The 2nd part finale to the end of Attack on Titan Final Season has been released. This is my list of the top 5 most disappointing moments of this season.
1. Eren’s Twist on his Father Grisha, Attack Titan’s Ability to Semi-see the Future
[Episode 20, Memories of the Future (未来の記憶)]
Possibly, my most controversial opinion. I do not like the idea of convenient powers that change the narrative of a story. Grisha being punked by his own son maybe the most disappointing part of the whole series for me. He has the power to see random parts of the future? Eren can see the ending, but not how he gets there? It would have been a better sell to me, if the future could be changed. A great way to end the anime series is to give us some alternate endings. I am totally against this plot twist!
2. Eldian History Falls Flat
[Episode 21, From You, 2,000 Years Ago (二千年前の君から)]
The history between Marley and Eldia may be the most important story of all of Attack on Titan. This episode left us with more to be desired. This was more about informing the viewers about the general history rather than showing us anything significant to give us a real connection to King Fritz and Ymir. This is basically the bible of Attack on Titan history without any lessons learned. It would have been a more compelling history if these two characters’ motivations and history were more fleshed out.
3. Connie Sub-plot, Annie Backstory
[Episode 24, Pride (矜持)]
I understand what the writer was trying to do when he introduced Connie’s out of a blue, “I’m going to sacrifice Falco to bring back my mom,” and Annie’s “I’m fighting to save my dad.” You kind of have to flesh out these characters’ motivations, in order to set them up to advance to the main plot. It’s just that.. Connie’s development with his mother was a bit rushed and giving that much screen-time to Annie was a bit unnecessary. In one whole episode, we witness a crazed Connie getting ready to sacrifice Falco and a happy-go-lucky Connie have lunch with Falco. It all came to an awkward and forced scene with Armin, Falco and Connie, coincidentally running into a stuff faced Annie.
4. Revealing Yelena’s Motivations
[Episode 25 Night of the End (終末の夜)]
Doing things for fame and to fulfill your self-centered ego is nothing new. Sometimes, the reality of something significant happening can be so simple. That is how I view Yelena. A plot device with no real interesting motivation, other than wanting to be etched in history as someone important. Even though I can see the real life reality of a character like this, doesn’t mean I have to like it. Cheers to those of you who dislike this character too!
5. Ymir Being a Mindless Slave
[Episode 21, From You, 2,000 Years Ago (二千年前の君から)]
There are many different ways to interpret Ymir’s role in the story. At face value, you might ask “why is she blindly stockholm syndrom-ing King Fritz? Why doesn’t she just use the power for good?” That’s why I have harsh criticisms for the writer not fleshing out more of these details to understand why King Fritz and Ymir are the way they are.
Still, when you think about it a bit deeper of what she means for the Attack on Titan powers, it becomes obvious as to why Eren is doing what he is doing. You don’t have to know the ending or anything to understand Eren’s reasoning in the last episode of part 2 of “ending the cycle of revenge,” by starting the rumbling. Ymir is as much apart of this cycle of revenge by Eren and its something that I wish wasn’t the case. I wish Ymir’s character was explained in greater detail as she is just a symbol left to be interpreted, rather than a well developed character that just happens to come across some super natural powers.
OTAKU SINH 