Attack on Titan: The Final Season part 2

 So the end of the series, that will become a classic, is here.

 

 

And while I'm still not a fan of the Mappa style of animation, the story remains oh so strong.

In a season that starts with the apparent demise of captain Levi, a result from his battle with Zeke in the finale of part 1, the Marley attack begins in earnest.  Many of the troops of Paradis are massacred by the superior military might, while Eren is cornered by Reiner and the other titans.

His friends are freed from prison though to help him out, and Armin comes with the plan to let the Rumbling happen at last, and safeguard the nation for decades as a result.  Zeke appears to go into union with his brother, making the fight all the more desparate.

But as Zeke lets out his scream, the people transform into titans due to the spinal fluid.  Gaby decapitates Eren as he tries to unite with his brother, but he awakens in another dimension with the Founder Ymir and Zeke.  Here they learn that both brothers tried to manipulate and use the other for their own goals.  In their flashback dreamworld, we learn that grisha actually wasn`t that evil, nor didn`t want to kill the Reiss family.  But a secret power of the Attack Titan is that it has memories of it's future users, and Eren forces his father in doing the deed.  This results in Grisha begging Zeke to stop Eren and his plans!

A flashback of 2000 years ago shows how the founder Ymir, an abused slave girl, came into being.  Eren convinces her to grant her power, preventing his death in this dimension as the walls come crashing down and the Titans inside start marching off.  The Rumbling has come!

Due to Eren unhardening everything for the walls, the female titan, Annie, is also freed from her prison as a result.  They meet up with the remnants of the Scouting Corps, and device a plan to take an airboat without violence from the harbour, now controlled by Floch and his fanatic Yaegerists.  However, the plan fails and a bloody battle ensues.  Due to the delays of the battle, they realise they are short on time and that Liberio wont be able to be saved anymore.  

They sail out to stop Eren, with Magath staying behind to destroy a captured cruiser, whom would have been able to overtake their ship.  Helped by the unlikely ally in Shadis, they blow the ship, bringing the ultimate sacrifice.  As they sail to the port city, we get some insight from Mikasa and Eren on how this might have come about, before the epic sights of the Rumbling arriving at Marley's shores, bound on wiping out civilisation...

And so part 2 is still not the conclusion of the series, as a part 3 spanning the final 9 chapters has been confirmed for 2023.  

Now, to be honest, and I`m in camp "Eren is the villain", I`m still not all that wild about Attack on Titan, probably being one of the very, very few.  Sure, the way the series gradually shifted viewpoint over the seasons is pretty cool, but in the end, this was a pretty lacklustre season to be honest for a shonen series.

But still, it's not bad, don`t get me wrong, I just don`t see it as that ultimate anime masterpiece some make it out to be...