Non-Spoiler Review:
Attack on Titan is back with its season three premiere Smoke Signal.
I have been anticipating the third season for so long and am very thankful that we did not have to wait four years to get it, like with the second season.
Smoke Signal is a great first episode that really sets the tone for this part of the season, known as the Uprising Arc.
There were so many great and interesting moments in this episode, along with a steadily growing body count.
I do not know what is going to happen but it is very clear to me that this episode is setting up multiple reveals for the season.
The old characters are back and just as good as they were before.
My favourite character of the episode would have to be Historia, who is quickly becoming one of my overall favourites.
We even got to meet some new characters this episode and they really look like great ones.
The episode ends on a fantastic cliffhanger and the build up to this moment was amazing.
There is also an update in animation for the season and, I have to say, it looks fantastic and should definitely top the second season’s.
As for the opening theme for this arc, however, I have mixed feelings about it.
The opening, named Red Swan, is good but it does not feel like Attack on Titan and I doubt I will remember it as much as I did the first three openings.
Overall though, Smoke Signal was a great start to the third season and I cannot wait for the twist and turns the story will take in future episodes.
Spoiler Review:
There is so much to talk about from Smoke Signal but I want to start with my favourite moment of the episode, with Kenny’s introduction.
The build up to this scene was masterful, with Levi and side character Nifa talking about the legends surrounding him.
That is how you know Kenny is a big deal.
He is so notorious that he is considered an urban legend by many.
Kenny viciously proves his savagery as well, by killing Nifa with no hesitation and even tries to kill Levi.
There were other great moments throughout the episode from Hange subtly threatening the military police soldiers who killed Pastor Nick, to Eren’s failed Titan experiment.
Speaking of which, it was really disturbing to see Eren’s mutilated face when he emerged from the Titan and I wonder what went wrong with that.
As I said in my non-spoiler review, Historia was my favourite character of the episode because we got insight into her real personality.
She just looks dead inside and it is clear that she has been through a lot of trauma.
As for new characters, we not only got Kenny but a brief look at Historia’s father and King Fritz.
This raises more questions, however, as I wonder why Historia is so important, considering she is just the daughter of a lord and does not seem to be related to the king, at least from what I can tell.
Hopefully, we will get more answers in the coming episodes.
After watching Smoke Signal there is really only one thing left to say… KENNY!!!
THE REVIEW MONSTER 