It seems okay. The animation is really pretty, the characters seem pretty likeable, and the story so far isn't something that I've seen a million times already. I was damn impressed with the sheer, heartbreaking sense of hopelessness they showcased in the first episode, but the next four episodes were sort of Starship Troopers-y with the whole "swear revenge, join the army, train to be a badass, most of the recruits get slaughtered in the first fight," but I'm okay with that because it worked so well. There was a GREAT setup in the first episode, then years pass over the next few as we watch the characters be trained in the military to kick ass and believe they really can do it, forgetting all the poor bastards before them who thought the same thing. It was an interesting narrative choice, and it worked. Had I avoided reading much about the series, my head may have exploded with the unexpectedly ballsly move of killing the main character after 5 episodes, and I think it would be more interesting if they had left it that way and shifted the focus to Armin or Mikasa, but I'm not too disappointed.

[anakhouri]

I think my favorite character is Reiner. He doesn't whine. He barely even talks.





SPOILER





My husband says he is creepy, because when Armin was going on about the female Titan (in the teens episodes) Reiner was looking at him like he was trying to decide if he should just kill Armin now and get it over with.

I DON'T BLAME HIM.

[Gravekeeper]

There's a reason Reiner is creepy. >.>

[anakhouri]

I have a guess, but we're not nearly to the end yet. We also has a theory on the identity of the female Titan.


What kills me is when she grabs scouts and swings them around by their wires and they're like, "Oh no! We're trapped! What do we dooooo?"

And I'm yelling, "You have TWO MACHETES!"

I feel like Alexander the Great. Cut the wires already!

[Gravekeeper]

Yes, well, the female titan isn't exactly doing much to hide her identity. You can call it from the moment she shows up really. >.>

Though I think the G forces involved in being spun around by the wires like that would preclude any action beyond voiding the contents of your stomach.