Rate chapters from upcoming finale S4 P2 to properly set my expectations for this wild roller coaster ride!
Plz don't discuss specific manga scenes or argue about ending,you can vote in pole above!
I am dumb asf and thought that I should rate the most trash aot ch wich is 137 imo. But if we are talking about peak aot in imo it would be ch 123-131.
Everything after 131 was a slow moving disaster. S4P2 is probably going to be a masterpiece until around episode 9 or 10 if we're going with last season's pace. Some may argue it declined sooner, but I don't think the events between 124-130 were bad had they led to a stronger conclusion.
In simple score terms, I would say:
116-123: 10/10
124-130: 8.5/10
131: 100/10 (yes, 100)
132-137: 7/10
138: 8/10
139: 5/10
Bonus Pages: 4/10
Guidebook Retcons: 1/10
Anything out of Yam's mouth since the manga ended: No more, I kneel!
Peak aot was rts arc, nothing comes close to it, i don't understand how people consider 117-123 to be the peak, the battle in 117-120 was just a mess, no strategy, no structure, it was just your average shounen batlle where reiner can't die no matter what, eren being shot by gabi was just for shock value it served nothing to the plot, and then came 121-122, which in the surface level seem good but the amount of problems the time travel and ymir's story created was can't be neglected, i can't understand how unnecessary and nonsensical plot lines the story never needed are considered to be the peak of aot. Ymir and time travel are the worst addition to the story that was the beginning of the fall of aot.
Rts arc : 9.8/10
Marley arc : 8.6/10
War for paradise till ch 116 : 8.9/10
117-123: 7/10
124-134 : 5/10
135-139: 2/10
hamza121419 said: Peak aot was rts arc, nothing comes close to it, i don't understand how people consider 117-123 to be the peak, the battle in 117-120 was just a mess, no strategy, no structure, it was just your average shounen batlle where reiner can't die no matter what, eren being shot by gabi was just for shock value it served nothing to the plot, and then came 121-122, which in the surface level seem good but the amount of problems the time travel and ymir's story created was can't be neglected, i can't understand how unnecessary and nonsensical plot lines the story never needed are considered to be the peak of aot. Ymir and time travel are the worst addition to the story that was the beginning of the fall of aot.
Rts arc : 9.8/10
Marley arc : 8.6/10
War for paradise till ch 116 : 8.9/10
117-123: 7/10
124-134 : 5/10
135-139: 2/10
Before 139 it wasn't actual time travel, just future memories. If done right it could have been 10/10. But chapters that were supposed to justify it and make it logic are 137-139, and we know what happened
hamza121419 said: Peak aot was rts arc, nothing comes close to it, i don't understand how people consider 117-123 to be the peak, the battle in 117-120 was just a mess, no strategy, no structure, it was just your average shounen batlle where reiner can't die no matter what, eren being shot by gabi was just for shock value it served nothing to the plot, and then came 121-122, which in the surface level seem good but the amount of problems the time travel and ymir's story created was can't be neglected, i can't understand how unnecessary and nonsensical plot lines the story never needed are considered to be the peak of aot. Ymir and time travel are the worst addition to the story that was the beginning of the fall of aot.
Rts arc : 9.8/10
Marley arc : 8.6/10
War for paradise till ch 116 : 8.9/10
117-123: 7/10
124-134 : 5/10
135-139: 2/10
Before 139 it wasn't actual time travel, just future memories. If done right it could have been 10/10. But chapters that were supposed to justify it and make it logic are 137-139, and we know what happened
it was actual time travel, it was obvious, the dude influenced grisha in the past, if he didn't it would have played differently. He literally changed the past and created by that the future we know. The problem is that aot never needed time travel, and isayama never explained how the shit works and it was too late to introduce such a concept in the later parts of the story.
I'll rate by volumes and elaborate on any particular chapters:
Vol 29 (117 & 118): 9.5/10
Vol 30 (119-122): 10/10, peak AOT
Vol 31 (123-126): 8.5/10, 123 was great and 124-126, while 126 is a bit rushed, are still very enjoyable.
Vol 31 elaborated, manga spoilers ahead:
I feel like a lot of people dismiss these chapters because "cringevengers" but I feel like the development of the main cast is really well handled. Lets be honest no-one loves Connie but his subplot is probably the best his characters been. Jean is really well handled which comes more into play in 127, I also like Armin's moments with Mikasa and Connie. Annie coming back, while a bit rushed, is interesting to follow. The scene with Annie eating pie as with Reiner's letter scene in 139 convince me people just don't want comedy in AOT. Sure its a bit goofy and in the Annie case convenient but if you really think a little joke ruins an entire chapter or character thats mad I can't imagine that. A lot of people make fun of the last panel of 126 but I think its very clearly ironic, this idea of saving the world and being heroes is completely knocked down in the next chapter when everyone argues over the past and things that dont matter anymore. The idea of them being heroes is completely shattered. Anyway continuing onto Vol 32.
Vol 32 (127-130): 9/10
Vol 32 elaborated, manga spoilers ahead:
127 is great, love the interactions and Jean's character gets some great moments from start to finish. Jean is truly one of the best characters of the Rumbling arc. 128-129 is great action, 129 was even more enjoyable personally given I'd been spoiled that two key characters die but not who, so the whole chapter was really fun to read through knowing any character could die. Connie could've probably died here after his development in Volume 31 but I'm not mad he didn't. I feel like a lot of people just want characters to die because its the ending, but I feel like without proper set up and pay off they feel unnecessary. Thats why 132 hits so hard, it has build up throughout the chapter so the death is earned. I feel the same about the final battle, I don't think there was much room for death without an extended battle which would probably get just as many complaints for being "too" slow.
Vol 33 (131-134): 8.5/10. 131 is amazing, 132-134 are good too but probably 8/10's individually, maybe a 9 for 134, but 131 is really the highlight of this volume.
Vol 34 (135-139): 7/10. 135-136 are nice, but don't really do much. 137 I mostly like but there are some flaws and conveniences. 138 I loved when I read it, in retrospect while still a good chapter is somewhat sullied by the flaws of 139. While 139 has its issues, I don't hate it.
Vol 34 elaborated, manga spoilers ahead:
Chap 139 is like a 6/10, maybe a 7/10 with the extra pages. It has some thematic ideas I love which the extra pages hammer home and if anything improve my thoughts on 139, but I can't ignore some parts which do bring down the chapter and unfortunately the volume as a whole. I feel like with another volume for the ending to expand on the final battle and final chapter it would've given Isayama more space to expand on the ending, both fights and conversations, that could've made people a lot more open to the ending we received. I hope with the anime to an extent this can be achieved. A somewhat disappointing final volume, but not one that I would say stops AOT from being my favourite manga.
Chapter 139 was a masterclass that no one had seen in the history of manga industry.
"I think I wanted to attack something. Like betraying people or hurting people. And, well, it's not exactly nice, but hurting the readers too... In all honestly, I feel that's what I really wanted to do. For me, as a reader, when I think, "this manga will remain in my heart," it means, for example, it phenomenally hurt me: It's those kinds of experiences I'm after." - Pajime Hisayama (My favourite hurting author).
but look inferior by the consistency and overall wrap of the story themes and premise which my favorite hurting author Pajime Hisayama and his splendid famous for never ruining stories editor delivered with the best chapters in manga history starting from 137 "Umi Da makes a local monke commit suicide", 138 "necro step sis uwu smooch" and 139 of course the best of them all "local psycho kills mom and 80% of humanity because necro step sis family zoned them"... true masterpiece
116-123: 10/10
124: 7/10
125: 6/10
126: 1/10 (The worst chapter of aot)
127-129: 9/10
130-131: 10/10
132: 8/10
133: 6/10 (It was painfully dragged out, but ok in general)
134: 9/10 (The best chapter since 131)
135-136:6/10 (They were just okay, the amount of plot armor in these chapters is INSANE)
137: 3/10 (Armin's talk no jutsu changes the ideology of 25 years old man in 2 sentences, like wtf??)
138: 7/10
139: 4/10
The extra 8 pages: 1/10