AOT Season 3 Attack on Titan Review
Attack on Titan tackles the fear of the unknown, and the dangers of enemies hiding in plain sight. At the end of the second season, they dropped some pretty big bombshells. Things like who the traitors that were actually Titans in disguise were, more details about the Colossal Titan and Armored Titan, Eren’s new “Coordinate” skill, and even that the Titans are actually a part of the very walls that Trost uses to protect themselves from the outside dangers.
Of course, with the way that the second season ended, fans everywhere couldn’t wait for the new season to come out. Manga readers already know what’s going on, but this review is based off as someone who has just watched the anime, and not read the manga.
What Happened in This Episode?
In Trost, Pastor Nick is murdered. Having given the scouts information, he’s tortured but doesn’t give up any information. However, it’s clear that Levi’s squad is a target. With the military police aiming for the scouts, it starts to become clear that the government is up to something. They have frozen the activity of scouts outside the walls, arrested Erwin and have demanded Eren and Historia be turned over. The government has always been portrayed as corrupted, but now they’re murdering innocent people.
While this episode starts off slowly and ends before the action, I thought the shift was needed to set up the new threats.
“Smoke Signal” contains that unnerving feeling that’s present in only the best Attack on Titan episodes where everything is calm, but you just know that something is wrong; that these guys have somehow screwed up in an immense way and they have no idea how or what’s about to befall them. The gut clenching feeling is something that AoT is KNOWN for.
More Levi…
One of the greatest things about Attack on Titan’s season 3 premiere is that it not only puts my husbando Captain Levi front and center, but it appears that this year will also explore his past to greater detail. Levi was sorely missing during the show’s second season and it’s encouraging to see that he looks to be a major figure this year. It’s been too long since the world has been treated to some Levi badassery(is that even a word?) and even though he has lots of time to make up for here, he has plenty of great moments in this premiere.
Levi has to face a very distressing person from his past who basically sets up shop and is ready to take over. Sure, Titans look scary as hell, but there’s something deeply disturbing about an ordinary human that’s so drastically lost their way. Kenny the Ripper is arguably even more intimidating than a Titan and he might be this season’s largest threat. It might not seem like humans as the enemy is that significant, but it presents a major shift to the show’s values.
Personally, I like this shift in the season. It shows us that humans can be a threat as well. Which most of us already know, but still…this makes for some more awesome dialogue between our characters and some more awesome scenes. Who will we learn to trust and avoid?
What’s Next for AOT Season 3?
This premiere strongly hints at what’s to come this season, both on a personal and grander scale. Of course, I can’t wait to watch along with thousands of other fans and get to reviewing. This episode provided a great start and with 23 episodes remaining I can’t wait.
Check out Attack On Titan Anime Merch HERE
Have you already watched it? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below!
As always,