Shingeki no Kyojin: The Final Season Episode 1 Discussion

OokamiRisu said:
It's so so soooo very interesting, and I'm hyped AF!! Although I'm not a big fan of those new young soldiers, which actually never really happened before in SNK. I mean I just instantly love everyone, but these new faces are just... meh. Maybe it's because I'm dying to see the old gang all grown up finally. I mean, that 5 seconds clip of Jean doing nothing at the end? I rewatched that like 10 times. But anyway it's GREAT so far, seems like the studio switch won't mess this up, but of course, MAPPA is a fantastic studio, so I'm not too worried.

Reiner_undieable said:
Now I think about it mappa didn't do anything special in this ep just compare it to goh or jjk, there wasn't any good sakuga scenes, yes it was enjoyable but from animation perspective it is a very weak ep compared to any action seasonal anime 1st ep

Janbeersma said:
It didn't do it for me the way we get to see the victories of what we know are the enemies feels like watching a WWO2 documentary and seeing the nazi's winning. How can I sympathize with the new gang from their side when they are basically the Hitler Jugend, even though they where brought up like this and don't know better I can't enjoy their interactions which didn't make it a pleasent watch for me looking forward to the other side and what has become of them. Also animation was not as good as previous seasons but it was not bad by any means. There where some budget cutting moments mainly having stills and talking but that's about it.

Malikah said:
Mappa studio did good, but NOT as good as Wit Studio IMHO. Also, the very beginning of the episode was extremely surprising that I almost felt like watching a whole different anime and starting on season two, for example. I felt lost, until this break information image happened in the middle of the episode, then I figured out what is going on. Direction and the CGI of the episode was humble compared to previous seasons. Yes, the excitement is still there, but mainly because of the wonderful story built three seasons ago IMHO. In the end, I wish that MAPPA studio improves on all of these points as the episodes keep showing in the near future.

ShichikaAlter said:


ngl, that was a bit of an exageration haha
It wasn't bad, in fact I really liked how the armored titan looked.
But still it feels out of place (specialy the jaws titan, not sure why) having everything 2D and suddeny boom, 3D titan.
Will have to get used to it.

ShichikaAlter said:


All this.
But I think the one you said "up close non-CGI titan" it's actually CGI too.

Also think that the filter is barely noticeable .
Other than that, agree with most

TheCloverfield said:

You came here this uninformed uh?

kaiki_fan_boy said:

You must have paid a lot of attention if you think this episode was backstory.

Harsha1314 said:
yes definitely re watch it in 1080p and use headphones. all u need to do is get used to it. because if u go into it thinking cg=bad u will not be able to enjoy the actually amazing action sequence, which i quote one of the best in AOT yet.
also the blood splatter is definitely an upgrade and I was expecting the cg to look trash as hell. but it is one of the best cgi used. we need to support the anime and the creators especially the animators who are working their asses off to make it as good as possible in such little time even with the time crunch. WIT's schedule was just as shit but they didn't have to animate so much action with titans as much as in this one episode.

Fuji-O said:


It's not a backstory dude, it's a 4 year timeskip that helps us to learn about the outside world, the enemy side- Marley, it humanizes the other side outside the walls and helps us to learn about the warriors and why RBA acted the way they acted in previous seasons. It is enything but cliche, it is a very ambitious, balsy and well done way of writing the story that many authors don't have the ability to do.

You don't uderstand the plot, please rewatch the last three episodes of season 3 part 2 and try to actually read the dialogue while watching the episodes.

And aside from CGI, which often was decent 2D animation, character designs and overall atmosphere were top tier. MAPPA has a better character designs and stays more faithfull to the source material compared to WIT, MAPPA's art looks very similar to the manga art. God, there is so many ignorant people on mal, you don't even understand the plot and talk shit like you know something.

Robe_Difra said:

It's true I only need to get used to CGI and I obviously won't stop watching it because I just don't like the method they use for the animation. I love the story and I've been looking forward to it for a long time! :3

jTiKey said:


Thanks for the explanation.
Would be good if you didn't need to read the manga to understand the context for such things.

copperypilot56_ said:
Jean at the end of the episode is just GOOSEBUMPS

Harsha1314 said:
but definitely rewatch it. personally it took me 3 times to get used to and enjoy just how amazing the episode actually was. it will grow on u

Harsha1314 said:

lol no. it is exactly same as manga.

jTiKey said:


Bad source material, I see.

Harsha1314 said:
bro thats literally the first 2 chapters. ik when i first read those chapters i was confused as well. can't blame an animation studio which adapts source material for that :\ also the cg titans u just need to get used to because as i keep replying to everyone it is great! u just shouldn't keep thinking cg=bad that'll just ruin the experience for otherwise bombastic and amazing animation and cg work except like 2 shots of beastie

Ringare said:
Oh wow I can't believe it's back!!!!!! The wait was definitely worth and MAPPA is sure doing a great work, we watched it all together at the office, we were a bit surprised by the chara design changes but its pretty great in the end, I discussed it with Takeru who used to work in Mappa and he enjoyed it a lot. Oh wait I almost spilled my cup of coffee. I had a friend on the phone who was airing the episode in the studios, he said the atmosphere over there was very stressful, understandable.

We all screamed in the office at such a late hour my boss went home anyways

Malikah said:


I don't think it's bad because it's CGI, I think that it's a humble CGI work, meaning that I've seen better CGI. Plus, this is an opinion platform, so excuse me if I'm not convinced by yours. Maybe, you're right when it comes to the adaptation thing from the manga, but as a direct anime fan (I mean that I don't read manga that much), I'm entitled to express my confusion with the narrative of the episode which could have been handled in a better way either it's by the manga author themselves or the direction of the episode. I also didn't like the facial expressions of the characters in general except for a few of them and in a few moments. For example, I loved the part when they were calling on the Eldian army members to go and explode the railway. This part was done perfectly, but there were not a lot of moments like it where the drawing and the animation of the characters really captured the horror of war. One or the other was off/humble compared to previous seasons IMHO.
Again, this is my impression of the first episode, and, just like me, you're free to think otherwise. Let's keep this a discussion not a match where someone has to win.

jTiKey said:


Thanks for the explanation.
Would be good if you didn't need to read the manga to understand the context for such things.

Red said:
Wow we get to see more of the outside world now. I thought it was a flashback at first, but then Reiner appeared and the second half went crazy. This new group seems a lot like Eren's gang. Maybe that was him with the hat at the end?

Amazing first episode. So it's finally begun. The final season! I'm excited yet nervous to see how it all unfolds.

Malikah said:


I don't think it's bad because it's CGI, I think that it's a humble CGI work, meaning that I've seen better CGI. Plus, this is an opinion platform, so excuse me if I'm not convinced by yours. Maybe, you're right when it comes to the adaptation thing from the manga, but as a direct anime fan (I mean that I don't read manga that much), I'm entitled to express my confusion with the narrative of the episode which could have been handled in a better way either it's by the manga author themselves or the direction of the episode. I also didn't like the facial expressions of the characters in general except for a few of them and in a few moments. For example, I loved the part when they were calling on the Eldian army members to go and explode the railway. This part was done perfectly, but there were not a lot of moments like it where the drawing and the animation of the characters really captured the horror of war. One or the other was off/humble compared to previous seasons IMHO.
Again, this is my impression of the first episode, and, just like me, you're free to think otherwise. Let's keep this a discussion not a match where someone has to win.

Malikah said:


I don't think it's bad because it's CGI, I think that it's a humble CGI work, meaning that I've seen better CGI. Plus, this is an opinion platform, so excuse me if I'm not convinced by yours. Maybe, you're right when it comes to the adaptation thing from the manga, but as a direct anime fan (I mean that I don't read manga that much), I'm entitled to express my confusion with the narrative of the episode which could have been handled in a better way either it's by the manga author themselves or the direction of the episode. I also didn't like the facial expressions of the characters in general except for a few of them and in a few moments. For example, I loved the part when they were calling on the Eldian army members to go and explode the railway. This part was done perfectly, but there were not a lot of moments like it where the drawing and the animation of the characters really captured the horror of war. One or the other was off/humble compared to previous seasons IMHO.
Again, this is my impression of the first episode, and, just like me, you're free to think otherwise. Let's keep this a discussion not a match where someone has to win.

Harsha1314 said:
yes we watched better cgi but i was badly confused when u said it was humble compared to previous seasons which is clearly not the case.

Harsha1314 said:
yes we watched better cgi but i was badly confused when u said it was humble compared to previous seasons which is clearly not the case.

Harsha1314 said:
plus i don't think even the anime couldve done this episode any better because it did the manga chapters better. also the episode is like 22 minutes long and the character interactions were improved. also its just this episode and the subtitles explain what was going on very well. also to quote s3 pt2 was exactly the same as in manga with little to no changes. so u cant blame the change of studio's for not understanding stuff. either ways things will be explained in the next episode. and all the facial expressions are basically coloured manga panels u can say. im saying this because u could give people the wrong idea that the studio change was why no one understood the episode. u r going to see a lot more different expressions in general and some batshit crazy ones as well. hope that clears things

Harsha1314 said:
and also the timelines are very confusing as we have to pay attention to detail a lot this season. this is going to be a tough ride for many anime onlies so rewatching almost every episode a few times may need to be dine based on how mappa handles stuff.

Tyfyazzela said:

If you're talking about animation and cgi, yes, there is room to improve. Animation and cgi could've been a lot better. But about the direction, well, Mappa just adapted the source material, and there is no better way to direct this episode. And no, nobody is here to win arguments. When you talk about the story direction and if you think the story changed because of the studio change, then there will be objective arguements. I didn't think the Harsha guy replied to your comment to offend you or anything. If the direction of story seems weird to you, blame the author. The studio has nothing to do with it. In fact Mappa actually added an extra scene which was not supposed to be revealed before at least 3/4 episodes. Mappa included a scene that was in manga after some more chapters just to make it more easier for anime watchers. I even saw some manga readers complaining why it was shown this early. The thing is, the storytelling in the manga is already controversial, Mappa had little to improve in this area.

Malikah said:


I agree with you that the author should have made it clearer whether for the manga readers or the anime fans. I'm not blaming Mappa for it at all if it wasn't already clear within the manga. But, since I didn't read it, I imagined that it must be better and more understandable in the manga. I mean that it's usually this way. I had no idea that even the manga readers are suffering from the inconsistency of the story-line. I actually want to thank you for pointing this out. I thought that the manga is different but apparently not.

Harsha1314 said:
plus i don't think even the anime couldve done this episode any better because it did the manga chapters better. also the episode is like 22 minutes long and the character interactions were improved. also its just this episode and the subtitles explain what was going on very well. also to quote s3 pt2 was exactly the same as in manga with little to no changes. so u cant blame the change of studio's for not understanding stuff. either ways things will be explained in the next episode. and all the facial expressions are basically coloured manga panels u can say. im saying this because u could give people the wrong idea that the studio change was why no one understood the episode. u r going to see a lot more different expressions in general and some batshit crazy ones as well. hope that clears things

Malikah said:


I agree with you that the author should have made it clearer whether for the manga readers or the anime fans. I'm not blaming Mappa for it at all if it wasn't already clear within the manga. But, since I didn't read it, I imagined that it must be better and more understandable in the manga. I mean that it's usually this way. I had no idea that even the manga readers are suffering from the inconsistency of the story-line. I actually want to thank you for pointing this out. I thought that the manga is different but apparently not.

Sharpedon said:
A generally quite good season start, with very good art as well. A few remarks about Marley's Eldians from a non-manga reader :
There were already plenty of hints before from Reiner & co and from the few earlier Marley set episodes with Eren & Zeke's father, but this deep look at the other side made things quite more clear. Most, or nearly all, the Eldians of Marley have (seemingly) been indoctrinated by the Marleyans, presumably after many generations, to believe that they are literally the "Spawn of the Devil" and thus feel sorry and guilty for their very own existence.

All of them need to carry a heavy cross "for the grave sins of their ancestors" and take all the torment and suffering the Marleyans impose on them unquestionably. The Marleyans treat them as expendable trash but they cannot protest because they (the Eldians) are the bad guys, not the Marleyans. Even if they never hurt a fly in their lives their blood is sinful and thus have to suffer.

Their badges have a striking resemblance with the Star of David badges the Nazis forced Jews to wear and so the writer clearly made an obvious parallel with the persecuted Jews. However the similarities end there, because Hitler and the Nazis could have never even dreamt of such a deep and profound indoctrination of the Jews. I kind of doubt that even a single Jew during WWII was indoctrinated to such a degree by the Nazis.

So my (rhetorical) question is this : is such a scenario remotely plausible? No matter what might have happened in the past between the Eldians and the Marleyans is it realistic for an entire group of people to endure so much torment and suffering and never snap or rebel? I can imagine there were severe punishments for those who did rebel (like Eren's father) but this tends to boil the blood of the rest further, rather than the opposite. It never cools things down, and resentment and bitterness tend to build up with time.

Or was it, in the end, more a case of fear and powerlessness rather than indoctrination - despite what this episode suggested? The Marleyans (somehow) managed to gain control of 7 out of the 9 "prime" Titans and then proceeded to keep a very tight lease on the Eldians. Even if the Eldians rebelled (and perhaps they did a couple of times) could that make any difference? Or, if some of them plotted a rebellion there were always those like Zeke who would promptly rat them out. The indoctrination of the potential "Warriors" must be quite deeper than those of the average Eldian. It needs to be, otherwise the Marleyans could have a Warrior defect to Paradis. But either way they couldn't do that because the Marleyans would almost certainly kill their families back home (as was the case with Reiner, Annie and Bertolt).

(my questions are largely rhetorical, if you reply no visible spoilers please; thank you).

Fuji-O said:


There is no inconsistency of the story- line. There was a 4 year time skip and the author decided to switch the focus to the Marley side to huminize the enemy side- Marley warriors, expand the world, widen the perspective, explain why Reiner, Annie and Bertholdt acted the way they acted in the pervious seasons. Everything is going to be explained in the upcoming episodes, just be pantient and pay attention to the story. Manga readers weren't confused because of the inconsistencies but because of the sudden change of the perspective and focus on the other side and the new characters. That's it, there is no plot inconsistencies.

Selenehakz said:


Sorry but no, manga readers were confused at first yes but majority were glad that the story took this direction to build up things later, next 3-5 episodes might change your opinion of first episode similar to people, who disliked Marley’s perspective at first despite the title “the other side of the ocean” is very clear that it starts with Marley, and later they knew why it has to start from Marley’s perspective first ( wont spoil you why )

Malikah said:


First, I have to thank you for not spoiling the events. However, I think that the shift could have been done a lot smoother. Maybe, there could have been some kind of introduction in the film released before this season to avoid this initial confusion. I mean, why create confusion when it can be avoided?

Malikah said:


I don't mind the time skip or the shift to the Marley side as it's actually enriching for the story itself. Yet, the shift could have been done a lot smoother. I mean, anime fans should have gotten a warning of sorts that we're switching sides now. Even the summery film that was released before this season had no introduction towards this shift. I think that a lot of anime fans felt this same confusion when they clicked that play button for this first episode expecting to see familiar faces and settings, and were faced by stranger characters in a whole different place (of course, except for 2 or 3 aged familiar ones).
Again, all i'm saying is that the author could have made the shift way smoother than this.

HyperL said:


Confusion is not always a bad thing you know. Sometimes it is intentionally crafted.

Malikah said:


First, I have to thank you for not spoiling the events. However, I think that the shift could have been done a lot smoother. Maybe, there could have been some kind of introduction in the film released before this season to avoid this initial confusion. I mean, why create confusion when it can be avoided?

weirdink_8 said:
Bro Really that the studio was Stressed😍😍😍 , Bro I my expectations are blown Away

HyperL said:


Confusion is not always a bad thing you know. Sometimes it is intentionally crafted.

Fuji-O said:

I know why you think that after watching just the first episode and it's justified but after the next four episodes you'll probably change your mind, understand and appreciate that the author structured the story post time skip in this manner because the upcoming reveals, backstories and plot points will have much more impact precisely because of the way he wrote these few first chapters after the times skip. The mystery, confusion and suspense make the upcoming reveals and explanation a lot better, it's like with the basement reveal.

Malikah said:


Another person (Tyfyazzela) just replied to me letting me know that the manga is no better when it comes to details for this episode. Because I didn't read the manga, I thought that the author must have made it clear and understandable within the manga, yet I came to know that even readers of the manga has gotten confused for a bit by the story-line. Of course, this way no one can actually blame the studio if the author themselves didn't make it all that obvious. I even came to know that Mappa actually added a scene near the end that was supposed to come later in the story to make it more convenient for the anime fans. I don't know which scene this was, but if this is true, then Bravo Mappa for doing so. (If you know which scene that was, please let me know of it)
However, I'll still stand by what I said when it comes to improving the CGI and animation a bit more.

Pakumen- said:
Dude, people were complaining so much for the CGI yet this looks way better than anything Wit attempted to do with the Colossal one. I´ll even say this is overall better looking without the thick lines outside each character model just so they can be more edgy and mature.

About the episode, well, nice to see the glow up of Laina and Zecke. Let´s see how the season unfolds. Also nice hint, Falco.

On a sidenote, the opening, ending and the "Slava" region definitively don´t help to the whole "SNK is Nazi propaganda" stuff. At least is not as loud as it was when the manga came up.

Selenehakz said:


Sorry but no, manga readers were confused at first yes but majority were glad that the story took this direction to build up things later, next 3-5 episodes might change your opinion of first episode similar to people, who disliked Marley’s perspective at first despite the title “the other side of the ocean” is very clear that it starts with Marley, and later they knew why it has to start from Marley’s perspective first ( wont spoil you why )

Chedd3r said:
I know my reply probably wont mean anything, but I felt like giving my 2-cents.

Some of you need to chill about MAPPA using CGI for the titans. I personally think that this CGI is one of the better uses in anime, and it definitely looks better that the colossal titan in season 3. I get that everyone has their own opinion and preference but it doesn't necessarily bother me, and from the looks of it, some others, too.

I will agree that the op isn't the best in the series, but it defiantly fits the "war" theme, at least to me.

Oh and P.S.
Some of you manga readers need to chill and let the anime do its thing.

gta0gagan said:
I guess this would be for manga readers only, as I am totally lost what happened.

Time skip?

I don't any of the original character in OP so I think they are gonna tell new story?

gta0gagan said:
I guess this would be for manga readers only, as I am totally lost what happened.

Time skip?

I don't any of the original character in OP so I think they are gonna tell new story?