After 10 years, “Attack on Titan” has ended its hit anime series with the final episode airing Nov. 4. Despite the large gap of time fans have waited, the series has proven that some things are worth waiting for.
Viewers got a closer look at some different perspectives of characters regarding bargaining when faced with total defeat and their perspectives potentially shifting to survive.
Beginning the episode by jumping right into the center of “The Rumbling”, an event of mass extinction, helped each character have their moment with a dedicated portion of a battle scene devoted to their skills.
The characters can be seen zipping around enemies from countless angles with omnidirectional mobility gear and weapons, or their own titan transformation against the Founding Titan.
With its signature style of emotional moments and sharp, fatal action scenes, the finale of “Attack on Titan” was nothing short of a masterpiece.
The anime stayed relatively faithful to its manga until the very end when creator Hajime Isayama tied a bow on this murderous thriller quite nicely with beautiful illustrations and stunning imagery sprinkled throughout.
As far as animation goes, the studio, MAPPA, remained consistent throughout the end as expected, with the same level of quality delivered as done with the previous episodes and without cutting corners.
The final episode had arguably some of the best action and fighting scenes in the entire series, with its animation being so crisp for the extremely high amount of movement and colors being thrown around everywhere.
The animation studio displayed a high level of attention to detail and did a remarkable job contrasting scenes of blood and terror with scenes of nature and beauty. The sudden shift between the two settings can often be jarring, but with the series’ intensity, this juxtaposition was appropriately used. There were a couple of instances where it was slightly confusing switching between timelines, but viewers who have read the manga may be quicker to catch on.
The award-winning musical score sparked nostalgia throughout the 85-minute episode, hinting at the series’ previous themes and even leading audiences back to its first arc — exciting viewers all while strategically pulling past events from their long-term memory into the present.
The score is more subtle and trickier to notice when reintroducing these previous fanfares and melodies, keeping the scenes more lyrical and calm than what audiences have seen previously.
Isayama and MAPPA have done an excellent job and exceeded the expectations of many by displaying the delicacy and simplicity of human nature in this finale.
The emphasis on pure human connection between characters is what really makes the series stick out and drives home the importance of moving forward even through hard times.
“Attack on Titan” has grown to become more than just an action-packed anime and has spun itself into a thought-provoking piece questioning the morals of others and how different social constructs on others make people different, for good or for evil, in the eyes of the beholder.
Many fans appreciate the symbolism throughout the series and its consistency of callbacks, which is noticeable in the final episode, as well. Isayama ties up many loose ends just in the final half of the episode, leaving viewers with fewer questions and more satisfied with the sudden, yet properly timed, ending.
It would be a nearly impossible challenge to sit through any episode of “Attack on Titan” without becoming emotionally invested and shedding a tear, or five. Whether it be for something that happened in the episode, or for the fact that the series has officially come to an end, it’s safe to say that the memory of “Attack on Titan” will leave an impact on fans and continue to be a main topic of conversation for many years to come.
The final episode of “Attack on Titan” is available to watch on Crunchyroll, Funimation and Hulu.