Review
Review | Attack on Titan: The Final Season Pt. 2
Attack on Titan: The Final Season Pt. 2 sets the foundation for the final showdown while adding more depth to an emotionally strong series.
I Wanted to Believe That There Would be no More Hell
Attack on Titan: The Final Season Pt. 1 was a radical departure from when the series first started while also setting the foundation for the conclusion. Attack on Titan: The Final Season Pt. 2 is the payoff that fans have been waiting for and it was worth the wait. What started as a world shrouded in mystery has now become a battlefield dominated by a cycle of blood and vengeance. It’s also a world that has changed the characters we love and put them in a difficult situation.
The Final Season Pt. 2 is a story of how a hero transforms into the very thing they despised and the consequences of everyone’s actions. At the same time, it’s a story of the need to end the cycle of hate while also making amends for your true sins. Compared to past seasons, this is one that will be emotionally heavy and toiling for both the characters along with the viewer.
It should be noted that I’m mostly anime only (I’ve read some of the manga), hence this review will not be comparing The Final Season Pt. 2 with the manga but will rate it based on its own merit.
Shinzo wo Sasageyo!
Spoiler Warning: For anyone not caught up.
Set right where Pt 1 left off, the Jaegerists have taken control of Paradis Island while the Marley launches their counter-attack. During the battle, the Jaeger brothers are able to reunite but they each have radically different goals. Eren is able to take control of the Founding Titan and uses it to unleash the Rumbling. The end results in the Paradise Military leadership being wiped out and the Jaegerists in complete control while the Marley military retreats back to the mainland.
However; not everyone supports Eren’s and Jaegerists vision. Mikasa, Armin, Jean, and Connie team up with Reiner along with the remnants of the Marley forces on the island. They must put their differences aside and stop Eren from massacring the world. To do so they must also confront their former comrades in the Jaegerists, as they will do whatever it takes for Eren to accomplish his goal.
What Should I Throw Away to Surpass the Devil
At its core, Attack on Titan is a metaphor for the complex geopolitical landscape of the modern age told through the tragedy of Eren Jeager. Once an idealist who was curious about the world only to be transformed by his desire for revenge and the horrors of war. In the end, he has become the very thing he has loathed his entire life. In other words, he is the classic tragic hero who ends up becoming the villain.
Acting as a foil to Eren’s lust for vengeance are his once family, friends, and compatriots. All who have joined forces with their enemy with the shared goal of wanting to end this cycle of violence (but not how Eren wants it). However, it’s not an easy alliance as mistrust and bad blood still run deep between the two parties. At its core; this is the focus of The Final Season Pt.2.
Similar to The Final Season Pt.1, the focus is not on Eren Jeager but everyone who will be affected by his actions. Here we experience what is happening from different perspectives (from Survey Corps to Marlyan forces). We get to learn about the story of Ymir Fritz and more about Annie Leonhart’s upbringing. Finally; many are also given the chance to make amends for their past sins by doing the right thing (regardless of their own well-being).
This is a testament to the dramatic brevity of the overall series’ ability to showcase the horrors and struggles of people that take center stage in a complex geopolitical landscape.
Those Who Betray the Passing Days
Attack on Titan: The Final Season Pt. 2 might be one of the most unforgettable anime’s of the year but it also has some problems. Like with past seasons, the only real issue is that some episodes were not properly paced. By this I mean transitioning from one moment to another looked like a rush job. There are also several episodes that would ended while the tension was building or at the worst point. This can be attributed to the shows 30min runtime not being factored in when creating some of these episodes.
Even though this has been an issue with past seasons, this season did not have the most poorly paced moments. Thankfully the issue was was minor and only limited to a few episodes.
Night of the End
Everything has come full circle in Attack on Titan: The Final Season Pt. 2 as a beloved hero has become the villain. Blood has been spilled between friends and brothers in arms. All of this is now the foundation for an exciting conclusion to one of the most groundbreaking works.
Attack on Titan: The Final Season Pt. 2 sets the foundation for the final showdown while adding more depth to an emotionally strong series. This has been a season of character development and transformation while taking fans on an unforgettable journey. All of this is not new to fans and it’s why the series has been a masterpiece of pop-culture.
It’s going to be a long wait but it will be worth it once The Final Season Pt. 3 premieres.
Disclaimer: I watched the entire season on Crunchyroll, which I pay for myself.
8Bit/Digi is an independent media outlet that provides an insight into the video game community and industry of the San Francisco Bay Area.
Attack on Titan: The Final Season Pt. 2
10
Pros
- Eren has completed his transformation from hero to villain.
- Emotionally driven story with complex themes.
- Other characters have the chance to grow.
Cons
- Some episodes were poorly paced and ended abruptly.
Stan Rezaee
Stan Rezaee is the founder and Editor of 8Bit/Digi. He is a journalist and gamer from the Bay Area who has been writing about the medium for over five years.
For a SF Bay Area gamer blog, you seem to go above and beyond to praise this fascist propaganda.For a while every critic has been calling out Attack on Titan for its pro Nazi themes but you seem to praise each season without mentioning the fascist subtext. Is this gamer blog run by tech bros or real progressives because I would really love to know!
Dude I love Attack on Titan but you are too much of a fan boy with your review. An 8 or 9 I get but a 10 is just too high.
You need to chill out
Part 2 Finale, filling out some really key flashbacks, is probably AoT doing this in the most effective way. There’s the cute stuff (Sasha! Ice cream!) there’s the plot stuff (Eren’s meetings with Zeke, Historia) the thematic stuff (all those hints and motifs) and so much perspective- Of the oppressed (Marley people are still pretty hateful), for Mikasa, who gets her most introspective moments since Season 1, and especially how much Eren is conflicted, thanks to the knowledge he now possesses.
Attack on Titan is one of the best animes not saying its the best, one of. Absolute peak. The ending is an ok ending with incredible themes but could use a little bit better execution, neither amazing nor horrible.
Dude you sound less like a critic and more like an IMDB fanboy pumping up the review score. I get it that you love Attack on Titan and its your favorite show but The Final Season Pt 2 was not a 10/10 seasson. Maybe an 8/10 but they are seriously trying to milk it like Game of Thrones.
“Dawn of Humanity” was a banger. And Season 4 had several more, mostly when Eren was around, where it was at its most interesting. But fleshing out the others in his absence was more hit or miss imo. Armin barely had anything to do, for example. Levi was sidelined to injury. Annie is back and they barely address how their last interaction was her killing all their friends. This Part 2 Finale, filling out some really key flashbacks, is probably AoT doing this in the most effective way. There’s the cute stuff (Sasha! Ice cream!) there’s the plot stuff (Eren’s meetings with Zeke, Historia) the thematic stuff (all those hints and motifs) and so much perspective.
Im still loving Attack on Titan but please don’t end like Game of Thrones or do Levi dirty.