Last month was the finale of Season 4 of “Attack on Titan,” a fantasy show based off the manga series by Hajime Isayama. There are three main characters: Eren Jaeger, Mikasa Ackerman, and Armin Arlert. They are a trio who throughout each of the past seasons survive amid a world filled with mindless Titans, overseas enemies, and even betrayers amidst the ranks of their own military.
For those who’ve never heard of, or seen this show before, I’ll cut back on the major spoilers. However, I would recommend this show for newcomers who aren’t too squeamish with the realism it portrays, as well as bits of violence throughout. If you’re looking for something different, filled with action and adventure, and moments that’ll leave you on the edge of your seat, check out the first season on Netflix or Hulu. The English dub is also an option, since the original voice-overs are done in Japanese.
Season 4 takes a redirect turn in terms of the story’s plot. While past seasons were usually of human vs titan warfare, and how the characters needed to find ways to simply survive in their dangerous world, this season approaches things from a more political standpoint.
The creator of Attack on Titan uses references from past world wars, and it’s apparent in these episodes of the world alliances, as well as military regime and corrupt power taking over the lives of the people. While some consider this a fascist move, the main heroes are far from the lines of these viewpoints, instead wanting to protect their own people from the threats of the outer world.
Eren and his friends lived on an island a majority of their lives, separated from the outside world. They weren’t aware of the massive regions of mankind beyond the ocean. Marley was one of them. Reiner, Annie, and Bertholdt, 3 prominent anti-villains of the previous seasons, have more of their own story to tell, with additional new characters like Gabi, Falco, Pieck and Galliard.
Season 4 shows two sides of the world, one from Eldians who were raised to find out that they weren’t the only ones in their world. The other consisted of kids and adults brainwashed by a totalitarian government, whose only ambition was to achieve power by expanding their lands and customs.
So there really wasn’t any good or bad side this time around, compared to past seasons. Everyone had their own personal agenda in mind, and it wasn’t for power, but to protect those they love and give their families the opportunities away from a life of war.
War. A sensitive topic to some. But it’s a real thing, and Attack on Titan portrays it in one of the realest ways any fictional story could, despite being animated. It’s the sad truth, but among the lessons Isayama wanted to portray in this serial was not to focus on who’s the bad guy, but how far some people are willing to go to achieve freedom for not just themselves, but for the ones they love.
This show had the right amount of action, slow scenes, and plot that made watching Season 4 quite a rollercoaster of emotions. It wasn’t as in-your-face as previous seasons, but this season was primarily to introduce the new batch of characters, and broaden the world this story is centered on. It was interesting, confusing, shocking, and sad, but that’s what makes this show great. It leaves you with questions, and anticipation for what’s to come next.
And I know I said no major spoilers, but I need to mention the glow-ups of each character. They’re definitely not the same as from where they started.