That's fair. I think almost all of the development for characters like Sasha and Connie was concentrated in season 2. And yeah, I love the wall scene mostly. Lol
@@literalmaverick8608 i loved season2. When i was in the middle of watching s2 was the time i realized that "Holy sh/t man, this anime just might end up to be something truly unique and special" . S1 was genius yet shallow(compared to all the seasons including s2). Or am i the one with the weird opinion out here? At least it is shallow at first viewing I guess season2 loses its charm when u rewatch it and illilicites the reaction from me like "lmao everyone is a titan lol", But first watch of season2 is pure awesomeness
@@literalmaverick8608 For me I love revel of Berthold and ryner. Rarely has a show caught me so off guard and yet made so much sense before, In addition it's the start of riners development from barely rememberable side character to the most interesting character in the show. And it was the only season to really develop ymir (not the original).
@@literalmaverick8608 I think season 2 is still great because of all the mystery of the beast titan, connie's town, ymir's titan and backstory, reiner and bertholdt...
Respect your opinion 1000% but season 2 for me was my favorite next to season 4.The way they develop nothing characters and how the show never needed Eren to hold its weight was simply masterful writing. NOT TO MENTION THE BETRAYAL！！！
Lol totally fair. I think my hesitancy with season 2 is that the show reaaallyy started to feel standard at that point. At least to me. But man, that betrayal scene on top of the wall is still absolutely amazing. Lmao
@@literalmaverick8608 True and there was more foreshadowing in season 2 then in almost any anime I have seen. I think it hides some of the best plot points and sets up its future in a way that simply hasnt been done before.
I can see that for sure. I really wanna go back and rewatch everything in order once this season is done and we have the context for everything. I think mostly everything will be better on a rewatch, which is really special.
I know where you're coming from now that I've seen what happens in later seasons, but in the first run I felt the same as Literal Maverick, I almost gave up on the show because I didn't know if it was going to be another One Piece where I'd probably die before knowing what was in the basement. In a sense it feels like fan service for the people who come from Season 4
This is one of the hardest mainstream animes to recommend, downright one of the hardest stories I can try to get people to get into in general. You can just say its 'a great show,' but when others ask what's so good about it, what they can expect, etc, it's so hard to say just what about AoT makes it so incredible without just spoiling it. Because it is an intentionally misleading story that will subvert your expectations at nearly every corner, from character arcs, world building, tone and even narrative genres. And by saying AoT is 'bigger than it seems,' is a spoiler that will predominantly set in the idea to new viewers to not let their guard down while watching the intentionally simple first season, somewhat diminishing the surprise of the many plot twist in the future seasons. It's what I wholeheartedly love and absolutely hate about the story and recommendating it.
I honestly agree with this. It's good in plenty of ways, but towards the end, it gets too complicated to understand and the weight of the themes collapse on themselves and it gets way less enjoyable. For me, I gradually liked aot less and less after the rumbling happened, but until right before, I felt that it was the absolute peak of aot
I agree. I think it's such an interesting watch that it's hard to really pin down how to recommend. Season 1 compared to season 4 feels very, very different, even if plot points are obviously alluded to in season 1. I just tell people to watch it and that it's "an experience." Lmao
My friend's wife was the typical, "Oh. Anime isnt it for kids" type of person. And after watching AOT went "what is thisssss blood and psychology drama" and she become a fan. But yea they collectively go what the fuck is happening for season 4. In a sense AOT is like a better Game of Thrones where we guess who die and the apocalypse is coming.
Yeah I made the mistake of saying it was because of the mystery and plot twists to a friend, and I think that set her up to foresee a lot of the reveals because she was looking for them. I definitely regret it
If Isayama was able to go from "architect" to "gardener" in the middle of writing an already complex story; then it speaks volumes about his adaptability and skill as a writer. I am curious, given it's influence, if Isayama will use the anime as more than just a means to adapt his work, but expand on it as well.
I definitely think so too. He's clearly incredibly talented. It's also interesting considering the way manga chapters are released. He really had the ability to grow as a writer while releasing a story, versus most writers writing a story and then releasing it in one writing style. That's why I think manga writing, and by extension comic writing, are so interesting. Thanks for all the thoughtful comments, btw! It's always awesome to see people going through other videos and enjoying my work. You're awesome!
@@literalmaverick8608 Honestly the effort you put into the writing and editing is far beyond what a lot of other channels would do when covering anime and video games. I think your criminally under-subbed, so whatever I can do to help change that.
Well im actually over with aot I finished the manga and im watching this season as a goodbye to this obsession i have for the last 8 years I now start the period of waiting for isaiyama to start another project, who knows
I looooove Breaking bad but tbh Walter is very different than Eren. He really turned into a full blown evil person while Eren is more of a person whos doing extremely horrible things but for a good cause.
Season 1 Eren: "I will kill them all. Every last one." Season 3 Eren: "If we kill our enemies over there, will we finally be free?" Fanbase in Season 4: * Surprise Pikachu face. *
I don't understand at all season 2 being the worst. Animation, music, voice acting are the best. Giving the side characters actual character arcs and interesting development. Connie, Sasha, Krista, and Ymir were very underused and almost pointless in season 1. The Reiner Bertoldt reveal is the beautifully presented. The attack armored fight actually used real martial arts styles and gave the fight real weight. I love all of the seasons but season 2 is much higher quality than season 1.
I remember watching season 2 when it was airing and i just couldnt believe it. I never expected aot to ever get a season 2 cause back then animes getting more then a season was quite the achievement.
season 2 was good. if anything season 3 was the most boring season. but i guess to each their own. i always thought szn 3 had too much talking. got boring.
See, the thing about Season 2 and Annie, Reiner, and Bertholdt being titan shifters is that there's tons of clues throughout Season 1 about them being titan shifters well before their reveals. From stuff like the three of them taking immediate interest in Eren's titan in trost, Reiner asking Bertholdt and Annie if it was time for them to act when all the recruits were basically blue screening during the titan attack in trost, the three of them immediately recognizing the lightning from Eren's transformation when the military tries to kill him, Reiner cutting directions into Annie's hand so that she can find Eren on the scouting mission, and Bertholdt and Reiner saying they came from the same place as Annie before she revealed herself as a titan. There's more hints in Season 2 about Reiner and Bertholdt, but I'm just gonna cover Season 1 with this. Ymir does come a bit out of left field compared to them, but there's some good hints about it in Season 2 beforehand such as her recognizing what Herring is and being able to read Marleyan text plus a few others. (Herring is a salt water fish, so nobody who has lived within the walls would know what a Herring is)
I definitely think them being titans was set up and works from a story perspective. I just think it mostly being concentrated in season 2 makes it feel like Isayama was running out of ideas. To me, season 2 really did start to feel like meat-mechs, the show. Obviously I don't feel that way now, but I'd still place that season as the show's "worst" because of its story beats. Everything else about the season is great tho.
@@literalmaverick8608 season 2 had much more focus on the characters. "Meat mechs" feels more fitting for season 4, given how marley uses them like weapons.
Literal Maverick I like your take on s2. The shifter-of-the-week flavor of the reveals started to blunt the show’s momentum for me, to the point that I had no problem taking weeks and months off from watching. I’ve been conditioned by a lifetime of anime consumption to expect a story with a smaller world and middling payoff. Which is why I’m still reeling from season 4. I can’t remember the last time I’ve been so handsomely rewarded for investing in and sticking with the central mystery of a show.
Also it’s fun that Ymir’s secret is exposed because of a can of herring; what follows for her character from the audience’s perspective functions as a kind of red herring in the larger story and mystery
Even though Isayama definitely doesn't have everything planned out in his story, he definitely had a good chunk of it at least. Like when you mentioned whether Reiner was ever able to become as sympathetic as he was, which I'm pretty sure was planned pretty early on since when he's revealed as the armoured titan he says "We were just kids, we didn't know anything. If only I hadn't known people like this existed I wouldn't have become such a half hearted piece of shit. It's too late now, I don't know what's right anymore. But the only thing for me now is to face the consequences of my actions and as a warrior fulfil my duty to the bitter end". The Marley arc that we get showing everything from Reiner's perspective years later, is just a direct pay off of that quote. Plus a bunch of other signs like him having a split personality. Bertholdt breaking down over not wanting to kill people. Annie crying before she's captured. The Warriors were very definitely shown to be sympathetic and having a lot more going on than just being evil villains when they're introduced. Also a lot of Eren's early characterisation like him desperately wanting to go outside the walls, wanting freedom above all else, the "because I was born into this world" quote, Eren killing the kidnappers and dehumanising them as animals. These were all before the anime and despite Isayama not having a clear understanding of Eren at the time, he's able to retroactively tie all these moments into Eren's character making them completely consistent. I mean hell he even revisits these scenes in the chapters where Eren and Zeke go through Grisha's memories, as a way of reaffirming who Eren is and always has been. In an interview with one of Isayama's editors who had been with him since he was 19. After Isayama's first one shot, which was basically volume 0 of AoT and his first rough draft of what it would later become, Isayama's editor told him to learn to draw better. He said when they were deciding on the plot and backstory, in their meetings he would bring him 50-100 questions about the plot, characters and world building and if Isayama couldn't answer some he would save those ones and add them to the next meeting. Some things Isayama said he didn't have planned originally was Floch wasn't meant to exist as a character and kinda just fell into his role since Isayama felt he needed a voice to oppose the main cast since it made the story more interesting. It's commonly known that Sasha was meant to die fighting that titan in the clash of the titans arc but because his editor ran off to the bathroom and cried over it, Isayama kept her around for a lot longer. He said he didn't come up with Krista's personality switch with Historia until later which he really liked since he didn't like the nice girl cliche where that's basically their only character trait. And that before the anime came out he was originally gonna go for an ending where he just killed off all the characters. But said due to the anime's popularity and large amount of fans he felt it was no longer appropriate. He also definitely underestimated how long the story would be since he estimated it would finish around volume 20 when in fact it ended on volume 34 instead. As well as multiple other things but those are the ones I can remember off the top of my head.
I literally was thinking the other day that Eren's descent into genocidal villanary is basically the character arc that Game of Thrones S8 WANTED for Daenerys but couldn't pull off. Eren's core character remains pretty consistent throughout the show, even as he gains some complexity, but as the story gets more complex the very traits that made him heroic in the first few seasons turn him into a monster.
@@sidh196 He could have destroyed only military bases and then proceeded to work on a peace agreement and economical cooperation between countries. That could work, but if it didn't, there would be no way anyone could attack the eldians without military power.
It’s crazy how opinions can differ even amongst the biggest fans. This thought came to me JUST yesterday and I decided that season 2 was the best season of all 4 because of the pacing and story telling. Crazy
4:36 Yeah, I did, and it was called Fullmetal Alchemist (2003), especially in the last 10 episodes. It wasn't as much of a shift as AoT, but I still liked it more. It went very surreal and philosophical, definitely Evangelion inspired, which is a huge twist from simply a darker shonen, which is what the manga story stayed as to the very end. I love it when stories go "maybe everything we've done was useless", which is one of the reasons why FMA 2003 is my favourite anime of all time, that and the Gothic atmosphere, and which is why it was disappointing that Kingdom Hearts 2's done that twist so poorly.
Yeah, I feel like the OG FMA anime doesn't get as much credit. As far as anime-only endings go, I actually really liked it. I also really liked the anime-only ending to Gantz, if you've ever seen that.
I definitely agree with most of these points but I do take issue with the idea that there wasn't an intent to have the story be more nuanced in the fist 2 seasons. There are multiple instances in seasons 1 and 2 where subtle lines are dropped that draw into question the "simpler" philosophy of the show. For example when Jean wonders out loud if Eren becoming a monster to save them would really be the best outcome, or how often people comment on how scary Eren's one track mind is. Reiner and Bert are also set up as good people from the start and the writing makes it pretty clear how lost they are mentally even after the betrayal. But yes, the show definitely presents itself as more simple in the beginning and fools us. For me, though, I always sensed that there was something deeper underneath the surface of all that shock and awe in season 1. Another example is how often they would ruminate on the number of deaths and injuries, even after a hype scene or a small victory. All that sort of primed me to think subconsciously that there's more to the series than what you saw on the surface. Also season 2 slander always makes me die a little inside lol. Great vid tho!
That's a fair point. I think the lack of nuance, for me, comes from the characters in the earlier seasons. I definitely do think Isayama put hints for future plot points in the beginning tho. Afterall, I think he wrote like an architect in the beginning, so I think he knew-- at least generally-- where the main plot was going. If not, he's hella good at retconning. Lmao. Yeah, I think there was always a sense that things were going to get more complex, especially because of the key to the basement that the show dangled in front of our faces for 3 seasons. Lmao. But it's definitely interesting to hear how Isayama didn't have much in mind in terms of the complexity of Eren, at least initially. I found that fascinating, especially considering where the character is at now. And to be fair, while I think season 2 is the worst of the show, it's still like an 8/10 compared to most other shows. So I still really like it! And I definitely do think it's better now with all of the context from seasons 3 and 4. Lol. And thanks for watching and the thoughtful comment!
@@literalmaverick8608 yeah I definitely can’t disagree with the author himself lol. It’s possible he always meant for the story beats to play out like this but over time started to allow himself to put more effort into deeper characterization like you said
I like that. I think the simple themes are still important and that as the series went on, people got more and more focused on the politics and made them forget. Attack on Titans didn't simply change, it has many layers.
Looking back there is clues all the way back to the first frame of the manga when erhen wakes up crying most likely from future erhren showing him what was about to happen (he forgets when he wakes up) Also in the title card that you every single week you can see a map showing both Paradis and marley
I like how he even made eren question his one track mind, him committing global genocide isn't as simple as I thought it would be when I heard about it
I must disagree. The series isn't perfect, for example OG Ymir from S2 is a very unnecessary character (also killed off screen) and the ending of AoT is very flawed (I can't say more without major Chapter 139 spoilers)
@@ikitclaw8432 Ymir is quite literally a parallel to her namesake and to Historia. She's the motivation to Historia accepting who she is, making her a catalyst to how the rest of the story unfolds. Because of her saving them on the tower Reiner or Berthold didn't have to transform, meaning the reveal wouldn't have happened. Also, I like how she foreshadowed the existence of the paths.
I was worried about "the walls" being some kind of isolation society, like it happens on "the village" or what we think initially on "promise neverland". I am glad I was wrong.
I'm rewatching it again just for all of the context leading up to showing you that erens been staging everything from the start. They did such a good job hinting at it without giving anything away all throughout the show
The gradual increase in complexity works really well for AoT. In S1, the story was not very detailed, which worked really well with the notion of humanity lacking knowledge of the titans, and the world in turn having a simpler setting, purely survive, whereas as time went on and complexity ramped up, so did the knowledge of the world of AoT.
Biggest anime shift I've seen is probably the first and second half of Steins;Gate even though there is so much slow tension building up in the first half, creeping in on you that you have this horrific dread for what will happen (just as Okabe does). And you can't have one without the other, even rewatching the first half after finishing the show is almost nostalgic, after seeing how much changed and how happy everything used to be.
Steins;Gate is an anime that I've had trouble with starting. The first few episodes never really grabbed me because I found the characters to be kinda bland to me. Do they get more depth like the AoT characters do?
@@literalmaverick8608 oh yeah, they start simple but you learn about their depth as it goes on and as the show breaks them to reveal it. They all wear a "mask" to hide how they really are and feel, the main character especially, and it's interesting to see how simple they are at first but it's actually them just sheltering themselves from others, till that is of course torn down through the show. Give it a go it takes a while to show all its cards but I think it just makes the earlier part better in hindsight.
Well, I'm sold. Lol. Thanks for the rec. If I find something interesting in it that I really wanna talk about I might make a video about it, and I'll definitely mention how you had me give it another try if I do!
@@literalmaverick8608 awesome, it's a personal favourite of mine , I've loved your takes so far on anime and games so far so I'm excited to see what you think about it
I think so too! It's always interesting to hear insights from an author prior to them completing a work. Always feels more authentic than just hearing their thoughts after they're done with the art. Thanks for watching! ☺
I did a huge binge of the whole series last week and am now going through again slowly to catch what I missed for foreshadowing and the like. I think I like how s4 is started with showing the view from the continent with Gabi and Falco and everything. Walls on both sides of this mess, Reiner trying to destroy Paradis but he can't destroy the walls restricting his own family and friends. That was downright depressing.
I agree and disagree on season 2 it’s a personal favorite of mine and the one I have rewatched the most but I’ll admit if it had kept the same beats going on into season 3 I would have dropped the show entirely, the human vs titan conflict would have gotten very stale very fast but luckily season 3 was completely different and shifted focus onto “humans are the real monsters” which is a welcome approach. I recently got a friend into AoT who initially dropped it early on and it was by slightly spoiling season 4 and saying “just get past season 2, it’s like getting out of the tutorial of a game and letting the world open up” And yeah later seasons make season 2 infinitely better since so many seeds are planted.
Totally agree. Most shows will set up a very interesting premise like AoT's and just do the same thing for years and years until they're canceled or asked to end it. If Season 3 was more of the same AoT would have still been excellent, but it would have been on the path to mediocrity over time. But with Season 3 being so different and Season 4 being even more different, the story has definitely earned the title of masterpiece in my book.
This video has blown my mind like anything I've ever witnessed in my life, it feels like seeing a 3 dimensions after being in a one dimension all along, I finally understand where the show was going because I was completely lost until this point, I was still figuring things out and now I see the shift the show did and why they were focusing on Gabi so much, and beyond that this has illustrated so well world building and character writing and development and the whole structure of the series and a comparison with other materials, all this knowledge, this whole analysis is amazing because I'm thinking myself a fantasy world and I have had many inspiration and these new perspectives change the world itself, the whole thing might stay in my mind but maybe, just maybe, if one day I got to do something with it I wanna look back and watch this video again because it gave not only new perspectives but inspiration once again, thanks.
Season 2 is one of the reasons I got into the show. Finding out Annie was a Titan in season 1 was mind blowing but after seeing Ymir transformed it caught me off guard and started to get me more curious about the show, and kept asking to myself “so who’s the real enemy and what’s so important about Eren?”.
It really fool anyone that actually reads for context. Several times before season 4 the author told us all who Eren was and what the attack titan was really capable of. Heck Levi to us on like season one 1 believe that Eren was a true monster because he'll do anything to have his freedom.
I watched all your videos on AoT, and I just wanna say thank you for the amazing analysis and effort!! I'm surprised you don't have more subscribers! I love your sense of humor and I'll be looking forward to future videos ^-^
Funnily enough, my friend almost couldn't get into AOT cause she just didn't like season 1 and season 2 cause "big titan eat people, people survive" thing. But as she got towards season 3 and season 4, not only did she start appreciate the previous seasons, for stuff like the plot, lore, world building, and all that fun stuff, but the sudden shift in tone. She much prefers season 4 Great video on the show!
it does feel aot changes since season 1 but the way isayama took a simple concept and turned it into a really interesting and complex lore amazes me, It’s hard to decide which is season is the best for me as all of them have their strengths and weaknesses
I've always liked Attack on Titan even as it's changed over the years. Regardless of what the author intended, it's an interesting story. I will say that if you're looking for a series that has been masterfully planned out, Onepiece is it.
@@leviackerman1799 finishing up Alabasta arc is what got me hooked... hooked like, binging the next like 700 episodes within a month. I was practically bed ridden besides eating, showering, and shitting. Couldn't stop watching. I was actually losing hope on the hype surrounding One Piece during the mid-end of Alabasta. But I kept going. My advise, the current 1014 (and counting, weekly) episodes can seem extremely overwhelming and unreasonable. However, just look up One Piece filler guide or watch guide. There is a LOT of filler episodes, and even the Canon episodes can feel like filler as times because it is pretty well known/widely acknowledged by the fan base, that the pacing of the anime is fucking awful, it's physically painful at times. So episodes that are technically "Canon" and relevant to the actual manga story line, like certain fights for example, are just so dragged out over DOZENS of episodes, when they can really fit it into like 10 (if you've watched DBZ then think Goku and Frieza's final battle of "5 minutes before the planet exploded, there's like 7,000 episodes of them just staring back and forth at each other) lol. It's cause they #1, repeat a lot of animation from the previous episode, i.e the first 5 minutes of an episode is the last 5 minutes of the previous episode. #2, lots of still shots/frames that show for like 30 seconds sometimes. #3, intros and outros are long af too, so you're really only getting like 12-15 minutes of new material per ~24 minute episode, and lastly just #4, the fact that it is pretty much expected that a new episode come out every week, and trying to write/animate 20ish minutes of anime EVERY week somewhat forces the writers/producers/animators to reuse that 5 minutes or whatever from a previous episode, they simply don't have the time to produce it with quality. That said, OP fans are aware of this, and this is why so many prefer the manga. However, if you skip the filler, fast forward through a couple minutes per episode if you already know what went down, I think you'll get hooked after Alabasta. The story and lore gets very deep and complex, and still is, even more. This is the usual #1 gripe about the anime from fans. There is something called "One Pace" on TH-cam, which is literally the same exact episodes, just edited to reduce the unnecessary time from the og episodes, thus condensing everything into far fewer episodes, and increasing the pace dramatically (without missing anything important) hence the name. Maybe you would enjoy One Piece more if you watched One Pace. I'd say keep going, give it a chance still. You've already watched a good amount of filler if you've made it to Alabasta, so now just look up the filler and skip it, and I think you will be pleasantly surprised. You won't regret it. P.S. Side note, the animation just gets sicker and sicker. Like especially in our latest episodes like 900-1014 (1015 will be out in a few days) the animation is just delicious eye candy. Demon slayer also has some unbelievable animation, and the upcoming Bleach anime adaptation of the final manga arc/end, the animation in the trailer is on another planet. Should be fun to see hehe.
Can't tell you how great of a job you did with this video man. I've thought over this show since it came out, and grew alongside with it. This perspective, seeing the author grow alongside his work, its truly inspiring, and I'm very grateful that you brought this to my attention. Something to really think about! Keep churning out great stuff dude!
This is an AMAZING video analysis of the show and writer, top tier for sure. I, like you stopped watching after season 2 and left it alone until literally about 2-3 days ago and just powered through all the episodes up until then (which was 85, 2 away from the ending) and I just had to read the manga and finish so I could start writing my own video essay on the themes of the show (adding my own take to the the massive list 😂) and this video has helped me immensely as I will now know where to look even deeper about the author. Very, VERY well done, liked subbed and bell all from this one video, keep up the good work and looking forward to seeing what else you have to offer 😎👍
I rarely leave comments but I have to say this is great content. You easily make some of the best AOT videos on TH-cam. Properly thought through and thoroughly explained. I don’t agree with every point you make but I cant disagree with any either. Keep going and you’ll get the recognition you deserve, I have no doubt!
I haven't read the manga from the start, only from where season 4 part 1 ended, but I do think that maybe by the time the anime adaptation released Isayama had an idea of where he wanted to go with some of the characters, mainly Reiner Bertholt and Annie. The many hints at their goals and personality make me believe this
Isayama-san is the plot twist 👑 King. I mean lots of unexpected things and plot twists happen in this anime. Attack On Titan: the twistiest plot award of the year.
Isayama's target audience was writing for the Japanese as it is a Japanese manga. It is more influenced by the history and circumstances in Japan. Eldia is obviously Japan. Island nation denouncing war and focusing on own. Marley is Korea/China. Both use history as propaganda using Japan as the enemy, educating the young to hate Japan by presenting select, exaggerated and fabricated sections of events while removing own part in the history other than as victims. Japan has a different form of history taught in the schools that is events and fact based but does not go into any analysis. Dry as a list of events. However with the internet, Japanese are finding the pieces or analyses not covered in schools. Isayama is writing to the Japanese people with the growing anger towards Korea and China that has been growing in the past 2 decades. Radicalized Japanese in japan are becoming angry once they find out the narratives going on in these countries about Japan. He is trying to show both sides of how lies and propaganda on all sides lead to conflict without understanding the other, and where the cycle of hatred would lead. Unfortunately Korea and China have banned Attack on Titan in their countries.
I got the impression really early into the show that the walls were something of a metaphor for Japan’s isolationist history and predicted that the show could evolve to examine or confront Japan’s actions after opening itself to the world (imperialism, war crimes, etc).
@@joshuafischer684 That's the thing, Isayama is going the opposite. There is the war crime narrative and current Japanese being responsible for ancestor's actions. This "truth" is what Gabi exemplifies in understanding of the Japanese people and constantly seek forgiveness to China/Korea and others. The Japanese in the current season becoming angry reflects a portion of japan that is currently really angry towards Korea and China due to their version of the "truth" indoctrinating the young to hate Japanese people. Both false histories of China and Korea are not something I think is appropriate for the comments section in a youtube video, but I would recommend reviewing the primary sources and the current narratives of China, Koreas and Japan. Some things match, somethings are so far from the truth. You start to see the intent behind some of the narratives. And there are many narratives. Whether it's the Japanese people evil and have to apologize until the end of time narrative or the Radical Japanese history narrative. Whether it's historical revision and whitewashing crimes or breaking free from a pacifist propaganda. And that's what attack on titan is about right? Seeking the "truth" yourself and making your own decisions. Be open to what you find and make good decisions. Zeke wanted to euthanize the Japanese so there would be no more conflict. Erin decided to destroy these others for the sake of the Japanese. Lets see what decisions the other characters will make.
Thank you for the awesome video. As someone working on a few manga series myself, this was really great to watch. For me, I think I'm a mix of both architect and gardener, though I feel in recent several years I've moreso adopted the architect approach more sorta bc it feels like what I'm supposed to do? I have however found more and more the last year how my characters would "do something" on their own that would be contrary to what I even planned or expected, so I guess in a sense I'm also starting to revert back to my roots, especially as I begin to really really understand my characters more.
I think BSG is another great example of shifting narrative and tone to fool people as the seasons go along, of course there’s a lot of similar plot points like finding out who is a cylon and twists on who is on what side, but the last two season feels like a complete different show (for better or for worse), I personally really enjoyed BSG as well
I've heard incredible things about BSG, like that it's the best sci fi show out there. So I definitely need to check it out. Lol. Thanks for the recommendation!
I think you brought some interesting points with evidence, but looking at all the foreshadowing from details in the show to name of certain chapters/episodes, I wonder is Iseyama really a gardener. Nice video tho.
I liked season two because it have more buildup to season 3 plot and it’s actually enjoyable even if it has a basic plot twist, it is very obvious sometimes, but bertholdt and Reiner’s betrayal makes it even better and gives you emotions of hype, sadness, anger and euphoria.
isayama was definitely inspired by Dune too, Eren Yeager and Paul Atreides have some obvious parallels to each other that there's just no way it isn't intentional
@@altimanzify I haven’t read the books yet but after seeing the new movie I KNEW this was the direction Paul would go, he says something like “a crusade in my name”.
Definitely an overstatement. I can name you ten amines that come from our generation that our better and more iconic than this show. If people rarely talk about fmab, one of the greatest anime of our generation, this show will definitely fade out.
Regarding the section at 10:00: I'll leave you with a little bit of my wisdom: "A person, unless insane or sociopathic in nature, will never do something they think is wrong. All the decisions and actions they commit are made in a belief they're absolutely right. This is why most villains are in fact victims, and often times more human than the protagonists themselves."
I think season 2's "oh my god so many titan shifters" was used purely to introduce Marley and the Warriors and how there is in fact a world outside the walls and that humanity isn't actually over.
6:13 huh just like the attack titans own literal power, the result of future events inadvertently drove the writer of the character eren jeager just like future eren jeagar drove his younger half...and father...
I was really late and started watching the anime a week before season 4 started. Oh man i was hooked from the first episode and binged seasons 1-3 in a week.
Very good analysis, love how u 'subtly' insert homoerotic jokes in your reviews/analysis, its hilarious lol would love to see more analysis/reviews of various themes of the series, keep up the great work :)
i think this anime grows with its audience. it starts with simple human vs evil monster and slowly moves on to more complex situation. as its audience grow up and understand that the world we lives in is not simply black and white, the anime shows the same thing?
For sure Isayama didn't plan everything from the beggining but he leaves the door open for future actions to come. And that might be one of his strongest writting style. And is like everything was tied up from the beggining. At this point, when you rewatch the show from chapter 1 you already can catch clues/hints that you didn't know when you watched it for the first time. Great vid man
@@CC-yh2yq I really think so, but i dont give it for granted so ppl who think otherwise can debate still and argument why do they tjink it wasnt planned.
I definitely think he had plot points planned! that's why I think he was an architect when he started. My point was that he wasn't as meticulous with the characters until later. Thanks for the kind words btw! :D
Gotta disagree on season 2. Season 1 was the one that felt the most shonen to me. I remember being disappointed that Eren was alive with titan abilities and feeling like it was very shonen tropey like. When season 2 came out, my excitement about the show skyrocketed. Beast Titan was just such a fascinating episode, making me question the objective of the titans and origins more so than Female titan did for me. Also as for shock factor, beast titan did end in one of the most gruesome death scenes in the show, with the silhouette of a head being torn straight off.
I really liked season 2 because of the hints and foreshadowing to it being a civilisation outside the walls, the paths, humans possibly being the titans they kill, how the titan powers get passed down, what the heck Reiner meant with "the coordinate", Eren awaking some unknown power with Dina Fritz and of course Reiner and Bertholdt being the colossal and armored. At first I thought paths was a real desert and some type of random northern lights where Ymir turned back to a human. And when Ymir called Reiner a monkey but it was all unknown to Eren was a nice detail because we watchers know what monkeys are while the Paradisians called Zeke a "beast". Ymir's backstory as well was confusing the first time because we didn't know anything about how titans are made and were probably confused about the civilisation thing, it showed up right in our face without much explanation. It just fits so well with expanding the world and make it more complex than what season 1 established. And yes I was a super confused first time watcher of S2 and thought it was bad and unusual from what S1 was, but rewatching everything after season 4 really made me appreciate how amazing S2 really is.
Season 2 is both familiar and new, in that yes it does reuse the this character is actually a titan element from season 1 but it also deepens the mystery of the titans and how they were actually created. Then there's the revelation that the titans were actually humans all along which comes as a gut punch to many of the characters, including Levi, who had been carving them up like they were Sunday hams before discovering this.
Oh my god the timing on this Because I was literally thinking LAST NIGHT that I should make a video hypothesizing about Attack On Titan and the beauty of pantsing (or being a gardener). As a comic artist and an AoT anime watcher myself, I noticed in alot of reaction videos that people were super impressed with the way "isayama had this planned all along!?" But as someone who has worked really hard to retroactively maintain internal consistency in my own work due to not starting off as an architect myself, I could see the signs of someone who was making things up along the way but just doing it REALLY well. Impressively well. And I wanted to make a video on that but I wasn't sure if isayama actually DID have everything planned and not only did I not want to disrespect him, but I also wasn't in the mood to look up interviews with him because of the fear that I might find all those ...attack on Titan hot takes. 😅 But this video?? This amazing video has inspired me to make my own video and it's scary because you basically confirmed alot of my own theories (and actually made me wanna research more LOL) and now I need to scream about it So thank you, this was such an interesting and informative watch! 🙏
I really liked the way the story grew because it felt like the characters were growing into the world. As kids, everything was flat. Armin was smart, Eren was persistent, Mikasa was strong. But those aren't characters, they're traits. The characters started to grow in season 3 and we started to actually think, and that really makes the cycle repeating itself over and over stick out because now the characters are old enough to see it. They're creating the same orphans that they once were, acting as the monsters instead of the victims.
i respect ur opinion as usual but s2 was so good for me - every ep was paced masterfully, and the char arcs r truly peak. i'd love to hear ur view on aot's manga ending if u ever plan on making a vid about that
Isayama was also a fan of Breaking Bad. I think he took part of Walter White's character arc to complete Eren's journey. And perhaps a bit of Jesse's arc to Gabi.
i loved season 2 for the way it highlighted the side characters for a plot twist which makes it even more moving
That's fair. I think almost all of the development for characters like Sasha and Connie was concentrated in season 2. And yeah, I love the wall scene mostly. Lol
@@literalmaverick8608
i loved season2.
When i was in the middle of watching s2 was the time i realized that
"Holy sh/t man, this anime just might end up to be something truly unique and special" .
S1 was genius yet shallow(compared to all the seasons including s2).
Or am i the one with the weird opinion out here? At least it is shallow at first viewing
I guess season2 loses its charm when u rewatch it and illilicites the reaction from me like "lmao everyone is a titan lol",
But first watch of season2 is pure awesomeness
@@literalmaverick8608 For me I love revel of Berthold and ryner. Rarely has a show caught me so off guard and yet made so much sense before, In addition it's the start of riners development from barely rememberable side character to the most interesting character in the show. And it was the only season to really develop ymir (not the original).
@@literalmaverick8608 I think season 2 is still great because of all the mystery of the beast titan, connie's town, ymir's titan and backstory, reiner and bertholdt...
Season 2 was lit. Idc what anyone says
Respect your opinion 1000% but season 2 for me was my favorite next to season 4.The way they develop nothing characters and how the show never needed Eren to hold its weight was simply masterful writing. NOT TO MENTION THE BETRAYAL！！！
Lol totally fair. I think my hesitancy with season 2 is that the show reaaallyy started to feel standard at that point. At least to me. But man, that betrayal scene on top of the wall is still absolutely amazing. Lmao
@@literalmaverick8608 True and there was more foreshadowing in season 2 then in almost any anime I have seen. I think it hides some of the best plot points and sets up its future in a way that simply hasnt been done before.
I can see that for sure. I really wanna go back and rewatch everything in order once this season is done and we have the context for everything. I think mostly everything will be better on a rewatch, which is really special.
@@literalmaverick8608 you’ll appreciate season 2 more once you rewatch
I know where you're coming from now that I've seen what happens in later seasons, but in the first run I felt the same as Literal Maverick, I almost gave up on the show because I didn't know if it was going to be another One Piece where I'd probably die before knowing what was in the basement. In a sense it feels like fan service for the people who come from Season 4
This is one of the hardest mainstream animes to recommend, downright one of the hardest stories I can try to get people to get into in general. You can just say its 'a great show,' but when others ask what's so good about it, what they can expect, etc, it's so hard to say just what about AoT makes it so incredible without just spoiling it.
Because it is an intentionally misleading story that will subvert your expectations at nearly every corner, from character arcs, world building, tone and even narrative genres. And by saying AoT is 'bigger than it seems,' is a spoiler that will predominantly set in the idea to new viewers to not let their guard down while watching the intentionally simple first season, somewhat diminishing the surprise of the many plot twist in the future seasons. It's what I wholeheartedly love and absolutely hate about the story and recommendating it.
I honestly agree with this. It's good in plenty of ways, but towards the end, it gets too complicated to understand and the weight of the themes collapse on themselves and it gets way less enjoyable.
For me, I gradually liked aot less and less after the rumbling happened, but until right before, I felt that it was the absolute peak of aot
I agree. I think it's such an interesting watch that it's hard to really pin down how to recommend. Season 1 compared to season 4 feels very, very different, even if plot points are obviously alluded to in season 1. I just tell people to watch it and that it's "an experience." Lmao
My friend's wife was the typical, "Oh. Anime isnt it for kids" type of person. And after watching AOT went "what is thisssss blood and psychology drama" and she become a fan.
But yea they collectively go what the fuck is happening for season 4.
In a sense AOT is like a better Game of Thrones where we guess who die and the apocalypse is coming.
Aot is the perfect starter anime to recommend to new anime fans
Yeah I made the mistake of saying it was because of the mystery and plot twists to a friend, and I think that set her up to foresee a lot of the reveals because she was looking for them. I definitely regret it
If Isayama was able to go from "architect" to "gardener" in the middle of writing an already complex story; then it speaks volumes about his adaptability and skill as a writer. I am curious, given it's influence, if Isayama will use the anime as more than just a means to adapt his work, but expand on it as well.
I definitely think so too. He's clearly incredibly talented. It's also interesting considering the way manga chapters are released. He really had the ability to grow as a writer while releasing a story, versus most writers writing a story and then releasing it in one writing style. That's why I think manga writing, and by extension comic writing, are so interesting. Thanks for all the thoughtful comments, btw! It's always awesome to see people going through other videos and enjoying my work. You're awesome!
@@literalmaverick8608 Honestly the effort you put into the writing and editing is far beyond what a lot of other channels would do when covering anime and video games. I think your criminally under-subbed, so whatever I can do to help change that.
I'm gonna cry! Lmao. But seriously, thank you so much. I'm glad to have such a thoughtful, kind person as a sub!
Well im actually over with aot
I finished the manga and im watching this season as a goodbye to this obsession i have for the last 8 years
I now start the period of waiting for isaiyama to start another project, who knows
@@literalmaverick8608 hello youtuber
Eren shift into a "villian" is very reminiscent of Walter White's character arc, if you're a fan of attack on titan you're gonna love breaking bad.
Loooove Breaking Bad. If you like the twists and turns of Breaking Bad, you should try out Mr. Robot. Lol
I looooove Breaking bad but tbh Walter is very different than Eren. He really turned into a full blown evil person while Eren is more of a person whos doing extremely horrible things but for a good cause.
ANAKIN SKYWALKER
Breaking Bad is also a great show man
Apparently aot's creator was also a big fan of Breaking Bad. Hence the references, such as the Saul Goodman titan
Season 1 Eren: "I will kill them all. Every last one."
Season 3 Eren: "If we kill our enemies over there, will we finally be free?"
Fanbase in Season 4: * Surprise Pikachu face. *
Exactly lmaooooo he told who he was lmaooooo
No one was surprised. What's surprising, even tho it shouldnt have been, is how much of the fanbase was willing to cheer and go along with it.
@@AllTheArtsy Anime manga fans are some of the biggest brownosers and sheep you'll see.
Actually people weren't surprised that Eren wanted to kill his enemies. People were surprised that Eren wanted to kill his friends.
The surprise was who his enemies were
For me season 2 was great because is when the big plot twist and reveals started. Really shifted the show on another direction.
True! Although, I would also say that the season 2 opening is my least favorite.... THE SEASON 2 SLANDER NEVER ENDS FROM ME! Lmao
@@literalmaverick8608 Damn well i respect your opinion
@@literalmaverick8608 💀💀💀
@@literalmaverick8608 literal opposite for me, sasageyo is the best opening of aot until the rumbling
So if the voice of Eren in the anime influenced Isayama, then all those memes of Eren whispering to him are kinda true
I loved that season 2 took a step back and slowed down to let get to know the characters. It paid off in seasons 3 and 4.
Season 2 is the only reason the payoffs of S3 and 4 feel so good. Respect her!
I have been humbled! Lol
I don't understand at all season 2 being the worst. Animation, music, voice acting are the best. Giving the side characters actual character arcs and interesting development. Connie, Sasha, Krista, and Ymir were very underused and almost pointless in season 1. The Reiner Bertoldt reveal is the beautifully presented. The attack armored fight actually used real martial arts styles and gave the fight real weight. I love all of the seasons but season 2 is much higher quality than season 1.
I remember watching season 2 when it was airing and i just couldnt believe it.
I never expected aot to ever get a season 2 cause back then animes getting more then a season was quite the achievement.
season 2 was good. if anything season 3 was the most boring season. but i guess to each their own. i always thought szn 3 had too much talking. got boring.
See, the thing about Season 2 and Annie, Reiner, and Bertholdt being titan shifters is that there's tons of clues throughout Season 1 about them being titan shifters well before their reveals. From stuff like the three of them taking immediate interest in Eren's titan in trost, Reiner asking Bertholdt and Annie if it was time for them to act when all the recruits were basically blue screening during the titan attack in trost, the three of them immediately recognizing the lightning from Eren's transformation when the military tries to kill him, Reiner cutting directions into Annie's hand so that she can find Eren on the scouting mission, and Bertholdt and Reiner saying they came from the same place as Annie before she revealed herself as a titan. There's more hints in Season 2 about Reiner and Bertholdt, but I'm just gonna cover Season 1 with this.
Ymir does come a bit out of left field compared to them, but there's some good hints about it in Season 2 beforehand such as her recognizing what Herring is and being able to read Marleyan text plus a few others. (Herring is a salt water fish, so nobody who has lived within the walls would know what a Herring is)
I definitely think them being titans was set up and works from a story perspective. I just think it mostly being concentrated in season 2 makes it feel like Isayama was running out of ideas. To me, season 2 really did start to feel like meat-mechs, the show. Obviously I don't feel that way now, but I'd still place that season as the show's "worst" because of its story beats. Everything else about the season is great tho.
@@literalmaverick8608 season 2 had much more focus on the characters. "Meat mechs" feels more fitting for season 4, given how marley uses them like weapons.
Literal Maverick I like your take on s2. The shifter-of-the-week flavor of the reveals started to blunt the show’s momentum for me, to the point that I had no problem taking weeks and months off from watching. I’ve been conditioned by a lifetime of anime consumption to expect a story with a smaller world and middling payoff. Which is why I’m still reeling from season 4. I can’t remember the last time I’ve been so handsomely rewarded for investing in and sticking with the central mystery of a show.
Also it’s fun that Ymir’s secret is exposed because of a can of herring; what follows for her character from the audience’s perspective functions as a kind of red herring in the larger story and mystery
Even though Isayama definitely doesn't have everything planned out in his story, he definitely had a good chunk of it at least. Like when you mentioned whether Reiner was ever able to become as sympathetic as he was, which I'm pretty sure was planned pretty early on since when he's revealed as the armoured titan he says "We were just kids, we didn't know anything. If only I hadn't known people like this existed I wouldn't have become such a half hearted piece of shit. It's too late now, I don't know what's right anymore. But the only thing for me now is to face the consequences of my actions and as a warrior fulfil my duty to the bitter end". The Marley arc that we get showing everything from Reiner's perspective years later, is just a direct pay off of that quote. Plus a bunch of other signs like him having a split personality. Bertholdt breaking down over not wanting to kill people. Annie crying before she's captured. The Warriors were very definitely shown to be sympathetic and having a lot more going on than just being evil villains when they're introduced.
Also a lot of Eren's early characterisation like him desperately wanting to go outside the walls, wanting freedom above all else, the "because I was born into this world" quote, Eren killing the kidnappers and dehumanising them as animals. These were all before the anime and despite Isayama not having a clear understanding of Eren at the time, he's able to retroactively tie all these moments into Eren's character making them completely consistent. I mean hell he even revisits these scenes in the chapters where Eren and Zeke go through Grisha's memories, as a way of reaffirming who Eren is and always has been.
In an interview with one of Isayama's editors who had been with him since he was 19. After Isayama's first one shot, which was basically volume 0 of AoT and his first rough draft of what it would later become, Isayama's editor told him to learn to draw better. He said when they were deciding on the plot and backstory, in their meetings he would bring him 50-100 questions about the plot, characters and world building and if Isayama couldn't answer some he would save those ones and add them to the next meeting.
Some things Isayama said he didn't have planned originally was
Floch wasn't meant to exist as a character and kinda just fell into his role since Isayama felt he needed a voice to oppose the main cast since it made the story more interesting.
It's commonly known that Sasha was meant to die fighting that titan in the clash of the titans arc but because his editor ran off to the bathroom and cried over it, Isayama kept her around for a lot longer.
He said he didn't come up with Krista's personality switch with Historia until later which he really liked since he didn't like the nice girl cliche where that's basically their only character trait.
And that before the anime came out he was originally gonna go for an ending where he just killed off all the characters. But said due to the anime's popularity and large amount of fans he felt it was no longer appropriate.
He also definitely underestimated how long the story would be since he estimated it would finish around volume 20 when in fact it ended on volume 34 instead.
As well as multiple other things but those are the ones I can remember off the top of my head.
Damn you wrote a whole essay- I respect that, take a like
Respecttttt
The editor crying over sasha is such a mood.
This was very interesting, thanks for sharing!
This man planned most of it out, and I think that’s kinda obvious
Excellent video.
I literally was thinking the other day that Eren's descent into genocidal villanary is basically the character arc that Game of Thrones S8 WANTED for Daenerys but couldn't pull off. Eren's core character remains pretty consistent throughout the show, even as he gains some complexity, but as the story gets more complex the very traits that made him heroic in the first few seasons turn him into a monster.
but what about the ending of aot?
@@sidh196 He could have destroyed only military bases and then proceeded to work on a peace agreement and economical cooperation between countries. That could work, but if it didn't, there would be no way anyone could attack the eldians without military power.
It’s crazy how opinions can differ even amongst the biggest fans. This thought came to me JUST yesterday and I decided that season 2 was the best season of all 4 because of the pacing and story telling. Crazy
Lol right!? I have a lot of friends that see season 2 like me, so I was definitely surprised to see so much season 2 support in the comments. Lol
4:36 Yeah, I did, and it was called Fullmetal Alchemist (2003), especially in the last 10 episodes. It wasn't as much of a shift as AoT, but I still liked it more. It went very surreal and philosophical, definitely Evangelion inspired, which is a huge twist from simply a darker shonen, which is what the manga story stayed as to the very end.
I love it when stories go "maybe everything we've done was useless", which is one of the reasons why FMA 2003 is my favourite anime of all time, that and the Gothic atmosphere, and which is why it was disappointing that Kingdom Hearts 2's done that twist so poorly.
Yeah, I feel like the OG FMA anime doesn't get as much credit. As far as anime-only endings go, I actually really liked it. I also really liked the anime-only ending to Gantz, if you've ever seen that.
Love it. FMA 03 is also my favorite anime. Loved it WAY MORE than FMAB.
I have found my people
I definitely agree with most of these points but I do take issue with the idea that there wasn't an intent to have the story be more nuanced in the fist 2 seasons. There are multiple instances in seasons 1 and 2 where subtle lines are dropped that draw into question the "simpler" philosophy of the show. For example when Jean wonders out loud if Eren becoming a monster to save them would really be the best outcome, or how often people comment on how scary Eren's one track mind is. Reiner and Bert are also set up as good people from the start and the writing makes it pretty clear how lost they are mentally even after the betrayal.
But yes, the show definitely presents itself as more simple in the beginning and fools us. For me, though, I always sensed that there was something deeper underneath the surface of all that shock and awe in season 1. Another example is how often they would ruminate on the number of deaths and injuries, even after a hype scene or a small victory. All that sort of primed me to think subconsciously that there's more to the series than what you saw on the surface. Also season 2 slander always makes me die a little inside lol.
Great vid tho!
That's a fair point. I think the lack of nuance, for me, comes from the characters in the earlier seasons. I definitely do think Isayama put hints for future plot points in the beginning tho. Afterall, I think he wrote like an architect in the beginning, so I think he knew-- at least generally-- where the main plot was going. If not, he's hella good at retconning. Lmao.
Yeah, I think there was always a sense that things were going to get more complex, especially because of the key to the basement that the show dangled in front of our faces for 3 seasons. Lmao. But it's definitely interesting to hear how Isayama didn't have much in mind in terms of the complexity of Eren, at least initially. I found that fascinating, especially considering where the character is at now.
And to be fair, while I think season 2 is the worst of the show, it's still like an 8/10 compared to most other shows. So I still really like it! And I definitely do think it's better now with all of the context from seasons 3 and 4. Lol.
And thanks for watching and the thoughtful comment!
@@literalmaverick8608 yeah I definitely can’t disagree with the author himself lol. It’s possible he always meant for the story beats to play out like this but over time started to allow himself to put more effort into deeper characterization like you said
I like that. I think the simple themes are still important and that as the series went on, people got more and more focused on the politics and made them forget. Attack on Titans didn't simply change, it has many layers.
Looking back there is clues all the way back to the first frame of the manga when erhen wakes up crying most likely from future erhren showing him what was about to happen (he forgets when he wakes up)
Also in the title card that you every single week you can see a map showing both Paradis and marley
I like how he even made eren question his one track mind, him committing global genocide isn't as simple as I thought it would be when I heard about it
It never got bad, show is perfect 10/10 all the way through
I must disagree. The series isn't perfect, for example OG Ymir from S2 is a very unnecessary character (also killed off screen) and the ending of AoT is very flawed (I can't say more without major Chapter 139 spoilers)
@@ikitclaw8432 unnecessary ?
@@ikitclaw8432 off screen ?
Watch season 4 again
It was really short , but it wasn't off screen
@@ikitclaw8432 Ymir is quite literally a parallel to her namesake and to Historia. She's the motivation to Historia accepting who she is, making her a catalyst to how the rest of the story unfolds. Because of her saving them on the tower Reiner or Berthold didn't have to transform, meaning the reveal wouldn't have happened.
Also, I like how she foreshadowed the existence of the paths.
@@robin9740 Fair enough
I was worried about "the walls" being some kind of isolation society, like it happens on "the village" or what we think initially on "promise neverland". I am glad I was wrong.
I'm rewatching it again just for all of the context leading up to showing you that erens been staging everything from the start. They did such a good job hinting at it without giving anything away all throughout the show
S2 is amazing when you know the whole story and go and rewatch. I read the manga and watched the show again and it was amazing how much better S2 felt
The gradual increase in complexity works really well for AoT. In S1, the story was not very detailed, which worked really well with the notion of humanity lacking knowledge of the titans, and the world in turn having a simpler setting, purely survive, whereas as time went on and complexity ramped up, so did the knowledge of the world of AoT.
Biggest anime shift I've seen is probably the first and second half of Steins;Gate even though there is so much slow tension building up in the first half, creeping in on you that you have this horrific dread for what will happen (just as Okabe does). And you can't have one without the other, even rewatching the first half after finishing the show is almost nostalgic, after seeing how much changed and how happy everything used to be.
Steins;Gate is an anime that I've had trouble with starting. The first few episodes never really grabbed me because I found the characters to be kinda bland to me. Do they get more depth like the AoT characters do?
@@literalmaverick8608 oh yeah, they start simple but you learn about their depth as it goes on and as the show breaks them to reveal it. They all wear a "mask" to hide how they really are and feel, the main character especially, and it's interesting to see how simple they are at first but it's actually them just sheltering themselves from others, till that is of course torn down through the show. Give it a go it takes a while to show all its cards but I think it just makes the earlier part better in hindsight.
Well, I'm sold. Lol. Thanks for the rec. If I find something interesting in it that I really wanna talk about I might make a video about it, and I'll definitely mention how you had me give it another try if I do!
@@literalmaverick8608 awesome, it's a personal favourite of mine , I've loved your takes so far on anime and games so far so I'm excited to see what you think about it
Very interesting to hear about the author's original version of Eren!
I think so too! It's always interesting to hear insights from an author prior to them completing a work. Always feels more authentic than just hearing their thoughts after they're done with the art. Thanks for watching! ☺
I did a huge binge of the whole series last week and am now going through again slowly to catch what I missed for foreshadowing and the like. I think I like how s4 is started with showing the view from the continent with Gabi and Falco and everything. Walls on both sides of this mess, Reiner trying to destroy Paradis but he can't destroy the walls restricting his own family and friends. That was downright depressing.
I agree and disagree on season 2 it’s a personal favorite of mine and the one I have rewatched the most but I’ll admit if it had kept the same beats going on into season 3 I would have dropped the show entirely, the human vs titan conflict would have gotten very stale very fast but luckily season 3 was completely different and shifted focus onto “humans are the real monsters” which is a welcome approach.
I recently got a friend into AoT who initially dropped it early on and it was by slightly spoiling season 4 and saying “just get past season 2, it’s like getting out of the tutorial of a game and letting the world open up”
And yeah later seasons make season 2 infinitely better since so many seeds are planted.
That's definitely how I feel too. I do think that, once you have context for everything, season 2 is infinitely better.
Totally agree. Most shows will set up a very interesting premise like AoT's and just do the same thing for years and years until they're canceled or asked to end it. If Season 3 was more of the same AoT would have still been excellent, but it would have been on the path to mediocrity over time.
But with Season 3 being so different and Season 4 being even more different, the story has definitely earned the title of masterpiece in my book.
This video has blown my mind like anything I've ever witnessed in my life, it feels like seeing a 3 dimensions after being in a one dimension all along, I finally understand where the show was going because I was completely lost until this point, I was still figuring things out and now I see the shift the show did and why they were focusing on Gabi so much, and beyond that this has illustrated so well world building and character writing and development and the whole structure of the series and a comparison with other materials, all this knowledge, this whole analysis is amazing because I'm thinking myself a fantasy world and I have had many inspiration and these new perspectives change the world itself, the whole thing might stay in my mind but maybe, just maybe, if one day I got to do something with it I wanna look back and watch this video again because it gave not only new perspectives but inspiration once again, thanks.
I'm happy to have made something that gave you such an experience. Always surreal to see people enjoying things that I make. Keep being awesome!
Season 2 was absolutely better than season 1, it built up on it and it paved the way for the story to develop. It was not stagnant.
Season 2 is one of the reasons I got into the show. Finding out Annie was a Titan in season 1 was mind blowing but after seeing Ymir transformed it caught me off guard and started to get me more curious about the show, and kept asking to myself “so who’s the real enemy and what’s so important about Eren?”.
It really fool anyone that actually reads for context. Several times before season 4 the author told us all who Eren was and what the attack titan was really capable of. Heck Levi to us on like season one 1 believe that Eren was a true monster because he'll do anything to have his freedom.
For a dude with only 5k subs you nailed this video, you deserve so much more attention. Good work man
I watched all your videos on AoT, and I just wanna say thank you for the amazing analysis and effort!! I'm surprised you don't have more subscribers! I love your sense of humor and I'll be looking forward to future videos ^-^
Thank you so much! You're incredibly kind, and I'm happy to have such a thoughtful person as a subscriber!
So Eren *was* the writer of AOT all along...
True freedom means breaking the final wall -- the 4th wall!
Also known as the wall of Deadpool aka the 4th wall
Funnily enough, my friend almost couldn't get into AOT cause she just didn't like season 1 and season 2 cause "big titan eat people, people survive" thing. But as she got towards season 3 and season 4, not only did she start appreciate the previous seasons, for stuff like the plot, lore, world building, and all that fun stuff, but the sudden shift in tone. She much prefers season 4
Great video on the show!
it does feel aot changes since season 1 but the way isayama took a simple concept and turned it into a really interesting and complex lore amazes me, It’s hard to decide which is season is the best for me as all of them have their strengths and weaknesses
I've always liked Attack on Titan even as it's changed over the years. Regardless of what the author intended, it's an interesting story. I will say that if you're looking for a series that has been masterfully planned out, Onepiece is it.
One Piece is great! I've had problems with how Oda handles his main cast, but the world building and plotting is absolutely fantastic.
@@literalmaverick8608 True. It doesn't bother me, but I wish there was more interaction between the crew like in the old days.
I've been wanting to get into One Piece but can't get past Alabasta..
@@leviackerman1799 finishing up Alabasta arc is what got me hooked... hooked like, binging the next like 700 episodes within a month. I was practically bed ridden besides eating, showering, and shitting. Couldn't stop watching. I was actually losing hope on the hype surrounding One Piece during the mid-end of Alabasta. But I kept going. My advise, the current 1014 (and counting, weekly) episodes can seem extremely overwhelming and unreasonable. However, just look up One Piece filler guide or watch guide. There is a LOT of filler episodes, and even the Canon episodes can feel like filler as times because it is pretty well known/widely acknowledged by the fan base, that the pacing of the anime is fucking awful, it's physically painful at times. So episodes that are technically "Canon" and relevant to the actual manga story line, like certain fights for example, are just so dragged out over DOZENS of episodes, when they can really fit it into like 10 (if you've watched DBZ then think Goku and Frieza's final battle of "5 minutes before the planet exploded, there's like 7,000 episodes of them just staring back and forth at each other) lol. It's cause they #1, repeat a lot of animation from the previous episode, i.e the first 5 minutes of an episode is the last 5 minutes of the previous episode. #2, lots of still shots/frames that show for like 30 seconds sometimes. #3, intros and outros are long af too, so you're really only getting like 12-15 minutes of new material per ~24 minute episode, and lastly just #4, the fact that it is pretty much expected that a new episode come out every week, and trying to write/animate 20ish minutes of anime EVERY week somewhat forces the writers/producers/animators to reuse that 5 minutes or whatever from a previous episode, they simply don't have the time to produce it with quality.
That said, OP fans are aware of this, and this is why so many prefer the manga. However, if you skip the filler, fast forward through a couple minutes per episode if you already know what went down, I think you'll get hooked after Alabasta. The story and lore gets very deep and complex, and still is, even more. This is the usual #1 gripe about the anime from fans. There is something called "One Pace" on TH-cam, which is literally the same exact episodes, just edited to reduce the unnecessary time from the og episodes, thus condensing everything into far fewer episodes, and increasing the pace dramatically (without missing anything important) hence the name. Maybe you would enjoy One Piece more if you watched One Pace.
I'd say keep going, give it a chance still. You've already watched a good amount of filler if you've made it to Alabasta, so now just look up the filler and skip it, and I think you will be pleasantly surprised. You won't regret it.
P.S. Side note, the animation just gets sicker and sicker. Like especially in our latest episodes like 900-1014 (1015 will be out in a few days) the animation is just delicious eye candy. Demon slayer also has some unbelievable animation, and the upcoming Bleach anime adaptation of the final manga arc/end, the animation in the trailer is on another planet. Should be fun to see hehe.
Can't tell you how great of a job you did with this video man. I've thought over this show since it came out, and grew alongside with it. This perspective, seeing the author grow alongside his work, its truly inspiring, and I'm very grateful that you brought this to my attention. Something to really think about! Keep churning out great stuff dude!
And that's why I love attack on titan, the characters here are ACTUALLY HUMAN
@sullple Vids
So are the characters from Evangelion and Kentaro Muira’s Berserk. Down to their core & bones. So, why the difference?
This is an AMAZING video analysis of the show and writer, top tier for sure. I, like you stopped watching after season 2 and left it alone until literally about 2-3 days ago and just powered through all the episodes up until then (which was 85, 2 away from the ending) and I just had to read the manga and finish so I could start writing my own video essay on the themes of the show (adding my own take to the the massive list 😂) and this video has helped me immensely as I will now know where to look even deeper about the author. Very, VERY well done, liked subbed and bell all from this one video, keep up the good work and looking forward to seeing what else you have to offer 😎👍
I rarely leave comments but I have to say this is great content. You easily make some of the best AOT videos on TH-cam. Properly thought through and thoroughly explained. I don’t agree with every point you make but I cant disagree with any either. Keep going and you’ll get the recognition you deserve, I have no doubt!
I literally just watched one of your videos for the first time just the other day so it seemed it was a well timed sub
Ayyyy! Thanks so much for coming back. I hope you enjoyed the video and I'm glad to have ya as a sub! 😃
Love this video bro! Great breakdown and opinions. I appreciate your candidness 😉🤙
Thank you so much! I appreciate the kind words. 😃👍
@@literalmaverick8608 This video is actually really poorly done and the comments show that lol.
highest quality video i’ve seen in a while wow
Imma go cry since this comment is so nice. You're the best! Thank you!
ur editing is really good! good video
Thank you so much! That means a lot! 😀
I haven't read the manga from the start, only from where season 4 part 1 ended, but I do think that maybe by the time the anime adaptation released Isayama had an idea of where he wanted to go with some of the characters, mainly Reiner Bertholt and Annie. The many hints at their goals and personality make me believe this
Isayama-san is the plot twist 👑 King.
I mean lots of unexpected things and plot twists happen in this anime.
Attack On Titan: the twistiest plot award of the year.
Hell, maybe even of the last decade. Lol
Totally tangent, but you using one of the songs from NEO: The World Ends With You as your BGM in this video threw me off guard. Amazing video!!
Isayama's target audience was writing for the Japanese as it is a Japanese manga. It is more influenced by the history and circumstances in Japan. Eldia is obviously Japan. Island nation denouncing war and focusing on own. Marley is Korea/China. Both use history as propaganda using Japan as the enemy, educating the young to hate Japan by presenting select, exaggerated and fabricated sections of events while removing own part in the history other than as victims. Japan has a different form of history taught in the schools that is events and fact based but does not go into any analysis. Dry as a list of events. However with the internet, Japanese are finding the pieces or analyses not covered in schools. Isayama is writing to the Japanese people with the growing anger towards Korea and China that has been growing in the past 2 decades. Radicalized Japanese in japan are becoming angry once they find out the narratives going on in these countries about Japan. He is trying to show both sides of how lies and propaganda on all sides lead to conflict without understanding the other, and where the cycle of hatred would lead. Unfortunately Korea and China have banned Attack on Titan in their countries.
That basic situation exists inside all of us and it's evolving all the time.
I got the impression really early into the show that the walls were something of a metaphor for Japan’s isolationist history and predicted that the show could evolve to examine or confront Japan’s actions after opening itself to the world (imperialism, war crimes, etc).
@@joshuafischer684 That's the thing, Isayama is going the opposite. There is the war crime narrative and current Japanese being responsible for ancestor's actions. This "truth" is what Gabi exemplifies in understanding of the Japanese people and constantly seek forgiveness to China/Korea and others. The Japanese in the current season becoming angry reflects a portion of japan that is currently really angry towards Korea and China due to their version of the "truth" indoctrinating the young to hate Japanese people.
Both false histories of China and Korea are not something I think is appropriate for the comments section in a youtube video, but I would recommend reviewing the primary sources and the current narratives of China, Koreas and Japan. Some things match, somethings are so far from the truth. You start to see the intent behind some of the narratives.
And there are many narratives. Whether it's the Japanese people evil and have to apologize until the end of time narrative or the Radical Japanese history narrative. Whether it's historical revision and whitewashing crimes or breaking free from a pacifist propaganda.
And that's what attack on titan is about right? Seeking the "truth" yourself and making your own decisions. Be open to what you find and make good decisions.
Zeke wanted to euthanize the Japanese so there would be no more conflict. Erin decided to destroy these others for the sake of the Japanese. Lets see what decisions the other characters will make.
IS THIS WHY THE ENDING WAS SO BAD
This is actually the best analysis ever and actually makes this show make sense. I might actually watch this now lol
im shocked that you havnt more people that watch your videos. the humor is also greate.
Thank you! That means a lot. 😄
Thank you for the awesome video. As someone working on a few manga series myself, this was really great to watch.
For me, I think I'm a mix of both architect and gardener, though I feel in recent several years I've moreso adopted the architect approach more sorta bc it feels like what I'm supposed to do? I have however found more and more the last year how my characters would "do something" on their own that would be contrary to what I even planned or expected, so I guess in a sense I'm also starting to revert back to my roots, especially as I begin to really really understand my characters more.
I think BSG is another great example of shifting narrative and tone to fool people as the seasons go along, of course there’s a lot of similar plot points like finding out who is a cylon and twists on who is on what side, but the last two season feels like a complete different show (for better or for worse), I personally really enjoyed BSG as well
I've heard incredible things about BSG, like that it's the best sci fi show out there. So I definitely need to check it out. Lol. Thanks for the recommendation!
It was The Boys level of fooling. At least with Anakin we knew how things were going to end like.
It's like poetry... ~it rhymes~
I’m only at the start but I’m liking this channel already
Thank you! I hope that you continue to like it!
Holy shit your editing is fucking amazing and I love your personality! Great memes lmao
I think you brought some interesting points with evidence, but looking at all the foreshadowing from details in the show to name of certain chapters/episodes, I wonder is Iseyama really a gardener. Nice video tho.
I liked season two because it have more buildup to season 3 plot and it’s actually enjoyable even if it has a basic plot twist, it is very obvious sometimes, but bertholdt and Reiner’s betrayal makes it even better and gives you emotions of hype, sadness, anger and euphoria.
also isayama likes breaking bad if you didnt know, he even drew saul goodman as a titan
I didn't know this! That's really, really interesting. His taste in media is top tier. Lol
isayama was definitely inspired by Dune too, Eren Yeager and Paul Atreides have some obvious parallels to each other that there's just no way it isn't intentional
What are the similarities?
@@evelynalex8787 both have visions of the future that lead them to large-scale genocide
@@evelynalex8787 th-cam.com/video/5hRI1ddHjqY/w-d-xo.html
@@altimanzify I haven’t read the books yet but after seeing the new movie I KNEW this was the direction Paul would go, he says something like “a crusade in my name”.
13:10 - what's the name of the track that plays in the background at this point?
AOT is a legend and will be remembered and celebrated through time.
I think so too. Definitely a once-in-a-generation anime.
Berserk is better this show is worse than watching my wife's boyfriend make out with her....
What about watching me make out with your wife's boyfriend? 🤔😎🙌
@@randomu-tubehuman2468 I can't wait until I dive into Berserk and your wife's boyfriend. Seriously tho, the few chapters I've read are excellent.
Definitely an overstatement. I can name you ten amines that come from our generation that our better and more iconic than this show. If people rarely talk about fmab, one of the greatest anime of our generation, this show will definitely fade out.
Anyone know the background music at 13:25?? It sounds so familiar
It's from Persona 5 Royal. It's titled, "So Happy World."
Regarding the section at 10:00:
I'll leave you with a little bit of my wisdom:
"A person, unless insane or sociopathic in nature, will never do something they think is wrong. All the decisions and actions they commit are made in a belief they're absolutely right. This is why most villains are in fact victims, and often times more human than the protagonists themselves."
I thought season 2 was incredible in every way and the finale had me so excited for season 3 I could not help myself from reading ahead in the manga.
I think season 2's "oh my god so many titan shifters" was used purely to introduce Marley and the Warriors and how there is in fact a world outside the walls and that humanity isn't actually over.
6:13 huh just like the attack titans own literal power, the result of future events inadvertently drove the writer of the character eren jeager just like future eren jeagar drove his younger half...and father...
I was really late and started watching the anime a week before season 4 started. Oh man i was hooked from the first episode and binged seasons 1-3 in a week.
Ahh yes I love the FFX music, great video!
A person of culture, I see. 😎
Very good analysis, love how u 'subtly' insert homoerotic jokes in your reviews/analysis, its hilarious lol
would love to see more analysis/reviews of various themes of the series, keep up the great work :)
i think this anime grows with its audience. it starts with simple human vs evil monster and slowly moves on to more complex situation. as its audience grow up and understand that the world we lives in is not simply black and white, the anime shows the same thing?
That scene also blew my mind. Not just because of what happened to Eren, but what happened to his ENTIRE squad
I really enjoyed this video .
You have my subscribe
For sure Isayama didn't plan everything from the beggining but he leaves the door open for future actions to come. And that might be one of his strongest writting style. And is like everything was tied up from the beggining. At this point, when you rewatch the show from chapter 1 you already can catch clues/hints that you didn't know when you watched it for the first time. Great vid man
Have you watched season 2 ending song video… everything was carefully planned
@@CC-yh2yq I really think so, but i dont give it for granted so ppl who think otherwise can debate still and argument why do they tjink it wasnt planned.
I definitely think he had plot points planned! that's why I think he was an architect when he started. My point was that he wasn't as meticulous with the characters until later. Thanks for the kind words btw! :D
Gotta disagree on season 2. Season 1 was the one that felt the most shonen to me. I remember being disappointed that Eren was alive with titan abilities and feeling like it was very shonen tropey like. When season 2 came out, my excitement about the show skyrocketed. Beast Titan was just such a fascinating episode, making me question the objective of the titans and origins more so than Female titan did for me. Also as for shock factor, beast titan did end in one of the most gruesome death scenes in the show, with the silhouette of a head being torn straight off.
Of all the video on TH-cam about AOT this is the Best
fym i love season 2. it fleshed out the characters and had perfect pacing
I think the first half of season 2 was pretty lame, but after the Reiner Berdholdt reveal it was pretty fucking solid
I really liked season 2 because of the hints and foreshadowing to it being a civilisation outside the walls, the paths, humans possibly being the titans they kill, how the titan powers get passed down, what the heck Reiner meant with "the coordinate", Eren awaking some unknown power with Dina Fritz and of course Reiner and Bertholdt being the colossal and armored. At first I thought paths was a real desert and some type of random northern lights where Ymir turned back to a human. And when Ymir called Reiner a monkey but it was all unknown to Eren was a nice detail because we watchers know what monkeys are while the Paradisians called Zeke a "beast". Ymir's backstory as well was confusing the first time because we didn't know anything about how titans are made and were probably confused about the civilisation thing, it showed up right in our face without much explanation. It just fits so well with expanding the world and make it more complex than what season 1 established. And yes I was a super confused first time watcher of S2 and thought it was bad and unusual from what S1 was, but rewatching everything after season 4 really made me appreciate how amazing S2 really is.
great video, well put together
Without S2, nothing in this story works. People who don't understand the work done and seeded in S2 are the worst fans of this show.
Facts my dude
Season 2 was filled with a bunch of action and built on the mystery of the titans
Are those persona noises when you were going through the interview? 🤔
So about forgiveness.... you don't have to be forgiven if no one is there to forgive you (Eren's logic)
😂😂
I’m so glad you made the AOT/GOT connection
Season 2 is both familiar and new, in that yes it does reuse the this character is actually a titan element from season 1 but it also deepens the mystery of the titans and how they were actually created. Then there's the revelation that the titans were actually humans all along which comes as a gut punch to many of the characters, including Levi, who had been carving them up like they were Sunday hams before discovering this.
Anyone know what the song on the 11:14 mark is?
Oh my god the timing on this Because I was literally thinking LAST NIGHT that I should make a video hypothesizing about Attack On Titan and the beauty of pantsing (or being a gardener). As a comic artist and an AoT anime watcher myself, I noticed in alot of reaction videos that people were super impressed with the way "isayama had this planned all along!?" But as someone who has worked really hard to retroactively maintain internal consistency in my own work due to not starting off as an architect myself, I could see the signs of someone who was making things up along the way but just doing it REALLY well. Impressively well.
And I wanted to make a video on that but I wasn't sure if isayama actually DID have everything planned and not only did I not want to disrespect him, but I also wasn't in the mood to look up interviews with him because of the fear that I might find all those ...attack on Titan hot takes. 😅
But this video?? This amazing video has inspired me to make my own video and it's scary because you basically confirmed alot of my own theories (and actually made me wanna research more LOL) and now I need to scream about it
So thank you, this was such an interesting and informative watch! 🙏
NGL hearing 'To Zanarkand' atop AoT images is pretty great.
"it's mommy make out day" caught me off guard lmao
Man, where did you go for 9 month???? COME BACK!!!
I really liked the way the story grew because it felt like the characters were growing into the world. As kids, everything was flat. Armin was smart, Eren was persistent, Mikasa was strong. But those aren't characters, they're traits. The characters started to grow in season 3 and we started to actually think, and that really makes the cycle repeating itself over and over stick out because now the characters are old enough to see it. They're creating the same orphans that they once were, acting as the monsters instead of the victims.
i respect ur opinion as usual but s2 was so good for me - every ep was paced masterfully, and the char arcs r truly peak. i'd love to hear ur view on aot's manga ending if u ever plan on making a vid about that
editing fye
Is it only me who had no idea about the titans? I was pretty shocked when I found about Reiner and all.
season 2 was literally the best season :(
When did mikasa throw eren in that shot ? Looks like an opening
Hindsight really helps out season 2, knowing that the show does shake up the plot after season 2 ends
Yeah, I completely agree. I'll have to rewatch it for sure!
oh man I heard the song at 2:10 and recognize it immediately. much Twewy played
Isayama was also a fan of Breaking Bad. I think he took part of Walter White's character arc to complete Eren's journey. And perhaps a bit of Jesse's arc to Gabi.
3:28 no it wasn't intentionally done
No studio agreed to make this show bu MAPPA being the big boi agreed
interesting, I didn't know that. Well, they fell into making a great decision then. Lol.