First Impressions / Shingeki no Kyojin

OP2 Sequence

OP2: 「自由の翼」 (Jiyuu no Tsubasa) by Linked Horizon

「まだ目を見れない ―反撃前夜①―」 (Mada Me o Mire Nai ―Hangeki Zenya ①― )
“Can’t Look Into His Eyes ―Prelude to the Counterattack (1)―”

What do you want to do? I want to kill as many Titans as I can, SIR!

That’s the spirit. Shingeki’s back after a two week hiatus, and it starts off with one of the more epic opening sequences I’ve seen in a long time. There’s just nothing like having a sequence that they obviously butchered the budget on—images on top of others, fade effects, camera movements and pans every scene, everything moves—to start the second half off, and the new song from Linked Horizon matches perfectly with the fast-paced nature of it as well. Arguably, it may have been a tad bit too fast for some people though, but either way, you have to be in awe about how awesome this new OP sequence is as a whole (even if they seem to have inserted a potential spoiler in near the end of it).

In any case, word spreads about Eren and the Titan that’s siding with the humans, and true to human nature, they’re quick to label him their savior. The problem? The fact that human nature also comes with its dark side and inner-wall politics now threatens to incite a conflict between the people of Wall Rose and Wall Sina.

And so starts the prelude to the counterattack―a prelude that involves sorting out who gets to have Jaeger. It’s tough to be popular to say the least, as both the military police and the Recon Corps want him (for completely opposite reasons), and I suppose it’s just as fitting that the Supreme Commander himself (Dallis Zacklay) makes his appearance to resolve this matter.

But… it just highlights how Eren really brings with it a load of problems. People will support him, but people are understandably scared too. His very existence could lead to rebellion, but it could also be the key to humanity’s salvation. One could speed up humanity’s extinction, the other could lead to humanity’s victory. It’s a hard choice in many ways, but this is what makes Colonel Smith’s proposition so great as well, as his offer to take back Wall Maria is something that will either demonstrate Eren’s usefulness… or his uselessness (in which he would die anyway). Arguably the trial shouldn’t be happening in the first place, considering how at this rate, they’re going to die anyway… but yeah, Smith’s proposition really tiptoes the political boundaries quite well.

Notably however, the trial also serves as an interesting plot development point that lets Eren realize that he actually did lose control initially in Trost to the point where even he attacked Mikasa―a key point that may loom large in Eren’s future ability to either control or be consumed by the power. Furthermore, it gives Eren the time to finally say what’s on his mind (and countless others as well):

If those with strength don’t fight, who will?
If you’re too scared to fight for your lives, at least don’t hinder me!
You cowards.
Just shut up and let me shoulder it all.

Interestingly enough, this also gives Levi the chance to literally hammer in the fact that only the Recon Corps can deal with Eren, and the episode ends up concluding as expected for the most part. With that, the second half can start in earnest, and it looks like it’ll be even better than the first.

Suffice to say, it was a pretty nice episode after a two week hiatus, and it was quite nice how they managed to gradually introduce new members of the Recon Corps while also giving some additional insight into just how twisted this world is. Ultimately, you’re not just dealing with Titans here, but also other humans as well (potentially in more ways than one)… and really, the suffering just never stops. At least for now though, all Eren loses is a tooth―or at least, for all of a few hours―but it’s all worth it, because as Smith said: “your pain is our gain.”

Full-length images: 03.

Author’s Notes/Additional Comments:

  • As usual, there will be a zero tolerance policy on spoilers. Spoilers should generally not be written in general if it can be avoided and any spoilers should have a comment detailing what kind of spoiler it is and should be in response to a query. Those found violating this will find their comment deleted and multiple violations (in the form of comment deletions) will lead to bans. Note though, when deletions of the offending comment are removed, so will accompanying replies. This does not mean that those whose accompanying replies are at risk of being banned, unless they also violate the rule in some way.
  • HOLD ME BACK!
  • STARE OF DEATH! SNIFF OF DEATH! POTATOES!
  • Here’s a nice YouTube vid for those of you familiar with the annual Steam sales.

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    ED2 Sequence

    ED2: 「great escape」 by cinema staff

    Preview

    79 Comments

    1. Now the series starts for real, I’ve been waiting for the Recon Corps arc since the very beginning of this show. And that foreshadowing at the end of the new OP. I can totally like that.

      Wuz
      Reply

      1. It´s almost a cruel joke that all the destruction and sluaghter the new cadets have witness so far are nothing but the opening act, the introduction, just the warming up. Poor brave bastards of the Recon Corps, I wouldn´t want to be them not even for all the gold of Moria.

        haseo0408
        Reply

        2. I thought about it too, she has the same hair as the titan from the first opening (though it looked funny in that one), I am so hoping it isn’t any of our beloved cast TuT’

          Mi-Chan
          Reply

      2. Or it could be a hungry Sasha. Don’t make her hungry, you wouldn’t like her when she is hungry.

        Joking aside, that is one of the secrets for you to guess now and find out later. But try to keep the guesses to yourself.

        MasterDragonKnight
        Reply

        2. Tell that to his combat instructor Zephyr, of all his soldier I´m sure that guy is going to remeber her forever and not exacly for her fighting abilities and combat spirit, the fact that that hungry girl have survived to this point is the true miracle not Eren´s power to become a titan.

          haseo0408
          Reply

      3. Zephyr you just found the ultimate salvation for humanity, to hell with Eren and his titan power! We just need to train Sasha to devour titans, there would not be even one left standing!. XD

        haseo0408
        Reply

    4. Epic opening, just epic! I just love this arc, I’m so excited!

      Friendly reminder: read the manga or avoid any message board/groups/tumblr, etc. We are not at the end of shocking twists and there’s still some trolls out there…

      GH
      Reply

    9. Saw so many people dressed up as this from AX, saw people saying how popular this is. Did a marathon of this………..

      Started reading the manga as I couldn’t wait for this episode to come out.

      winters
      Reply

    10. Here’s something someone posted on MAL about this episode
      The whole scene of eren’s trial is disgusting. it’s supposed to be disgusting. levi’s behavior is disgusting. everything – rich people shitting on poor people, cowards belittling what others do to save their sorry asses – is supposed to show how far degradation of mankind has gone.
      After all, eren’s most important argument, the one that disturbs everyone the most, is that humans have been reduced to cattle, fodder for their own nightmares. and what happens in his trial – he gets tied up, beat up, denied any dignity – is a direct consequence of all this.
      What levi does isn’t essential for “saving” eren. it shouldn’t be so under any circumstances. it’s unnecessary, appalling violence coming from a person who at that moment has absolute power over the boy.
      However, levi has been established as a good character for a reason. and that’s because what he does at eren’s trial is supposed to demonstrate how otherwise decent people have been caught up in this sickening survival game.

      Makes a lot of sense after watching this episode.

      Zykes
      Reply

      1. That’s definitely an interesting way to look at things for sure.

        I’m not quite sure exactly as to Levi’s background though, so the rich vs. poor thing is something I’ll take at face value. The one thing I do wonder though is whether or not what Levi did was essential or not. One can argue the brutality was definitely excessive, but the act itself was something I felt was at least necessary in its own way, as his show of absolute power is key to demonstrating that he can in fact control him if he goes bonkers, and sets the stage for Smith’s next proposition.

        But yeah, that’s about it. The rest is definitely a good analysis, and the cattle part goes back theoretically all the way to the first episode when Eren discusses the state of human affairs in general. Really, it just goes to show the state this world in. I mentioned this earlier in the post, but yeah… it’s not just enough to fight Titans, but you have to fight your fellow man too (in more ways than one). The suffering just never stops (and propagates as time goes by).

        Zephyr
        Reply

        1. When Annie and Eren were sparring back in episode 4, you could possibly connect the cattle idea to what Annie said about how only the top 10 can join the Military Police, and how ironic it is for only the best of the trainees have the choice to join the legion that is farthest away from facing any sort of Titans.

          Jel
          Reply

      2. No I disagree about Levi. Everyone was terrified of Eren and were afraid that he would turn on them. At that point they were irrational and no argument would have swayed them. They had to shock them. Levi’s brutality was to show that he could control Eren and do anything to him and Eren would not be a threat no matter how provoked. Nothing less could convince everyone that Eren was “safe”. It had to be brutal and over the top or else it wouldn’t have worked.

        Bear
        Reply

    11. The OP and ED animations look beautiful. The OP was a tad fast for me but I’ll have 11 more episodes to watch it with so I’ll have a lot of opportunity to gaze.

      One of the reasons I love this series is how believable the characters’ actions are. All the arguing, Mikasa almost lying to save a dear friend, Police dismissing what Mikasa said about Eren saving them after talking about how they killed kidnappers when they were 9, and my favorite and the part I could relate the most to was Eren yelling out of annoyance and rage of listening to these two parties duke it out and realizing that he may have made a mistake, yet still following through.

      Entertaining episode, look forward to next week with more of Hanji’s antics. (Was I the only one that get kinda scared when Hanji jumped at the jail cell?)

      Jel
      Reply

        1. If you give Mikasa a few more years she might be able to kill Levi, think about it, Mikasa it´s little more than a kid right now and she´s already almost at the same level than Levi that is a veteran. That being said, you´re right Zephyr, that would destroy the world faster than any titan could ever dream, those two are truly scary.

          haseo0408
          Reply

    14. Lets face it, it’s almost imppossible to top the first op, but I like this op. Simply the animation composition of this one, I feel it’s even better than the first.

      I just hope this arc would have the animation quality and style we saw in the op.

      Just A Random Guy
      Reply

    16. – “Our reports said Eren attacked Mikasa upon turning into a Titan…”

      “ఠ_ఠ Why you….” Turns to give Rico the Death Stare.

      – Levi rushes to beat the crap out of Eren (in order to save him from getting shot by the mindless MPs)

      “ლ(ಠ_ಠლ)!!! OMFG! You’re so friggin dead for beating up my Eren!!!”

      Oh Mikasa, your dedication to Eren knows no bounds. XD

      echykr
      Reply

    17. No mention of the new ending? That was pretty epic in itself as well~! This episode really piques my interest in where this series is headed…Though I am curious how it will all end as ten more episodes doesn’t seem to be enough to finish up the series…

      Smiledie
      Reply

      1. I believe it has already announced that a second season is in works. From the very beginning, it’s very obvious they are following the pacing of the manga, so I won’t be surprised if they go into a third season as well…

        Just A Random Guy
        Reply

    19. It’s one thing to simply THINK you really like/hate anyone in an anime, but the way they did it in this so far at various times really made me actually talk/yell out loud for/at them. That’s how awesome the acting comes off; it actually can get more than just a mental reaction, but much more of a physical and vocal reaction too.

      Like that idiot priest calling the walls a “gift from god” had me yelling, “WHO DO YOU THINK BUILT THOSE DAMN WALLS IN THE FIRST PLACE, YOU MORON?!?!” (It’s ONLY been 100 years after all.) Or yelling, “BULLSHIT!”, at the merchant or, “F*** YEAH!!” when Levi calls him out on it. It really came off as if real people were talking in front of me.

      HalfDemonInuyasha
      Reply

      1. Well, actually if you think about it, the walls very well may be a gift of god…
        If you compare it to the Great Wall of China, both are more or less the same lengh (or so I feel), and more or less the same wide (some 5 meters), but while the Great Wall of China is only 7m height, shingeki’s are 50m height. Now think about the time, the Great Wall of China take centuries to be made, while shingeki’s take what? few years?. We are told that the titan appear about 105+ year ago (107 year ago I think is said in some ep), 105 year ago the walls were made and so 100 years of peace thanks to it, then 5 year ago colosal titan say hello… So then, the wall were made in what 2-5 years?? really? Are you telling me that something that rival the Great Wall of China was made in few years…
        Then or the walls are a gift of god or there is some great mystery is behind it to make posible build something of that size so fast…

        copperfield
        Reply

        1. http://ameblo.jp/mori-arch-econo/entry-10713886676.html

          This architect blogger in Japan actually wrote a post concerning how it was physically impossible to build such a tall structure.

          This is especially befuddling when you think: how on earth did these huge walls get built so quickly in what is supposed to be a critical Extinction Level Event when these Titans first appeared in such short notice?

          So we’ll just have to stay tuned and see what explanation is given.

          echykr
          Reply

    20. With all that positive opinion above me, shall I take a guess that both the OP and the ED are welcomed by all here?

      My own take – they both have the energy leftover from the first OP; in fact, parts of the second OP literally sounds like the first one(not noting that it’s Linked Horizon doing the OP). Hovever, spoilerish OP is spoilerish, they showned the characters before they’re in the episode proper (manga-based iirc).

      The episode itself, it looks like some of the plotholes from the manga were filled in even more nicely this time around, almost as if Isayama-Sensei had a hand in there.

      BTW, Eren’s epic speech is epic. There’s even steam coming out of him by the time he finished.

      And that’s one weird place to hang us on…

      info600
      Reply

      1. For someone who was kicked, punched, thrown, arm-locked, pinned, eaten and shot at, Eren is very good at giving motivational speeches. If anyone has any sense, they ought to have Eren give everyone a pep talk before every operation he is taking part in.

        Mincemaker
        Reply

    23. Dunno Let’s see. Is it now that the Titans will became the Prey now? And the main focus will shift from Humans vs Titans to Humans vs Humans and Titan’s a side chars?

      Germanguy
      Reply

    24. man the new op sequences… noticed quite a bit of exaggerated blood scenes.
      so at least in the preview, the recon corps are like a rebel group? that’s gonna be interesting.

      Whee
      Reply

      1. Voice actor for Eren was wonderful when he was trying to protect Mikasa from titan accusations. Awesome episode. Awesome new OP and ED (not as good as first tho). Can’t wait for the next episode!

        zandy
        Reply

    28. To be honest, this episode and the new op are only one reason why I will stop watching this anime. The other one is Levi. I hate this arrogant prick, especially after how he beat up Eren in the court. It just shows what kind of person he really is and I hope that he dies soon and a painful death.

      Rondo
      Reply

      1. You don’t understand the spirit of the thing… Rivaille beats Eren precisely to protect him… to show that he wasn’t dangerous. Everyone there feared Eren, saw him as a monster (he is after all), they would kill Eren… but when Rivaille hits him, showed that he was insignificant and he could stop Eren if necessary… and this way Eren not needed to be killed. He saved Eren life at that moment.

        vane
        Reply

      2. I’m pretty sure it’s just a farce though. There’s a reason Levi asks Eren later if he hates him. Levi definitely feels a bit bad about how he had to resort to that just to convince the audience. He seems the type to hide his emotions beneath a strict exterior.

        Lin
        Reply

        1. I just hate it when people use violence in such way. I’m pretty sure that there was a different way that beating up an helpless person, who is bound and unable to fight back. This is just sick and reminds me so much to Berserk, but that’s my opinion.

          Rondo
          Reply

        2. Both SnK and Berserk are supposed to be like that: worlds full of violence and deprecation, all of whom convey feelings of tragedy and disgust.

          Beside, Levi was lucky that the Military were so dumb to believe at such dramatic farce. It was the equivalent of shooting down a captured and deprived wild animal: is not at its full potential and threat level.

          StarFang
          Reply

    30. I admit that the new opening takes some time for people to get use to it, but damn the animation is sweet! Plus from what I read, Revo wrote the song as a reflection of Rivalle and the Recon squad, which makes the opening all the more understandable.

      Fullol
      Reply

    31. am I the only person who jumped when Levi went and sat next to Erin? that was so creepy! Another amazing episode that leaves me speechless. Oh and here I thought no opening could come on a scale as good as the first one, but I was wrong, the second opening and endings are so great. I am so far giving this anime almost a 10/10 in all fields, from graphics, to music, to character voicing, and an amazing story. Nothing more I can add to it at this stage, I am still speechless. Ty for your review as always, M.

      Mi-Chan
      Reply

    33. Fantastic episode .. it’s good to see new interesting characters (specially in a series with high mortality rate like this one XD), even the High Commander seemed like and interesting character .. he clearly isn’t easily swayed by all the crap the people at the court were spewing at each other.

      One thing to note .. the walls themselves seem to be a big mystery like the titans if not a bigger one, i hope we will get some answers soon .. not full answers .. but if they are going to retake wall Maria and enter Eren’s house this should answer some questions ^_^

      HunterWulf
      Reply

    38. I dunno, I appreciated the fact that the 1st OP and ED sequences didn’t contain any spoilers (they could’ve won an award for that). Nevertheless that’s plenty of good music right there.

      Saki
      Reply

    39. This was a great way start the 2nd half of SnK and it seems to be the opener of a very interesting arc.I’ve been dying to see more of the outside world(yes Eren,I know did too) and more importantly,for the story to FINALLY MOVE FORWARD so thank you,Shingeki.Now,you’d better make sure none of your characters get stuck on a tree or something for 3 or 4 episodes.

      MgMaster
      Reply

    40. mikasa vs levi
      no holds barred
      bets are now open…people, let’s hear em…

      btw the scene in op with mikasa’s cleavage bathing in sunlight was pretty delicious…

      lol @ the head of the MP for being so easily provoked…what is this…a court for school chidren? can’t even take a few insults?…PROBABLY DON’T BELONG IN THE MILITARY..and while i’m at it…religion in a courtroom…hahaha…this ep really drew the question of whether these pitiful little creatures even deserve to be saved…

      NierTevra
      Reply

    43. LOL, there are more for the people to worry about mikasa raging than eren turning into titan. lolol mikasa looks like she can wipe the world if anyone touches eren again

      Inferno
      Reply

    44. Admins of randomc I hope you consider making all future articles for this series require admin approval for comments or just disable comments altogether, all it takes is one troll to disregard your warning and spoil the series for people who didn’t cave and read ahead.

      Tsun
      Reply

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