Attack on Titan is back for the most epic story arc that fans of the manga have been waiting for. With the stakes higher than ever, this season is sure to keep fans on their toes. Here are my thoughts of episodes 13-15 of Season 3 aptly named The Town Where Everything Began, Thunder Spears, and Descent.
Attack on Titan has always had a story that keeps you on your toes and this is especially true for this second half of Season 3. While part 1 focused on the political side of matters in what is happening in the story, part 2 is all about the action. This is the part in the manga series that fans who have read ahead (like myself) have been so excited to see animated. I will try to keep my thoughts on just these three episodes and keep manga spoilers out of this review. For this point forward though, SPOILERS AHEAD for the anime!
Now being someone who has read ahead. Did I like how this part of the story was executed in the anime? Absolutely. I thought they really did a fantastic job with the animation and the music is even more on point in this season than ever before. Wit Studio really brought their A game with these first three episodes. So let’s talk about each episode for a moment.
Episode 13: The Town Where Everything Began
For manga and anime fans, finally getting to see Shiganshina again is both exciting and heartbreaking at the same time. Seeing the wasteland that Shiganshina has become and how our main three characters feel seeing it as so really struck home. There are a few things that I really loved about this episode which stuck out to me: the camaraderie of the members of the Scout Regiment, Armin being a focal point, and the way they build up the tension in the episode.
I liked how they started this part of the season with the Scout Regiment making their way to Shiganshina in the cover of darkness. Fans get to see some nice moments between Eren and Armin as well as some really amazing moments for the entire Scout Regiment as they approach Shiganshina . This is not just about the three main characters taking back their home, but humanity within the walls taking back the land which was lost. If they can seal the gates in Shiganshina, they may have a chance of reclaiming the land in Wall Maria which is critical to have for food production. I liked what Eren said best about this matter: “I can do this. No… we can do this.” It is a very simple quote, but it shows a shift in mentality that this is not just about the three of them (Eren, Armin and Mikasa) anymore, but about all of humanity.
And let’s talk about Armin in this first episode. Armin has always been a character that has been able to see things clearly and make plans in critical moments in this series. He really steps up in this episode when he is the only one who spots the remains of a campfire on the wall. He knows as does Erwin that the enemy is lying in wait. They know Reiner, Bertholdt and the Beast Titan are waiting for them. Well it’s Armin who figures out where Reiner is waiting which is within the walls itself. Armin is able to flush Reiner out of his hiding spot unfortunately at the expense of a Scout’s life. I love seeing Armin’s mind work and I love how Erwin recognizes Armin’s intelligence by giving Armin a larger leadership role. This is so well done in this episode.
As for the tension, fans and the characters know that the enemy is waiting for the Scout Regiment. The question is where are they and what do they have planned? I felt this episode really executed a nice balance between action and building suspense. For an episode that is only about 20 minutes long, it felt so much shorter and it had viewers on the edge of their seat especially in the last few moments of that episode.
Episode 14 Thunder Spears
While the opening episode of season 3 part 2 is the set up and has a focus on Armin, I feel like this episode focuses on Reiner and Hange’s ingenuity. After Levi goes in for the kill on Reiner in the first episode, we see that not only is Reiner not killed, but that he has a new ability. This ability is shown again in subsequent episodes and that is the ability to spread his consciousness to the entirety of his body. If the nape of his neck is hit, so long as he doesn’t fully lose his head, he can still survive this attack. This is a huge development as that could have so many implications for the titans further down the line. As far as fans know, Reiner is the only one who can do this.
Now fans have been eagerly waiting for another showdown between Eren and Reiner. It is a matchup that is inevitable, and boy did it not let fans down. While Reiner’s brute strength had the upper hand for most of the time in the first showdown in season 2, this time Eren has the upper hand. Eren lures Reiner to the center of Shiganshina away from the walls in order to stop any interference that may come in the form of Bertolt and his colossal titan. Eren uses his faster and more flexible fighting style to get the upper hand in this fight.
In steps Hange and her thunder spears which is what the episode is named. Fans of the manga have been so excited to see the thunder spears animated and in action. This weapon is essentially a grenade in the form of a spear which they shoot out from their gear. The spear makes contact, and the scout who shoots it gets out of the way while pulling its pin. The enemy is then struck with a strike much like being hit with a bolt of lightning. These spears are made to combat Reiner’s armor which their regular blades do nothing against. I love seeing Hange’s ever growing arsenal of crazy ideas coming to life and actually doing some damage. The episode ends with Reiner coming under a barrage attack from the thunder spears which downs him.
Now one of the highlights of this episode, though it was a small scene, is a scene with Erwin standing on a mountain of the fallen. This is in the manga and it is a powerful scene in the manga. Animated, the scene is even more powerful as we see Erwin facing his fallen comrades. The weight he carries in making sure he does not let their sacrifice come to nothing is heavy. I love this scene and I thought the anime did this part so well. It adds a more somber layer to Erwin’s character.
Episode 15: Descent
Episode 13 focuses on Armin and episode 14 focuses on Reiner, but episode 15 has a nice new focal point and that is Bertholdt Hoover. Bertholdt has always been a side character that hasn’t had a lot of screen time. Well this episode changes that and adds so much to his character. The episode starts with a flashback to an incident in season 1. Reiner and Bertholdt are watching as Eren carries the boulder to block the hole, and as they do so, they let slip their real identities thinking they are alone. Sadly, they are not, and they are overheard by Marco. Fans of the anime watch in horror as Reiner chases after Marco and, with the help of Bertolt and Annie, strip Marco of his ODM gear. They then leave him at the mercy of an oncoming titan and we watch as Marco is eaten alive. We see the beginning of Reiner’s split personality.
This flashback reminds the viewers of all the awful things Reiner, Bertholdt and Annie have done. While Reiner deals with it by creating another persona, Bertholdt internalized everything. In season 2, fans see Bertholdt break down and we see him vulnerable. Well not so this season. Bertholdt comes into this episode as a full fledged warrior.
With Reiner on the verge of death and the Scouts thinking they have victory, Reiner lets out a death scream which signals the Beast Titan. Erwin watches as the beast titan picks up a barrel that the cart titan near him has been carrying, and throws it over the wall. Who is inside, but Bertholdt. Armin realizes quickly that its probably Bertolt and warns people to back away. Bertholdt’s transformation is so powerful that it can do major damage, but Bertolt does not transform. Instead, when he sees his downed comrade, Bertholdt leaps out.
Armin confronts Bertholdt head on and tries to reason with him, but to no avail. The vulnerable Bertholdt that everyone knew is gone, and only a warrior is left. He sees no other plan than the one where he kills everyone here including all of his former friends. This is a sad transformation for Bertholdt, but I felt is a really good one as well.
In the end, Bertholdt can not be reasoned with and he transforms. He gives very little warning except to a semiconscious Reiner whom he tells to lay flat on his back and protect his nape to heal himself. Bertholdt transforms right amidst the Scouts in Shiganshina. His blast wave looks much like a nuclear explosion. Luckily, Armin, Eren, Mikasa, Jean, Sasha and Connie get out of harms way due to Armin’s quick thinking, but Hange’s squad is not so lucky.
The end of this episode is so well done and well sets up for the next two episodes which are intense and the most anticipated by the manga reading community. Overall, I applaud how well these episodes were executed.
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