Attack on Titan | The Final Chapters: Special 1 - Reaction & Review

But going "FYI, the people who have this opinion about this character are the same people who have this opinion about the ending" is going to lead him to conclusions. He's not stupid.

tom

So thankful for your wonderful thoughts and insights on everything you react to, Im! It has been such a joy being a patron for so long. Can't wait to catch up on Vinland Saga with you!

Ellie

100% agree. One of the reasons that I really enjoy watching Im - he puts in the work to understand and accept the stories and characters as the author presents them.

Ellie

Series that tell one full story are universally better when experienced as a binge or at a rate consistent enough to retain relevance. After it's all released, everybody who tries out SnK in the future will have the whole story to watch, and it'll be one hell of an experience. That's the experience we trade off by digesting serial content as it releases (which also has it's own benefits of course).

HybridThizzle

I still hope we get a Great Titan War spin off at some point... I think it's actually the only thing AoT needs. Nine royal families, Ackermanns, Marley and the journey to Paradis is something I want to see...

NB

Is there anything necessary about this comment? Let him come to his own conclusions

tom

I will preface this by saying I am a manga reader and want to just give a bit of a heads up when you start reading comments (NO SPOILERS DON'T WORRY). I would argue that most of the negative criticism of certain character and story elements are coming from manga readers disappointed in the ending. On top of that, the people arguing against them are people who were mainly happy with the series' ending. I've noticed this trend across multiple reaction channels and it's really frustrating seeing all of this warring in the comments. It never leads to a great discussion because people are going to argue with you based on context the you, the reactor, lacks. And this goes both ways. On one spectrum, manga readers will argue you for being critical of a character, and on the opposite, will judge you for defending them, becuase they know how everything plays out. I've also seen people try and inadvertently spoil reactors by trying to disprove theories one might make in their discussion. If this is also any comfort, most of the manga readers who were disappointed in the ending (myself included) had no issues with anything that went on as these past few chapters released (131-134). The criticisms mainly came after the manga finished (and in my opinion, are completely pointless and nitpickey). The episode was phenomenal and I hope the comments don't ruin the experience for you. Even after everything, I still look forward too seeing the ending animated as well as listening to your thoughts on the series as a whole.

Zach

I sort of feel the same. I wouldn't really say "less attachment" on the first watch but close. I do think it's because of the long pause. I have rewatched it about 3 times though and honestly, that's made me like it a lot more. Idk if it's because I've read the manga or because I've watched other reactors and have gotten different perspectives

A

I love when artists just go all out for a chapter, honestly even if an adaptation is literally perfect sometimes there are aspects that can never translate from manga to anime. That’s why i am a believer in always checking out the manga of the anime that you like because it feels a lot more (for lack of a better word) intimate, like you’re getting an authentic experience of how the artist intended the story to be right out of the page.

Kara the gamer girl from Mars

Hello there! I thoroughly enjoyed your analysis. I'd like to share my own interpretation of the first 15 minutes of the episode, without revealing any spoilers. If you happen to come across my comment, I would appreciate your thoughts on it. The section of the episode up until Armin's conversation with Annie (chapter 131) has been widely acclaimed as the best chapter in the series, and is possibly only surpassed by chapter 121/episode 79 ("Memories of the Future"), in my eyes. One of the reasons why I find it so impressive is how Isayama provides a complete picture of Eren's "I've always been like this" mindset from chapter 121, through the portrayal of Eren as a child in chapter 131. Although there are other reasons why Eren pursues the rumbling, such as protecting his friends, giving Paradis a chance to fight back, and breaking the curse, it is remarkable that deep down he truly desires to experience his own version of freedom, inspired by Armin's book. This aspect of Eren's character writing is a testament to Isayama's superb writing skills. Isayama's depiction of Eren's regression to his childlike state as a coping mechanism and his use of bird symbolism of spreading his arms to represent freedom, while trapped in clouds and titan steam all the while bringing Armin into paths to reaffirm that "this is freedom. Right, Armin?" is just phenomenal. It takes a certain level of madness and creativity to come up with such intricately woven plotlines. The appearance of child Eren in the Paths realm is to distract himself from the destruction he's causing by regressing to his childhood state in order to experience the sense of freedom. It's notable that Ymir's growth was stunted by her traumatic experiences, and Eren retreats to his childhood self to fulfill his desires. This highlights that he certainly is NOT a man who is moving forward. The correlation between chapters 121 and 131 is fascinating. In chapter 121, Eren declares, "If someone tries to take my freedom away, I won't hesitate to take theirs." In chapter 131, we see Eren facing disappointment from humanity, who stand in his way of achieving his definition of freedom, the desolate outside world. It is noteworthy how Eren's disappointment has several nuances. While he is certainly disappointed that humans are obstructing his freedom, he is also disillusioned with humanity itself. The way they are hostile and oppressive makes him view humans as little more than cages since he has always loathed people who lead lives akin to livestock. This shows a fundamental disagreement between Eren's ideal version of a human and the reality of how humans actually are. Finally, as you've already noted, the relationship between Eren and Reiner continues to be fascinating. Reiner, who tried everything to save the world but secretly desired to be a hero, and Eren, who aimed to protect his friends and grant them a long life but also yearned for a barren outside world free from humans, where he could experience true freedom. This is why Eren thought of Reiner when he saved Ramzi. The struggle Eren faces with the future he foresaw is truly intriguing, as it was his own nature that brought about that future. He has become a slave to the fate created by his inner nature, and thus the future will inevitably unfold as he had desired. This is why he couldn't bring himself to leave Ramzi alone with the bullies; it goes against his nature to let people mistreat a child. His dialogue "looks like the future doesn't change" is so conflicting for him because the future will never change because of who eren is deep down. I love how the deterministic world of aot is not governed by some supernatural elements, but rather human nature itself. Absolutely love how Eren corrects himself when he says, "these people are gonna die. No, I kill them". This demonstrates his sense of responsibility for his actions, but he is unable to restrain himself from committing them. I really wanna know what Isayama was on when he was writing Eren. Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts. I tried to avoid any spoilers. Let me know your thoughts if you do read this and if you have different interpretations of the scenes I mentioned, Im .

Child of the forest

I absolutely love Hayashi’s work. He always has a fun storyboard and animates with a lot of detail when you watch some of his clips, like a bit he animated for Redline that I saw on Twitter a while ago. His detail and use of color is probably most on display in Dorohedoro which would be cool to see Im’s thoughts on sometime since it’s also a huge inspiration for Chainsaw Man. Heck, even if you just watch a trailer for Kakegurui you can see the sort of detail, color and unique shots that’s Hayashi’s sort of hallmark. It’s nice to see him flex his muscles a bit with the AOT after school special and even Part II prior. Even in Part 1 where production was pretty limited, the art direction and scene direction was on point and really carried some dips in animation quality. I think he’s my favorite director for AOT but it’s a shame he didn’t always have the resources he needed.

Sarah S

Yeah, you're definitely not alone. I too felt less attachment to it than I would have liked. I can still appreciate the episode and realize its magnitude but the big pause between the last season and this special had an impact on me. I don't know if it's because I'm in such "awe" of Vinland right now lol, but I feel like I need the slow burn of a season to build up the passion for it. I will always love it though and I'm excited for the finale. :)

Nemo

The first 15 minutes of this episode (from Ramzi and Halil tragic end to Armin and Annie’s chat on the ship) is the infamous chapter 131. Widely known as one of the best chapters in the entire series. I urge you whenever you feel that you want to dive into the manga to go over this chapter because Isayama’s art and is use of panelling is honestly outstanding. The double page spread of young Eren exclaiming “Freedom” is iconic now and for very good reason. And while it’s a good adaptation here in the anime of that image it just can’t replicate that same magic of Isayama’s art. Not only is 131’s art amazing but the way it is able to finally let us really have a glimpse into Eren’s psyche is masterful. After soo long of trying to figure him out, Isayama finally let us in on this broken boy. Someone who yes, wants to “save Mikasa and Armin and everyone else” but also was “soo disappointed” at the outside world. I could write an essay on this dialogue alone but the real point here is that Eren is and has always been inherently selfish. And no one can do something this heinous and evil without also thinking about themselves and what they want to do. He wants to save his friends but he understands that this is his choice. He wanted this. Armin and Eren have been and continue to be my top 2 favourite characters in the story. With Armin being my number one and a character I hold very near and dear to my heart. Their dynamic is displayed beautifully in the first 15 minutes. Both Eren and Armin talking about how the outside world was not what they dreamed of but they come to two different conclusions. Their different philosophies of what “freedom” is just outstandingly portrayed and their relationship between them and their relationship with the outside world incapsulates what I love about Attack on Titan the most. I totally understand how you feel about the scheduling dampening your total enjoyment of the end of the series. The anticipation for new seasons and the expectation of when they will happen can make or break your enjoyment. As a manga reader that experience of waiting for a chapter month by month was something that you just can’t replicate. Do you think it was also your wait for having to fit it into your schedule or were you feeling like this back in early March? Also lastly isn’t it amazing that this aired on the Friday and Vinland Saga’s 2x9 aired on the following Monday? Two characters who began in very similar headspaces, both realising their ‘sins’, crying and apologising, but one rises and one .. well …accepts. We were truly blessed as anime adaptation fans that weekend.

Sacha

I'm not that observant of what anime fans have thought of it, but when the first third or so of this came out in the manga (The stuff with Eren and Ramzi) many people were making excuses for Eren's wording, so it's refreshing to see someone just accept what he says about being disappointed and not try to deny it. I never understood why Eren fans wanted to deny it so badly when it makes him a much more interesting character.

tom

Storyboard – Yuuichirou Hayashi, Ryouta Aikei Direction – Yuuichirou Hayashi (Ryouta Aikei, Tokio Igarashi) The clearest Hayashi’s vision for the show has been so far and possibly the best episode of the final season. Not sure if it’s my favorite, but it’s definitely a great one. The first ten or so minutes were the highlight for me personally. What a portrayal of the rumbling. The contrast on the back and forths of Eren apologizing to the kid about the future he’s already seen and it playing out is maybe the most horrifying stuff in the entire series so far. This was Aikei’s first time working on the show (he is the assistant series director for Gosso on the upcoming Jujutsu Kaisen season) and his work was quite solid. Confirmed to be “the first half of the B half” by himself on twitter, so the scenes inside the plane and in the paths. Great deep space shot compositions inside the cramped plane; nice layouts by the animators too. Anyone’s guess is as good as mine as to what Igarashi was responsible for here. Could’ve been here to lighten the weight off Hayashi’s shoulders behind the scenes. Episode directors (演出) are also responsible for managing meetings and a bunch of other stuff that has nothing to do with what we’ll end up seeing on screen. And as if the man himself wasn’t doing enough already, Hayashi also boarded, directed and animated the ending for this. Watch him do it again for the next one just to flex on the mortals...knowing him he’ll actually do it. I’m also pleased with Asakawa’s development as a compositing director. His work was arguably the biggest critique the show had when the final season began, which I do kinda agree on. For one, I do not see the point of having extremely talented effects animation supervisors like Sakai and Furumata working on the show when you completely bastardize their drawings with the compositing: https://i.imgur.com/7cXcxyD.jpg In general, I wouldn’t call myself a “fan” of his work yet. I still dislike the overkill shake and blur whenever explosions happen for an example, but I do appreciate the direction some of his sensibilities are heading towards. Like his work on mentioned effects animation, which has improved noticeably: https://i.imgur.com/FJRZfzJ.jpg Overall, I think it’s a depressingly good showing. It shows what Hayashi and the team are capable of by getting even just a little more leeway. What could have been if they had ideal conditions? Makes me sad knowing that they were never given those. If only we could have experienced the ideal “final season” in its entirety that Hayashi and his team wanted to give all the fans. Same goes for Araki and Koizuka’s team honestly. Some think the schedule got worse for the final part, which I don’t believe to be the case. Wit Studio all but being a part of Production I.G back then gave them a lot of muscle to power through with, which without a doubt helped them a lot. That said, I’m impressed with everything they’ve all brought to the table in these ten years I’ve been watching the anime. Storyboard has been finished for the final part already, but the drawing production itself is likely at a halt right now and will kick off within the next month or two. Impossible to know exactly when as an outsider, but if they’re aiming for October, hopefully before June. Some of the staff have already been leaking to the Vinland production. The newest episode was directed by Igarashi, and two chief animation supervisors who haven’t touched anything other than the final season in years, Akita and Niinuma, were also there. Fumihide Sai, who too has been a part of the Shingeki team, was on episodes 11 and 13 earlier. Sorry my comments are always kinda bleak, lol. I recommend Dorohedoro to anyone who wants to see a less restrained Hayashi. He’s the series director of it and storyboarded all 12 episodes, the opening, and all five endings by himself. A super talented guy that gets way too much flack from the ignorant due to this doomed production. Levi & Execs: 心臓を捧げよ Hange & Staff: 心臓を捧げた

🙏🙏

elliot

I used to pray for times like this

Sarah S