Anime

Attack on Titan Finale Review: Did It Live Up to Expectations?

Attack on Titan Finale Review: Did It Live Up to Expectations?

Eren stans, how do you feel?

Summary:

  • The Attack on Titan anime finale follows the manga.
  • MAPPA did a great job with the final episode.
  • Fans are mostly satisfied with the finale.
  • Those who didn’t like the manga ending remain skeptical.

Attack on Titan Finale spoilers ahead!

The Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin) anime adaptation has come to an end, and with it the whole decade of experiencing this phenomenal story. If you’re still not ready to accept that the journey is over, and are walking around your house saying “Tatakae” or “Eren Yeager” with a pretentious Japanese accent randomly, it’s time to talk about the finale to prolong your experience.

The adaptation stays true to the manga

 - image 1

There were numerous discussions about the AOT manga ending and whether the anime was going to change the things fans found questionable, and we finally have the answer: the story follows the original source almost frame by frame. If you are among the manga ending enjoyers, the anime will not disappoint you. If you’ve never been a fan of the ending, the adaptation has nothing else to offer you story-wise, it’ll disappoint you just the same.

The rumors about the Attack on Titan finale having a couple of new dialog lines were also true. The adaptation tried to give more insight into Eren’s motivation, and provide extra clarity, but it probably shouldn’t have, as some viewers mention. Eren saying that he chose to destroy the entire world because he couldn’t think of any other way to handle the situation sounds poetic, although a little bit unbelievable in the manga. But having him expand on this in the adaptation by claiming he was just stupid was mildly infuriating.

The additional manga pages that were released by Isayama after the actual finale were also included in the anime adaptation. Mikasa attending Eren’s grave with her new family, and her demise were shown during the end credits, as well as the never ending war. The post-credits scene portrayed a young boy stumbling across a tree that resembles the one Ymir found, which hints at the fact that the titan curse is not over.

MAPPA have outdone themselves

With all the criticism towards MAPPA and their animation, there were a couple of concerns about the Attack on Titan finale as well. But fear not, the finale looks and sounds incredible. Isayama himself apologized to MAPPA for everything they had to go through while animating the finale, but it was definitely worth it. The entire episode is packed with action, as the biggest part of it focuses on the battle with Eren and dozens of the titans he’s created. The fight is intense, the visuals are great, the music hypes you up. It feels like everything works just right to provide you with an unforgettable experience.

We also can’t forget to mention the stunning opening. Linked Horizon is back! And fans are super excited to see their comeback. Only a couple of seconds into the opening theme, and you’re filled with the most beautiful feeling of nostalgia. You can easily hear the resemblance to the first Attack on Titan opening, and MAPPA combines scenes from older episodes with the new ones masterfully to create a magnificent vibe. This combination reminds you of everything you so dearly love Attack on Titan for, and makes you even sadder that you’re watching the final chapter of the story.

Fans’ reception

Despite the endless debates on how bad the manga ending was, a lot of fans are actually… happy? They truly enjoyed the finale, and seem to be unable to stop crying. Seeing their faves was also a wonderful surprise. Erwin, Hange, Sasha, old Levi’s team members, Grisha, Ymir — all of them made an appearance. Attack on Titan has always known how to play with the fans’ feelings.

Fans cannot believe that their favorite anime is finally over, and they can’t help feeling upset like when it’s time to say goodbye to a dear friend. The bittersweet ending fit the Attack on Titan franchise a lot, and viewers understand that a completely happy ending was never on the table. They’re just happy Levi survived!

Even some of the manga ending haters seem to be not so full of anger anymore. They’ve had plenty of time to deal with their emotions, and they admit that seeing things animated in such a good way makes them less enraged and helps them cope. They also add that the anime adaptation was better than the manga, and that’s all they could ask for.

Things can never be 100% positive, though. As we’ve said earlier, the ending stayed the same, and there weren’t any major alterations. And even the stunning work MAPPA has done cannot help some people deal with that. All the questionable story decisions are still there, and badass action is, unfortunately, incapable of fully fixing the impact of the ending. The finale of Attack on Titan was the worst rated episode of the series a couple of hours after its release, but the situation is changing now since more and more people finish the episode and rate it.

Eren stans, how do you feel?

Summary:

  • The Attack on Titan anime finale follows the manga.
  • MAPPA did a great job with the final episode.
  • Fans are mostly satisfied with the finale.
  • Those who didn’t like the manga ending remain skeptical.

Attack on Titan Finale spoilers ahead!

The Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin) anime adaptation has come to an end, and with it the whole decade of experiencing this phenomenal story. If you’re still not ready to accept that the journey is over, and are walking around your house saying “Tatakae” or “Eren Yeager” with a pretentious Japanese accent randomly, it’s time to talk about the finale to prolong your experience.

The adaptation stays true to the manga

Attack on Titan Finale Review: Did It Live Up to Expectations? - image 1

There were numerous discussions about the AOT manga ending and whether the anime was going to change the things fans found questionable, and we finally have the answer: the story follows the original source almost frame by frame. If you are among the manga ending enjoyers, the anime will not disappoint you. If you’ve never been a fan of the ending, the adaptation has nothing else to offer you story-wise, it’ll disappoint you just the same.

The rumors about the Attack on Titan finale having a couple of new dialog lines were also true. The adaptation tried to give more insight into Eren’s motivation, and provide extra clarity, but it probably shouldn’t have, as some viewers mention. Eren saying that he chose to destroy the entire world because he couldn’t think of any other way to handle the situation sounds poetic, although a little bit unbelievable in the manga. But having him expand on this in the adaptation by claiming he was just stupid was mildly infuriating.

The additional manga pages that were released by Isayama after the actual finale were also included in the anime adaptation. Mikasa attending Eren’s grave with her new family, and her demise were shown during the end credits, as well as the never ending war. The post-credits scene portrayed a young boy stumbling across a tree that resembles the one Ymir found, which hints at the fact that the titan curse is not over.

MAPPA have outdone themselves

With all the criticism towards MAPPA and their animation, there were a couple of concerns about the Attack on Titan finale as well. But fear not, the finale looks and sounds incredible. Isayama himself apologized to MAPPA for everything they had to go through while animating the finale, but it was definitely worth it. The entire episode is packed with action, as the biggest part of it focuses on the battle with Eren and dozens of the titans he’s created. The fight is intense, the visuals are great, the music hypes you up. It feels like everything works just right to provide you with an unforgettable experience.

We also can’t forget to mention the stunning opening. Linked Horizon is back! And fans are super excited to see their comeback. Only a couple of seconds into the opening theme, and you’re filled with the most beautiful feeling of nostalgia. You can easily hear the resemblance to the first Attack on Titan opening, and MAPPA combines scenes from older episodes with the new ones masterfully to create a magnificent vibe. This combination reminds you of everything you so dearly love Attack on Titan for, and makes you even sadder that you’re watching the final chapter of the story.

Fans’ reception

Despite the endless debates on how bad the manga ending was, a lot of fans are actually… happy? They truly enjoyed the finale, and seem to be unable to stop crying. Seeing their faves was also a wonderful surprise. Erwin, Hange, Sasha, old Levi’s team members, Grisha, Ymir — all of them made an appearance. Attack on Titan has always known how to play with the fans’ feelings.

Fans cannot believe that their favorite anime is finally over, and they can’t help feeling upset like when it’s time to say goodbye to a dear friend. The bittersweet ending fit the Attack on Titan franchise a lot, and viewers understand that a completely happy ending was never on the table. They’re just happy Levi survived!

Even some of the manga ending haters seem to be not so full of anger anymore. They’ve had plenty of time to deal with their emotions, and they admit that seeing things animated in such a good way makes them less enraged and helps them cope. They also add that the anime adaptation was better than the manga, and that’s all they could ask for.

Things can never be 100% positive, though. As we’ve said earlier, the ending stayed the same, and there weren’t any major alterations. And even the stunning work MAPPA has done cannot help some people deal with that. All the questionable story decisions are still there, and badass action is, unfortunately, incapable of fully fixing the impact of the ending. The finale of Attack on Titan was the worst rated episode of the series a couple of hours after its release, but the situation is changing now since more and more people finish the episode and rate it.

What did you think about the finale?
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