Attack on Titan Season 3: Episode 22 FULL LENGTH Reaction!

Floch is DEFINITELY an interesting character -- it's so complicated, because Floch may respect Erwin, but he also wanted to make him a titan shifter because it would be "more painful" than just "stabbing him to death" like he was originally wanting to do. @_@ It's funny, because I think everyone had emotional reasons for wanting to bring either Erwin or Armin back; and the funny bit is that I would argue Kenny really drove Levi to his final decision, as Levi realized that Kenny was a slave until he chose the selfless end...and Erwin did the same in the end. It's all fascinating!! It's insanity, but that's Isayama, right? I do feel very bad for Armin in this; he can see that Eren doesn't share the dream anymore -- I LOVE how you talk about Eren trying to convince HIMSELF of the dream, too...it's so sad...and Armin has to deal with the hand dealt to him and everyone else's impression of him. It's so sad. And yeah, Eren's been so deeply affected by learning the truth...there's no going back now, is there? And yeah...we had our "fun" with these first three seasons, right? Now time for the ugly truths...joy. XD Hahahaha!!

Romaniablack

I DEFINITELY want to make manga review videos! At first, I thought I'd just read the manga and do a giant soapbox video at the end..but...34 volumes...and with a story like THIS...*nervous chuckle* It might be better to do a set of videos analyzing the manga after I watch the anime -- almost like a "re-watch through reading" sort of thing...that could be fun!

Romaniablack

Have you considered doing manga review videos for AoT? Would be interested in seeing what you have to say when you get to read them.

cw

OH WOW! I didn't realize that it was a monthly series that was 40-50 pages each...Isayama, you MAD MAN! It's going to be SO fun reading the manga once I get to it...I'm soooo excited! And I love the parallel with Jean and Floch in this series so far; it definitely has me excited to see how Floch is going to develop in relation to Jean as well. That comparison of Jean's speech to Eren and Floch's in this is just so good! I love that Jean is noticing the similarities in-time as well! :) I love it!!

Romaniablack

Eren contemplating the ramifications of genocide....while Connie, Sasha, and Jean splash around and Hange gathers sea cucumbers. Fun times, right? :P I really loved this season finale and BITTERSWEET is the term for it, most definitely. And the realization of a dream and the consequence of that is so poetic and tragic at the same time...And I kind of hate that it swallows up Armin's happiness in the moment, but Eren's spitting those hard truths and it hurts. And it's real. :( And I agree; I really loved Eren's character development, but seeing him so "empty" here is just...heartbreaking. Going out with a "whimper" is definitely apt, and it's a bold move. It really was a perfect send off to WIT, too. Thank you for the kind words, too! I have a feeling I'm going to have a lot of fun with Floch, even if he makes me frustrated; he's such an interesting character and I'm happy to have him in the show to challenge these themes even more! :)

Romaniablack

Yeah, the vicious cycle of it all is just...it's insane, right? I'll be honest, I like Grisha fine, but he's not the "end all be all character" I'm sure some people make him out to be as...he's got a lot of flaws, as does Kruger. But...I ...like flawed characters?! Hahaha...I feel I could basically like anyone in this show with that logic. I'll give Isayama this: Man can write a fantastically developed side character. For sure. :) And ooooh, that makes a lot of sense with the house joke! Thanks for that!

Romaniablack

I like giving Floch a hard time, but I definitely appreciate that Isayama is giving us a character with his opinions -- someone to challenge the MC is refreshing! Just like a real person, there's some flaws in his logic, BUT he brings up some really hard truths about Eren and Mikasa and the consequences of everything that any other story would overlook or write off without exploring. Not Isayama, though. :) I really am looking forward to more with our Trash King Floch -- his perspective is unique and he's a character I feel I'm going to be clamoring for more interactions from... :)

Romaniablack

Oh, I was questioning it all season, but I'm a shipper full-fledged, now! Hahaha! I'm glad I'm slowly converting others! :) And our Trash King Floch -- oh...I have a feeling I'm going to have fun with his character; my thoughts are pretty much with yours on him at this point. Yeah, I see how Isayama was using the moment to symbolically show what Eren's going through and how he's changed...but yeah, it's kind of torture to leave him/her like that, so maybe they killed it on their way back? And I feel that moment of our chaotic gremlin trio in the sea might be the happiest moment we get for a while in this show... **nervous chuckle** so I'm going to savor it. Thank you for the kind words and have a great day, too!

Romaniablack

I'm guessing they're referring to the refugees that WEREN'T sent outside the walls back then, like in Eren/Armin/Mikasa's case? And yeah, re-watching that mid-credits scene...it's all amping up to the final season...and it's not going to be sunshine...well...maybe some rainbows. ;)

Romaniablack

To be honest I didn't shipped Historia and Eren until this rewatch. You really get me to like characters and ships I wasn't a fan of before. XD "Trash king Floch" I can't XD Floch is definitely a character that I can't stand personality wise but he's intriguing and I want to get more of him. I want to see how he develops. What bugs me about them letting the titan live is that they know that these people are living in a nightmare and it feels like they continue to let this person suffer. It's not like the titan will be becoming a human again, so it doesn't sit right with me that they didn't kill it. I love how quiet everything was when they were at the sea. Seeing our dumbass trio playing in the sea just makes me so happy. Wish you a wonderful day!!

Toni simi

Oh awesome! Thank you for sharing that!! :) :) They are so cool! :D

Romaniablack

Ooohhh, that is a REALLY good point. I agree with you; I think the point was to symbolize how much Eren has changed from season one, where he was screaming he'd "Kill all the Titans," to now, when he realizes that they're just people like himself and not the monsters and villains he'd made them out to be.......but still.....you're right; it is suffering in a "nightmare" state, so maybe on their way back, they killed it?

Romaniablack

EXACTLY. That's what makes the ending so heartbreaking, here. Eren is bearing the weight of what he's learned and the ugly "truths" that freedom...isn't really attainable like he thought it was...is bearing down on him. It's soul crushing.

Romaniablack

Haha what a finale indeed. I really loved your Jean/floch discussion because I didn’t even realize the connection there the first time around! It’s funny because both are characters that annoyed me at first way back when, but now Jean is unquestionably my fav out of the original cadet squad, and the more I rewatch this the more I find myself really liking flochs perspective in this whole thing! Like I love armin too, but if you didn’t know anything about him then he’s just another kid in the survey corps. People not in the corps probably don’t know about the role he’s played thus far, and even if they do, in their eyes that still doesn’t hold up against erwins years of leadership experience and his unshakeable demeanor. After all, this is the same guy who finagled himself out of an execution and instead turned the tables on the old corrupt regime lol. He had a reputation for getting things done no matter the cost, and I’m sure plenty of people, like floch, respected him for willingly being that “devil” and taking charge in such uncertain times. Like really the more I think about it, this might be up there with my fav character confrontation scenes in this series. Floch stole the show but Armin’s self awareness in all this just makes it all even more poignant. He’s rational and fully aware of how other people will perceive the situation, and rather than being angry and lashing out like eren, he’ll accept this bitter hand he’s been dealt and will have to find his feet despite it all. Eren stubbornly standing by his decision was also great though because he starts out optimistically, talking about “you never know” and bringing up the sea again, but then you can already start to SEE how his eyes are different from before. The belief isn’t quite there anymore. Even as he reminds armin of the sea, of their old shared dream, he can’t quite fully buy into it, and it’s almost like he’s trying to talk HIMSELF back into that beautiful hopeful vision, but it’s too late. He knows the truth now and there’s no more tranquility to be found in the sea, just another wall hiding more enemies. And you were questioning why floch faults eren with so much rather than Erwin or Levi who failed to take down the beast titan etc, but who other than Levi could’ve even come close? I remember laughing in your previous reaction because even you didn’t think Levi had a chance in hell of taking him down xD. It was a shot in the dark, and Levi achieved the near impossible and only failed at the end because he hesitated while thinking of Erwin, who floch wanted revived anyway, but I doubt he knows how close it came and all the details of zeke’s escape (like really, who could’ve predicted how clutch that cart titan would end up being?!). So yeah I don’t think anyone would blame Levi for that outcome (like, even after that he was in the process of chasing zeke back down until that rooftop) except for maybe Levi himself, but no regrets right lol. And luckily(?) Erwin WAS alive, it just didn’t pan out the way Levi initially planned, sooo eh. Hindsight is 20/20 haha. Floch was also upset at the injustice of the charge yes, but after erwins speech where he laid the plan all out for them, he also acknowledged that there was no other way out and made his own decision to follow Erwin into that charge, entrusting its meaning to their comrades, and Erwin being the devil that he is DID seemingly make the best out of that impossible situation so it wouldn’t make sense to blame him again after the fact, and now they’ve lost him. He wouldn’t have known that Erwin was wavering or that it was Levi who chose, they’ve always presented an unwavering united front to the new recruits. Plus Levi and Erwin outrank him SO much it’s not even funny, just like they outrank eren and co. They’re pillars of the survey corps for the new recruits, on paper AND by example, whereas eren is much closer to flochs age/experience/position. And from his perspective, Levi was 100% about to give Erwin that injection until eren/mikasa got all in his face, challenging and attacking a superior officer in an emotional outburst. I don’t know if flochs even aware that ironically, it’s the seed HE planted that made Levi realize what bringing Erwin back would really mean, but it’s the only thing he can “logically” be mad about. Honestly though I don’t think he’s an unbiased party either? A lot of the things he says are harsh truths, but everyone has their own motivations and reasonings for wanting something. Floch found Erwin alive against all odds, and he selfishly wanted to bring Erwin back and have him suffer some more. It just so happens that having the devil on their side would be beneficial for humanity, just like how Erwin selfishly wanted to learn the truth/get to the basement and that was also conveniently in line with what humanity needed and enabled him to take risky but decisive action for the “greater good.” Floch does call out Levi too for letting his emotions interfere with that final choice, but then again he also can’t argue that Erwin entrusted him with the syringe/that decision in front of everyone, and it’s also way easier to explode at eren’s selfish audacity instead. And really it’s probably even needed as a reality check to them AND to us. I think Levi/hange/armin are all aware of the ramifications of this decision, but everyone else who was there needed that ugly truth out in the open, because yes! The truths are only going to get uglier from here so we better get used to it! Arent you excited for s4?!

Prinn

There was something else about irks me as well .... was the scene of all of those refugees moving back into Shiganshima when they took out all the Titans. The dialogue refers it to them being allowed to go back. But ... didn't they do a full culling of 125K of Humanity Inside the Walls (aka all the refugees) few years back? 🤔 I had to watch the mid-credits montage a few times, the scenes with the music hits you where it hurts, inferring that the conflict between the Marleyians and the Eldians has just reached the next level, and everyone's going to suffer for it.

Nathan Hardy

Re: the number of chapters per episode, AoT was a monthly manga, with 40-50 pages, and MHA is a weekly series with around 17 pages per chapter, so the difference to a series like MHA is not quite as large as it would appear from the numbers. (I've never read MHA, but I think it's more fight-heavy, while AoT if you think about it doesn't actually have that many, and the action episodes also tend to cover more manga pages). Jean and Floch are really an interesting parallel. One interesting way of looking at it is that they are fundamentally similar characters that have very different moments at the core of their character arc: For Floch, it's Erwin's charge, and for Jean it's Marco's burnt ashes on the fire. "Even fodder like me... has a right to decide if it's worth dying for". Floch does get the good lines in this episode, but this is almost exactly Jean's lines, from when they met Eren the first time as members of the Survey Corps in Season 1: "Look Mikasa. Not everybody is like you. We're not all volunteering to die for Eren. All of us, Eren included, should know what our lives are going to be used for. Otherwise, we might hesitate in a crisis. But we're looking to Eren to give us something in return. And let us carefully appraise it's value, so we can decide whether it's worth our lives." (Manga translation, as that's easier for me to access, but I don't think there are huge differences) And look at Jean's face after Floch says this line, that "Wha-? Have I been out-Jean-ed?" expression. (One of the joys of rereading/watching AoT is that you keep finding such things...)

cw

Eren is so numb/mentally crushed at the end 😭

Sophie biasland x

The revelation that the freedom they thought they were going to get...really isn't...it's crushing...but yeah, Eren's evolution...it's insane, but that's how Isayama likes it, right?!

Romaniablack

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Nyjae

3x22 - the episode in which we have the 104th with Levi and Hanji having a beautiful moment which in any other anime should be a fan service beach episode but instead we get our MC Eren literally contemplating genocide …. yaaaaay. In all seriousness this one of my favourite season finales in anime ever. I remember the first time I watched and I was just left with that gut feeling of bittersweetness. My best boys Armin and Eren who always shared this dream of the sea, but now Armin has finally realised that even if they shared the same goal it means something very different to them. To Armin it doesn’t end here. He wants to be a traveller and LEARN about the outside world even beyond the sea because he has a natural desire and curiosity. But to Eren the sea was the goal. A symbol of his freedom. “Whoever gets to see those things will have the greatest freedom this world has to offer” - Eren 1x13. But as he says in this episode he believes that he is wrong. So in what should be the happiest moment in Armin’s life is now one of the worst. The shell in a way represents the lost dream. Something that they should have shared together and looked at with awe together is now just a representation of how much Eren is a ‘shell’ of his former self. You may now think foundly of past fiery Eren because … well … at least he wasn’t empty and dead inside back then. I could go on with this episode and as time passes the more it breaks my heart. For an Attack on Titan season finale to go off with not a bang but whimper is a bold move and it pays off. It’s also our goodbye to WIT Studios and honestly if they had to stop animating this show, this episode is the perfect send off for them. Ps. I would say that it’s for plot that it HAS to be a titan (shifter or pure) with royal blood for Eren to have FULL access to the powers and not just memories otherwise it’s a major plot hole otherwise also LOVE your thoughts on my trash king Floch. Isayama definitely out did himself when he wrote him into the story. Love him or hate him but he is very much a needed addition to the cast

Sacha

The Weird Pianist

I dont have that much to say, but... I get the symbolism behind WHY they didn't kill the titan, yet... it doesn't sit right with me. because it should be killed. NOT because it's a titan and "*GRRR* titans bad" but because it should be left to rest. There's no way it would become a human again and it's just suffering. Going slowly and I just feel so bad watching it. Edit: clicked enter too fast, LOL And it didn't ask to be a titan, I just believe it should be spared from it's misery.

The truck

Isn't it obvious why Eren is so shocked after touching Historia? He just realized he has access to Queen Frieda Reiss's Exclusive TopTier Premium OnlyFans account! All of those intimate NSFW memories and experiences! And for free! He is going through "that phase" afterall 🤣 I do find the evolution interesting Eren (S1): I WILL KILL ALL THE TITANS AND WIPE THEM OUT FROM THE WORLD, I HATE YOU SOOOOOO MUCCCCCCH *Starts to Beat Someone With A Stub of an Arm* Eren (S4): Ummmmm, let him go. He was sent to Paradise. He's a fellow patriot *Emo Long Black Hair Style* But yeah, that ending. The sea was just another wall.

Nathan Hardy

I genuinely like Floch. His POV and mentality is a breath of fresh air in this anime, and in shonen in general. He's a great example of what a REAL person would think and feel in their world. OFC he'd be scared. Anyone would. Anyone reading this who thinks otherwise is either a liar or a fool. Isayama even stated in an interview that he wrote Floch to be that way. He says he's the one that makes their dire situations relatable for the average person. Otherwise, the story would only ever favor the "important" MCs. The opposition is necessary (he said). Floch gives voice to the minority- he represents the side characters in anime who don't get to be vocal since they're not important enough to the plot to really get any big moments. His entire character subverts the "MCs/chosen characters are the only ones who matter" mindset that a lot of animes have. Rarely, if ever, does an anime give the perspective of the fodder. I think it's a breath of fresh air, and it certainly makes the world of AoT feel more real. Eren and Mikasa undeniably acted selfishly on the rooftop, and recklessly attacked their comrades and superiors because they're emotionally attached to Armin. And guess what? THERE ARE LITERALLY NO REPERCUSSIONS FOR THEM. They get a few days in the dungeon and that's it. They get let out early and It's even played for comedic effect when Levi says Hange mimicking Eren was punishment enough. They get off literally scot-free for the BS they pulled. And as much of a dickbag move as it was, I'm REALLY glad Floch slapped Eren with the truth. It's rare to see a shonen MC get a taste of reality. That they can't always have things their way, and that throwing tantrums and shouting doesn't always solve problems.

Polygon