Attack on Titan, Chapter 118, Foul Play Review: So Many Great Character Moments.

After Zeke’s dramatic return at the end of Chapter 117 of Attack on Titan, I thought Chapter 118, “Foul Play,” would end with him screaming, turning all those poisoned by his spinal fluid into Titans.
While this does not happen in the latest chapter, “Foul Play,” it still offers some fantastic moments in its action but most of all in its character development.
There is so much development in this chapter that it is honestly a testament to how great of a writer Hajime Isayama is because it did not make the story feel bloated.
Mikasa, Armin, Jean, Connie, Gabi, Falco, Onyankopon, Nile, all of them got some great moments in “Foul Play.”
My favourite piece of character development this chapter would have to be Gabi’s because she finally acknowledges that the Eldians are not devils but people just like her.
I was glad to see Gabi finally reach this realization because many feared that, when she met up with the Warriors again, she would revert back to her old personality.
Thankfully, she does the opposite of this, even stopping Colt from killing Nile when he runs over to give Falco back to them.
This really shows how far she has come since her introduction because, when we first met her, she would have allowed Colt to shoot Nile without hesitation.
After rescuing Falco, the three hide in a building where Falco admits that he delivered letters for Eren when he was in Liberio, and that he likes Gabi.
This is a surprising moment because Isayama does not usually write romantic scenes so to see him write an intentionally awkward love declaration is both funny and a nice change of pace.
Falco’s declaration also leads Gabi to rip off his armband in a callback to when Falco did this to her in an earlier chapter, once again showing how far she has come.
Gabi and Falco are not the only ones with great development this chapter because Mikasa gets a scene that is clearly a turning point for her character.
She actually leaves Eren’s scarf behind.
The thing she has been carrying around since the beginning of Attack on Titan; the very thing which symbolizes her relationship with Eren, and she left it behind.
However, the way Louise looks at it when Mikasa leaves makes me think it could work its way back to Mikasa through her.
All of the scouts really had defining moments in this chapter, with them all being released by Onyankopon, which I predicted months ago.
Connie is quick to distrust him because he is sick of being betrayed, first by Annie, Reiner and Bertholdt, and now Eren.
Armin, however, wants to hear him out, and Onyankopon says he was never told about the wine and is against the euthanasia plan because “children are the future.”
I believe that he is on the scouts side because, as Armin says, Onyankopon believes they were all created for a reaon so he would not support the euthanasia plan, which is why Yelena did not tell him.
As for Jean, his development is small but pivotal nonetheless because he actually admits to being envious of Eren all the way back in training.
Likewise, Armin points out what we have all been suspecting, that Eren would never be in favor of Zeke’s plan to euthanize the Eldian race because he believes in freedom.
This leads to Armin remembering what Eren said when they reached the ocean in Chapter 90, which apparently makes him realise what Eren’s actual plan is because he says, “no way,” in apparent denial.
This has me concerned because, in that chapter, Eren wondered if they would be free if they killed all of their enemies across the ocean.
If this is what Armin is remembering, then it hints at Eren initiating the rumbling and destroying the entire world outside of Paradis, leaving only his people on the island alive.
This is a very dark theory and it will be interesting to see if Eren would go as far to murder billions of people to keep his friends safe.
Either way, the rumbling is a chekov’s gun at this point and it is obvious it will be fired by the end of the series.
It is just a matter of whether or not that rumbling will be world ending or not.
Speaking of chekov’s gun though, Colt seems to have one of those himself with an apparent Titan killing gun.
Isayama seems to be hinting that this gun will kill a Titan but who is anyone’s guess.
Colt is heading towards Zeke to try and dissuade him from screaming by telling him about Falco being infected but we all know Zeke will not let this stop him from trying to achieve his goal.
This may result in Colt trying to kill Zeke with it but I doubt it will work.
In fact, I find it likely that Colt may die soon because he is near the infected Falco and, if he turns into a Titan and eats his brother, it would make for a very tragic death.
As for Zeke himself, it is getting a little sad how Zeke gets pretty much destroyed in ever battle.
In an admittedly genius moment from Pieck and Magath, they are able to shoot him off the wall, mortally wounding him.
Honestly, the amount of times both Zeke and Reiner have been beaten up in this series is a little embarrassing for them, and another thing they have in common besides their backstories.
At least Zeke got a moment to shine when he destroyed the airships at the beginning of the chapter, which resulted in the glorious panel of the Queen of Crazy Yelena spreading her arms out and marveling at the destruction caused by her god.
Yelena continues to be a very interesting character, due to how absolutely insane she is.
The panel of her glaring at Armin makes it look like she wants to eat his face.
It reminded a lot of Sister Krone from The Promised Neverland series.
Both characters are crazy and have nightmare inducing facial expressions.
Overall, “Foul Play” is a great chapter, where its character development manages to somehow be even more interesting than its action.
With the story looking to set the stage for Zeke’s scream in the next few chapters, I cannot wait to see what the horrific effects of this will be.

Attack on Titan, Season 3, episode 18, Midnight Sun Review: New Greatest Episode.

Spoiler Free Review:

Well, it took a while but my favourite episode of Attack on Titan, “Warrior”, has finally been overtaken.
I was looking forward to this episode the moment I read the chapter of it last year, and “Midnight Sun” does not disappoint.
The story picks up in the aftermath of the almost as amazing “Hero” from last week, and centers around what has to be one of the most difficult choices in anime history.
If Attack on Titan was an RPG, and I was playing Levi at that moment, I would have no idea what to do.
This choice makes for the most emotional moment of the entire series, with me crying not once but twice.
What makes these emotional scenes so great is the spectacular voice acting.
Literally every member of the cast brings their A game to this episode, especially Yûki Kaigi and Yui Ishikawa who give their best performances as Eren and Mikasa so far.
What makes their performances even more powerful is the almost complete lack of music, which is very striking because it allows the emotion behind the characters’ pain come through greatly.
As far as I can remember, there are only two instances of actual music being played and both are superb.
The episode does not even play the opening, which is how you know it means business going in.
Along with all this comes more hints to future episodes of the season, with me believing the next one could even top “Midnight Sun” because it will be adapting my favourite chapter from the manga.
We will have to wait and see though and, at least until then, Midnight Sun will remain my favourite Attack on Titan episode with its fantastic story, acting and emotionally gripping scenes.

Spoiler Review:

Rest in peace, Erwin Smith.
You were the best commander the Survey Corps ever had and you have the best death of the entire series.
Yes, we had to say goodbye to this great leader in “Midnight Sun”, and in a perfect way too.
Even with the manga long having passed Erwin’s death, his is still the best of Attack on Titan so far, with it resolving his character arc brilliantly and the impact of his death still being felt.
Erwin was a selfish person but, in his final moments, he threw his dreams away for the good of humanity, finally becoming what he had always pretended to be.
Coming into the episode, I thought this death would not hit me as hard because I had already read it in the manga but, boy, was I wrong.
Erwin’s death hit me like a tonne of bricks emotionally, just as the build-up to this event did with Levi’s big choice.
“Midnight Sun” finally shows those who only watch the anime what Eren and Mikasa’s fight with Levi in the season three part one cliffhanger was about.
Levi can only save one person by turning them into a Titan and feeding Bertholdt to them but he wants to save Erwin while Eren and Mikasa want to save Armin.
This leads to the serum bowl, with the three of them, and Floch, fighting over who should get it, before Hange and the others arrive to stop the chaos.
It is these scenes that deliver the most emotional gut punches of the episode, with Eren and Mikasa’s desperate attempt to save Armin leaving me on the verge of tears.
The dam eventually burst for me when Hange revealed Moblit had died saving her.
Moblit’s death will definitely be overlooked by fans because of Erwin and Bertholdt’s but he was still a great side character who died doing what he was doing the moment we met him, protecting Hange.
It is her speech about this that finally gets Mikasa to mournfully stop fighting, while Eren still struggles to save his friend.
Kaigi’s performance is the best it has ever been in this scene as he tries to convince Levi to save Armin by telling him about the ocean.
This appears to not work though because Levi demands everyone leaves so he can turn Erwin into a Titan.
With Eren being dragged away by Floch, Levi goes to inject Erwin and experiences a series of flashbacks from hearing Armin’s speech about the ocean, to Kenny giving him the serum, to him telling Erwin to die for them.
The integration of these flashbacks into the shot, with them overlapping Levi’s face is amazing.
The best one of all though comes when Erwin, in a dazed state, slaps Levi’s hand away and the shot quickly transitions to the moment Erwin raised his hand as a child to ask his father about if humanity could survive outside the walls.
It is through this that Levi realizes Erwin is a slave to his dreams and it would be cruel to bring him back into this hell so he saves Armin.
Bertholdt’s final moments as he is devoured by him is both gory and tragic, leaving me feeling sorry for him despite all he had done.
The big death of the episode still goes to Erwin though, with music finally coming into the scene when Hange announces his passing, bringing me to tears once more.
Erwin may have been a devil, like Floch said, but he was an inspirational one.
I am also personally glad that Armin is the one who was chosen because, again, he is my favourite character.
Now, he is also the Colossal Titan, which is sure to bring many exciting moments because the scouts now have two Titan Shifters on their side.
Along with these emotional scenes, there are also many hints to future episodes.
The first one comes when Eren meets Zeke for the first time and it is revealed Zeke knows Eren’s father, believing him to have brainwashed them.
How exactly he knows Grisha is not revealed because of Levi’s interruption but, as a manga reader, I can tell you that when it is revealed it will be shocking.
Then there is Reiner, who is rescued by Zeke shortly afterwards but, before this, he begs Hange to deliver Ymir’s letter to Historia.
This means a certain moment from the manga is coming soon and I am very curious to see how it will be changed because I think it needs to be.
Anyway, next episode is the one the entire series has been building to, “The Basement” where the truth will be uncovered.
I cannot wait to see if it will top my new favourite episode of “Midnight Sun.”

Attack on Titan, Season Three, Episode 17, Hero Review: Greatness Begins.

Spoiler Free Review:

I have waited to see this moment animated for a long time.
Coming into season three, I knew that “Hero” was going to be one of the series’ best episodes and, thank god, I was right.
As a manga reader, it would have been bitterly disappointing if they had screwed this up somehow, but they adapted Hajime Isayama’s story perfectly.
“Hero” is a non-stop, action packed, emotional thrill ride that will leave you both cheering and crying on multiple occasions.
If you thought things could not get any sadder after Erwin’s desperate suicide charge last episode then you have another thing coming.
The theme of sacrifice from “Perfect Game” is continued in “Hero” with an arguably worse case of it this time around.
We get to see the remains of Erwin’s own suicide squad carry out their mission in all its horrifying detail, as Levi makes his move of the Beast Titan.
This led to a scene that was so amazingly animated and satisfying that I expect many people will be screaming at their screens when they see it.
Levi’s voice actor, Hiroshi Kamiya, does a great job this episode, displaying Levi’s rage and vulnerabilities brilliantly.
The best performance out of everyone, though, goes to Marina Inoue as Armin in a gripping scene that will have you on the edge of your seat.
“Hero” definitely displays why Armin is my favourite character, and if you did not like him earlier, for some reason, then this episode will surely make you love his character.
Adding to all these greats scenes the actors voice is the absolutely amazing animation and music.
The scene with Levi is the best animated scene in Attack on Titan since he fought Kenny’s squad in the second episode of season three, “Pain.”
On top of this, the music is just as thrilling, with one new piece coming at the end bringing out all the emotion.
This is why Attack on Titan has my favourite soundtrack out of any series I have seen.
I do have some issues with the CGI Colossal Titan and the censorship taking away some of the impact, but these are so minor that the rest of the episode’s greatness far overshadows them.
“Hero” is an episode I have been looking forward ever since I read the manga, and it far exceeds my expectations.
It is already well in my top five favourite episodes.
And the best part?
The episodes are only going to get more amazing from here.

Spoiler Review:

Many people were excited to see Levi fight the Beast Titan after last episode but what we get is not a fight… it’s a massacre.
Levi absolutely eviscerates Zeke this episode, in an amazing action sequence that makes me glad the series took a hiatus to perfect this.
Zeke completely deserves this too after what he did, to Erwin last episode, and the rest of the scouts in this episode.
Watching Marlo’s last moments is just as impactful as it was in the manga, with my only problem with these moments, again, being the censorship.
I think if they showed it the way the manga did it could have been a lot more impactful.
However, given that it is already so impactful, this is hardly a major problem.
Sadly, Levi’s victory is short lived because the quadruple Titan returns to rescue Zeke who then sics the rest of the mindless Titans on him, like a pack of wild dogs.
This is Levi we are talking about, though, so he is probably fine.
That said, hearing the crushing defeat in his voice after Zeke escapes is brutal, showing how good a job Kamiya did.
We then get a look at what appears to be the sole survivor of Zeke’s attack, Floch, who is somehow unharmed.
If you did not notice this guy beforehand that is understandable, however, you should definitely take notice of him now because this is where he officially becomes an important character.
After this, the episode switches to Armin and the gang’s fight against Bertholdt and Reiner.
Coming out of his stupor from the previous episodes, Armin comes up with a bold plan to defeat Bertholdt, but one that may cause him to pay the ultimate price, unfortunately.
Using Armin as a distraction gives Eren enough time to sneak behind Berthodlt and cut him out of the Colossal Titan, chopping off his limbs in the process.
However, Armin’s distraction may prove fatal because he is horrifically burned by the Colossal Titan’s steam, yet continues his plan in a scene that defines Armin as the titular “Hero” of the episode.
I will once again say that Inoue did a fantastic job voicing Armin.
The pain she displays in Armin’s voice, with him entrusting his dream of seeing the ocean to Eren, as he is being burned alive is so emotionally gripping.
I teared up during this scene and, watching others react to it online, I know I am not alone.
Again, the one minor nitpick I have is the CGI Colossal Titan.
It is not terrible but it is a bit jarring when the shots switch between CGI and regular animation because the different is quite noticeable.
While this tragic sacrifice is happening, Miksasa, Jean, Sasha and Connie make their move against Reiner.
In the end Jean and Sasha are injured, and Mikasa is left with only one thunder spear to defeat him.
Just as all hope seems lost, who should jump in to save the day?
Hange, minus one eye.
The music of theses scenes where the scouts take on Reiner and Bertholdt is amazing and serves to enhance the emotional epicness of these moments.
Then there is the animation of Mikasa’s final attack, which is just as great as when Levi takes on Zeke.
Also the slow motion shot of Eren taking down the Colossal Titan is all kinds of epic.
The final scene of “Hero” sees Eren dragging a mutilated Bertholdt to Armin’s burned body and declaring he always knew he was a hero.
Touching and tragic, and it only to get even more so because next week is the anticipated Serum Bowl.
If you do not know what the means then hold onto your seats next week because it will be crazy.

Attack on Titan, Season Three, Episode Sixteen, Perfect Game Review. The Final Advance.

Spoiler Free Review:

Worst. Baseball match. Ever.
If you have seen the sixteenth episode of Attack on Titan‘s third season, “Perfect Game”, you will understand why I am referencing baseball.
The episode probably gave us what has to be the most horrifying interpretation of the game in, well, ever.
And the characters suffered for it.
This is easily the most desperate we have ever seen them, with sacrifices having to be made.
Erwin in particular has to make a decision that shapes his entire character arc in a brilliant moment from him.
Armin also got more time to shine when he and the other Scouts started to face off against Bertholdt’s Colossal Titan.
Speaking of, thankfully there are some shots of him in “Perfect Game” that are not CGI, and make him actually fit in with the environment.
There are still times when he is completely CGI, and sticks out like a sour thumb, but I am personally glad he looked realistic to the world some of the time rather than none of it.
In any case, the fight between him and the scouts is investing, especially when Eren gets involved, where something happens that I think will shock a lot of people.
The biggest shocks of the episode, though, easily come with Erwin and Levi’s story.
These scenes are full of horrifying moments that actually improved on the manga, which is great because, other than a few scenes, I personally think the last few episodes have been falling under the bar in comparison with the source material.
That said, there are a few nitpicky problems I do have but, as the word suggests, these are minor.
The opening scene reworks the ending from the last episode, which makes it feels out of order somewhat, and a particular scene concerning Mikasa felt a bit watered down in comparison with the manga.
Other than this, “Perfect Game” is a great episode full of character growth, sacrifice, and one hell of a cliffhanger to keep you watching.
Next week’s episode is “Hero” and I am incredibly excited for it because, when I reviewed the manga chapters the episode will cover I game them five stars.
So, I have my fingers crossed it can live up to the fantastic source material.
One interesting thing to note, however, is that there have been rumors that Wit Studio, the ones who make Attack on Titan, will be cancelling the series after this arc.
If this is true, then it means the series will have to be picked up by another studio, which means we will have to wait a while before getting the next season.
While this would be sad, I have to say this is only a rumor.

Spoiler Review:

Who knew that baseball could get so violent?
In all seriousness, the scene where the Beast Titan started throwing crushed rocks at the scouts is somehow made more horrifying here than in the manga for me.
The shot of the rocks crashing into buildings with dust and splashes of blood rising up, along with the agonized screams of dying scouts, is very disturbing.
The manga panels of this scene always felt a little stiff to me so to see it animated with such horrifying ferocity is great.
On top of this, the development that came from Erwin here is fantastic.
Erwin is a selfish person who has manipulated others into giving their lives for humanity, while he alone had personal dreams.
Yet in this episode, he finally sheds this.
He gives up on his dream and finally lives up to the ideals he sprouted, giving his life and the lives of his soldiers so that Levi can have a shot at killing the Beast Titan.
The build up to this moment is well done with Erwin voicing his flaws to Levi, who ultimately convinces him to do the right thing.
The big cliffhanger of the episode sees a rock ripping right through his stomach as he urges his soldiers to fight as they run straight to death’s door.
Along with this, we also get to see how the scouts are dealing with the Colossal Titan.
Unsure of what to do next, Armin passes on leadership to Jean, who initiates a plan of attack to stop Bertholdt reaching the wall.
This leads to Eren attacking Bertholdt but, while appearing to work at first, everything goes wrong when Bertholdt kicks him to the top of the wall, knocking him unconscious and forcing the Scouts to fight the Colossal Titan themselves.
This is where my issue for “Perfect Game” came in.
While Jean, Sasha and Connie attempt to distract Bertholdt, Mikasa launches the Thunder Spears at him from behind, only for him to use his steam to launch them back at her.
In the manga, the explosion clearly hurts her, and it looks like you can see shrapnel marks on her back, detailing how hard this fight is on her and everyone else.
However, in the anime this is watered down.
Mikasa says she took shrapnel but it does not look that bad by comparison, lessening the impact.
Another minor problem I have is Connie’s “eavesdropping” joke, which now does feel a bit out of place.
Not only that but it rearranges some of the parts of the previous episode, making it feel a bit disjointed.
However, as I said in my spoiler free review, these problems are only minor.
The rest of “Perfect Game” is great with its themes of sacrifice, epitomized by Erwin’s final advance.
Well, that is four episodes down and six to go and, I have to say, I cannot wait for the rest of them.
If you are an anime only, then those next six episodes will surely blow your mind.

Attack on Titan, Season Three, Episode Fifteen, Descent Review: Fantastic Animation vs Bad Animation.

Spoiler Free Review:

Attack on Titan went all out with some of the animation in its latest episode, “Descent.”
There is some absolutely fantastic explosion animation this episode that will leave the viewers’ jaws on the floor.
However, going all out comes with a cost because, for every brilliant shot of animation this episode, there is another that pulled me out of the moment.
Let’s start with the Colossal Titan.
When I first saw him in the new opening, I was very concerned because of how terrible the CGI for him was.
And, while I will say that thankfully the Colossal Titan does not look as disastrous as in that opening, he still sticks out like a sour thumb.
This is especially worrying because the Colossal Titan is going to be an essential part of the coming episodes, which will adapt some of my favourite chapters in the manga.
I am very concerned that the Colossal Titan will look bad in those episodes and draw me out of the climactic scenes.
Speaking of being drawn out of the moment, there is one scene in “Descent” that does exactly this because of how jarring it is.
This is from a scene of the Beast Titan, where the animation has literally been lifted right from season two, episode one.
The two shots are practically identical.
All of this has me thinking that because they have put so much effort into some of the animation they have to lessen the quality of others to fit their budget, which is worrying coming into the next episodes.
It is a shame that there is a lot of questionable animation in these shots because the episode itself is very enjoyable.
There is great action, great suspense, great character development.
Bertholdt is the standout of the episode by far, having really grown since his last appearance.
Armin continues to stand out as well with his brains and Mikasa continues to be as awesome as ever.
Then there is the music of “Descent”, which, in typical Attack on Titan fashion, is stellar and adds so much tension to the already great scenes.
Overall, “Descent” is probably the best episode of this second half so far, even if my main take away is the animation problems.

Spoiler Review:

Much like the fantastic episode “Historia” from season two, “Descent” starts off with a flashback.
Usually, this would be a bad thing because it would break the tension set-up by the previous episode.
However, just like “Historia”, “Descent” more than earns this starting flashback because of the interesting character development it presents.
In this opening flashback, we see what Reiner, Bertholdt and Annie were doing when Eren was sealing the hole in Trost District, all the way back in the first arc.
When talking out loud about their plans, Reiner and Bertholdt are overheard by Marco, forcing them to take action.
Reiner holds Marco down while Annie steals his ODM gear, before the three abandon him to be devoured by a Titan.
This led to Reiner developing his split personality, which we saw in season two, with him wondering why Marco is being eaten.
Now, while this scene was also hinted at in that two, in my opinion it did not take away from the intensity of the scene.
From this scene, it is clear that, even though the three warriors are ruthless killers, they are not completely heartless because they all feel horrified by their actions and deal with it in different ways.
After this, we get a scene with Reiner and Bertholdt talking with the Beast Titan, before the Scouts arrive.
The Titan with the backpack arrives to inform them of the incoming force and calls the Beast Titan “war chief Zeke”, which is the first time his name has been revealed.
Then we see Reiner telling Bertholdt he needs to take action himself without relying on anyone in this battle, and then going on to say they will save Annie and Christa.
This leads to him mentioning Ymir, making me curious as to how they will reveal where she is, because I think that is going to be slightly changed from the manga.
We then cut back from the flashback into the present, with the official introduction of Reiner’s plot Armoured Titan.
In all seriousness though, how Reiner survived getting his head blown off is just as contrived as in the manga, although Reiner is such a great character and does so much later that I am willing to let it slide.
But then there is the censorship again, which is just ridiculous, especially given that an even worst shot of Reiner regrowing his head is shown at the end of the episode in full view.
Anyway, this goes into the scene where Bertholdt is thrown over the wall by Zeke, and this is where the shot of the Beast Titan is repeated from season two.
The reason I have such a problem with this is because in that shot the Beast Titan is throwing at a low angle, and yet he somehow he manages to chuck Bertholdt over the wall.
It may have been a small moment, but is was enough to temporarily draw me out of the moment.
Following this, we have the big confrontation between Bertholdt and Armin, where Bertholdt really shines as a character.
We can see just how much more ruthless he has become since season two, with Mikasa commenting that he seemed like a completely different person.
This comment comes after she attacks Bertholdt in a thrilling scene of combat, with great music, that eventually leads to Bertholdt transforming into the Colossal Titan in an epic explosion with stellar animation.
Scarily though, there is the question of whether Hange and Moblit were caught up in the explosion.
However, this fear of what may have happened to them is quickly undercut by the appearance of the CGI Colossal Titan, which is very distracting.
Hopefully it will get better in the next few episodes.
And, with this, the episode quickly begins to draw to a close.
“Descent” is another great episode of Attack on Titan.
Despite the problems I have with the animation, everything else about it is great from the character development to the action.
If it had not been for that animation I would definitely have given it half a mark higher.

Attack on Titan, Chapter 117, Judgement Review: War Hammer Mode Initiated.

As many people have already pointed out, Hajime Isayama has so immaculately timed the events of Attack on Titan that we now have different fights between Eren and Reiner in the manga and the anime happening at the same time.
It really goes to show how good Isayama is at structuring the series and has me excited about how he will continue to do so.
As for the Chapter 117 itself, it is a non-stop thrill ride of a chapter that feels over way too soon.
That is the sad thing about Attack on Titan though.
It’s action packed chapters can be read through so quickly, and then you have to wait another month while you are dying to read the next one.
This Chapter, “Judgement”, definitely has me feeling this way, with almost the entirety of it being action oriented as Eren faces off against the warriors and Marley’s military.
However, my favourite part of “Judgement” is not the bombastic action sequences, but rather the small character moment we get from Gabi and Magath.
Isayama really surprised me with how well he develops these two this chapter.
After escaping with Pieck, Gabi is brought to the Marleyan troops, led by Magath, and she is very surprised when he hugs her, showing relief that she is safe.
I love this moment because it not only shows that Magath does care about the Eldians under his command, but it also serves as a nice callback to chapter 91, where both characters were introduced.
In that chapter, Gabi came up with a dangerous plan that put herself at risk and, at first, Magath forbade her from following through on that plan.
This led to Gabi jokingly saying that this meant Magath really cared about her… only for this to now be proven true with Magath embracing her.
Then there is the cool story moment we got from Gabi in this scene, which saw her remember what Zeke said about him having royal blood, causing the others to realise that Zeke and Eren coming into contact could activate the Founding Titan.
It is a good explanation for how the Marleyans would figure out Eren and Zeke’s plan and also goes to show how smart Gabi is.
Speaking of the Marleyans and their warriors though, reading the chapter I was not entirely sure who I should be routing for.
One the one hand, I wanted Eren to succeed and defeat Reiner, but on the other hand I wanted Reiner to beat him.
This shows how complex Attack on Titan has become, with every character’s motivations being understandable to us now, to the point that we route for them all.
So, in the end, there is a bunch of characters I all like that are fighting to the death, making me unsure of who to cheer on.
I loved every second of this uncertainty.
It added much more weight to the battle, which has a lot of highlights, from Pieck’s cannon wielded by Magath, to Zeke showing up at the end to save Eren.
One of the big highlights of this fight, though, is obviously Eren using his War Hammer Titan abilities in battle for the first time.
It was very exciting to see all the different ways Eren can use the power.
He is clearly not as skilled as the previous War Hammer Titan but, if he is given time, he could become even more overpowered, which could be either a good and bad thing, depending on how Isayama handles it.
There are even some morbidly funny moments to go along with all of this action.
The best of this is scene when Porco cuts off Pieck’s hand so she can transform without hurting Gabi.
When this happens, Pieck screams in pain before jumping off the building to transform.
This is humorous in a pretty morbid way because we have never seen a Titan Shifter express pain at their injuries before, despite hurting themselves in ways that would leave most people in complete agony.
There are also, what I feel to be, hints at future events in the manga, the most obvious being Magath talking about the Marleyan hero Helos, who Willy Tyber mentioned.
This historical figure has constantly been used in reference to Magath and, if the theory that the story of Ymir was actually transported to the past by Titan memories is true, this could mean Magath is actually Helos.
This has dire implications because it has been stated that Helos killed the Devil of all earth, and many people believe Eren is an allusion to this devil.
So, if Magath, or any other character, turns out to be Helos, then it may be likely that Eren will be killed by them.
Along with this, Zeke looks set to transform all of the people who ingested his spinal fluid in the next few chapters.
This will undoubtedly turn the fight in their favor because Zeke will have complete control over all 300 of the Titans he will create.
However, Zeke showing up here does add further weight to this being the final battle, which I am currently unsure how I feel about because so many characters are absent from it.
Also, I did have a few minor problems with the chapter, the biggest of which being suspension of disbelief when it came to Titan injuries.
Is it just me, or does anyone else think Eren and Reiner’s Titans should have been unusable by the end of the chapter?
Eren got shot in the head twice and Reiner got his face ripped open and was hit by Zeke’s boulders, and yet, both are somehow still standing by the end.
It just felt like a contradiction of what we already know about what Titan’s can withstand.
Speaking of contradictions, there is a weird continuity error when, for some reason, Eren is shown without a shirt in one panel and then with one in another.
It kind of felt like Isayama placed fan-service over continuity there.
Overall though, “Judgement” is another solid chapter of Attack on Titan that has me excited for the series’ endgame… that is if Isayama does not spoil it himself first, but I will talk about that situation in another post

Attack on Titan, Season Three, Episode Fourteen, Thunder Spears Review: Eren vs Reiner Round Two.

Spoiler Free Review:

The fourteenth episode of Attack on Titan’s third season, “Thunder Spears”, tries to top the epic first battle between Eren and Reiner in the second season episode, “Close Combat.”
But does it live up to that episode?
Well, in my opinion, no.
That first fight just had so much weight to it, although this probably came from the revelation in the episode before “Close Combat” that Reiner is the Armoured Titan.
However, this is not to say that the fight between Eren and him this episode is not good because it is still full of many stellar moments that adapted the manga fight very well.
Not only this, but “Thunder Spears” also has a few additions, which improve on the manga very well.
This can be seen with the final shot of the episode, which was not in the manga, and is very gripping, serving as the cliffhanger to get viewers hyped for the next episode.
Along with this hype, came the beginning of many great character arcs that have been set up with this season, primarily Erwin’s.
We get a good look at his inner thoughts in this episode that tells us a lot about him and really adds to his character.
We also got some good elements of Titan comedy, which we have not seen since season two, so it is nice to have that back.
But, while this is all good there are still a few things about this episode that bother me, primarily its animation in some moments.
There is a particular shot of the Beast Titan at the beginning of the episode that looks more like fan art than actually being from the anime.
Then there is the censorship, which really annoyed me.
During one of Erwin’s development scenes, a powerful shot is censored because of how gory it is in the manga, robbing it of much of the weight it had there.
Still, “The Thunder Spears” is a good episode, with a lot of great character development and a battle between Eren and Reiner that will keep you entertained.
It is not as good as the previous episode, but still enjoyable.

Spoiler Review:

“The Thunder Spears” features the first usage of the titular weapon in the anime, with them being used in the fight against Reiner.
This is by far the highlight of the episode for me because I liked how they adapted the Thunder Spears from the manga.
From the animation that showed them being implemented, to the brilliant sound effect as they prepared to explode.
This led to the added scene that improved on the manga, where Reiner gets struck by the Thunder Spears at the end.
With the scene in a red filter, Reiner roars as countless Thunder Spears explode on his nape in brilliant flashes of light, bringing an end to the episode.
Before this moment, the weapons were built up very well, with the flashback to Hange’s experiments setting up the rules for how they can be implemented.
As stated, the episode also began to set up many upcoming character arcs and events.
Erwin’s arc is set up as well as in the manga, with him imagining himself on a pile of corpses.
Although, when Erwin remembers seeing a soldier giving him a salute as he is being eaten and realizes he is the only one fighting for himself it is censored, again lessening the impact.
We also got our first piece of set up for a battle between the Beast Titan and Levi, which is unfortunately where that questionable shot of the Beast Titan I mentioned came from.
Then there is the quadruple Titan, as Erwin calls it, which is officially introduced in this episode.
I will not spoil who this character is for those of you anime onlys, but I will say that, while they do not have a huge role in this arc, they become very interesting later on and I cannot wait to see how the anime adapts this.
Finally, concerning the actual fight between Eren and Reiner, it is a good battle.
Again it is not as intense as their first fight, but it still has a lot of emotional weight because of how much this battle means to Eren, with it being in his home town.
Overall, a good episode that has me excited for the next one.
With the anime looking set to adapt two chapters per episode, I especially cannot wait for episode five onwards because I believe this will be when we get into the five star episodes.

Attack on Titan, Season Three, Episode 13, The Town Where Everything Began Review: The Return to Shiganshina Arc Begins.

Spoiler Free Review:

After a long wait, the much anticipated second half of Attack on Titan season three has arrived with its premiere episode, “The Town Where Everything Began.”
During the break in between season three’s first and second half, I read the manga out of fear of getting spoiled and I think that only heightened my excitement for the series to return.
This is because the arc that this half of the season is covering, The Return to Shiganshina Arc, is the best of the entire series so far.
I remember binge reading it in a few days because I just could not stop reading.
If you have not read the manga, I will say you are in for a treat with these ten episodes we are getting.
“The Town Where Everything Began” does not disappoint as the beginning of this new arc, delivering on great character development and action.
It may start out a little slow for some, but the explosive ending will get everyone hyped for the next episode.
The buildup to this ending is very well done, with the story picking up where it left of with the Scouts going to reclaim Wall Maria and visit Eren’s basement.
The mission is obviously not as simple as it sounds though because the location of Reiner, Bertholdt and the mysterious Beast Titan is unknown for most of the episode.
This adds a significant amount of tension, which is mostly voiced by Armin who is the standout of the episode by far.
His role and character development here, and the performance by his voice actor Marina Inoue, really reminded me of why he is one of my favourite characters.
Then there is Erwin who shines just as much with his plan to retake Shiganshina, and how he rolls with the punches that inevitably come at the end of the episode.
The excitement and dread of this ending is amplified by the amazing music, with a remix that improves on what is already one of the anime’s best OSTs, “Attack on Titan.”
The animation also continues to be solid, except for one instance, this being the opening.
I was eagerly anticipating what this opening for the new arc would be, and it is certainly appropriately named, the title being “The Path of Longing and Corpses.”
Performed my Link Horizon, the song is good and the mostly slow motion images are decent but have quite a few spoilers at times.
I will say, the final image of the opening is very powerful, with it reminding us of the big goal behind retaking Wall Maria, reaching the basement.
My main take away though, is sadly the god awful CGI on the Colossal Titan.
I really hope they spent a lot of the budget on making him look so good that they ran out of money for the opening, because if the Colossal Titan looks like this when he actually shows up then it might ruin the powerful scenes he features in.
As for the ending theme, titled “Name of Love” by Cinema Staff, there is nothing all that special about it.
Sure, it does do a good job of reminding us of how everyone has changed from their days in cadet training, but I feel this would have been a better opening for season two rather than three.
Overall, I am a little disappointing by both the opening and ending themes.
The same cannot be said for the episode though because, as I stated “The Town Where Everything Began” is a really good start to the best arc of the manga.

Spoiler Review:

“Humanity or Titans?! Which side will live?! Which side will perish?!”
With these dramatic words from Erwin, and a great performance from his voice actor, Daisuke Ono, the epic ending of “The Town Where Everything Began” comes to a close.
As I stated, this ending is the highlight of the episode, delivering much intensity that will get the viewer hyped for next week’s episode.
What makes it even better for anime only people though, is that every single shot from the trailer is in the first episode so they have no idea what is going to happen next.
This makes me envy them but I know I will still find watching this arc engaging, even though I know what will happen.
The Return to Shiganshina Arc is that good.
It certainly has got off to a good start as well, reminding us all of what the characters had to go through to get this point and what these characters represent.
Eren being anger, Mikasa being pride, and Armin being hope.
The main theme of the episode though, and a major theme of the entire series as well, is that of freedom, with Eren recounting how Armin talking about the sea made him realise he was not free and fueled his desire to go outside the walls.
Eren’s character development in the opening minutes of the episode is very well done, with him showing his fears and weaknesses.
I wish he had this vulnerability in the first season because it might have helped me relate to him more.
After this, the Scouts finally reach Shiganshina and we get numerous glorious shots of them swinging around on their ODM gear, preparing to initiate Erwin’s plan to retake Shiganshina, which is shown in a well done transition shot.
But the best shot of the entire episode is still the amazingly expansive one of Eren as he shoots up above Shiganshina, about to transform so he can plug up Wall Maria.
And plug up the wall he does, with the first part of the plan going surprisingly easily… only for it to naturally fall apart by the end.
Still, it would have been much worse if Armin had not realised Reiner was hiding in the wall.
This scene really shows Armin’s growing inner strength because he starts out hesitant when giving orders to the other soldiers but comes across as a confident leader by the end.
Reiner does not go down easily after being discovered, however, with him brutally murdering the soldier who finds him.
Levi is quick to act though, rushing to stab Reiner, only for an odd case of censorship to block our view a few times.
I call this odd because there are multiple shots of Reiner bleeding heavily in this scene and yet the anime blocks him getting stabbed from view for some reason.
But this censorship did not lessen the scene’s intensity too much, with Reiner transforming and the Beast Titan then appearing behind Erwin with his army of Titans to back him up.
The Beast Titan is especially creepy in this episode.
There is a shot of him smiling in anticipation for the coming battle with glowing red eyes, which is quite scary, and a massive improvement on the already good manga panel.
With Eren set to face off against Reiner in round two next episode, The Return to Shiganshina Arc is off to a really good start and, if all goes well, it will only get better from here.

Attack on Titan Chapter 117 Predictions.

What is Marley’s plan of attack?

At the end of Chapter 116, Marley’s military arrived to bring the fight to Eren.
However, they must have some trick up their sleeve if they hope to defeat him.
Marley has three Titan Shifters and a large amount of soldiers ready to fight but this still may not be enough.
This is why I think it is a possibility we could see a repeat of Chapter 92, where Marley will turn a bunch of Eldians into Titans, which could motivate Zeke to transform those who ingested his spinal fluid when he arrives.
Although, if Marley does use regular Titans then there will be nothing to stop them from attacking their own soldiers and Titan Shifters so this might not happen.
I have also seen some speculation that Marley may have perfected ODM Gear from the one Zeke stole from Miche in the Clash of the Titans Arc.
If the Marleyan soldiers can now use ODM Gear then this would give them a much better chance of winning.
Still, I believe their main form of attack will be the Warriors, who may actually be able to defeat Eren, despite his War Hammer Titan abilities.
This will probably be because of Reiner, who is more motivated than ever to beat Eren.
Besides, Reiner has lost to Eren in all of their fights so it is about time he won.

Will Eren use his War Hammer Titan?

Eren ate the War Hammer Titan all the way back in chapter 104, and in Chapter 110 we saw he could use its abilities when he broke out of prison.
So, despite Eren’s Titan form not looking any different when he transformed at the end of “All Creation,” he still clearly has those powers.
This makes it almost certain that he will use them in his battle with the Warriors and the Marleyan Military.
The question is how?
Some have theorized that Eren will use the War Hammer Titan power to create two blades like those in the ODM Gear, which he has used before so that makes sense.
We have also seen that the War Hammer Titan is capable of creating long range weapons like crossbows so I can definitely see Eren shooting the airships out of the sky.
However, we do not know how skilled Eren will be with these powers, considering he only got them recently.
While it certainly will come in handy, I do not think we can expect to see Eren on the same level as the previous War Hammer Titan quite yet.
If he somehow is though, then this will undoubtedly make the battle terribly one sided in Eren’s favor.
Whatever the case, I think we can expect to see the full extent of Eren’s capabilities with the War Hammer Titan power very soon.

When will Zeke arrive and what will he do?

Eren will be going up against three Titan Shifters in the next chapter so he will need all the help he can get.
Thankfully, his half-brother, Zeke, is currently on the way with Floch and the other Yeagerists.
I think this will most likely be the cliffhanger of Chapter 117 or 118, with Eren about to be overwhelmed and defeated only for Zeke to jump in and help at the last minute.
This would be a nice payoff to the scene where Zeke promised Eren he would save him and it would also be interesting to see how Zeke interacts with his former allies turned enemies.
I am the most curious about how he will interact with Pieck, considering he was the closest to her when he was on Marley’s side.
If Pieck is going to die, then this could lead to a sad scene where Zeke actually eats her to stop her from interfering.
This is just speculation though.
What I do think will happen is that Zeke will also play a role in destroying the airships with Eren, because his main attack is a pitching throw with rocks.
If this is the final battle, I also think we can expected to see Eren and Zeke finally initiate their plan once this battle is over.
However, since I think Eren is manipulating Zeke, this plan may not be what Zeke intends and he will probably be betrayed.

How will the scouts escape and what will they do?

Since this is most likely the final battle, then the scouts will definitely play a part in it.
In order to do that though, they have to escape from their prison cell.
This may or may not happen in Chapter 117 but it will almost certainly happen during this battle.
Coming back to my earlier theory, I believe Onyankopon will be the one to free them because there has been a lot of hints that he does not fully trust Yelena.
In the chaos of the battle he will probably run to free the Scouts.
As for Niccolo, he will most likely help Sasha’s family escape from the battlefield, while the scouts fight.
About what they will do during this fight, even though they are questioning Eren’s methods, they will still have no choice but to side with him during this battle.
In fact, Armin’s Colossal Titan could be enough to tip the scales in Eren’s favor, along with Zeke.
No matter what happens though, I think this could sadly be the last time we see a few of these characters, which leads me to my next point.

Death Predictions.

Some characters are going to die in this battle.
Whether these characters are major or minor, it is inevitable.
It just remains to be seen who these characters will be.
Starting with the scouts, the most likely candidates here are Connie and Jean, who are not as important to the story as Armin and Mikasa but whose deaths would still get an emotional gut punch, especially Jean.
However, I think that Connie may be the most likely to die here, even more so if Zeke gets involved.
Isayama has set up a possible fight between the two since Zeke turned Connie’s entire family into Titans and Connie said he was looking for an opportunity to fight him in the Uprising Arc.
Since Zeke is an important character though, if he and Connie do fight then I see Connie losing and probably dying.
Eren, Mikasa and Armin are also too important, like Zeke, so will not be dying any time soon.
Then there are Yelena, Onyankopon and Floch, who are all minor characters and could possibly die at any point.
Moving onto the Warriors, I think Reiner and Porco are safe for now.
Porco still needs to meet Historia and have his antagonism with Reiner resolved, and Reiner will most likely die when Zeke turns Falco into a Titan and Reiner sacrifices himself to save him, which I do not think will happen next chapter.
Pieck, on the other hand, could die.
She is handcuffed to Gabi and will not transform until she is uncuffed because it would kill her.
If she does get free though, she is still at risk because her Titan is the weakest and, unlike Porco and Reiner, I do not see anyway she can grow, even though I do really like her character.
As for Gabi, she is in the middle of a character arc so she is not dying.
Falco is another story, however, because he, and the others who have consumed Zeke’s spinal fluid, will most likely be turned into Titans soon.
Unless Reiner does sacrifice himself to save him, then I think Falco will most likely die soon.
His brother, Colt, is also fair game because his character does not seem to have a point.
Finally, there is Magath who I think is safe for the time being because he clearly has a role to play, although I do not know what that role is.

My Concerns.

Now we come to the portion of the predictions where I lay out my concerns for the endgame of the series.
If you read my review for Chapter 116, you know that I am currently against this being the final battle.
The reason for this is that there are at least four major characters with unresolved storylines far away from this battle.
Those characters being Levi, Hange, Historia and Annie.
In my opinion, the only excuse an important character has for not being present during the final battle is if they are dead and none of these characters are.
It has also been a very long time since we have seen Historia and Annie so Isayama needs to bring them back into the story soon.
So, this fight possibly being the last one does have me concerned.
I would say that there is a chance this may not be the final showdown but, in all honesty, it has all the hallmarks of being that.
The characters are back in Shiganshina, where it all began, almost all of the Titan Shifters are present in this fight, and Zeke is on his way to meet Eren, which is currently the driving force of this final arc.
As a result, I find it unlikely that this is not going to turn out to be the last battle of the series, which is worrying because many of these characters’ storylines are unresolved at this point.
I am especially concerned that the missing characters will not reappear until the epilogue, which would be bad writing for a lot of them, especially Annie.
Her return has been hyped up for a long time so, if she only reappears during the epilogue of the story, it will feel like her character was completely wasted and that Isayama had absolutely no idea what to do with her.
If it is the final battle of Attack on Titan, then Isayama needs to find a way to include the four important characters who are missing.

And that is the end of my predictions for Chapter 117, which I will review when it is released. On another note, be sure to check out my reviews for the episodes of Attack on Titan Season 3 Part 2, which returns on April 28. This part of the anime with be adapting The Return to Shiganshina Arc, which is my favourite arc in the manga so far. I cannot wait to see how it is adapted and sharing my opinions with you.

Attack on Titan Chapter 116, Heaven and Earth, Review: The Final Battle Begins… Already?

After the fantastic chapter 115, I could not wait to see what Hajime Isayama would do in Chapter 116 of Attack on Titan, “Heaven and Earth.”
Needless to say, it certainly delivered a lot of surprising moments.
I made some predictions about Pieck’s plan in confronting Eren, and where Reiner and Porco were, but I was completely wrong about all of this.
However, rather than being excited at this surprising reveal of what they were all planning, it instead left me concerned about the end of the series.
I will get to the reason for that soon but first I want to talk about Yelena and her interactions with the jailed Scouts.
It has been a while since we last saw these characters so I was glad to see that Isayama brought them back into the story, especially with Mikasa’s reaction to Eren’s cruel words in Chapter 112.
She appears to still be numb from it all, and Armin’s comments about this lead Jean and Connie to two different interpretations of Eren.
While Connie believes that Eren has lost himself and needs to be taken down, Jean believes there must be some reason Eren is doing all this.
Naturally, I think Jean is right here because I still cannot see Eren just turning on Mikasa and Armin like that without a very good reason.
Then, Yelena and Onyankopon walk in and we get more revelations about their characters.
Connie demands that Onyankopon let them out but it seems he is fully on Yelena’s side, telling them they have to stay in their cells until Eren and Zeke meet.
However, I still have my doubts as to whether Onyankopon is truly on Yelena’s side.
At worst, I would say he is conflicted and will most likely come around and release the Scouts from their imprisonment while the chaos is ongoing.
I think this because Onyankopon seems to be against a lot of the things Yelena is doing, like when she shoots one of their fellow soldiers Grior.
But, that said, the jerk completely deserved it after the cruel things he said about Sasha to Niccolo.
It is also a pretty gory panel when he gets shot, with his brains splattered everywhere, and will most likely have to be censored in the anime.
As to why Yelena kills him, she does it in an attempt to gain the group’s trust about their plans to save the world.
She also tells them about Zeke’s euthanasia plan, and it has an interesting reaction from Armin, to say the least.
He breaks down into tears and says he is moved by Zeke and Eren’s noble plan.
I think there are two possibilities why he does this.
The first is that this is some kind of reaction from Bertholdt through Armin, but the second, and what I think to be the most likely, is that Armin just realised Eren’s actual plan and is relieved to discover he has not turned on them.
Before we can get any more information on this though, they are all interrupted by the alarm being raised after Pieck infiltrates the Yeagerists.
Moving on to her scenes with Eren and Gabi, this is where both the best and worst moments of the chapter were.
Getting the positives out of the way, Pieck was the highlight of the chapter.
I said in my predictions for Chapter 116 that Pieck had to have a plan to capture Eren, and, boy, does she.
After holding Eren at gunpoint, Pieck admits she cannot shoot him and acts like she wants to come over to his side, offering to expose Reiner and Porco if Eren takes her to the roof.
Eren does this, handcuffing Pieck to Gabi so she will not try anything funny.
This leads to a funny scene where Pieck meets Yelena and comments on how she is missing her beard from when she trapped Porco and her.
The humor does not last though, because, in an intense scene, Eren demands to know where the enemies are, only for Pieck to point at him.
Then Porco bursts from below Eren in his Jaw Titan form, biting off his legs and forcing him to transform.
The buildup to this moment was stellar, and even more so on my second reading because Isayama subtly places Porco among the Yeagerists when Pieck and Eren are passing through.
However, this is just the beginning because Marley’s forces have arrived, with Reiner, Magath and Colt also preparing to take the fight to Eren, in what looks to be the final battle of the series.
If this is the big final battle though, I am very surprised to see it starting now because I thought it would be at least a few chapters before this happened.
The reason I thought this is because there are so many characters with unresolved plot lines.
Hange is off somewhere caring for an injured Levi, Historia is still pregnant under questionable circumstances, and Annie is still in the goddamned crystal.
These are all characters who are important to the story and yet are nowhere near this final battle, which I find very concerning.
Granted, I do not think Isayama needs these characters to be involved here to make a great ending, but it would be incredibly disappointing to me if these characters did not play a role in how the series ends.
Still, Isayama could find a way to bring them all into the story here but I have my doubts.
Either way, I am not going to hold this against the chapter right now because my concerns have not been realised yet.
What I will hold against the chapter though is Pieck’s backstory.
I said in my predictions post that I was hoping to get some backstory on Pieck because she is one of my favourite characters introduced after the time skip, yet we know almost nothing about her.
Sadly, this backstory had a big problem.
When Zeke’s backstory was revealed in Chapter 114, I criticized it for being too similar to Reiner’s.
Now Pieck’s backstory is too similar to Annie’s, with her father pushing her to become a Warrior to make their lives better, only to feel guilty about it and now Pieck wants to help him.
That is Annie’s backstory to a t.
Still, this was only a small moment so it did not completely ruin Pieck’s character, but it does feel like Isayama is running out of ideas when it comes to character backstories.
Overall, despite my concerns, “Heaven and Earth” is still a great chapter that starts what may be the final battle of the series.
I can only hope that Isayama incorporates the missing characters into the story’s ending somehow.