Japanese Anime – 2013 to 2019. Three seasons – 59 episodes (so far).
What is it about?
If you haven’t watched the first three seasons of Attack on Titan, this is a good time to catch up. Gritty, dark, and riveting, it’s not for the faint of heart (or young children). A hundred years ago, giants, known as Titans, human-like, worse-than-Jurassic monsters, roamed the lands in packs. They rammed through territories, destroying anything in their way, and, eating what humans they could catch. Civilization has been recovering. A multiple wall system has been built around communities to protect the last known city. Well-disciplined military also defend it. Technology is growing slowly. It all works well… until it doesn’t.
Young Eren Jaeger’s family lives a quiet life within the outermost city wall. Then, from seemingly nowhere, Titans attack. Eren loses his mother. His father disappears, leaving years of research in the family basement. Angry, vengeful, Eren and his friends join the military to battle the monsters that are destroying civilization…again. Eren has a terrifying, but surprising experience during a raid by the Titans.
He finds that things are not quite as history presents them. The story follows Erin and friends as they deal with the Titans and find the truth about them. The series broadens and builds into an epic. Like Lord of the Rings, the interweaving plots are as well built as the finest timepiece. If this sounds boring, it isn’t.
It’s hard to write about the series without lots of spoilers. Unlike Lord of the Rings, Attack on Titan isn’t mystical. There is fantasy, but it is just one element of the story. There are so many turns; some expected and some not. The truth, like an onion, has layers that get peeled back as the episodes advance. Genetics, wars, superpowers, persecution, ancient secretes, spies; it’s all part of the saga. If you like your stories for the long haul, this is one to watch.
Attack on Titan 4, expected to be the final season, is coming out in the fall or winter of this year. Rumor is that it will come out in two 12-episode blocks. Due to the pandemic, the release date is in flux, but fingers are crossed for the end of 2020.
Final Words
Very good. Worth watching multiple times.
Here’s a taste of what is to come in Season 4.
Where to find it
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