First Impressions / Shingeki no Kyojin

「鉄槌 ―第57回壁外調査(5)―」 (Tettsui ―Dai 57 Kai Kabe Gai Chosa (5)―)
“Crushing Blow ―57th Expedition Beyond the Walls (5)―”

The suffering never stops. Thought it was tough enough facing an intelligent Titan, now you gotta face someone who can camouflage as one of your own and transform back at will. Really, if this was a game I’d be saying just “gg, no re” (good game, no rematch) at this point, because any normal guy would’ve given up on it by now. Shingeki’s like the SNES Contra on steroids, and well, if you haven’t played that game before… let’s just say there’s a reason it’s labeled as one of the toughest games of all time.

Game references aside, Erwin’s quote says it all:

“We were mistaken to use Eren, a novice, as the basis of our assumptions.
If we are to outwit our enemy, we need to think outside the box.”

Indeed, the Titans’ secrets continue to be plentiful despite the big steps they’ve taken recently, and it just adds further to the difficulties our characters are facing. Not only are they dealing with the natural issues the Titans bring, they now have to deal with intelligent ones and saboteurs within their own ranks, as well as the continued uncertainty and lack of knowledge regarding anything Titan-related. You can plan all you want, but the fact remains they’re on their back foot no matter what the situation, and the failure of Erwin’s plan (despite its sound nature), demonstrates just how grim things are here.

With that said, the resumption of the Female Titan’s chase not only hammers in that fact, but also highlights notion that regular military tactics and lines of thinking just won’t work here if they want to win. Like my sentiment from a few weeks back, Erwin ends up expressing this himself, and it’s something that will test exactly whether or not he’s worthy of being humanity’s hope. At the very least though, everyone still believes in him (myself included), and that leads us into another key aspect of this episode: the strength you can possess if you know just exactly what you can do, believe in yourself, and believe in your comrades.

Granted, this strength only means so much in the end though (as the deaths of Petra, Eldo, and Oluo show), and Eren ends up having to transform into a Titan. Suffice to say, it’s quite fitting to say the least, because it reasons that if you’re going to take down another intelligent Titan, you’re going to need one of your own (insanity vs. insanity / fantasy vs. fantasy). Furthermore, it’s fitting in the sense that Eren falls outside of what we’d consider “normal military tactics/weaponry” too, and thus is exactly what Erwin means when he says they need to start doing something different to win, even if they’re forced to rely on someone that’s potentially a double-edged sword.

As it turns out, even that’s not enough, and both Levi + Mikasa end up arriving too late to assist Eren’s efforts. And well, what can I say? This week was just an amazing, action-packed episode that culminated a lot of what was built up in the previous weeks and fulfilled a lot of the writing on the wall as well. Admittedly I’m quite skeptical that Eren’s truly dead at this point (considering how “early” in the game it is, how he “died” once before already, and how he seems to have been swallowed whole), but that doesn’t change the fact that even if he’s just lying around being partially digested at this point, it’s gonna be quite something to get him out regardless, even if Mikasa’s solo show already got the Titan on its knees. As such, there really is nothing else to say except that next week just can’t come soon enough. It’s just too bad that this episode also heralds the last month of Shingeki no Kyojin’s first season too.

Author’s Notes:

  • Regarding the episode, I gotta say… I like how they decided to forgo their usual spoiler-filled previews this week. Definitely a plus.
  • Per the usual, there’s a zero tolerance policy for spoilers that aren’t in spoiler tags or in response to a query.
  • In regards to speculation, I want to leave it up to you guys to use your own discretion in regards to what you decide to type in a comment, so I won’t be requiring that spoiler tags be used. However, please note that if you don’t (or you word your speculation in a way that implies more than just that) there’s a chance viewers will down vote your comment to oblivion, and there would be nothing I can do to make your comment visible again. Also keep in mind that any speculation that seems beyond the scope of the word will be removed if deemed inappropriate or clearly based off the source material.

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    Preview

    164 Comments

        2. @Vagrant
          Yes, this exactly. Ever since the arc started, I was wary and feeling so sad every time Petra kept telling Eren to believe in them… so bittersweet, torn between the two very reasonable choices. Should he have trusted them, or gone with his gut and show he didn’t trust them at the same time?

          Jel
          Reply

        3. @Vagrant
          This. I’ve read the manga before quite a while ago (and I dreaded this scene), but the anime executed this part many times better – why did they make Petra very adorable here?!!!

          Flanders
          Reply

      3. I’m relieved Zephyr didn’t post a screenshot of Petra’s dead face. As much as I want to have another go at this episode, I never want to see one of my favoured character in such state again ;_;

        tsukioniisan
        Reply

    2. Wow, just wow. This episode just blew me away. Spectacular animation, character development, and pacing all so wonderfully put together. One of the best episodes so far. And man, for Eren to lose so quickly to the female titan just goes to show how inexperienced he is fighting as a titan which is natural, but with that being said I hope that he gets better as the series progresses. And although it might not look it I’m pretty sure Corporal Levi is pissed as hell that all his comrades have fallen, along with Mikasa who will do anything in her power to get her Eren back. The female titan is in for some real trouble, not to mention that she’s already worn out. 😛

      Nadester
      Reply

      1. She just kept pace with horses for two hours, killed around thirty elite troops, got eaten by titans, escaped from them undetected, and then transformed a second time to kill even more elite troops, and THEN CQCed Titan Eren to death. Contrast with Eren, who at present is basically dead every time he comes out of his titan. Grinding ten or twenty levels would do him good.

        Axe Armor
        Reply

      2. Makes me wonder what the “benchmark” was for deciding how good that fight scene was. LOL.

        Because for the budget tv series usually have, and based on the source material, that fight was pretty well done.

        Vagrant
        Reply

      3. Just look at Mikasa’s ending 3dmg sequences against the female titan and compare how much more fluid the animation is. The titan brawl was about 5 min. long and most of it was still shots with pans, frame cycles and camera shakes.

        EliteF22
        Reply

      4. You can’t expect them to have the same guy animate both fights.

        Mikasa’s fight alone was at least 840 drawings, to have the same guy do another 2,100 more for the same episode (I’m approximating here at 6-7 frames per second) is asking too much from the artist.

        also I think animators who could draw fluent scenes like that get paid more than the other animators. And (if judging from experience years ago) some studios pay artists by their output of frames.

        Vagrant
        Reply

        1. There’s more than one animator working on a single episode. Standard current industry practice is for the main studio to send out the layout or key frames to a secondary studio for animating all the in-betweens. Judging by all the Vietnamese names in the credits, this show follows the same practice. Those guys are the ones who get stuck with being paid on output. Could they have relied less on shortcuts to fill up the fight sequence, of course. They made a design choice. For me this being the first big titan grudge match of the show that everything’s been building to for the last 4-5 episodes, it could have been much better.

          EliteF22
          Reply

        2. Go and look up something about sakuga in facebook.

          The really good animators who do fluent fight scenes like Macross’ Itano roll’s… the Soul Eater and good Naruto fights, etc… are usually done by one animator for that entire segment.

          Not the usual key animator and in-betweeners.

          Judging from the smoothness of the Mikasa fight it’s probably just one guy handling it.

          I’m thinking the Mikasa scene was handled by Arafumi Imai (much like the other 3DG scenes in previous ep). I don’t think they can make him do that and the Titan fight solo.

          The titan fight must’ve been the usual key frame + in betweens. Also it’s pretty much accurate to how the manga fight went.

          I agree that they could’ve done it more fluidly, but I don’t think they have the budget for it, nor can they fork over the entire sequence to the guy who did Mikasa’s.

          Vagrant
          Reply

    13. Prepare for this episode, they said. It’s going to be action-packed, they said ;___;

      More like horrifying. I was gritting my teeth so much that I think I could transform into Hulk the whole time watching Levi’s squad get annihilated. And, was cheering for Eren to land AT LEAST ONE CLEAN PUNCH into that titan-hoe’s face kltjzs2oitju4oi4joiy4jyoilknc;kjhkrzsj4o

      On another note, glad to see some Mikasa action this time after being in the sidelines for a long while.

      tsukioniisan
      Reply

    14. Hate to say it but if the first season ends on the female titan arc…its probably going to be at least 1&1/2 -2 more years until we get enough chapters to make another season without being right on the mangas’ tail.

      SDFGS
      Reply

      1. I heard there were already prequels and side storirs (Levi) based on the source manag being published.

        Assuming season 2 runs on the current manga arc, they’ll probably use those 2 new source materials to “buy more time” for the main story.

        Vagrant
        Reply

        1. Yeah, I heard about those too, though I only see the prequels as OVA’s since they deal with completely different characters, but the Levi spin off manga that just started could be filtered into the 2nd season at some point for filler eps. With the manga finishing two more arcs after the female titan arc there’s only enough for probably half a season right now *sighs* I was hoping to see them animate Sasha’s badass chapter she got for herself. Oh well, there’s many more 0_0 WTF? content for the second season, makes the wait all the better.

          SDFGS
          Reply

      1. You’ve got to remember that this is a narrative. The top 10 of the class already had their resolve-building death in Marco, so there isn’t anyone in those 10 that’s going to up and die for no reason.

        Psithief
        Reply

        1. I dunno, man. Jean’s pretty well set for the long haul, but Conny and Sasha have basically been comic relief side characters. They could totally die suddenly to up the stakes. It could be happening right now!

          Axe Armor
          Reply

    17. Petra NOOOO! She’s the first character death I really mourn. Though she’s spared the worse fate of being munched alive by regular Titans, merely getting squished, i.e. an instant death rather than a horrifyingly protracted one where you see your own limbs slowly being bitten off one by one.

      OTOH Marco’s death was like WTF just happened? His killing-off happened off-screen nobody knew what to make of it.

      echykr
      Reply

    18. … they are drawing out the episodes – first of all they waste 5 mins witha 3 min recap+OP song, then each scene seems unnaturally fleshed out, like i seriously do not care about some of the characters at this stage… but this is probably a product of the first arc, where they were dragging again.

      But, overall this was a down episode for me, compared to the previous three or four episodes. There seems to be less movement in the action and the plot.

      Shini012
      Reply

      1. They probably blew the budget for this episode on that few minutes of Titan brawling and Mikasa going solo.

        Also they’re trying to end season 1 at a particular point in the manga arc, which is a pretty good call, and based on that I don’t feel the pacing is suffering that bad.

        Vagrant
        Reply

    19. Absolutely jaw-dropping. Eren trusts his comrades, and they die. He trusts himself, and fails miserably. The suffering never stops.

      It’s obvious that he’ll be fine (more or less) even after being eaten as the female titan’s been trying to capture him alive all this time, but I’ve no idea if he’ll be taken by the titans (which should get us some answers) or if he’ll be rescued. It was also rather scary hearing him swear he’d eat the titan. I wonder if that’s simply his human hatred or some fundamental titan instinct within him, though I’d guess both.

      Eldo, Oluo and Petra were some of my favourite characters, and it’ll be a shame to see them go. Can’t wait to see where the story goes from here!

      Sekai
      Reply

      1. I agree that it was pretty terrifying to hear Eren say that he’d eat the Female Titan as well. That scene was pretty creepy… Did anyone else notice how Eren’s Titan head was moving erratically in every direction?! In combination with Eren’s facial expression… shivers.

        Jel
        Reply

        1. he’s becoming more titan like. The more you do something the more you become like what you do, the same thing happens in almost every anime where a character has some sort of special transformation. They lose control, and often times if they continue to use the transformation then they will become more like what they turn into.

          Keranu
          Reply

      2. I think threatening cannibalism is just another instance of Eren acting out, ’cause he’s an angry guy. If there was ever a time when he was going to eat someone (because he’s a titan, and not just because he’s really angry) it would have been in Trost when he was unconscious and his titan was just doing whatever it wanted, which included not eating Mikasa even when she was standing on its mouth. Instead, it punched its own head off.

        It’s my suspicion that human titans and derp titans may actually have very little in common.

        Axe Armor
        Reply

    22. Finally the episode I’ve been dreading since they animated Petra (sob sob) T_T

      BUT DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMN!!!!

      That episode there was definitely one for the sakuga compilations. Looks like they blew their budget on another ep.

      Vagrant
      Reply

    25. That was just heart wrenching to watch, from start to finish. Even when I for a second hoped that Eren transforming might lead to humanity taking the advantage, it was all taken away in a blink of an eye and the way the episode ended really just blew me away in terms of shock value.

      Kanon
      Reply

    26. NOOOOO!!!Petra,Eldo,Oluo :((((I’ve gotten used to them(yes,even Oluo) and now they’re gone…
      And well,sometimes you just make the wrong choices – like Eren said,if he transformed into a titan earlier I’m sure he could’ve taken the female titan down with the help of those 3,or heck,even sooner with the help of even more soldiers.But alas,it couldn’t be helped against these titans.They know so much about humans and humans know so little about them(transforming into a human then back into a titan at full strength just like,not to mention hardening certain parts of your body at will is just HAX).I’m curious how Eren will get over their deaths.

      At any rate,great episode,SnK’s definitely come a long way since it’s dreaded Trost arc.

      MgMaster
      Reply

    27. OMG, I don’t care how, somehow revive the levi squad. Their fight was epic. And then their death was mindblowing. Can’t believe they just killed them off like this. I almost threw my laptop out the window.

      And the titan fight, lol, it was good, I can almost feel eren’s anger rushing out from the screen. And there we have it, mikasa in (give me back) eren mode. And the quiet levi after seeing the death of his squad. Yeah, the female titan is gonna get hell next ep.

      inferno
      Reply

    28. Oh wow did this episode embodied the manga, it’s brutal (the deaths) and heavy (the brawl), and it is GOOD.

      And I can’t wait for next week for the “one man show” (if it’s going where I think it’s going right now)

      info600
      Reply

    29. Aside from Petra ( =( ), the episode also shows that you can’t always predict how things will turn out, much less expect things to turn out for the best. Choices have to be made and people won’t always make the right one, and even if they do make the “right” decision, it doesn’t mean it won’t come without sacrifice (as talked about a couple episodes ago). You just have to not let yourself wallow in self-pity (like Eren was thinking about) and let it consume you, but try to learn from the “mistake”.

      As Erwin pointed out, they made the mistake of basing their plans around what little they know of Eren as a Titan, and while much of it was probably helpful, they didn’t initially consider others like him simply being more adept at it, like we see with the female Titan and, most likely, the Colossal and Armored Titans, simply because they have much more experience and control in comparison to Eren. So all they can do is learn from that mistake and, despite how hard it must be with the losses, make sure to think differently in the future.

      HalfDemonInuyasha
      Reply

    30. You think I’d know not to get my hopes up when watching an episode titled “Crushing Blow”. I was still hoping Levi would charge in and at least save someone but fate is just not on their side right now. The female titan’s skills just make me rage at this point. Every time she reveals another special ability I think: “Wow that’s cool… CAN SOMEONE PLEASE KILL HER?” Or at least find a way to legitimately capture her this time. I feel like I’m losing right alongside humanity every time she kills someone else. Quite the heart stopping cliffhanger… Can’t wait for the epic team-up between Levi and Mikasa next week!

      Kira526
      Reply

      1. that’s the point, they’re showcasing the female titan and her powers right now, so that more than likely the main character can take her out in a long drawn out battle of skill and abilities

        Keranu
        Reply

      1. They give you false hope after showing how coordinated their attacks were, only to be followed by crushing defeat…

        Then Eren goes Titan, vengeance! Then another crushing defeat… Then we get Mikasa going wild + Levi…

        makes you wonder where the pattern will stop x_x

        Vagrant
        Reply

      1. OP and cheap as hell. I was also fucking angry.

        About Erin’s and the squad’s decision for him leaving the fighting:
        The classical problem of having only one of a really important item/weapon/soldier, when and how to use it? In trying to zero the chances of losing Erin they lost everyone.
        Other factors. Erin may have been hesitant not only for the faith that he decided to put in his companions, but also, for his lack of titan experience, and because when he rushed the titans for the first time it took a medical experimetation performed previously on a child to regrow his limbs.
        Also, there was an element of pride in the rest of the squad. They wanted to show that they were strong, that they needn’t Erin’s titanic ass carrying them around.
        If everyone fought together they could have taken her down.
        Now it is on the hands of badass normal duo.

        Grahav
        Reply

    36. These were the most depressing deaths in the whole series to date. I would say Marco after Levi’s Squad.

      What a roller coaster ride. First we see Levi’s Squad epically taking down the Female Titan while coordinating with each other without words, the next scene we see them completely annihilated, the scene of their death frequently flashing in the episode. Never has the deaths looked so disgusting and horrid.

      Also, sad that the preview was just recycled scenes from the episode.

      Jel
      Reply

        1. Its the people that was around him fault, there were afraid of eren powers and didnt allow eren to fully experiment/transform more often during the 1 month break before leaving the walls. Yea eren needs a goal to trasform, but still, could have do some sort of training.

          King
          Reply

        2. @King, the most probable reason why Eren didn’t undergo any Titan training is because he needed to train for the expedition like the rest of the new recruits. Every time he transforms, he’s bedridden for several days. Also, getting permission for him to transform inside the walls would probably be very difficult.

          MacrossFan
          Reply

        3. Difficult? Try impossible. He got off from a death sentence because they need him, that´s all, you can count that the Scouting Legion is not the only one watching his every move, the moment he tries to transform most likely an entire army will rain down on him.

          haseo0408
          Reply

    40. Gunter, Petra, Eldo, and Oluo Nuuuuuu (yes, unlike everyone else I didn’t just like Petra but mourned over everybody else *shocked*)

      But I must say, from the way the author were building them up and making them likable, I saw it coming.

      Drift
      Reply

    43. I’m curious…why is everyone so sad over Petra’s death again?
      I mean, yes, I guess you should be, but what makes her so special? I don’t think her character was that fleshed out from what I could tell from the anime (I don’t read the manga, so i can’t tell you much about that).

      I’m just gonna assume it’s cuz she’s a “girl”, in which case, pathetic. 3D girls ftw (I know Madarame would disagree heh).

      james
      Reply

      1. Reasons why “I” am sad over Petra’s death.
        1) Right when she along with the other squad members and Eren begin to trust one another, this happens.
        2) She may have not had much screen time but honestly neither has Sasha lately and we would all go bawlz over if she were to die (I’m just throwing that out there, its just hypothetical)
        3) She appeared to have been a genuinely nice person and had the sister/mother role of the squad….if you discount Levi’s cleaning obsession.
        4) Like Eren realized, her death, along with the others, could have been avoided if he transformed back earlier back then.
        5 (the biggest one)….well….I won’t say since its a spoiler but this is the biggest reason why people are sad over her death because they’ll reveal it in a later episode. It was about Petra’s “Goal” in life or what she wanted to do after getting back from the female titan mission.

        SDFGS
        Reply

        1. Mostly agree. I don’t think Petra had a sister/mother role within the squad, but she was definitely an older sister type to Eren in how she always explained things to him and it was easy to see how much he didn’t want to disappoint her by following her pleas. If anything, I would have loved to see Mikasa’s reaction to seeing how obedient Eren is toward Petra (vs. how he always yells back at Mikasa).

          But as for the whole squad, it was so hard to see them go. I think they genuinely wanted to accept Eren into their group (by their playful banter) as they continued to work their fears of his Titan form. Even Auruo wanted Eren’s respect and admiration by how he was always showing off in front of him. Just as Eren was starting to get comfortable with his new squad they were so coldly ripped away.

          MacrossFan
          Reply

      3. Mostly same as the above but also they were introduced late into the story.

        But despite the late introduction, they had the potential to be really good characters. The scenes they were in, was, in a way building them up.

        It’s sad that they get killed off before they can be developed into full characters, such as Levi.

        Would’ve been nice to have Levi and his group, and Eren and his.

        Maybe in the Levi spin-off, they’ll get more development.

        Vagrant
        Reply

    44. It’s funny how things work out with Eren’s emotions. After he made he’s decision, he obviously regrets it after seeing Levi’s whole squad of elite titan killers get wiped out. The funny thing is, if he had transformed into a titan back when he first saw the Female Titan, he would not have had the same rage he has now going up against it. I’m sure either way it would have had the same result.

      Just A Random Guy
      Reply

    45. I screamed like a raging titan this episode… and my immediate rage said fuck whoever is inside, KILL IT! But then I calmed down and its still bleh. Looks like things are finally ramping up again or rather the buildup from past few episodes exploded. Now I really can’t wait for next week!
      May they all rest in peace…

      Catsrofl
      Reply

      1. A mix of agility and experienced fighting. You could see her combat moves were much more refined than Erens.

        Punch + block, grapple, jumping roundhouse(?), etc.

        Although the part about Eren being strength type is interesting. I was thinking she was dodging/escaping to give her time to heal. But part of the animation also suggested she looks stunned at something about Eren’s titan form.

        Something that wasn’t shown clearly in the manga.

        Vagrant
        Reply

        2. If there ever was an Isayama and Martin collaboration…

          We all would be writhing on our bedroom floors in utter anguish, sobbing into sob blankets, and begging not to live on this planet anymore… Every episode. They are monsters. Lol.

          Axel
          Reply

      4. No. George R.R. Martin knows how to make you actually care about his characters and give them depth and proper development before he kills them off. Isayama relies solely on shock value. The very idea that you’d compare this series to A Song of Ice and Fire is just laughable.

        LaughingMan
        Reply

    53. it was sooo thrilling I cldn’t keep myself very long from reading the manga, I’v only read it recently and I feared that the enjoyment of watching the anime would drop but I ws totally wrong it’s the first time that I enjoy an anime even after reading its manga, this is really a feat for the shigeki anime team we’v got to hand it to them, really best adaptation ever

      selma
      Reply

    56. FINALLY! We get a nice fully animated fight scene. I was really tired of watching so-called action scenes that consists of blurry still shots with characters screaming in the background.

      geekTroperaku
      Reply

      1. You can still afford a modicum of shock. I don’t think any of the squad really had a lot of inherent development potential, but this series plants so many death flags that sometimes it forgets about a few. Like, remember the crazy-eyed officer back in Trost? He’s like some no-name boss you thrash at the end of a level in Fire Emblem, but he’s still around. And then there’s Captain “Death Flag” Hannes. Mild spoilers, but Show Spoiler ▼

        Axe Armor
        Reply

    58. I really liked Auruo at the end because he had to suffer watching all his comrades die and be the last one alive. The fact that he still fought when he could’ve retreated and probably should’ve tried to protect Eren, even if out of rage, earned my respect for him as he continued to fight despite being the last one. I thought it was pretty brave considering most would turn tail if they saw all their friends drop easily against an enemy little understood. Eldo I thought was a great leader of the squad and it was sad to see him go so sudden. Just trying to add balance to all the Petra sympathizers.

      fishies
      Reply

    60. It may be just how her facial expression may be, but I love the fact that the expression of fear the female titan hand on when she fought Eren. It looks like she’s about to piss herself.

      bakakubi
      Reply

    61. having returned from holidays only few hours ago, watching this episode had drained all the energy from my body, I can’t possibly keep up with the trauma this anime causes, thanks for your review as always, Cheers, M.

      Mi-Chan
      Reply

    67. Man, That’s like what- the third time Mikasa has witnessed and believed family died? I swear, if Eren gets eaten a third time she’s just gonna go ape shit all over the place, lol.

      Nymphetamine2791
      Reply

    68. Was an exciting episode… damn Oluo got kicked, Eldo chomped and Petra got the crushing blow. Female Titan did some samurai chop to Eren’s head. Whoever the driver is, she’s one crazy bitch. Lol. Petra’s death took the cake in this episode.

      Heisenburg
      Reply

    70. Man I don’t know how this show will end. At this point its gonna be go read the manga cliffhanger. I hope it’s good enough that they will continue for more seasons(heard plenty enough material for second season). Take a year or few off but continue. I dont want another brother hood (well I do but it’s gonna be awhile), where it gets remade in almost a decade later. or go into limbo like nana, skip beat and claymore.

      This is definitely one of my fav shows but can also be one of the most disappointing if anime original ending or cliffhanger with no intention to keep going happens.

      Sherylfan
      Reply

      1. Honestly, Mikasa would not even be able to lay a finger on Levi, Because he is light years ahead in feild experience and he has the one thing that keeps Mikasa from being stronger, control over his emotions, you don’t see him rushing towards the enemy, he waits and plans his strikes something which Mikasa lacks in certain conditions especially if the reason she is gonna kill him is over Eren.

        Arxeous
        Reply

    73. I’m sorry, but am I supposed to feel sorry for Petra, Gunther, and the other members of the Survey Corps in this episode? Their characters were way too one-dimensional to have such a dramatic death scene.

      Also, what the fuck was Isayama thinking when he was writing this scene? “BELIEVE IN US EREN! DON’T YOU BELIEVE IN YOUR NAKAMA EVEN THOUGH WE’VE BARELY INTERACTED WITH EACH OTHER?” For veteran titan hunters, these guys are fucking idiots for not realizing how out of their league they were and that Eren could’ve actually helped them escape even if he ended up getting his ass kicked. “But m-m-muh power of the nakama!” And of course Eren has to turn into a crybaby and go “WAAAAAAAAH! IT’S MY FAULT THAT THEY GOT KILLED EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE BEING SUCH RECKLESS FUCKING IDIOTS FOR MAKING SUCH A DECISION LIKE THAT! WAAAAAAH! LOOK HOW SAD I AM DESPITE THE FACT THAT I BARELY HAD ANY INTERACTION WITH THESE ONE DIMENSIONAL PLOT DEVICE CHARACTERS USED JUST FOR SHOCK VALUE AND HAVE SUCH A LOL SO EPIK XD TITAN TRANSFORMATION!”

      Jesus Christ, production values are the only thing this show has going for it. I can’t believe that Production I.G is wasting its time on such hogshit tier writing. Plus we all know that Eren isn’t really dead and is gonna come back. Never underestimate the power of asspulls people!

      LaughingMan
      Reply

      1. Yeah man I know!
        I can’t believe I.G would waste their time on anime that literally is sweeping the industry off it’s feet in terms of praise and success. The only manga currently giving One Piece a run for it’s money, the only show this year year to break 70k for a it’s Blu-disc+DVD volumes.

        Seriously I.G, why don’t you guys just do generic full female cast pandering shows like the rest of the industry? Why do you have to make different and unique stuff like Gargantia, Psycho-Pass, Shingeki, Genshiken, Diamond no Ace and Ghost in the Shell: Arise in the same year?

        Twsit
        Reply

        1. Nice straw man fallacy pal. Just because SnK isn’t a “generic full female cast pandering show” doesn’t automatically mean it’s unique. SnK is anything but unique. The story of survival is extremely base and takes itself way too seriously (the author basically replaced zombies with giants as the antagonists and somehow this is considered unique), the majority of the characters are bland and barely have any depth to make you care about them (Mikasa and Levi are the only characters that are actually somewhat interesting) despite having overly dramatic death scenes purely for the sake of shock value, the author relies on hamfisted deus ex machina asspulls to keep the story going and give the characters a chance against the Titans (one quick scene of Eren getting a shot isn’t proper foreshadowing of him becoming a Titan. It’s an asspull), etc.

          Attack on Titan is the most overhyped piece of shit of the season, and Production I.G is wasting it’s time on such a pathetic story. If anything it could have very well used the budget it blew on Attack on Hypan to make Psycho-Pass’s animation look better or extend Gargantia’s runtime to add more depth to the story and characters. Hell, if you read Attack on Titan’s manga the artwork doesn’t make up for it either. Not only is the story poorly written but the artwork is basically chicken scratch. Why I.G didn’t pick a better manga to adapt like Yusuke Murata and ONE’s “One-Punch Man”, Takehiko Inoue’s “Vagabond”, Tsutumo Nihei’s “Blame!” or anything else is beyond me.

          Attack on Hypan is shit and you’re a delusional fanboy for not seeing it. Go ahead. Downvote me as much as you want. See what I care.

          LaughingMan
          Reply

      2. The characters are indeed killed off for no apparent reason. I do understand that the deaths of Levi’s subordinates are employed to force Eren into a self-deprecating reflection. However, the execution of the scene is laughable. Sure, believing in your comrades is important and so is trying to protect them, but everyone there is expected to act as a soldier. Death on the battlefield is a common occurrence, and evidently, Eren fails to realise this crucial point. Eren’s objective is to reach the rendez-vous point. By turning back and fighting the female titan, he is merely an attempt to satisfy his own little ego; a pathetic attempt which ended in failure.

        Actus
        Reply

        1. THANK YOU. The entire scene is nothing but forced drama and the characters serve as nothing but plot devices simply to make Eren more willing to use his Titan powers. If Isayama is gonna kill off his characters in such a dramatic way, then he needs to remember to give them depth and development BEFORE he does so.

          LaughingMan
          Reply

        2. You have to understand that eren is a kid, he’s 15 at best facing monsters that eat humans just for fun, and then suddenly he’s has powers that can turn the tide of everything. You honestly cant tell me that if you saw your friends get killed right in front of you, and if you had the power to stop whatever killed them, you wouldnt? He’s a scared child who thinks he can make a difference. He isnt as old as levi or the others, nor has he seen much combat and how you should act on the battlefield. He did what any vengeful person would do with powers…get revenge.

          Keranu
          Reply

        3. @Keranu

          Perhaps Eren is a 15 year old child, but he is a trained soldier. It cannot be denied that he had been trained just for the task of killing giants – that was what the first 17-18 odd episodes were about. If that is not enough training, then the first 17-18 episodes would be all for naught.

          Secondly, he had seen enough of combat. He was trained just for the purpose of fighting titans. He experienced the first invasion of the titans. He fought back the titans when they struck again. That is enough combat for all purposes to actually enable any reasonable person to realise that fighting titans isn’t as simple or easy as thought prior to the first invasion; soldiers die, and that is the reality of all conflict.

          Thirdly, he is trained to analyse a situation and act accordingly. His orders were to head to the rendez-vous point and not to fight. Fighting the titan is a clear act of insubordination. It is immaterial whether or not he wishes to exact revenge.

          Also, the situation clearly does not indicate that Eren’s power could turn the tide of anything. Not only is his power unstable and underdeveloped, it is severely limited in scope as well: there are hundreds if not thousands of titans out there, but all he could handle was less than 30. That clearly is not enough power to turn the tide of anything.

          Actus
          Reply

    75. I was wondering why there was the increase of reused animations this episode – but the 3D maneuver gear scenes absolutely blew my mind. The animation studio continues to deliver some of the best action scenes in the year, and that definitely justifies a few reused animations and lengthened stills…as long as they maintain it at this level.

      But wow, this episode was as much of a feast for the eyes as it was a hammer blow to the hearts. As a non-manga reader who has been spoiled about this episode by Animate’s amazing choice of ‘Shingeki no Kyojin sample read'(the whole Levi team vs female Titan fight, which also happened to spoil Eren’s Titan transformation for me back when the anime was still on episode 3 or so??? why they chose such a spoilerific chapter still remains beyond me), I’ve been dreading this episode as soon as the anime got to the point where I could put 2 and 2 together, and it really didn’t help that Eren’s interactions with the rest of the Levi team with all their eccentricities secured them a firm place in my heart.

      Petra ;_

      Mikasa and Levi teaming up next episode…fortunately I still remain unspoiled about the outcome of this whole female Titan business, so that’s something I’m definitely looking forward to.

      Defade
      Reply

      1. I care for the guy who got wire-spin tossed by female titan. That poor soul went out like a trooper. God Bless that soldier. What you think Hikigerma? LOL. No more “Tongue-Biting” Oluo.

        Dflowen
        Reply

    78. I don’t see why they’re taking so long revealing the driver of the female titan. It’s pretty obvious it’s Annie, we haven’t seen her this whole arc, she looks exactly like the female titan, and she gets a special close up and evil look in the OP.

      tadambam
      Reply

      1. When the fight between Eren and her started, it dawned on me it had to be her. That prowess in hand-to-hand combat just confirmed it. But then someone in the military police must be in. Going to see the next one right now.

        Ebisu
        Reply

    80. …And yet, as the dust settles, Erwin, Levi, Mikasa, and Armin (my personal short-list of critical talents or potential-talents – maybe add Hanji) are all alive. Meanwhile, the Female Titan has surrendered at least four crucial secrets, trump cards all of them, to get where she is now. If it turns out Eren is indeed alive, I think we can chalk this one up as a failure for the Titan side.
      How many times did surprise save the Female Titan’s ass this time around? And knowing our heroes, every single thing that surprised them this time will be absolutely countered in the future. I love a good arms race.

      mythnut
      Reply

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