Shingeki no Kyoujin - 13 & 13.5

"Basic Needs - Defense of Trost 9" and "Since That Day"

Well, that's the last time I'll be hearing Guren no Yumiya on screen... okay, who am I kidding, this is one of the most viral OPs in recent memory.

Episode 13

On the whole, this episode marks a return to what I remember Shingeki being like in the first few weeks. This is raw, this is visceral, and this is very, very cool. I'm not the only person who's noted how slow the pacing seems to have gotten in the lead up to this cour-finale, and I don't think I'm the only one who feels like that pacing hasn't really benefited the series all that much. I know at the beginning of the season I asked for the plot to slow down, but I wanted it to slow down in a very specific manner; I wanted that extra time to be used in order to really flesh out the characters, to show us something new or otherwise complex about them, but honestly that's not really what happened. The extra time, presumably used to give the manga some air to breathe, just sort of stretched things out, and instead of making anything more compelling, things got a bit long-winded for the most part, if that makes any sense.

Thankfully, however, this episode is a bit better on that front. Finally the boulder plan is put in motion as it should be (no but seriously, can't another titan just move that boulder out of the way?), and there's plenty going on that doesn't just involve talking around a problem. There's definitely plenty of death and destruction, and we're told that even though Eren does block the hole and secure the first human victory, a great deal of soldiers are killed in the process. It's almost not even a victory, what with all the deaths, and some of the aftermath is pretty gruesome, especially after we learn that the titans literally cannot digest people and throw them back up when their stomachs are too full; in other words, they're not even eating them because they think they're good snacks.

That's why watching soldiers like Levi take the creatures down as awesomely as he does is always a satisfying treat, even if the characters themselves still leave something to be desired. In fact, after so much violence and pure shock factor, I can't really say I empathize all that well with the traumatized faces that show up every so often, even though I can understand why they'd be so terrified. As for Eren and his predicament (chained down to a bed by the Captain, eh? I'm sure that sparked some fanfiction in this amusingly cheerful fandom), it looks like things are only about to get more complicated. Pixis may have trusted the boy, but the rest of the military is hugely wary of his powers, and though I doubt chains and dungeons could actually keep Eren down if he wanted to escape, I have a feeling there's definitely drama heading his way in one way or another.

Episode 13.5

No, I'm not actually going to analyze a recap episode. What I figured I'd do, in place of jumping straight into the second cour, is talk a little bit about the Shingeki experience, and explain a little bit about why it seems like I criticize it a lot. I think it's probably hard to tell, but I really enjoy this series, truly. It's one of the most intense series I've seen in a while, and plot and action wise, it's a hell of a lot of fun. Production I.G. isn't messing around for most of those 3D maneuver gear scenes, and as mortifying as it can be to wonder when a certain character is just going to end up lunch, there's a ton of adrenaline and immersion happening here. On top of that, the fandom for this series is one of the most amusingly cheerful groups there is, in direct contrast to the horrifying contents of the actual show. It's so interesting, in fact, that if I tried to psycho-analyze it, I'd probably come up with some actual reasons for why that's the case. Posts like this one and YouTube channels like Kuu's reflect this strange phenomenon, but at the same time they're hugely entertaining to be a part of.

So then, just why do I bitch so much about it?

Well, I don't really mean to bitch about it, I'm just really rather frustrated that a show this good is being held back by such small details. I know people already care about when a character dies in this show, but can you imagine how much more heart-wrenching and powerful an experience it would be if you knew more about them? If you were in their heads more often and understood more than "Eren is an angry guy who wants revenge and is a bit of a psychopath"? Am I just a masochist? Maybe? No, but seriously, there's just a lot of potential in these characters that I keep seeing thrown aside, and I really wish there was just an incrementally larger role for that. In fact, to be brutally honest, I wouldn't even remember the side characters' names if it wasn't for my participation in the fandom; and that's saying something considering that I remember all the Free! characters' names when I only watch that every other week or so.

And then there's the preposterousness. Don't get me wrong, I love preposterousness when done right, but some of this blows huge holes in the mythos. That boulder in the aforementioned situation, for example: if Eren can place it there, why can't another titan just move it out of the way? That could easily be fixed by saying, for instance, that Eren is an uncommonly large and powerful titan, but for the most part he's not really depicted that way; he's about as tall as a two or three story house, which is kind of the norm for the sorts of titans we've seen. Perhaps I'm nitpicking somewhat, but it just feels a little frustrating when you can spot those kinds of issues, and I know that it drives more than a few fans to parody and otherwise poke fun at the series.

In short, I like Shingeki. I honestly and really do, but it can sometimes frustrate viewers, though that might be because some of us aren't following the manga. Either way though, as much as I like to complain, this is still a pretty great series through and through, especially for plot enthusiasts, and I hope I've made it clear that I don't hate it at all, even if it occasionally seems like I'm being harsh.

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