Attack On Titan The Final Season Part 2 ⬢ A Strong End In Wait

Original Run: January 10, 2022 - April 4, 2022
Number of Episodes: 12
Genre: Action, Fantasy
Based on the Series Created By: Hajime Isayama

***Warning, the following may contain spoilers for Attack on Titan The Final Season Part 2. Reader discretion is advised.***

Series Synopsis

Eren Jaeger (voiced by Yuki Kaji) has declared war on the entire world. He intends to secure freedom for himself and the people he cares for once and for all – no matter the cost. He sets out to unleash the full power of the most terrifying force the world has ever known – the titans.

If Eren gets his way, millions will die. 

For many living on Paradis Island, Eren’s actions will secure their safety. Thus, they are willing to watch as a global genocide spills forth from their home. However, there are those who oppose him. They are none other than Eren’s closest and dearest friends: Mikasa Ackerman, Armin Arlet (voiced respectively by Yui Ishikawa and Marina Inoue), and the other members of the Survey Corps.

The fate of humanity is in the balance, and no matter which way the wind may blow, a nightmarish path of death and destruction is sure to come.

Series Positives

There will be a part three (as of April 2022). Don’t be like me and go into this season expecting a finale. Of course, it becomes blatantly clear that a conclusion is not on the horizon long before you reach this installment’s final episode.

On the one hand, you could say the Attack on Titan series is stretching itself out to be as long as possible; the franchise is still immensely popular (and profitable). On the other hand, if things continue along the lines of Final Season Part 2 (Final 2), then things can continue to stretch out for as long as they need to.

Although Attack on Titan has long established itself as one of the pillars of the anime medium, it appears determined to finish its run tall and proud. And it’s doing one hell of a job.

The addiction factor in Final 2 was intense. 

Time becomes irrelevant when watching this season, so I recommend not starting it late at night; otherwise, you’ll be staying up into the early hours of the morning. Attack on Titan has always been a marathon-type of anime. This series has perfected the delicate balance between dense lore and fascinating content. 

Now, explaining what I mean is difficult since Attack on Titan is one of those shows that is easy to spoil unintentionally; many elements hold incredible amounts of meaning to fans of this franchise. 

By the way, I am assuming Final 2 is not your introduction to this story; believe me, this is not the installment to start watching. Therefore, I might need to reference events in the preceding seasons. So if you are genuinely interested in watching Attack on Titan, please stop reading here.

For those who are up to date, I suppose the question you are asking yourself is, “How does Final 2 stack up against Final 1?

I am not going to use the word “improvement.” In every way, the two installments of Final Season are neck and neck: atmosphere, tone, animation, character development, etc. Thus, “progression” is a much more fitting term. 

This series is rapidly heading towards a massive climax, one that simply can’t be anything less than destructive. I am willing to go out on that limb because Final 2 blew past the “prevention” point. The worst-case scenario is, at the time of this installment’s last episode, in motion. 

Attack on Titan has, from its very first episode, has known how to escalate. This story’s obstacles have always gotten bigger and more daunting. How does a narrative such as this top itself one last time? Well, Final 2 gave you a pretty good idea of what direction Final 3 will go.

However, flash and spectacle – and this franchise has its fair share of both – isn’t what brought Attack on Titan to where it is. All the high octane action and larger-than-life battles can only take you so far. To be as gripping as this series has been, you need something to care about; or, better yet, someone.

The characters of Attack on Titan – more specifically, the members of the Survey Corps – make up one of the most iconic casts in anime. By this point in the story, we have seen these characters go through so much. We’ve watched them grow from green cadets to hardened veterans. They have accomplished – and suffered – many things. And yet, it was here in Final 2 where they faced their most heartbreaking challenge.

The Survey Corps has faced the titans, they’ve fought against humans who have had their own nefarious motives, but here at the end, their enemies are none other than the comrades they have called friends for years. 

Sure, some of the Survey Corps’ foes were clear fanatics, and trying to reason with those individuals would have led to nowhere. But that wasn’t always the case. There were several moments in this installment where our heroes had no choice but to kill former and still beloved comrades to stop a much larger threat.

Then, there was Mikasa and Armin, who had to come to terms with the most painful reality of them all: They might have to be the ones to kill Eren.

Stay with me for a second because I am about to talk about Final 2’s last episode. Don’t worry; I won’t be discussing the lead-in for what will become part three. Instead, I want to talk about the first half of the episode, which best summed up the power of this franchise.

Final 2 treated us to a flashback to the events that directly preceded the attack on Liberio seen back in Final 1. There was some tension given the circumstance, but more importantly, this was (most likely) the last time we got to see the members of the Survey Corps together. It’s sometimes difficult to remember, but this group can be hilarious when there is death and destruction.

Those days are gone.

This segment set the stage for what is shaping up to be an absolutely outstanding finale to what is one of the most quintessential anime series of all time. 

Series Negatives

I want to stand by something I said back in the Final 1 review. Although MAPPA, who took over production from Wit Studio, managed to retain the same level of quality for the story, characters, and action, the animation that allowed Attack on Titan to become one of the most visually distinct anime ever, did not carry over.

The same is true for Final 2. 

Now, the visuals for Final Season have not been inadequate compared to most other series. But compared to what Attack on Titan has done in the past, it is a noticeable drop. The number of blatant CGI models was unfortunate to see. 

Luckily – assuming luck has anything to do with it – Attack on Titan and Final Season have strength to spare in all the areas that matter.

Also, I am not going to sit here and act as though I followed everything that took place in this installment. 

I know I have mentioned this before, but Attack on Titan has never liked to do summaries. If you go into Final 2 without re-familiarizing yourself with the plot, it will take you a second to figure out what is happening. And that’s not even considering this installment’s own batch of new information and details.

When the day does come for this series to finally take its bow, it will make for one hell of a marathon session. However, that might just be the ideal way to watch it because waiting an entire year between installments makes things significantly more difficult.

Final Thoughts

I was already wrong once. I thought this would be the finale we have all been waiting for. However, it would be surprising if next time doesn’t end up becoming the last time. 

And if this series continues the trend it has been doing since its inception, we are in for something extraordinary.

As for this installment, it was what you have come to expect out of this franchise. There is a reason why the story of the titans has remained strong since the anime first aired back in 2013. Once it latches on, it refuses to let go.

Attack on Titan The Final Season Part 2 has earned a massive recommendation.

But these are just my thoughts. What are yours? Have you seen this show? How would you advise Attack on Titan The Final Season Part 2? Leave a comment down below because I would love to hear what you have to say.

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