One of the realities of Attack on Titan is that there’s no such thing as too big an asspull. For that reason I just assume anyone who’s supposedly dead will return sooner or later, with the degree to which I dislike a character increasing along with the odds of their return. And when we don’t even see the body, as with Levi, it’s pretty much a given. So all of the supposed shocking twists in this series are kind of toothless, because you know Isayama will move the goalposts to wherever he needs them to be.
That said, it’s kind of irritating what happened to Falco and Colt, as they’re two of the characters in this series who actually don’t deserve to die. Not that Falco is dead, but I don’t know if the arbitrary rules allow for him to regain himself after being titanized by Zeke (and if you believed he was dead, be cautious of anyone selling beach property in Iowa). For a long time now I’ve tended to like Shingeki more the less immersed in its ponderous overarching plot it is – and Falco was one of the avenues for the show to feel small and personal.
Apart from that the big news of course was that Eren was gaslighting Zeke after all, pulling a long con absolutely nothing in his character arc suggested he had the means or patience to bring off. If Armin had done it I could almost see it – before his character was mentally kneecapped he was somebody who had the ability to step back and see the big picture. But Eren Jaeger? It’s beyond silly, honestly, but I’m past the point with this series where that particular label matters a whole lot. It’s more about whether the experience is enjoyable than whether any of it makes sense.
Gabi giving Eren the buzz cut was another one of those shock moments that doesn’t really shock because you know it doesn’t actually have any permanence. Having Zeke win the day by catching Eren’s severed head was amusing, I’ll say that much (all that baseball training paid off). Zeke outthinking Eren in the end (pre- the next asspull, at least) is more believable – unlike his brother he’s someone who has a track record for holding his poker face and thinking long-term.
I suppose we’re heading for a new phase of the story now, with Eren’s cover being blown and Zeke seemingly set to take him on a brainwashing tour to strip out what he sees as their father’s brainwashing. We’ll see how that stacks up as drama – as far as the endgame goes it’s still basically a bunch of sides with no moral high ground between the lot of them killing each other ad nauseam. Whether Eren’s true purposes changes that dynamic in any way remains to be seen, but needless to say I’m skeptical.
tsurugi87
January 26, 2022 at 4:12 am>Apart from that the big news of course was that Eren was gaslighting Zeke after all, pulling a long con absolutely nothing in his character arc suggested he had the means or patience to bring off.
Dude voluntarily spent years down a leg, if that’s not patience I dunno what is. Raw persistence is his primary character trait. You seem overly concerned with an image in your head that doesn’t align with what you’re watching.
Marty
January 26, 2022 at 4:26 amSundays are a fascinating experiment in contrasts. As much as I’d like to believe it isn’t coinsidence, its rather funny that the two series that have Defined anime in the 2010’s, Attack on Titan in the beginning of the decade and Kimetsu no Yaiba at the bookend, go head-to-head on the same day.
I personally enjoy KnY better (the plot, though basic, is passable, and the superiority in Animation is unquestionable), but I will argue the first 2 seasons of AoT were pretty good, before the plot got lost in the sauce.
That being said, I guess the power of brand loyalty is not to be underestimated; I’ve seen people laud AoT as one of the greatest anime tales ever told and this Episode as one of the best in the medium.
Ecer since The Basement Reveal, AoT has been giving me GoT season 5-8 vibes; characters have almost no consistency, they are as smart or stupid as the plot requires them to be. It is entertaining seeing people Online trying to do Olympic-level mental gymnastics to prove how Eren was a Machiavelian Mastermind all along.
Guardian Enzo
January 26, 2022 at 6:50 amYes, I’ve noted that irony before. These are the tentpole franchises of the decade, no question about it. I enjoy KnY more now too, though I don’t think it ever hit the highs AoT did. Its biggest strength is its unpretentiousness – Shingeki is so far up its own lower intestine at this point that it isn’t funny (except when it is).
bdelon
January 26, 2022 at 5:46 amFalco ate Galliard so he will regain control and become the next Jaw Titan. That’s the basic mechanics of this series, it’s literally how Eren got his power (eating his own father). Unless I misunderstood your review?
I don’t have any intention of defending Attack on Titan, I agree with most of your criticism, I just found it funny that you forgot this.
Simone
January 26, 2022 at 7:23 amI think his implication is that because Falco turned via Zeke scream rather than the usual injection he might work differently, but honestly that would be more of an asspull, and the whole scene was clearly aimed at making us believe Falco will become the new Jaw, so no real reason to think that will come into play.
Simone
January 26, 2022 at 7:25 amTBF I don’t really see what’s so weird about Eren planning this. It’s pretty clear that the years between his overexcited shouty teen phase have hardened him a lot, and it’s not like this was some grand, complex ruse. All he had to do was say “ok we’ll do it” to Zeke and then just… not.
sonicsenryaku
January 26, 2022 at 9:43 amNot to mention the first 3 seasons of AoT see Eren becoming a more level-headed, patient person; a point other members in the cast literally point out. Then we see through flashbacks that Eren has been training himself to be a better soldier in-between the 4/5 year gap of current events. There isn’t really much suspension of disbelief that needs to be had to get on board with Eren functioning like a person with a normal IQ; whether or not he used to be a brash teenager. I get if the signs weren’t showing themselves prior to the time skip, but we literally see in season 3 Eren becoming a more thoughtful and patient person (Isayama’s weakness with character-writing be damned).
Chaitan
January 26, 2022 at 11:25 pmSo, it looks like Titans and Eldians are “clay people”, or “golems”. It seems that the author drew his inspiration from interesting sources…
Guardian Enzo
January 27, 2022 at 8:22 amIndeed. Sort of fitting, really.