It’s summer, and that means that pretty much every show worth watching is coming to an end. So we’re binge watching some old classics and favorites in the Multiversity Summer TV Binge. Although I’ve never been deeply into anime, the one exception has been Attack on Titan. Having already watched the first season with subtitles, I thought it would be cool to return to the dubbed version of the series. Be warned, here be spoilers for the second episode.
1. The Refugee Ships
The boats that the survivors are loaded onto are sort of a microcosm of the whole show. Aesthetically, the design is so weird, and so specific; the boats are pulled by long ribbons running along rails. This is an insignificant detail in the technology of this world, but it looks as well thought out as anything else. Then there’s the refugees themselves, hopelessly begging the soldiers to let them on the boats, or maybe just their children. A few of them even jump for it. It’s really heavy, conjuring up all sorts of unpleasant images of desperate situations in the real world. Still, it’s cool for the show to commit so hard to a civilian perspective in a warzone. The feelings are so real even when the visual are so… not.
2. More Cowardly Soldiers
If there’s a theme in this episode, it’s cowardice. Hannes blames the death of Eren’s mom on his cowardice, and Eren blames himself, and every soldier who didn’t stand and die when the titans attacked. The most memorable moment comes when a squad of soldiers realize they are about to be left on the wrong side of the closing gate. They turn and run, disobeying their orders, and are smashed and eaten. Comic book narratives always focus on characters who overcome great fear, but Attack on Titan takes a close look at characters who cannot. By laying on the failure so thick, any victory will feel that much more precious.
3. The Armored Titan
A lot of fuss is made of the ginormous, skinless Colossal Titan; it’s sort of the show’s mascot. But for what it’s worth, I think the Armored Titan has a cooler design. The yellow lines running down the exposed muscle and the creepy jaw are just good monster design, and the shot of it running at the gate is the best moment of animation on this show yet. Something about the Armored Titan exudes an intelligence that seems to be missing from all of the other titans, which is the scariest part of all.
4. Eren’s Freaky Dad And His Freaky Basement
The timeline surrounding Dr. Jaeger is super confusing. First he’s riding off for work just as the titan attack is about to start, promising Eren that when he gets back, he’ll let Eren go down to the mysterious cellar. Nothing weird about that at all. Next we see him riding back home in tears, hoping to find his family alive. Then Eren has a dream where his dad injects him with something, telling him that he doesn’t need to understand what it is. No red flags there. When Eren wakes up, the basement key is conspicuously around his neck. Was it there before? When did his dad inject him? How involved is he in this sudden titan attack? Whatever the answers are, Dr. Jaeger is bad news.
5. One Punch Mikasa
Eren is a brat to almost everyone he sees, he even regretfully cries about it on the refugee boat. But when he turns that brattiness at sweet, innocent Armin, Mikasa decks him in one punch. It’s awesome. Until now, Mikasa has been stoic and loyal. We’re told that she’s the one that the bullies fear, but we haven’t really seen her do anything that cool. We’ve also never seen anyone really stand up to Eren; even his mom sort of lets him get away with yelling at her. Not Mikasa though, she’s not afraid to punch her best friend if she thinks it’s good for him.
