Is this the Greatest Show Ever?
So, I’ve finished watching Attack on Titan Season 3 Part 2 as well, and I honestly don’t even know where to start, when there’s so much to say, words just fail you. But if I had to sum up all my feelings in a single sentence, this is easily one of the greatest arcs among every anime I’ve ever watched.
The core premise of this arc was so simple, yet everything that unfolded was genuinely unexpected. I found myself wondering how they were ever going to survive or escape, as there seemed to be no way out at all. And can I really just call this a war? Because it truly felt like a full scale war arc, people fought with everything they had, and some even gave up their lives. You have to make predictions, analyze the situation, and whether your choices turn out right or wrong, you just have to trust yourself and others to keep moving forward. Oh god, this arc was absolute perfection.
One thing I really liked about this show is how it puts characters in situations that are truly difficult to escape from. And this time, they completely nailed it when Levi had to make a choice. Saving Erwin made more sense, while on the other hand, Eren and Mikasa knew this but refused to accept it. When Eren lists Armin's achievements to Levi so that he would save him, and when he asks Levi about the ocean, that was deeply emotional too. Erwin's fate was clear the moment he charged forward with the soldiers, but I hadn't expected that Armin was willing to do this as well. Both Erwin and Armin abandoned their dreams to fight for humanity in that moment, but only one could survive. When Erwin refused the injection, just seeing that was enough but then we realize that this world was a living hell, and maybe passing away was actually better for him.
Floch isn't wrong from his perspective either when you look at it from his point of view. If we were in his shoes, we would have hated Armin too. Even though Armin got a second life, he now carries a massive burden he has to live with, and he’ll constantly have to prove himself, which he has always been doing anyway, and even Erwin trusted him in his final moments.
And Jean’s leadership, remember that scene where Hange tells everyone to kill Reiner, and everyone hesitates, but then Jean yells that Reiner is their enemy now, forcing everyone to move forward? But later, when a defeated Reiner is right before him and Hange is about to execute him, Jean tries to stop them and makes excuses. When Reiner escapes, Jean blames himself. I absolutely love these realistic human behaviors in AOT.
Speaking of Jean, that brings up Marco. At the start of the arc, I only expected to find out what was in the basement and maybe learn about Reiner’s homeland. But Marco’s death, which had completely slipped my mind, got revealed, which is wild because I hadn't even thought about it. By the end of Season 1, I assumed Annie killed him, but I never questioned why he was killed. Then we find out it wasn't just Annie. Marco crying in complete confusion, asking over and over what was happening, and finally screaming 'Help me!' was devastating. The very people he considered his friends left him to be eaten by a Titan.
That exact scene was mirrored with Bertholdt at the end. When Armin as Titan was about to eat him, Bertholdt forgot that just moments earlier he was calling everyone enemies, and he started begging them for help. It was so tragic how this war pushed them to a point where they no longer had an ounce of sympathy left for Bertholdt or Reiner.
One theme I’ve seen repeatedly in this series is that to win, people have to kill their humanity. Near the end of Season 1, I think Erwin (or someone in the Scouts) was saying that if Eren abandons his humanity, they will win, I don't remember it clearly, but we’ve seen this happen again and again. Whenever someone hesitates to kill, the trouble and danger only increase. Erwin has to sacrifice many of his soldiers, Levi's squad gets killed by Annie, here, Jean hesitates and Reiner escapes. Anyone who fails to make those hard decisions ends up living with that heavy burden.
Erwin was my absolute favorite character, and his survival made complete sense, I genuinely wanted him to survive because, while I like Armin, Erwin is my favorite.
You really have to respect Levi. His entire Scout squad was wiped out, his father figure died right before his eyes, and he lost his mentor, yet he held no resentment toward Eren or Armin. Instead, he took the crushing burden of that choice entirely upon himself, just like Hange did when Reiner escaped.
At first, I thought Hange was just crazy, but I’ve grown to really like them too. When almost every character is developing so beautifully and showing so many complex layers, Mikasa somehow gets overshadowed in comparison. I don't know, maybe I haven't paid enough attention, but so far I haven't seen that much growth in her. Most of the time, she's just shouting Eren's name. I don't hate her, but she hasn't done anything yet that makes me truly love her character.
What I really wanted to see from her was an internal struggle. In Season 1, when Mikasa received the news of Eren's death, she didn't overreact because she prioritized her duty. But while fighting, she had that realization, if Eren isn't around, why is she even doing any of this? If the show had focused more on that specific struggle between duty and personal emotions, I think her character would have been much better.
Then, after all this war comes the basement reveal, and can I say that this is hands down the best plot twist in any anime to date? Because this reveal completely flipped the entire story on its head. Just think about it, if they had put in all that effort only to find something predictable like a cure or an antidote to turn Titans back into humans, it would have been so cliché. But what they actually did expanded the scope and the world of the show immensely.
The story started as a simple humanity vs. Titans plot, and the way it evolved is mind blowing. As someone who mainly watches battle shonen, when people initially told me to watch this show, saying it's about giant Titans, humanity locked inside walls, and a main character seeking freedom, I thought, 'How far can they really take a concept like this?' But looking back now, I realize how horribly I underestimated it.
Everything that unfolded and was revealed by the end of the season... I don't think Eren was even able to process it properly. Right from the beginning, his Titan form took a heavy physical and mental toll on him, which I assumed he had overcome. But perhaps it wasn't just the Titan form, the immense pressure and internal conflict were slowly consuming him from the inside. At the very end, when everyone was joyfully playing in the ocean, Eren was tormented by the terrifying reality that enemies were waiting for them on the other side. And then he asked, if they kill everyone over there, will they finally be free?
That line didn't surprise me too much because we've seen him gradually change, and his fear is completely valid. But I am also left confused about where the story goes from here. Until now, they were just trying to figure things out and defend themselves. So if the Marleyans don't make a move, will the Eldians just stay quiet too?
Grisha’s past was so tragic as well. The man from whom he received the Attack Titan power also introduced himself as Eren, and he told Grisha to save Mikasa and Armin. That was extremely confusing to me, and even Kruger himself didn't know why he was saying that. But then we also learn that there are numerous paths that converge at a single coordinate, paths that transcend both space and time.
Could it be that Titan powers don't just transmit memories from past users, but also reveal information about future inheritors? But if so, why did he specifically say to save Mikasa and Armin, and not Eren? Or were those actually Eren’s own memories speaking through someone to save Mikasa and Armin? Eren even tearfully tells Levi during the serum choice that Armin is the one who will save humanity, not him, so what is Mikasa's role in all of this?
And as far as the name is concerned, I think Grisha named his son after that man out of gratitude.
So these were all my thoughts. Before wrapping up, I had a few criticisms as well. The animation was great, just like in previous seasons, but the CGI was truly awful. Earlier, whenever the Colossal Titan appeared, it was only for a short time and didn't move around much. But when an all out fight was about to happen, they probably shouldn't have used CGI because it looked really bad.
Also, while I appreciated all the information and lore, on the other hand, I wished the pacing in those sections had been a bit slower so we had more time to catch our breath. But overall, it was so good that I can easily overlook those issues. I'm extremely excited for the final season, and maybe I'll review the final season in three parts.
So, I rated the first season a 9.5, the second a 9.8, and I would give this season a 9.9.