The last remaining members of the Survey Corps

By Illustrator Michelle Sugimoto

@/Crunchyroll

No Words

God damn, God DAMN, I finally had a chance to sit down and watch Part 3 of the Final Season of “Attack on Titan”, and I really just have no words.  I’m just completely blown away.  MAPPA has done such an indescribably stellar job on every part of this last arc of maybe the greatest story ever written in manga form, and they do not disappoint here.  The gravitas of this hour long episode, including the naked brutality of the opening showing us the true horror of the Rumbling, and Eren’s own monstrosity, was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever had the true privilege to see in animation.  This isn’t a children’s show, as the manga itself was never a children’s story.  This is one of the most intensely relevant and truthful depictions I’ve ever seen of not only the horrors of war and violence, but the tragedy of the human condition.  They not only left Isayama’s panels uncensored here, but even added scenes which drove home the true brutality and tragedy of what Eren was doing.  Seriously, that entire opening sequence left me breathless.  I was just sitting here, stunned, while watching it. Again, this story is such an unvarnished and sincere look at the tragedy of war and the human capacity for violence, and really, in many ways, the inescapability of that nature within us.  I’ve always applauded Isayama for his commitment to that tragedy, and not giving in to the temptation of a happy ending in which all is well and right with the world, in which Eren is able to be redeemed, in which the cycle of violence is miraculously stopped.  Like Erwin once said, as long as there is more than one person, there will always be war.  And this episode by MAPPA captured that deeply dark, ugly and somber reality with such immensity and truth. It’s one of the greatest pieces of cinema I’ve ever seen. That really isn’t hyperbole.  I had tears in my eyes at several points watching this episode.  The cinematic quality and standard of MAPPA’s work remains as first rate as ever.

Hange’s moment, man... Again, I’m left speechless.  Hange really was the hero of this episode.  Their sacrifice, and the way it was rendered here by MAPPA, again, the brutality of it (and I know I keep using that word, but I really can’t find any other), watching them take down Colossal Titan after Colossal Titan, before finally succumbing to the heat, the way they caught on fire, and yet even still, as they were burning alive, they continued to fight and managed to take out one last Titan... Ah, it’s got me all fucked up just thinking about it.  They truly gave their all in the end to save humanity. 

And their farewell with Levi, just... oof, man.  Hange really was Levi’s last, remaining friend from the old days, and he has to watch them go, and there’s nothing he can do to save them, nothing he can do to help.  Another burden on his shoulders, another sense of his immense strength failing to matter.  And again, I have to commend MAPPA here, and their attention to detail.  Levi’s difficulty in even squeezing the trigger of his ODM gear drove home just how WEAK Levi still is at this point in the story.  For all the people that try to criticize him for not being able to do more, for not being enough of a force in the final battle, I think this one, small scene of his physical frailty should shut all those people up.  Because it makes crystal clear to the audience just how physically hurt Levi is, how he’s joining his comrades through nothing but sheer will alone.  His difficulty in performing a physical task which, through this ENTIRE series, Levi was more adept at, more capable of, more powerful in, than any other character, and yet, his hands shake here, and he has to grit his teeth and struggle to accomplish it, it proves Levi’s dedication and determination, even through his own deep impairment.  He’s in no shape to be fighting, and yet he does.  He has to, and he does.  That, like Hange, is the choice of a hero.

The same to all the cast.  Armin, Mikasa, Reiner, Jean, Connie, Pieck, and even Annie, eventually. 

I think MAPPA did an incredible job of conveying the true hopelessness of this situation.  The absolutely minuscule chances of success.  And yet here we are, our hero’s arriving to do what they can, regardless of the odds. 

And then there’s Eren.  Eren, who I will always maintain is one of the most compelling and tragic character’s I’ve ever seen.  While we see his undoubted and terrifying monstrosity on full display, and we understand truly, without question, that he has become the villain of this story, we also see in the flashback to his time in Marley, and his interaction with Ramzi, Eren’s humanity, his remorse, his self-loathing, and his regret.  And it’s that humanity we see in Eren, that genuine horror at what he knows he’s going to do, that makes his final actions all the more horrific and unforgivable.  Because he IS human.  He isn’t a monster.  He’s a human being.  And he chooses to do this.  He chooses to, because he WANTS to, just like he admits tearfully and with genuine remorse to Ramzi.  Is there anything more heartbreaking than that?  Eren’s betrayal of humanities hope is so impactful and so hard to accept because of that humanity.  Because we learned to love and care for and root for him over the entire course of this long journey, only to see him fail so utterly.  My heart bleeds for Eren, even as I know he’s become an unredeemable monster. 

My hat’s off to MAPPA, man.  I’m just floored by this first part of “Attack on Titan’s” conclusion.  I couldn’t be more impressed, or more satisfied with the seriousness with which this very serious story is treated here.  This is art, truly.  This is a story which speaks with total sincerity to the human condition.  And MAPPA has brought it so spectacularly to life.  Thank you MAPPA, and most of all, thank you Hajime Isayama for writing this incredible tale of human will, determination, dreams, triumph, tragedy, violence, cruelty, hate, fear, love, friendship and hope. 

I’m gonna’ stop now before I make myself cry.

I don’t think there’s ever going to be another manga or anime that hits harder or means more than “Attack on Titan”.  It’s truly a masterpiece, and in a class all it’s own. 

Yesterday, I am finally caught up on Attack on Titan anime series. Now I will be waiting for Attack on Titan: The Final Season Part 3 to be released in 2023.

cinematic parallels

"Stay Alive. That's An Order." ~ Levi

Attack On Titan Final Season (Part 3)

10 years bond of levihan

MAPPA with these talented animators really nailed the horror and the cruelty of the Rumbling.

The worst nightmare you ever have where what you can see is just blood everywhere, despair and yells of the victims.

final episode of attack on titan!!

im so glad i was able to watch this episode, this will always be my favourite anime. although i did cry a lot im so happy to see the ending!

850 → 854

Moblit used his right hand to save Hange’s life and uses the same hand to welcome her into the afterlife 

Mikasa Ackerman

Ugh, I know I said it before already, but watching Ramzi and his brother die in the Rumbling was fucking horrible.  I mean that in the best way.  The fact they didn’t shy away from showing Ramzi getting his head crushed underneath the foot of one of the Colossal Titans, with all the gruesome and vicious imagery from the manga, was gutsy as hell.  The fear of that moment, the breathtaking finality of it, the cruelty of it, the tragedy of it.  I kept thinking while watching it, Jesus, these poor kids, they must have been so scared before they died.  It’s just so horrible.  The fact that Ramzi was a character who we actually got to know fairly well made the impact so much bigger too.  When you see what happens to him and his brother here, and then you remember particularly his interaction with Levi, the fact that Levi rescued him from an angry mob and then just let him have his money purse after he stole it, you compare these two moments, and the starkness of contrast is incredibly effecting.  The moment with Levi is maybe one of the only times in his young life that Ramzi was treated with kindness by a stranger.  The other, ironically, being with Eren who rescued him from being beaten up.  And when we next see him, we see that his hand’s been cut off for stealing, and just minutes later, he’s dead, crushed underfoot BY Eren.  It’s just so cruel and so unfair.  It drives home so well just how monstrous it is, what Eren’s doing.  No one in their right mind could watch a scene like that and think Eren’s actions are meant to be taken as anything but evil.

It's finally over

Aot is over and I have so much emotion that I can't process yet. I am so grateful for that show. I have been following it for 7 years, and it brought me to this wonderful fandom and introduced me to my fave ship, Eruri.

I watched the finale, and though I knew what would happen, it still brought me to tears. All the voice actors were terrific, the music was beautiful and nostalgic, and the production was out of this world. Mappa outdid themselves, and I am so grateful for all their hard work.

I am still a bit teary as I type that because AOT has been my comfort show for the last few years. I have seen the episodes countless times, and they still bring so many beautiful and conflicted emotions to this day.

But above all, it gave me a sense of hope in this world.

It opened my eyes and made me understand other people who weren't like me and didn't have the same ideology as me.

I don't think I will ever love a show like this one, and though I am sad it is finished, I am glad I was part of that journey. I laughed, cried, had my heart broken, and was also left amazed.

It was amazing from start to finish, so much that I will even call it a masterpiece.

Thank you, Isayama for creating such an amazing show.

This is the face of a resolved and fearless soldier who is set on fulfilling her duty till her last breath