Let me start by getting something straight. The plot for this season was not bad. In fact, it was actually good. However, the transition from season 3 to final season took away most of what I loved about aot. Most of the things I loved about aot was the whole tone, with people dying left and right, and humanity fighting a losing battle against titans. I also enjoyed the reveals of when a trusted ally was actually a titan all along. It’s these moments that I enjoy of aot, as well as the hype. Another problem might have been the fact that season 3 part 2 was the peak of the show. The problem when a show has their peak a lot earlier than the end of the show is that everything after that peak just seems so stale. Everything that came after s3p2 felt like it didn’t hit as hard as it, and wasn’t a proper successor. I couldn’t help but compare every episode to those pure hype and emotional and mind blowing moments from s3p2. Which is why I think that if aot would have ended there, I might have liked this anime a lot more.
Now ik that a lot of things were unresolved at the end of s3p2, but if the story was written differently, the anime definitely could have ended when they saw the ocean for the first time. As I said, this season had a good plot, but just because it had a good plot doesn’t mean I found it entertaining. The amount of politics felt like a bit too much, and the whole Marley arc felt pretty dumb to me. The entire theme of the show changed, which put me off.
Now, I might have liked this season if everything that came before it didn’t exist. I went into the season preset in my mind everything I like about aot, and none of that was present here. I enjoy different shows for different things. If a traumatizing anime like re zero were to turn into a comedy, I wouldn’t like it. I’m not saying I don’t like comedy, but I just don’t enjoy it in a show like re zero. Same thing here for aot. I enjoyed them fighting titans and the big reveals and that pure hype, none of which was present here. There were a few episodes that were actually good, which prevented me from rating this season lower.
When I think of aot, I think of s1-3, because I know for a fact that this is not aot.
