Don't rush.
Summary:
- The Attack On Titan manga finale was met with a huge commotion, but the anime finale is almost universally loved. Why?
- The main reason is that the anime added some stuff that manga lacked.
- The delays truly helped the show live up to its hype.
If you've been on Twitter or Reddit back in April or June 2021, you may have noticed how turbulent the anime and manga community were about the ending of Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin). The number of threads explaining the motivation behind the characters' actions, debunking theories of other users, and just spewing threats towards Isayama and everyone who agreed with the ending was insane, and the hype didn't die for at least a month, aided by a slow trickle of memes. It's still viewed as something controversial, and manga readers were waiting for the anime-only community's reactions to the story.
Yet the anime finale was released on November 4th, and people are not complaining much. Why?
Proper pacing is the key
There are a few reasons for that. The manga readers experienced the build-up of the finale for months, which made them more agitated and anxious, so for those who were on the edge of their seats this ending was like a whiplash. Manga's release schedule allowed fans to nitpick on every single detail and find inconsistencies in the story which fueled their disapproval. But anime-onlies experienced all that in the span of a few hours, they haven't been building anticipation and just accepted the story the way it is.
The other reason is the change in dialog. Some scenes were extended, and some words were exchanged in the moments when they were needed but weren't there in the manga, and that elevated the whole experience and made it feel more solid and understandable. The pacing of the manga in the ending felt rushed, so the extensions in the anime helped to build the emotional impact.
Also, the music, the voices, and the animation hit the right emotional notes and were able to convey the emotions and the thoughts behind the story better than the manga did. The good voice performance made the phrases that felt weird in manga get some weight and meaning behind them.
Another reason might be that the constant dunking on the finale from the manga readers lowered the expectations for the anime-onlies.
We're choosing delays over rushed production
Attack On Titan finale was delayed a few times, and probably these delays were used to expand the story, and make it feel less rushed and more cohesive. The high production value of the show truly elevated some scenes and gave them more depth and emotional value, making them hit harder than they did in the manga. Sure, there are some memes circulating around already regarding facial animation, but plot-wise people are pretty satisfied — because the story was properly paced and delivered in the right way.