ATTACK ON TITAN, one of the most talked about manga series inrecent memory, will now come to life in a live-action movie. 36 million copies of the manga sold to date… The animated TV series has been explosively popular.

About the Adaptation

The story is based on the first three volumes of the manga, with some significant changes made in consultation with the author.

The screenplay will not emphasize the “dark fantasy” elements found in the manga, instead focusing on the coming-of-age story and the swashbuckler tale of heroes standing up to massive foes, both of which form the backbone of the narrative. (The film may receive an R-15 rating, however.)

The film will be set not in a fictional Europe-like location but in Japan during the future instead, with the first arrival of the Titans occurring in present day Japan.

Outside of the three main protagonists (Eren, Mikasa and Armin), the other characters will be completely original characters, although their roles will be reminiscent of their counterparts from the graphic novel. It will essentially be a parallel story reimagining the three protagonists in a Japanese setting.

The terror of being attacked by Titans, as well as the spectacular action involving the Three Dimensional Maneuvering Gear—worn to enable the mobility required to defeat the Titans—will surpass that seen in the anime series.

The Concept

The fear of being trampled by the overwhelming power of the Titans. The fear of being eaten and killed by the Titans for no apparent reason or meaning. How should people live in a world filled with the despair of powerlessness?

The stagnation found in the politics and economy of today’s Japan—a country unable to offer any vision of a future at the moment—seems very similar to the sense of “the despair of powerlessness” felt by the people of this film, surrounded by walls and living comfortably in the fleeting pretense of peace. It may not be a stretch to suggest that Japan today is blanketed by a depressing pessimism. Japan may well have become a country that is closed off and weighed down by a type of psychological oppression.

Surely, people are born with an innate yearning for the unknown world around us. We have long been drawn to those who pioneer different worlds and who possess a frontier spirit. We are excited by them, admire them, and moved to cheer on their deeds.

Eren says, “Once I expel the Titans and leave the small world within these walls,

I’m going to explore the world outside.” Rather than die slowly inside a world protected by massive walls, the young heroes of this film seek to leap over those walls, overcome the Titans and go out into the world, all with the future of mankind in their sights. Embodying the fundamental frontier spirit within all of us, their story will surely resonate with, inspire and move audiences.

A New Fantasy World Brought to the Screen

A world that calls to mind medieval Europe, surrounded by massive, 50-meters-tall walls, as well as the wilderness that stretches beyond.

While based on the original manga, the film will create a new world unique to the live-action adaptation. In addition to adding CG elements to existing landscapes, the film will take full advantage of the experience, skills and knowledge cultivated by years of making tokusatsu (special effects) movies, such as filming miniatures. The result will be a world beyond one’s imagination.

Moreover, the Titans will be created using a technique in which, according to director Shinji Higuchi, “human body parts will be rearranged to produce an uncanny effect, while models of actual people will be manipulated in CG so that the proportions are changed.” This should give birth to monstrous, bloodcurdling

Titans on the big screen.

About the Manga

The original manga continues to be serialized on Kodansha’s Bessatsu Shonen Magazine, and the 13 volumes of the graphic novel have over 36 million copies in circulation, making it a wildly successful manga series. Written by Hajime Isayama, a 26 year-young talent, its innovative worldview and large-scale story have captured the public’s attention as “a definitive 21st century manga,” quickly becoming the most talked-about and widely supported manga today.

The animated TV series began airing in April 2013, and its exceptional quality has attracted viewership even from those who typically do not watch anime. While the current market holds that a series that sells 10,000 DVDs per volume is a big hit, Attack on Titan sold over 100,000. After the online streaming of the series on Niconico (Japan’s premier video sharing website), the site’s list of the top 100 fan-made videos was dominated by Attack on Titan videos, evidence that the series had become a social phenomenon.

Yielding related products like mobile games, spin-off comics and merchandise, the series has shown no signs of letting up on its momentum.

Synopsis

Japan, present day. The sudden arrival of the Titans—mysterious, gigantic humanoid creatures who devour human beings one after the other—brings mankind to the brink of extinction.

Fast-forward more than 100 years later. What remains of the human population now live in relative peace behind massive walls that were erected to defend themselves against the Titans. Yet once again, that peace is shattered when a Titan measuring over 50 meters tall smashes through the wall, allowing a horde of other Titans to enter.

The protagonist, Eren, had been resigned to a life confined behind these walls. Nothing I do would make a difference, he thought. But when he joins the “Outer Wall Restoration Team” set up to fight against the Titans, he is reunited with Mikasa, a childhood friend and someone he had long rued not being able to save. The new recruits embark on a mission to obtain explosives, which had become rare and precious, before getting past the waves of Titans to plug the gaping hole in the wall, with humanity’s survival on the line. Will there be a future for Eren and Mikasa, and for mankind itself?

Attack on Titan

Directed By: Shinji Higuchi

Written By: Yûsuke Watanabe, Tomohiro Machiyama

Original Comic Series By: Hajime Isayama

Cast: Haruma Miura, Hiroki Hasegawa, Kiko Mizuhara, Kanata Hongo, Takahiro Miura, Nanami Sakuraba, Satoru Matsuo, Shu Watanabe, Ayame Misaki,Rina Takeda, Satomi Ishihara, Pierre Taki, Jun Kunimura

Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy

Language: Japanese

Running Time: 98 minutes

Rating: IIB

Trailer: https://youtu.be/1eSafG_z1rQ