WARNING: massive spoilers ahead.
Ok, so its over. I still cannot contemplate how its over. But it is. This review was long overdue because every new season of AOT I kept expecting to be the last, but boy was I wrong.Attack On Titan has a whole lot going on,and thats both a blessing and a curse for it. This season is basically summed up as one really long fight.And its probably the most epic fight ive seen in sometime. This is just hype in its purest and rawest form. My patience was tested in s4 p1 especially because of all the talking and politics, but goddamn, did it really pay off. But when the anime ended, I felt a bit hollow, because there were a loooooooooot of moments that really confused me.
STORY-
There are a lot of events that happen in this special that really confused me, its either because AOT has so much info to throw at you but doesnt prioritze whats the more important thing to remember later, or im just a dumbass, which is also valid. BUT. In my defense, this anime took its sweet ass time to finish. Not even mentioning the manga that was so controversial, that the author had to revise its ending. Attack on Titan is incredibly dense,have soooo many different elements given throughout years of content, but I dont think all of these elements work together.Whats ironic is that 6 years ago, i complained about season 2 not telling enough, but then s4 is just telling a bit too much.!
ANIMATION-
Oh mappa, we meet again. I feel a little weird giving this studio praise nowadays, especially since theyre always in the spotlight for the shitty way they treat their workers. So instead of giving credit to the studio mappa, I will give credit the people who work at that studio. When season 4 started, the animation was rough, to say the least. But throughout, the animation just got better and better.This season especially shows how far theyve came with combining 2d and 3d. While I appreciate the artstyle. I will always miss WIT’s artstyle. Because the colors felt more lively, the lineart and characters were more expressive, and there was a certain distinct sheen that MAPPA lacks unfortunately. I do have a complaint with some of the other technical things. Ive seen this type of thing with Jigokuraku and some episodes of the new JJK, where some things about it feel unrefined and rough around the edges, like the compositing or the backgrounds, or the way certain characters are drawn.But besides that, the anime does make up for it by bringing its absolute best when it comes to fight scenes.
SOUND-
Sawano is great
Japanese cast is great
Sound is great
Opening theme wise is where Im conflicted. I adore the previous openings to season 4, but this special less so. I am not a huge fan of “Under the Tree” by Sim. Its just a really awkward and slow song and lets just say that singing “ Under the tree- ee -ee………-ee…-ee…ee…” is not as compelling as “ IF I LOSE IT ALL”
CHARACTERS-
Before I talk about the bombshell Eren, Let me mention everyone else. My problem with season 1 was that there were soooo many characters, and thats a problem I have here.What kinda sucks about AOT for me is that most of the characters that die are ones I rooted for the most. As a result, the remaining group of people are ones I werent huge fans of, but this special really made me warm up to them more. Storywise, there are a lot of badass moments from just about everyone, and they are really awesome. Pieck and Levi get their redemption, Falco and Gabi contribute more to the story than I thought, and Armin, holly shit, just comparing how fragile he was in season 1 to how heroic he is now, Every season, Armin redeems himself more and more in my mind.
One thing I dont like is how Connie, Jean, and Historia were just there in the background not doing much,Annie falling for Armin was kinda weird,because Annie as a character throughout the series was seen as this stoic and selfish person who hated pretty much everyone who wasnt her family, she warmed up to her friends over the years but confessing a love to Armin of all people is off.
Then there are some plot convenient moments that I wasnt a fan of. Like Zeke with his doomer mentality being convinced by Armin that life is worth fighting for, it was really sudden and anticlimatic,maybe if the two spent more screentime together or something, I wouldve been convinced that his attitude on life would be swayed.
I liked Reiner this season a lot, because he felt like himself again in season 1. Now that he atoned and apologized in part 2, he went back to his heroic self who was willing to take risks. There was one thing Reiner did at the end that was a little goofy,but that goofiness showed that he is in a much better place now mentally.
Jean…was whatever, tbh real talk, i never really liked Jean, he’s just a supporting character that he never did much that made him stand out besides talk about real estate, I wanted him to die multiple times to trim the fat, but no. I mean, even Connie had some heartbreaking scenes in part 2.
Then there is Eren, oh boy. Eren Yaegar is a character people will talk about for decades. I dont think it will be out of just praise, but arguments on if his decisions were right. In my opinion, I understand some of the things he does, but then with the context of him seeing the future, now Im starting to question some of his choices.
Now hold on to your sweatpants, weebs, because this is where the can of worms are open.Erens reveal about him intentionally killing his mom with the power of timetravel to fulfill his plan was weird, without eren's mom, his hatred was fueled enough for him to go after all the titans and give him enough bravery to survive Annie's attack, buuuut, what is the point to killing all the titans and protecting his loved ones if he intentionally sacrifices the ones who means the most to him? Also, there's Mikasa. Eren has a comical meltdown about loving Mikasa and not wanting her to fall for any other man but him, and the story makes this the crucial final revelation where he gets everything off his chest before his demise, but there is lil wee problem with dat: Mikasa spent her whole life following and supporting Erens goal of destroying the titans, but what the heck did he expect when he ended up becoming the thing that Mikasa actively fights against? Also, he said to her face that he hated her in s4p1 just to pour more salt in the womb. I'm just not convinced that his actions were thought out well.Because he went so goddamn out of control blindly following his ideals that he ended up putting the people in paradis island including his friends in danger.
Not to mention, him knowing about the future
Maybe he was successful in the end because he kinda protected the ones he loved from the titans in the end even if he was doomed to give up his life to begin with, but I feel like his reckless actions aren't the most ideal because most of his closest friends either die or almost get killed because of him, and then he actively kills tries to kill them later on, but if killing him was what causes the rumbling to stop, why did he attack his friends when they tried doing so. He can see the future right? And he destroyed the earth already. But no, instead of just laying down and dying, he fought till the very end.
So Eren, for a guy who can see everything and plan accordingly, you have a funny way of showing how much you care for your friends. Maybe he secretly doesn't care about his friends and is just a ball of pure irrational hatred?Maybe he was trying to make his friends look like they are saviors, but why didnt he use the titans to kill him and kinda fake everything to make them look better,instead of spawning more titans in the end?If he really knew his friends had to kill him to end all of this, honestly, this special would have been waaaaaaaay shorter.
Now i can think about this final chapter till the sun implodes, but here's the thing.All the things I am saying might be bullshit because the problem I have with Eren is that he is made to be so antagonistic that his intentions are questionable at best and contradictory at worst.From about S4 onwards, he is treated as an enigma, and is given the same amount of vagueness as any antagonist, part 2, had some exploration of it but not as much as his father had and the whole Fritz family thing . Then halfway through the course, he just disappears.
There are parts in this special that show how he has been morally succumbed to war, but it does not explore that much about his intention and what he plans on doing when all of humanity is just dead. Now I can compliment Eren’s descent into hatred till im blue Like what is the point of trying to destroy all of the titans to protect the ones you love, when you actively try killing those same loved ones later on? I can see why the controversy happened,not because anything bad happened, but because this revelation recontextualises everything you knew about this franchise, and some of it, just doesn't sit right with me.in the face but I just cannot get behind his intentions, if he knew that everything would happen.
This is why I am very lukewarm on timetravel used like this, because it kind of stonewalls any other possible outcomes because the story says so,but if some of Eren’s diabolical actions had to happen to achieve this ending, why? Did not choosing to attempt killing his friends result in them losing? We will never know,because lol this is the only timeline that will work out.Now despite how messy Eren is written, I have nothing but appreciation for seeing a character like this. Most shounen MCs nowadays have the most bare bone of personalities. So im glad that there is a good amount of substance with Eren to have discussions about.I could not imagine talking this much about characters like Tanjiro, or Itadori. Unlike those characters, Eren is complex, which isnt a good or bad thing, its just like a supreme pizza. he’s messy, and he’s not the most well-made or organized, but he is complex.
ENJOYMENT-
Now despite all my gripes with the ending, I do not hate it at all.I mean, its better than Promised Neverland S2, because it shows reasonable consequences of actions, and there are some really beautiful moments that had me hysterically sobbing. I have been follow Attack on Titan when i was a snot nosed middle schooler, I am now a depressed college student pushing 25. And its like wow( trying not to sob writing this) it didnt hit me how much of my life this anime has influenced. Honestly though, a lot of the peak writing moments come from previous seasons. Straight up. Attack on Titan is great, a little messy at spots but great,Just all of the exploration of war, from the people who plan it, to the poor souls who have to fight it. Not to forget the social commentary on pure blind hatred echoing reality especially in the anime community. Attack on Titan truly shows why it deserves a spot in some of the most iconic anime of all time.But my score for this special is not reflective of the entire franchise. I do like the animation even if some editing choices were weird, the music is great as always, and while im not a fan of the direction some of the characters take,and while i had a problem of some story beats, I enjoyed this special. Not as much as I did other season though.Its not a perfect ending, but Im just glad its over because I can finally move on with my life.
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