The Attack on Titan Live Action Movie is a Colossal Disaster.

It is at least a month until the third season of Attack on Titan airs and I cannot wait.
I have been dying to see more of it so I decided to watch the live actions adaptations to pass the time.
Now, I had not heard good things about the films so coming into the first one I was expecting something on the scale of The Last Airbender or Dragonball: Evolution in levels of terrible.
While, thankfully, the first live adaptation is nowhere as bad as those films, it is still a colossal mess (pun intended) that not only fails to capture the greatness of the source material but as a standalone movie as well.
Directed by Shinji Higuchi and “based” off the manga by Hajime Isayama, Attack on Titan is set 100 years after humanity hid behind three large walls to escape giants known as Titans that have driven humanity to the brink of extinction.
The movie follows friends Eren (Haruma Miura), Mikasa (Kiki Mizuhara) and Armin (Kanata Hongo) who witness a massive Colossal Titan destroy the outer wall allowing the Titans inside.
The film then follows their efforts, and that of the Survey Corps, to eliminate the Titans.
This plot synopsis does seem to encapsulate the story of the manga and anime, however, Higuchi makes many additions and changes to this story that severely undermine it.
For one, Eren’s mother is not in this film so her death cannot motivate Eren to fight the Titans, completely removing a large part of his character.
The worst change to the film story wise though is the addition that the Titans attacked in modern day so humanity have trucks and guns at their disposal.
This eliminates much of the tension that was seen in the original source material, due to the limited technology.
Even worse than the story changes, however, are the character changes.
I may have hated Eren in season one of Attack on Titan but at least he was memorable.
The movie version of Eren is an incredibly forgettable character and Miura gives the worst performance of the entire movie that sometime becomes laughably bad.

Movie Eren — Haruma Miura gives the worst performance of the film with various cringe inducing scenes.

Armin is just as forgettable, with no depth or character growth whatsoever.
The only change he got was that he was turned into an inventor in this version but this was pointless because it never came into the story in a significant way.
Then there is Mikasa, who is by far the worst offender.
Her main purpose in this movie is to serve as the love interest for a creepy love triangle between Eren and a watered down version of Levi known as Captain Shikishima (Hiriko Hasegawa).
The worst change about Mikasa though, is how she got her scarf.
I know this may seem like a fanboy nit-picking but it is really not because how Mikasa got the scarf in the manga and anime is integral to her character.
Mikasa saw her parents get murdered right in front of her.
After this, she felt completely lost and alone in the world until Eren wrapped his scarf around her and assured her she was welcome to come home and live with his family.
Thus Mikasa came to associate this scarf with Eren and her strong feelings for him, which is a big part of her motivation in both the manga and anime.
So, how was this translated to the film?
Eren gives Mikasa the scarf because she has a cold… Seriously?
This basically takes away Mikasa’s entire motivation and character development in this part of the story.

Mikasa scared — Mikasa is reduced to the love interest of the movie with almost no motivation.

Another big problem with the film is the music.
Attack on Titan has my favourite soundtrack of any show I have watched.
It is absolutely incredible and gives a perfect vibe for the series.
In comparison, the music of the film is incredibly cheesy with over the top whimsical music playing in the beginning scene.
Then there is the color palette.
Another great thing about the anime is how beautiful and colorful the environments are.
This makes for a very stark and disturbing contrast when we see characters getting horrifically killed in these beautiful environments, which improves the impact these scenes have.
The movie’s color palette, on the other hand, was incredibly bland and dull throughout.
In one particularly awful shot, the Titans are the same dull grey color as the environment, failing to make them stand out.

Bad Titan — The Titan’s completely fail to stand out because they are the same color as the environment.

Finally, there is the CGI, which goes from good, to passable, to atrocious throughout the movie.
Whenever the characters are using their ODM gear everything looks so incredibly fake that it draws you out of the moment.
I am not kidding when I say that some of these effects were I would expect to see in a Sharknado movie.
There is also a scene where blood splatters on the camera and it looks like the effects were done by Microsoft Paint, the effects are that bad.
All that being said though, was this film completely terrible?
No.
There were some things I did enjoy.
The character of Hans (Satomi Ishihara), who was the movie’s version of Hange Zoe, was spot on in both casting and performance.
The actor did a really great job and I wish she had been give more scenes.

Hans was a great interpretation of Hange from the manga and anime.

The final thing I liked was the 20 minute scene where the Titan’s attack Eren’s hometown.
This was a genuinely good scene with a lot of great horror moments and tension.
It also featured my favourite shot in the entire movie when, after the Colossal Titan has kicked in the wall, we see numerous Titans, illuminated by the sunlight, moaning as they make their way through the wall.
This shot was genuinely creepy and gave me goosebumps.
However, other than that, this movie was a failure in every way.
The story changes were ridiculous, the characters were terribly adapted, the soundtrack was cheesy and the color palette and effects were atrocious.
This was another bad adaptation of an anime and am I not looking forward to watching the sequel.

Attack on Titan Season Three Trailer: Thoughts

The Attack on Titan season three trailer is finally here!
Attack on Titan has quickly become my favourite anime and I have eagerly been anticipating any news about the third season so I was thrilled to learn about this trailer.
Before I get into specific details about what I loved about this trailer though, I have to say, the animation for this season looks absolutely stunning.
I was in awe from just watching the trailer.
Now for the interesting things, which for starters was our first look at a new character, named Kenny, who has a connection with Levi.
I have been spoiled on who Kenny is to Levi but I am not going to ruin it for you.
Season three looks to cover the Uprising Arc from the manga, which I have heard is very different from the rest of the series because it is more political and deals with human threats rather than Titans.
From the look of the trailer, this appears to be true, with numerous instances of human battles, including an epic shot where Levi slices right through two people with a look of absolute rage on his face.
If this trailer has had made anything apparent it is that Levi is going to be very important this season, which is great because I really want to see why people love him to the extent that they do.
It also looks like Historia will be important this season as well because, for some reason, it appears Kenny’s group wants both her and Eren handed over to them.
Historia really grew on me last season so I am glad to see her get more development and it looks like she will also be hanging out with Eren a bit.
Speaking of Eren, did anyone else think his Titan form looked a little strange in the trailer?
Eren’s titan form looks a lot skinnier here, especially in the arms, to the point that I wondered if it was a different Titan for a few moments.
Who knows, maybe it is just a redesign?
Also if you look at one particular shot of Eren’s Titan form, it looks like someone is hanging onto his back while Eren tries to shake him off, which is interesting.
We got a few shots of Hange and Pastor Nick, Mikasa beating up some guys, and another new character who is sitting on a throne.
If I were to take a guess I would say this is the king, since it was established in the first season that there was some sort of monarch.
The one who really takes the spotlight in this trailer though, is Levi, with the trailer ending when he screams Kenny’s name in fury.
Overall, this trailer was great and has me very excited for season three.
Hopefully I will not get spoiled any more than I already have about events that are to come.
Unfortunately though, many surprises in season three, including character deaths, may not thrill me as much because I have already been spoiled about it.
Still, this does not change the fact that I am excited and cannot wait to see what season three holds for the future of Attack on Titan.

Top 10 Attack on Titan Characters, as of Season Two.

Attack on Titan is a really great show.
It draws a lot of emotions out of me from excitement, to sadness, to horror.
The feelings of horror I get when watching it come from how brutal the show can be.
A lot of characters die and not in very nice ways.
But, in order to really feel this horror whenever these characters meet their fate, I need to care for them.
If the characters were bad or unlikable then Attack on Titan would fall flat on its face.
Thankfully, for the most part, the characters are all fantastic.
I care for almost each and every one of them, making the show more gripping when they are in danger.
The characters are so good I have decided to do a top 10 list on my favourite characters from Attack on Titan.
However, keep in mind, even though I have read the manga, I have only read up to where season two ends because I want to experience the story on television before I read it.
So do not expect to see any characters who appear after season two on this list and some characters may be lower on the list than you expect because they have not been given enough time to shine yet.
These characters will probably appear on my list when I re-do it after watching season three, which will air this year.
Before I begin, I want to give out some quick honorable mentions.
These go to Dot Pixis, Annie Leonhart, Krista Lenz/Historia Reiss and Conny Springer.
I considered putting all of these characters on the list but the others were just better.
So now let’s go into my top 10 favourite characters from Attack on Titan

10. Eren Jaegar

Okay, so it is no secret that I did not like Eren in season one.
I thought he was a terrible main character.
He was an arrogant, hypocritical jerk with no character development until the back half of the season.
So, imagine my surprise, when I read the season one part of the manga and found that Eren was actually likeable there.
He did not judge people for not wanting to fight the Titans and he did not go on his repetitive spiel about how he was going to kill all the Titans as much.
The anime really screwed Eren up in the first season.
Thankfully though, Eren’s likability in the manga was transferred into season two and I was finally able to relate to him.
Eren was incredibly sympathetic in season two, especially when learning of Reiner and Bertholdt’s betrayal and during his emotional breakdown when Hannes died.
This likability in season two and his admittedly cool moments in season one, when he transformed into a Titan, was just enough to put in the number ten spot.
As the series goes on Eren will hopefully remain as likeable as he was in the second season because, if he does, he is sure to go higher on my list of favourite characters.

9. Hange Zoe

Interesting fact: in the manga Hange’s gender is actually kept ambiguous.
It is up to the reader if Hange is male or female.
Unfortunately, they were not able to keep this up in anime as Hange is confirmed to be female.
While it would have been nice for it to be kept ambiguous like in the manga, it does not change the fact that Hange is still a great character.
She is also a unique one because she is one of the only characters who does not hate the Titans.
She is basically obsessed with learning about them and even becomes attached to the ones she uses for experiments.
Hange is also shown to be slightly crazy with her efforts to catch and learn about Titans.
My favourite scene of her would have to be in the season one finale, when she is laying a trap for the Female Titan, Annie.
She is shown to be giggling like a mad woman at the prospect of catching her, leading her assistant Moblit to say she is, “getting that look in her eyes, again.”
Hange is just fun to watch because you never know what crazy thing she is going to do next.

8. Sasha Braus

In season one Sasha was just a basic comic relief character.
She was like a female Goku because of the fact that she was always eating and yet never gaining any weight.
Still, despite only being comic relief in the first season, she was so likeable that she quickly became one of my favourites.
Her personality was just so endearing and she only got better in the second season, where she had her own episode.
In the second episode, I’m Home, we learn a lot about Sasha’s past and also get to see her have some really cool moments like when she saves a little girl.
I’m Home made her so much more than just comic relief.
I am so glad that the Manga’s writer, Hajime Isayama, backed out of killing Sasha during her storyline because she is such a likeable character.
I can see more development and food jokes in Sasha’s future on Attack on Titan.

7. Levi

Please, don’t hate me.
I know Levi is a fan favourite character and I can certainly see why.
He was one of my favourite characters in the second half of season one because he was a well layered character, with more than a few awesome moments.
The problem is that in the first half of season one and in season two Levi does almost nothing.
Since I have not read past season two in the manga I do not know if Levi does more then but because so many people like him I have to hope so.
In fact, I believe that Levi coming in at number seven, despite having far less screen time than the previous three characters on my list is a testament to how great of a character he is.
Levi is considered to be humanities strongest fighter but, even so, he has his own quirks, like his obsession with cleaning.
In the episodes Crushing Blow and The Defeated we really get a sense of who Levi is.
We can see that he has been hit hard by the death of his squad and later having to leave their corpses to be eaten by the Titans but he buries this pain to focus on his mission.
Levi is the kind of guy who keeps his grief inside and never allows himself to show weakness.
It makes a very interesting character and I hope we get more of him in season three.

6. Reiner Braun

In season one Reiner was a good character and he certainly did have his moments like in the episode Female Titan, however he was not one of my favourites because I did not find him to be a particularly deep character.
This all changed in season two though because right from the beginning it was clear there was something off about Reiner.
Finally, in my favourite episode of Attack on Titan, Warrior, Reiner was shockingly revealed to be the Armoured Titan.
However, although shocking, this did not make much sense because Reiner had done so much to help those he was fighting against.
This issue was later cleared up in the best way.
It is revealed in the episode Opening that Reiner is suffering from a severe case of PTSD, due to the atrocities he has committed and two personalities have emerged because of this.
There is his warrior personality, where he works to destroy the walls and his soldier personality, where he works to preserve them.
This makes Reiner one of the most complex characters in the show and it will be very interesting to see how his split personality will have an impact on the show going forward.

5. Erwin Smith

A lot of people say Levi is the most awesome character in Attack on Titan.
Well, to them I say, “have you even seen Commander Erwin?”
Erwin is the kind of commander who anyone would follow into battle.
He is courageous, smart and willing to sacrifice anything, including his own life, for the survival of humanity.
To say that Erwin has his awesome moments would be an understatement.
There are so many times when he just steals the show.
From him shouting, “fire”, during Bite, to him glaring at Nile during the ending moments of Mercy.
But, by far his best moment has to be in the episode Charge.
In this episode, Erwin has his arm ripped off by a Titan and not only shouts at his soldiers to keep going but even continues fighting and saves Eren’s life… all of this with only one arm.
Erwin is just a really awesome character who has seemingly an endless amount of cool moments.

4. Ymir

If you had told me, after I watched season one, that Ymir would be my favourite character of season two, I would have probably laughed at you.
Ymir was one of the most forgettable characters of the first season and yet, somehow, in the second she is the best character.
I loved Ymir’s story in season two and what we learned about the world, through her.
Ymir’s backstory alone solidified her as my favourite character of the second season and the flashback itself is one of my favourite moments of Attack on Titan.
Ymir’s reveal as a Titan was expertly done and her motives were kept pretty ambiguous up until her flashback, which made her all the more interesting.
Also, her relationship with Krista/Historia is now my favourite relationship in Attack on Titan because of how well developed it is.
Their bond is certainly stronger than Eren and Mikasa’s.
Ymir’s story just ties perfectly into what is happening and I know there will be some reveals in season three to further explain how her backstory fits into everything.
Overall, Ymir was just a fantastic character in the second season but what stops her from being higher on the list is how forgettable she was in the first season.

3. Jean Kirstein

Jean was my favourite character of season one.
His character arc was just fantastic.
He started off as a cowardly guy, trying to join the Military Police just so he could live in the interior, safely away from the Titans.
However, after the death of his friend Marco, Jean was faced with either doing what was right or would keep him safe.
Marco’s death inspired him to join the Scouting Regiment and take the fight to the Titans.
Since then he has worked hard to achieve that goal, even putting aside his dislike of Eren to do the right thing.
He developed so much in the first season that he wonders what he was thinking when he wanted to join the Military Police when he sees how they act.
Jean was just a really great character but the reason he is at number three and not in the top two is because of how little he featured in season two.
He only takes part in the battle during the final two episodes and while he does do some important stuff in these episodes, like confront Bertholdt and save Mikasa’s life, he still does not do much throughout the season and receives almost no development.
This is disappointing, considering how great he was in season one and stops him from being higher on the list.

2. Mikasa Ackerman

Mikasa is definitely one of the coolest characters in Attack on Titan.
She has just as many amazing moments as Levi and Erwin and is actually pretty scary at times.
She is the last person you would want to cross.
the scene where she glares at Bertholdt in the episode Charge was thrilling and a highlight of the episode.
Mikasa’s one goal in life is to protect Eren at all costs.
This came from him saving her life from a group of sex traffickers, after they murdered her parents.
This changed Mikasa from a sweet, ordinary girl to a cold hearted individual, who only allows herself to care for a select few people, like Eren and Armin.
She is also humanity’s best fighter, next to Levi, and this is clearly seen through her level of skill.
She is a character who has so many memorable moments throughout the first and second season, one of which is when she delivers the best quote in Attack on Titan during the episode Mercy, “we live in a cruel world.”
While, she does not get as much development as other characters she does have some moments of it, like when she realizes she held back on Reiner and Bertholdt when she attacked them because she subconsciously did not want to kill them.
Still, it is the lack of Mikasa’s development across the first two seasons that held her back from taking the top spot.
Mikasa is a still an awesome character though, who will hopefully grow more as a character in the next season.

1. Armin Arlert

I think a lot of people do not give Armin enough credit, which is really unfair.
Yes, he is not good at physical confrontations (I do not think he has even killed a Titan yet), but Armin has still done some very important things and saved a lot of lives by using his head.
He came up with the plan for Eren to use his Titan ability to bloke the hole in the wall, he stalled the Female Titan, saving Jean’s life, and later deduced her identity, and he stalled Bertholdt by lying to him about torturing Annie, giving Erwin enough time to come in and rescue Eren.
These are some of the many important things Armin has done throughout the series.
And to think some people do not like Armin?
The reason Armin is also my favourite character as of season two is because of how much I relate to him.
When we first meet Armin, he is very unsure of himself and considers himself a burden to his friends.
This makes him rising above this, recognizing how useful he can be and then using the skills he has to get things done, pretty inspiring.
With the number of important things Armin has done in the series and how much I related to his character arc, I consider Armin to be the best character in Attack on Titan, as of season two.

Attack on Titan is a show with great characters.
They are almost all relatable and you fear for their lives when they are in danger.
After season three ends I plan to re-do my list of my top 10 favourite characters to see if that season has changed my opinion.
I will just have to wait until July to see if the next Attack on Titan season can put some other characters on my list, or move the ones on it higher.

Top 10 Attack On Titan Episodes

Warning: Contains spoilers for some episodes.

Let’s talk about a show called Attack on Titan.
Attack on Titan is an anime based off the manga of the same name by Hajime Isayama.
It takes place in an alternate universe where naked giants known as Titans have appeared and driven humanity to the brink of extinction.
The remaining humans managed to survive by taking refuge behind three huge walls Maria, Rose and Sina.
However, 100 years after the walls construction, two Titans called the Colossal and Armoured Titans appeared and broke through Wall Maria, forcing humanity to take refuge behind the next wall.
During this time our protagonist, Eren Yeager, witnesses the death of his mother.
Years later, Eren and his friends Mikasa, Armin and others join the military to take the fight to the Titans.
Attack on Titan is a great show with a well-thought-out story and characters.
This is complemented by how many gripping episodes this show has.
Over the course of two seasons and 37 episodes there have been a lot of great episodes, with great moments so I decided to do a list on my top 10 favourite episodes from the show.
However, this proved difficult because of how many amazing episodes there were so I decided instead to do a top 20 but only to go into detail with the top 10.
So, here are numbers 20-11 of my favourite Attack on Titan episodes.

20. The Night of the Closing Ceremony: Humanity’s Comeback Part 2 – season one, episode four.
19. The World The Girl Saw: The Struggle for Trost Part 2 – season one, episode six.
18. Beast Titan – season one, episode one.
17. I Can Hear His Heartbeat: The Struggle for Trost Part 4 – season one, episode eight.
16. I’m Home – season two, episode two.
15. Primal Desire: The Struggle for Trost Part 9 – season one, episode 13.
14. Bite: The 57th Exterior Scouting Mission Part 3 – season one, episode 19
13. Wall: Assault on Stohess Part 3 – season one, episode 25
12. Close Combat – season two, episode seven.
11. Soldier – season two, episode four.

Those were numbers 20-11 of my favourite Attack on Titan episodes. Now here are my top 10, only with more detail into why I think these episodes are the best of the best.

10. Scream – season two, episode 12.

The season two finale Scream was a great way to end the season, with more than a few shocking moments.
This episode probably has the most important revelation of the series so far, with Eren’s Titan controlling abilities being revealed.
This comes after a very powerful scene where Eren suffers an emotional breakdown, due to Hannes’ death at the hands of the same Titan who killed Eren’s mother.
Watching Eren laugh, cry and scream in hysteria was gut wrenching to watch and I teared up, the second time I did so when watching Attack on Titan.
In this episode we also got conformation on what a lot of us had suspected at this point, that humans were being turned into Titans.
The reactions of Conny, Levi and Erwin to this revelation were all great and fit their character, especially Erwin.
Finally there was the cliffhanger, which showed the man controlling the Beast Titan declaring, “not yet,” whatever that means.
I guess we will have to find out next season.
Scream was an episode full of both emotional moments and pay offs to things set up in previous episodes and is definitely the better of the two season finales.

9. The Defeated: The 57th Exterior Scouting Mission, Part 6 – season one, episode 22.

After the emotionally gripping episode 21, The Defeated picks up with the Scouting Regiment recovering from their devastating defeat at the hands of the Female Titan and with Levi and Mikasa, as they try to stop Eren being taken by her.
This episode really showed me why people love Levi so much.
He not only does really cool things in his battle with the Female Titan but he is also shown caring for others in his own way.
Levi consoling a fellow soldier by giving him a patch from one of his dead comrades and telling the man it belonged to his dead friend when really it belonged to Levi’s, really showed what kind of a character he is.
Levi does care about the soldiers he leads, he just buries it deep.
Then there was the really disturbing scene where the Scout Regiment had to dump the bodies of the dead for the Titans to eat just so they could escape.
Seeing that Petra was among these bodies was another harsh blow.
It really shows the deeps of depravity that these characters will have to go through in order to survive.
Finally, we get another punch in the gut when we see the families of the dead Levi Squad preparing for their arrival, not knowing that their loved ones are dead.
Petra’s father talking to Levi was especially sad to watch because it seems to hint that Petra was in love with him.
The Defeated is one of Attack on Titan’s darkest episodes as it deals with death in a really sobering manner, which really hits the viewer where it hurts.

8. To You, in 2000 Years: The Fall of Shiganshina Part 1 – season one, episode one.

The first episode of the entire series, To You, in 2000 Years makes for a gripping first episode that really draws the viewer into the world of Attack on Titan.
We get introduced to our main characters Eren, Mikasa and Armin and get a sense of who all three of them are.
It serves as a good introduction.
The opening scene alone still gives me goosebumps when I watch it, due to the lack of sound and chilling music.
The first episode also brings the first major character death, that of Eren’s mother Carla.
Carla’s death was not that much of a surprise, since something had to motivate Eren to fight the Titans, but the manner in which she died was certainly surpising.
Her death really showed the viewers what they were in for with this series.
We also got a good look at what the show’s action would be liked when we see the Survey Corp take down a Titan in the opening scene.
This is also the first episode where we hear the amazing opening intro of the first season Guren No Yumiya, by Linked Horizon.
To You, in 2000 Years was the big introduction to Attack on Titan and really gave the viewers an idea of what to expect going forward.

7. Children – season two, episode ten.

On its own, Children is just a good episode.
There are a lot of good moments in this episode like when Ymir reveals she is over 60 years old, despite looking to be in her late teens, and when she temporarily eats Historia.
However, this does not make the episode good enough to be on this list, let alone at number seven.
So why is it here?
Because of the flashback that reveals Ymir’s backstory.
This is, in my opinion, the greatest use of flashback I have ever seen.
Every time I watch Attack on Titan, I find myself coming back to this scene and watching it over and over just to figure out what it all means.
The flashback makes this episode.
Not only does it finally bring clarity to Ymir’s motives, which were pretty ambiguous before now, but it also has so many hints as to what is going on.
I do not know what will happen in the future of Attack on Titan but I know, just by watching Ymir’s flashback, that her backstory is integral to finding out how the Titans came to be.
On top of all this, the flashback is incredibly emotional.
Ymir’s reaction upon first realizing she can turn back into a human had me tearing up, the first time I had done so when watching Attack on Titan.
It was this flashback that made Ymir my favourite character of season two.
Children might for most of the episode be just good but the flashback elevates it to another level and puts it at number seven on my list.

6. First Battle: The Struggle for Trost, Part 1 – season one, episode five.

This was the episode that got me hooked on Attack on Titan.
First Battle was an incredibly shocking episode when I first saw it and, even though it is not as shocking now due to what happens in future episodes, it is still a great episode.
After the intense cliffhanger from episode four, Eren takes on the Colossal Titan leading to one of the best fights of season one.
After that we get various scenes of characters like Armin and Jean reacting to their upcoming battle with the Titans that are invading Trost in what, for all they know, could be their final moments.
Finally we get to the most shocking moment of the episode when Eren’s entire squad, except Armin, are killed by the Titans in a matter of seconds.
These are characters Eren and Armin had got to know over their years of military training and they are gone in the blink of an eye.
It really illustrates to the viewer the danger that the Titans pose.
And then it happens… Eren is eaten and supposedly killed by a Titan.
Even though I did not like Eren at this point, it was still shocking to see the main character die in the first five episodes.
Yes, it is later revealed that he survived because of his ability to turn into a Titan but at the time this blew my mind.
First Battle was the episode that got me hooked on Attack on Titan because of its great action sequences and shocking moments.

5. Historia – season two, episode five.

After the big surprise of Ymir being a Titan Shifter in the previous episode, Historia starts unexpectedly by cutting to a flashback when Ymir and Krista were in cadet training.
Ordinarily, this would kill the mood of what had been set up last episode but it does not because what is revealed in this flashback is so engaging.
In this flashback, everything we thought we knew about Krista is flipped entirely on its head.
She is a completely different person to who we thought she was in season one and the way Ymir deduces this and uses psychology on her is great to watch.
On top of that, the animation during this sequence is just fantastic.
I think it is the best animation the series has had.
The level of detail in Krista’s eyes just leaps off the screen and it is obvious a lot of work went into it.
After this flashback, we get the payoff from episode four, as Ymir fights in her Titan form.
An intense action sequence follows during which, there are some very subtle hints to the upcoming events of episode six.
Finally the episode ends with a very emotional moment as Krista reveals her name is actually Historia to Ymir before she falls unconscious.
When I saw this I was really sad because I thought Ymir was dead and I was really starting to like her character.
Thankfully she survived and went on to become my favourite character of the second season.
Historia is full of brilliant animation, foreshadowing and character development.
Combine that with the great ending action sequence and it puts it at number five on my list.

4. Charge – season two, episode 11.

This episode is absolutely insane.
So much happens in this episode that I do not know where to begin.
I like to think of this episode as the Mad Max: Fury Road of Attack on Titan because so much of it is just pure adrenaline fuel.
From Mikasa’s death glare at Bertholdt, to Erwin getting his arm ripped off only to keep fighting, to the shocking return of the Titan that killed Eren’s mother at the end of the episode, Charge is full of exciting and shocking scenes.
However, it also has its down to earth moments as well.
Watching the members of the 104th Cadet Corps confront Bertholdt about his deceit and his very sympathetic reaction to this confrontation was emotional and helped to further develop Bertholdt.
We also got more of a sense of Historia and Ymir as people and the lengths they will go to just to protect one another.
It is Erwin who completely steals the show however as, even when his arm is being ripped off, he urges his men to keep fighting.
Then, when Armin is distracting Bertholdt, Erwin manages to save Eren, despite only having one arm and probably suffering from severe blood loss.
I have no idea how Erwin survived and I do not care because he is so awesome.
Charge was just insane moment after insane moment and my jaw was left constantly on the floor.
It really got you pumped for the season finale Scream.

3. Crushing Blow: The 57th Exterior Scouting Mission Part 5 – season one, episode 21.

Before episode 21, there had been a few major deaths in Attack on Titan like that of Eren’s mother and Marco.
However, none of the deaths had really shocked me or left me feeling emotionally drained.
That was until the deaths of the remaining Levi Squad Eld, Petra and Oruo in the episode Crushing Blow.
Watching these three characters, who we had come to know and care about over the course of seven episodes, get slaughtered one after the other was gut wrenching.
Even though I was attached to Petra and Oruo more than I was to Eld or Gunther (who died in episode 20), their deaths still hit me hard.
What followed was the first fight between Eren’s Titan and the Female Titan, which was noting short of thrilling to watch.
The scene where Eren is eaten by the Female Titan is just creepy to watch because we see her mouth split open.
Another thing I really liked about this episode was we got more of a sense of who Levi is through his reaction to his squad’s death.
Their deaths do hit him hard but he has to bury his pain and continue on with the mission.
Crushing Blow was certainly a crushing episode, full of sadness that prepared you for what would be the darkest episode with The Defeated.

2. Mercy – Assault on Stohess Part 2 – season one, episode 24.

I think that Mercy is a very overlooked episode when people talk about Attack on Titan, which I do not think is fair since it is one of my favourites.
This episode is build up to the fight between Eren and the Female Titan, who was revealed to be Annie in the previous episode.
Yet, despite the episode being build up, it is still a fantastic episode that has some of the best moments in all of Attack on Titan.
First of all, this episode has what I believe to be the best quote of the show, when Mikasa says, “we live in a cruel world.”
The context of the situation and the way she says it makes it the perfect quote.
Then there is the ending scene when Eren transforms into a Titan to fight Annie, which I think is the most epic scene in the entire series so far.
Everything just combines to make this a fantastic scene.
The animation, the music, the phenomenal voice acting from the Japanese cast, it all just comes together to make a great build up to the season finale.
Charge may have got you pumped for the season two finale but Mercy had you waiting on the edge of your seat for it.

1. Warrior – season two, episode six.

This list was very difficult to make.
I changed it and switched episodes with other ones more times than I could count but one thing always stayed the same.
This was Warrior as my number one choice for the best episode of Attack on Titan.
This episode completely floored me the first time I saw it.
It is in this episode that we learn the identities of the Colossal and Armoured Titans.
They are revealed to be Reiner and Bertholdt in a twist that is delivered so casually and nonchalant that is actually brilliant.
We had been given hints over the last few episodes, like in Historia, that Reiner and Bertholdt were not who they seemed and what a way to reveal it.
I actually had to go back and make sure I had not misheard what Reiner said.
The way the characters react to this revelation was done excellently, as well.
In season one I was hardly ever invested in Eren but in this episode I felt his pain when he realised two people he trusted with his life had been lying to him all this time and were actually the ones responsible for his mother’s death.
It was the first time the show had ever really made me care for Eren.
The final five minutes of this episode left me speechless for a while after watching it.
Once again, everything just combines to make one of the most brilliant scenes in Attack on Titan.
The music especially gives me chills each time because it is a spin on the music that was played when Eren’s mother was eaten in the very first episode.
The perfect music to use for the perfect revelation.
Warrior took all my expectations for an Attack on Titan episode and completely blew me away.
I immediately knew this was my favourite episode of the series and how hard it would be to top it.
Hopefully, when season three arrives this year, an episode can be better because then that would truly be something to see.

Attack on Titan is a great anime series.
Its episodes bring all kinds of emotions out of me from, shock, to horror, to amazement.
After these phenomenal episodes, I cannot wait for season three to see what amazing episodes they could bring to the table.
When season three is over, I will probably re-do my list with the episodes from season three I think are deserving to be on there.
Until then though, I will gladly find myself re-watching these episodes time and time again.

Attack on Titan Season Two: An incredible season that fixes all of season one’s problems.

After four years of waiting, season two of Attack on Titan was released on April 1st, 2017.
I am incredibly thankful that I only got into Attack on Titan recently because I do not think I could have waited four years for season two to come along.
But if I had would the wait had been worth it?
Definitely.
Season two of Attack on Titan is absolutely incredible and easily tops the first season.
This is pretty surprising, considering season two is only 12 episodes when the previous one had 25 but somehow they did it.
I loved every minute of this season, from the first to last episode.
It takes place immediately after the season one finale, with Titans supposedly breaking through Wall Rose, lead by a Titan labelled The Beast Titan, with the characters having to figure out how to stop them.

the beast titan — The Beast Titan, one of the new threats of the show, is able to do things most Titans cannot.

This season had me sad, shocked and even disgusted at what I was seeing on multiple occasions.
The gruesome imagery is seriously expanded upon this season, which left me actually feeling sick after watching some of it.
There were also many shocking reveals that left my jaw on the floor.
Probably the best one was a twist that was revealed very offhandedly and made me wonder if I had heard it correctly.
I also came close to crying when watching this season, especially during the season finale.
These three things combined with the more streamlined pacing made for an incredibly gripping season two that had me on the edge of my seat, most of all with episode six, which was mind blowing.
Another thing I really liked was how season two flat out removed all of the problems I had with season one, that being with its characters.
In the first season I thought some of the characters like Ymir, Krista and Bertholdt were pretty forgettable and if they died I would not have cared much.
Not this season however, because all of the characters who were forgettable last season were given plenty of depth and stuff to do this season, especially Ymir.
I loved what they did with Ymir this season, with us getting to know her through her borderline romantic friendship with Krista and her backstory, which opens up some enthralling questions for the show to answer next season.
She was easily my favourite character this season, which surprised me because of how forgettable she was in the first.

I was surprised by how amazing Ymir was compared to last season. She is now one of my favourite characters.

Then there is Eren.
If you read my season one review, you know I thought Eren was a terrible main character.
He was a massive jerk to everyone and had almost no character development but here I was shocked to find they really turned his character around.
Eren was not only likeable this season but relatable as well and I hope they keep this up with him in the following seasons.
However, just because they fixed the issues the show had this season does not mean a new one did not open up.
There was one thing about this season I took issue with and that is how characters, who were important last season, did not get much screen time this season.
Jean, who was my favourite character last season, and Levi, who is a fan favourite, both found themselves shoved into the background.
They still do things, though their involvement in the story is lessened.
Besides, I do not think this issue is great enough to deduct any points from this season because of how fantastic it still was.

Attack on Titan poster — Part of the poster for Attack on Titan season two.

Season two of Attack on Titan was incredible.
It was a step up from the first season that left me wanting more.
Thankfully, we will not have to wait four years for the next season because it comes out this July and I cannot wait to see it.
If season three is anything like season two it is sure to be a blast.

Attack on Titan, Season One: A fantastic first season that falters with its main character.

Recently, I got into watching Anime.
I have seen shows like Death Note and seen The Cowboy Bebop Movie and am planning to later watch the series.
One anime I constantly heard good things about was Attack on Titan, based off the manga of the same name.
After hearing so many good things, I had to check it out and wow, this anime is great.
It is intense, exhilarating, heartbreaking and just fun to watch.
Attack on Titan is set in a dystopian future, where large humanoid monsters called Titans have appeared and driven humanity to almost extinction, with their constant hunger for human flesh.
The remaining humans have taken refuge behind three large walls, which keep the Titans at bay.
However, when a Colossal Titan arrives and smashes the outer wall, it starts a chain of events that may lead to either humanity’s salvation or extinction.
The show’s story is thrilling and dark.
It is definitely the Game of Thrones of anime.
Characters constantly die, which is a shame because these characters are so fantastic, for the most part.
I became attached to so many of them.
There are the central characters like Armin, the lovable genius, Mikasa, who is incredibly awesome and Jean, who in my opinion had the best character arc of the entire first season.

Jean is probably one of the best characters in the first season.

Then there are the side characters who are just as amazing.
Sasha, Connie, Levi, Commander Erwin, I could go on naming these characters because they are all so amazing.
However, although these characters are amazing, it is with them the problems of the show lie.
One of the biggest problems with the characters is there is way too many of them.
There were quite a few times when a character died and it was a really emotional scene but I could not get into it because I could not remember who the character was.
This did not happen constantly and there were more times when I remembered who a character was when they died but this still happened too many times.
Another problem I have is that I did not like one of the characters.
Ordinarily, this would not have been a problem.
Attack on Titan has so many characters that it would be weird if I did not like at least one of them.
But it is a problem because the character I do not like is the main character, Eren.
Eren is an incredibly one dimensional character, which is unacceptable for the main character, especially when all the other characters are so well developed.
His entire character is based on his hatred for the Titans.
This should be Eren’s motivation not his entire character.
Almost every line of dialogue that came out of Eren’s mouth was either saying that he wants to kill all the Titans or berating people for not fighting them.
If you were to remove his hatred of Titans then Eren would have absolutely no character.
It makes him incredibly boring.
What makes it worse is that there were clearly times when they could have given him development but they passed over it.
Yes, Eren does get some development in the final five episodes but this is in the back half of the season.
Other characters have been given 20 episodes to develop before Eren so are a 100 times more interesting than him by that point.
I just wish that Armin or Mikasa had been the main character because they are much more interesting and relatable characters.

Then there is Eren’s voice.
I started off watching Attack on Titan with the English dub but I changed halfway through to Japanese.
I did this because I could not stand Eren’s voice.
It made him sound like a whiny brat and it really got on my nerves.
The rest of the English voice cast was good but Eren’s voice stuck out like a sore thumb.
This may be nitpicking but it was really off-putting for me.
But, even though I did have problems with the characters, it is still them that make the show work.
Apart from Eren and the characters I forgot about, the other characters were so fantastic that they drew you into the whole story.
It is through them that you really feel what is at stake, which is what makes the story grab you.
This is all helped by the shows fantastic animation, action and music.
The action scenes alone are so thrilling and paired up with the great characters, who are constantly in danger of death, it left me on the edge of my seat.

Attack on Titan attack — The action in Attack on Titan is very gripping and only enhanced by its Game of Thrones like quality, with the characters’ constant deaths.

Attack on Titan is a really great anime.
Its first season had a very gripping story and characters.
Hopefully the problems I had with it will be fixed when I watch the second season.
If you are a fan of anime, I would highly recommend you watch this show.