Story:
This season, which streamed four years after the end of the first one (I can't imagine waiting four years for this), takes place right after the events of its previous finale. The story here takes a darker tone and presents new threats to the remaining humanity inside the walls. The strong point here is the way it's narrated, surprising you and making you binge-watch the whole season in less than two days. Most of the events here are completely unexpected and shocking, and I'm not using the word "shocking" lightly.
I have to admit, as much as I love this season, even after watching it three times, the truth is it doesn't have much story. There's no storyline that takes you from point A to point B. Almost the entirety of the events in these twelve episodes happen in the span of no more than two days, and it's nothing more than that: shocking events happening one after the other. Is that a bad thing? Not at all. Still, I can understand why people watching this anime gave up and dropped it after this season. Presenting more questions and offering cryptic half-answers might not be enough for those picky watchers who can't take the intrigue and mystery this show is so well known for. If you really want answers, you need to watch season three. Now.
Characters:
One of the things I loved from this season is the way they put the main characters aside and focused on developing some side characters. Eren, Mikasa, and Armin took a backseat and gave Sasha, Connie, Krista, Ymir, Reiner, and Bertolt some space and time to further develop and get to know them more. The thing I love about this is the fact that some of these characters I just mentioned were used as comical relief in the first season, and seeing them being the focus of not just one episode but almost half of the season is simply amazing. And it's not simply giving them some subplot, some of them are now an essential piece in the whole story.
Of course, Eren, Mikasa, and Armin are still important, but they don't get much development. Still, they have some really important moments that will impact their further development.
Art:
Attack on Titan's popularity was also mostly influenced by its great animation and design. And even four years after, this season maintains its quality. It even feels more polished. Not only the animation is incredibly fluid, but even the still frames look good, with a nice style of lines and on-point lighting and rendering.
Sound:
Hiroyuki Sawano keeps doing his magic here. New epic songs and leitmotivs are added to the already epic and emotional soundtrack we know and love. Songs like Apetitan, Barricades, Youseebiggirl, and The Weight of Lives play during some of the best scenes, turning them memorable and making you play those songs in your head even after the credits roll.
And talking about credits, that Ending song is so creepy, and even to this day, I have no idea what is the meaning of the images we see behind the credits.
I still have the same issue I had with season 1. Even though I love Barricades and Call of Silence, I think the English lyrics don't fit in this soundtrack. They could have played an instrumental/orchestral version of those songs and the scenes would still have the same impact and emotion they already had. Maybe even more.
Enjoyment:
When I watched this season for the first time, I was blown away. I even binge-watched it in 2-3 days, even though I wanted to go slowly with it. The same happened the second time I watched it. This time, I forced myself to go slowly, even watching other anime in between, and I kept a more objective mind than in my initial experience. I remember I cried the first time. That didn't happen now, but it still made me choke up and blurred my eyes a bit. The shocking moments are still so enjoyable even knowing what's about to happen.
Overall:
This season of Attack on Titan has everything the first one had and made it so popular four years before: incredible animation, epic soundtrack, an intriguing story with shocking moments, and some very well developed characters. Still, the story this time fills more like a series of intense events string together rather than having a whole arc throughout these twelve episodes. And if you are eager to find answers, you'll be glad to know you still have the third season to find them.
