Review:
If you haven’t watched the episode and are worried about spoilers, I’d pass on this review.
Okay, Attack on Titan has always been good at sensationalism but characters and narrative didn’t fare so well in season 1. Episode 6 finally brings all the elements of this show together at their very best. For the characters: Eren denies something without having to scream and yell about it (actually he’s been relatively shout free most of the season), Armin gets to use his head and put things together, the story with Christa and Ymir continues, Reine and Berthold finally prove they have a reason for existing, and Mikasa gets to pursue her favourite pastime of loitering near Eren and then defending him when he gets in over his head. The story also brings together bits and pieces that have been spread over the last season and a half to give us a reveal that I’m guessing everyone who read the manga knew was coming and those of us following the anime had started to kind of suspect but it was still kind of cool. What I liked about it was how casual this came across.
For a show that normally maxes out on the drama of the moment, this low key reveal was actually superb and just left you with your mouth open as the story charged into the second half. Which is where Attack on Titan did what it is known for doing well nad that is we entered a major fight with three characters transforming into titans and falling down the wall.
That’s a lot to pack into twenty minutes and yet the pace felt good this episode as the dialogue kept things moving in the early part, the flashback gave us enough reminders and new information to figure out where things were going, the reveal was perfect, and the action to end the episode just capped off what is probably one of the best episodes of this series I’ve seen. Very enjoyable watch this week.
Attack on Titan is available on AnimeLab.
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I just said over on D’s blog, that I actually played back the scene thinking I had misread something. That scene was so utterly briljant. The very casual talk, like they were speaking about the weather or something, made it even more chilling. It was superb and one of the best episodes of Attack on Titan so far. This season has really been worth the wait. I can’t wait for the coming episode which will probably see one hell of an epic fight 😊
That low-key reveal was not even at the center of the screen. It was almost like a conversation that we just overheard while passing them by. Brilliant!
It certainly was a great choice in delivery given how distinct it made this reveal compared to so many other shows and even so many other episodes of this show.
“Mikasa gets to pursue her favourite pastime of loitering near Eren and then defending him when he gets in over his head”
Since Eren is who he is, that’s a full-time occupation. That said, I’d like to see Mikasa grow out of this dependency one day.
It would be lovely. Everytime someone tells me how amazing or badass Mikasa is I just kind of wonder why. Sure she’s a great fighter, but she has no agency outside of saving Eren (which as you said is more or less a full time occupation).
I agree that physically, she’s stronger than anyone other than Levi. But yeah, she lacks agency. But that seems to be a deliberate choice on part of the creator (or so I hope) so maybe we’ll get to see her grow out of it as part of her character development.
I think that Mikasa’s need to protect Eren stems from the childhood trauma they both experienced. He saved her. She saved him. Others who haven’t been exposed to the trauma they experienced might see Mikasa’s need to save Eren weird. It might be something they need to get past, but I wouldn’t call it a dependency.
I know that it stemmed from that incident and I do get why a 9 y/o Mikasa latched onto Eren. But all the same, up till this point, she prioritizes him over all else, even herself and that’s not really healthy.
That is true. It is not healthy to give up and die when you realize your friend has been killed. As seen in the episode when Eren first transforms and Mikasa assumed he died. But what in the world of “Attack on Titan” is healthy? When death looms everywhere you go, being close to your family is what you do. And Eren is Mikasa’s only family yet. It makes sense she wants to protect that tiny piece of hope in a hopeless world.
I just wonder how long Eren would survive is Mikasa actually found something better to do with her time.
He’d be fine, I think. After they became soldiers, Eren’s gotten into situations where not even Mikasa can’t save him but he’s survived so far.