Mikasa

Well, we knew we were moving on from the previous arc but this episode felt like yet more transition and catching people up on how things fit together rather than actually moving onto anything. And that isn’t necessarily a bad thing given the three seasons have been spread over a large period of time and we’ve recently been hit with a whole stack of revelations so the characters taking time to process and giving the audience time to process is kind of nice, even if it doesn’t make for exactly compelling viewing.

I am actually starting to like this new and subdued Eren. Honestly, I’m kind of hoping he doesn’t ‘snap out of it’ anytime soon because a thinking Eren who contemplates and actually tries for others rather than going off idiotically and brashly while shouting his ideas is a lot more bearable as a character (again, not quite as interesting given he doesn’t tend to do much, but there are other characters who can fill that void).

This episode gives us a brief look at Historia as a Queen who seems to be taking a very hands on approach to working with the masses which is fine and all but it does leave you wondering who is making the actual big administrative decisions while she’s doing manual labour. It does however at least give us some sort of hope that things might improve inside the walls (which is probably just so they can later dash that hope into small pieces).

We then transition to a scene with Eren and his crew eating soup very slowly and the other recruits making a bit deal of how much they’ve changed in the months since they became scouts. It took me by surprise to given for me its been years and the change seemed really slow, but I guess in the in story time it isn’t that long. This also leads Eren to figuring out that the training commander guy knew his dad so Levi, Hange, and most everyone who has remained relevant ride out to the training grounds for story time.

If I seem a little flippant about this it is because while it eats a large chunk of the episode time, we essentially don’t get much from this guy. I really quite like Hange’s reaction to his story. While I’m kind of certain that maybe something he said will later become relevant (now there’s a clear sentence), it all just felt like a very drawn out red-herring.

So yeah, I’m not overly sold on this episode even though there are some nice ideas and touches in it. Really it will depend where this goes as to whether this works or not (another case where maybe binging would improve the story – or maybe it wouldn’t, hard to know until later).

Previous Reviews:

• Attack on Titan Series Review
• Attack on Titan Season 2 Series Review
• Season 3 Episode 1: Why Not Add Another Faction
• Season 3 Episode 2: Whatever It Takes
• Season 3 Episode 3: Rewriting the Past Won’t Make It Go Away
• Season 3 Episode 4: A Time For Everything
• Season 3 Episode 5: Yourself or Humanity?
• Season 3 Episode 6: So Many Puzzle Pieces
• Season 3 Episode 7: Two Things I Didn’t Think Possible
• Season 3 Episode 8: They Finally Remembered Eren’s Basement – I’m So Happy Right Now
• Season 3 Episode 9: To Kill A Titan
• Season 3 Episode 10: Choices Made

Thanks for reading.

Karandi James

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Credit where it is due to this episode. Firstly, it reminded me that Attack on Titan is very good at making me really dislike humans. One of the things that really bugged me in season one was the absence of characters I could care about because everyone just seemed to be a truly horrible human being, and that included the huddled masses.

Well, season three gives us this episode where the military are lying to the people about running a training drill and the people get all huffy not because they are being lied to but because the people who are fighting to save their lives are inconveniencing them. Seriously, are the military sure anyone in this world is worth saving? Still, the generally despicable nature of people in this anime is part of what makes it interesting to watch when contrasted with all of those anime of fluffy and happy people who just try to make everyone smile so I’m actually pretty happy that we get this solid reminder that this anime is not about sweetness and light but about a very gritty and sour reality.

Secondly, thanks for the reminder that Titans are horrific. I mean, Rod Reiss’ Titan form looming at the wall is one truly disgusting image and one that isn’t going to leave me anytime soon. It has been awhile since there’s been any real repulsion or emotion at all felt toward a titan (curiosity about the still missing in action beast titan isn’t quite the same thing), so the genuinely moment of recoil when we got a look at this thing was fairly welcome.

Thirdly, Eren. I know I’m normally all for beating up Eren and I really don’t like him as a character but it is like he’s finally turned a corner and grown up just a little bit. Whether he ruins it all by doing something utterly stupid in a couple of episodes remains to be seen but it is almost as if he’s come through the ordeal of the past 7 episodes finally seeing the world just a little bit clearer. It if sticks I might even have to look back at Eren and how that growth happened over the course of all three seasons, though I’ll wait and see if it sticks before I revise my opinion of him as a character.

And finally, Historia. For a character that had never left much impact on me, even when they spent a lot of the second season trying to find Christa, she’s really stepped up as well this season and with both her and Eren having fairly solid character growth this is pretty much the best I’ve seen from Attack on Titan since its beginning.

So, yeah, credit to a fairly solid episode of great moments. Still want to know why they even bother having the other soldiers standing around firing canons. It never works and the other soldiers seem woefully under-trained which makes sense but is still pretty pathetic. This episode certainly gave us enough spectacle and with the set up at the end for next week things seem to be rolling along nicely for the season so far.

Previous Reviews:

• Attack on Titan Series Review
• Attack on Titan Season 2 Series Review
• Season 3 Episode 1: Why Not Add Another Faction
• Season 3 Episode 2: Whatever It Takes
• Season 3 Episode 3: Rewriting the Past Won’t Make It Go Away
• Season 3 Episode 4: A Time For Everything
• Season 3 Episode 5: Yourself or Humanity?
• Season 3 Episode 6: So Many Puzzle Pieces
• Season 3 Episode 7: Two Things I Didn’t Think Possible
• Season 3 Episode 8: They Finally Remembered Eren’s Basement – I’m So Happy Right Now

Thanks for reading.

Karandi James

Consider supporting the blog by:

Or use one of my affiliate product links:

I probably shouldn’t be so hung up on the whole Eren’s basement thing but it was the one carrot season one left me with that made me want to keep watching this franchise. And then season two was delayed, multiple times. When we finally got to season two, no basement. It was kind of frustrating, so imagine how happy I was when after a series of pretty great episodes they finally mention getting around to the basement. You know what, that hope alone could probably keep me watching another season without a rewarding pay-off though I hope Attack on Titan isn’t cruel enough to its viewers to do that.

An unbound and ungagged Eren actually manages to really seem small and pathetic this episode until I kind of tried to actually think about his situation. As much as I dislike his particular brand of ‘shout-fest protagonism’ that has been on display since the beginning of this series, Eren’s really been through a lot and his drive to kill the Titans to get out into the world, before that transferred into kill the Titans for revenge, has suddenly become quite hollow even to him. Basically the humans have always had the power to end the titan threat and for 100 years they haven’t and for whatever reason Eren’s father stole that power away from the Reiss’ which left humans completely vulnerable. I kind of actually felt pretty bad for him and really his momentary idea of let’s just let Reiss eat me and then fix things actually doesn’t seem like a truly a terrible plan.

However, we would not be watching this sort of an anime if the rest of his ‘friends’ didn’t rally around and give him a good kick while he is feeling sorry for himself leading to him choosing instead to protect them as the cavern falls down. There’s a lot of plot convenience here in that firstly the right vial fell out of the bag, secondly Eren even in his distressed state and with blood and tears in his eyes read it, and thirdly Eren managed to successfully use the new power in the instant that he gains it, but you know its the kind of spectacle you can dissect or just enjoy so let’s just go with it for now.

Meanwhile, Reiss’ titan form is… interesting? Okay, we’ve had some really disturbing variations on titans over the course of two and a bit seasons but a giant incapable of standing that literally burns everything around it and leaves a path of destruction just by passing through an area is a new one. It also raises the question of how they intend to fight it given you can’t exactly just swing around and chop it in the neck when you would burn before you got near and it is lying on its back (or is it lying on its front, it wasn’t very clear). Either way, not a great plan.

What was nice was seeing Historia taking charge of the discussion as they rode in the wagon and correcting Eren’s false assumptions that somehow having Reiss eat him would be a good idea. Given where the series seems to be pushing her character, this was a nice set up for it.

All and all, this was another pretty solid episode with about the only down side being that Kenny and his group ended up being even less significant than expected. So a lot of build up for very little actual reward before a large number of them got buried in the rubble. It will be interesting to see if any of them come back later but even if they do, they’ve now lost their backer so I doubt they are going to be of much importance (could be wrong on that one but it seems really unlikely).

But, and here is the most important part, we get a solid reminder of the basement and even the characters make a joke that seems to reference the fact that it has been all but forgotten for a very long time by this story. So happy.

Previous Reviews:

• Attack on Titan Series Review
• Attack on Titan Season 2 Series Review
• Season 3 Episode 1: Why Not Add Another Faction
• Season 3 Episode 2: Whatever It Takes
• Season 3 Episode 3: Rewriting the Past Won’t Make It Go Away
• Season 3 Episode 4: A Time For Everything
• Season 3 Episode 5: Yourself or Humanity?
• Season 3 Episode 6: So Many Puzzle Pieces
• Season 3 Episode 7: Two Things I Didn’t Think Possible

Thanks for reading.

Karandi James

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If the second half of season 1 and all of season 2 just kind of made me disenchanted with this show because Attack on Titan didn’t seem interested in exploring its own mysteries, the last few episodes have definitely got me back onside, even if the characters and this world remain as horrible and bleak as ever.

It is undeniably true that a large part of Attack on Titan’s screen time seems devoted to showing us the very ugliest side of human nature. After weeks of having the ‘good’ guys (or at least those attached to the protagonist), torturing, murdering, and generally being ruthless in order to survive the snares laid by those who were even more inclined to protect their own interests we finally had the coup and a rescue mounted for Eren. And yet, this episode still takes time out from explanations and reveals that literally reshape the audience’s perception of the world in order to have one of the allies from the coup shown to be torturing those taken captive for no other real reason other than he really wants to and is enjoying it. It’s a little disconcerting.

As for reveals, there are many but none of them seem fully realised yet as we’re still getting pieces from people who either don’t know the full story or aren’t yet ready to share. Still, this one episode packed in more backstory for Eren, Mikasa, and Historia than we’ve gotten in pretty much every episode up to this one combined so I guess we can’t be too critical of it.

Despite the dense nature of this episode it didn’t feel rushed and it didn’t feel like a continuous information dump. The set up over the last five episodes of this season has naturally led the characters and the audience to this point where finally information has become available and there’s enough chopping and changing going on between scenes of characters discussing events and characters preparing to join the fight to keep things interesting.

And I was wrong about Eren shouting this episode. He’s still gagged though we did hear his thoughts on a number of occasions. I’m thinking he’s just saving his voice for when he’s really going to let loose with some shouting, but in the meantime I’ll enjoy the fact that even though clearly the plot is still focused on Eren his actual presence in the story is still pretty minimal. He may as well be some enchanted ring in a magic cave the Scouts are trying to rescue given he’s done nothing in the last few episodes. Admittedly, unlike an enchanted ring, given even a little leeway he’ll probably attempt to fight his own way out so I guess we’ll see what happens next.

Previous Reviews:

• Attack on Titan Series Review
• Attack on Titan Season 2 Series Review
• Season 3 Episode 1: Why Not Add Another Faction
• Season 3 Episode 2: Whatever It Takes
• Season 3 Episode 3: Rewriting the Past Won’t Make It Go Away
• Season 3 Episode 4: A Time For Everything
• Season 3 Episode 5: Yourself or Humanity?

Thanks for reading.

Karandi James

Consider supporting the blog by:

I’m sure it is pure coincidence that the last three episodes have been among the best Attack on Titan has delivered and Eren being bound and off-screen for the majority of it is not the determining factor. However, I do have to wonder if this should have been the story all along, dealing with the commanders and the politics that have always been behind the scenes, with Eren and the other soldiers simply being the side story. I know which one has been more entertaining so far.

There was a lot to love about this week and how Erwin’s plan, or at least his hope, came together as the selfish and egocentric natures of those in power was demonstrated in its full glory leading to a coup d’etat. However, in case you are thinking we are done with the self-serving and fragmented rule, those who were at the centre of orchestrating it all admit in their own way that they are only acting on their own self-interest. They don’t know that their actions will actually lead to the survival, or even a better outcome, for humanity. All they do know is that they either opposed those in charge, or in Erwin’s case he had come to the end of his road unless he incited this action.

And while Hange might try to put a more positive spin on it by saying individuals all made small choices that resulted in a positive outcome, the outcome is only briefly positive and only for those characters we’ve been asked to care about. We still have no overall plan or understanding and ultimately there’s no guarantee that anything these characters are doing will work out. For all we as the audience know, the false king and those who ruled him might very well have actually been the ones keeping humanity from extinction and now that they are gone its inevitable that they will lose.

I think though, what I loved about this episode is that at first it presented Erwin as a martyr, then as someone who would incite a rebellion and a potential future leader, before admitting he was just doing as he pleased because there was something he wanted. Whether or not he’ll be judged as good or bad in the history books of this world will entirely depend on how his gamble plays out and how many lives are lost or saved.

We could try to put the characters on a sliding scale and we’d probably realise that those who were overthrown were significantly worse because they didn’t even try to pretend that other lives mattered, but ultimately, Attack on Titan reminds us once again about the very ugly side of human nature. While the scouts in the forest might cheer at the news that they are no longer wanted criminals, let’s take a moment to remember that they have in fact killed and tortured to get to this point and they’d do it again in a heart beat if they needed to in order to accomplish their goals. These are the heroes this world has given us and while they fit the world entirely, it paints a pretty bleak picture.

Though, speaking of bleak pictures, things are not looking so great for Eren. If he wasn’t the main character, at the centre of the OP, and if we hadn’t started the season with a vision of him looking much older, I might even be mildly worried for his safety.

Previous Reviews:

• Attack on Titan Series Review
• Attack on Titan Season 2 Series Review
• Season 3 Episode 1: Why Not Add Another Faction
• Season 3 Episode 2: Whatever It Takes
• Season 3 Episode 3: Rewriting the Past Won’t Make It Go Away
• Season 3 Episode 4: A Time For Everything

Thanks for reading.

Karandi James

Consider supporting the blog by:

After the almost breakneck action of last week, this week we hit the breaks hard as a very bleak picture begins to get painted. While some balance between the two extremes might have been nice, there’s definitely something promising about the direction this is heading.

Attack on Titan this week seemed to go to fairly lengthy efforts to fill in some details about the world, lingering on Historia recalling her childhood, Hange explaining things to the other scouts, and Erwin’s current scheme and motivation (which is shot down almost as soon as it is formed, unless that was also part of his plan). There’s a lot of talking but unlike the episode in season two where we essentially hung around in the trees for a whole episode chatting, this kind of felt like it was bringing pieces of the puzzle into clearer focus even if it wasn’t yet ready to put them together.

It has been a fair while since I felt the narrative of Attack on Titan was actually going somewhere so despite the lack of action this week, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I also enjoyed the small character moments. Levi and Hange’s interaction after she kicks the table is fantastic to watch and there are a number of observations about their relationship and personality that you could draw from the scene. Although, that did make me wonder how much better things might have been if these two more interesting characters were the leads from the beginning rather than Eren and Mikasa.

Did I mention Eren spent the whole episode gagged? An entire episode free of Eren speaking… I won’t say that made the episode better but it certainly prevented his usual shout fest or immature declarations. That said, his comments to Historia in the first episode this season did demonstrate that he had grown up a bit and it is kind of a shame that since then he hasn’t really had a chance to prove whether that impression was true or not.

Okay, I was cautious returning for a third season of this, but these first three episodes have done a lot to re-engage me. This might just be setting me up for future disappointments, but for now I’m pretty happy with how this is going.

Previous Reviews:

• Attack on Titan Series Review
• Attack on Titan Season 2 Series Review
• Season 3 Episode 1: Why Not Add Another Faction
• Season 3 Episode 2: Whatever It Takes

Thanks for reading.

Karandi James

Consider supporting the blog by: