Shingeki no Kyoujin - 4

"Graduation Night - Mankind's Recovery 2"

Oh now that's just cruel.

With another episode comes another time skip, and unfortunately this only serves to contribute to the characterization problem that seems to plague the otherwise great narrative this series is setting out to tell. I don't know if this is a general consensus or if I'm the odd one out, but I really really don't like having my characters defined for me; if you've ever had a good English teacher, I'm sure you've heard that direct characterization (ie. someone telling you what X is like) is the weakest form of the six characterization methods, and for good reason. It's simply not that interesting to have someone list off on what makes someone an individual, and action almost always speaks louder than words as it is. Unfortunately the actions here aren't all that definitive, and other than Potato-Girl, who I enjoy watching very much (despite similar characterization issues), no one really strikes a chord with me; not since Eren's mother was killed.

Eren especially is starting to sound like Preachy Shounen Hero 101, and while some of what he says is absolutely right, he's still too hotheaded and proud to be of any real use in this war. He's not justified in his speeches until he's actually been out there and fought, but he nevertheless continues to pick fights or otherwise sneer at those who don't want to fight. However, as Annie says, something is definitely not right with this system; just why are only the best fighters allowed to be assigned to the inner wall as military police? Isn't that counterproductive, teaching soldiers to fight Titans and then luring the best to safety? That doesn't make any sense at all, unless it's for the sake of motivation, but even then, it just seems like a stupid decision.

Still, even if he and Annie are making logical sense, it doesn't mean that all those kids hoping for a better life would abandon their dream to join the Survey Corps after one of Eren's speeches (hell, I wouldn't do it if you paid me; after all that training for the sake of safety? Even my pride's not that established), and really, that's where the issue of characterization hits the wall. The fact that everyone just kind of changes their mind without much struggle goes to show how flat they are at the moment, and though it's not the worst offense a series has ever committed, it does feel a bit off, at least for me. Thankfully, there's never all that much time to dwell on this because Attack on Titan is not a show that wants you to get comfortable. As soon as Eren thinks everything is looking up for graduation, the massive Titan returns and blasts a hole in Wall Rose; whatever the mystery behind this randomly appearing monster is, we're unlikely to find out anytime soon. In the meantime, it's time for the trainees to prove themselves as the warriors they've trained so long to become.

N.B.: Thanks to Ivan for the screencaps!