Blair Loveday
Attack on Titan is such an excellent anime series. The first season is what got me back into anime in a big way and the seasons have only got more bonkers since then. Season 3 Part 2 might be one of the best segments of the show since the first season as the Scouts try to reclaim Wall Maria.
For those who haven’t seen Attack on Titan there is so much to love, and none more so than the art style. Everything from the detailed backdrops, to the fantastically animated people is best in class. The way titans move is as creepy as it is extraordinary as each titan moves in unique ways depending on their body’s composition, and I find it uncomfortable each time I see a new one.
Anyone reading this who isn’t already watching the series should absolutely stop after this paragraph as even light mentions will spoil the series. This show is about humanity who has been isolated to a massive city where the walls have been built to protect them from the massive humanoid creatures called the Titans which mindlessly eat humans given the opportunity. As the show went on we have been slowly given more information about the source of these monsters and it keeps digging deeper and becoming more interesting.
The start of Season 3 was my least favourite of the series to date. They did some interesting things and the universe got more interesting information but so much of it seemed all over the place the through-line wasn’t quite as engaging. Season 3: Part 2 kicks off with an awesome battle. The scouts are sealing up the wall when they find themselves falling into a trap from the titans. The battle ensues and the Scouts learn a lot about the smart Titans, and well I can’t say much more than this without spoiling it.
Battles within the walls tend to be the better ones as the surroundings are more known and you can focus your attention on what is occurring. They also do an awesome job of giving more information about how these titans operate and think. The second half of the series is where there is a lot more talking and less fighting, but thanks to some flashback sequences the mystery of the titans is explored with the story written so well it is as engaging as the show has been yet.
Thanks to it being a short 10 episodes the box set is a lot more concise than some seasons, and they still fill a lot of character development, plot development, and so much of the universe’s history. The flashback moments are especially excellent as the weirdness of the Titans becomes clear it is a historically powerful source, and not a weird mutation like I felt for so long.
The collectors edition comes in a sweet hard covered book style case that has some pages in between the discs as well as a separate art book. The hardcover case is designed to fit in a box that the first half comes with which is a neat idea, and the art book inside it has some cool art as well as the comic version of Chibi Theatre.
The bluray has the animated version of the same Chibhi Theatre which summarises entire episodes into humourous seconds long moments. Now I just need the collectors edition of Part 1 to slot this fantastic version into.
