Shingeki no Kyojin: The Final Season Part 2

Turning against his former allies and enemies alike, Eren Yeager sets a disastrous plan in motion. Under the guidance of the Beast Titan, Zeke, Eren takes extreme measures to end the ancient conflict between Marley and Eldia—but his true intentions remain a mystery. Delving deep into his family's past, Eren fights to control his own destiny.

Meanwhile, the long-feuding nations of Marley and Eldia utilize both soldiers and Titans in a brutal race to eliminate the other. Reiner Braun uses his own powers in a desperate bid to hold off Eren's own militaristic force, and his fellow Eldians—children Falco Grice and Gabi Braun—struggle to survive in the unfolding chaos.

Elsewhere, Eren's childhood friends Mikasa Ackerman and Armin Arlert remain imprisoned alongside Eren's former Survey Corps companions, all disturbed by Eren's monstrous transformation. Under the blind belief that Eren still secretly harbors good intentions, Mikasa and the others enter the fray in an attempt to save their friend's very soul.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Yeager, Eren Main

Kaji, Yuuki Japanese

Ackerman, Mikasa Main

Ishikawa, Yui Japanese

Arlert, Armin Main

Inoue, Marina Japanese

Levi Supporting

Kamiya, Hiroshi Japanese

Zoë, Hange Supporting

Park, Romi Japanese

Blouse, Sasha Supporting

Kobayashi, Yuu Japanese

Braun, Reiner Supporting

Hosoya, Yoshimasa Japanese

Kirstein, Jean Supporting

Taniyama, Kishou Japanese

Leonhart, Annie Supporting

Shimamura, Yuu Japanese

Zeke Supporting

Koyasu, Takehito Japanese

Cook, Justin Producer

Maeda, Toshihiro Producer

Kimura, Makoto Producer

Kinoshita, Tetsuya Producer

Reviews

Apr 3, 2022

Stark700

Recommended

We all make mistakes. Humans makes mistakes because common sense sometimes outwits our own intellect. Attack on Titan defies the logic of common sense with the presence of titans. By trascending beyond logic, we have been graced with one of the most popular anime franchises in recent memory. Oh yes, say hello to Attack on Titan the Final Season Part 2. This season needed to be split multiple parts because logic dedicates that it does not have enough episodes to conclude the story.

However, make no mistake. The producers wanted to adapt the manga to its completion. This show has been practically sitting on a ... goldmine of popularity that it's just the obvious goal to complete. It begins directly from part 1 with no recapping but instead with our characters thrown into a chaotic struggle at Shiganshina. The struggle between the Eldains and Marleyans continue to breed the battlegrounds with blood, destruction, and death. More importantly, one of the primary objectives in the early stages of this season is to prevent Eren making contact with Zeke. As you expect, the first episode begins as a chaotic warfare involving soldiers, warriors, and Titans. Important characters such as Porco, Pieck, and Reiner makes their presence known for their actions. To be fair, this season is going to be a lot of bloodshed so having an arm blown off is treated more like a meme than a shocker moment. Right, Pieck?

Jokes aside, Attack on Titan's Final Season (Part 2) brings together an important evolution of storytelling. When we watch Eren's plan come to fruition, you have to realize how much of an impact it can have on their entire world. I'm talking about genocide, perhaps the extinction of humankind itself. Adapted out of the manga, 'The Rumbling' is an extraordinary event taking place this season. It chronicles a dark and grim reality for all life that concerns with the Marley and Eldians. While this season doesn't adapt The Rumbling at its fullest, it does bring in many questions for the anime only audience. Will anyone be able to stop The Rumbling? Who will live and who will die? What will be the ultimate outcome of Eren's plan in the end? Sadly, those questions won't have their full answers this season. However, you can fully expect the anime to capitalize on the importance of such an event.

Attack on Titan has been known for its deep character emotions and this season is also no exception. In particular episode, we are greeted with a mixed cast of characters from different sides of the war. However, it is Yelena who truly brings out the emotions out of guys such as Jean and Reiner. It's a pivotal moment to show that the past has not been forgotten. Jean has changed so much from his rookie years as a survey corps member to a loyal soldier fighting for his cause. Knowing the truth hurt him but he also realized what must be done for the greater good. Furthermore, we are also reintroduced to another prominent character from the Warrior Unit. I won't spoil it but let's just say that their presence makes this season that much more interesting.

Finally, we can't forget the Jaegerists, a group of rebels with their own agenda. Formed from members of the Paradis Island, they stand as a major obstacle against Mikasa, Armin, Pieck, Porco, Hange, Jean, and the rest of their new alliance. The episodes later this season highlights how far they'll go to push their plan even it means killing whoever stands in their way. And that is a common theme about Attack on Titan. There's bloodshed and death, where sacrifices are needed for a greater cause. Eren's goal is perhaps the most controversial for he puts entire mankind and the ecosystem at risk. Nonetheless, that makes this season worth so much more enticing to watch.

It's 12 episodes but common sense designates that this season needed more episodes to flesh out the rest of the story. Trust me, it's not enough for this season and of course, Wit Studio and its producers would take this show to the next season. This franchise is literally a goldmine that pushes the limits of popularity in modern years and I hope its success continues.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Dec 25, 2022

RebelPanda

Mixed Feelings

There’s no way to substantially criticize Attack on Titan without spoiling at least some of the plot, so here’s your warning.

When the first season aired, I couldn’t understand why my peers loved it so much. I tried watching it, I did, but it bored me out of my 14-year-old mind. Years later, I gave it another shot and ended up enjoying it, but still missing the overwhelming praise. It wasn’t until season four that I began to see the appeal of Attack on Titan, then watch it all wash away as it went on.

Time travel, brainwashing, character motivations, magic system, and the ever-changing sequence ... of historical events require a spreadsheet to follow. Everyone is double, triple, quadruple crossing each other like we're back in the second season, which made that the most entertaining part of the show for me. It leaned into the series' absurd premise—it was like a murder mystery, except the murderer was a giant bloodthirsty cannibal, and there were ten of them. Almost a decade later, we’re still revealing betrayal after betrayal. It’s old hat by now, and even a generous viewer would struggle to call it surprising. The repetition could be forgiven if the characters involved were multilayered enough to justify lazy writing.

The truth is, the cast is still flimsy. In part one of the final season, Reiner was the best character because his backstory was placed well in the plot, his motives were justifiable, and his subsequent redemption felt earned. But he is on the sidelines this time. Armin and Mikasa are not strong enough characters to carry the show. She is bland, and he is practically a stand-in for the author. Other side characters serve as speed bumps in part 2, such as Connie (do you remember him?). He deals with grieving his mother, trapped in the body of a titan, but his episode leaves no lasting impact beyond satisfaction for fans of the character. Though Levi returns, he is practically only present in spirit because his injuries rendered him immobile. Levi should have died, simple as that. There was no way he could’ve survived his injuries in part 1, but it was far from the first time he was protected by plot armor. We’re constantly reminded that the good guys aren’t immortal because dozens of faceless soldiers die violently, but it is seldom a main character. I’m going to speculate here, so take it with a grain of salt, but I worry that the author feared killing off popular characters would cause too much backlash or people to drop the series, so he kept them alive—at the expense of tension.

Reintroducing Annie halfway through part two was also an interesting choice—her reveal was practically a carbon copy of the manga’s panel with uninspired directing, which was a bad omen of how the production showcased her revival. Annie hasn’t been relevant since the second season. It’s like the author read complaints about the cast lacking depth and decided to dump it at the last minute. Spending 10 minutes of a 23-minute episode on the backstory of someone who hasn’t been relevant in four years destroys the pacing. It wouldn’t be so bad if the visuals were at least cool to look at, but it was flat still images lacking animation. The ninth episode of part two is emblematic of the poorly directed drama scenes. Most of it is spent hashing out grudges and speaking about the past, which amounts to dull conversations animated like a slideshow. MAPPA’s artists certainly can draw frightened, concerned, and infuriated facial expressions like no other modern studio, but an entire episode of intense faces lessens the effect they once had. The use of a melancholy piano track for background music served as a reminder that the score seldom suits each scene half as well as it did in the first three seasons. MAPPA poured talent and resources into the score. However, the editing and placement fail to do it justice.

The recurring problem with MAPPA’s Attack on Titan is that when we’re not in an action scene, it’s boring as fuck to view. I’m not a picky person when it comes to anime visuals. As long as it doesn’t detract from the writing, it’s okay in my eyes. The matter is, the directing is subpar outside of the titan fights, and even the 3D titans struggle to keep up with the choreography. The CGI titan artists come out unscathed because their work is not as prominent this season, and the worst CGI is obscured by fog, blood, and fast-paced action. The infamous "rumbling" looks like an army of giant turkeys, which I should've expected because nothing this show hypes up is as exciting as we're led to believe. 2D art for some of the Titan battles worked, as did the 2D blood. Due to the animators’ constrained deadlines, entirely 2D art was impossible. The 3D blood just looked terrible. Even during action scenes, the directing always feels off. The shot composition never feels quite right; shots either linger too long, not long enough, or are positioned in the wrong order. The flow of action is cut off, making the pacing seem choppy. Even choppier than the pacing is the theme of this season.

The central theme of season four is a condemnation of nationalism. This anime is NOT pro-nationalism. The first two seasons of attack on titan present pro-nationalism imagery in the openings and cool as fuck titan wars, which is later subverted. The third and fourth seasons tear down these messages by portraying soldiers as clones, giving the role of the main character to child slave soldiers, blatant allegory to Nazi Germany, making the fascists the antagonists, and discovering that the titans were once real human beings. These revelations are executed mainly successfully.

The opening of season four, part 1, immediately establishes the anti-nationalism theme: Soldiers are shown as uniform statues destroyed instantly. Following the cliffhanger at the end of season three is a time skip, which worked well for several reasons. First, switching visuals from WIT Studio to MAPPA’s grittier art style helps darken the tone. Second, Gabi and Falco refresh the story and themes by introducing two new protagonists. They are Eldian kids who are conditioned to believe they must become soldiers to defend Marley, a stand-in for Nazi Germany. There are slight issues in basing the Eldians on Jews because they are genetically different from Marleyans. The ability to become titans sets them apart—this fucks with the allegory, which is further complicated in part 2 when the Eldians try to genocide the Marleyans led by Eren fucking Yeager.

For the first three seasons, Eren was the protagonist. Now he is the antagonist who strives to murder man, woman, and child so long as they’re Marleyan and anyone who stands in his way. You will undoubtedly find people defending Eren’s actions because he looks like a badass and has super cool time travel powers. Now, there will always be people who misinterpret the text. Unfortunately, many people unironically support Eren and his followers, the Yeagerists. It’s not just a few conspiracists and crazies on dark corners of the internet—and that says something about the show’s struggle to balance portraying almost every character as morally grey versus sympathetic. Eren’s waltz through time in season 4, part 2 shows us how he was forced into his role at a young age by Grisha; this absolves him of some responsibility; however, his choice to persuade his father to claim the founding titan by murdering the royal family puts their blood on his hands. One could suggest Eren is a psychopath, but tantamount to arguing that Hitler was a sociopath. These statements are untrue because mental illness absolves them of criticism, and they both have a love for their people, although horrifically misguided and tainted by bigotry. Whether or not the show chooses to portray Eren sympathetically or condemn him remains to be seen, and could make or break the final season.

Attack on Titan: The Not So Final Season Part 2 is, to the surprise of no one, far from the last we'll see of this anime. It would take an immensely forgiving fan to praise the mediocre art and animation wholeheartedly. Given that I am not, and never was, a fan of AoT I can happily say I'm looking forward to whatever nonsense they hash out in the next season. Regardless if the story and characters are still haphazardly written, it will surely be an entertaining ride.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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Jan 29, 2023

Allagowf

Not Recommended

Funny

Freedom and High morals will never be alongside.

What happened to “Shinzou Wo Sasageyo” (devote your heart) and all the sacrifices and the deaths by the titans especially by Reiner Bertholdt and Annie, all that rage and striving for freedom?? simply in one season does not exist anymore! The creators are switching heroes. Is that even allowed? ohh what can we do to stop the desecration of one of the best shows ever? Unfortunately, it's already desecrated. there is no way back. This has been happening a lot in recent years to the great shows like GOT, the creators are switching heroes and destroying everything they ... built behind.

The freedom of our beloved once was the theme of AOT at the beginning, when it was a great show, now it is full of high morals the fake one actually. The creator is trying to manipulate our feelings by playing empathetic music "sad music" when the human outside the wall dies and playing anempathetic Music "exciting music" when the Eldians inside the wall dies. this just show the creator has racism issues.

Ignoring the death of their families and trying to protect the others
How could the creator of AOT be more fake than this

Let us not forget Marley was ruling the world using the titans' power and when the world was trying to overpower the titans, Marley plane was to hold the power of the founding titan by destroying the paradis island, so their goal was not to protect the world from the titans it's to rule the world.

this what the Eldians do before but the las king tried to stop the suffering of the world and he punish himself and his people in a prison for more than one hundred years, but the world want to do more and tries to still the founding titan and destroy all the Eldians.

one example of the creator fake Morality:
Marley sent four warriors for this mission and this cause in a ton of death, Reiner Bertholdt and Annie should be the enemy of every Eldian inside the walls, not only because they destroyed the wall also, they betrayed their friendship and threaten their families, but we see them laughs, eat together, and killing their other friends from inside the wall, as they forget everything. or the creator is full of shit and high morals.

Eren trying to destroy the world is something extreme there is some other solution but this one is accepted from his point of view, if the world tries to destroy your home country and you have the power to kill the entire world, what woold you do? you will allow the world to kill your family and your beloved one? or will you destroy them all?

I am outraged from this kind of plot switching in recent years, but why, it's just an anime right? .. it was my hobby for the last 20 years, so it's not ok, this hidden messages in the recent shows are made me think of quitting anime and start doing something better in my free time, better than turned to a pussy as they are hardly trying to do "trying to turn us all to pussies with fake morality".

These fake morals made me want to vomit.

"Me against the world it's a hard decision to make, but my family against the world is the easiest" .. Fake Morality hater.

Reviewer’s Rating: 1

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