Attack on Titan: Shingeki no Kyojin

[DarthEnderX]

So...yeah. I dropped off this after episode 2, and then caught up all at once today.

So it's been an emotional roller coaster.

When Erin's squad was wiped out, I was kind of pissed, because it seems like all of a sudden the titans had way more speed an manuverability than they'd shown in the past. But then they explained it as abberants.

But yeah, I was only kinda pissed at first that he died. Nice swerve I thought and I didn't really like him anyway.

But now he's back, and awesome because he can't talk and say stupid shit anymore!

I'm definitely going to agree with the theory that getting eaten turns you into a Titan, and whatever Erin's dad injected him with is what's allowing him to have some control over himself.


I don't know if it's just being artistic or not, but I do feel it's trying to give the impression that being Asian makes you magic(which of course is true to real life).

It looks like the Titan's are really weak. I mean their bodies. The little shockwave you see coursing through Titan-Eren is from his own punch and afterwards his own hand is destroyed. Sure it heals right away but it really does show that physically the Titan's don't have a lot of defense.

That's why there's an Armored one!

Who SHOULD be showing up any time now if everything repeats from last time.


On the topic of skin coloration, I think what's actually happening is it's becoming translucent. And the more advanced the titan, the more see-through it becomes.

[David75]

Titans seem "fragile" because the mass/weight/intertia/constraints of huge limbs/bodies impose on skin/flesh/bones is that more tremendous. A 18 meters Titan is 1000 times (scalefactor^3) heavier than a 1.8 meter human, it really goes over the limits living matter can bear. But they have that regeneration ability to compensate.And armored Titans.

[DarthEnderX]

Honestly, I'm disappointed in how few precautions they took from the previous attack.

They know the gate's can't hold against the colossus, so why do they even still have the gates at this point? Why haven't they walled up the gates.

They know the wall isn't tall enough to keep the colossus from reaching up and smashing the cannons, why aren't they making the wall taller?

[Kraco]

They know the wall isn't tall enough to keep the colossus from reaching up and smashing the cannons, why aren't they making the wall taller?

Think back to the kind of leadership we have been seeing throughout the whole show. Obviously the people who built the walls, designed the 3D gear, and all in all built a civilization out of refugees are long, long gone. What we have left are cowardly, greedy, petty nobles who don't give a shit about the common man and only want to live in luxury in their walled-off castles while the rabble dies of hunger. In short, there's absolutely no one left to organize bettering the defences. All we have are random decent officers among many wastes of gas, trying to do what little they can against the odds. Building stronger gates or higher walls would be nothing but useless dreams.

They didn't even have any sort of emergency food stores. As soon as the outer wall fell, people started to go hungry. That tells something about the mentality of the government, considering they have been besieged by relentless enemies for an eternity and thus only an idiot would think all is well under the heaven.

[DarthEnderX]

They didn't even have any sort of emergency food stores. As soon as the outer wall fell, people started to go hungry. That tells something about the mentality of the government, considering they have been besieged by relentless enemies for an eternity and thus only an idiot would think all is well under the heaven.

Now, see, THAT I actually understand.

They'd been safe inside the walls for a century. That they'd be complacent is no surprise.

They fact that they haven't done anyting in the five years since the first wall was breached aside from train more guys is the part that doesn't make any sense.


Especially laughable is the attitude of the guys who want to be assigned a cushy position in the inner wall. That attitude just doesn't make any sense now. When the first wall goes down, yeah, okay, maybe you could think "Hey, maybe we'll have another century without incident."

But now that the second wall has been breached just 5 years later, you should be thinking to yourself, "Well, in another 5 years, they'll probably breach the third wall, and we'll all be dead". So why would anyone think the inner sector is even remotely safe at this point?

[Ryllharu]

Obviously the people who built the walls, designed the 3D gear, and all in all built a civilization out of refugees are long, long gone.
...
In short, there's absolutely no one left to organize bettering the defences.

I agree with most of your post, but not with this. The eyecatch showed that the control gear for the 3DMG is a black box. Someone still has the expertise to develop and tweak them as needed.

After the first attack, there was also a dramatic improvement to the gate defenses (for what little good it did from a colossal's kick). There are also substantial improvements to the top of the wall. That wasn't anything there in the first episode, presumably because they felt that the wall kept them safe. Now there are powerful, mobile cannons that can point downward. Railways are pretty advanced stuff given most of the technology they use in everyday life.

There is without doubt someone innovating with technological defenses.

[DarthEnderX]

The first wall didn't have cannons?

That's weird then that he said it was just like last time when he swept the cannons aside.

[Kraco]

Well, I suppose there can and should be small enhancements, such that can be produced by limited number of people, for example in the military's own workshops and built solely by the military's own personnel. However, I still stand behind my claim that there's nobody left in the leadership who could orchestrate a huge, common effort involving all the population to make significant changes to anything.

Now, see, THAT I actually understand.

They'd been safe inside the walls for a century. That they'd be complacent is no surprise.

No, I don't think so. Their civilization looked easily advanced enough to allow them to plan ahead a little bit. And also advanced enough to produce more food than they consume. There are few nations on Earth right now that don't have emergency supplies if they have any capability at all and have a stable government. Even if they haven't seen a war for generations. Because it makes very basic sense. Believing one is safe is no excuse for complacency. The only excuse is idiocy, and that these folks unfortunately have in an ample supply.

[DarthEnderX]

This is of course assuming that they DON'T have tons of emergency supplies that are just being horded by the inner section.

[KrayZ33]

they certainly lack the material to make the walls larger and both time and equipment too

they didn't even manage to move a certain rock from somwhere to the wall so they could block the wall in an instant again once it has been breached.

No, I don't think so. Their civilization looked easily advanced enough to allow them to plan ahead a little bit. And also advanced enough to produce more food than they consume. There are few nations on Earth right now that don't have emergency supplies if they have any capability at all and have a stable government.

these supplies are not there to feed the population over a long period, its there to supply people for a very short time periods.. for earthquakes and such. until they sacrificed 1/5 of their population, nearly a year has passed by if i'm not mistaken
not to mention that you don't hoard bread or potatoes... you storage wheat which needs processing, and this is just a guess given by what we've seen and heard but I believe the buildings for that were mostly placed on the outer wall area


well, whatever
It's rather convenient that the titans keep marching on them from one direction.
they could've attacked the outer wall from the south and then the first inner wall from the west or north etc.
I could never feel safe behind those walls

[Buffalobiian]

gg - Episode 08

[FelixZeroAlastor]

Great episode.

Was it me or did the animation quality drop?

[Archangel]

Ok so did Eren become a Titan or did he sort of absorb the Titan that ate him and then took control?

[Buffalobiian]

Ok so did Eren become a Titan or did he sort of absorb the Titan that ate him and then took control?

I'm thinking the same thing as well, and I'd personally like for it to be the 2nd option, because it makes it more risky for him (say, he has to be eaten every time, but swallowed with his neck intact or something, and perhaps choosing which titan to be eaten by would affect his abilities etc). Things would also be more human for him (he control titans, not becomes them).

Eren-titan stops regenerating after a point, so it'd either be his will (too boring), or if he has to take over a titan every time - to do with the reserves that titan had. So taking over a titan from the start of a battlefield would be weaker, but you could feed it some grunts and turn it into a supercharged beast.

[MFauli]

You´re all avoiding the first and foremost question: HOW did he manage not to be killed?!

While I was hoping that it wasn´t thanks to some magic potion his dad gave him ... IF it is because of that, it´d indicate at least some sort of governmental conspiracy, where the higher ups actually know a lot more about the Titans than the general public is led to believe. How else would there be a "medicine" like that. Well, unless Eren´s dad is the single one, lone researcher who figured it all out. But that would be too silly.

And I agree, if it was just Eren "willing" himself into controlling the/being a Titan, that´d be super boring. This isn´t some Naruto-bs.

Now on to the most interesting part of these last couple of episode, though. The fantastic effect that Eren´s "death" had. By supposedly killing off the main character, all the supposed side characters got room to breathe, to develop. And I love it. Mikasa got to show off. Armin is at the beginning of his career as a strategist. The guy that wanted to lead a safe life in the inner wall is shaping up to become a leader. Skinhead boy (yeah, Im really bad with names, lol) is super sympathetic. Potato girl shows weakness, which makes me like her a lot more after she seemed to be another Mikasa-like goddess in battle. And so on.

It remains to be seen how the return of Eren effects all this development of other characters. Also, Eren is to become an outcast? Don´t know how I like that. Well, it gives a good excuse to leave the walls and go outside exploring, but still. Wonder if the others will follow him then. Could be the start of some "legendary squad", where all of them leave the walls, go outside, and then return like 2-3 years later with significant information about the titans.

[David75]

Best part of the episode: Mikasa crying.

Eren is operating a bio_interfaced_titan_which_looks_like_a_flesh_mech was a little underwhelming.
Now I guess that with a good night sleep, he'll be able to operate a 20-30 meters class high output titan again... Younglings these days have too much energy I tell you.

[Kraco]

Best part of the episode: Mikasa crying.

I thought so too. Her expression is always so stoic, despite the fact we know she loves Eren more than anything, so having her cry was quite refreshing.

Eren is operating a bio_interfaced_titan_which_looks_like_a_flesh_mech was a little underwhelming.
Now I guess that with a good night sleep, he'll be able to operate a 20-30 meters class high output titan again... Younglings these days have too much energy I tell you.

A pure shounen show and a main character that was quite underwhelming initially, especially overshadowed by his sidekick. There was no other choice but to introduce something extraordinary to help the main character kick more ass.

[Buffalobiian]

ou´re all avoiding the first and foremost question: HOW did he manage not to be killed?!

While I was hoping that it wasn´t thanks to some magic potion his dad gave him ... IF it is because of that, it´d indicate at least some sort of governmental conspiracy, where the higher ups actually know a lot more about the Titans than the general public is led to believe. How else would there be a "medicine" like that. Well, unless Eren´s dad is the single one, lone researcher who figured it all out. But that would be too silly.

Titan Regeneration Potion.

Remember his dad's basement?

[MFauli]

Titan Regeneration Potion.

Remember his dad's basement?

Yeah, my dad has this stuff in our home´s basement, too.

:/

[KrayZ33]

Awww man, Mikasa is so lovely

I want her to twirl and smile at me

that scene, that music playing, the tears.....everything was just right