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I think the majority of users who’ve left a rating for this show didn’t make it past episode 3. I’ll be straight: the first two episodes are BAD, and the third is very mid. I nearly dropped the show myself, but I have a goal this year to finish even the trash shows I start in 2024.

I’m glad I didn’t drop it, because things get really good in episode 4. I’m not sure if the author needed time to get his comedy down, but every joke in the first three episodes landed completely flat for me. However, the first few minutes in episode 4 ... actually had me audibly laughing, much to my surprise, and the episode continued on this good trend of “wait, is this show ACTUALLY getting good??”

Then episode 5 comes and has one of the best and most well directed romance scenes I’ve seen in a long time. The scene’s combination of a having a good buildup, a complete drop in audio, and then just hanging in this moment for as long as it does makes it so impactful (despite its usage of typical romance clichés i.e. the phone ring and falling on top of each other).

And that’s the big thing about this anime overall: consistency. It lacks it. It has horribly boring and eye-rolling moments, quizzically outstanding moments, and then just mid moments. It’s all over the place. Each episode is like a fresh slate of quality: will it be good, bad, or average? Whether or not you’d be willing to deal with that to get the good stuff is up to you. I will say that the poorer writing of the later episodes is easier to shrug off, because at this point I had built up some sort of understanding of and appreciation for the characters and their developments.

Like I said, I definitely don’t blame anyone for writing this anime off as trash and dropping it within the first three episodes. But there is something here that I at least think is worth sticking with until the end. At least to see if its hilarious and impactful moments (amid a rubble of mid and bad) are as enjoyable and memorable to you as they were to me.

These three OVAs all take place during the time skip between Episodes 3 and 4 of Season 1. I ended up stumbling upon and watching them after I finished Season 2, and I’d honestly recommend anyone else do the same, despite the fact that they were released after Season 1 but before Season 2. There’s no MAJOR spoilers for Season 2 in these OVAs, but there are hints and nods to some minor spoiler stuff, especially in the first and second OVAs. I find that they’re a lot more enjoyable if you’ve watched until the end of Season 2 before starting. Let me get into ... each to explain why.

OVA #1 - “Ilse’s Notebook: Memoirs of a Scout Regiment Member”
- This first OVA mostly deals with Hange as well as the Survey Corps before they’re formally introduced in the main story. It retains the serious tone of the series and is by far the most interesting OVA, as it is the most closely related to the main plot of Attack on Titan. However, it also spoils (or rather, it lessens the impact of) certain elements that appear in Season 2. I won’t get too far into detail, but watching this OVA before Season 2 would (in my opinion) take away from a couple of big surprises that occur. I’m not entirely sure why this OVA containing hints to these reveals was released before Season 2, but my guess is it was done to create more intrigue so people would be sure to tune into it? Idk, it certainly could be watched before Season 2, but I wholeheartedly believe viewers get the best overall experience if they wait to watch this OVA until after watching Season 2. Especially since the second OVA also follows this sentiment.

OVA #2 - “The Sudden Visitor: The Tortuous Curse of Youth”
- This second OVA gives more depth and backstory to Jean as it revolves around him, so his fans are going to get the most out of this one. Fans of Sasha will also get a treat since she has a lot of fun moments and screen time here. This OVA ramps up the comedy, so the tone is lighthearted and completely different from the regular show. It’s basically if AoT was a slice-of-life comedy show for an episode, so if you enjoy AoT more for its bleak and serious tone and don’t care to see the characters be uncharacteristically goofy, then this one probably isn’t for you. I for one found it to be a hilarious break from the norm. The reason I say it’s best to watch after completing Season 2 is that there is one specific joke that’s made in Pixis’ mind that lands A LOT harder if you’ve seen at least most of Season 2. It involves certain characters taking certain forms, and it left me laughing out loud, whereas if I had only seen Season 1 before watching, it probably would have only gotten me to breathe a tad more air out of my nose and carry on. Can’t really explain the joke more than that without getting into detail, and genuinely, it’s possible spoiler territory if you see it without the knowledge of Season 2. So just finish Season 2 first. Onto the next one.

OVA #3 - “Distress”
- Honestly, this one is completely skippable. It felt like I was watching an episode of Naruto from one of the later filler seasons. It’s the very definition of a boring predictable filler episode. This one can be watched right after Season 1, but unless you’re just craving additional AoT content and really like Marco, just skip this one. It really doesn’t add much to anything.


TL;DR
Watch these after watching S2 for best experience.
OVA 1 = Hange and is consistent with show’s tone.
OVA 2 = Jean + Sasha and is like if AoT was a slice-of-life comedy.
OVA 3 = Naruto filler episode level of boring, so unless you need your AoT fix, just skip it.