Written by Ryō Kawakami Demographic Male | English publisher Vertical Publishers Vertical (NA), Kodansha | |
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Attack on Titan: Harsh Mistress of the City (進撃の巨人 隔絶都市の女王, Shingeki no Kyojin: Kakuzetsu Toshi no Joō) is a Japanese light novel series by Ryō Kawakami, based on the manga Attack on Titan (進撃の巨人, Shingeki no Kyojin) by Hajime Isayama. The series is published by Kodansha in Japan and by Vertical in North America.
Contents
Plot
The story follows Rita Iglehaut (リタ, Rita), a 15-year-old member of the Garrison Regiment, and her childhood friend, Mathias Kramer (マティアス, Matiasu), the son of wealthy merchants, as their home, Quinta District (クィンタ区, Kuinta Ku), comes under siege after the breaching of Wall Maria.
Release
The novel was announced in the 33rd issue of Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine on July 16, 2014. The books are written by Ryō Kawakami and illustrated by Range Murata. Kodansha published the first volume on August 1, 2014.
North American publisher Vertical announced their license to the series at their New York Comic Con panel on October 11, 2014.
Reception
Rebecca Silverman of Anime News Network gave the first volume a grade of B+, calling it "easily the most readable AOT novel to come out in English". She noted that "the novel feels like it skews younger than previous entries into the series." She felt that Mathias and Rita were believable characters, but expressed a wish to see more of Rita, feeling that her story was more compelling. She concluded by writing that the series was an easy, enjoyable read, and was more likely to appeal to a broader audience than previous novels in the franchise.