Shingeki no Kyojin: The Final Season Part 2 進撃の巨人 The Final Season Part 2

2022 winter | Episodes: 12 | Score: 8.8 (821553)

Updated every Mondays at 00:05 | Status: Finished Airing

Type: TV

Synopsis

Turning against his former allies and enemies alike, Eren Yeager sets a disastrous plan in motion. Under the guidance of the Beast Titan, Zeke, Eren takes extreme measures to end the ancient conflict between Marley and Eldia—but his true intentions remain a mystery. Delving deep into his family's past, Eren fights to control his own destiny. Meanwhile, the long-feuding nations of Marley and Eldia utilize both soldiers and Titans in a brutal race to eliminate the other. Reiner Braun uses his own powers in a desperate bid to hold off Eren's own militaristic force, and his fellow Eldians—children Falco Grice and Gabi Braun—struggle to survive in the unfolding chaos. Elsewhere, Eren's childhood friends Mikasa Ackerman and Armin Arlert remain imprisoned alongside Eren's former Survey Corps companions, all disturbed by Eren's monstrous transformation. Under the blind belief that Eren still secretly harbors good intentions, Mikasa and the others enter the fray in an attempt to save their friend's very soul. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Voice Actors

Ishikawa, Yui

Inoue, Marina

Kaji, Yuuki

News

Reviews

Allagowf
01/27/2023, 12:37 AM
Freedom and High morals will never be alongside. What happened to “Shinzou Wo Sasageyo” (devote your heart) and all the sacrifices and the deaths by the titans especially by Reiner Bertholdt and Annie, all that rage and striving for freedom?? simply in one season does not exist anymore! The creators are switching heroes. Is that even allowed? ohh what can we do to stop the desecration of one of the best shows ever? Unfortunately, it's already desecrated. there is no way back. This has been happening a lot in recent years to the great shows like GOT, the creators are switching heroes and destroying everything theybuilt behind. The freedom of our beloved once was the theme of AOT at the beginning, when it was a great show, now it is full of high morals the fake one actually. The creator is trying to manipulate our feelings by playing empathetic music "sad music" when the human outside the wall dies and playing anempathetic Music "exciting music" when the Eldians inside the wall dies. this just show the creator has racism issues. Ignoring the death of their families and trying to protect the others How could the creator of AOT be more fake than this Let us not forget Marley was ruling the world using the titans' power and when the world was trying to overpower the titans, Marley plane was to hold the power of the founding titan by destroying the paradis island, so their goal was not to protect the world from the titans it's to rule the world. this what the Eldians do before but the las king tried to stop the suffering of the world and he punish himself and his people in a prison for more than one hundred years, but the world want to do more and tries to still the founding titan and destroy all the Eldians. one example of the creator fake Morality: Marley sent four warriors for this mission and this cause in a ton of death, Reiner Bertholdt and Annie should be the enemy of every Eldian inside the walls, not only because they destroyed the wall also, they betrayed their friendship and threaten their families, but we see them laughs, eat together, and killing their other friends from inside the wall, as they forget everything. or the creator is full of shit and high morals. Eren trying to destroy the world is something extreme there is some other solution but this one is accepted from his point of view, if the world tries to destroy your home country and you have the power to kill the entire world, what woold you do? you will allow the world to kill your family and your beloved one? or will you destroy them all? I am outraged from this kind of plot switching in recent years, but why, it's just an anime right? .. it was my hobby for the last 20 years, so it's not ok, this hidden messages in the recent shows are made me think of quitting anime and start doing something better in my free time, better than turned to a pussy as they are hardly trying to do "trying to turn us all to pussies with fake morality". These fake morals made me want to vomit. "Me against the world it's a hard decision to make, but my family against the world is the easiest" .. Fake Morality hater.
lamaraptor
04/20/2022, 04:57 AM
Okay, I can't be the only one who saw the "find out in The Final Season Part 3" ending coming. Somewhere like 5 or 6 episodes in I saw the writing on the wall, there were just too many loose ends that still needed resolving and not nearly enough time to do it. I figured there had to be at least a movie coming that would wrap everything up, and when the Part 3 announcement showed up at the last episode I burst out laughing. I should be mad, but honestly if it means more of this show I guess I can't complain too much. Andholy sh*t does this series deserve a proper send-off. I'd hate to think they spent so many years crafting such an amazing narrative only to ham-fist an unsatisfying ending that doesn't answer anything into a single episode. This show deserves better, and I think giving it a whole part 3 to flesh things out is the best choice. Spoilers ahead for the 6 people who haven't watched this already. The season starts off super strong with an opening that just says "Rumbling, Rumbling, it's coming" over and over. I wonder what we're building up to. But honestly I love this, because all last season I just wanted to see the so-called Rumbling finally happen and it's like this intro is saying what we're all thinking. The massive cliffhanger ending of Part 1 gets an explosive resolution in one of the biggest action set pieces we've seen in a while. Each story arc always has such intricately crafted moving parts that all come together in these huge moments, usually involving one or more grand entrances from one of the 9 Titans. Gabi, the character specifically designed to be hated, is given a redemption arc that manages to actually feel somewhat earned, something that's helped along greatly by Sasha's dad. All of the action in the city culminates in that moment that gets frozen in time when Eren gets his head blown off. I know I just said Gabi got her redemption arc but I'll be honest that I was a little exacerbated that they chose her to be the one to shoot him in that moment. I get where she's coming from now, but it was just a little too on the nose. Then we get the fantastic sequence and lore-dump about the first Ymir and all the pseudo time-travel brought on by the fact that the Attack Titan is able to see memories of his future iterations, which leads to the brilliant reveal with Eren's dad. Everything about those few episodes was amazing, edge-of-your-seat stuff that showcases all the best parts of the kind of storytelling you can do when you're not just making sh*t up as you go and you have a plan for where the story is going from the start. Then we finally get it. The Rumbling. Ymir's face says it all. Humanity is and always has been the real villain of this series and it's time for a purge. Eren is the first person to get that, to not view her just as a tool and actually wants to help her fulfill her dream of killing all humans. You can say this makes Eren the bad guy, but the brilliance of this series is that you can see his actions and their motivations and actually sympathize with him. Him being the protagonist for much of the series goes a long way to that I think, but it seems like now that he's become Titan Thanos they're shifting things back to Makisa. So the big questions to answer in the coming season are whether the team from Paradise Island is going to be able to do anything to stop Eren and if they'll have the balls to kill him or not. Plus the looming question of whether or not Eren might be right, and the only solution to end all conflict is to hit the hard reset button. Will that finally bring peace, or will it be as the Asian lady predicts, that they'll just be reducing the size of their conflicts. It's true that even when Paradise Island was totally isolationist there was endless conflict within the walls. All I know is that I can't wait to see the ultimate conclusion of the story, as an anime only watcher who hasn't read ahead in the manga to see how it goes. For making me that invested and for being part of such a monumental series I think this season deserves another 10/10.
iihateveryone
04/18/2022, 09:28 PM
here's why AOT doesn't make any sense eren is the bad guy .you have to hate him "cause genocide is wrong" form an alliance to protect people who wanna massacre you .brutally kill your comrades to protect people who have announced war on you . the problem is isyama doesn't even try to make us audience like marley or feel bad for them . no we just had to sit through gaby and falco whines in the most forced way possible and another whiney convo between marley soldiers and the alliance where they whine about what they did to each other again inthe most forced , cliched way .and dont come at me and say genocide is wrong cause my point is give me a good reason to why the alliance wants to stop the rumbling not just cause "genocide is bad" . i absouletly hate the scene where jean tries to talk some sense into hange and remind her that the rumbling could benefit them and there could be consequences to their actions but she goes " but genocide is bad ". so she thinks the sensible choice is to kill her comrades and stop the rumbling despite the risks. im tired of people justfying isyama's writing flaws by saying that there is no good or bad side ,it's the cycle of hatred and all the shit . characters: 1 mikasa has no personality , no goals , no motive, no emotions , her whole personality revolves around eren so it's really out of her character to just go against eren and join the "good side " when the only reason she joined the military was to protect eren she doesnt come off to me as a heroic person who wants to change the world.she is one of the blandest characters in the show if not the only . armin's character development went downhill . .levi hates zeke cause he killed his comrades ,also levi watches annie and reiner as they crush his comrades to death(. reiner went from a brilliant written character to a mentally ill one . many praises floch's development but for me he came off as psychopathic .jean and conny are pure cringe . they keep talking about their fallen comrades when they are aiding the ones who caused their deaths aka annie and reiner animation :5 mappa gets praised for doing the bare minimum but okay ig sound:5 can't even choose a decent soundtrack enjoyment :5 overall:3 isyama is a bad writer
PixelB
04/06/2022, 12:45 AM
"Nobody can deprive mankind of its violent nature" - Probably some edgy anime character. Perhaps there could be some truth to such a repeated theme about human nature. After all, history has only proven the validity of this point. 1917. The October Revolution. Vladimir Lenin and the Bolsheviks take over Russia. After a brutal war, the Red Terror, and millions of Russians dead due to famine, executions, and war, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics is founded. What happens next? The Bourgeois, Clergy, and Aristocrats all get persecuted. A subversion of social status. Whatever the working class had to go through, now was happening to thepeople that were in power. They lived in misery. Once those people were dealt with, Kulaks, successful farmers, were the next target. They too, were persecuted for their greed, their grains and property were forcibly seized and subsequently, they were sent to forced labor camps. Seems a bit familiar, doesn't it? It almost mirrors the Eldian and Subjects of Ymir conflict. That's to be expected. If history has taught us anything, it's that revenge and war are a constant cycle that doesn't ever seem to stop. Even now, a new conflict has started between Russia and Ukraine. Attack on Titan is one of the few shows that actually try to depict the internal conflict of trying to stop war, and also the cruel and futile attempts trying to actualize that ideal. How many shows, books, any sort of media have this sort of theme? It's ubiquitous. Trying to end the "cycle of war and pain," or else it will never stop. A grand ideal for sure, but it almost always works out too well for the main characters in these stories. There's no sacrifice. Somehow, the cycle ends in a peaceful manner due to the great plan of the main character. No bystanders die, and there's not much of a moral resolution or need for one, as the main character tends to only do good, and does not need to make difficult decisions. Or perhaps the main character forgives the evil bad guy, and he also turns a new leaf. How cute. Or, hey, lets say, a modern shounen like Demon Slayer or Kemono Jihen, where the bad guys are of a different race and are literal demons, so that the audience can clearly see that these demons are 100% bad guys, and humans are 100% good guys, with nothing in between. Morality isn't something that's light and dark. It's probably somewhere gray, in the middle. Characters have to make a decision for questions that might not have an actual answer. Whether you agree or empathize with Eren, or the people trying to stop him, you have to admit that the show tries to depict both sides in a meaningful manner that surpasses the surface level attempts that most shows go for. Rather than a passing theme, it's the thing that's emphasized more than the actual fighting in the show. The entire show culminates to this moment. I wouldn't have cared if this show started off with this season. However, over the four seasons, I got attached to these characters, and watching them make different decisions and having them make a resolution for themselves is a pleasure to watch. Would I really care about some edgy kid like Eren if I haven't watched him the entire time? Probably not. I also wouldn't really care about Reiner's suicidal thoughts and his indecision as well. All of these characters decided to go against Eren, but it's not so easy. It's easy to say that you want to end the cycle of violence, and it's especially so if you haven't witnessed or been a part of it. But it all seems to come crashing down and downright insane to suggest something like ending violence when all of your pain and suffering has been because of the other side. How could you possibly sympathize with the enemy when they didn't give any when they've massacred your friends and loved ones? How could revenge not cloud your vision? That is to say, how hypocritical is it to side with Marleyans, and also kill fellow soldiers, people that you trained with, to save people that only cursed you and wants you dead? Everyone lashes out against each other, blames each other, and even turns against each other in such an unstable alliance. I like that a lot. There's actual decisions to be made, and even when they are made, you're not exactly happy with the outcome. For people who think that Jean, Connie, Mikasa, Levi, etc don't make the most logical decisions, it's as if that's the human part of indecision. The perspective of the show is intentionally third-person objective narration so that you don't see any of their intentions and inner struggle. Are they happy with what they're doing? No, and that's what the story and narrative forces them to do: make hard decisions, stuck between a rock and a hard place. It's not that Jean forgave Reiner or Annie, but he's also got to think about whether or not he can truly support the Eren and Floch. Whatever decision he makes obviously depends on the story being told, but both choices wouldn't contradict his character so far. And the same goes for every character in the alliance. I like Eren's stance more than the other characters given only binary options(I know, 3edgy5me), but I certainly can see that these characters have their own reasons, despite how stupid it may sound. It's still a bit of a stretch that these characters are working together despite their past together. Many of the Marleyans get off scott free, like Gabi and Annie, which just doesn't seem right to me. Everyone getting together for an Avengers initiative is quite idealistic. They say that genocide is bad, and that violence is not the answer, yet Eren's plan of killing any and all opposition is a pretty surefire way to get rid of the conflict. Otherwise, Eldians and Marleyans will probably continue forever. Still, committing genocide for that cause isn't really what I'd call "just," either. Does the ends of ending conflict for good worth the means of committing genocide? Maybe. Who would have thought that both sides have decent talking points? Yes, the avengers initiative is a bit stupid, since these characters are condemning their entire island to death, but I still really enjoy how they gather their motivation, no matter what they are fighting for is. Sure, the show has a lot of ups and downs. The whole season with the revolution against the Capital and Historia rising to the thrown was pretty dreadful. Even this season, there are some plot holes that can't just be summed up with suspending your disbelief. Come on, Floch's squad aims all of their thunder spears at the Cart titan rather than the immobile and vulnerable ship. Or how about the less than stellar animation when it comes to fight choreography, with terrible CGI? Yes, I certainly loved the editing when it came to episode 3 where Eren goes to the "path," but overall, animation quality is pretty horrid, and is not what I expect watching one of the most popular shows in recent years. The ED is a banger though. However despite the many flaws, I like the dialogue and character development. I like how the story takes its time to show both viewpoints of the conflict. It's good.
nhl2004
04/04/2022, 11:43 AM
Attack On Titan is the most influential anime in the world right now and is definitely one of the most talked about things to have come from Japan in recent years. Fans spend a huge portion of their time thinking about it and the case for haters is even worse since Isayama's work lives rent free in their minds eventho they hate it. It is one of the few shows in my opinion that has successfully divided its fanbase and created controversy without killing its quality, something which is insanely hard to do. So lets get started shall we? Art - 10/10 Its gritty and complementsthe story's current situations The lines and shading on faces may bother some people but they're necessary to show us the stress the characters are going through Sound - 10/10 The OST, composed by Sawano and Yamamoto are GOATED AF, the voice acting by Yuki Kaji and everyone else is phenomenal. Nothing more to say here. Enjoyment - 9/10 Its a real shame that I got spoiled to the bone this time so I didnt enjoy as much as I would've liked to but I still found myself cheering and and getting hyped a lot over many of the episodes, especially at the parts I didnt know about beforehand Characters - 10/10 This season of AoT has no shortage of complex and well written characters. They all get their moments in this series and we see them make tough calls, struggle against or succumb to their demons and of course, against and to each other. All of these guys feel real and their their actions and choices all carry weight within the greater context of the story. We have Floch, a nationalist who's hell bent on protecting his nation, and even though he's an extremist who chose the easiest solution at the expense of omnicide, his extremism is natural and realistic given his circumstances. At the opposite end of the spectrum we have Jean. He's someone whose tempted with the same easy solution that Floch has sold his soul to and dreams of living a life of comfort one day. He tries look away and focus on his own life, but he struggles to do so and his conscience weighs on him..... he then comes to the realization that he cannot live a comfortable life if its built on the corpses of billions of human beings who did not need to die . We have Zeke, whose bad childhood has led him make his entire life centered around denying his father's ideology, going as far as to believe that the greatest salvation was in not being born at all. He also projects these feelings onto his brother, thinking that he is the same as him, which undoubtedly makes him feel less lonely in a world where he has constantly lived wearing a mask . He also has this savior complex and feels that he has to save everyone and justifies his sins with the end goal of preventing Eldians from being born in a world that despises them, ridding the world of the race everyone is afraid of and giving peaceful deaths to the eldian race. Whether people want that kind of "saving" though is something he never considers, as he seeks to mold the world according to his personal philosophy, something that was itself shaped and validated by his childhood . In the end we see that despite a lifetime spent denouncing his father, he could never truly get rid of the desire to be loved by him Then of course we have Eren. He's honestly a bit of an odd one in the world of anime when it comes to protagonists. A victim and an oppressor, a man who wishes for freedom above all else, and yet does not hesitate taking the freedom of the billions who did not wrong him. Someone who understands the value of life and yet takes it without hesitation, who knows the pain of losing loved ones and yet inflicts the same to others. He is saddened by the crimes he's about to commit and yet he says that it was all he ever wanted. Everything he does, he does out of his free will and yet because he was born this way from the start, one could say that it was all destined to be this way from the beginning. As the conversation with Reiner proves, he wants to believe that he's doing it all to "save his world" just as he asserts Reiner did, and yet when Reiner breaks down and confesses that he acted selfishly due of his desire for recognition, Eren confesses he too is making a selfish choice. Eren Jaeger is a unique indeed, one whom very few people will actually come to understand, both within this show and without. "Eren Jaeger" is a fitting name for this self contradictory monster, child of evil. After all, he is a "saint" who will selflessly protect those he holds dear and a ruthless "hunter" who will murder all who stand in his way. Story (10/10)- The story of this has never been better. It is a constant ride of surprises and thrill and has depth that most mainstream shows hardly ever approach. It tackles discrimination in a very realistic way and takes us through the viewpoints of everyone involved in it. From victims who have been taught to hate themselves, to perpetrators who can be seen interacting with people normally, amiably and even showing kindness until they discover they're from a certain background. It goes beyond the narrative of victims vs oppressors and aggressors vs defenders and takes a very nuanced take. In truth, the oppressors arent monsters but are only people who have been influenced by certain stereotypes and narrations of history. They are people who have been lied to by others who had also been lied to and once they begin to interact with people they once called "devils" we see that those views shift entirely. Hate is also shown as a multifaceted issue. It does not grow out of thin air but is actually a product of a mixture of propaganda, history and differing perspectives and beliefs. There is also no homogeneity in hatred. Some people hate all Eldians, others hate the Paradis ones more and treat the ones in their neighborhoods with disdain. Others go as far as to sympathize and pity the eldians amongst themselves but hate the ones from Eldia. However Victims are often not innocent as well. A victim might descend into doing the same things he hates his oppressor for doing to him. oftentimes a victim may identify people, comprised of mostly innocents, as the "oppressor" even though they had no knowledge of or decision making capacity in the oppression that was being done by people representing them. They were simply taught to hate and since they never had any exposure to anything other then that, could one really blame them for their racism? Thus a victim switches roles with his oppressor and kills innocents for the fault of others despite themselves being subjected to the same unreasonable cruelty. Attack On Titan manages to encapsulate all that, , while delivering its final verdict "We are the same" And thats perfectly true. People everywhere are the same - some are truly good, most are just tying to live and would be satisfied with just being happy along with their loved ones, while a minority are despicable. Aside from this, history has shown that all people have the same propensity for violence and discrimination. The Oppressed and the oppressor are segregated by only victory and loss and this story could well have been one about "heroic" Marleyans fighting for freedom from their tyrannical Eldian overlords if only Karl Fritz had not retreated behind walls. Aside from that it also gives us complex moral dilemmas. Killing the world for crimes most people have not committed is wrong, but its understandable that people with extreme paranoia of the unknown would resort to such extreme tactics to save themselves, even if its not the only way to do things. In such scenario's its not only natural to want to take the easy way and return to how life used to be, without having to worry about anyone from the outside Likewise, people who have come to an understanding about "the other side" are likely to stand against any attempt they find excessive, extreme and unjust , especially if they believe that there are other solutions to the problem that involve a bloodbath of a much lesser scale. The two sides have their points and while some in the fanbase would argue that "side A are a bunch of traitors and idiots" while others say "side B are fascist assholes", both bunches of viewers are simply proving the point the show is trying to make - That people will always disagree with each other on complex things and would refuse to to look at things from a viewpoint in contradiction to their own. People might be 90 percent identical and yet still find cause to kill one another cover that 10 percent difference. Which is my key take away from this show - Killing does not solve conflict, it only reduces the number of people capable of fighting. The only true solution is to talk and yet people will hardly ever solve their differences that way. Hence conflict can only be ended by violence. However, violence and distrust remain as they are inalienable to human nature, and that ensures that any end to conflict is temporary and every peace treaty is a just a ceasefire waiting to be broken Overall - 9.75, rounded off to 10 What Attack On Titan's story does is simple. In a fantasy setting, it gives us a near perfect mirror of the real world conflict, which, I believe is the best thing any fictional war story can do
NomineMalum
04/04/2022, 12:54 AM
Is Attack On Titan still one of the greatest animes to ever exist? A common spew that many die-hard fans like me like to portray across the anime community but how is it true exactly. This review will be containing 'mild' spoilers Instead of just reviewing the second part of the final season i will review all the seasons that has existed before this one. OVERVIEWThe anime of the moment closes the second half of its final season with a flourish. Attack on Titan: Final Season (Part 2). 9 years after that shocking first season and in the final run of a work that has all the papers to become one of the definitive anime of the last decade. FIRST SEASON Attack on Titan premiered back in 2013 and drove the anime world crazy with a classic story (a group of people locked up between walls and huge invading titans outside) that progressively became something much more complex and interesting than It included political intrigues, a subversion of the mecha genre , outstanding action, and a lot of mythology behind it. At that time, manga fans were crying out for a second season because they knew the surprises to come and how the story would become much more attractive as it progressed. And they were not wrong. The road to Attack on Titan: Final Season SECOND SEASON Several years later (a wait that seemed endless for some), a beautiful second season 2 finally arrived on our screens. The year was 2017 and the hype returned with everything. Attack on Titan season 2 arrived with the fifth story arc of the series: " Clash of the titans ". Eren and the other members of the army investigate a possible breach in the second wall, meet new enemies (the Beast Titan) and discover that there are some dangerous traitors among them. This small run of episodes represented much more content in a small package. We found out who the titans really were and the identity of both the Colossal Titan and the Armored Titan. At the same time, he fired off several additional question marks to add fuel to the fire. A striking aspect was that it focused much more on secondary characters (unknown until then) than on those we followed during the first part. Mikasa, Levi, Eren and even Erwin took the passenger seat while the leading man was taken away by others. SEASON 3 PART 1 AND 2 The third instalment was the first to be divided into two parts. Attack on Titan Season 3, Part 1 managed to reinvent itself once again. The plot continued to progress in these dozen episodes, but now the tone was much more political. In fact, it felt much more like Game of Thrones (in its early days) than a series about giant titans hounding a walled city. By now, it was clear that the Titans weren't the only enemies in this chaotic world. In fact, in the best “apocalyptic story” style, humans are also a large part of the conflict. Attack on Titan is a mature series that doesn't always need to be throwing in huge beasts to stay relevant (although when it does, it's awesome). Attack on Titan Season 3, Part 2 was another high point. Throughout these 10 episodes, which adapted the “ Return to Shiganshina ” and “ Marley ” story arcs, we saw the story become much darker and even controversial. The revelation of what was in the basement of Eren's house – a mystery that had been dragging on since the first season – elevated the series to standards only achieved by the most celebrated anime. Since episode 1 of the series we believed that this was the story of humanity on the brink of extinction, hidden behind three huge walls and under the threat of monstrous Titans trying to devour them... how wrong we were! This is how we got to where we are today. Recent data revealed that Attack on Titan 's latest season has surpassed its most conservative critics to become bigger than any other anime in the world right now. SEASON 4 PART 1 AND 2 When a story comes along so well put together for so long, there are fears that the creators or the animation studio might screw everything up. Fears continue, but studio MAPPA (which took creative control of the anime after WIT Studio had to pull out due to other commitments) did a more than decent job with the adaptation. Hajime Isayama's ability to hide important plot points in plain sight continues to fascinate me. In this sense, I am pleased that MAPPA remains so faithful to the original story that Isayama conceived. One fascinating aspect of the 16 episodes that make up Attack on Titan: Final Season Part 1 and 12 episodes that make up PART 2 is how it continues to feed off of its earlier seasons and fill in the blanks. The author really had everything meticulously planned from the beginning, contrary to what the specialized critics said. This sequel is – once again – a completely new show and takes the point of view of the enemies that reside in Marley. The 4-year time jump brings a different perspective to the matter and the change of focus helps us to put ourselves in the place of the "other side", to understand that, in war, nothing is ever black or white. It's like James Blunt sings: I sent some men to fight and one came back at dead of night. He said he'd seen my enemy. He said he looked just like me. Animation under pressure The animation took a dip in quality, admittedly, but it was still satisfying. We must not forget that they gave the MAPPA studio only 8 months to complete this run of episodes. The heavy use of CGI was noticeable (and generally not quite right). For almost any other anime, the horrific CG cutscenes would have gone more unnoticed. But Attack on Titan , one of the most popular and acclaimed of all time, surely deserved the best possible treatment. Does it ruin the experience? Does it make it a bad season? Of course not! It covers one of the best arcs in the manga (“ War for Paradis ”, the ninth and final narrative arc) and the adaptation itself was very faithful, with top notch voice acting.The biggest problem with misusing CGI is that it breaks immersion. At one point we had smooth 2D animation, at another we had goofy effects that took the action away. Unfortunately, we don't get much animation in season 4 part 1 and 2, and while it's understandable given the time constraints, it's a bit disappointing. Eren: the Walter White of AoT? Remember when this series was a simple story about a boy who wanted to kill some titans and avenge his mother? Yeah…me neither. Attack on Titan: Final Season (Part 1) takes a complete 180 degree turn from everything that came before. It's been a long time since it was about fighting one-dimensional titans. In this sense, the growth of Eren as a character is one of the highlights. He wasn't always a fan favorite due to his hot-headed nature, but as time went on, his perspective on things around him changed, most notably several times throughout Season 3. In Attack on Titan: Final Season (Part 2) his character undergoes a paradigm shift; calm and understanding, though ruthless. He is much more distant, not only with everyone else in the series, but also with the viewers. Unlike previous seasons, his thoughts are now a mystery and season four clearly shows the divide between him and the other old scouts. This is a risky, if masterful, plot twist for someone who began his narrative arc with innocence, naivete, and optimism. Another especially refreshing element about this season was the lack of what we slang call "plot armor." Not counting Eren (who, let's remember, died in the fifth chapter of the series!) Attack on Titan isn't afraid to ditch characters that have spent several episodes being fleshed out. Not only does this create several emotional moments, but it also demonstrates how realistic the approach the story takes while exposing the cruel nature of war. Friends and comrades who were once by your side can disappear in a split second. A modern masterpiece As already mentioned before, Attack on Titan: Final Season (Part 2) modifies everything compared to its counterparts. Regular titans are now a thing of the past, part of the landscape, and much of the action takes place between the humans and the titan shifters themselves. This fourth season tones down the action and focuses more on the psychological and social aspects of war. Personally, Erwin is missed. His role as leader and his chess plans have been removed from the equation due to his death. Hange is a great leader, but Erwin was a big part of what made Attack on Titan such an emotional roller coaster. Bringing to the table a brilliantly thought-out story, a cast with a ton of personality (we're not talking about Reiner and his massive growth in Season 4), stunning animations, and an overwhelmingly emotional soundtrack, Attack on Titan remains another big reason to jump in. that anime , as a medium, is here to stay. Its capabilities have not only provided great entertainment value for fans of Japanese animation, but have also earned years of well-deserved respect in the industry: attracting new fans and changing negative views of the medium. I can't wait for the adaptation to be completed, to witness this incredible journey come to a bittersweet end. Because it is so: endings are always bittersweet. Conclusion Attack on Titan: Final Season (Part 1) is a modern masterpiece. Not only is it a piece of fiction that has been surpassed in quality season after season, it is also one of the few anime that has broken into the mainstream, so much so that people who don't watch animation at all have experienced and loved it. It will be interesting to see what route MAPPA takes for Season 4 PART 3. 9.5/10
Jozuwa-_-
04/04/2022, 12:50 AM
Why another cliffhanger?! *cries in Eldian* I don't think I can do justice in reviewing this. So I'll instead just share my opinion. My feelings towards this season are heavily influenced by the journey we all had with this series. This season is not perfect as there's been a lot of stretched-out episodes in the latter half. But I'd still give this a "10" because, almost every episode left me either shocked, surprised, excited... hell, sometimes all of those in one episode. But what made it feel so great was seeing all the characters being so different, evolved, matured, and developed so much from their trainee days tothis point where the future of the world now lies on their backs. For me, AoT is now at a point where I don't judge it per episode, but more on how they do the story justice. And since Season 4 part 2 made me feel even more connected with the remaining characters (and made me cry manly bro tears for the ones we've lost *cries in Marleyan*), and also got me excited to see Eren again, I say that's more than enough reason for me to ignore my nitpicks and give it the love it deserves. STORY (10): Lots of surprises, twists and turns, and brilliant utilization of story seeds they planted from previous seasons. But for me personally, the highlight is seeing those characters who used to cower and tremble in fear in front of a single Titan, to now facing every obstacle, Titans and humans alike, headstrong like they have nothing left to lose... cause that's exactly how it is for them now. Also, having to say goodbye to some of the favorite characters that have been with us from the beginning. Shinzou wo Sasageyo! Some nitpick I have from this season are: The latter episodes that were stretched out too much and were mostly characters having dialogues which took away a lot of hype, and some unsatisfying character deaths. CHARACTERS (10): At this point, we've seen these characters at their worst and at their best. They've been what they've been, and they are what they are now. No more development is necessary. They are at the peak of their characters now. ART (7/10) and SOUND (10): Art has definitely dropped quality, not just since the change in studios but, even just compared to the 1st part of season 4. Lots of inconsistencies, flat-looking scenes, and an out-of-place over usage of the gloomy shadow lines effects. But it didn't ruin the story for me, and I appreciate them for making it feel as "AoT" as possible. Gotta go all out for the OST. It's not just because of "The Rumbling" by SiM (which is badass), but also the ED "Akuma no Ko" by Ai Higuchi, and the BGMs, and the VAs. Almost every single sound that goes through my ears while watching this Anime contributed to the experience. All the love to the Sound Team for the series. OVERALL: I'm just excited to finally see the end of this journey. And with this season not ruining it for me, even making me feel more hyped to see the end, it's more than I could ask for. Shame that we have to wait another year for the finale but if it means a high-quality, satisfying send-off, then I will gladly wait.
Chief_AJ
04/03/2022, 10:06 PM
Where do I start? Attack on Titan is just great. Isayama has just done so well with everything he has done to build up this story. Little did we know when watching season 1 that every little detail mattered. This season honestly has just further assured me that this series is really really really good. Art: 8 For me, animation isn't everything when it comes to watching an anime, but I can see why people can nitpick. I think Mappa has done a much better job this season and has done a serviceable job, especially with some of the fight scenes. However, in my opinion, thereis still some room for improvement because sometimes the animation felt a little stiff. Sound: 10 I have still not found a moment where the AOT soundtrack doesn't hit. The sound design once again is excellent, and I just have no issues with it at all. Characters: 10 Eren might be one of the best characters I have ever seen. His development throughout the series, good or bad is so fun to watch, but it's not just Eren, I think everyone even characters that didn't get as much development throughout the story such as Connie were given their chance to shine. Story: 9 This season added great things to the story and it was nice to see the callbacks to previous seasons. The way everything is weaved and intertwined so perfectly. It feels like putting together a puzzle, and I personally can't wait to complete it.
Adnash
04/03/2022, 10:03 PM
While there are a lot of different animes, belonging to different genres and dedicated for various demographics, it's obvious that not all of them get a chance to become a classic right after finishing airing. Luckily, Attack on Titan: The Final Season Part 2 managed to become that kind of a show, at least in my opinion. Second Part of Attack on Titan: The Final Season starts right where its first Part ended on. Once again Shiganshina has become a battlefield. Once again it is Marleyan forces who are attacking Paradis. This time with regular army instead of children sent on a dangerous mission to infiltratethe Walls. That should be enough, since I don't want this minireview to have any spoilers. So, what viewers might expect from this show? Surely beautiful and detailed visuals, amazing music, well-directed action sequences and mature plot full of moral dillemas and themes relevant to humans as a whole. As a longtime fan of the whole Attack on Titan franchise, I was personally delighted with what I saw. Almost every episode was on movie level, and all episodes did justice for the source material, serving as brilliant adaptation of all chapters that got adapted during this cour. I highly recommend checking it out. I felt it was more than just an animated show. It was rather a rollercoaster of various emotions you might not feel very often in most of animes. Indeed, Attack on Titan: Season 4 Part 2 was definitely not a regular show, but an experience.
WitchFromMercury
04/03/2022, 07:29 PM
Attack on Titan: The Final Season Part 2 is just an entirely failed show. Gone are the survival elements from previous seasons that are how everyone fell in love with this series initially. Instead, we have hamfisted political drama that is only presented with black and white morality. GENOCIDE IS BAD is literally the answer given as to why the original scouts must betray their homeland for outsiders who want to kill them, with no deeper thought on the matter presented (or even allowed!) I knew all the creativity was zapped from this series when it became just another WW2 holocaust show after the big revealof what's outside the walls. But at least the last season had compelling action still. Here the motivations are all twisted and there's nothing to enjoy. Everything is backwards in this show, from Mikasa, Jean and Connie shooting their own compatriots to the suicidal Reiner being the one to tell Eren to give up and that he'll end his suffering for him. Aside from the aforementioned fight with Reiner in the beginning of the series, Eren's presence is sorely lacking throughout this season. Instead replaced by the adventures of Gabi and Falco. Other characters being allowed to shine isn't a problem, but it shouldn't come at the expense of the main character. All throughout this season we're given little chance to see things from Eren's perspective, instead we're only told by others of what it is. As someone who read the manga, I know it's because they crammed that all in for the ending, but still it's poor, one-sided storytelling. Aside from the plot, the art direction is very much lacking from the days of WIT. There is a same face problem, especially evident with the female characters. Most of which look derivative of either Gabi or Pieck. This was a problem in the manga too but WIT improved enough for that to not be as noticeable while MAPPA has since regressed. There are also times where very clunky CGI is present, such as for the titans. These scenes are often quick and disguised by action and followed up by hand-drawn close ups. Still, the subpar CGI is still there. All in all, this is a failed follow-up to the seasons that came before.
ScraF
04/03/2022, 01:43 PM
It is finally here, the moment we have all been waiting for. After the Final Season and Final Season part 2 the show is done. Nevermind, there is a part 3. Plot twists are generally a great device in anime or any medium if utilized correctly. Attack on Titan manages to make the viewer expect the unexpected with the sheer amount of plot twists it has. Ranging from the Armored and Colossal titan reveals to the Ackermann clan actually having an importance, Attack on Titan just keeps throwing these plot twists, which are not necessarily bad, but repetitive in a way, since it makes it painfullyobvious to predict once it keeps happening every so often. A healthy meal is only healthy if you eat in moderation. Attack on Titan, through its runtime, has tried to convey its morally gray characters, in a sense that each one has a flaw in their beliefs and that no side is truly right in the show, leaving the viewer to choose their own side. While this was done very well in the previous seasons, mainly with the reveal of life outside the walls and having each character consider their decisions and who the true enemy is, this season repeatedly portrays the fact that Eren is in the wrong, yet attempts to justify his actions which makes no sense when compared to what was attempted previously. Eren’s beliefs just lose their credibility, yet somehow he and his followers, Yeagerists, have quite a large number of people defending their actions in the real world. While that would not necessarily be a bad thing, had they had been portrayed as a morally gray force, rather than purely being used as foil to have the Alliance members confirm their side and show their conviction in ending up on the “good” side of history, this does not include Eren who remains as the biggest threat in the show but with his entire character, which was built up for the entirety of the show, being reduced to a simple “I will destroy the world”, stereotype, which is saddening to see. In this season especially, Attack on Titan butchers its characters and reduces them to simple character stereotypes, completely throwing away any previous groundwork that was laid out for their development, with the exception of a rare few, that being, in this season, Floch and Gabi. Yelena could also be included here but she was thrown away for the bigger part of this season and all we really see from here is her “I want to die” fetish, which also gets thrown away later on. Touching on the plot twists, this season is no exception to them. While it does have one of the most unexpected ones in the anime medium as a whole, it was reduced to a simple “Woah!”, simply because the volume in which plot twists were used as a device in the show. The twist is quite good on its own, but could have been better if not for the over saturation in the former parts of the show which made it expected to a degree. Characters were a major problem of this season. They are, simply put, destroyed. While the show’s cast was never particularly outstanding, it still managed to hold its own with a few notable characters being well developed with interesting themes. This season, however, ruins that and leaves much room for improvement, mainly with the members of the Alliance. Almost all of them completely abandon their previous morals in favor of joining the completely opposite side of the spectrum all for the sake of having a strong enough influence on the show’s outcome, as to not make it a one sided Eren beatdown, in terms of both strength and narrative presence. Forming the Alliance was the equivalent of a racially motivated group throwing a party with the race they despise. Character interactions were bland and one dimensional, with a few attempts at making the viewer think about 2 different sides at once in an argument, which only a very small amount managed to do. Most of the dialogue was boiled down to simple one liners and repeating jokes and of course, the best of them all, Mikasa mentioning Eren in every sentence she could. Even with his absence for 90% of this season, she manages to find a way to bring him into relevance, no matter the topic of discussion. The rare exception of the character genocide which was commited were Gabi and Floch. Seeing Gabi’s character progression, with the cycle of hatred coming in full circle, having gone from the one killing out of anger to the one begging for forgiveness was interesting to see, showcasing the different path Eren could have taken, further putting emphasis on her being the same as young Eren. Good job Attack on Titan, you managed to keep a recurring theme relevant, which is what should have been done with all characters. Floch is an interesting case, he does not have spectacular writing or themes or depth or anything really, the guy’s commitment and him being the personification of Erwin’s speech in Season 3 is just admirable. While he did not fully grasp what Erwin would have wanted to do in this situation, which is something no one knows, but he for sure would not have been a Yeagerist, Floch manages to convince himself Eren is right and follows him without hesitation. He, similar to Gabi, had gone full circle, from the only person that was ducking in the march on the Beast titan, to being the leader and arguably the bravest character in the show. The epitome of stupidity in this season was the meeting of Shadis and Magath, two characters from completely opposing sides, having just met, were instantly best friends and had their moment, completely disregarding all of the previous conflicts established in the previous season, all for the sake of a tear jerking scene which had little to no significance and was just used to fill up time and make you cry for a few seconds. Animation. It was expected, but it still hurts to watch it. MAPPA has 0 reason to pump out shows this quickly, however, they still do it. Attack on Titan is a relevant anime waiting a year or two would not ruin its popularity by a meaningful amount, yet they decided to do it as fast as possible, a stupid decision. While the actual still drawings are okay, with the darker tone of the shading and the general color palette just being gray and monotone working pretty well, the action scenes are underwhelming and leave a lot to be desired, apart from my boy Floch’s moment, which looked sick and epic and I love him. The opening was really good but managed to spoil the viewers so much it was funny. The sound and voice acting were good, as usual with Attack on Titan, the only difference being the visual aspect which has significantly decayed with quality, mainly the action scenes which were the show’s forte when it came to the earlier season. Those action scenes which defined Attack on Titan are no more, Levi owning and borderline hate criming the Beast titan will not happen again, we will never see those epic scenes which got you hyped and having chills from the pure madness and hype, because money is more important. I have never been a huge Attack on Titan fan, but the show still had its good parts which I enjoyed and was looking forward to seeing how the story will play out, unfortunately, it does not seem like a satisfying conclusion is on the way. While a faint hope remains, things are looking grim for the show. It is sad to see a promising series fall apart because of itself, quite symbolical, just like the titans are rumbling over the world, tearing it apart, Attack on Titan is doing that to its viewers. This season is probably the most mixed one out of all the installations so far. While it does have some general idea of what to do in the first parts of its runtime, the latter part pales in comparison to previous seasons in terms of both character progression and storytelling.
WazThatTL
04/03/2022, 12:40 PM
Even though this is the final season there are still full of surprises and twists and turns which just shows how good the writing is for AOT, the quality of it has been super consistent since its very birth. Symbols and themes are very prevalent and have become deeply embedded in the story than any other season. Lastly the story had very minor flaws here and there Characters have developed greatly and they have taken major strides since S4 P1! They are still amazing and they have become more likable and deeper than ever. Animation was amazing especially the fluidity of the fights between humans vs humansthough there were are still some CG problems with how the Titans but they looked good nonetheless. There were some great action scenes with alot of work put into them along with very good directing also. The music quality is amazing though not as good as the S1 or S2 but still very good but a bit inconsistent. The voice acting was top notch as usual. Overall I really enjoyed S4 P2 and has become one of my favorite seasons of all time.
maldonado3008
04/03/2022, 10:37 AM
one more season of AOT ends, and leaves us once again the satisfaction of being able to call this a masterpiece, this review does not contain manga spoilers, read it calmly. At the level of animation and drawing I think there is nothing to discuss, there was an incredible improvement compared to the first part, the drawings were much more polished and clean and the animation more fluid, the cgi was much better integrated with the scenarios, the color palette was amazingly implemented and fit very well with each of the situations. the sound section, continued as great as always, the seiyuu as we already know arefirst class, they conveyed everything they should properly and even improved and gave more weight to many things, in particular the seiyuu of gabi and connie who improved many things of the manga. the story, where do I start? Chapters 3,4 and 5 were peak fiction, not only within the work itself but also in the history of the anime, with moments that were incredibly well planned and executed, such as Chapter 3 with the culmination of the battle, the death of Porco. , the transformation of all the soldiers into titans making a clear parallel to season 1, the apparent death of falco, gabi being gabi blowing eren's head off and continuing with his spectacular development and ending with the entry into the paths and the revelation of the intentions of each of the jeager brothers, chapter 4 with its masterful plot twist, I think there is nothing to add to this simply magnificent, likewise this chapter raised the characters of Grisha, Eren and Zeke to another level, adding them more capable and complex, and chapter 5, which is the pillar of all ATTACK ON TITAN with the origin of the titans, ymir's past, and that with this past most of the questions of the work are answered, in addition to starting the retu amber. after this perfect triad, being the third in a row that attack on titan gives us, the first in the second part of the third season, the second in the final season 1 and this third in the final season 2, a very nostalgic chapter came but that in terms of animation it was excellent and leaves a great message to the viewer, which is that of the demons and the forest, in addition to consecrating Gabi as one of the best characters in the work, after this there were 2 transition chapters that focused on character development and uniting the alliance, chapter 9 was very interesting at the script level in which the enemies must become friends, these 3 chapters 7,8 and 9 gave great depth to characters like annie, mikasa, connie , jean, hange, gabi and magath. the battle in the port at the animation level was crazy, and even being largely action I still have an incredible script that contributes to the story, as attack on titan has always had, being in my opinion the pinnacle of development of armin with the parallels with berthold, guilt and its complexes, as well as with connie and other characters like magath. the final chapter left us with an incredible cliffhanger and a spectacular chapter that allows us not only to see more of the political conflict but also adds even more capacity to the character of eren, demonstrating why this is one of the best protagonists of the ani / manga and leaving with the arrival of this to marley, magnificent. simply attack on titan, one of the greatest pieces of fiction in history, having everything, action, drama, tension, incredible script twists, complex characters, well written, very real and with a sublime development as well as situations and a plot very complex and adding to this a spectacular audiovisual section. no more to say 10/10
Cyrose
04/03/2022, 09:54 AM
" War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength ,, - George Orwell, 1984 Attack on Attack With all the potential to be called by something as the "best shounen ever" with it's extremely unique action type and storytelling. Slowly halt in boredom of depression and grayness by its finally revealed true form. All the action factors mutated to physiological disarray, that everything was actually based on such a fragile and medicore story. With no moral or political reasons, just one man stupid self-centered egoistical rationality. Which ended by the same tropes over 2000 years later. Eren Yeager, who probably will be remembered as the bestprotogainst ever. Painted in so many colors and presented as the self-sacrificing savior, was just a chaotic egoist all along. Yumir, whose miserable life had nothing to do with becoming a Titian. Still unanswered her role to being a coward slave. Historia, who could have played a more grater role then just being a pregnant woman. Or all the interesting side story elements and characters like Riko Brzenska were forgotten in Chibi land or either replaced by uninteresting political theme occurrences. There were so many things this show managed to build up right. Characters intentions, time space, motives and goals, somewhat decent world building and mysteries. Just to be spoiled by its "rather deep, realistic and meaningful" dissection based story-telling, by beating around the bushes, covering its own simplicity. There were also many things went against this season of Attack on Titan. Wit studio dropped it, the CGI..(luck of animation). Not to mention the weekly threads about AoT fans fighting against numbers, or the countless meme themes of each consequential episodes that slowly burst into gringe. We all thought that Shingeki no Kyojin has the best written story in shounens, but when you peek under its surface of its very well presented and manipulated narrative. You can tell how medicore it actually was. If we look at each previous seasons they felt like all the events and each dialogues had real meanings behind them, not just things happening because it has to. At least, that's how they presented things to us. They covered the truth by making half-clear "serious" or seemingly deep conversations and convinced us about minor details has more significant essence over anything by its presented major theme. For an easy example how far we went from its peak of this show. Do you guys remember in S3, when they had to decide who is going to get the Titan injection, basically to either save Armin or Ervin's life's. The conversation they had under that scene and those emotional waves was absolutely insane. Wit amazing artistry added an extra stoke to it in a way, you could've even felt all the various emotions in the air of the animation as well. While now things are happening, but the magic is way gone. Everyone face is either depressed or soulless. The dialogues felt extremely boring and bland, as there is not much appealness remaining, while the show basically took half of its time explaining everything that is not interesting, in the most uninteresting way possible. Animation 4/10 While Ufotable stoled all the fancy colors, left Mappa with only three, out of the one point six billion color pallette. They've also took all the action factors and sound effects as well. However, they were generous enough to leave the Story scripts at least. Right?.. I'm genuinely sorry for this show not getting a decent animation. Believe me Mappa can do better, much-much better. I don't understand what happened or why it turned out like this, however it must have to do with they overloaded schedule. It felt like we just watching the manga pages with some movement added here and there. They not really changed anything remarkably. They've also lacked coloring the scenes. For instance, every time there is a specific tone of color to each frames that is either green, oil-green, red, brown, or whatever color, and the rest are just the shades of that particular main color. Which rather appear lousy and definitely not something that fascinates in 2022, especially where the animation quality level is required. As an example Isekai shows art quality isn't that necessary, because the main context is much loose compared to shounens or other shows that has more in-depth plot. Wit studio's atmospheric implementation weren't just a slight of detail. They brought to life almost everything. The horses, the nature, the clouds.. Inner emotions removably changed characters faces and body impressions. While Mappa didn't even bothered themselves with seemingly little details like these. The only things we either see is lined eyes as shadows or empty unanimous face impressions. I don't say that Mappa can't animate or they are worse studio than Wit. As they've put out about as many great quality of animations before, and no, Im not referring to JJK. Even though everyone thinks Jujutsu Kaisen animation is great, I would rather mention Kakegurui or Zankyou no Terror. Unfortunately however in AoT we only receive manga slide shows, pictures that barley moves. Characters 4/10 Eren Yeager saying things like: You guys are important to me, more than anything. Also Eren: Doesn't give a shit about other's feelings on his selfish ideas, while he murders down his own people. The residents: Eren Yeager murdered our allies. Also the residents: We have to accept it with all our heart! .. Eren is just a Lelouch 2.0 who I personally hate, because he is just a coward, self-centered, egoist who gets the OP power that could've change the world for the better, but he manages to ruin everything and everyone, just to be a "Self-sacrificing hero" at the end. This nonsense was played out and people already ate it with quite appetite, they're probably going for a second helping with Eren. Coward, meaning by despite of these actions are seemingly difficult, because it shares serious weight of dedication. Regardless on (A) may also suffer with in its outgrowth or not. Its impact arose upon society as well. To just make these type of decision on your own, because you have the power over the nations, it doesn't make you any superior and especially not a hero in mind. *My drift is and which really made it awkward for me is that hatred or revenge will always bring more hatred and more ravage. ~Thereby, fictional (Shounen) characters were made to seek anti-conflict and friendship at any rate. They see that the coin has actually three sides, (not just one, or two). To land it on the (side) of the coin is the hardest, because you have to acknowledge varied ethics and moral beliefs, then alter yours for the sake of Peace. What people likes to believe that Eren's behavior is mature and brave, its actually comes down the opposite. Armin, who just seems so smart didn't know that Yumir was with them all along in season 2. (The girl who had crush on Historia). As we discovered from that notebook has mentioned the name "Yumir" as the mother of all Titan. Armin also acts more like a psychopath sometimes than a smart and reasonable guy. Mikasa who act braindead through the whole season. Can't found to form a single sentence on its own. (Armin basically puts all the words in her mouth). I somehow can understand that she went through a lot of that Eren brainwashing.. which is more effective than talk no jutsu as we all know. Story 3/10 Reffering to a common take from the anime community "Animation can't save a show", but can the Story be our saviour? It should be...RIGHT? Do you guys ever had a conversation with someone who talks about a million stuff until he finally manages to NOT include what he was actually wanted to explain, but he doesn't even notice it? Iszajama Hadzsime, perhaps. Seriously, why in the world can't at least one thing in AoT be consummative or half-clear? They can't find to form a meaningful closed sentence. You know, which have a point, not just assumption or hypotheses theories.. it is that interesting? They could have ended this playing war things in like the first 5-6 episode of season 4, but no. There is a "plan". Hadzsime really do believes in his story-telling type of his is solid like a titan. It's engaging when you want to find out more on the story real meanings, it encourages you to watch the next episode or read the next chapter, but you have to left some crumbs of peach of bread for us to pinch some aid of knowledge from. Without it, it will dry out like how it does........instead, they're milking it. Can it really be considered good storytelling when you have to search after things on different platforms just to find out more or to be able to understand the story through out better? Whichever would've been taken as a major plot hole in any other entries for sure. Since the start of this season, the story progressed the way tired its hardest not to show TMI (to much information). From a diehard fan perspective this is most likely complies as a well though-out storytelling that builds up on pure characters intentions/interactions. It works until the task is to expose the main subject and actually do something with it. Out of this reason not just the directions, but also the characters convert fairly confused and totally lost onwards this point. Which is no wonder. Some noted issues: - Levi surviving that explosion just because he is an Ackerman. While Hashira cells or Nezuko's demon art are plot holes. This is different, because it's well written and explained. - All the political aspects were weak. Jaegarists: we are acting bad for the good. - When Falco was with Connie, Connie strongly indicated that Falco wasn't aware of the fact he is a Titan yet. Which is bullshit, because each time you will receive the previous titan holders memories. - Everyone acting full crazy like in a bad horror movie. Meme faces, acting weirdos everywhere. - They saying the ending will be unbelievably mind-blowing, where all the bullshit somehow makes sense once and for all. - No great plot twist: Brainwashing Eren while acting cute villain isn't that "mind-blowing". - Zake steeling the maneuvering equipment had no effect on the story. - Gabi's 100% crit rate is insane. - Hange and Levi conversation with Peick was probably the stupidest, but also the most sickest I have ever witnessed in animes. Pure madness. - However the best dialogues without hesitation goes to Sasha and Connie on their meaningful neverending (Huh? - huh? - huh?) conversation on the train. I was lost in the depth on that one. - Yumir back story is the most lame plot I have ever seen. I've seen Hentai or really bad Isekais with better plot than that. There were no reason to destroy the village. there were no reason to hate her..there were no reason to go into that tree..there's were no reason to that tree to be exist.... Also, I haven't seen the pig went missing. - Just a quick comparison out of heat: Attack on Titan Ep9 vs Demon Slayer Ep9 You be the judge. Sound 5/10 Ashes on fire was such a banger, until you hearing it over two hundred and one times. I can however agree on a common take that every other shounen characters screams: "AAAAAA". While Eren just whispers "tatakai" and all the girls are pregnant. Summarize AoT direction can be easily described as a football club that has won the first leg by three goals to null, still managed to get knocked out on the second leg. (3-4 on agg). Overall, I liked the show when it was a Shounen back then. Since it sidetracked from it's own genre withdrawing in a brain-drain closure. While the realistic elements of the show by developing the characters and its occurrences based on cause-effect interactions was something honorable to say the least. It produced to bring a lot of serious-weight of subjects on itself which unintentionally altered all the fictional themes, such as the whole concept and executed into a facetious documentary. Right off Sasha's belly buster to be exact, the show slowly started falling into pieces. A little piece of cringe, a small piece of meme themes and a lot of piece of nonsense. Although I can proud to say that the previous seasons were great and they worth the watch. I can't tell the same on its reputation. When it comes down to preferences, the accent is really on individual taste and pure dedication on what is the major point being a Shounen or what it has to take any show to be conceivably great and enjoyable. As little-known, masterpiece is just a title earned through by the audience. If the majority of people would claim garbage is better than gold, it would orthodoxy made garbage better than gold. That being said, options and beliefs are freedom of expressions. As some of my personal rated 10's aren't even close to masterpieces, I greatly attached to them on a level everyone can found themselves within the erstwhile retrospect iconic vibes of this series in a correspondingly similar manner. Overall 4/10 * I wrote this review out of fair share of disappointment. Since I'm actually sad and upset about the anticlimactic ending of this series. Wherefore it failed to get a proper direction, animation and neither the manga source weren't able to do it justice. * Thank you for reading!
Johan
04/03/2022, 09:00 AM
“I want to see and understand the world outside. I don’t want to die inside these walls without knowing what’s out there!” -Eren [This Review will cover the full series of Attack on Titan. Some spoilers from past seasons present] Masterpiece? Attack on Titan is a cultural phenomenon the world has rarely experienced. Sure, there were Kodomo-Shounen in the late 1990s to reach the west and have great success such as Pokémon, Digimon and Yugioh- but they were all buoyed significantly by accompanying merchandise such as video games and trading cards. Attack on Titan rose to prominence at the most optimal time imaginable. Isayama’s manga firstreceived its anime adaptation in the spring of 2013- right at the start of a major cultural shift in the west. Gone were the days of going to your local blockbuster or FYE to purchase the latest box set of your favourite anime. Crunchyroll had just recently become a legal simulcast app to watch your favourite shows in real time, Netflix had begun to emerge in nearly every single western household, and the once niche atmosphere surrounding anime began to erode. Of course, simply being popular and accessible does not a Masterpiece make. Does attack on Titan have the corroborating quality to firmly be considered the masterpiece it is so often heralded to be? I get asked a lot, in fact I was asked the other day “Why does everyone talk about Attack on Titan?” It’s something I’ve put a lot of thought into, but I think there’s a simple answer. I watched the first episode of Season 1 back on April 7th of 2013- the first day it aired. I watched the 25th episode of S1 on September 28th of 2013- the day the last episode aired, and I now watched the final episode of Attack on Titan: Final Season Pt 2 on April 3rd 2022 – the day the final TV episode aired; Though it looks like this isn't the end just yet. That means I- like many others, have been following this absolute roller coaster of a journey for nearly exactly 9 years now. It’s supremely unique even in the way that WIT– and then later MAPPA decided to deliver the series. Prior to Attack on Titan, long-running shounen would just air weekly. It didn’t matter if they had to extend the material, add filler, run recaps or do whatever necessary to fill the weekly time slot. Shows like Bleach, Naruto and One Piece that defined the previous generation of shounen just ran indefinitely until the broadcasters got bored (the latter is still ongoing to this day). Attack on Titan’s methodology of expunging filler, anything immaterial to the actual progression of the story, masterfully animating 1 or 2 cours then disappearing for a few years redefined the way most studios now choose to broadcast their anime. Gone are those days of endless filler in shounen, and here are the days of Kimetsu no Yaiba, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Boku no Hero Academia which all have benefitted from Attack on Titan’s model – prioritising high-quality animation and source material faithfulness over sustained TV revenue. All of this setup is to rebuff any claims that Attack on Titan is overrated or over talked about, or at the very least attempt to rationalise and justify it. I’ve now completed over 4,400 anime at the time of writing and for the last 12 weeks one of the only things occupying my mind has been Attack on Titan. There is so much to talk about when it comes to this series, it’s incredible. There have been shows that have surprised me during my time watching anime. Who would have thought Madoka Magica would be a masterpiece after its first 2 episodes or Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann after its first 6? Attack on Titan managed to pull off one of the most masterful transitions I’ve ever experienced. The first 37 episodes has a hyper focus on world building, on establishing the setting of the universe, character introduction and exposition. We are led to believe we are following the traditional shounen trope of Humanity has declined to the brink of extinction -> Humanity has to fight back against entity “X” in order to ensure survival. In this case the X meant Titans and our typical loud obnoxious shounen lead, Eren Yeager, the key to “Humanity” would save the day. Seen it before, right? However, as the first 37 episodes are broadcast, it only continues to raise more questions and mystery. “Why can Eren transform into a titan?” “What is that key his father left him?” “What’s in the basement?” “What’s on the other side of the sea?” In real time watching Attack on Titan Season 1 and Season 2 it always felt I was watching a great show but never what could be described as a Masterpiece. Those thoughts started to change sometime between Season 3 and Season Pt 2. It is around this time that the series begins to transition. The first half of Attack on Titan is defined at its core by 2 dominant characteristics; Hope and Ignorance. Up to this point, we the audience, as well as the main characters we are seeing the world through, are simply unaware of the truth. With that ignorance comes hope. A hope that they will be successful in eliminating all titans and finally discovering what else is in the world and the likeliness that other humans are still alive existing somewhere outside the walls. We see this personified through many of the characters, their goals, desires and facial expressions. Despite living in this hellish world where they are constantly being massacred and eaten by gigantic titans, there’s an overriding sense of hope and belief. The characters seem generally… happy. They eat potatoes, laugh, tell jokes, and share bonds together. Armin tells Eren that he read in a book about something called the “sea” and them discussing it and promising to go together is one of the most genuine moments I’ve ever experienced in anime. Then we and the characters learn the shocking truth of the world, and the second half of the series tone shifts from one of hopefulness to one of despair. What’s amazing about Attack on Titan is exactly how it executes this tone shift. The catalyst for the whole series really shifting from one of hope to despair is… simply learning the truth. With this the show really depicts just how inextricably linked hope and despair really are, and what a fine line separates them. What makes it even more interesting is it really adds credence to the idea that Ignorance = bliss. When the characters don’t know the truth, they constantly have these values; this constant seeking of the truth to guide and motivate them. We see that through the likes of Erwin. Erwin always believed that there were humans outside of Paradis, and charged forward, never looking back to ascertain that knowledge and truth. So, is it the greatest irony, maybe King Fritz and the Royal Family were the only means of guaranteeing happiness to the people of Paradis as short lived as that may have been? What is genuine happiness? Is your happiness truly less genuine simply if you don’t know the full truth? It's after this point we see the series begin to get hyper-political. To some this may be an inherent negative especially in today’s society where social media, social status, friendships, relationships, and family are almost political-centric. The show begins to depict themes such as nationalism, fascism, racism, persecution and genocide. I’ve seen some try to deny that Attack on Titan is political at all but since the series is literally depicting coup d’états, war, arrests and imprisonments, concentration camps, etc. denying it exists at all is simply fallacious. If the show is making any allusions to real world war and politics it’s definitely not something so simple as “Fascism = Bad,” but to show how complex humanity is, how all people and countries see themselves as “just” and how the lines between who’s right and wrong is rarely so easy to identify. As I try to be transparent, I always think its important when reviewing to try to disclose any biases you may have. For example, if I was reviewing My Hero Academia and I hate superheroes, that’s probably relevant information to disclose. I was and am a Yeagerist which will probably surprise 0 readers with my Floch profile picture. That being said there’s a certain humanisation and understanding we the audience can grow to develop for all sides and by extension most of the characters. The series navigates an excessively difficult line in really presenting that there is no good or evil in this show. A lot of those within the fanbase and the loudest ones on twitter believe for example those supporting the Yeagerists do so because they are all gleefully sadistic fascists and genocide supporters. However, none of the moral questions in Attack on Titan are that simple as right or wrong and good vs evil. Marley was the subject of centuries of persecution, slaughter and genocide at the hands of the Eldian Empire. Marley, like most nations is corrupted and distributes nationalised propaganda to its citizens in order to elicit fear of the Eldians. They make them wear armbands and keep them locked in essentially what we’d call “open-air prisons.” The question becomes is Marley’s fear justified, which as Eren Yeager proves to us- it definitely is. Likewise, how much can we truly blame Eren, Floch and the Yeagerists? Erwin early on in the series says “There is no future where humanity can inhabit these lands without Eren.” An important statement later parroted by Floch who states “If Eren dies, Paradis will sink into a sea of blood.” Whether justified or not, Marley has repeatedly shown they will not rest until Eldia is completely eradicated. They sent 4 transformative titans to finish off a civilisation that didn’t even know they existed and continue to pursue its destruction. What choice did Eren, Floch and the Yeagerists truly have to ensure their own survival? It’s not so simple to just say Floch is a murderous dictator who only wants to assume power. How can anyone look at his actions in Episode 11 of the final season, the absolute desperation on his face and draw any conclusion other than he would do anything it takes at all to save his people. To save his friends, family, future children and neighbours. Is Eren, Floch and the Yeagerists any more evil than Marley simply because they have to massacre more people to ensure their own survival? It’s a dangerously fallacious philosophy. To a neutral observer sure killing 3 million people is objectively [way] less than killing 3 billion. But Eren, Floch and the Yeagerists aren’t neutral observers. They’re characters desperate to protect the people they know and love. I implore anyone reading this to ask yourselves how many lives are those closest to you worth? If you had to choose between yourself, every single member of your family, every friend you’ve ever had, every person you’ve ever known or the rest of the world what would you choose? To argue that the show simply becomes about fascism or usurping power completely misses the point of these characters, their motivations, their fears, and what they love. Attack on Titan has one of the most diverse, well written full casts in anime history. Almost every character in the show has a defined role to fulfil with their own unique fears, desires, personalities, goals and aspirations. I can’t say I’ve ever experienced more fluidity in liking and disliking characters than I did throughout Attack on Titan. The first few seasons my favourites were Levi and Mikasa, and as of today its Floch and Eren. However, whether we ultimately like them or not, almost all the characters in Attack on Titan are well written and well developed. Floch was the coward from Season 3 that survived Erwin’s infamous charge. He wanted to live. He could have easily fled and tried to save his own life, but he accepted fate and miraculously survived. That experience completely shaped his ideals and purpose as a character. For Gabi another controversial character she wants to prove that there are “Good” Eldians to Marley and the world. That they aren’t all devils. She was completely a product of her environment; fed endless propaganda and wanted to save Eldia from itself. She kills and hates the ones who killed her comrades. How can we not sympathise with her to a certain extent? For Zeke he wants to find an alternative solution to saving both Eldia and the world through his “euthanasia” plan. How different would Eren be as a character if he didn’t watch his mom get eaten by a Titan right in front of him at the age of 10? Eren proudly declares to eradicate all titans. Why? The answer is simply because the titans are a threat to “Humanity’s” existence. Eren shows he’s willing to eradicate any existential threats to protect what he loves and cares about. So, when the truth is discovered, and there’s still existential threats to Paradis, the logical conclusion for Eren is to eliminate them. Annie agrees to become the Female Titan because she has a father she loves and wants to protect. Reiner and Bertholdt are initially 2 of the 4 titans sent to Paradis to destroy it. However, after acclimating to Paradis and befriending many of the Survey Corps you can see how much this begins to weigh on them. Bertholdt is constantly depressed and Reiner begins to develop MPD as a coping mechanism. When Eren finally confronts Reiner again he tells him “I’m the same as You. I didn’t have any other choice.” All the characters in their own way are products of their upbringing, environment and the experiences they’ve gone through. There’s deep and complex motivations and rationales for most of the characters, and even for those with simpler ones it’s understandable and relatable. Some want to save the world, some want to save their country, some just want to save their father. Attack on Titan also has all the technical components needed to support its status as a Masterpiece. The score worked on by Sawano Hiroyuki is consistent throughout. It’s not his greatest work to date and although I’m hardly a fan of Linked Horizon, it’s impossible to state the music- both the themes and background tracks don’t constantly both fit and accentuate the tone, events and themes of the series. Ymir’s theme “Call of Silence” as well Reiner and Bertholdt’s theme “YOUSEEBIGGIRL/T:T” are excellent examples of the OST’s brilliance. For what it’s worth “Red Swan” is also an absolutely beautiful opening track that only becomes more beautiful as you see how it foreshadows the changes in our protagonist Eren. The animation is absolutely world class. Attack on Titan may be one of the most technically gifted animated series of all time, if not the greatest. It may not have the flashy CGI visuals ufotable is famous for, but the framing is unbelievable to watch. This is seen quite often early on whenever Mikasa and Levi are chopping up titans with their ODM gear. The animation only progresses as the series advances. Of course, a lot of the best and most notable scenes are animated by Arifumi Imai, often accredited as one of the “best animators alive.” Even a switch in studios about 60 episodes into the franchise couldn’t derail the technical production put into Attack on Titan. MAPPA continued this series where WIT left off facing the immeasurable pressure of filling WIT’s shoes. This was always an impossible task, and to be fair there is a tangible dip in animation quality the final 2 seasons that MAPPA took over. That is not to say the animation at any point in time became bad or poor, but there was definitely a far greater emphasis on panel-to-panel animation, less freedoms and liberties taken, and unfortunately far less of those insane ODM gear scenes we had become accustomed to under WIT. Credit to MAPPA though for how they handled the finale and climax as there was some absolute stunning animation the final few episodes; no scene more notable than when Floch is desperately trying to fend off the “alliance” in one final desperate push to save Eldia. Attack on Titan is a Masterpiece. My assertion here is not that the show is flawless. The first 37 episodes in real time were really good, but far below the standard of “excellence.” The studio change from Wit to MAPPA for the final 2 cours showed a noticeable decline in technical animation quality. Some of the characters have hyper-exaggerated plot armour. Armin surviving his encounter with the colossal titan and Reiner surviving Levi putting an ODM blade halfway through his neck in human form are just 2 of the most notable examples that absolutely stretch the limits of suspension of belief. However, at its core we find a truly unique show that has already begun influencing both future anime productions as well as fans themselves. We have a show that is arguably the best animated show in television history, an excellent score and OST by Sawano Hiroyuki and one of the best written, most well-developed full casts in anime history. Thankfully, it looks like there won’t be any more speculation about whether the remaining chapters will be animated in Movie format, with a third cour, or if even at all. I am eagerly awaiting the show’s final arc to be animated in 2023 and seeing how this series as a whole finally concludes. If your definition of what constitutes a masterpiece is flawlessness, then my guess is you’ll always be searching. But one thing I’m more certain of is 10, 20 years down the road people will still be discussing Attack on Titan. Authors Note: If you made it this far thank you so much for actually reading the review. Please feel free to write a comment on my page and let me know what you think. Special thanks to Isayama and his team, Wit Studio, MAPPA, Sawano Hiroyuki, Arifumi Imai, Yuuichirou Hayashi, Tetsurou Araki and everyone else for their hard work and dedication over these last 9 years. I greatly look forward to seeing how this series finally concludes next year.
Stark700
04/03/2022, 08:44 AM
We all make mistakes. Humans makes mistakes because common sense sometimes outwits our own intellect. Attack on Titan defies the logic of common sense with the presence of titans. By trascending beyond logic, we have been graced with one of the most popular anime franchises in recent memory. Oh yes, say hello to Attack on Titan the Final Season Part 2. This season needed to be split multiple parts because logic dedicates that it does not have enough episodes to conclude the story. However, make no mistake. The producers wanted to adapt the manga to its completion. This show has been practically sitting on agoldmine of popularity that it's just the obvious goal to complete. It begins directly from part 1 with no recapping but instead with our characters thrown into a chaotic struggle at Shiganshina. The struggle between the Eldains and Marleyans continue to breed the battlegrounds with blood, destruction, and death. More importantly, one of the primary objectives in the early stages of this season is to prevent Eren making contact with Zeke. As you expect, the first episode begins as a chaotic warfare involving soldiers, warriors, and Titans. Important characters such as Porco, Pieck, and Reiner makes their presence known for their actions. To be fair, this season is going to be a lot of bloodshed so having an arm blown off is treated more like a meme than a shocker moment. Right, Pieck? Jokes aside, Attack on Titan's Final Season (Part 2) brings together an important evolution of storytelling. When we watch Eren's plan come to fruition, you have to realize how much of an impact it can have on their entire world. I'm talking about genocide, perhaps the extinction of humankind itself. Adapted out of the manga, 'The Rumbling' is an extraordinary event taking place this season. It chronicles a dark and grim reality for all life that concerns with the Marley and Eldians. While this season doesn't adapt The Rumbling at its fullest, it does bring in many questions for the anime only audience. Will anyone be able to stop The Rumbling? Who will live and who will die? What will be the ultimate outcome of Eren's plan in the end? Sadly, those questions won't have their full answers this season. However, you can fully expect the anime to capitalize on the importance of such an event. Attack on Titan has been known for its deep character emotions and this season is also no exception. In particular episode, we are greeted with a mixed cast of characters from different sides of the war. However, it is Yelena who truly brings out the emotions out of guys such as Jean and Reiner. It's a pivotal moment to show that the past has not been forgotten. Jean has changed so much from his rookie years as a survey corps member to a loyal soldier fighting for his cause. Knowing the truth hurt him but he also realized what must be done for the greater good. Furthermore, we are also reintroduced to another prominent character from the Warrior Unit. I won't spoil it but let's just say that their presence makes this season that much more interesting. Finally, we can't forget the Jaegerists, a group of rebels with their own agenda. Formed from members of the Paradis Island, they stand as a major obstacle against Mikasa, Armin, Pieck, Porco, Hange, Jean, and the rest of their new alliance. The episodes later this season highlights how far they'll go to push their plan even it means killing whoever stands in their way. And that is a common theme about Attack on Titan. There's bloodshed and death, where sacrifices are needed for a greater cause. Eren's goal is perhaps the most controversial for he puts entire mankind and the ecosystem at risk. Nonetheless, that makes this season worth so much more enticing to watch. It's 12 episodes but common sense designates that this season needed more episodes to flesh out the rest of the story. Trust me, it's not enough for this season and of course, Wit Studio and its producers would take this show to the next season. This franchise is literally a goldmine that pushes the limits of popularity in modern years and I hope its success continues.
NextUniverse
04/03/2022, 08:35 AM
*Implicit spoilers ahead* How far it has come. For a series that was once very clear about its goal, it's has come down to a more complex idea, one that seeks to find answers to the bigger questions out there. Why must we keep fighting? Is it right to force your ideals on innocents? Who is wrong and who is right? To me at least, I find that AOT isn't as big as many make it out to be. The political commentary obviously opens doors to a lot of discussion and debate, however, AOT simply used its premise, and exploited the irrational acts of wars and humans tocarve a path for itself to land on what people would call the intellectual territory of thinking; I don't think that is bad. To destroy the cycle of hate, you don't do the bad thing, because it would just grow now, wouldn't it? The simple side to everything in the story is surprisingly pleasant to witness. It has gained controversy in recent times, but from what I am seeing, it was mainly due to a distaste for the plot going in the direction the audience wanted, this idea that AOT was more than some simple message it set itself out to be very early on. It may not be obvious the first time around but with recurring motifs and characters quite literally acting against hate, it is pretty clear to me that one thing Isayama wanted to convey was "hate bad". There's a lot more to go on about, like freedom and the means by which one should reach freedom. As it has appeared in the FS a lot, it is something that has declined in the name of looking at hate and how that is awful to society and the world as a whole. In its entirety, the means to send this message has worked in my eyes, the correct pieces aligned together and the core concept of evil is being challenged as the story progresses, it's intriguing to spectate, to see people from different sides coming together in the common interest for the good of humanity. One thing AOT has managed to also explode upon is the sheer amount of hype attached to it. When the FS was first about to begin back in Winter 2021, everyone was looking forward to it despite Mappa CGI being present, we took down Crunchyroll and everything when the first episode came up. Heck, I can go back to the start of the series, no way anyone is going to be telling me that listening to Guren No Yumiya did not bring the least bit of hype. Or even the overly memed Shinzou wo Sasageyo. The hype is something to comment on for sure because I feel as if AOT has most of its glory stemming from it. Whether that is an epic battle scene or an intense lead up to something like the Rumbling starting, moments everyone was waiting for to be animated and AOT delivered, no question about it. In my eyes, AOT has always been about the hype, alongside the aforementioned and what have you, although it was mostly the hype that kept everything in place, that kept the viewer on the edge of their seat. It is kinda strange for me when I see people hate whilst not taking the very thing that helped it take off so much as it did. It's not as beautiful as it once looked⁠—times have changed greatly⁠—but how can we forget moments people absolutely loved, be it the entire series or more fittingly for this review, this part in the story. Whether that be Eren and Zeke's trek over the memories of Grisha or Ymir's backstory and the lead up to one of the most devastating, if not the most (maybe the ending hurts more), events⁠ the story has thus far. It was great to witness, and I thoroughly enjoyed consuming a scene like that. So what does that come down to as a whole? AOT is in its most controversial state ever, in terms of production, writing and its importance in anime, there could not be a more controversial anime now time than AOT. Regardless of that, I still find enjoyment in the series, it's been through some times; it's that's the truth of the situation. But I still fail to understand why this hate should overrule the series. I don't have the greatest of standards, and I am not always a conventional thinker, but my enjoyment comes first, and that is not very hard to reel out of me. This part in the series is paving a way down to hell for the series, at least, from a community perspective (from what I know anyway), but I am not the community and I have my own reasoning. This is something that doesn't come every so often, so I put good praise in the series and something that has delighted me, this part in particular still upheld everything prior to it, so I have nothing to slander here and now. That may not be true in the future but we will see what happens next. Whether you like or dislike the series, one thing that has stood out both this series and underwent itself was the action of dedicating your heart. I am serious. Hating or loving the series, both sides just do not let up, lol. It's kinda ironic, but there you go. Do the deed and dedicate your heart to what you feel about the series. We will see who comes out on top. I wasn't really planning to make this review but I am here now in an attempt to say something. That's all from me, I suppose.
HellLyter
04/03/2022, 08:33 AM
Attack on Titan. Arguably the most iconic anime of all time. A masterful franchise that never fails to entertain me to the max with each passing season. Yet for this final season part 2 that isn't actually the true final conclusion, I don't know if I can view it as highly as the others. Despite paining me to do so, I unfortunately can't bring myself to compose a gushing review of Attack On- Eren: What are you doing? ...Eh? Eren: Start writing HellLyter. Hwaha!?Eren: Did you forget the reason why you're here? Eren: Isn't it to shamelessly fanboy over my anime? Eren: For the action, suspense, plot twists. You have to write about how amazing they are. Eren: And keep moving forward. Eren: Even if you embarrass yourself through your cringy writing. And even after being embarrassed. Haa...haa...HAAA... Eren: This is...the review... Eren: That you started, isn't it? GAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!! ........... I praised them! Even Season 3 Part 1! With my own hands!!! EREN! I gave 10/10s to every season of Attack On Titan! All but Season 4 Part 1! Are you happy now!? Is this what you wanted!? Will I really become an acclaimed Myanimelist reviewer because of this!?!? ....... Why...why won't you show me how many "Helpful" clicks I'll get? All the backlash I'll receive...the hate comments for having an anime girl profile pic...was this really the only way? ...You're there, aren't you Critic-kun? From here on, your disparaging views towards this anime won't hold any value. The only opinions that will matter are the overwhelmingly positive ones held by the Yeagerists. I saw...Eren's memory of what comes next. But I never thought it would be so toxic towards people with differing opinions of the anime. Ah! Critic-kun, is that you? You've surely grown in number since the Manga concluded. I'm sorry, I was a really narrow-minded fanboy! I've always brushed aside your judgemental views towards Attack On Titan as ridiculous...Critic-kun! I respect you. I should have spent more time trying to understand where you were coming from! Critic-kun, stop Eren...as well as cancel culture towards people like you who have different opinions from the majority. ... Whew, I haven't the faintest idea what came over me there. All I know is that I have this strange desire to fight, fight, fight and keep moving forward...but seriously, this season of Attack On Titan is, to put it bluntly, masterful. And I'm not just saying that because Eren told me to...I think. I normally go into a lot of depth in my reviews discussing multiple specifics, but in this case, in the off change that you haven't already seen this season (which most likely means that the entire first half of this review sounds like total gibberish to you), I don't want to give anything away. You have to go into this blind for the full effect, trust me. I will say that the first 6 episodes of this season are the greatest anime episodes I've seen since, well, the first 6 episodes of Season 3 Part 2 of this very same franchise. And even then, I would argue that these are actually better. Everything that happens in these episodes from the get-go are nothing short of incredible. Yeah, I'm not doing that great of a job as a reviewer right now and feel more like a hype man, but what can I say, I'm in awe. And words are definitely failing me. The fights, the atmosphere, the music and voice acting, the characters and their interactions, the development (shout out to Gabi for having many great moments here. She really SHOT A HEAD of my expectations for her), the twists, the revelations, the big moments, then the even BIGGER moments, wow. Everything is just so spectacular. It's the complete package deal of all I could ask for in a single season of an anime...besides lacking some much needed Mikasa screen time and development, but hey, nothing can be 100% flawless, right? The second half does admittedly fall off a little after things start to cool down. Pretty much the remainder of the surviving cast meet up Avengers style to face-off against the world ending threat. Honestly, it does feel a bit rushed at points in terms of characters coming together. There are of course some in-fighting moments due to differing ideologies and other events that are pretty solid, but not quite at the level of this season's first half. I usually would feel a little let down when something builds up so well and then cools off later on without ever ascending to it's previous heights again, but the first half just set the bar so astronomically high that I can't be disappointed. All I can say is that this was such a great experience, and I hope that you can enjoy it as much as I. Whatever your feeling towards Attack On Titan, I would wholeheartedly recommend this to literally everyone. To me, the defining feature of any piece of media is its ability to entertain. I watch shows to derive enjoyment, so I value that aspect of a work above everything else. And honestly, I don't believe there will ever be another anime quite as entertaining as Attack On Titan. It looks like the final episode teased a 2023 release for the next installment. I hope to see you there for the finale! Hopefully the final finale this time!
Mcsuper
04/03/2022, 08:30 AM
TLDR: This was probably my least favourite season of Attack on Titan. I can already feel the roasts coming. *Spoilers below Ah, Attack on Titan. Undoubtedly the anime of the 2010s, the defining anime of this generation. I started my Attack On Titan watch just about four months ago, binging it from the first season, up to this moment. It’s been one of the best experiences I’ve had with anime, hands down. The immersive story, the action, the emotion, we’ve been on a good roller coaster haven’t we? Now, to this season. From the greatness of part 1, the story picks up where it left off on thatbrutal cliffhanger, and starts on such a bang, with plot twist after plot twist. Since Season 3 Part 2, there have been what I call “The Banger Trilogies” in each cour. There was the set of “Perfect Game”, “Hero”, and “Midnight Sun” in Season 3, the set of “Declaration of War”, “the War Hammer Titan”, and “Assault” in Season 4 Part 1, and in this season, we had “Two Brothers”, “Memories of the Future”, and “From You, 2000 Years Ago”. My favourite set would still remain the one from Season 3, but the plot twists and reveals we had this season, was not too shabby either. The latter half of this season, was to be fair, nostalgic, it reminded me of Season 1, which I’m sure most of you would agree with, is Attack On Titan at its worst. My grading criteria: Story: /25 Art: /10 Music: /10 Characters: /20 Enjoyment /15 Thematic Execution /20 STORY: 19.5/25 *Another reminder about spoilers below A mixed bag to be sure. Firstly, we had the plot twist where Eren and Zeke go back in time to see what happened in the past, and it turned out Eren had more of an impact on the past than we thought, and there was this whole time travel aspect to the story, which was a good reveal, but needlessly confusing. There was this reddit post that explained the time travel aspect of the story, called “The complete guide to Chapter 121”, which I recommend you to check out if you haven’t already. There was also some backstory of the kingdom of Eldia and the backstory of Ymir and Fritz, that was quite tough to watch. The whole section of this part of the plot ends with Eren declaring the Rumbling would be beginning. The next part of the story is a grim reminder of what Season 1 had to offer. Just good action against the big bad Titans threatening to destroy Paradis and everyone beyond the island. It was simple, and a bit disappointing, considering the quality of the story beforehand, yet still quite nostalgic, especially when “Barricades” played in the background. There was a subplot where Connie wanted to save her mother, who was still stuck on that house in Ragako Village, which was an interesting, but a little out of place. We saw the return of Annie, which was great to see, and it led to a nice comedic moment with pies, and more of the Female Titan, we saw what happened to Levi and Hange, basically a tying of some loose ends. We see Floch continuing to be the scheming and devious man he is, and also Marley and the Survey Corps end up working together, to assemble the Avengers, as people call it. All in all, the reversion to pure action and occasional emotion is welcome, but it felt like a downgrade. Of course, there is also the depiction of mass genocide. Say what you will about the controversy about that, but this, combined with the time travel, just didn’t sit well with me. It felt oddly… generic, yet it felt like this might have been the only thing that could have happened, when we consider the foreshadowing. The key aspects are still done extremely well overall, like the foreshadowing, the plot twists, keeping viewers on the edge of their seat, a story that remains fascinating, making it so each episode flies by. That sentiment hasn’t changed, but I did feel the pacing slowed down a bit in this season, though it may have be necessary. ART: 8.4/10 Felt less rushed than the previous season, as Mappa had a bit more time to work on this. The CG and 2D aspects still aren’t done perfectly, but it was definitely an improvement to last cour. The animation in the ED this season was pretty spectacular though. MUSIC: 9.5/10 We’ll talk about the opening and ending themes first. The Rumbling. Wow, SIM really did a nice job here, surprising me with the heavy metal, with a great chorus as well, a lot of people’s favourite opening for sure, though Red Swan remains my favourite. The ED for this season, Akuma no Ko, was one the most beautiful endings I’ve seen. Ai Higuchi, props to you! Very emotional and gripping lyrics, and great visuals to boot. Probably my favourite ending so far of the entire show. As for Sawano’s soundtrack. This show recycles a lot of their past themes, using the nostalgic factor at times, especially when “Barricades” played. That is fine to me, and while it may be seen as lazy, I have always enjoyed the entire soundtrack in Attack On Titan, and good music will always complement the show, recycled or not. CHARACTERS: 12.5/20 The masterful character writing in previous seasons certainly carried over to some extent, but the second half really hurts the score here. I loved the first half, as Zeke and Grisha were so good to watch this season, because, like Marley, we don’t exactly root against them. Grisha has such a great voice actor as well, as that performance in “Memories of the Future” was so awesome to listen to. Other than that, we don’t see much development or good dialogue apart from Connie trying to save his mother and also killing his former comrades, Jean in the campfire scene, or Annie saying she doesn’t want to fight. Granted, these scenes were mostly pretty well executed, and emotional. Mikasa had her moment to shine when she ravaged a lot of the Jaegerists, and her fight scenes were certainly interesting and fun to watch. However, her character seems a bit static and uninteresting, made out to be a brute, which wasn’t that great in terms of development. Gabi continues her redemption arc, by saving people, and having some emotional scenes with Kaya and Falco, and that did make me enjoy her character a bit more. I never really hated her, but she has developed into a more “responsible” and mature person, which is good. Floch was a good villain, but nothing more. His attitude makes him a rat, and I have always said, if you strongly hate a character, it means he is written well, and I can see that here, though he doesn’t add a whole lot to the story. All in all, the lack of Eren hurts, and the fact that the second half was less of a character driven story, and more action, was not the path I wanted this show to go. Magath and Shadis though, what a duo. ENJOYMENT: 12.5/15 Some episodes were great to see, but nothing stood out to me as amazing this season, after the reveal about the time travel and all that. THEMATIC EXECUTION: 14/20 From all the political themes, and immersive dialogue and dark atmosphere and savagery and backstory from part 1 of Season 4, this season balances themes of war, camaraderie, and straight up action, which felt like a downgrade overall. As I’ve said, Season 1 was Attack On Titan at its worst, and this felt like Season 1. OVERALL: 76.4/100 Don’t get me wrong, Attack On Titan has never been bad. This season was just a bit below my expectations, as the dialogue didn’t feel as strong, the whole aspect of time travel was not the path I envisioned, and the whole second half went in a direction I didn’t exactly enjoy. Still a wholly enjoyable season overall, but I would have liked to have seen a bit more spice, more scenes that made us stare at the screen in awe, because Attack On Titan has just been that good up until now. I do look forward to what comes next with the Final Edition in 2023.
SpRayquaza11
04/03/2022, 08:28 AM
I will assume that everyone reading this is at least caught up till Season 4 part 1. The Bit After the review is just my take on why I think Mappa has done AOT justice and actually has done a better job than WIT. “Wherever there is the Internet so shall there be hate” ~ some dude who lives in the clouds Many have attacked Mappa but mostly without any facts to back it up, so allow me to be that dark horse that defends them, BUT WITH FACTS.do scroll to the end if you wish to read it. I understand that this may be anunconventional review since I spend most of the time defending the studio I apologize for that, feel free to skip it and read only the review if that is your objective. —---------REVIEW STARTS—--------------- Plot (8/10) It was the Best until the moment Hange “decided Nah bruh genocide is wrong”, imagine if you figure out one day, there exists a p[lanet, more advanced than us which had secretly been manipulating us to do their bidding? causing our wars for profit? What do you think we would have done? OFC WE WOULD HAVE DONE EVERYTHING IT TAKES TO ANNIHILATE THEM. Humans hate not knowing stuff, and that fear of the unknown, as well as the years of manipulation, would make us scared shitless, and annihilation is the only way for us scared monkeys to sleep peacefully. The internal conflict of the main Levi squad was also really painful to watch since it was just that well made.Plot armour is definitely present ,but that has been the case for many seasons now. Sound and VA(10/10) Go to Google, type AOT s4 OST, listen, cream pants.VAs of Eren, Zeke, Connie, and Grisha were absolutely mindblowing The only shit VA performance was Mikasa who went EREH EREG as always, and Gabi who only snipes or shouts FALCO FALCO much like Mikasa.ED is the best song AOt has had ever to offer OP is more popular but feel is still inferior to the ED but by no means is it bad. Art and animation (10/10) An in-depth review of that is below this review after it ends so please skip to it to see my thoughts.TLDR,3d Cgi Titans are definitely an inferior product as compared to how they were done by Wit studio, But the CGI fights are still good enough to convey it properly and are enjoyable, The 2D animation during the final half o this Season is a very severe Improvement than before and is comparable to AOT in its prime. Characters(9/10) Would have been a 10 if not for the EREH spammer ad FALCO spammer being given important roles here and there to force them to be relevant which is cringe and totally Forced down our throats. Mikasa only shone in the last episode, and that too, I feel a better perspective would have been Armin or the rest of the squad. Because Mikasa is Badass, yes, but she is also the weakest character in terms of writing. The character writing of s4 is Gold, giving us many great characters, like eren,floch, connie , magath, Jean and so on. Isayama went all out, We got to see character development FAIL just like Walter White from breaking bad or light Yagami from death note, many fail to realize with too much skill or responsibility, people break, that is in their nature, light was a kid who literally got the power over life and death, Walter was to smart for his own good, him raking in millions from literal kingpins only made him cockier and cockier. Eren had multiple opportunities to turn for the better, but as the plot started spreading, the Burden on Eren became so great that he finally collapsed after seeing the vision. He genuinely believed that there was no other way and that is where all that character development, all that he stood for went straight to the bin. But, As the threads slowly spread I was worried, scared even by the thought that they wouldn't be able to tie it up completely, GOT tried that and failed spectacularly. but it all changed at that one moment when they all suddenly converged and when they did, only one character held it, it was Eren. And he fucked up but more importantly….. He fucked everyone up too, The character development we saw all the way till s3p2 failed outright, Due to the immense pressure and the almost alien threat that eren discovered in his vision. Zeke finally got the father he wanted, that too, who existed only as a memory in their minds. Grisha finally got the son he wanted, at the cost of another, and Eren, well, he's suffered enough.And thus another character who could have solved this FAILED. ~ YT comment spitting fax Everyone failed to talk things through strategizing considering, to think. And it made sense know why? The man who does the thinking IS DEAD. things started going south when it was decided to let Commander Erwin die, That day emotions Won, and it's these very emotions that made Armin doubt himself and made him stop thinking about WHERE IT REALLY counted. Hence Armin also FAILED. , in s4 p1 and another instance was, episode 12 of s3 p2 where he said: “If we destroy them all would we finally be free?” He expected his friends to save him, from his own fate that he saw through historia , but no one did, so he went well fuck this, let's just pick the easy genocide route. The plot had already gone beyond just titans vs humans, it went to war, humanity, and racism these threads spread more and more in what seemed to be a one-piece level of world-building. But it all ended and started with Eren, which he simply could not endure. —---------REVIEW ENDS—--------------- Mappa has been attacked enough, they have done a better job than Wit IMO let me just state why with some facts. 1)clever use of OST with the memorable OST for Pure titans being played whenever they are on screen and the ashes of the fire and their different variants blending so well. 2)Warhammer vs Eren of s4 has more views than many s2 and s3 fights. 4)The 2D character expressions in s4 in both parts have been a great improvement. The despair in the faces is almost unnerving, the dilemma and internal conflict that is faced by many characters during the latter parts of this season could simply not be possible without the attention to detail that Mappa put in for characters like Connie, magath, Armin and more. 5)If the art is compared to manga s4 has been very consistent (the look of the Eren squad changed because they all grew up into adulthood (there was a 2-year time skip), and A lot of hate was thrown in how Mikasa looked in s4 and beyond ). 6)VA performance has been much better in s4 (Especially the Yeagers like Grisha , Eren, and zeke) 7)Every OST that is on Youtube since AOT s4 began has over 100k views. Now to the million-dollar question, WHY did Mappa make the Titan fights 3D CGI? TLDR:- there would be no AOT s4 if Mappa did not do it. This is clearly the biggest balls move ever since 343 decided to inherit HALO, WIT themselves said that AOT will be the best it can get with Mappa only. other popular shows such as The Seven Deadly Sins and One-Punch Man changed animation studios for newer seasons and the result was noticeably diminished animation quality. The 2D animations are on par or better than most WIT studio-based animations too, examples being floch in episode 10, Levi and beast titan in s4 p1. “While season 3 was in production, we consulted with WIT STUDIO, and it was decided that The Final Season would be created by a different production studio,” said producer Kensuke Tateishi. “[A]s creators we wanted the anime to escalate even further. Through many talks with WIT STUDIO, we understood that the continuation would be difficult, so we looked for a new studio. . . Everyone understood what big shoes they had to fill, and we were told by dozens of studios that they emphatically could not accept.” He continued, “The only studio that said they would consider it was MAPPA. When we talked to WIT about it, they said they could rest easy knowing it was in MAPPA’s hands." Mappa had just over 1 Year to do the project And I can safely say We can definitely tolerate a bit of CGI titan fights rather than having an OPM or SDS level of a downgrade.

Shingeki no Kyojin: The Final Season Part 2 進撃の巨人 The Final Season Part 2

2022 winter | Episodes: 12 | Score: 8.8 (821553)

Updated every Mondays at 00:05 | Status: Finished Airing

Type: TV

Synopsis

Voice Actors

Ishikawa, Yui

Inoue, Marina

Kaji, Yuuki

News

Reviews

Allagowf
01/27/2023, 12:37 AM
Freedom and High morals will never be alongside. What happened to “Shinzou Wo Sasageyo” (devote your heart) and all the sacrifices and the deaths by the titans especially by Reiner Bertholdt and Annie, all that rage and striving for freedom?? simply in one season does not exist anymore! The creators are switching heroes. Is that even allowed? ohh what can we do to stop the desecration of one of the best shows ever? Unfortunately, it's already desecrated. there is no way back. This has been happening a lot in recent years to the great shows like GOT, the creators are switching heroes and destroying everything theybuilt behind. The freedom of our beloved once was the theme of AOT at the beginning, when it was a great show, now it is full of high morals the fake one actually. The creator is trying to manipulate our feelings by playing empathetic music "sad music" when the human outside the wall dies and playing anempathetic Music "exciting music" when the Eldians inside the wall dies. this just show the creator has racism issues. Ignoring the death of their families and trying to protect the others How could the creator of AOT be more fake than this Let us not forget Marley was ruling the world using the titans' power and when the world was trying to overpower the titans, Marley plane was to hold the power of the founding titan by destroying the paradis island, so their goal was not to protect the world from the titans it's to rule the world. this what the Eldians do before but the las king tried to stop the suffering of the world and he punish himself and his people in a prison for more than one hundred years, but the world want to do more and tries to still the founding titan and destroy all the Eldians. one example of the creator fake Morality: Marley sent four warriors for this mission and this cause in a ton of death, Reiner Bertholdt and Annie should be the enemy of every Eldian inside the walls, not only because they destroyed the wall also, they betrayed their friendship and threaten their families, but we see them laughs, eat together, and killing their other friends from inside the wall, as they forget everything. or the creator is full of shit and high morals. Eren trying to destroy the world is something extreme there is some other solution but this one is accepted from his point of view, if the world tries to destroy your home country and you have the power to kill the entire world, what woold you do? you will allow the world to kill your family and your beloved one? or will you destroy them all? I am outraged from this kind of plot switching in recent years, but why, it's just an anime right? .. it was my hobby for the last 20 years, so it's not ok, this hidden messages in the recent shows are made me think of quitting anime and start doing something better in my free time, better than turned to a pussy as they are hardly trying to do "trying to turn us all to pussies with fake morality". These fake morals made me want to vomit. "Me against the world it's a hard decision to make, but my family against the world is the easiest" .. Fake Morality hater.
lamaraptor
04/20/2022, 04:57 AM
Okay, I can't be the only one who saw the "find out in The Final Season Part 3" ending coming. Somewhere like 5 or 6 episodes in I saw the writing on the wall, there were just too many loose ends that still needed resolving and not nearly enough time to do it. I figured there had to be at least a movie coming that would wrap everything up, and when the Part 3 announcement showed up at the last episode I burst out laughing. I should be mad, but honestly if it means more of this show I guess I can't complain too much. Andholy sh*t does this series deserve a proper send-off. I'd hate to think they spent so many years crafting such an amazing narrative only to ham-fist an unsatisfying ending that doesn't answer anything into a single episode. This show deserves better, and I think giving it a whole part 3 to flesh things out is the best choice. Spoilers ahead for the 6 people who haven't watched this already. The season starts off super strong with an opening that just says "Rumbling, Rumbling, it's coming" over and over. I wonder what we're building up to. But honestly I love this, because all last season I just wanted to see the so-called Rumbling finally happen and it's like this intro is saying what we're all thinking. The massive cliffhanger ending of Part 1 gets an explosive resolution in one of the biggest action set pieces we've seen in a while. Each story arc always has such intricately crafted moving parts that all come together in these huge moments, usually involving one or more grand entrances from one of the 9 Titans. Gabi, the character specifically designed to be hated, is given a redemption arc that manages to actually feel somewhat earned, something that's helped along greatly by Sasha's dad. All of the action in the city culminates in that moment that gets frozen in time when Eren gets his head blown off. I know I just said Gabi got her redemption arc but I'll be honest that I was a little exacerbated that they chose her to be the one to shoot him in that moment. I get where she's coming from now, but it was just a little too on the nose. Then we get the fantastic sequence and lore-dump about the first Ymir and all the pseudo time-travel brought on by the fact that the Attack Titan is able to see memories of his future iterations, which leads to the brilliant reveal with Eren's dad. Everything about those few episodes was amazing, edge-of-your-seat stuff that showcases all the best parts of the kind of storytelling you can do when you're not just making sh*t up as you go and you have a plan for where the story is going from the start. Then we finally get it. The Rumbling. Ymir's face says it all. Humanity is and always has been the real villain of this series and it's time for a purge. Eren is the first person to get that, to not view her just as a tool and actually wants to help her fulfill her dream of killing all humans. You can say this makes Eren the bad guy, but the brilliance of this series is that you can see his actions and their motivations and actually sympathize with him. Him being the protagonist for much of the series goes a long way to that I think, but it seems like now that he's become Titan Thanos they're shifting things back to Makisa. So the big questions to answer in the coming season are whether the team from Paradise Island is going to be able to do anything to stop Eren and if they'll have the balls to kill him or not. Plus the looming question of whether or not Eren might be right, and the only solution to end all conflict is to hit the hard reset button. Will that finally bring peace, or will it be as the Asian lady predicts, that they'll just be reducing the size of their conflicts. It's true that even when Paradise Island was totally isolationist there was endless conflict within the walls. All I know is that I can't wait to see the ultimate conclusion of the story, as an anime only watcher who hasn't read ahead in the manga to see how it goes. For making me that invested and for being part of such a monumental series I think this season deserves another 10/10.
iihateveryone
04/18/2022, 09:28 PM
here's why AOT doesn't make any sense eren is the bad guy .you have to hate him "cause genocide is wrong" form an alliance to protect people who wanna massacre you .brutally kill your comrades to protect people who have announced war on you . the problem is isyama doesn't even try to make us audience like marley or feel bad for them . no we just had to sit through gaby and falco whines in the most forced way possible and another whiney convo between marley soldiers and the alliance where they whine about what they did to each other again inthe most forced , cliched way .and dont come at me and say genocide is wrong cause my point is give me a good reason to why the alliance wants to stop the rumbling not just cause "genocide is bad" . i absouletly hate the scene where jean tries to talk some sense into hange and remind her that the rumbling could benefit them and there could be consequences to their actions but she goes " but genocide is bad ". so she thinks the sensible choice is to kill her comrades and stop the rumbling despite the risks. im tired of people justfying isyama's writing flaws by saying that there is no good or bad side ,it's the cycle of hatred and all the shit . characters: 1 mikasa has no personality , no goals , no motive, no emotions , her whole personality revolves around eren so it's really out of her character to just go against eren and join the "good side " when the only reason she joined the military was to protect eren she doesnt come off to me as a heroic person who wants to change the world.she is one of the blandest characters in the show if not the only . armin's character development went downhill . .levi hates zeke cause he killed his comrades ,also levi watches annie and reiner as they crush his comrades to death(. reiner went from a brilliant written character to a mentally ill one . many praises floch's development but for me he came off as psychopathic .jean and conny are pure cringe . they keep talking about their fallen comrades when they are aiding the ones who caused their deaths aka annie and reiner animation :5 mappa gets praised for doing the bare minimum but okay ig sound:5 can't even choose a decent soundtrack enjoyment :5 overall:3 isyama is a bad writer
PixelB
04/06/2022, 12:45 AM
"Nobody can deprive mankind of its violent nature" - Probably some edgy anime character. Perhaps there could be some truth to such a repeated theme about human nature. After all, history has only proven the validity of this point. 1917. The October Revolution. Vladimir Lenin and the Bolsheviks take over Russia. After a brutal war, the Red Terror, and millions of Russians dead due to famine, executions, and war, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics is founded. What happens next? The Bourgeois, Clergy, and Aristocrats all get persecuted. A subversion of social status. Whatever the working class had to go through, now was happening to thepeople that were in power. They lived in misery. Once those people were dealt with, Kulaks, successful farmers, were the next target. They too, were persecuted for their greed, their grains and property were forcibly seized and subsequently, they were sent to forced labor camps. Seems a bit familiar, doesn't it? It almost mirrors the Eldian and Subjects of Ymir conflict. That's to be expected. If history has taught us anything, it's that revenge and war are a constant cycle that doesn't ever seem to stop. Even now, a new conflict has started between Russia and Ukraine. Attack on Titan is one of the few shows that actually try to depict the internal conflict of trying to stop war, and also the cruel and futile attempts trying to actualize that ideal. How many shows, books, any sort of media have this sort of theme? It's ubiquitous. Trying to end the "cycle of war and pain," or else it will never stop. A grand ideal for sure, but it almost always works out too well for the main characters in these stories. There's no sacrifice. Somehow, the cycle ends in a peaceful manner due to the great plan of the main character. No bystanders die, and there's not much of a moral resolution or need for one, as the main character tends to only do good, and does not need to make difficult decisions. Or perhaps the main character forgives the evil bad guy, and he also turns a new leaf. How cute. Or, hey, lets say, a modern shounen like Demon Slayer or Kemono Jihen, where the bad guys are of a different race and are literal demons, so that the audience can clearly see that these demons are 100% bad guys, and humans are 100% good guys, with nothing in between. Morality isn't something that's light and dark. It's probably somewhere gray, in the middle. Characters have to make a decision for questions that might not have an actual answer. Whether you agree or empathize with Eren, or the people trying to stop him, you have to admit that the show tries to depict both sides in a meaningful manner that surpasses the surface level attempts that most shows go for. Rather than a passing theme, it's the thing that's emphasized more than the actual fighting in the show. The entire show culminates to this moment. I wouldn't have cared if this show started off with this season. However, over the four seasons, I got attached to these characters, and watching them make different decisions and having them make a resolution for themselves is a pleasure to watch. Would I really care about some edgy kid like Eren if I haven't watched him the entire time? Probably not. I also wouldn't really care about Reiner's suicidal thoughts and his indecision as well. All of these characters decided to go against Eren, but it's not so easy. It's easy to say that you want to end the cycle of violence, and it's especially so if you haven't witnessed or been a part of it. But it all seems to come crashing down and downright insane to suggest something like ending violence when all of your pain and suffering has been because of the other side. How could you possibly sympathize with the enemy when they didn't give any when they've massacred your friends and loved ones? How could revenge not cloud your vision? That is to say, how hypocritical is it to side with Marleyans, and also kill fellow soldiers, people that you trained with, to save people that only cursed you and wants you dead? Everyone lashes out against each other, blames each other, and even turns against each other in such an unstable alliance. I like that a lot. There's actual decisions to be made, and even when they are made, you're not exactly happy with the outcome. For people who think that Jean, Connie, Mikasa, Levi, etc don't make the most logical decisions, it's as if that's the human part of indecision. The perspective of the show is intentionally third-person objective narration so that you don't see any of their intentions and inner struggle. Are they happy with what they're doing? No, and that's what the story and narrative forces them to do: make hard decisions, stuck between a rock and a hard place. It's not that Jean forgave Reiner or Annie, but he's also got to think about whether or not he can truly support the Eren and Floch. Whatever decision he makes obviously depends on the story being told, but both choices wouldn't contradict his character so far. And the same goes for every character in the alliance. I like Eren's stance more than the other characters given only binary options(I know, 3edgy5me), but I certainly can see that these characters have their own reasons, despite how stupid it may sound. It's still a bit of a stretch that these characters are working together despite their past together. Many of the Marleyans get off scott free, like Gabi and Annie, which just doesn't seem right to me. Everyone getting together for an Avengers initiative is quite idealistic. They say that genocide is bad, and that violence is not the answer, yet Eren's plan of killing any and all opposition is a pretty surefire way to get rid of the conflict. Otherwise, Eldians and Marleyans will probably continue forever. Still, committing genocide for that cause isn't really what I'd call "just," either. Does the ends of ending conflict for good worth the means of committing genocide? Maybe. Who would have thought that both sides have decent talking points? Yes, the avengers initiative is a bit stupid, since these characters are condemning their entire island to death, but I still really enjoy how they gather their motivation, no matter what they are fighting for is. Sure, the show has a lot of ups and downs. The whole season with the revolution against the Capital and Historia rising to the thrown was pretty dreadful. Even this season, there are some plot holes that can't just be summed up with suspending your disbelief. Come on, Floch's squad aims all of their thunder spears at the Cart titan rather than the immobile and vulnerable ship. Or how about the less than stellar animation when it comes to fight choreography, with terrible CGI? Yes, I certainly loved the editing when it came to episode 3 where Eren goes to the "path," but overall, animation quality is pretty horrid, and is not what I expect watching one of the most popular shows in recent years. The ED is a banger though. However despite the many flaws, I like the dialogue and character development. I like how the story takes its time to show both viewpoints of the conflict. It's good.
nhl2004
04/04/2022, 11:43 AM
Attack On Titan is the most influential anime in the world right now and is definitely one of the most talked about things to have come from Japan in recent years. Fans spend a huge portion of their time thinking about it and the case for haters is even worse since Isayama's work lives rent free in their minds eventho they hate it. It is one of the few shows in my opinion that has successfully divided its fanbase and created controversy without killing its quality, something which is insanely hard to do. So lets get started shall we? Art - 10/10 Its gritty and complementsthe story's current situations The lines and shading on faces may bother some people but they're necessary to show us the stress the characters are going through Sound - 10/10 The OST, composed by Sawano and Yamamoto are GOATED AF, the voice acting by Yuki Kaji and everyone else is phenomenal. Nothing more to say here. Enjoyment - 9/10 Its a real shame that I got spoiled to the bone this time so I didnt enjoy as much as I would've liked to but I still found myself cheering and and getting hyped a lot over many of the episodes, especially at the parts I didnt know about beforehand Characters - 10/10 This season of AoT has no shortage of complex and well written characters. They all get their moments in this series and we see them make tough calls, struggle against or succumb to their demons and of course, against and to each other. All of these guys feel real and their their actions and choices all carry weight within the greater context of the story. We have Floch, a nationalist who's hell bent on protecting his nation, and even though he's an extremist who chose the easiest solution at the expense of omnicide, his extremism is natural and realistic given his circumstances. At the opposite end of the spectrum we have Jean. He's someone whose tempted with the same easy solution that Floch has sold his soul to and dreams of living a life of comfort one day. He tries look away and focus on his own life, but he struggles to do so and his conscience weighs on him..... he then comes to the realization that he cannot live a comfortable life if its built on the corpses of billions of human beings who did not need to die . We have Zeke, whose bad childhood has led him make his entire life centered around denying his father's ideology, going as far as to believe that the greatest salvation was in not being born at all. He also projects these feelings onto his brother, thinking that he is the same as him, which undoubtedly makes him feel less lonely in a world where he has constantly lived wearing a mask . He also has this savior complex and feels that he has to save everyone and justifies his sins with the end goal of preventing Eldians from being born in a world that despises them, ridding the world of the race everyone is afraid of and giving peaceful deaths to the eldian race. Whether people want that kind of "saving" though is something he never considers, as he seeks to mold the world according to his personal philosophy, something that was itself shaped and validated by his childhood . In the end we see that despite a lifetime spent denouncing his father, he could never truly get rid of the desire to be loved by him Then of course we have Eren. He's honestly a bit of an odd one in the world of anime when it comes to protagonists. A victim and an oppressor, a man who wishes for freedom above all else, and yet does not hesitate taking the freedom of the billions who did not wrong him. Someone who understands the value of life and yet takes it without hesitation, who knows the pain of losing loved ones and yet inflicts the same to others. He is saddened by the crimes he's about to commit and yet he says that it was all he ever wanted. Everything he does, he does out of his free will and yet because he was born this way from the start, one could say that it was all destined to be this way from the beginning. As the conversation with Reiner proves, he wants to believe that he's doing it all to "save his world" just as he asserts Reiner did, and yet when Reiner breaks down and confesses that he acted selfishly due of his desire for recognition, Eren confesses he too is making a selfish choice. Eren Jaeger is a unique indeed, one whom very few people will actually come to understand, both within this show and without. "Eren Jaeger" is a fitting name for this self contradictory monster, child of evil. After all, he is a "saint" who will selflessly protect those he holds dear and a ruthless "hunter" who will murder all who stand in his way. Story (10/10)- The story of this has never been better. It is a constant ride of surprises and thrill and has depth that most mainstream shows hardly ever approach. It tackles discrimination in a very realistic way and takes us through the viewpoints of everyone involved in it. From victims who have been taught to hate themselves, to perpetrators who can be seen interacting with people normally, amiably and even showing kindness until they discover they're from a certain background. It goes beyond the narrative of victims vs oppressors and aggressors vs defenders and takes a very nuanced take. In truth, the oppressors arent monsters but are only people who have been influenced by certain stereotypes and narrations of history. They are people who have been lied to by others who had also been lied to and once they begin to interact with people they once called "devils" we see that those views shift entirely. Hate is also shown as a multifaceted issue. It does not grow out of thin air but is actually a product of a mixture of propaganda, history and differing perspectives and beliefs. There is also no homogeneity in hatred. Some people hate all Eldians, others hate the Paradis ones more and treat the ones in their neighborhoods with disdain. Others go as far as to sympathize and pity the eldians amongst themselves but hate the ones from Eldia. However Victims are often not innocent as well. A victim might descend into doing the same things he hates his oppressor for doing to him. oftentimes a victim may identify people, comprised of mostly innocents, as the "oppressor" even though they had no knowledge of or decision making capacity in the oppression that was being done by people representing them. They were simply taught to hate and since they never had any exposure to anything other then that, could one really blame them for their racism? Thus a victim switches roles with his oppressor and kills innocents for the fault of others despite themselves being subjected to the same unreasonable cruelty. Attack On Titan manages to encapsulate all that, , while delivering its final verdict "We are the same" And thats perfectly true. People everywhere are the same - some are truly good, most are just tying to live and would be satisfied with just being happy along with their loved ones, while a minority are despicable. Aside from this, history has shown that all people have the same propensity for violence and discrimination. The Oppressed and the oppressor are segregated by only victory and loss and this story could well have been one about "heroic" Marleyans fighting for freedom from their tyrannical Eldian overlords if only Karl Fritz had not retreated behind walls. Aside from that it also gives us complex moral dilemmas. Killing the world for crimes most people have not committed is wrong, but its understandable that people with extreme paranoia of the unknown would resort to such extreme tactics to save themselves, even if its not the only way to do things. In such scenario's its not only natural to want to take the easy way and return to how life used to be, without having to worry about anyone from the outside Likewise, people who have come to an understanding about "the other side" are likely to stand against any attempt they find excessive, extreme and unjust , especially if they believe that there are other solutions to the problem that involve a bloodbath of a much lesser scale. The two sides have their points and while some in the fanbase would argue that "side A are a bunch of traitors and idiots" while others say "side B are fascist assholes", both bunches of viewers are simply proving the point the show is trying to make - That people will always disagree with each other on complex things and would refuse to to look at things from a viewpoint in contradiction to their own. People might be 90 percent identical and yet still find cause to kill one another cover that 10 percent difference. Which is my key take away from this show - Killing does not solve conflict, it only reduces the number of people capable of fighting. The only true solution is to talk and yet people will hardly ever solve their differences that way. Hence conflict can only be ended by violence. However, violence and distrust remain as they are inalienable to human nature, and that ensures that any end to conflict is temporary and every peace treaty is a just a ceasefire waiting to be broken Overall - 9.75, rounded off to 10 What Attack On Titan's story does is simple. In a fantasy setting, it gives us a near perfect mirror of the real world conflict, which, I believe is the best thing any fictional war story can do
NomineMalum
04/04/2022, 12:54 AM
Is Attack On Titan still one of the greatest animes to ever exist? A common spew that many die-hard fans like me like to portray across the anime community but how is it true exactly. This review will be containing 'mild' spoilers Instead of just reviewing the second part of the final season i will review all the seasons that has existed before this one. OVERVIEWThe anime of the moment closes the second half of its final season with a flourish. Attack on Titan: Final Season (Part 2). 9 years after that shocking first season and in the final run of a work that has all the papers to become one of the definitive anime of the last decade. FIRST SEASON Attack on Titan premiered back in 2013 and drove the anime world crazy with a classic story (a group of people locked up between walls and huge invading titans outside) that progressively became something much more complex and interesting than It included political intrigues, a subversion of the mecha genre , outstanding action, and a lot of mythology behind it. At that time, manga fans were crying out for a second season because they knew the surprises to come and how the story would become much more attractive as it progressed. And they were not wrong. The road to Attack on Titan: Final Season SECOND SEASON Several years later (a wait that seemed endless for some), a beautiful second season 2 finally arrived on our screens. The year was 2017 and the hype returned with everything. Attack on Titan season 2 arrived with the fifth story arc of the series: " Clash of the titans ". Eren and the other members of the army investigate a possible breach in the second wall, meet new enemies (the Beast Titan) and discover that there are some dangerous traitors among them. This small run of episodes represented much more content in a small package. We found out who the titans really were and the identity of both the Colossal Titan and the Armored Titan. At the same time, he fired off several additional question marks to add fuel to the fire. A striking aspect was that it focused much more on secondary characters (unknown until then) than on those we followed during the first part. Mikasa, Levi, Eren and even Erwin took the passenger seat while the leading man was taken away by others. SEASON 3 PART 1 AND 2 The third instalment was the first to be divided into two parts. Attack on Titan Season 3, Part 1 managed to reinvent itself once again. The plot continued to progress in these dozen episodes, but now the tone was much more political. In fact, it felt much more like Game of Thrones (in its early days) than a series about giant titans hounding a walled city. By now, it was clear that the Titans weren't the only enemies in this chaotic world. In fact, in the best “apocalyptic story” style, humans are also a large part of the conflict. Attack on Titan is a mature series that doesn't always need to be throwing in huge beasts to stay relevant (although when it does, it's awesome). Attack on Titan Season 3, Part 2 was another high point. Throughout these 10 episodes, which adapted the “ Return to Shiganshina ” and “ Marley ” story arcs, we saw the story become much darker and even controversial. The revelation of what was in the basement of Eren's house – a mystery that had been dragging on since the first season – elevated the series to standards only achieved by the most celebrated anime. Since episode 1 of the series we believed that this was the story of humanity on the brink of extinction, hidden behind three huge walls and under the threat of monstrous Titans trying to devour them... how wrong we were! This is how we got to where we are today. Recent data revealed that Attack on Titan 's latest season has surpassed its most conservative critics to become bigger than any other anime in the world right now. SEASON 4 PART 1 AND 2 When a story comes along so well put together for so long, there are fears that the creators or the animation studio might screw everything up. Fears continue, but studio MAPPA (which took creative control of the anime after WIT Studio had to pull out due to other commitments) did a more than decent job with the adaptation. Hajime Isayama's ability to hide important plot points in plain sight continues to fascinate me. In this sense, I am pleased that MAPPA remains so faithful to the original story that Isayama conceived. One fascinating aspect of the 16 episodes that make up Attack on Titan: Final Season Part 1 and 12 episodes that make up PART 2 is how it continues to feed off of its earlier seasons and fill in the blanks. The author really had everything meticulously planned from the beginning, contrary to what the specialized critics said. This sequel is – once again – a completely new show and takes the point of view of the enemies that reside in Marley. The 4-year time jump brings a different perspective to the matter and the change of focus helps us to put ourselves in the place of the "other side", to understand that, in war, nothing is ever black or white. It's like James Blunt sings: I sent some men to fight and one came back at dead of night. He said he'd seen my enemy. He said he looked just like me. Animation under pressure The animation took a dip in quality, admittedly, but it was still satisfying. We must not forget that they gave the MAPPA studio only 8 months to complete this run of episodes. The heavy use of CGI was noticeable (and generally not quite right). For almost any other anime, the horrific CG cutscenes would have gone more unnoticed. But Attack on Titan , one of the most popular and acclaimed of all time, surely deserved the best possible treatment. Does it ruin the experience? Does it make it a bad season? Of course not! It covers one of the best arcs in the manga (“ War for Paradis ”, the ninth and final narrative arc) and the adaptation itself was very faithful, with top notch voice acting.The biggest problem with misusing CGI is that it breaks immersion. At one point we had smooth 2D animation, at another we had goofy effects that took the action away. Unfortunately, we don't get much animation in season 4 part 1 and 2, and while it's understandable given the time constraints, it's a bit disappointing. Eren: the Walter White of AoT? Remember when this series was a simple story about a boy who wanted to kill some titans and avenge his mother? Yeah…me neither. Attack on Titan: Final Season (Part 1) takes a complete 180 degree turn from everything that came before. It's been a long time since it was about fighting one-dimensional titans. In this sense, the growth of Eren as a character is one of the highlights. He wasn't always a fan favorite due to his hot-headed nature, but as time went on, his perspective on things around him changed, most notably several times throughout Season 3. In Attack on Titan: Final Season (Part 2) his character undergoes a paradigm shift; calm and understanding, though ruthless. He is much more distant, not only with everyone else in the series, but also with the viewers. Unlike previous seasons, his thoughts are now a mystery and season four clearly shows the divide between him and the other old scouts. This is a risky, if masterful, plot twist for someone who began his narrative arc with innocence, naivete, and optimism. Another especially refreshing element about this season was the lack of what we slang call "plot armor." Not counting Eren (who, let's remember, died in the fifth chapter of the series!) Attack on Titan isn't afraid to ditch characters that have spent several episodes being fleshed out. Not only does this create several emotional moments, but it also demonstrates how realistic the approach the story takes while exposing the cruel nature of war. Friends and comrades who were once by your side can disappear in a split second. A modern masterpiece As already mentioned before, Attack on Titan: Final Season (Part 2) modifies everything compared to its counterparts. Regular titans are now a thing of the past, part of the landscape, and much of the action takes place between the humans and the titan shifters themselves. This fourth season tones down the action and focuses more on the psychological and social aspects of war. Personally, Erwin is missed. His role as leader and his chess plans have been removed from the equation due to his death. Hange is a great leader, but Erwin was a big part of what made Attack on Titan such an emotional roller coaster. Bringing to the table a brilliantly thought-out story, a cast with a ton of personality (we're not talking about Reiner and his massive growth in Season 4), stunning animations, and an overwhelmingly emotional soundtrack, Attack on Titan remains another big reason to jump in. that anime , as a medium, is here to stay. Its capabilities have not only provided great entertainment value for fans of Japanese animation, but have also earned years of well-deserved respect in the industry: attracting new fans and changing negative views of the medium. I can't wait for the adaptation to be completed, to witness this incredible journey come to a bittersweet end. Because it is so: endings are always bittersweet. Conclusion Attack on Titan: Final Season (Part 1) is a modern masterpiece. Not only is it a piece of fiction that has been surpassed in quality season after season, it is also one of the few anime that has broken into the mainstream, so much so that people who don't watch animation at all have experienced and loved it. It will be interesting to see what route MAPPA takes for Season 4 PART 3. 9.5/10
Jozuwa-_-
04/04/2022, 12:50 AM
Why another cliffhanger?! *cries in Eldian* I don't think I can do justice in reviewing this. So I'll instead just share my opinion. My feelings towards this season are heavily influenced by the journey we all had with this series. This season is not perfect as there's been a lot of stretched-out episodes in the latter half. But I'd still give this a "10" because, almost every episode left me either shocked, surprised, excited... hell, sometimes all of those in one episode. But what made it feel so great was seeing all the characters being so different, evolved, matured, and developed so much from their trainee days tothis point where the future of the world now lies on their backs. For me, AoT is now at a point where I don't judge it per episode, but more on how they do the story justice. And since Season 4 part 2 made me feel even more connected with the remaining characters (and made me cry manly bro tears for the ones we've lost *cries in Marleyan*), and also got me excited to see Eren again, I say that's more than enough reason for me to ignore my nitpicks and give it the love it deserves. STORY (10): Lots of surprises, twists and turns, and brilliant utilization of story seeds they planted from previous seasons. But for me personally, the highlight is seeing those characters who used to cower and tremble in fear in front of a single Titan, to now facing every obstacle, Titans and humans alike, headstrong like they have nothing left to lose... cause that's exactly how it is for them now. Also, having to say goodbye to some of the favorite characters that have been with us from the beginning. Shinzou wo Sasageyo! Some nitpick I have from this season are: The latter episodes that were stretched out too much and were mostly characters having dialogues which took away a lot of hype, and some unsatisfying character deaths. CHARACTERS (10): At this point, we've seen these characters at their worst and at their best. They've been what they've been, and they are what they are now. No more development is necessary. They are at the peak of their characters now. ART (7/10) and SOUND (10): Art has definitely dropped quality, not just since the change in studios but, even just compared to the 1st part of season 4. Lots of inconsistencies, flat-looking scenes, and an out-of-place over usage of the gloomy shadow lines effects. But it didn't ruin the story for me, and I appreciate them for making it feel as "AoT" as possible. Gotta go all out for the OST. It's not just because of "The Rumbling" by SiM (which is badass), but also the ED "Akuma no Ko" by Ai Higuchi, and the BGMs, and the VAs. Almost every single sound that goes through my ears while watching this Anime contributed to the experience. All the love to the Sound Team for the series. OVERALL: I'm just excited to finally see the end of this journey. And with this season not ruining it for me, even making me feel more hyped to see the end, it's more than I could ask for. Shame that we have to wait another year for the finale but if it means a high-quality, satisfying send-off, then I will gladly wait.
Chief_AJ
04/03/2022, 10:06 PM
Where do I start? Attack on Titan is just great. Isayama has just done so well with everything he has done to build up this story. Little did we know when watching season 1 that every little detail mattered. This season honestly has just further assured me that this series is really really really good. Art: 8 For me, animation isn't everything when it comes to watching an anime, but I can see why people can nitpick. I think Mappa has done a much better job this season and has done a serviceable job, especially with some of the fight scenes. However, in my opinion, thereis still some room for improvement because sometimes the animation felt a little stiff. Sound: 10 I have still not found a moment where the AOT soundtrack doesn't hit. The sound design once again is excellent, and I just have no issues with it at all. Characters: 10 Eren might be one of the best characters I have ever seen. His development throughout the series, good or bad is so fun to watch, but it's not just Eren, I think everyone even characters that didn't get as much development throughout the story such as Connie were given their chance to shine. Story: 9 This season added great things to the story and it was nice to see the callbacks to previous seasons. The way everything is weaved and intertwined so perfectly. It feels like putting together a puzzle, and I personally can't wait to complete it.
Adnash
04/03/2022, 10:03 PM
While there are a lot of different animes, belonging to different genres and dedicated for various demographics, it's obvious that not all of them get a chance to become a classic right after finishing airing. Luckily, Attack on Titan: The Final Season Part 2 managed to become that kind of a show, at least in my opinion. Second Part of Attack on Titan: The Final Season starts right where its first Part ended on. Once again Shiganshina has become a battlefield. Once again it is Marleyan forces who are attacking Paradis. This time with regular army instead of children sent on a dangerous mission to infiltratethe Walls. That should be enough, since I don't want this minireview to have any spoilers. So, what viewers might expect from this show? Surely beautiful and detailed visuals, amazing music, well-directed action sequences and mature plot full of moral dillemas and themes relevant to humans as a whole. As a longtime fan of the whole Attack on Titan franchise, I was personally delighted with what I saw. Almost every episode was on movie level, and all episodes did justice for the source material, serving as brilliant adaptation of all chapters that got adapted during this cour. I highly recommend checking it out. I felt it was more than just an animated show. It was rather a rollercoaster of various emotions you might not feel very often in most of animes. Indeed, Attack on Titan: Season 4 Part 2 was definitely not a regular show, but an experience.
WitchFromMercury
04/03/2022, 07:29 PM
Attack on Titan: The Final Season Part 2 is just an entirely failed show. Gone are the survival elements from previous seasons that are how everyone fell in love with this series initially. Instead, we have hamfisted political drama that is only presented with black and white morality. GENOCIDE IS BAD is literally the answer given as to why the original scouts must betray their homeland for outsiders who want to kill them, with no deeper thought on the matter presented (or even allowed!) I knew all the creativity was zapped from this series when it became just another WW2 holocaust show after the big revealof what's outside the walls. But at least the last season had compelling action still. Here the motivations are all twisted and there's nothing to enjoy. Everything is backwards in this show, from Mikasa, Jean and Connie shooting their own compatriots to the suicidal Reiner being the one to tell Eren to give up and that he'll end his suffering for him. Aside from the aforementioned fight with Reiner in the beginning of the series, Eren's presence is sorely lacking throughout this season. Instead replaced by the adventures of Gabi and Falco. Other characters being allowed to shine isn't a problem, but it shouldn't come at the expense of the main character. All throughout this season we're given little chance to see things from Eren's perspective, instead we're only told by others of what it is. As someone who read the manga, I know it's because they crammed that all in for the ending, but still it's poor, one-sided storytelling. Aside from the plot, the art direction is very much lacking from the days of WIT. There is a same face problem, especially evident with the female characters. Most of which look derivative of either Gabi or Pieck. This was a problem in the manga too but WIT improved enough for that to not be as noticeable while MAPPA has since regressed. There are also times where very clunky CGI is present, such as for the titans. These scenes are often quick and disguised by action and followed up by hand-drawn close ups. Still, the subpar CGI is still there. All in all, this is a failed follow-up to the seasons that came before.
ScraF
04/03/2022, 01:43 PM
It is finally here, the moment we have all been waiting for. After the Final Season and Final Season part 2 the show is done. Nevermind, there is a part 3. Plot twists are generally a great device in anime or any medium if utilized correctly. Attack on Titan manages to make the viewer expect the unexpected with the sheer amount of plot twists it has. Ranging from the Armored and Colossal titan reveals to the Ackermann clan actually having an importance, Attack on Titan just keeps throwing these plot twists, which are not necessarily bad, but repetitive in a way, since it makes it painfullyobvious to predict once it keeps happening every so often. A healthy meal is only healthy if you eat in moderation. Attack on Titan, through its runtime, has tried to convey its morally gray characters, in a sense that each one has a flaw in their beliefs and that no side is truly right in the show, leaving the viewer to choose their own side. While this was done very well in the previous seasons, mainly with the reveal of life outside the walls and having each character consider their decisions and who the true enemy is, this season repeatedly portrays the fact that Eren is in the wrong, yet attempts to justify his actions which makes no sense when compared to what was attempted previously. Eren’s beliefs just lose their credibility, yet somehow he and his followers, Yeagerists, have quite a large number of people defending their actions in the real world. While that would not necessarily be a bad thing, had they had been portrayed as a morally gray force, rather than purely being used as foil to have the Alliance members confirm their side and show their conviction in ending up on the “good” side of history, this does not include Eren who remains as the biggest threat in the show but with his entire character, which was built up for the entirety of the show, being reduced to a simple “I will destroy the world”, stereotype, which is saddening to see. In this season especially, Attack on Titan butchers its characters and reduces them to simple character stereotypes, completely throwing away any previous groundwork that was laid out for their development, with the exception of a rare few, that being, in this season, Floch and Gabi. Yelena could also be included here but she was thrown away for the bigger part of this season and all we really see from here is her “I want to die” fetish, which also gets thrown away later on. Touching on the plot twists, this season is no exception to them. While it does have one of the most unexpected ones in the anime medium as a whole, it was reduced to a simple “Woah!”, simply because the volume in which plot twists were used as a device in the show. The twist is quite good on its own, but could have been better if not for the over saturation in the former parts of the show which made it expected to a degree. Characters were a major problem of this season. They are, simply put, destroyed. While the show’s cast was never particularly outstanding, it still managed to hold its own with a few notable characters being well developed with interesting themes. This season, however, ruins that and leaves much room for improvement, mainly with the members of the Alliance. Almost all of them completely abandon their previous morals in favor of joining the completely opposite side of the spectrum all for the sake of having a strong enough influence on the show’s outcome, as to not make it a one sided Eren beatdown, in terms of both strength and narrative presence. Forming the Alliance was the equivalent of a racially motivated group throwing a party with the race they despise. Character interactions were bland and one dimensional, with a few attempts at making the viewer think about 2 different sides at once in an argument, which only a very small amount managed to do. Most of the dialogue was boiled down to simple one liners and repeating jokes and of course, the best of them all, Mikasa mentioning Eren in every sentence she could. Even with his absence for 90% of this season, she manages to find a way to bring him into relevance, no matter the topic of discussion. The rare exception of the character genocide which was commited were Gabi and Floch. Seeing Gabi’s character progression, with the cycle of hatred coming in full circle, having gone from the one killing out of anger to the one begging for forgiveness was interesting to see, showcasing the different path Eren could have taken, further putting emphasis on her being the same as young Eren. Good job Attack on Titan, you managed to keep a recurring theme relevant, which is what should have been done with all characters. Floch is an interesting case, he does not have spectacular writing or themes or depth or anything really, the guy’s commitment and him being the personification of Erwin’s speech in Season 3 is just admirable. While he did not fully grasp what Erwin would have wanted to do in this situation, which is something no one knows, but he for sure would not have been a Yeagerist, Floch manages to convince himself Eren is right and follows him without hesitation. He, similar to Gabi, had gone full circle, from the only person that was ducking in the march on the Beast titan, to being the leader and arguably the bravest character in the show. The epitome of stupidity in this season was the meeting of Shadis and Magath, two characters from completely opposing sides, having just met, were instantly best friends and had their moment, completely disregarding all of the previous conflicts established in the previous season, all for the sake of a tear jerking scene which had little to no significance and was just used to fill up time and make you cry for a few seconds. Animation. It was expected, but it still hurts to watch it. MAPPA has 0 reason to pump out shows this quickly, however, they still do it. Attack on Titan is a relevant anime waiting a year or two would not ruin its popularity by a meaningful amount, yet they decided to do it as fast as possible, a stupid decision. While the actual still drawings are okay, with the darker tone of the shading and the general color palette just being gray and monotone working pretty well, the action scenes are underwhelming and leave a lot to be desired, apart from my boy Floch’s moment, which looked sick and epic and I love him. The opening was really good but managed to spoil the viewers so much it was funny. The sound and voice acting were good, as usual with Attack on Titan, the only difference being the visual aspect which has significantly decayed with quality, mainly the action scenes which were the show’s forte when it came to the earlier season. Those action scenes which defined Attack on Titan are no more, Levi owning and borderline hate criming the Beast titan will not happen again, we will never see those epic scenes which got you hyped and having chills from the pure madness and hype, because money is more important. I have never been a huge Attack on Titan fan, but the show still had its good parts which I enjoyed and was looking forward to seeing how the story will play out, unfortunately, it does not seem like a satisfying conclusion is on the way. While a faint hope remains, things are looking grim for the show. It is sad to see a promising series fall apart because of itself, quite symbolical, just like the titans are rumbling over the world, tearing it apart, Attack on Titan is doing that to its viewers. This season is probably the most mixed one out of all the installations so far. While it does have some general idea of what to do in the first parts of its runtime, the latter part pales in comparison to previous seasons in terms of both character progression and storytelling.
WazThatTL
04/03/2022, 12:40 PM
Even though this is the final season there are still full of surprises and twists and turns which just shows how good the writing is for AOT, the quality of it has been super consistent since its very birth. Symbols and themes are very prevalent and have become deeply embedded in the story than any other season. Lastly the story had very minor flaws here and there Characters have developed greatly and they have taken major strides since S4 P1! They are still amazing and they have become more likable and deeper than ever. Animation was amazing especially the fluidity of the fights between humans vs humansthough there were are still some CG problems with how the Titans but they looked good nonetheless. There were some great action scenes with alot of work put into them along with very good directing also. The music quality is amazing though not as good as the S1 or S2 but still very good but a bit inconsistent. The voice acting was top notch as usual. Overall I really enjoyed S4 P2 and has become one of my favorite seasons of all time.
maldonado3008
04/03/2022, 10:37 AM
one more season of AOT ends, and leaves us once again the satisfaction of being able to call this a masterpiece, this review does not contain manga spoilers, read it calmly. At the level of animation and drawing I think there is nothing to discuss, there was an incredible improvement compared to the first part, the drawings were much more polished and clean and the animation more fluid, the cgi was much better integrated with the scenarios, the color palette was amazingly implemented and fit very well with each of the situations. the sound section, continued as great as always, the seiyuu as we already know arefirst class, they conveyed everything they should properly and even improved and gave more weight to many things, in particular the seiyuu of gabi and connie who improved many things of the manga. the story, where do I start? Chapters 3,4 and 5 were peak fiction, not only within the work itself but also in the history of the anime, with moments that were incredibly well planned and executed, such as Chapter 3 with the culmination of the battle, the death of Porco. , the transformation of all the soldiers into titans making a clear parallel to season 1, the apparent death of falco, gabi being gabi blowing eren's head off and continuing with his spectacular development and ending with the entry into the paths and the revelation of the intentions of each of the jeager brothers, chapter 4 with its masterful plot twist, I think there is nothing to add to this simply magnificent, likewise this chapter raised the characters of Grisha, Eren and Zeke to another level, adding them more capable and complex, and chapter 5, which is the pillar of all ATTACK ON TITAN with the origin of the titans, ymir's past, and that with this past most of the questions of the work are answered, in addition to starting the retu amber. after this perfect triad, being the third in a row that attack on titan gives us, the first in the second part of the third season, the second in the final season 1 and this third in the final season 2, a very nostalgic chapter came but that in terms of animation it was excellent and leaves a great message to the viewer, which is that of the demons and the forest, in addition to consecrating Gabi as one of the best characters in the work, after this there were 2 transition chapters that focused on character development and uniting the alliance, chapter 9 was very interesting at the script level in which the enemies must become friends, these 3 chapters 7,8 and 9 gave great depth to characters like annie, mikasa, connie , jean, hange, gabi and magath. the battle in the port at the animation level was crazy, and even being largely action I still have an incredible script that contributes to the story, as attack on titan has always had, being in my opinion the pinnacle of development of armin with the parallels with berthold, guilt and its complexes, as well as with connie and other characters like magath. the final chapter left us with an incredible cliffhanger and a spectacular chapter that allows us not only to see more of the political conflict but also adds even more capacity to the character of eren, demonstrating why this is one of the best protagonists of the ani / manga and leaving with the arrival of this to marley, magnificent. simply attack on titan, one of the greatest pieces of fiction in history, having everything, action, drama, tension, incredible script twists, complex characters, well written, very real and with a sublime development as well as situations and a plot very complex and adding to this a spectacular audiovisual section. no more to say 10/10
Cyrose
04/03/2022, 09:54 AM
" War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength ,, - George Orwell, 1984 Attack on Attack With all the potential to be called by something as the "best shounen ever" with it's extremely unique action type and storytelling. Slowly halt in boredom of depression and grayness by its finally revealed true form. All the action factors mutated to physiological disarray, that everything was actually based on such a fragile and medicore story. With no moral or political reasons, just one man stupid self-centered egoistical rationality. Which ended by the same tropes over 2000 years later. Eren Yeager, who probably will be remembered as the bestprotogainst ever. Painted in so many colors and presented as the self-sacrificing savior, was just a chaotic egoist all along. Yumir, whose miserable life had nothing to do with becoming a Titian. Still unanswered her role to being a coward slave. Historia, who could have played a more grater role then just being a pregnant woman. Or all the interesting side story elements and characters like Riko Brzenska were forgotten in Chibi land or either replaced by uninteresting political theme occurrences. There were so many things this show managed to build up right. Characters intentions, time space, motives and goals, somewhat decent world building and mysteries. Just to be spoiled by its "rather deep, realistic and meaningful" dissection based story-telling, by beating around the bushes, covering its own simplicity. There were also many things went against this season of Attack on Titan. Wit studio dropped it, the CGI..(luck of animation). Not to mention the weekly threads about AoT fans fighting against numbers, or the countless meme themes of each consequential episodes that slowly burst into gringe. We all thought that Shingeki no Kyojin has the best written story in shounens, but when you peek under its surface of its very well presented and manipulated narrative. You can tell how medicore it actually was. If we look at each previous seasons they felt like all the events and each dialogues had real meanings behind them, not just things happening because it has to. At least, that's how they presented things to us. They covered the truth by making half-clear "serious" or seemingly deep conversations and convinced us about minor details has more significant essence over anything by its presented major theme. For an easy example how far we went from its peak of this show. Do you guys remember in S3, when they had to decide who is going to get the Titan injection, basically to either save Armin or Ervin's life's. The conversation they had under that scene and those emotional waves was absolutely insane. Wit amazing artistry added an extra stoke to it in a way, you could've even felt all the various emotions in the air of the animation as well. While now things are happening, but the magic is way gone. Everyone face is either depressed or soulless. The dialogues felt extremely boring and bland, as there is not much appealness remaining, while the show basically took half of its time explaining everything that is not interesting, in the most uninteresting way possible. Animation 4/10 While Ufotable stoled all the fancy colors, left Mappa with only three, out of the one point six billion color pallette. They've also took all the action factors and sound effects as well. However, they were generous enough to leave the Story scripts at least. Right?.. I'm genuinely sorry for this show not getting a decent animation. Believe me Mappa can do better, much-much better. I don't understand what happened or why it turned out like this, however it must have to do with they overloaded schedule. It felt like we just watching the manga pages with some movement added here and there. They not really changed anything remarkably. They've also lacked coloring the scenes. For instance, every time there is a specific tone of color to each frames that is either green, oil-green, red, brown, or whatever color, and the rest are just the shades of that particular main color. Which rather appear lousy and definitely not something that fascinates in 2022, especially where the animation quality level is required. As an example Isekai shows art quality isn't that necessary, because the main context is much loose compared to shounens or other shows that has more in-depth plot. Wit studio's atmospheric implementation weren't just a slight of detail. They brought to life almost everything. The horses, the nature, the clouds.. Inner emotions removably changed characters faces and body impressions. While Mappa didn't even bothered themselves with seemingly little details like these. The only things we either see is lined eyes as shadows or empty unanimous face impressions. I don't say that Mappa can't animate or they are worse studio than Wit. As they've put out about as many great quality of animations before, and no, Im not referring to JJK. Even though everyone thinks Jujutsu Kaisen animation is great, I would rather mention Kakegurui or Zankyou no Terror. Unfortunately however in AoT we only receive manga slide shows, pictures that barley moves. Characters 4/10 Eren Yeager saying things like: You guys are important to me, more than anything. Also Eren: Doesn't give a shit about other's feelings on his selfish ideas, while he murders down his own people. The residents: Eren Yeager murdered our allies. Also the residents: We have to accept it with all our heart! .. Eren is just a Lelouch 2.0 who I personally hate, because he is just a coward, self-centered, egoist who gets the OP power that could've change the world for the better, but he manages to ruin everything and everyone, just to be a "Self-sacrificing hero" at the end. This nonsense was played out and people already ate it with quite appetite, they're probably going for a second helping with Eren. Coward, meaning by despite of these actions are seemingly difficult, because it shares serious weight of dedication. Regardless on (A) may also suffer with in its outgrowth or not. Its impact arose upon society as well. To just make these type of decision on your own, because you have the power over the nations, it doesn't make you any superior and especially not a hero in mind. *My drift is and which really made it awkward for me is that hatred or revenge will always bring more hatred and more ravage. ~Thereby, fictional (Shounen) characters were made to seek anti-conflict and friendship at any rate. They see that the coin has actually three sides, (not just one, or two). To land it on the (side) of the coin is the hardest, because you have to acknowledge varied ethics and moral beliefs, then alter yours for the sake of Peace. What people likes to believe that Eren's behavior is mature and brave, its actually comes down the opposite. Armin, who just seems so smart didn't know that Yumir was with them all along in season 2. (The girl who had crush on Historia). As we discovered from that notebook has mentioned the name "Yumir" as the mother of all Titan. Armin also acts more like a psychopath sometimes than a smart and reasonable guy. Mikasa who act braindead through the whole season. Can't found to form a single sentence on its own. (Armin basically puts all the words in her mouth). I somehow can understand that she went through a lot of that Eren brainwashing.. which is more effective than talk no jutsu as we all know. Story 3/10 Reffering to a common take from the anime community "Animation can't save a show", but can the Story be our saviour? It should be...RIGHT? Do you guys ever had a conversation with someone who talks about a million stuff until he finally manages to NOT include what he was actually wanted to explain, but he doesn't even notice it? Iszajama Hadzsime, perhaps. Seriously, why in the world can't at least one thing in AoT be consummative or half-clear? They can't find to form a meaningful closed sentence. You know, which have a point, not just assumption or hypotheses theories.. it is that interesting? They could have ended this playing war things in like the first 5-6 episode of season 4, but no. There is a "plan". Hadzsime really do believes in his story-telling type of his is solid like a titan. It's engaging when you want to find out more on the story real meanings, it encourages you to watch the next episode or read the next chapter, but you have to left some crumbs of peach of bread for us to pinch some aid of knowledge from. Without it, it will dry out like how it does........instead, they're milking it. Can it really be considered good storytelling when you have to search after things on different platforms just to find out more or to be able to understand the story through out better? Whichever would've been taken as a major plot hole in any other entries for sure. Since the start of this season, the story progressed the way tired its hardest not to show TMI (to much information). From a diehard fan perspective this is most likely complies as a well though-out storytelling that builds up on pure characters intentions/interactions. It works until the task is to expose the main subject and actually do something with it. Out of this reason not just the directions, but also the characters convert fairly confused and totally lost onwards this point. Which is no wonder. Some noted issues: - Levi surviving that explosion just because he is an Ackerman. While Hashira cells or Nezuko's demon art are plot holes. This is different, because it's well written and explained. - All the political aspects were weak. Jaegarists: we are acting bad for the good. - When Falco was with Connie, Connie strongly indicated that Falco wasn't aware of the fact he is a Titan yet. Which is bullshit, because each time you will receive the previous titan holders memories. - Everyone acting full crazy like in a bad horror movie. Meme faces, acting weirdos everywhere. - They saying the ending will be unbelievably mind-blowing, where all the bullshit somehow makes sense once and for all. - No great plot twist: Brainwashing Eren while acting cute villain isn't that "mind-blowing". - Zake steeling the maneuvering equipment had no effect on the story. - Gabi's 100% crit rate is insane. - Hange and Levi conversation with Peick was probably the stupidest, but also the most sickest I have ever witnessed in animes. Pure madness. - However the best dialogues without hesitation goes to Sasha and Connie on their meaningful neverending (Huh? - huh? - huh?) conversation on the train. I was lost in the depth on that one. - Yumir back story is the most lame plot I have ever seen. I've seen Hentai or really bad Isekais with better plot than that. There were no reason to destroy the village. there were no reason to hate her..there were no reason to go into that tree..there's were no reason to that tree to be exist.... Also, I haven't seen the pig went missing. - Just a quick comparison out of heat: Attack on Titan Ep9 vs Demon Slayer Ep9 You be the judge. Sound 5/10 Ashes on fire was such a banger, until you hearing it over two hundred and one times. I can however agree on a common take that every other shounen characters screams: "AAAAAA". While Eren just whispers "tatakai" and all the girls are pregnant. Summarize AoT direction can be easily described as a football club that has won the first leg by three goals to null, still managed to get knocked out on the second leg. (3-4 on agg). Overall, I liked the show when it was a Shounen back then. Since it sidetracked from it's own genre withdrawing in a brain-drain closure. While the realistic elements of the show by developing the characters and its occurrences based on cause-effect interactions was something honorable to say the least. It produced to bring a lot of serious-weight of subjects on itself which unintentionally altered all the fictional themes, such as the whole concept and executed into a facetious documentary. Right off Sasha's belly buster to be exact, the show slowly started falling into pieces. A little piece of cringe, a small piece of meme themes and a lot of piece of nonsense. Although I can proud to say that the previous seasons were great and they worth the watch. I can't tell the same on its reputation. When it comes down to preferences, the accent is really on individual taste and pure dedication on what is the major point being a Shounen or what it has to take any show to be conceivably great and enjoyable. As little-known, masterpiece is just a title earned through by the audience. If the majority of people would claim garbage is better than gold, it would orthodoxy made garbage better than gold. That being said, options and beliefs are freedom of expressions. As some of my personal rated 10's aren't even close to masterpieces, I greatly attached to them on a level everyone can found themselves within the erstwhile retrospect iconic vibes of this series in a correspondingly similar manner. Overall 4/10 * I wrote this review out of fair share of disappointment. Since I'm actually sad and upset about the anticlimactic ending of this series. Wherefore it failed to get a proper direction, animation and neither the manga source weren't able to do it justice. * Thank you for reading!
Johan
04/03/2022, 09:00 AM
“I want to see and understand the world outside. I don’t want to die inside these walls without knowing what’s out there!” -Eren [This Review will cover the full series of Attack on Titan. Some spoilers from past seasons present] Masterpiece? Attack on Titan is a cultural phenomenon the world has rarely experienced. Sure, there were Kodomo-Shounen in the late 1990s to reach the west and have great success such as Pokémon, Digimon and Yugioh- but they were all buoyed significantly by accompanying merchandise such as video games and trading cards. Attack on Titan rose to prominence at the most optimal time imaginable. Isayama’s manga firstreceived its anime adaptation in the spring of 2013- right at the start of a major cultural shift in the west. Gone were the days of going to your local blockbuster or FYE to purchase the latest box set of your favourite anime. Crunchyroll had just recently become a legal simulcast app to watch your favourite shows in real time, Netflix had begun to emerge in nearly every single western household, and the once niche atmosphere surrounding anime began to erode. Of course, simply being popular and accessible does not a Masterpiece make. Does attack on Titan have the corroborating quality to firmly be considered the masterpiece it is so often heralded to be? I get asked a lot, in fact I was asked the other day “Why does everyone talk about Attack on Titan?” It’s something I’ve put a lot of thought into, but I think there’s a simple answer. I watched the first episode of Season 1 back on April 7th of 2013- the first day it aired. I watched the 25th episode of S1 on September 28th of 2013- the day the last episode aired, and I now watched the final episode of Attack on Titan: Final Season Pt 2 on April 3rd 2022 – the day the final TV episode aired; Though it looks like this isn't the end just yet. That means I- like many others, have been following this absolute roller coaster of a journey for nearly exactly 9 years now. It’s supremely unique even in the way that WIT– and then later MAPPA decided to deliver the series. Prior to Attack on Titan, long-running shounen would just air weekly. It didn’t matter if they had to extend the material, add filler, run recaps or do whatever necessary to fill the weekly time slot. Shows like Bleach, Naruto and One Piece that defined the previous generation of shounen just ran indefinitely until the broadcasters got bored (the latter is still ongoing to this day). Attack on Titan’s methodology of expunging filler, anything immaterial to the actual progression of the story, masterfully animating 1 or 2 cours then disappearing for a few years redefined the way most studios now choose to broadcast their anime. Gone are those days of endless filler in shounen, and here are the days of Kimetsu no Yaiba, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Boku no Hero Academia which all have benefitted from Attack on Titan’s model – prioritising high-quality animation and source material faithfulness over sustained TV revenue. All of this setup is to rebuff any claims that Attack on Titan is overrated or over talked about, or at the very least attempt to rationalise and justify it. I’ve now completed over 4,400 anime at the time of writing and for the last 12 weeks one of the only things occupying my mind has been Attack on Titan. There is so much to talk about when it comes to this series, it’s incredible. There have been shows that have surprised me during my time watching anime. Who would have thought Madoka Magica would be a masterpiece after its first 2 episodes or Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann after its first 6? Attack on Titan managed to pull off one of the most masterful transitions I’ve ever experienced. The first 37 episodes has a hyper focus on world building, on establishing the setting of the universe, character introduction and exposition. We are led to believe we are following the traditional shounen trope of Humanity has declined to the brink of extinction -> Humanity has to fight back against entity “X” in order to ensure survival. In this case the X meant Titans and our typical loud obnoxious shounen lead, Eren Yeager, the key to “Humanity” would save the day. Seen it before, right? However, as the first 37 episodes are broadcast, it only continues to raise more questions and mystery. “Why can Eren transform into a titan?” “What is that key his father left him?” “What’s in the basement?” “What’s on the other side of the sea?” In real time watching Attack on Titan Season 1 and Season 2 it always felt I was watching a great show but never what could be described as a Masterpiece. Those thoughts started to change sometime between Season 3 and Season Pt 2. It is around this time that the series begins to transition. The first half of Attack on Titan is defined at its core by 2 dominant characteristics; Hope and Ignorance. Up to this point, we the audience, as well as the main characters we are seeing the world through, are simply unaware of the truth. With that ignorance comes hope. A hope that they will be successful in eliminating all titans and finally discovering what else is in the world and the likeliness that other humans are still alive existing somewhere outside the walls. We see this personified through many of the characters, their goals, desires and facial expressions. Despite living in this hellish world where they are constantly being massacred and eaten by gigantic titans, there’s an overriding sense of hope and belief. The characters seem generally… happy. They eat potatoes, laugh, tell jokes, and share bonds together. Armin tells Eren that he read in a book about something called the “sea” and them discussing it and promising to go together is one of the most genuine moments I’ve ever experienced in anime. Then we and the characters learn the shocking truth of the world, and the second half of the series tone shifts from one of hopefulness to one of despair. What’s amazing about Attack on Titan is exactly how it executes this tone shift. The catalyst for the whole series really shifting from one of hope to despair is… simply learning the truth. With this the show really depicts just how inextricably linked hope and despair really are, and what a fine line separates them. What makes it even more interesting is it really adds credence to the idea that Ignorance = bliss. When the characters don’t know the truth, they constantly have these values; this constant seeking of the truth to guide and motivate them. We see that through the likes of Erwin. Erwin always believed that there were humans outside of Paradis, and charged forward, never looking back to ascertain that knowledge and truth. So, is it the greatest irony, maybe King Fritz and the Royal Family were the only means of guaranteeing happiness to the people of Paradis as short lived as that may have been? What is genuine happiness? Is your happiness truly less genuine simply if you don’t know the full truth? It's after this point we see the series begin to get hyper-political. To some this may be an inherent negative especially in today’s society where social media, social status, friendships, relationships, and family are almost political-centric. The show begins to depict themes such as nationalism, fascism, racism, persecution and genocide. I’ve seen some try to deny that Attack on Titan is political at all but since the series is literally depicting coup d’états, war, arrests and imprisonments, concentration camps, etc. denying it exists at all is simply fallacious. If the show is making any allusions to real world war and politics it’s definitely not something so simple as “Fascism = Bad,” but to show how complex humanity is, how all people and countries see themselves as “just” and how the lines between who’s right and wrong is rarely so easy to identify. As I try to be transparent, I always think its important when reviewing to try to disclose any biases you may have. For example, if I was reviewing My Hero Academia and I hate superheroes, that’s probably relevant information to disclose. I was and am a Yeagerist which will probably surprise 0 readers with my Floch profile picture. That being said there’s a certain humanisation and understanding we the audience can grow to develop for all sides and by extension most of the characters. The series navigates an excessively difficult line in really presenting that there is no good or evil in this show. A lot of those within the fanbase and the loudest ones on twitter believe for example those supporting the Yeagerists do so because they are all gleefully sadistic fascists and genocide supporters. However, none of the moral questions in Attack on Titan are that simple as right or wrong and good vs evil. Marley was the subject of centuries of persecution, slaughter and genocide at the hands of the Eldian Empire. Marley, like most nations is corrupted and distributes nationalised propaganda to its citizens in order to elicit fear of the Eldians. They make them wear armbands and keep them locked in essentially what we’d call “open-air prisons.” The question becomes is Marley’s fear justified, which as Eren Yeager proves to us- it definitely is. Likewise, how much can we truly blame Eren, Floch and the Yeagerists? Erwin early on in the series says “There is no future where humanity can inhabit these lands without Eren.” An important statement later parroted by Floch who states “If Eren dies, Paradis will sink into a sea of blood.” Whether justified or not, Marley has repeatedly shown they will not rest until Eldia is completely eradicated. They sent 4 transformative titans to finish off a civilisation that didn’t even know they existed and continue to pursue its destruction. What choice did Eren, Floch and the Yeagerists truly have to ensure their own survival? It’s not so simple to just say Floch is a murderous dictator who only wants to assume power. How can anyone look at his actions in Episode 11 of the final season, the absolute desperation on his face and draw any conclusion other than he would do anything it takes at all to save his people. To save his friends, family, future children and neighbours. Is Eren, Floch and the Yeagerists any more evil than Marley simply because they have to massacre more people to ensure their own survival? It’s a dangerously fallacious philosophy. To a neutral observer sure killing 3 million people is objectively [way] less than killing 3 billion. But Eren, Floch and the Yeagerists aren’t neutral observers. They’re characters desperate to protect the people they know and love. I implore anyone reading this to ask yourselves how many lives are those closest to you worth? If you had to choose between yourself, every single member of your family, every friend you’ve ever had, every person you’ve ever known or the rest of the world what would you choose? To argue that the show simply becomes about fascism or usurping power completely misses the point of these characters, their motivations, their fears, and what they love. Attack on Titan has one of the most diverse, well written full casts in anime history. Almost every character in the show has a defined role to fulfil with their own unique fears, desires, personalities, goals and aspirations. I can’t say I’ve ever experienced more fluidity in liking and disliking characters than I did throughout Attack on Titan. The first few seasons my favourites were Levi and Mikasa, and as of today its Floch and Eren. However, whether we ultimately like them or not, almost all the characters in Attack on Titan are well written and well developed. Floch was the coward from Season 3 that survived Erwin’s infamous charge. He wanted to live. He could have easily fled and tried to save his own life, but he accepted fate and miraculously survived. That experience completely shaped his ideals and purpose as a character. For Gabi another controversial character she wants to prove that there are “Good” Eldians to Marley and the world. That they aren’t all devils. She was completely a product of her environment; fed endless propaganda and wanted to save Eldia from itself. She kills and hates the ones who killed her comrades. How can we not sympathise with her to a certain extent? For Zeke he wants to find an alternative solution to saving both Eldia and the world through his “euthanasia” plan. How different would Eren be as a character if he didn’t watch his mom get eaten by a Titan right in front of him at the age of 10? Eren proudly declares to eradicate all titans. Why? The answer is simply because the titans are a threat to “Humanity’s” existence. Eren shows he’s willing to eradicate any existential threats to protect what he loves and cares about. So, when the truth is discovered, and there’s still existential threats to Paradis, the logical conclusion for Eren is to eliminate them. Annie agrees to become the Female Titan because she has a father she loves and wants to protect. Reiner and Bertholdt are initially 2 of the 4 titans sent to Paradis to destroy it. However, after acclimating to Paradis and befriending many of the Survey Corps you can see how much this begins to weigh on them. Bertholdt is constantly depressed and Reiner begins to develop MPD as a coping mechanism. When Eren finally confronts Reiner again he tells him “I’m the same as You. I didn’t have any other choice.” All the characters in their own way are products of their upbringing, environment and the experiences they’ve gone through. There’s deep and complex motivations and rationales for most of the characters, and even for those with simpler ones it’s understandable and relatable. Some want to save the world, some want to save their country, some just want to save their father. Attack on Titan also has all the technical components needed to support its status as a Masterpiece. The score worked on by Sawano Hiroyuki is consistent throughout. It’s not his greatest work to date and although I’m hardly a fan of Linked Horizon, it’s impossible to state the music- both the themes and background tracks don’t constantly both fit and accentuate the tone, events and themes of the series. Ymir’s theme “Call of Silence” as well Reiner and Bertholdt’s theme “YOUSEEBIGGIRL/T:T” are excellent examples of the OST’s brilliance. For what it’s worth “Red Swan” is also an absolutely beautiful opening track that only becomes more beautiful as you see how it foreshadows the changes in our protagonist Eren. The animation is absolutely world class. Attack on Titan may be one of the most technically gifted animated series of all time, if not the greatest. It may not have the flashy CGI visuals ufotable is famous for, but the framing is unbelievable to watch. This is seen quite often early on whenever Mikasa and Levi are chopping up titans with their ODM gear. The animation only progresses as the series advances. Of course, a lot of the best and most notable scenes are animated by Arifumi Imai, often accredited as one of the “best animators alive.” Even a switch in studios about 60 episodes into the franchise couldn’t derail the technical production put into Attack on Titan. MAPPA continued this series where WIT left off facing the immeasurable pressure of filling WIT’s shoes. This was always an impossible task, and to be fair there is a tangible dip in animation quality the final 2 seasons that MAPPA took over. That is not to say the animation at any point in time became bad or poor, but there was definitely a far greater emphasis on panel-to-panel animation, less freedoms and liberties taken, and unfortunately far less of those insane ODM gear scenes we had become accustomed to under WIT. Credit to MAPPA though for how they handled the finale and climax as there was some absolute stunning animation the final few episodes; no scene more notable than when Floch is desperately trying to fend off the “alliance” in one final desperate push to save Eldia. Attack on Titan is a Masterpiece. My assertion here is not that the show is flawless. The first 37 episodes in real time were really good, but far below the standard of “excellence.” The studio change from Wit to MAPPA for the final 2 cours showed a noticeable decline in technical animation quality. Some of the characters have hyper-exaggerated plot armour. Armin surviving his encounter with the colossal titan and Reiner surviving Levi putting an ODM blade halfway through his neck in human form are just 2 of the most notable examples that absolutely stretch the limits of suspension of belief. However, at its core we find a truly unique show that has already begun influencing both future anime productions as well as fans themselves. We have a show that is arguably the best animated show in television history, an excellent score and OST by Sawano Hiroyuki and one of the best written, most well-developed full casts in anime history. Thankfully, it looks like there won’t be any more speculation about whether the remaining chapters will be animated in Movie format, with a third cour, or if even at all. I am eagerly awaiting the show’s final arc to be animated in 2023 and seeing how this series as a whole finally concludes. If your definition of what constitutes a masterpiece is flawlessness, then my guess is you’ll always be searching. But one thing I’m more certain of is 10, 20 years down the road people will still be discussing Attack on Titan. Authors Note: If you made it this far thank you so much for actually reading the review. Please feel free to write a comment on my page and let me know what you think. Special thanks to Isayama and his team, Wit Studio, MAPPA, Sawano Hiroyuki, Arifumi Imai, Yuuichirou Hayashi, Tetsurou Araki and everyone else for their hard work and dedication over these last 9 years. I greatly look forward to seeing how this series finally concludes next year.
Stark700
04/03/2022, 08:44 AM
We all make mistakes. Humans makes mistakes because common sense sometimes outwits our own intellect. Attack on Titan defies the logic of common sense with the presence of titans. By trascending beyond logic, we have been graced with one of the most popular anime franchises in recent memory. Oh yes, say hello to Attack on Titan the Final Season Part 2. This season needed to be split multiple parts because logic dedicates that it does not have enough episodes to conclude the story. However, make no mistake. The producers wanted to adapt the manga to its completion. This show has been practically sitting on agoldmine of popularity that it's just the obvious goal to complete. It begins directly from part 1 with no recapping but instead with our characters thrown into a chaotic struggle at Shiganshina. The struggle between the Eldains and Marleyans continue to breed the battlegrounds with blood, destruction, and death. More importantly, one of the primary objectives in the early stages of this season is to prevent Eren making contact with Zeke. As you expect, the first episode begins as a chaotic warfare involving soldiers, warriors, and Titans. Important characters such as Porco, Pieck, and Reiner makes their presence known for their actions. To be fair, this season is going to be a lot of bloodshed so having an arm blown off is treated more like a meme than a shocker moment. Right, Pieck? Jokes aside, Attack on Titan's Final Season (Part 2) brings together an important evolution of storytelling. When we watch Eren's plan come to fruition, you have to realize how much of an impact it can have on their entire world. I'm talking about genocide, perhaps the extinction of humankind itself. Adapted out of the manga, 'The Rumbling' is an extraordinary event taking place this season. It chronicles a dark and grim reality for all life that concerns with the Marley and Eldians. While this season doesn't adapt The Rumbling at its fullest, it does bring in many questions for the anime only audience. Will anyone be able to stop The Rumbling? Who will live and who will die? What will be the ultimate outcome of Eren's plan in the end? Sadly, those questions won't have their full answers this season. However, you can fully expect the anime to capitalize on the importance of such an event. Attack on Titan has been known for its deep character emotions and this season is also no exception. In particular episode, we are greeted with a mixed cast of characters from different sides of the war. However, it is Yelena who truly brings out the emotions out of guys such as Jean and Reiner. It's a pivotal moment to show that the past has not been forgotten. Jean has changed so much from his rookie years as a survey corps member to a loyal soldier fighting for his cause. Knowing the truth hurt him but he also realized what must be done for the greater good. Furthermore, we are also reintroduced to another prominent character from the Warrior Unit. I won't spoil it but let's just say that their presence makes this season that much more interesting. Finally, we can't forget the Jaegerists, a group of rebels with their own agenda. Formed from members of the Paradis Island, they stand as a major obstacle against Mikasa, Armin, Pieck, Porco, Hange, Jean, and the rest of their new alliance. The episodes later this season highlights how far they'll go to push their plan even it means killing whoever stands in their way. And that is a common theme about Attack on Titan. There's bloodshed and death, where sacrifices are needed for a greater cause. Eren's goal is perhaps the most controversial for he puts entire mankind and the ecosystem at risk. Nonetheless, that makes this season worth so much more enticing to watch. It's 12 episodes but common sense designates that this season needed more episodes to flesh out the rest of the story. Trust me, it's not enough for this season and of course, Wit Studio and its producers would take this show to the next season. This franchise is literally a goldmine that pushes the limits of popularity in modern years and I hope its success continues.
NextUniverse
04/03/2022, 08:35 AM
*Implicit spoilers ahead* How far it has come. For a series that was once very clear about its goal, it's has come down to a more complex idea, one that seeks to find answers to the bigger questions out there. Why must we keep fighting? Is it right to force your ideals on innocents? Who is wrong and who is right? To me at least, I find that AOT isn't as big as many make it out to be. The political commentary obviously opens doors to a lot of discussion and debate, however, AOT simply used its premise, and exploited the irrational acts of wars and humans tocarve a path for itself to land on what people would call the intellectual territory of thinking; I don't think that is bad. To destroy the cycle of hate, you don't do the bad thing, because it would just grow now, wouldn't it? The simple side to everything in the story is surprisingly pleasant to witness. It has gained controversy in recent times, but from what I am seeing, it was mainly due to a distaste for the plot going in the direction the audience wanted, this idea that AOT was more than some simple message it set itself out to be very early on. It may not be obvious the first time around but with recurring motifs and characters quite literally acting against hate, it is pretty clear to me that one thing Isayama wanted to convey was "hate bad". There's a lot more to go on about, like freedom and the means by which one should reach freedom. As it has appeared in the FS a lot, it is something that has declined in the name of looking at hate and how that is awful to society and the world as a whole. In its entirety, the means to send this message has worked in my eyes, the correct pieces aligned together and the core concept of evil is being challenged as the story progresses, it's intriguing to spectate, to see people from different sides coming together in the common interest for the good of humanity. One thing AOT has managed to also explode upon is the sheer amount of hype attached to it. When the FS was first about to begin back in Winter 2021, everyone was looking forward to it despite Mappa CGI being present, we took down Crunchyroll and everything when the first episode came up. Heck, I can go back to the start of the series, no way anyone is going to be telling me that listening to Guren No Yumiya did not bring the least bit of hype. Or even the overly memed Shinzou wo Sasageyo. The hype is something to comment on for sure because I feel as if AOT has most of its glory stemming from it. Whether that is an epic battle scene or an intense lead up to something like the Rumbling starting, moments everyone was waiting for to be animated and AOT delivered, no question about it. In my eyes, AOT has always been about the hype, alongside the aforementioned and what have you, although it was mostly the hype that kept everything in place, that kept the viewer on the edge of their seat. It is kinda strange for me when I see people hate whilst not taking the very thing that helped it take off so much as it did. It's not as beautiful as it once looked⁠—times have changed greatly⁠—but how can we forget moments people absolutely loved, be it the entire series or more fittingly for this review, this part in the story. Whether that be Eren and Zeke's trek over the memories of Grisha or Ymir's backstory and the lead up to one of the most devastating, if not the most (maybe the ending hurts more), events⁠ the story has thus far. It was great to witness, and I thoroughly enjoyed consuming a scene like that. So what does that come down to as a whole? AOT is in its most controversial state ever, in terms of production, writing and its importance in anime, there could not be a more controversial anime now time than AOT. Regardless of that, I still find enjoyment in the series, it's been through some times; it's that's the truth of the situation. But I still fail to understand why this hate should overrule the series. I don't have the greatest of standards, and I am not always a conventional thinker, but my enjoyment comes first, and that is not very hard to reel out of me. This part in the series is paving a way down to hell for the series, at least, from a community perspective (from what I know anyway), but I am not the community and I have my own reasoning. This is something that doesn't come every so often, so I put good praise in the series and something that has delighted me, this part in particular still upheld everything prior to it, so I have nothing to slander here and now. That may not be true in the future but we will see what happens next. Whether you like or dislike the series, one thing that has stood out both this series and underwent itself was the action of dedicating your heart. I am serious. Hating or loving the series, both sides just do not let up, lol. It's kinda ironic, but there you go. Do the deed and dedicate your heart to what you feel about the series. We will see who comes out on top. I wasn't really planning to make this review but I am here now in an attempt to say something. That's all from me, I suppose.
HellLyter
04/03/2022, 08:33 AM
Attack on Titan. Arguably the most iconic anime of all time. A masterful franchise that never fails to entertain me to the max with each passing season. Yet for this final season part 2 that isn't actually the true final conclusion, I don't know if I can view it as highly as the others. Despite paining me to do so, I unfortunately can't bring myself to compose a gushing review of Attack On- Eren: What are you doing? ...Eh? Eren: Start writing HellLyter. Hwaha!?Eren: Did you forget the reason why you're here? Eren: Isn't it to shamelessly fanboy over my anime? Eren: For the action, suspense, plot twists. You have to write about how amazing they are. Eren: And keep moving forward. Eren: Even if you embarrass yourself through your cringy writing. And even after being embarrassed. Haa...haa...HAAA... Eren: This is...the review... Eren: That you started, isn't it? GAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!! ........... I praised them! Even Season 3 Part 1! With my own hands!!! EREN! I gave 10/10s to every season of Attack On Titan! All but Season 4 Part 1! Are you happy now!? Is this what you wanted!? Will I really become an acclaimed Myanimelist reviewer because of this!?!? ....... Why...why won't you show me how many "Helpful" clicks I'll get? All the backlash I'll receive...the hate comments for having an anime girl profile pic...was this really the only way? ...You're there, aren't you Critic-kun? From here on, your disparaging views towards this anime won't hold any value. The only opinions that will matter are the overwhelmingly positive ones held by the Yeagerists. I saw...Eren's memory of what comes next. But I never thought it would be so toxic towards people with differing opinions of the anime. Ah! Critic-kun, is that you? You've surely grown in number since the Manga concluded. I'm sorry, I was a really narrow-minded fanboy! I've always brushed aside your judgemental views towards Attack On Titan as ridiculous...Critic-kun! I respect you. I should have spent more time trying to understand where you were coming from! Critic-kun, stop Eren...as well as cancel culture towards people like you who have different opinions from the majority. ... Whew, I haven't the faintest idea what came over me there. All I know is that I have this strange desire to fight, fight, fight and keep moving forward...but seriously, this season of Attack On Titan is, to put it bluntly, masterful. And I'm not just saying that because Eren told me to...I think. I normally go into a lot of depth in my reviews discussing multiple specifics, but in this case, in the off change that you haven't already seen this season (which most likely means that the entire first half of this review sounds like total gibberish to you), I don't want to give anything away. You have to go into this blind for the full effect, trust me. I will say that the first 6 episodes of this season are the greatest anime episodes I've seen since, well, the first 6 episodes of Season 3 Part 2 of this very same franchise. And even then, I would argue that these are actually better. Everything that happens in these episodes from the get-go are nothing short of incredible. Yeah, I'm not doing that great of a job as a reviewer right now and feel more like a hype man, but what can I say, I'm in awe. And words are definitely failing me. The fights, the atmosphere, the music and voice acting, the characters and their interactions, the development (shout out to Gabi for having many great moments here. She really SHOT A HEAD of my expectations for her), the twists, the revelations, the big moments, then the even BIGGER moments, wow. Everything is just so spectacular. It's the complete package deal of all I could ask for in a single season of an anime...besides lacking some much needed Mikasa screen time and development, but hey, nothing can be 100% flawless, right? The second half does admittedly fall off a little after things start to cool down. Pretty much the remainder of the surviving cast meet up Avengers style to face-off against the world ending threat. Honestly, it does feel a bit rushed at points in terms of characters coming together. There are of course some in-fighting moments due to differing ideologies and other events that are pretty solid, but not quite at the level of this season's first half. I usually would feel a little let down when something builds up so well and then cools off later on without ever ascending to it's previous heights again, but the first half just set the bar so astronomically high that I can't be disappointed. All I can say is that this was such a great experience, and I hope that you can enjoy it as much as I. Whatever your feeling towards Attack On Titan, I would wholeheartedly recommend this to literally everyone. To me, the defining feature of any piece of media is its ability to entertain. I watch shows to derive enjoyment, so I value that aspect of a work above everything else. And honestly, I don't believe there will ever be another anime quite as entertaining as Attack On Titan. It looks like the final episode teased a 2023 release for the next installment. I hope to see you there for the finale! Hopefully the final finale this time!
Mcsuper
04/03/2022, 08:30 AM
TLDR: This was probably my least favourite season of Attack on Titan. I can already feel the roasts coming. *Spoilers below Ah, Attack on Titan. Undoubtedly the anime of the 2010s, the defining anime of this generation. I started my Attack On Titan watch just about four months ago, binging it from the first season, up to this moment. It’s been one of the best experiences I’ve had with anime, hands down. The immersive story, the action, the emotion, we’ve been on a good roller coaster haven’t we? Now, to this season. From the greatness of part 1, the story picks up where it left off on thatbrutal cliffhanger, and starts on such a bang, with plot twist after plot twist. Since Season 3 Part 2, there have been what I call “The Banger Trilogies” in each cour. There was the set of “Perfect Game”, “Hero”, and “Midnight Sun” in Season 3, the set of “Declaration of War”, “the War Hammer Titan”, and “Assault” in Season 4 Part 1, and in this season, we had “Two Brothers”, “Memories of the Future”, and “From You, 2000 Years Ago”. My favourite set would still remain the one from Season 3, but the plot twists and reveals we had this season, was not too shabby either. The latter half of this season, was to be fair, nostalgic, it reminded me of Season 1, which I’m sure most of you would agree with, is Attack On Titan at its worst. My grading criteria: Story: /25 Art: /10 Music: /10 Characters: /20 Enjoyment /15 Thematic Execution /20 STORY: 19.5/25 *Another reminder about spoilers below A mixed bag to be sure. Firstly, we had the plot twist where Eren and Zeke go back in time to see what happened in the past, and it turned out Eren had more of an impact on the past than we thought, and there was this whole time travel aspect to the story, which was a good reveal, but needlessly confusing. There was this reddit post that explained the time travel aspect of the story, called “The complete guide to Chapter 121”, which I recommend you to check out if you haven’t already. There was also some backstory of the kingdom of Eldia and the backstory of Ymir and Fritz, that was quite tough to watch. The whole section of this part of the plot ends with Eren declaring the Rumbling would be beginning. The next part of the story is a grim reminder of what Season 1 had to offer. Just good action against the big bad Titans threatening to destroy Paradis and everyone beyond the island. It was simple, and a bit disappointing, considering the quality of the story beforehand, yet still quite nostalgic, especially when “Barricades” played in the background. There was a subplot where Connie wanted to save her mother, who was still stuck on that house in Ragako Village, which was an interesting, but a little out of place. We saw the return of Annie, which was great to see, and it led to a nice comedic moment with pies, and more of the Female Titan, we saw what happened to Levi and Hange, basically a tying of some loose ends. We see Floch continuing to be the scheming and devious man he is, and also Marley and the Survey Corps end up working together, to assemble the Avengers, as people call it. All in all, the reversion to pure action and occasional emotion is welcome, but it felt like a downgrade. Of course, there is also the depiction of mass genocide. Say what you will about the controversy about that, but this, combined with the time travel, just didn’t sit well with me. It felt oddly… generic, yet it felt like this might have been the only thing that could have happened, when we consider the foreshadowing. The key aspects are still done extremely well overall, like the foreshadowing, the plot twists, keeping viewers on the edge of their seat, a story that remains fascinating, making it so each episode flies by. That sentiment hasn’t changed, but I did feel the pacing slowed down a bit in this season, though it may have be necessary. ART: 8.4/10 Felt less rushed than the previous season, as Mappa had a bit more time to work on this. The CG and 2D aspects still aren’t done perfectly, but it was definitely an improvement to last cour. The animation in the ED this season was pretty spectacular though. MUSIC: 9.5/10 We’ll talk about the opening and ending themes first. The Rumbling. Wow, SIM really did a nice job here, surprising me with the heavy metal, with a great chorus as well, a lot of people’s favourite opening for sure, though Red Swan remains my favourite. The ED for this season, Akuma no Ko, was one the most beautiful endings I’ve seen. Ai Higuchi, props to you! Very emotional and gripping lyrics, and great visuals to boot. Probably my favourite ending so far of the entire show. As for Sawano’s soundtrack. This show recycles a lot of their past themes, using the nostalgic factor at times, especially when “Barricades” played. That is fine to me, and while it may be seen as lazy, I have always enjoyed the entire soundtrack in Attack On Titan, and good music will always complement the show, recycled or not. CHARACTERS: 12.5/20 The masterful character writing in previous seasons certainly carried over to some extent, but the second half really hurts the score here. I loved the first half, as Zeke and Grisha were so good to watch this season, because, like Marley, we don’t exactly root against them. Grisha has such a great voice actor as well, as that performance in “Memories of the Future” was so awesome to listen to. Other than that, we don’t see much development or good dialogue apart from Connie trying to save his mother and also killing his former comrades, Jean in the campfire scene, or Annie saying she doesn’t want to fight. Granted, these scenes were mostly pretty well executed, and emotional. Mikasa had her moment to shine when she ravaged a lot of the Jaegerists, and her fight scenes were certainly interesting and fun to watch. However, her character seems a bit static and uninteresting, made out to be a brute, which wasn’t that great in terms of development. Gabi continues her redemption arc, by saving people, and having some emotional scenes with Kaya and Falco, and that did make me enjoy her character a bit more. I never really hated her, but she has developed into a more “responsible” and mature person, which is good. Floch was a good villain, but nothing more. His attitude makes him a rat, and I have always said, if you strongly hate a character, it means he is written well, and I can see that here, though he doesn’t add a whole lot to the story. All in all, the lack of Eren hurts, and the fact that the second half was less of a character driven story, and more action, was not the path I wanted this show to go. Magath and Shadis though, what a duo. ENJOYMENT: 12.5/15 Some episodes were great to see, but nothing stood out to me as amazing this season, after the reveal about the time travel and all that. THEMATIC EXECUTION: 14/20 From all the political themes, and immersive dialogue and dark atmosphere and savagery and backstory from part 1 of Season 4, this season balances themes of war, camaraderie, and straight up action, which felt like a downgrade overall. As I’ve said, Season 1 was Attack On Titan at its worst, and this felt like Season 1. OVERALL: 76.4/100 Don’t get me wrong, Attack On Titan has never been bad. This season was just a bit below my expectations, as the dialogue didn’t feel as strong, the whole aspect of time travel was not the path I envisioned, and the whole second half went in a direction I didn’t exactly enjoy. Still a wholly enjoyable season overall, but I would have liked to have seen a bit more spice, more scenes that made us stare at the screen in awe, because Attack On Titan has just been that good up until now. I do look forward to what comes next with the Final Edition in 2023.
SpRayquaza11
04/03/2022, 08:28 AM
I will assume that everyone reading this is at least caught up till Season 4 part 1. The Bit After the review is just my take on why I think Mappa has done AOT justice and actually has done a better job than WIT. “Wherever there is the Internet so shall there be hate” ~ some dude who lives in the clouds Many have attacked Mappa but mostly without any facts to back it up, so allow me to be that dark horse that defends them, BUT WITH FACTS.do scroll to the end if you wish to read it. I understand that this may be anunconventional review since I spend most of the time defending the studio I apologize for that, feel free to skip it and read only the review if that is your objective. —---------REVIEW STARTS—--------------- Plot (8/10) It was the Best until the moment Hange “decided Nah bruh genocide is wrong”, imagine if you figure out one day, there exists a p[lanet, more advanced than us which had secretly been manipulating us to do their bidding? causing our wars for profit? What do you think we would have done? OFC WE WOULD HAVE DONE EVERYTHING IT TAKES TO ANNIHILATE THEM. Humans hate not knowing stuff, and that fear of the unknown, as well as the years of manipulation, would make us scared shitless, and annihilation is the only way for us scared monkeys to sleep peacefully. The internal conflict of the main Levi squad was also really painful to watch since it was just that well made.Plot armour is definitely present ,but that has been the case for many seasons now. Sound and VA(10/10) Go to Google, type AOT s4 OST, listen, cream pants.VAs of Eren, Zeke, Connie, and Grisha were absolutely mindblowing The only shit VA performance was Mikasa who went EREH EREG as always, and Gabi who only snipes or shouts FALCO FALCO much like Mikasa.ED is the best song AOt has had ever to offer OP is more popular but feel is still inferior to the ED but by no means is it bad. Art and animation (10/10) An in-depth review of that is below this review after it ends so please skip to it to see my thoughts.TLDR,3d Cgi Titans are definitely an inferior product as compared to how they were done by Wit studio, But the CGI fights are still good enough to convey it properly and are enjoyable, The 2D animation during the final half o this Season is a very severe Improvement than before and is comparable to AOT in its prime. Characters(9/10) Would have been a 10 if not for the EREH spammer ad FALCO spammer being given important roles here and there to force them to be relevant which is cringe and totally Forced down our throats. Mikasa only shone in the last episode, and that too, I feel a better perspective would have been Armin or the rest of the squad. Because Mikasa is Badass, yes, but she is also the weakest character in terms of writing. The character writing of s4 is Gold, giving us many great characters, like eren,floch, connie , magath, Jean and so on. Isayama went all out, We got to see character development FAIL just like Walter White from breaking bad or light Yagami from death note, many fail to realize with too much skill or responsibility, people break, that is in their nature, light was a kid who literally got the power over life and death, Walter was to smart for his own good, him raking in millions from literal kingpins only made him cockier and cockier. Eren had multiple opportunities to turn for the better, but as the plot started spreading, the Burden on Eren became so great that he finally collapsed after seeing the vision. He genuinely believed that there was no other way and that is where all that character development, all that he stood for went straight to the bin. But, As the threads slowly spread I was worried, scared even by the thought that they wouldn't be able to tie it up completely, GOT tried that and failed spectacularly. but it all changed at that one moment when they all suddenly converged and when they did, only one character held it, it was Eren. And he fucked up but more importantly….. He fucked everyone up too, The character development we saw all the way till s3p2 failed outright, Due to the immense pressure and the almost alien threat that eren discovered in his vision. Zeke finally got the father he wanted, that too, who existed only as a memory in their minds. Grisha finally got the son he wanted, at the cost of another, and Eren, well, he's suffered enough.And thus another character who could have solved this FAILED. ~ YT comment spitting fax Everyone failed to talk things through strategizing considering, to think. And it made sense know why? The man who does the thinking IS DEAD. things started going south when it was decided to let Commander Erwin die, That day emotions Won, and it's these very emotions that made Armin doubt himself and made him stop thinking about WHERE IT REALLY counted. Hence Armin also FAILED. , in s4 p1 and another instance was, episode 12 of s3 p2 where he said: “If we destroy them all would we finally be free?” He expected his friends to save him, from his own fate that he saw through historia , but no one did, so he went well fuck this, let's just pick the easy genocide route. The plot had already gone beyond just titans vs humans, it went to war, humanity, and racism these threads spread more and more in what seemed to be a one-piece level of world-building. But it all ended and started with Eren, which he simply could not endure. —---------REVIEW ENDS—--------------- Mappa has been attacked enough, they have done a better job than Wit IMO let me just state why with some facts. 1)clever use of OST with the memorable OST for Pure titans being played whenever they are on screen and the ashes of the fire and their different variants blending so well. 2)Warhammer vs Eren of s4 has more views than many s2 and s3 fights. 4)The 2D character expressions in s4 in both parts have been a great improvement. The despair in the faces is almost unnerving, the dilemma and internal conflict that is faced by many characters during the latter parts of this season could simply not be possible without the attention to detail that Mappa put in for characters like Connie, magath, Armin and more. 5)If the art is compared to manga s4 has been very consistent (the look of the Eren squad changed because they all grew up into adulthood (there was a 2-year time skip), and A lot of hate was thrown in how Mikasa looked in s4 and beyond ). 6)VA performance has been much better in s4 (Especially the Yeagers like Grisha , Eren, and zeke) 7)Every OST that is on Youtube since AOT s4 began has over 100k views. Now to the million-dollar question, WHY did Mappa make the Titan fights 3D CGI? TLDR:- there would be no AOT s4 if Mappa did not do it. This is clearly the biggest balls move ever since 343 decided to inherit HALO, WIT themselves said that AOT will be the best it can get with Mappa only. other popular shows such as The Seven Deadly Sins and One-Punch Man changed animation studios for newer seasons and the result was noticeably diminished animation quality. The 2D animations are on par or better than most WIT studio-based animations too, examples being floch in episode 10, Levi and beast titan in s4 p1. “While season 3 was in production, we consulted with WIT STUDIO, and it was decided that The Final Season would be created by a different production studio,” said producer Kensuke Tateishi. “[A]s creators we wanted the anime to escalate even further. Through many talks with WIT STUDIO, we understood that the continuation would be difficult, so we looked for a new studio. . . Everyone understood what big shoes they had to fill, and we were told by dozens of studios that they emphatically could not accept.” He continued, “The only studio that said they would consider it was MAPPA. When we talked to WIT about it, they said they could rest easy knowing it was in MAPPA’s hands." Mappa had just over 1 Year to do the project And I can safely say We can definitely tolerate a bit of CGI titan fights rather than having an OPM or SDS level of a downgrade.

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