Welcome, one and all, to another duo of episodes from the final season of Attack on Titan. What fun did these two have in store for us? Let’s find out!
Season 4 Episode 23, Sunset, kicked things off, and honestly, I thought this was an excellent story episode. The entire first half was essentially a Hitch and Annie story, with the newly awakened Annie giving us a glimpse into her backstory. We learned why she was always so cold and uncaring, and we began to see a feeling of general defeat building as the two ladies observed the marching Titans.
From there, we got to see the darkness continue to build. Floch carried out an execution, leaving Jean stunned and unsure of himself, despite wanting things to finally be over. Mikasa and Armin had a brief blow-up, as we saw Armin doubt his usefulness and Mikasa feeling entirely lost. The Eldians in Marley are terrified and their attempts to warn the Marley soldiers result in further abuse. And, of course, the Eldians on the island are divided between those who have lost people during Eren’s plan and those who seem to have not and are supporting the new Founding Titan.
In short, everybody in the core cast is seeing the downside of this plan right now. They’re hurting, they’re confused, and they don’t know if Eren even can be stopped. The one glimmer of hope comes from Hange and a still-alive Levi, who seem to be attempting to forge an alliance with the Cart Titan to prevent things going further.
What I loved about this was that it showed the far-reaching effects of Eren’s actions on those around him. Those he held dear are falling apart as a direct result of him following through on his plan, and each of them is going to have choices to make now as to how they deal with it.
With episode 24, Pride, the quality continued, but the mood did not. Armin made a huge gamble in his attempt to save Falco from Conny’s plan to revive his mother, and in doing so, Conny realised how big a mistake he was making. That was important, because with Conny as one of Eren’s surviving close allies, any chance they have of preventing disaster has to lie with them.
But it won’t be on their own. Gabi and Falco joining the battle was a given. The Cart Titan joins the fray too though, along with Annie and Reiner, and it would seem Yelena and Onyankopo. The way this all played out was excellent, with Jean seemingly falling in line behind Floch, only to enact a risky plan that helped the two volunteers escape just as they were about to be executed.
While Sunset fed us a consistent sense of doom, Pride gave us a message of hope that was punctuated by the final words of the episode. Reiner, seeing the group around him, asked where they were going. The response was, “To save the world.” With those four words, we’re now back on track with familiar heroes fighting to save those important to them.
This was an enjoyable pair of episodes. Though there were some moments of poor animation again, there were also some really nice moments. Dead stares were aided by blinks, facial expressions were mostly impactful, and the general story hit a high point. I’m sad to see that the next two episodes will end it all, but at the same time, I am looking forward to seeing how it all plays out.
But what about yourselves? What did you make of the episodes? Let me know in the comments below.
Matt Doyle Media 