January 30th, 2020
Attack on Titan Retrospective
Anime Relations: Shingeki no Kyojin, Shingeki no Kyojin Season 2, Shingeki no Kyojin Season 3, Shingeki no Kyojin Season 3 Part 2
Attack on Titan. A name recognisable by people who aren’t even part of the anime community. When it initially released back in 2013, it became one of the few anime series to break through the barrier separating the world of anime and manga fans and the world of, well, everyone else. Suddenly this gritty, violent action show was being talked about everywhere, from the water dispenser between work shifts (see Gigguk’s video on the subject) all the way up to an entire article from the website Business Insider, whose other anime articles cover the likes of Dragonball and Pokémon. Many people that I know became interested in anime and still are to this day simply because they got caught up in the raging storm that was the hype surrounding Attack on Titan Season 1. And then there was a 4 year wait until Season 2 and everyone forgot about it. Oh well, it was good while it lasted.
Except, with Season 3 finishing last season and the eventual ending of Season 4 looming ever closer, I was not only reminded what made it so special in the first place, but I was also surprised to realise how far it had come from a bloody gore-fest full of screaming and death. Granted, there’s still plenty of that, but the series has refined itself into something truly special and captivating. Season 1 relied heavily on spectacle through its stunning animation and shock value with its violence to keep viewers interested, branding itself as a survival horror and leaving most of its character development as only an afterthought. Only the main trio of Eren, Armin and Mikasa were allowed bits of backstory, and that still didn’t really elevate Eren from just being angry, Armin from just being smart and Mikasa from just doing badass stuff. If only everyone who had been caught up in the initial hype had stuck with the series throughout its length, they would have been rewarded immensely.
With Season 2, it was immediately clear that the show had already evolved significantly. Many of the side characters rose to prominence here, with some getting more spotlight than even the main trio a lot of the time. Side characters finally stopped feeling like side characters who we defined by only a single quirk and who existed just to be killed off. Sasha and even Conny got a peek into their past, elevating them from just someone who love potatoes and…um…what was Conny’s quirk again? Bertholdt, Reiner and Ymir got their big breaks here too, all contributing to some of the series’ most memorable and dramatic moments, elevated to even greater heights by the consistently fluid animation and dramatic soundtrack.
Season 3 Part 1 took the series in an entirely different direction by replacing the titans with humans opponents, which brought out some sensational character moments for those who were forced to take someone else’s life for the first time. Historia took center stage here, with her past playing into the utterly compelling mystery aspect of Attack on Titan that was at its strongest here, with the series advancing the story and history of its world in such a way as to leave us with two new questions for each one that it answered. Many of the series’ strong themes were also expanded upon here as humanity’s government took on the role of antagonist, showcasing the scheming and corruption that was hinted at way back in Season 1. All through this, the main trio were allowed to slowly build up their personalities and become more relatable than they ever were back in the beginning. Fan favorite Levi got his past woven into the fabric of the story and we got to see this fearless and formidable soldier not only stripped of his status but also on the run for his life from opponents who were actually a match for him.
Now we arrive at Season 3 Part 2, the beginning of the end. Remember that basement and how it seemed as if it had been completely forgotten about? It all goes down here, giving us our first glimpse into the origins of the titans and providing us with more knowledge of the world in a handful of episodes than the entire rest of the show put together. In just 10 episodes we were treated to shocking revelations, agonising choices, and a nuclear-sized explosion all framed within the single most epic battle the series has seen. Characters change, characters die, and characters are revealed without ever feeling rushed or compacted, and with that beautiful scene that ended it off and ignited the imagination for what was to come, I can only say that Attack on Titan has become so much more than what it appears to be when you first start watching it.
I urge you, if you were around back in the day when Attack on Titan was an inescapable entity that no one would shut up about, when potato memes were everywhere and you couldn’t go five minutes without hearing ‘Guren no Yumiya’, please, do yourself a favor and give it another chance. It is no longer the same show as it was back then. Attack on Titan has finally earned its place in the anime halls of fame not just for its massive cultural impact and fame in the past, but for what it has achieved technically and emotionally in the present and will continue to achieve in the future as we anxiously await the grand finale to drop onto our screens. If the manga fans are to be believed, it’ll be something that we’ll never forget.
Except, with Season 3 finishing last season and the eventual ending of Season 4 looming ever closer, I was not only reminded what made it so special in the first place, but I was also surprised to realise how far it had come from a bloody gore-fest full of screaming and death. Granted, there’s still plenty of that, but the series has refined itself into something truly special and captivating. Season 1 relied heavily on spectacle through its stunning animation and shock value with its violence to keep viewers interested, branding itself as a survival horror and leaving most of its character development as only an afterthought. Only the main trio of Eren, Armin and Mikasa were allowed bits of backstory, and that still didn’t really elevate Eren from just being angry, Armin from just being smart and Mikasa from just doing badass stuff. If only everyone who had been caught up in the initial hype had stuck with the series throughout its length, they would have been rewarded immensely.
With Season 2, it was immediately clear that the show had already evolved significantly. Many of the side characters rose to prominence here, with some getting more spotlight than even the main trio a lot of the time. Side characters finally stopped feeling like side characters who we defined by only a single quirk and who existed just to be killed off. Sasha and even Conny got a peek into their past, elevating them from just someone who love potatoes and…um…what was Conny’s quirk again? Bertholdt, Reiner and Ymir got their big breaks here too, all contributing to some of the series’ most memorable and dramatic moments, elevated to even greater heights by the consistently fluid animation and dramatic soundtrack.
Season 3 Part 1 took the series in an entirely different direction by replacing the titans with humans opponents, which brought out some sensational character moments for those who were forced to take someone else’s life for the first time. Historia took center stage here, with her past playing into the utterly compelling mystery aspect of Attack on Titan that was at its strongest here, with the series advancing the story and history of its world in such a way as to leave us with two new questions for each one that it answered. Many of the series’ strong themes were also expanded upon here as humanity’s government took on the role of antagonist, showcasing the scheming and corruption that was hinted at way back in Season 1. All through this, the main trio were allowed to slowly build up their personalities and become more relatable than they ever were back in the beginning. Fan favorite Levi got his past woven into the fabric of the story and we got to see this fearless and formidable soldier not only stripped of his status but also on the run for his life from opponents who were actually a match for him.
Now we arrive at Season 3 Part 2, the beginning of the end. Remember that basement and how it seemed as if it had been completely forgotten about? It all goes down here, giving us our first glimpse into the origins of the titans and providing us with more knowledge of the world in a handful of episodes than the entire rest of the show put together. In just 10 episodes we were treated to shocking revelations, agonising choices, and a nuclear-sized explosion all framed within the single most epic battle the series has seen. Characters change, characters die, and characters are revealed without ever feeling rushed or compacted, and with that beautiful scene that ended it off and ignited the imagination for what was to come, I can only say that Attack on Titan has become so much more than what it appears to be when you first start watching it.
I urge you, if you were around back in the day when Attack on Titan was an inescapable entity that no one would shut up about, when potato memes were everywhere and you couldn’t go five minutes without hearing ‘Guren no Yumiya’, please, do yourself a favor and give it another chance. It is no longer the same show as it was back then. Attack on Titan has finally earned its place in the anime halls of fame not just for its massive cultural impact and fame in the past, but for what it has achieved technically and emotionally in the present and will continue to achieve in the future as we anxiously await the grand finale to drop onto our screens. If the manga fans are to be believed, it’ll be something that we’ll never forget.
Posted by TheDunn | Jan 30, 2020 2:50 AM | 0 comments