Attack on Titan Part II (Episodes 3 and 4): Class of the Titans

 

In part I of my series of posts about Attack on Titan I mainly addressed the hype surrounding the show and added some general first impressions about the art, design, animation, story, etc. This and future posts will deal a bit more with the actual plot, and will therefore include spoilers (I am assuming if you are reading this you're already watching the show).

One of the ways I described this show in part I was that it was almost like an attack that grips you hard and doesn't let go. Well, lo and behold - it let go, and with positive results. After the emotional onslaught of the first two episodes, we are treated to two slower, and often even lighthearted and funny, episodes; something I wasn't expecting but was done well and didn't clash with the general vibe. I didn't set out to post something after every two episodes but rather when I felt like a certain mini arc or block of story was over, but so far this has happened twice. I almost feel like these four episodes could easily play out as two 45-minute episodes: Part I being the brutal exposition, and Part II being the training sequence.

 

 

Training sequences are an important, yet often misused, part of hero stories. Almost any movie or show that involves some kind of combat or competition has them, and they often produce some of the most memorable parts of movies: The Karate Kid with its "Wax on, wax off" and Crane stance; the Rocky training sequences, which have some of the franchise's most iconic imagery; and Luke's Jedi training sequence in The Empire Strikes Back, which has some of that franchise's most memorable quotes (such as "Do or do not, there is no try.") are all prime examples of this. I think a good training sequence should deal not just with the characters' development of actual fighting skill, but also their philosophy, their reason for fighting, and their outlook on the world they are in. Naturally you can't accomplish that with a 2-minute Rocky training montage, but luckily Titan gives us two full episodes, and includes a good measure of all these elements.

It's been 3 years since Eren, Mikasa, and Armin had to flee their home after the Titan invasion into Wall Maria and they are finally joining the army. Here we are also introduced to several new characters who have all enlisted as well. The characters are introduced interestingly, and they all have distinct character traits, and more importantly – drawbacks. In particular that part stood out to me because I don't see it often. The show made a point to note each recruit's deficiencies in skill or personality, and hopefully those will come into play later and not be there just for show, but knowing all these details about them has already paid off in certain parts so I'm not worried. More on that later. Seems like the only perfect one is Mikasa, and I feel like the show is building up to some kind of reveal with her character. She reminds me of Ayanami in more than just her kuudere ways...

 

I love the title cards going into and coming out of commercials that include additional info

 

These training episodes also give us some insight into human society in this world. Most army recruits are aiming for a coveted spot in the Military Police, who live in the innermost wall and are guaranteed the safest and most stable lives. The problem is that only the 10 best recruits are selected for this duty. This situation, where the very best soldiers are taken furthest from the battlefield, affects Eren in a profound way once it is pointed out to him, and his determination to actually fight the Titans for everyone's sake as opposed to just ensuring a safe life for himself slowly spreads throughout the group, and by the end we see that the top performers all declined the Military Police in order to defend the walls. Eren's development in these two episodes is very interesting. He starts out consumed with rage and grief and slowly learns to channel them into motivation and maturity, like learning that sometimes it is better to be the bigger man and end a fight before it starts, or continually pushing yourself even if things seem hopeless.

I like that the show avoided many opportunities to go corny. Certain scenes that looked like they were heading towards establishing some kind of forced rivalry took a left turn, and the building of group camaraderie felt more natural because of it. Also, as I mentioned before – things are set up and pay off. Annie trips Eren up with a martial arts move that he then uses himself to make a point about training, which Annie takes note of. Sasha is known to use her 3D Maneuver Gear in unorthodox ways, and we later see her do exactly that. I can't stress enough how important this is, and how often it is done wrong or not at all. The last thing you want to be doing while watching a show is constantly asking yourself "was that important? Should I remember this detail later?" As I said in the beginning, paying attention to Titan has paid off in noticing some nice touches both in plot and in visuals.

 

Setup:

 

And payoff:

 

Setup:

 

And payoff:

 

I mentioned that Titan gives us two full episodes of training, but mercifully it gives us exactly two full episodes. Just when episode 4 seems like it's about to end on a high note – our new motivated soldiers ready to go off and battle the Titans – it brings things crashing right back down again, and it looks like the minor respite for character development and some back story is over. Expect an action-packed episode with at least one character death (that's my guess, anyway) next week.

 

 


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