Armin or Erwin?
Summary:
- Midnight Sun is the episode where Levi had to choose between Erwin and Armin.
- It’s one of the highest rated Attack on Titan episodes.
- The composition and direction of the episode are astonishing.
Although Season 4 of Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin) has brought a lot of exceptionally beautiful and astonishing episodes, we can’t help but come back to Season 3 for one of the greatest episodes of the series, which is Episode 55 (or S3E18) named Midnight Sun.
Yes, it’s the Armin or Erwin episode
If the name of the episode or its number doesn’t mean anything to you, we’re sure that if we mention Armin and Erwin, you’ll go “ahh… it’s that one!” Yes, it is. Midnight Sun is in the top 10 highest rated Attack on Titan episodes, and it’s definitely deserved. On top of that, we think it deserves to be placed even higher.
The Shiganshina District Battle is over, the Survey Corps has suffered a lot of loss after Erwin led the scouts to their death to allow Levi to deal with the Beast Titan. Armin and Erwin are dead. Or are they? This is when it gets interesting. Both are on the verge of death and there’s only one dose of the serum that can save them. And Levi has to decide whom to give the cure to.
The episode is truly special
Right from the first moments of Midnight Sun, you understand that this is not just a regular Attack on Titan episode; this one is going to be special. It doesn’t even have the opening theme, so that nothing would distract you from the heart-wrenching drama happening on your screen.
High stakes have always been something that Attack on Titan is famous for, and Armin and Erwin were both incredible and important characters. Realizing that only one of them had a chance of surviving was painful and added a feeling of scary excitement.
The way Midnight Sun is composed is spectacular. The episode constantly plays with your emotions and expectations, only to subvert them a minute later. One moment you’re feeling hopeful because you see a chance of Armin surviving, the next you understand that Erwin might take his place.
You can easily see the story going both ways, so you genuinely don’t know what the choice is going to be. Right when you think that Levi will choose Erwin, your expectations are subverted again, and you see Armin turning into a titan. On top of that, the episode toys with your emotions about Reiner, giving you hope that this is finally the end of him, and taking that hope minutes later. Such a roller-coaster of emotions!
Although Attack on Titan action is what we are here for most of the time, Midnight Sun manages to keep you on edge without any. It’s an entire episode of talking and explaining, and the suspense is incredible. The direction is just masterful, and it’s one of those episodes when you don’t even notice how fast the time passes.