And that’s the Shingeki no Kyoujin I know so well…
I’m not going to throw the baby out with the bathwater here, because this has been a good season of Attack on Titan so far. And this wasn’t a terrible episode by any means – and this show can certainly produce those at the drop of a hat. Nevertheless I felt a lot more of that usual SnK inward groaning happening this time as opposed to the earlier eps this season. I suppose it’s a coincidence that it happened when Eren, Mikasa and titans are front and center again, since none of the issues here were really their fault. But somehow, it still doesn’t feel wholly coincidental.
If “Reiss” has been the family name at the heart of developments this season, it was “Ackerman” that cast the biggest shadow this week. That’s a name we certainly know, and it’s obvious that Kenny and Mikasa Ackerman are connected (though she seems to have no idea how or why). We’ve also got new ally Zachary proving that he wasn’t kidding when he cited his selfish reasons for supporting the coup d’état – and, of course, that he’s a sadist and a flat-out freak. Meet the new boss – maybe not the same as the old boss, but certainly no better.
My favorite part of the episode was Pyxis seemingly calling out Erwin for his self-serving and hypocritical ways, indicating that he at least is harboring no illusions that things are likely to get much better. Pyxis has obviously seen enough to know that this world is screwed up to the point of probably being beyond fixing, but he’s at the point where it only makes sense to make what he sees as the percentage bet. In this case it was Erwin’s coup, but there’s certainly no reason why either of them should trust the other from this point forward.
Ultimately, though, it all comes down to Reiss and what’s going on underneath that chapel. And therein lies my problem with these latest developments, really. As usual they raise more questions than they answer, but I’m used to that with Shingeki no Kyoujin. The real problem is that this power the Reiss family supposedly has – to make all of humanity forget things at will, except a few strategically important royal families who are immune to it – is just silly. Even in this loopy mythology that could never really decide if it wanted to be magic or science, this is ridiculously convenient – it has the feeling of a plot contrivance of the highest order. Assuming this whole angle is true and not just some BS being used as a feint, it makes me despair that there’s going to be any logic or proper buildup to the denouement.
As far as what was actually revealed in Eren’s backstory (never has that word been used more literally), I’m still undecided in how I feel about that. Reiss himself may be a liar of the first order (or he may not, who knows), but what Eren saw supports the idea that his father did transfer his stolen powers to Eren by having his son devour him while in titan form. Why? That would be a relevant question to be certain – he could have used the power himself, seemingly. In any event we now pretty much know why the Reiss family decided to live in secrecy – given the power they possess, openly serving as the royal family would have made them (and it) way too much of a target.
Simone
August 28, 2018 at 5:47 amThe Reiss family having the Power of Retcon is indeed rather plot convenient… well, at this point we really were in the ‘magic’ field long ago anyway, for example even with fundamentally contradictory details like the show not managing to decide if the titans are really heavy or really light. It’s been said that they’re supposedly light and low-density (I suppose as a way to try to counter the notion that they violate the law of conservation of mass), but then of course when in action they look anything but. If it really was light, with that much surface area, the Colossal Titan would be a ridiculous sitting duck, literally vulnerable to being toppled by a gust of wind, so yeah.
Khalid
August 28, 2018 at 5:58 amWhat bothers me about the memory-wiping thing is: how does it work in practice? What do they actually do in order to cast that retcon spell on a wide population? I hope this was addressed somewhere and I’m just forgetful.
Also I found that torture scene to be of poor taste and excessively obscene. I didn’t feel the intended shock but rather a profound disgust. Isayama could’ve thought of other ways to make the point that Zachary is a sadistic a**hole. Why did you have to do that, dude? What in the hell is wrong with you? I hate when something like that pops up out of nowhere, especially when I’m watching the show with someone. It feels like an immature prank.
Simone
August 28, 2018 at 6:33 amAh, yeah, the SHITMACHINE. It’s actually apparently been a subject of memes for years among the manga reading community. It was indeed a rather out of left field moment. Even led to an actual argument on Reddit with one guy who thought the dude could survive in that horrendous contraption rather than just starve to death. Through which I learned (oh joy) this was something that actually happened in Guantanamo, under the very thin excuse of feeding “recalcitrant” prisoners. However fucked up a fictional world you make up, it’s always hard to make it worse than the real one.
Guardian Enzo
August 28, 2018 at 6:57 amThe sense one gets from that, for me, is just Isayama being a juvenile idiot because he finds that sort of thing amusing.
Simone
August 28, 2018 at 7:03 amMost likely, yeah. Just edgelord things. The anime was actually more discreet than the manga in the depiction of the machine, which gets a whole page for itself I think.
Yann
August 28, 2018 at 8:13 amCan’t believe people are still watching this show… 😛 Why do you do this to yourself? 😉
I just know the big reveal is going to be a let down somehow… Gave up mid second season.
Simone
August 28, 2018 at 1:26 pmKnowing it, I think the big reveal is, at the very least, *extremely* unexpected. Like, I haven’t seen anyone even coming close with fan theories to it before it was made. It’s perhaps not in all respects the tightest plot idea (and it doesn’t necessarily take the story in a pleasant direction), but it’s original for sure.
Orion Taylor
August 28, 2018 at 9:07 pmDeleted for safety’s sake – Enzo
Guardian Enzo
August 28, 2018 at 10:28 pmThat was a good guess on my part, but I think we better delete the original comment as I think it’s sort of a spoiler.