hello!
i'm rewatching attack on titan and decided to upgrade my scoring system. it's been 3 years since i first watched 3rd season and before i realized, my small update turned out to be a decent review. i'd like to share some of my thoughts here about characters, morals aka what can we learn from this show and my personal enjoyment. beware this text contains major spoilers for this season.
characters 9
i really liked that they paid more attention to erwin-levi relation adding much more depth to it. armin, bertolt and reiner characters are also very well built and i must admit, i didn't appreciate it the first time i was watching this season, probably because i didn't get all this warrior talking without reading the manga.
# armin
i didn't like armin at first, he was such a crybaby. but he proved so many times he's worth being future commander. he's not only wise and able to make up a plan in a life-death situation, under a lot of pressure, but he also thinks. seriously, he thinks before he makes a decision or before he judges somebody. armin never jumps to conclusions, he never trust his eyes only and i think this such a valuable skill that many of us, including myself, lack. in one word -he's able to put his emotions aside when it's needed, which makes him such a strong character.
he's the only person in the show who even considered talking with bertolt before attacking him, who tried to understand enemy's point of view and who's able to see something more than just a rival that needs to be taken down. he just digs so much deeper and that's what his greatness is all about.
i'm kinda sorry i noticed it after all these years, but armin is muuuch more than just that one sensitive, weak friend with big dreams.
# erwin & levi
i'm really glad there was more trio moments -erwin, levi and hange. it's amazing how well they understand each other during operations. they've been through hell together and their valuable experience is a base that leads to success. as long as there's a deep, long friendship between them, erwin and levi are something more ~~and i might have read a few fanfics~~, but the author himself epmhasises it.
after erwin's death, levi never stopped mourning. even though he witnessed a lot of his commrades falling, this time was different -probably the most important person in his life passed away right in front of him. levi and erwin's relation didn't start well, but i think they grew up together so much and learnt from each other a lot. as the time was passing, it wasn't only about following orders and being loyal anymore. they built a close relation based on trust and respect. i can't imagine what levi must have been feeling, when he had to choose between armin and commander. i find this moment the most heart-breaking in the entire s3.
# reiner & bertolt
reiner unconciously switching personalities is a masterpiece and i knew it before that he has some kind of a trauma, but in this season it was shown so well how leading 2 different lives broke him. as bertolt said-
who enjoys killing innocent people?
who would volunteer to do such a thing?
as i mentioned earlier, only armin was able to notice something more than just two traitors. deeply inside, i wish they had a better life -especially reiner. it's one of the best built characters in the show. his mental problems proved it wasn't easy for them either. bertolt and reiner were both oppressors and victims. the good and the bad guys. they didn't fully choose their fate and they deserve to be understood. amazing, but also very tragic arc in this story.
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personal enjoyment 7
epic battles, awesome character development, stunning ost, astonishing plot twists -this season wasn't in any way worse than previous one. s3 just gets deeper, so it's probably better to read manga or watch it multiple times to notice all these details and understand what's going on. i had a big problem with s3 when i watched it for the first time and i got irritated they didn't explain things better in part 1, so non-manga readers wouldn't be confused. but now, almost 3 years later (damn) i see that wit studio nailed it.
another thing i liked: hints. hints were everywhere and i don't talk about opening. more specifically, we got a lot of signals, that in the future something will happen to hanji's eye. maybe it's all a coincidence, but i think it happened too many times that hanji either placed their hand on one of their eye or during a battle the blood was covering only a half of their face. it's always either light or shadow placement, or another factor (like bullet crack on their glasses) which indicates the possible damage of one of their eyes.
that indeed happens in season 3.
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morals 9
i liked the discussion whose life is more important and valuable, listening to both sides is interesting as you realize they're both somewhat right. it makes you reflect whether your favourite character is a hero or a villain. in the end, you see they're probably none of the above, but rather someone in between. there's no simple solution. everybody suffers and everybody has it rough. it's really hard to decide who's 'more right' and who deserves more compassion. everything depends on the perspective and no matter what happens eventually, there will be people who will disapprove or at worst case scenario -be sacrificed.
i think sacrificing your heart and being ready to die for your own ideas isn't always the most difficult. sometimes, the hardest part is making a decision and dealing with consequences. and what breaks you is the moment, when you realize you are able to make such a choice.
everybody is a victim and oppressor at the same time.
get your emotions out of it.
my emotions... out? how am i supposed to do it?
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sorry for english mistakes and thanks for reading (ꈍᴗꈍ)