Attack on Titan Season 2- Review

Hello fellow readers! It’s time to review the second season of ‘Shingeki No Kyojin’, or more commonly known as ‘Attack on Titan’.

Before I jump right into the review, here’s a little backstory: Season 2 of ‘Attack on Titan’ came out four years after the release of the first season, and consisted of only 12 episodes. Why was there a delay? There’s a myriad of reason why the show kept on getting delayed, and one such reason was that Wit studio, the animators who animated the first three seasons of ‘Attack on Titan’, was a very small studio (consisting of only 34 members according to Wikipedia), and also attention to detail and making the animation pristine was one prime objective after the success of the first season. Moreover, to avoid making filler episodes, the manga (for those of you who don’t know, the manga is the comics the anime is based on) had to be way ahead of the anime. While the latter point is also valid, the first point should be paid attention to because it signifies how helpless Japanese animators and content makers are despite coming up with brilliant storylines and scintillating animation. While Attack on Titan is quite a popular anime that suffered because initially because the animators were extremely underpaid, there are other animation studios in Japan that are even less underpaid and even go bankrupt at one point even after serving the fans with quality content. Hence lets try to support Japanese animators as much as we can to ensure unique and quality shows and films do not get washed away by the strong waves of modern big budget reboots and reshoots or films lacking creativity but making big names due to star presences.

Heading onto the review. Season 2 picks up from where Season 1 left off, the aftermath of the confrontation with the Female Titan in Stohess. Just when the epic showdown that we witnessed back in the closing episodes of the first season comes to a closure and the scouts are about to retreat, Hange Zoe and her team make a shocking discovery, one that can be insinuated as the birth of the central conflict in the ‘Attack on Titan’ storyline. Soon our beloved scouts from the 104th Cadet Core are presented with the surprising case that titans have sprung out of nowhere and breached Wall Rose, and hence kickstarts one of the best seasons of any show I have ever watched.

Eren, Armin and Mikasa- the main trio of 'Attack on Titan'

Unlike the first season, the second season is extremely, extremely fast paced and action-filled. You are only given a brief two minutes recap of what we’ve known so far, and then like an iron bar being pulled by a magnet you are hauled into the dystopic world that our heroes live in. There is no filler in this season, though surprisingly there is a lot of character development, and all the while we are accompanied by heart-pounding suspense and eye-catching action sequences in an epic journey through 12 mesmerizing episodes. I had a blast with the second season of ‘Attack on Titan’, and for someone who is only new to the world of anime, this was a treat for me.

I don’t think I have to say again that the animation is extremely gorgeous. Wit Studios, despite all the budget constraints and lack of manpower, has pulled off the animation perfectly- the characters look exuberant and lively and the action sequences will make anyone drool. Without spoiling anything, the Armored and the Colossal Titan return to the big picture, this time with a shocking reveal that landed absolutely perfectly. And the myriad of action sequences that follow up are visually appealing and enthralling because the stakes are set high before the characters jump into action. Also the Beast Titan appears at the beginning of the season, whose presence is sheer menacing, and his character will be discussed in the future reviews.

Not only are the action sequences sculpted with passion, but the main attraction for the most of season 2 is the special attention to character development. The story is more oriented into discovering relationships that were kicked off in the first season but were mostly left vague, and of all the relationships, one that really stood out was the Christa-Ymir relation. This was quite a surprise for me (since I hadn’t read the manga before that)- I did not expect such dynamics between two characters who were barely on screen in the first season. But these are not just fillers or relationships that are shoe-horned in just to appease fans who love drama, but these are necessary character developments and setting up a bond that amazed me, especially when Ymir’s backstory is revealed. I enjoyed watching an ignorant, complacent woman get along with a amiable and caring girl and in the process, growing up together. The Eren-Mikasa relationship is also discovered towards the season finale, moreover we get more glimpse of their childhood, which was quite a treat to watch. Speaking of relationships, betrayal plays a major part in Attack on Titan, and it’s at its peak in season 2 when two certain characters reveal their identity. Moreover, Sasha and Connie get some moments of character development, with the former being more humane than just being ‘someone who loves to eat a lot’.

Ymir and Christa

Now I would like to take a moment and show my appreciation towards one certain character. ERWIN SMITH. That’s right. There are only a few shows or films I’ve ever watched which introduced me to a fictional leader who could inspire even a paralyzed person to start walking. ‘Captain America: The First Avenger’ was one such film that introduced me to such an inspirational figure, ‘Attack on Titan’ is another. Erwin Smith is not only an inspirational leader, but also a successful gambler. I already had a liking for him in the first season- he and Commander Pyxis were the two higher-ups who actually led the soldiers rather than seating down and gloating. In season 2, Hajime Isayama makes Levi take a step down and sets Erwin up to be a certified badass- one who could announce a suicide charge and everyone would follow. There’s a moment when his sense of sacrifice is at its peak, and I don’t remember how many times I’ve watched that scene. There’s an aura about Erwin that even when he is speaking about something unimportant, you have to shut your surrounding to carefully listen to him. Erwin Smith, on par with Steve Rogers, is an impactful leader and a motivational leader per se, and I absolutely fell in love with him after watching the second season.

Erwin Smith and his famous "Shinzou wo Sasageyo!"

The emotional tension in season 2 is extremely high, and you have to be strong enough to handle the emotion because there’s just too much pain in ‘Attack on Titan’. Attributing to the fact that Isayama has a habit of making a character likeable and then killing him or her off brutally, there’s too many sad deaths and you just can’t help but cry. There are at this point a hundred characters who I wanted to see make it out of the mess alive, but they don’t and suffer brutally. However, this is the reality of war, and kudos to Isayama for making such hard choices to depict the true nature of war and making a clear statement that not all heroes make their way out of the battlefield alive.

The Attack Titan vs the Armored Titan

To conclude, ‘Attack on Titan’ Season 2 is a treat for anybody, and one that sets up the tone for the rest of the show. As a 12-episode season, it is tight and action-packed, and a gift for anybody who is new to the world of anime.

The second season of ‘Attack on Titan’ deserves, and will get, an A+.

Thank you so much for reading my review, stay tuned for more!