At a certain point, Shingeki no Kyoujin got a lot more complicated. That of course was when the manga revealed that all the worst-case scenarios about where Isayama was going with his onanistic fascist allegories turned out to be too optimistic. That was when discussion about the manga descended into a morass of juvenile name-calling and preposterously bad takes. But the truth is, Attack on Titan was always a hard series to watch, and to cover. It exemplifies so much that’s right and wrong with anime, often at the same time.
Hell, at this point even what to call the episodes is complicated. I’ve been following what was more or less the official naming convention, as in just treating every season as part of a single episode count. But now the official protocol seems to be to start over at “The Final Season Episode One”, so I guess I’ll go with that. Of more importance is the matter of studios, one that’s churned the already histrionic fanbase into even more of a whirlpool. There were rumors for a long time that Wit was washing their hands of Shingeki, and so of course it was – with MAPPA taking over for “The Final Season”.
So – how was that? To me, it was honestly fine. I was always kind of holding the opinion that this series was an awkward stylistic fit for Wit anyway, and when they became so overstretched (as they can be at the best of times) that quality visibly dropped, it was clearly time for a change. With MAPPA – whose motto is pretty much “if the check clears, we’re all ears” – things tend to get done even if labor laws are blown up in the process. So if anything maybe the visuals will be more consistent. The change has promoted another flurry of bad takes in the fan community but I thought this episode looked pretty good on the whole. Yes there was more CGI (especially with the Beast and Armored Titan) but I actually thought the backgrounds were better than they were in the end times at Wit.
To be honest I tend to get my knickers in a twist less about such things than many viewers, and that’s even more true with Shingeki than it would be with most shows. The ultimate dilemma this series presents me is that same as the end of the last season. Now that the author has laid his cards on the table, how to approach these discussions? As I noted when the anime finally reached the drop dead point, I’m torn between writing exclusively about the literal plot and totally ignoring the historical ramifications, and writing exclusively about the historical ramifications and ignoring the plot.
Isayama knows exactly what he’s doing – the deeper down the rabbit hole we go, the more obvious that gets. Why he’s doing it is a question that can be debated – and I’ll say again what I said then, that I’m not going to allow discussion here to devolve into the raging shitstorm the manga discussion turned into – but the notion that this is all some sort of naive cultural tone-deafness is preposterous on the face of it. He chose to frame his final arc the way he did, and for better or worse, that choice now colors every aspect of his story.
The new setting is the battlefield between the army of the Aryan nation of Marley and that of their enemy – to gild the lily, portrayed as Muslims and called the “Mid-East Allied Forces”. Marley uses the Eldians as disposable shock troops in addition to wielding the titans power, the latest example being the assault on a crucial fort protected by two armored trains with anti-titan big guns. There are four young warriors in training among the Eldians, most prominent among them the soft-hearted Falco (Hanae Natsuki), and the spectacularly annoying Gabi (Sakura Ayane). Falco has an older brother named Colt (Matsukaze Masaya) who’s also a titan-in-waiting.
Judging by Reiner’s appearance it would seem we’ve experienced a time skip – and indeed, these events occur about four years after those of Episode 59. Of the main cast there’s no sign as of yet – indeed, only Reiner and Zeke are immediately familiar. With the sacrifice of most of the Eldians and the help of Reiner and Zeke – and another titan pilot named Galliard – the fort is largely destroyed and the war, seemingly, won. But that, surely, is just setting the table for the real meat of this final arc.
As to how that final arc is portrayed, it’s a somewhat unsettled matter at this point. The manga isn’t even finished yet – Isayama recently noted that it “1-2% away from completion”. But even if it was, it would be an insane rush job to fit all of it into what’s all-but-officially been confirmed as a 16-episode season. The first episode shows no signs of such pacing, so perhaps “The Final Season” is false advertising – or perhaps what we’re getting is “The Final Season I” and “II” will be arriving at some point next year in an effective split cour. We’ll see – this is obviously a very crucial question.
As for me, well – I’m here. I’ve stuck it out this long, through Trost and Erwin and Eren screaming and everything else – and it would be galling indeed to quit now. Everything is about balance I guess – dealing with the story and the symbolism without letting one overwhelm the other, and dealing with the discussion as well. I don’t know if it’s possible for an Attack on Titan comment thread to be civilized at this point but I’m going to damn well try. Whatever else you say about this franchise, it’s impossible to ignore. Kimetsu no Yaiba may have made it yesterday’s news as a commercial phenomenon, but Shingeki no Kyoujin remains (fittingly) a colossal presence in anime and manga fandom. And that’s something that’s impossible for me to ignore.
ibtachi
December 7, 2020 at 11:33 pmI’m anime-only (also, middle-eastern heritage) and the only thing I’ve got to say about this premiere is that Isayama REALLY steered into the skid with the imagery, huh?
Guardian Enzo
December 8, 2020 at 6:40 amGo big or go home. If any mantra applied to AoT it would be that one, so why should this element be any different?
ibtachi
December 8, 2020 at 2:02 pmI’d be lying if it wasnt fascinating to watch though, but after episodes like these it definitely feels more fascinating in the veins of say “Air Crash Investigations” than a fascinating work of fiction
Setsuken
December 8, 2020 at 1:34 amAs someone who is both covering this series, and can’t see the symbolism too clearly that you elude to, I think it would really be a service to me and a lot of your readers perhaps if you spelled out what you can see that some of us can’t? I don’t want to invite a flame war, but I am generally curious and confused. I know Ibtachi mentioned the middle-eastern imagery above, but that again, is used all over the place in media these.
I don’t think it signled out Muslims specifically, as I’m a muslim myself,, and didn’t feel uncomfortable or weirded out by a bunch of people with beards fighting. Muslims are, I think, more than just people in beards with those hats that we saw in this episode. You’d also be surprised at how many other religions and beliefs exist in the Middle East as well.
Here’s some stuff i could pick up, though I can’t make a link to all of it. The dropping of Titans = Pearl Harbor? Maybe? But it seems like this wasn’t a surprise attack, and that these people have been at war. There was also a surrender here.
The Eldian’s are perhaps an Allegory for the Jews in Nazi Germany? But I also saw it as an the way the Japanese might’ve felt when they were occupied by the US after World War II?
I guess, if I’m clearly not seeing something rather disgusting and twisted, then I’d really like to know what I’m missing. I hate feeling ignorant, hence the long comment and the request to perhaps hear your interpretation directly.
FxREEE
December 8, 2020 at 2:29 amRead Enzo’s thoughts on the previous seasons. Then you’ll see.
Guardian Enzo
December 8, 2020 at 6:37 amThis is true – it’s in those posts.
But yellow star armbands is so specific that it cannot possibly be incidental. He also ascribes to the Eldians pretty much all the anti-Semitic myths that the Christian establishment in Europe has been using to justify their persecution for most of the past two millenniums.
Again, this is all stuff I talked about in more detail in my posts at the second half of last season. I don’t to rehash it all in detail here. But you asked, so…
Setsuken
December 8, 2020 at 8:35 am@Enzo (Done because Pagination doesn’t seem to work past two levels on here):
Alright, I the Armbands are similar to the Nazi armbands, I think that much makes sense, and that could link up with the “Nazis are Myridians” and the”Edlians are the Jews”. But what about the fact that our protagonist (Eren) and our heroes, are actually the Eldians and not the Myridians with the armbands?
I’ve read your other posts, and didn’t see the detail so I asked. I think that detail and that specific calling out will be important, because otherwise there’s room to misunderstand. I think there’s credence to what you’re saying, but it has to be done with specifics, not generalities. At the end of the day, this was my reaction to your writing, and the reaction was that I was confused and wanted more information.
Also, I will stress again (a bit more directly) that the dark skinned people with the beards in this episode were not listed as muslims, and its stereotyping Muslims when you call that specific look as “being depicted as Muslims”.
Muslims are part of a religion, just like Christians, Jews, Sikhs and Buddhists, and its frankly a little sad to see that a particular look and race is generalized as Muslim.
Setsuken
December 8, 2020 at 8:38 amCorrection: Myridians = Marlaey-ians
Guardian Enzo
December 8, 2020 at 8:46 amThat last point is certainly fair enough, though I think you’re ascribing a level of subtlety to Isayama that I don’t think is there. He telegraphs his punches pretty openly – “steers into the skid” as Ibtachi quite eloquently puts it. Her makes it clear what he’s presenting to the point where I think he leaves no doubt.
The detail is there in those posts from last season – the armbands, the ghettos. I talk about it, I don’t beat it into the ground in grotesque detail (like the author does).
As to the matter of making the protagonists Eldians, that necessitates a longer response than I have time to give now. But I think you’re under a misapprehension about who’s wearing the armbands and what the historical allusion he’s drawing is.
Setsuken
December 8, 2020 at 8:28 amI actually did read all his episode blogs last season, and I saw the same kind of language that I see in this post. Its not outright spelling out what he thinks, just pointing towards Nazi gratification, fascism and the like. What I want is the actual connection between a certain thing in the story and what it points to, Kind of like what he did in the comment below.
Guardian Enzo
December 8, 2020 at 8:36 amAnd like what I did in my last few posts of last season, which is easy enough to verify if one was so inclined.
Setsuken
December 8, 2020 at 8:42 amI actually did just go back and read your last 5 posts from the season before responding, but fair enough. I guess I’m just not very bright, and lets leave it at that. Carry on.
Guardian Enzo
December 8, 2020 at 10:02 amLOL, that’s obviously neither the case nor my implication.
With respect to the armband issue, the historical basis of that is this:
IMO, this is an unsubtle as can be and frankly evokes no ambiguity as to the mangaka’s meaning. As I said, the reasons why Isayama may have chosen to frame the story this way are certainly fertile ground for debate. I would like to think the best in that regard, despite the revelations that have surfaced over the years from his assistants and such. Again – that’s where it goes to interpretation to a certain extent. But as to what he’s referencing here? Again, I just don’t see any ambiguity whatsoever – subtle as a sledgehammer as the old saw goes (the same as he’s doing with the Mid-East alliance mirroring Japanese stereotypes). Especially when you consider the language the Marlites (or however you refer to them) and the allied soldiers use when referencing the Eldians. When one considers the language that was used in reference to the Jews by the official doctrine of the largest religious organization in the world until 1962, the parallels are literally unmissable.
This whole discourse points up why covering this series after the cellar reveal is so vexing (not that it was smooth sailing before it). Whatever you think of AoT the discourse about it has always tended to vitriolic and juvenile – after the reveal it became genuinely toxic in most places (and remains so). You don’t want to ignore what Isayama so clearly intends to say, but it’s a minefield. I’ve tried not to get too excruciating in the details to try and avoid that kind of dumpster fire happening here. I don’t like to be hounded off covering a series because of that sort of thing but I don’t take anything for granted. The fact is that Shingeki always gives you something to talk about at least, and that alone – never mind its historical importance as a franchise – makes it a series that should be covered if circumstances make it possible.
blargnobia
December 8, 2020 at 10:59 am“I’m torn between writing exclusively about the literal plot and totally ignoring the historical ramifications, and writing exclusively about the historical ramifications and ignoring the plot.”
Ignore the plot. It’s what Erwin would’ve wanted 😀
In all seriousness, the plot is so incidental at this point that I don’t even know how to summarize what’s happening. It almost seems like AoT is, at this point, driven exclusively by subtext.
Guardian Enzo
December 8, 2020 at 11:57 amI’m trying to avoid that conclusion but yes, there are times when it does feel that way.
John
December 19, 2020 at 10:03 pmI’m just curious why you think this is a bad thing for the show to allude to. Isn’t reminding the audience of something horrific that’s happened to people in the real world a good thing?
Riv
December 8, 2020 at 12:33 pmI had been reading the manga and made it a few chapters into this whole arc and then decided it was time to throw in the towel. I also stopped watching the anime and won’t be watching this season. To me what happened after the cellar reveal was just so disappointing. I got hooked on AoT as an edge-of-your seat action adventure with an intriguing and dark world. And then, after all that, we end up with what I would describe as a total mess of an ending. Putting aside the political/historical issue, it introduces a bunch of characters I care nothing about late in the game and once the element of mystery goes, the plot became a total and incomprehensible slog.
Guardian Enzo
December 8, 2020 at 12:49 pmThat is indeed a separate issue, and I assume one I’ll address when we get there if I’m still covering it.
Miyu Fan
December 8, 2020 at 2:58 pmFinally the drama of changing studios is over, and quite honestly I think MAPPA is adapting this quite well that I forgot that it’s not WIT anymore. It’s also could be me but I feel like the direction is overall better too. Well it’s the first episode so I hope they can maintain the quality for the whole season.
While as an anime-only I did hear bits and pieces about the manga so this sudden change of perspective to other side didn’t surprised me. While Gabi is annoying she did spare me of watching 800 people brutally sacrificing themselves, just for me to watch the next scene is the Eldians being dropped by aircraft and sacrificed as Titans urgh.
And therein lies my main problem with AoT – too many blatant glorification of people being sacrificed by the sake of war while the kind-hearted ones are in the wrong and being eaten by Titans. Yes wars and people are cruel, but Isayama really gets out of his way to make sure people who are being compassionate or pacifist (like the previous king) get the worst fate in the series. I don’t know what’s going to happen to Falco but I expect he is going to beaten down so many times by the series because he wants to be kind.
Guardian Enzo
December 8, 2020 at 3:14 pmI think Isayama makes very clear by his treatment of the cast which ones he identifies with and which he disdains.
Elia Notari
December 8, 2020 at 9:22 pmWait a sec!!!!! How many episodes did you say? 16???????????
Christ, I imagined they were going for those long 36-39 episodes’ cours, no fucking way they’ll be able to adapt everything in 16.
As for Studio Wit, is that bad to wish for a second season of Ancient Magus Bride?
Guardian Enzo
December 8, 2020 at 10:32 pmNot at all, though the manga has had many hiatuses and I don’t know that there’s enough material. Personally, I’m more focused on a second season of Vinland, which the director has relentlessly hinted at.
As I said, the prevailing suspicion is that they aren’t going to try and adapt everything in 16 episodes. So for better or for worse Shingeki is going to be with us for awhile.