German anime fans: How does it feel to see your culture represented in anime, especially Attack on Titan?
I'm a huge fan of Attack on Titan, and one of the things I find fascinating about it is how much it draws from German language, architecture, names, music, and other cultural and historical influences.
I'm not German myself, but watching AoT actually sparked my curiosity about Germany and made me want to learn more about its culture and history. Songs like Vogel im Käfig and Bauklötze, the German lyrics in the soundtrack, and the overall atmosphere of the show all contributed to that.
But that got me wondering: What was it like for German viewers to experience all of this?
Did you feel any particular connection to the setting or characters? Was it exciting, strange, amusing, or maybe even a little uncomfortable to see elements of your language and culture used in a Japanese story?
I'm also curious whether there are references, details, or nuances that German viewers pick up on that might go completely unnoticed by international audiences.
And I'd love to extend the question beyond Attack on Titan. There are quite a few anime that draw inspiration from Germany or German-speaking Europe, whether through their settings, characters, names, or historical references.
How do German anime fans generally feel about these portrayals? Are there any anime that you think do a particularly good (or bad) job of incorporating German cultural elements?
I'd genuinely love to hear your perspectives!