~~~~~~I have not read Shingeki no Kyojin manga past the end of Season Four

Attack on Titan Season 3.5 is without a doubt one of the greatest anime spectacles of all time. Great action, great music, great clarity, everything that makes Attack on Titan a fan-favorite comes together in Season 3.5 to deliver a season that ties together all the loose ends the show has knitting since Season 1, while opening a new door in the end to the future of the show

In my previous Season Four review, I tried to debate whether or not Season Four was actually better than 3.5. And ultimately, I concluded it wasn't. What Season 3.5 does right is in my opinion where Season Four falls behind in. Season 3.5 is an all-action season. It goes right in with so much hype coming out of Season 3 and it uses its momentum to deliver 5 straight episodes where the action doesn't slow in the slightest. Compare this to Season Four, it starts out slow, but building. Building to the episodes Declaration of War, War Hammer Titan, and Assault, three all-action episodes. But then it stops. Season Four has to cut back and go into slow mode again so it can explain what is actually happening. Season 3.5 doesn't have this problem. It goes full steam ahead coming off the politics-heavy Season 3. And once all the fighting and the death and the tragedies are over, the season is allowed to slow down to deliver one of my favorite endings. Season Four has action early in the season and isn't really given time to cool down before it eventually has to pick up again to be able to end on the cliffhanger it does.

Spoilers now

Going away from the technical stuff now, Season 3.5 is tied for my favorite season (with S4) for a number of reasons.

1. The characters: Every character in this season is just so great. I personally believe Bertholdt is a very underrated character in the show, as he is among my top 5 favorite characters. I could seriously write an entire review solely on why I believe Bertholdt is a hidden gem of a character and very unappreciated. His back and forth with Armin is presented so well and are my favorite parts of the season. Zeke and Levi are obviously fan-favorites thanks to their fight in Hero . Eren, Mikasa, and Armin's venture to the sea is a story told from the beginning, and to see all the characters there should make any fan feel fulfilled.
2. The Action: Do I really need to explain this one? There's a reason people replay Levi slicing up ol' Beastie so much and it's because the entire fight can fit into a gif. It's short and sweet but just so awesome. Armin being blown away by the Colossus only for Eren to pop out of fuckin nowhere to catch Bertholdt in the act is another great moment. The numerous Armored Titan battles. Literally ANYTHING INVOLVING ERWIN SMITH
3. The Music: I explained this in my Season Four review and it's that if Attack on Titan did not have such a good soundtrack thanks to various amazing composers I could not call this anime my favorite show. The music absolutely carries this show for me. Season 3.5 is mainly just reused songs from previous seasons but mixed differently. And it works, so well. The entire track playing behind Armin's last stand is so tense yet emotional and completely elevates the scene as a whole. If this show had some shitty basic forgettable soundtrack it wouldn't carry such a high score for me. Debating which into is the best is a hot topic for obvious reasons and it's that every intro is an absolute banger. I absolutely adore Shoukei to Shikabane no Michi, and while I probably wouldn't say it's my favorite intro of the show, it encapsulates this season SO well. It just has this big fight feel when accompanied by the actual intro display itself. I'm no musical technicist but it just feels like it tells this story of two teams going into an actual brawl, prepared to lay it all down. The outro is great too and tells a great dynamic between the beginning and the end of the show. The intro is just clips of all the action in the season with a loud rock anthem in the actual song, while the outro is slow and displays all the show's character. It really feels like this is actually the ending of the show. And this perfectly brings me into my next segment.

Attack on Titan Season 3.5 is the ending to Attack on Titan

Well, no, it isn't, there still plenty of opened doors needing to be closed, and obviously, there's a full season after it. However, 3.5 is totally different from 4. I explained in my Season 4 review that maybe besides Season 1, every season has at least some cheerful and feel-good moments, some moments of glee and humanity among all the darkness and despair that is Attack on Titan. but not Season Four. Season Four is dark, it's sad, there are no feel-good moments at all. Season 3.5 has a happy ending, for the most part. It is also the last time we really see the characters as the kids we met them as (since there is a literal time skip, but also each majorly changes in their own ways.) I really believe there is an argument to be made that you can call Season 3.5 an ending to the show, but not the ending. I see Season 4 as a bonus to 3.5, where I feel grateful we get even more Attack on Titan after 3.5. Season 3.5 is the last time we see the main plot points of the first three seasons. The walls, the titans, the scouts, the military police, the cadets, none of this matters in Season 4, because the plot has thickened beyond it all so much.

What I don't like

• Not a lot. I'm happy they kept Zeke pretty secret in this season, but at the same time, he feels, weird, sort of? Me complaining that Zeke feels unexplained goes directly against my claim that 3.5 is the shows true ending since he's supposed to feel ominous, so I can't clarify any further
• I sort of wish Hange died in the explosion. The only problem is this would have majorly taken away from Erwin's death and Levi's decision. However, they could have balanced this out if instead of a more or less throwaway character like Moblit sacrificing himself by throwing Hange into the well, they could have killed Jean, or Connie, to save Hange. I think this would have made the Colossus Titan feel more threatening, but definitely varies from viewer to viewer.

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My three favorite characters of this season are Bertholdt, Armin, and Erwin. Three characters with three separate arcs that come to a close all in very different ways.

So why does Attack on Titan Season 3.5 Just Work?
Well, it's because it's short so it gets to the point. It's action-packed so it doesn't disappoint. It's full of character-centered moments to leave fans thinking. It's backed up by an absolute banging soundtrack. It has an emotional ending that very much concludes the "Titan" in "Attack on Titan." It answers the long unanswered questions, so the viewer isn't confused while turning the show on its head by introducing Marley. It is adapted, per-fect-ly.

I definitely think I can go more in-depth on my thinking, but I wrote this all in one sitting solely off my own in-the-moment thoughts.

Attack on Titan Season 3.5 is an absolute banger