User Reviews

Where to begin with Attack on Titan?

This is a show about the cycle of violence, of devastation, and how perpetuating the sins of the past will only create further sins. And this special focuses on the characters, who've all been victims of this hateful cycle, all best seen through Eren himself.

In "Declaration of War", Eren comments that he's the same as Reiner, and we open the special on understanding why he feels that way. In Eren's eyes, Reiner was there to kill everyone on Paradis, yet he joined the Scout Regiment and saved many people's lives, including that of Eren himself. Why? Why bother saving people who you're going to kill anyways? And then, he sees a boy, an immigrant pickpocketing in the hopes of giving his family a better life having been caught and beaten in a back alley. He's seen the future. He knows that this boy will die in the Rumbling. And yet, he saves him anyways, breaking down after the fact.

This is why Attack on Titan is such a good show: no matter how many narrative elements it's juggling, its focus is on its characters, giving immense depth to their actions. As we approach the end, the writing is focused on giving these characters a thematically resonant ending, and its slower pace allows its character moments to breathe.

Speaking of writing, Hiroshi Seko, the scriptwriter for Attack on Titan, commented that with these specials, he wanted the series to feel like a movie. In that regard, this show passes with flying colors. It has a grand scale across the board both narratively and production-wise, and the direction helps enhance that feeling enormously.

MAPPA's animation has come a long, long way from "The Other Side of the Sea". From Hange's action-packed final stand to the emotional power of Eren's aforementioned breakdown to the utter horror that the Rumbling brings with it, the adaptation no longer feels like it's scrambling to keep up with the manga: rather, it's elevating it, taking its source material and doubling down on the emotions it evokes to stellar results. Kohta Yamamato's score goes a long way in furthering this, mixing callbacks to older music with newer pieces that are among his best work.

In conclusion, this is a phenomenal episode of television, packed with numerous powerful character moments alongside the grandiose action that this show is known for. Attack on Titan has become a modern classic, and this episode is a prime example of why that is.

The beginning of the episode shows Eren's doubts and the regrets of the rumbling and the horrible death of that child he helped... Not even 5 minutes into the episode and I was heartbroken.

Then, the insight of the characters of the alliance was perfect (I'd have loved a kiss between Armin and Annie ngl) Hange scene and her entering an afterlife reality with Erwin was something I liked a lot and I was so close to starting to cry.

Then, while on the plane, the alliance talks with Eren on the coordinate alternate dimension and it's so human the desperation of the characters, apologising and begging as much as they can to stop the rumbling, but Eren made a decision the second he started this, the decision to keep moving forward, and to fight the entire world for freedom to the Island of Paradis.

Then, at the final part of the episode on this last marleyan base, it gave me hope that the marleyan general told the people and the remaining of the army the big error they made treating with such hate and xenophobia the Paradis people, and to stop it once and for all, even with the rumbling right in front of their eyes. I hope Eren heard that... I just want so bad an alternate anime ending.

I still have to watch other animes and tv shows, but damn, the humanity and feelings in this one just... Amaze me. Not even great movies or other great shows hit me this hard, and usually the movies that are about saving the world are so cliché or not that dramatic at all, but the tragedy of Attack on Titan is just unmatchable by any production I've seen. I've heard the ending is polemic, and I'm scared, it would be a disaster if the ending ruins this beautifully crafted story.

The last part of the series was eagerly anticipated by fans after a year-long wait, but unfortunately, it failed to deliver on many levels. The majority of the episode was filled with tedious and unimportant dialogue, leaving me feeling bored and disengaged. The brief five-minute action scene at the end was cool, but not enough.

One of the biggest issues with the episode was its inconsistent plot development. For example, Hange's sudden ability to kill multiple colossal titans with ease seemed to contradict previous seasons, where they struggled with similar situations. It was an obvious plot armor. Her death was cool tho.

Another issue was the writers' attempt to create a sudden shift in the Marleyans' attitude towards Eldia. The writers tried to somehow convince us that Marleyans had a change of heart and would never attack Eldia again, but the sudden change of heart seemed implausible and forced.

Overall, the latest episode left much to be desired, failing to deliver on its promise of a satisfying continuation of the series. I am feeling disappointed and frustrated with the lack of action, inconsistent plot development, and forced character arcs. Hopefully, the final episodes will redeem the series and wrap it up with a proper conclusion.

This episode could have been done much better.

I mean the first 10 minutes and last 10 minutes we really well done but man was there no drama. Everything feel stretched and dragged out, I was BEGGING for them to just get on with it. I understand they're trying to wrap up character arcs, but for an hour episode you don't want to sit down and constantly listen to characters talk. I mean this episode didn't have much action so why did it take this long to release.

Hanges death felt stupid, and cringe, it's like she just died for the sake of it, I literally felt no emotion and completely forget about it. I can understand trying to stop the rumbling because it's wrong and it's genocide, but seriously risking your life just to protect you're enemies? Also a thought, would Eren seriously crush his friends, in that situation if nobody stepped up to slow down the rumbling? He wants his friends to have 'freedom' but his friends will live likely miserably lives knowing, They have millions of peoples blood on their hand.

This episode is a mess man, the saving grace was the first 10 minutes and the fight scene at the end, and flochs death which was done EXTREMELY well. He stayed loyal to the end, and his last words cemented him as one of the best aot characters, but that's all I can say about this mess of an episode.

I heard the ending was poor, which got me even less hyped considering this episode, and supposedly poor ending.

The strongest start to an episode I have seen. The first 15 minutes were the best I have seen in fiction. Eren's character reached new heights in making him one of the best and most complex characters there is. The cruel state that the world is, is shown with the death of Ramzi and Halil together with all other eldians and marleyans that died in a horrific way. Eren's breakdown to Ramzi was heartbreaking and beautifully done. We also got to see the complexity of Eren's freedom. Later the story progresses with alliance trying to take off with the flying boat to stop Eren. Hange was definitely the spotlight of the middle part of the story. Emotional and epic. In the end we see the airships trying to take down Eren but it's no use. Hopes were shattered until the alliance stepped in. The sequence of alliance flying off the boat was the best animated sequence Mappa has done. The episode ended in a cliffhanger as always but it's worth waiting for AOT. Best episode. 10/10.

The first quarter-hour is chapter 131, when they announced part 3, i thought they'd release it in episodes. So I wanted to review just for Chapter 131's episode. Ch. 131 "The Rumbling" is the best written fictional chapter i have ever read in my entire fkn life. For that, thank you, Isayama Sensei.

In the first 15 minutes, the pain I felt was real, the terror i felt was real. The symbolism, the converging point of the main theme of the entire Attack on Titan story, Freedom. The Cost of Freedom was quite high. The weight of choosing tough choices. Eren admitting he's just like Reiner but even worse. And then the most iconic sequence of all, THIS IS FREEDOM. God.....! The Symbolism combined with horror and chills-giving intricate dialogues, it's really.....just incredible. I've never read anything like it before.

Now, about the fantastic animation from Mappa, hands down. Flaws were very few, overall terrific animation. As always, the sound-mixing and composing, the best I've heard from television. Gotta admit that due to the fact that I've read these chapters numerous times, the shock factor had low effect on me but still those first 15 minutes and Hange's fight sequence hit me real deep. Now, The ultimate part to return in about 7-8 months. The Theme Cover by SiM was once again outstanding. Sung in Mikasa's perspective.

What a way to start the beginning of the end of the series. The opening scene was easily one of the darkest things I've seen in a tv show. I'm glad that they made the decision to start the episode with that scene to further more show the horrifying consequences of Eren's actions. It was extremely gruesome and didn't shy away from letting people know about it which is how it should be in my eyes.

Eren is easily one of the most complicated characters in history. Not in a bad way, but in a way while you don't stand for what he's doing, you can see how he got there and why he's going in that direction. Writing an Anti-Hero has to be very difficult to a degree and I think it was done best with Walter White in Breaking Bad, but I love how the show made me feel bad in a way knowing Eren might be manipulating himself by the fact that his future is already set out for him and maybe he's feeling pressure to keep moving forward because of that alone.

*SPOILERS*

Going into the later half of the first part of the episode, we get probably one of my top 5 favorite scenes of the show, which means a lot considering this is AOT. Hange's final moments were so surreal to me. Her handing the reigns of commander to Armin, her final goodbye to Levi, and Levi telling her to give her heart was so great to see. And one thing I noticed is the symbolism in her death compared to Erwin's death and Armin's "death" in season 3. Erwin bought Levi time to get to the Beast / Hange bought the group time to fix the plane. Armin went out in flames / Hange went out in flames. Not to mention how great the soundtrack was as usual, and the otherworldly animation from Mappa. This was a peak final scene for a character and well deserved for Hange.

While the second half was a little slower, I loved the scene where the group was sent to the paths, and even though they were eager to stop Eren they were very sincere in the way they were doing it and I thought that added so much to the scene considering how authentic they were while being so insistent on stopping Eren. I also like how they addressed that Eren could erase their memories because this was something I thought Eren would do that would make him even more unstoppable, but it does make a lot of sense with his character that he'd give them the free will to do as they want.

Also shoutout to the man with the white hair who gave that speech to the Marleyan citizens. From my knowledge he didn't have much screen time in the show (or any at all) but he gave an incredible speech that I thought was Erwin level that needed some appreciation.

The final scene was a great way to end this episode with the group flying out of the plane getting ready to attempt their last stand at Eren. I'm curious to how the writer finds a way for them to kill Eren since it seems nearly impossible.

Also considering that a lot of manga readers hated the ending, I don't see how the show can decline from here. I hope I'm right but nonetheless the show has been nothing short of stellar from this point to the beginning. As a huge Breaking Bad fan I could see AOT taking it over with a great ending, but nonetheless I'm grateful to have witnessed such amazing and unique storytelling and I'm excited for the ending.

Final Episode Rating - 9.8.

This episode is just 10/10 story, 10/10 ost and 10/10 character moments all round. The rumbling perfectly encapsulates the irony of Eren's character, for someone who chases freedom to no end, to project that childish desire onto the dream Armin had, to explore the outside world, and pretending that they shared the same vision of that dream, so much so that he regresses into his childlike state as he savours the scenery from above the cloud-like titan smoke, oblivious to the carnage caused by his unchecked and misguided ambition. It's a masterpiece of both storytelling and score with Hayashi and Isayama at their best.

And we end off the first chapter with Armin's hopeful monologue in a meta narrative sense, hoping that us viewers could fight back against the unending cycle of conflict that is in our nature, that our world could be so much different from the one they inhabit, juxtaposed with Eren's aversion of his gaze from the conflict on the ground as he lies dormant in his titan, communicating ignorance which in his words, is the furthest removed from freedom.

The second part encapsulates the spirit of the Survey Corps best-the Wings of Freedom as they call it, with Pieck continuing to wear the SC uniform as she emboldens her warrior ideals to Hange's selfless sacrifice going in swords blazing against the waves of colossal titans with BAUKLOTZE in the background, much like her predecessors before, while Armin takes up the mantle of commander, as someone who champions understanding the other party so well, which sets him apart from other traditional leader candidates like Jean. The alliance departs for their final battle on the plane as a result, soaring into the air with their own wings of freedom, as it symbolises the main casts' struggle for freedom and autonomy, a metaphor for the main casts' desire to break free from the constraints and oppression the world has bestowed upon them and soar to new heights.

Finally, the last part emphasizes the theme of guilt and responsibility that is heavily present as the characters struggle with their past actions and the weight they carry as a result. Eren, in particular, embodies this theme as he refuses to back down from his decision to initiate the Rumbling and sees it as the only way to atone for the sins of his ancestors and the mistakes he has made himself. His determination to follow through with the Rumbling, despite the pleas and attempts at understanding from his friends, showcases the burden of guilt he carries and his inability to let go of it.

This theme is further highlighted through the conversation between the characters, as they reflect on their own guilt and try to take responsibility for their past actions. Jean, Connie, and Reiner all express remorse for their roles in the war and the lives they have taken, while Armin and the others try to reassure them and shoulder the blame themselves. However, despite their efforts, the characters are unable to fully move past their guilt and find resolution, much like Eren's inability to let go of his own. It suggests that the characters see themselves as being unworthy of forgiveness and incapable of moving forward, trapped in a cycle of guilt and responsibility.

The first ten minutes of the episode is a grand spectacle of the destruction of all life under the rumbling feet of the colossals while the final ten emphasises the hope in the depths of despair with the alliance's descent on Eren while Armin questions Eren's notion of freedom. The following part will be a spectacle to behold for sure.

There is no doubt about it, this is the best episode of Attack on Titan by a long stretch, and will be remembered by generations to come for the masterpiece that it is. A wonderful penultimate TV special.

I thought this special episode was enjoyable and had some really good aspects to it like the Artwork for example I thought looked excellent. I've always said that MAPPA's art style compared to WIT is much better during slow paced non action scenes and it just looks absolutely fantastic. I liked the extra little dialogue they added into the anime that weren't a part of the manga, I thought they were very clever about that. I loved the soundtrack they chose for the episode, but I thought that some of the music just didn't match the scenes that were happening on screen, and I thought some of it was a bit overbearing. For example, Hange's death scene I thought the music was just so out of place. It sounded so casual, and the vocals of the singer were so damn loud that it was just too much and exaggerated, it was almost cringe. Not only that but the pacing of the scene, it was like Hange was just some NPC no one cared about and just immediately moved on and the emotion of the scene just simply wasn't there, felt rushed, which makes sense considering how rushed the manga's final chapters are, so I can't hold MAPPA to that too much.

Aside from all of this, the biggest gripe I have with MAPPA ever since they've taken over Attack on Titan, has been MAPPA's animation when it comes to fast paced, action/ODM scenes. Biased fans keep saying how amazing the ODM scenes look but I'm sorry they look ASBOLUTELY GOD AWFUL. One of the most important and for me the best part of AOT that really drew my interest in this series was the animation in their action scenes being incredibly well done and the transitions being so smooth and buttery. I'm not saying this as some WIT loyalist because I think MAPPA is incredible and I love all of their work they do but when it comes to AOT, WIT studios animation in their action scenes were just so well done, that it makes MAPPA look like a joke. The action scenes in this episode looked terrible, the ODM movement looks so stiff, and it looks like the character is lagging, like the TV is still trying to render what is happening on screen. It takes me out of the immersion of the show, and it has been this way ever since the very first episode MAPPA has taken over. It ruined the anime for me to be completely honest, but it is what it is. Hopefully it gets better.

I thought the voice acting was excellent as well. I loved the light hearted interactions between Armin, Annie and Mikasa. Overall 7/10.

What a joke. Mappa has turned what should have been an incredible episode into something that is tone deaf and emotionally manipulative. Guys! You're supposed to feel sad in this episode! The music is really sad! You're supposed to feel sad about Reiner's mom! Here's a pointless montage of her as a parent! Feel sad!!!

By far one of the ugliest shows I've ever seen. The character expressions are over the top and grotesque in the wrong way.

Pointless dialogue pad out most of the episode with platitudes and fake deep nonsense about morals and motives.

Literally a joke, can't wait to see how bad the next episode is.

This was so good! The animation, the action and the soundtrack were all on point and the stakes were high. This one hour long special was worth the wait for me, but I do hope that we don't have to wait that long for the last part though. Overall there was lots of great moments in this episode, it was definitely dark and gritty, it had a lot of emotional and intense moments. We had the flashback to erens time in Marley and get to understand his motivations a bit more, hange going all out and holding off the colossal titans, the group reflecting on what to do and how their past actions could've changed things, the final 10 minutes were very intense and had a great soundtrack. Overall it was movie quality and I can't wait for the next part!