Attack on Titan fans prepare for some of the best episodes not only in all of Attack on Titan, but on television. Here are my thoughts on the epic Episodes 16-18 named Perfect Game, Hero and Midnight Sun .
Manga readers have been waiting a long time to see this epic part of the story animated and the time has finally come. Before I go much further, I will do my best to talk about my impression of these episodes and leave out any manga spoilers.
These three episodes are absolutely fantastic. In fact, it took me awhile to gather all my thoughts on the episodes because my emotions were so distraught by them. I thought there was a nice synergy of fantastic animation, voice acting, plot development and character development in these episodes to rival some of the best television out there. These three episodes take fans on a roller coaster ride of emotions.
Now lets get into the actual breakdown of the episodes. Warning Spoilers Ahead!Episode 16: Perfect Game
This episode starts out bleak for the Scouts. The Colossal Titan’s transformation demolishes the teams inside the walls which includes Hange’s team. The only ones remaining within the wall Scouts are Levi’s new team: Mikasa, Armin, Jean, Sasha, Connie and Eren.
Meanwhile, the Scouts on the outside of the wall come under attack by the Beast Titan. I love the scene when the Beast Titan starts his barrage on Erwin and Levi’s men as shown by time slowing down as a rock flies past Levi’s face. The devastation that follows is heartbreaking as the seasoned soldiers are killed. This leaves only Erwin, Levi and the new recruits left standing.
I think the best part about this episode is how well Erwin’s character development is handled. Throughout the first part of season 3, fans learn of Erwin’s sad back story with how his father is killed, and how this motivates Erwin to do everything he does. His father is killed because he figured out that their world is so much bigger than what they know and that the royal family has been messing with the memories of the people.
What I love in the last few episodes and this episode in particular is that fans see the weight that Erwin carries with him. In several scenes Erwin sees his dead comrades around him. There is even a fantastic shot of Erwin standing on a mountain of his dead comrades.
I think this episode drives home just how much the conflict to do right by his fallen comrades vs following his dreams to vindicate his father effects Erwin as a man.
Erwin has to make a choice: continue trying to get to the basement to vindicate his father at the expense of putting humanity within the walls at risk or give up on his dream and his life in order to give Levi and humanity a fighting chance. This conflict within Erwin is so beautifully done. In the end though it’s Levi who makes the decision for Erwin and tells him to give up on his dream and die. “Lead them (new recruits) straight into hell,” as Levi says. You get to see the moment when Erwin decides to give his heart fully to humanity as he has asked so many people under him to do, and I think at this point Erwin has found a semblance of peace.
His speech to the new recruits is not only epic but raw and from the heart. He calls himself a con man, but his speech has a level of honesty that is heartbreaking. I love how he says that their lives are not given meaning by them, but are given meaning by those who come after them. Their fallen comrades live on because they (the living) remember them. This is so well done because parts of this speech is cut up with scenes from their suicide charge as they charge at the Beast Titan.
“Rage, my soldiers. Scream, my soldiers. Fight, my soldiers.”- Erwin Smith Episode 16.
The episode ends with Erwin and the front line of the charge being demolished by the boulders that the Beast Titan throws at them.
Episode 17: Hero
Now this episode is absolutely phenomenal and my new favorite episode for so many reasons. As a manga reader, I knew it was going to be an epic episode, but I think the anime did a fantastic job with exceeding my expectations. Simply put, it is nearly perfect and as of June 8 2019, it is still listed as the top rated episode in television history (over Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad and Chernobyl) according to IMDB. Now if you have not watched this episode, please stop reading and go watch the episode. This is one episode you do not want to be spoiled on. Spoilers Ahead!
There are several reasons why this episode is so well done. Let’s break it down. I think the things that made this episode so well loved is how well paced it was, the use of misdirection, the emotional highs and lows you get in this twenty minute episode and the use of the music (or lack of music). Even for manga readers, this episode really rocked them to the core.
Let’s talk about misdirection for a moment. Even the title “Hero” is a form of misdirection. After the last episode ended with Erwin’s epic suicide charge and the knowledge that Levi will be facing off with the Beast titan in this episode, most people assume that the title is in reference to these two characters. As it turns out, they would be wrong and I love how this really defied expectations. Another form of misdirection is while everyone is focused emotionally on the impending death of Erwin, Armin’s sacrifice blind sides a lot of people especially those who are just watching the anime. On top of that, Hange comes back from the dead and comes in clutch in taking down the Armored titan which pulls your emotions in another direction as well. And just as the writers are using misdirection in the episode, so are the characters as both Erwin and Armin sacrifice themselves to allow Levi and Eren to sneak up on the Beast and Colossal Titan. I love the parallels, not only between the characters, but also within how the episode is written as well.
The other thing that really stood out is how well the pacing is and how the writers managed to get so many incredible peaks and valleys when it came to the emotional element in this episode. The episode starts with a sad low as the new recruits continue charging forward despite Erwin being taken down. We see their true fear and the things that flash through one’s mind when facing impending death as seen in Marlowe’s inner monologue. Not only is this raw and realistic in what soldiers really go through, but it is so well done with mixing Marlowe’s thoughts and how time seems to slow down.
The Scout Regiment’s final charge.
But just as there is the terrible low of watching the Scout regiment being decimated by the Beast Titan, in steps Levi. Levi’s fight with the Beast Titan will probably go down as people’s favorite Levi moment. It is a truly epic scene as Levi completely dominates the Beast Titan.
Yet, just as there is this epic high, in steps in another low with the Cart Titan snatching away the Beast Titan from death at the last moment. This is devastating because of the fact that so many lives are given to give Levi the chance to take out the Beast Titan.
While Levi is still chasing the Beast Titan, we get another high moment when Armin gets over his doubt in himself and comes up with a plan to take out the Colossal Titan. The problem with the Colossal Titan is that no one can get near him due to the high temperature steam he emits. This steam has made using any of their weapons including the Thunder Spears useless, but Armin notices that as the Colossal Titan uses his steam, he is getting thinner. Armin’s theory, which turns out to be correct, is that as the Colossal Titan uses his steam, his body consumes everything, but his bones (like muscle tissue) to fuel the steam. Fans get excited that Armin is back in action with a plan as every plan Armin has come up with so far has not failed.
But just as we get a high, here comes the lowest low in the anime: Armin’s sacrifice. As stated before Armin’s sacrifice catches a lot of people off guard because they thought they only had to deal with the emotional pain for Erwin’s death and they assumed the episode title is in reference to Erwin or Levi when in fact it is in reference to Armin. Armin takes on the Colossal to buy Eren time to sneak up on the Colossal, but he does it by being burnt alive. It is such a heartbreaking scene as Armin is fully aware what it will take to win against the Colossal Titan. And this is where the music from the episode really stands out.
Just as Armin is burning alive, Mikasa, Jean, Connie, and Sasha have a plan to take out the Armored Titan which they are successful with due to Hange coming back from the dead. She uses her last Thunder Spear to take out the other half of the Armored Titan’s jaw, allowing the mouth to open, and Mikasa steps into his mouth to use her Thunder Spear to blow him out of his nape. The low in this part is Sasha being injured.
Connie saving Sasha after she is injured.
Then we get to the ultimate high. Eren finally taking down the Colossal Titan after Armin falls. While the music for Armin’s sacrifice is spot on, the silence we hear when Eren swoops up to take out the Colossal is equally fantastic and powerful.
Like I said, this episode really took fans on an emotional journey and it’s astounding that they could do as much as they did in twenty minutes. Nothing felt rushed or out of place in this episode (I’m looking at you Game of Thrones Season 8).
Episode 18: Midnight Sun
Now while episode 17 is tumultuous, especially for your emotions, the hits keep on coming in episode 18 though in a more subtler way. I think what really stands out with this episode, other than the incredible writing, is how they used music or shall I say did not use music. This episode is a very silent episode with little to no music in it. It doesn’t even have the opening credits in it which is rare for any television episode. I thought this really made the episode so much more intense. I felt as if I held my breath for the entire episode because it is so heavy and intense. In fact, I was not the only fan to feel like they couldn’t breath in this episode which speaks volumes on how well done this is.
The episode starts with Eren standing by Armin’s burnt body with a captured Bertholdt. In that moment, the Beast Titan (Zeke) riding on the Cart Titan finds Eren. It is revealed that the Beast Titan knows Eren’s father and of Eren which, for the anime only fans, this should be significant. This meeting is brief though as Levi has followed the Beast Titan and is coming for him. Zeke and the Cart Titan retreat leaving Bertholdt behind.
Now we have Levi, Eren, Armin, which is revealed in this moment to be alive, and Bertholdt on the roof. As fans know, in the end credits of the last episode of Season 3 part 1, there is a scene on a roof with a bloody Levi fighting Eren and Mikasa and they show a portion of a burnt body. Now fans find out what led to that fight.
I like to call this episode Levi’s choice. As we are reminded early in the episode, Levi has a syringe that will turn anyone, including those on the brink of death, into a mindless titan where they will heal. While in their mindless state, if they eat a Titan shifter like Bertholdt, they will take their power and turn back into a human. For a character you thought you just lost, here is a sliver of hope to save them. Except there is only one shot and, in the end, only one titan shifter that the Scouts have in their possession. Earlier in the episode, Reiner, though captured, is rescued by the Cart Titan and the Beast Titan from Hange who had him captured. That leaves only Bertholdt.
Well things get rough when one of the remaining survivors of the Scout Regiment’s suicide charge carries a still alive Erwin to the very roof where Levi, Eren, Mikasa, and Armin are. Now a terrible choice must be made: save Erwin or save Armin. This decision is heartbreaking especially for Levi and for the fandom. When this happened in the manga, the fandom was really torn over who should be saved. Both Armin and Erwin are brilliant strategists, both understand what needs to be done to save humanity, and both have dreams. Erwin wants to get to the basement to finally know the truth to vindicate his father and Armin wants to see the sea (which means he wants to experience freedom and escape the walls).
This part in the anime is stunning to say the least and is done in complete silence. There is no background music in this part which adds to the heaviness. Eren and Mikasa fight to take the syringe in order to save Armin believing he is humanity’s best hope while Levi, Hange and Floch (surviving member that carried Erwin) believe that Erwin is that hope due to his experience and insight. The decision is impossible as it is impossible to choose one without feeling guilty for not choosing the other.
Levi decides to save Erwin, and orders everyone off the roof as a mindless titan will eat them instead of Berholdt. Eren is taken by force, and watches helplessly as he thinks Armin is now going to die.
But just as Levi goes to give Erwin the shot, Erwin raises his hand smacking it away. Erwin is so far gone that he believes that he is a boy in class asking his father a question. This is beyond sad, and some people take that as Erwin subconsciously hitting away Levi.
In a surprising twist, it is revealed that Levi saves Armin when Armin’s titan grabs Bertholdt and eats him. One of the interesting parts in this is that Bertholdt calls out for his friends (Jean, Connie and Sasha) to save him. Some people suggest that one when he woke up, he didn’t remember where he was and thought he was back with his friends which is just sad.
In the end, as Armin is eating Bertholdt and transforming back, we start to get our first bit of music which hits harder because it is such an emotional scene and the silence was like a heavy storm waiting and the music was that storm breaking. The part where the synergy of the writing, and the music hits the hardest is when we see Erwin lying dead on the roof and Levi asks Floch to forgive Erwin. He says that Erwin only became a devil because we (humanity) asked it of him. To Levi, it would be cruel to bring Erwin back to this hell when he has finally found peace.
And I truly do believe that if Erwin had been brought back, it would have broken him. He was already being haunted by his fallen comrades. Imagine just how much bigger that mountain at his feet would have grown if he added the entire Scout Regiment. I think giving Erwin peace and a hero’s death is a mercy and I think that is why Levi chose Armin.
These three episodes are going down in my books as the best episodes of Attack on Titan and on television. I have never been through such an emotional ringer and that’s with knowing what was going to happen. I can not wait to see what else is in store for Attack on Titan.
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