Review of Attack on Titan Season 3
"Everyone has to be drunk on somethin' to keep pushing on... Everyone was a slave to something." *rewatch* S3P1 feels like a thrown together mesh of characters, politics, and lorebuilding, to cram as much buildup as possible for P2; and damn, it works. A medium size cour that is split up into 3 main consecutive parts - the government revolt, Historia's arc conclusion, and the preparations for the recapturing of Shiganshina. The constant perspective switch can feel jarring and under developed, but consistency lies beneath. World building is a constantly evolving matter - from the deep dive into societal structure and government control inside (and underneath) the wallsto the mystery of the Titans slowly unraveling, there's never a dull moment in the development of the intricate fantasy setting.
From the beginning one of AoT's goals has been to shine the light on the evils that grow within the sacred walls that are said to keep the same corruption out. S3P1 takes it a step further with the introduction of Kenny and the Reiss family line. Everyone is truly "drunk" on something, even Erwin and his internal desires to follow his father's path for information. But episodes like "Bystander" expresses how such drunkenness can bring out the pure beauty that comes from the simplicity of life. This "foul is fair and fair is foul" theme is one of the highlights of AoT's excellently developed moral dilemmas, and I loved seeing it used in a more broad context as opposed to just the main scouts in S2. It's easy to get caught up in the surrealness of human transforming titans and mind controlling bloodlines when the life of the average humans living inside the walls shapes the plot so much.
Historia is the most conflicting side of the season still though. There's something holding me back from truly enjoying her as much as I wish I could - and maybe this is where the adaptation that many people complain about falls flat (I personally have not read the manga at the moment) - and it's pretty disappointing. There's something about her character arc that feels disconnected, and I think I'm starting to piece together the reasons why.
Take Levi for example - one of the best characters in this season. Through Kenny, we finally learn about his beginnings living in the slums and the violent journey he took to the top. Not only did it give reason behind his melancholy attitude and make him more interesting as a whole, but it also creates a connection back to what I was discussing earlier - the importance of the average human being in this world. Levi is a product of a so called "safe" society everyone is led to believe, but it couldn't be more far from the truth. Almost every strong character in Aot - Eren, Mikasa, Armin, Erwin, etc - are all somewhat a product of the evils that brew from humanity, and all things that can happen to the average Eldian. As a result, Levi and the rest serve a larger purpose than what's immediately presented.
Perhaps I'm overlooking things or it stems from simply not being able to completely connect with her character, but with how drawn out her character arc is over the course of a season and a half, I don't see this same well thought out "purpose" I see in everyone else. Don't get me wrong; I found the soul-searching journey to learn what it means to truly do what YOU want to do pretty empowering at times, especially at it's climactic finale, and I really like the similarities you can create between Frieda Reiss and Ymir. I also do see how her stepping up for the position of the Queen but taking the time to help out the under privileged through the simple things like harvests is the show's way of creating the connection between Historia and the running theme of being "special" the season focuses on. But by the time the conclusion did finally hit, it was far past the point I was ready for the back and forth from her to be done with and as a result felt more like a shell of other, more successful characters. In order to create such a purpose, there needs to be a strong foundation through the character's own arc; even if the pieces for greatness are there, without the glue to keep it together, it misses the mark.
To cap it off, AoT really has the curse of production, doesn't it? It's a step forward and a step backwards from the last season. The animation, character models, and overall look is a big step up from last season, but still far from the greatness of Season 1. At the same time, the great direction from the last season that created such nerve-wracking tension in certain moments and developed the horror elements so well feels pretty much gone. It's not like there's necessarily much in its place either - the style itself looks fine but feels like a hollow shell of its past self. Even the bold outlining on character models feels pretty much gone. It's not a necessarily bad thing, and Season 2 wasn't too much better, but it's a step that was probably taken due to budget restrictions more than anything.
Overall, I really loved returning back to S3P1 and have come to appreciate it a decent bit more. It's a bit messy at times and Historia's character arc has plenty of flaws but the slower pace and stronger focus on political drama has great payoff and leads into true greatness.