"Shingeki No Kyojin," popularly known as "Attack on Titan," is indeed one of the most innovative shonen stories of the 2010s, with significant breakthroughs in both its manga and anime adaptations. Its beautiful aesthetics, immersive atmosphere, spectacular action scenes, well-crafted dialogues, intriguing character development filled with intense suspense, an excellent soundtrack, and a thespian plot that evolves in a way that it feels like a whole new story towards its conclusion, especially in the intricacies and foreshadowing. The creators of the anime demonstrate such mastery that re-watching the original seasons becomes even more enjoyable than the first experience. Truly, one of the most polished, artistic, and enjoyable anime series of our generation.
However, when it comes to the recent developments in the anime, the transition from its inception to the 1st Movie Special released last March was remarkable. The anime's plot and character development remained excellent and introduced new themes, with a significant focus on Eren's turn towards pursuing genocide. While this change might have seemed abrupt on the surface, it made sense when considering his internal traumas and the events that led to this turning point. The anime started to resemble a blockbuster World War II movie, and despite the initial adjustment, it turned into a spectacular experience.
Fast forward to yesterday, when I watched the ending. I had been eagerly anticipating this movie-episode for months and was glued to my seat for its entire 1-hour and 30-minute duration. The third episode-movie that practically concludes the anime and encompasses the last three manga characters didn't meet my expectations. The plot took a back seat, bombarding the viewer with exposition to provide answers to unexplained mysteries. Some of these answers felt unnecessary and even contradicted earlier themes in the story. The main conflict's resolution came across as rushed and ultimately lacked the impact I had hoped for.
However, despite the ending not meeting my expectations, "Attack on Titan" remains one of the best animes ever aired. It managed to provide a great ending to an overall outstanding anime series.