I can’t let Attack on Titan’s finale take place without saying a few words.
After years of waiting, the ending aired on November 4 in one spectacular 82-minute mega episode.
Attack on Titan holds a special place in U.S. anime history. It’s the series that literally saved the U.S. anime and manga industry after the great recession of 2008, when it looked like this imported Japanese art form had peaked and was on its way down.
Attack on Titan was the Kodansha hit that revived manga and anime in general in this country. It was the tide that lifted all boats, keeping the English localization industry alive until it could thrive again.
The hallmark of Attack on Titan, the one word that has always described the story and artwork is... intensity.
The visceral horror of the Titans is unmatched in anime. I’ll never forget the battle scenes between the Survey Corps and the Titans, the scouts propelling themselves with gas canisters and rappelling through the village to fight the terrifying skinless giants.
I didn’t keep up with the intricacies of the storyline as much as I should have. I never read the manga and there were such long breaks between seasons and cours that by the end, I could only try to recall how everyone ended up where they were when the final battle began.
It didn’t matter. The final 82 minutes of Attack on Titan was everything I wanted it to be.
The first half was the incredible final battle as Eren’s old friends try to stop him from destroying most of the world. As thrilling as it was, the last half was even better.
The last half was pure emotion. After the battle, the characters met in that timeless, liminal dreamspace where they could tell each other what their intentions were and how they felt about it all.
The most moving moments to me were, oddly enough, in the ending credit sequence. I won’t spoil it if you haven’t seen it, but let’s just say the theme was... the more things change, the more they stay the same. The end credits play over scenes of the future, and as you might expect from the universe of the Titans, Eldians, Marleyans and others - it doesn’t turn out to be a utopia.
But the end of the final battle does bring closure for the characters in a satisfying way. One can only do one’s best in the lifetime that one is given. And, as corny as it sounds, it really is about the relationships that you form along the way. I don’t see any series ever being able to replicate what Attack on Titan has done. It’s a classic for the ages.
