Eren hurts Mikasa by calling her a slave to her Ackerman genes, and attacks Armin for his weakness. Do you think Eren really hates Mikasa?
Read last week’s episode review.
Zeke vs Levi Round 3
Zeke Yeager is the biggest clown in Attack on Titan series history.
And that’s really saying something since Connie is still around.
Why did Zeke Turn Levi’s Comrades Into Titans?
Zeke screamed and turned Levi’s comrades into titans in order to escape the Survey Corps forces in the Titan Forest to meet with Eren in Shiganshina.
Like I know Zeke is supposed to be uber-smart, strategic, and calculating, but I swear Mr. Big Brain misses so many little, obvious things. Maybe it’s because he is not on the same plane as us mere mortals, but the arrogance of his character is seriously astounding to me at times.
Why Did Zeke Think That Levi Would Be Unable To Kill The Comrades He Turned Into Titans?
Zeke Yeager oddly assumed that Levi would be unable to kill his comrades if they were turned into titans. Little does Zeke know, Levi is the one who first made the realization that the Survey Corps had been killing their comrades the entire time after the basement reveal in Season 3.
Just as Gabi and Falco hitched a ride on the airship to Paradis Island, Zeke not realizing the Survey Corps’ day job is killing former comrades and Eldian Restorationists seems to be another “miscalculation” on his part.
I mean really…did Zeke seriously think Levi wouldn’t kill his comrades who had been turned into titans? Especially considering just how many of their own they unwittingly murdered before they knew the truth?
(Although, you could see he was really torn up about it. In one shot, it even looks like Levi was on the verge of tears.)
Levi even says as much during the episode, and Zeke really thought he took out the Ackerman that strikes fear into his heart just like that.
What an absolute clown.
Though in the end, it all balances out.
After all, Zeke is rushing to his beloved baby brother, who is just dying to see him… but first, Eren had to beat up his former friends before meeting Zeke to commit genocide.
Why Did Eren Beat Up Armin?
Eren knew that his friends Armin and Mikasa would never understand the true reasons behind his actions, so instead he chose to attack their weaknesses. Eren beat up Armin because he knew Armin would not be emotionally strong enough to raise a fist against his best friend.
Eren and Mikasa always defended Armin from the bullies as children, and in a way Eren was now showing Armin that HE is the bully that needs to be defeated.
Why Did Eren Say He Hates Mikasa?
Eren told Mikasa that he always hated her in an effort to loosen Mikasa’s attachment to him. Eren later asks Louise to steal Mikasa’s scarf as well, hoping Mikasa will eventually move on with her life and stop worrying about him.
Why Didn’t Mikasa Stop Eren From Beating Up Armin?
Eren tells a lie to Mikasa that she is only protective of him due to her Ackerman genes being modified by titan science. So when Eren picks a fight with Armin and Mikasa instinctively protects Eren, Mikasa backs off because she believes it to be true that Eren is the ‘host’ she has been programmed to serve.
More Anime-Only Scenes?
Moving on, I noticed a few new scenes for the anime adaptation.
Unless my memory is failing me, there was an extra scene with Falco in the carriage mentioning it felt like electricity ran throughout his body. I think they lingered longer on the Garrison and other troops that had been affected, as well.
Edit: My memory is failing me, haha. I guess I forgot about this for some reason.
Does MAPPA Hate Animating Attack on Titan?
Speaking of failed memories, I think seeing the Armin – Eren fight animated is making me suffer from “it was better in the manga” syndrome. I don’t know what it was – but I just enjoyed it more in my head.
I think too what bothers me is that with each episode, it becomes more apparent that MAPPA has their favorites.
Please don’t perceive this as me ‘hating’ on the animation studio, because I’m not. In all honestly, I actually prefer MAPPA’s art style to Wit’s for this final season.
(It is much more mature, the character designs look better, and the environments are amazing.)
You cannot tell me that the difference and attention to detail in Armin, Mikasa, the Survey Corps, and literally everyone else is not better than when Eren is drawn.
Eren is either a literal cardboard cutout, a still animation frame, or just plain wonky looking.
I don’t know who at MAPPA’s studio hates Eren Yeager so much, but they seriously need to get it together. Yes, I am an Eren supporter and a staunch Yeagerist, but this is not my personal bias talking.
The animation for Eren’s character has been inconsistent since the declaration of war in Marley, and it’s only gotten worse from there. I’ve been ignoring it, thinking it was just my imagination or ingrained biased – but now I’m confident enough to say that it’s not.
From my recollection, Wit Studio never did things like that. Or if they did, I never noticed as the AoT story was much more… ‘neutral’ then than it is now.
And this is not to compare studios based on merit. I just feel the need to express that I have nothing against the studios or animators.
People nowadays take things too far online.
To the point where valid criticism of a show or series cannot be voiced without it being perceived as a personal attack against the creator, artists, or anybody who doesn’t like what is being said.
It getting kind of ridiculous, honestly.
I can almost hear somebody breathing heavily while typing #ThankYouMappa on Twitter.
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(Please don’t leave me a dissertation on how the animation industry underpays Japanese artists, and that I should be ‘grateful’ for ‘whatever we get’.
I’m already well aware of those societal issues.
Pretty sure the animators at MAPPA are getting paid the same for both Attack on Titan and Jujutsu Kaisen, and one has had superior animation throughout its entire series run.
Another one hasn’t – can you guess which one?)
I know some of you may not like hearing me say that. But it was strangely unsatisfying to watch Armin animated beautifully while Eren looked like a wooden plank.
I mean sure things have changed, but the guy still has emotions. He’s not a stone-faced brick with a bun.
[Did MAPPA spend more of their budget on Jujutsu Kaisen than Attack on Titan, despite the latter series being more popular?]
Eren’s animation was almost as unsatisfying as the music that played during the Levi and Zeke confrontation in the Forest of Giant Trees.
Was that a new OST? I mean I guess it could fit but…I just wasn’t expecting it? The music wasn’t necessarily out of place, but the mood could have been set, or enhanced…differently?
This is just my opinion, though.
Overall, a pretty solid episode, I guess.
Again, (some) this is just my manga-reader syndrome kicking in.
I do wonder why they changed around the line from Eren where he mentions being free, and specifically mentions a disdain for cattle.
In the manga, it was much clearer that Eren mentioned he hates “anybody who isn’t free”, that, or “cattle”.
Which is a direct link to something that happens later on in the series. Or technically, something that has already happened before…
Oh well. I should stop nitpicking.
I just got to see Zeke blown to pieces and exist within an inch of his life. We’ve got to take these small victories in stride…right?
Do you think Eren really hates Mikasa? Or find it strange that despite being the strongest titan, Armin was weak against Eren in a fistfight?
Is Zeke Yeager a clown, or does he have a savior complex and hate his own race of Eldians?
Leave your thoughts in the comment section below, I’d love to hear from you! Also be sure to follow us for more weekly Attack on Titan the Final Season reviews!
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