Review of Attack on Titan Season 3

Wow. SnK's first two seasons failed to impress me. I found the story enjoyable, albeit flawed, due to the typical elements of a shounen and lack of character development for the main characters, but season 3 blew me away. I am glad I stuck with it. This season deviates from your average shounen with a big FUCK YOU. Eren went from Naruto, a mediocre boy with monstrous power nested within, to a more mellow man with great complexity. Unlike Naruto who never questioned his talent and power, Eren has an existential and identity crisis when he realizes he is just an average man with incredible power grantedto him by his special father. His grapple with mediocrity vs specialness pushes him into great character development, where he finally makes peace with mediocrity and learns to put faith in himself and his comrades.

Other characters also have their moments that showcase the complexity of the writing, such as Armin, Jean, HIstoria and Levi. What I thought was lacking in other seasons is finally fulfilled in this season.

There is a lot of foreshadowing, which means the author has really thought the story through. Everything comes in a full circle. Ep 11 is a great example of this. I was blown away by the ending's revelation. Amazing. Simply amazing writing.

Season 3 marks the end of your typical action anime. SnK has officially become a political thriller and a great reflection of society in real life, where morality is mostly relative. There is no right or wrong answer to most things in life. The winner gets to decide what is moral and what is not. Our characters must stand up for what they believe, even if it means paying a hefty price. But freedom is worth it.