Attack on Titan - Episode 46 Discussion / Poll

[Kairin]

Welcome to the discussion thread for Attack on Titan, Episode 46.

Thread Guidelines

• Raw requests and offers are not permitted anywhere on this forum.
• Spoilers or hints about future events must not be posted in this thread.
  If you need to reference something that would spoil a future event, reply directly with a private message, or seek out a more appropriate thread.
• Discuss your expectations of the episode if it has not aired yet.
• Be polite to your fellow forum members.
• Please try to keep the discussion on-topic.
• Character bashing is not on-topic and will not be tolerated.
• Do not post multiple times in a row. Please edit your existing post if you wish to add additional thoughts.

Episode Thread Spoiler Policy

• Any comment that discloses events, characters, plot or other information before it is revealed in the anime is expressly forbidden whether or not it is behind spoiler tags.
  Spoiler tags should still be used where appropriate.
  Please consult the AnimeSuki Spoiler Policy for more information.
• Adding a Spoiler tag:
  

  Just highlight your spoiler and click the button found on the "Quick Reply" and "Reply to Thread" forms. Make sure that you include a useful title!

• Please use the Report button if you see any inappropriate spoilers:
  

  Click the button found to the left of the post, just under the poster's avatar. Using the Report button is anonymous and helps the Moderators locate and deal with problems quickly.

• Posting inappropriate spoilers may result in a ban.
  Note: Reporting a post does not mean the poster will be banned instantly.
  The Moderators will use bans if warnings are repeatedly ignored.

[Kanon]

That was the most grotesque titan yet. The plan to put it down was quite a gamble, but it worked.

Kenny's backstory next week.

[Haak]

I loled so hard at Eren realising his fuck up when he screamed "tiny old man" in front of Levi.

[Wandering Soul]

Originally Posted by Haak

I loled so hard at Eren realising his fuck up when he screamed "tiny old man" in front of Levi.

I actually didn't get that the first time I saw it and thought Eren was still having a crisis over being weak.
For background gags I do have to give it that one of the old man trying to throttle that solider while everyone wonders if the military is going to start abusing their power.

[Kanon]

Originally Posted by Haak

I loled so hard at Eren realising his fuck up when he screamed "tiny old man" in front of Levi.

Yeah, that was really funny

[Haak]

I have to say, all round this was a really great episode. The Reiss Titan was grotesque and intimidating so he made a good threat, plus there was some genuinely great character development for both Eren and Historia.

[wingdarkness]

Um....feel like the last two episodes with all the "answers" felt a bit anti climatic... This fight with Reiss was, well...underwhelming ( I KNOW, RIGHT? )...

I know it seems hard for that to be the case, but when its revealed he's just an "abnormal" titan moving toward the biggest pulp of humans it kinda made the whole "Reiss licking the serum"-stuff kinda weak in retrospect...

He had nothing.... and the flashbacks point to him actually being a "good" guy... So wtf, man...

The plan to subdue Reiss wasn't that great either...It relied on too many unknown variables from Reiss' perspective to just saddle him with "abnormal traits" when thematically his transformation appeared to have more meaning...

Obviously animation was crazy good in spots this week, but I thought there would be far more to Reiss than "big abnormal"? Like, OK

Im guessing this was the chapter Historia became every manga readers fav character, lol? Haven't seen this much light-switching since Sakura in Naruto, but it is what it is...Now what the hell is Kenny gonna do? Hmmm...

[Cloudedmind]

Reiss turned into a titan out of desperation. They wasn't anything grand about it. So him just being a big abnormal titan works just fine. Really, this was mostly about Eren and Historia.

[wingdarkness]

Originally Posted by Cloudedmind

Reiss turned into a titan out of desperation. They wasn't anything grand about it. So him just being a big abnormal titan works just fine. Really, this was mostly about Eren and Historia.

Narratively I would disagree...Thematically I would disagree...I don't think the anime was that flat in its presentation...Much of the tone to Reiss' backstory was grand and spectacle... I don't feel like this episode had the combative spirit that the previous episode suggested...Again, it was visually dope no doubt, but the end of Reiss here as a mindless abnormal did not satiate based on the eps prior imo...

[Cloudedmind]

Except Rod Reiss spent a good portion of the last two episodes trying to convince his estranged daughter to turn into a titan to then eat Eren. Before that he had his eldest daughter take on that responsibility. Why didn't he just do it himself? Why force such a responsibility on his children? Everything about Rod Reiss screamed a desperate coward. He only took the serum after Historia called him on his BS, and took matters into her own hands, and completely rebelled against him. And he even made that decision out of desperation. There's been nothing grand about him or his actions thus far.

Historia on the other hand figured out her fathers BS, and decided to fight against him. She's turned from a character who has things happen to her, to one who decides her own fate. She's been pretty grand. These episodes were really about Historia and Eren, Rod Reiss just helped answer some questions.

[MK-95-]

Looking past Eren and Historia's character development and Rod's desperation/cowardice, one of the reasons why the titan fight felt so anticlimactic could be because this arc in general isn't even about humans vs titans anymore and that the enemies are now other humans.

It could be that the titan fight was purposely handled this way so as to not distract from the present direction the story wants to/is trying to go in. Basically, the fight was purposely underwhelming to signify the tonal shift of the plot. Either that or I'm just overthinking this.

[Haak]

I think it's more the case that this was simply meant to be a losing villian's last desperate swipe against the world rather than a climactic battle.

[wingdarkness]

Except Rod Reiss spent a good portion of the last two episodes trying to convince his estranged daughter to turn into a titan to then eat Eren. Before that he had his eldest daughter take on that responsibility. Why didn't he just do it himself? Why force such a responsibility on his children? Everything about Rod Reiss screamed a desperate coward. He only took the serum after Historia called him on his BS, and took matters into her own hands, and completely rebelled against him. And he even made that decision out of desperation. There's been nothing grand about him or his actions thus far.

Historia on the other hand figured out her fathers BS, and decided to fight against him. She's turned from a character who has things happen to her, to one who decides her own fate. She's been pretty grand. These episodes were really about Historia and Eren, Rod Reiss just helped answer some questions.

What should have been one of the scariest situations in the history of the show was little more than a Historia music video and I gotta say...It was incredibly underwhelming given the expectations and thematic build up that occurred prior. You can say Rod Reiss is a nothing/nobody until the keypad stops working...That's not how the anime presented his situation...

For him to go out as a half-faced, turkey-looking blob of nothing that added literally nothing somewhat betrays how we've been taught to watch this show imo (more on that in the next passage)...All the atmospheric tension and mystery surrounding why Reiss is heading to Ovrud District along with highlighting Irwin's strategizing the situation, all to beat, ultimately, just a weak a$$ abnormal ??? Ugh ...

Looking past Eren and Historia's character development and Rod's desperation/cowardice, one of the reasons why the titan fight felt so anticlimactic could be because this arc in general isn't even about humans vs titans anymore and that the enemies are now other humans.

It could be that the titan fight was purposely handled this way so as to not distract from the present direction the story wants to/is trying to go in. Basically, the fight was purposely underwhelming to signify the tonal shift of the plot. Either that or I'm just overthinking this.

I don't think you are wrong here..I think you're right...

Can't speak for the manga, but the way this televised product has always been presented--prior to this season--is more like LOST or The Leftovers where "not easily giving answers" is essential to the build up of the show and world...We've had 2 seasons and OVA's (and super important commercial bumpers) that have taught us as viewers how we should think about certain info that's given..

This season they're trying to flip this...By giving us so many answers this season (and I would say somewhat inorganically) they've contradicted some of their show-build and its creating things like this where they still want the cliffhanger appeal that has made the show so epic, but at the same time shift the show's tone down against that...Its been done too quickly imo (Historia light-switching not egregious, but its there imo), but sometimes thats what anime has to do to keep up...

I'd say this season it has been hit-or-miss in this area...Given the 8,000 "answers" that have been stuffed down our throats like a bottle of liquid armor serum--it has to be tough to do that and still keep the show within its established margins...

[Cloudedmind]

Originally Posted by Haak

I think it's more the case that this was simply meant to be a losing villian's last desperate swipe against the world rather than a climactic battle.

This. I'd also say that the battle in some ways was supposed to mirror the arrival of the colossal titan, but show just how very different things would be this time. This time they were prepared, this time they had Eren's titan form. The Colossal titan wrecked havic, Rod Reiss got wrecked. :P

@wingdarkness Will just have to agree to disagree.

[wingdarkness]

^ yeah...If I was just supposed to feel indifferent towards the Rod Reiss-Titan setup and his ultimate mindless defeat then yeah we're going to disagree I guess...

I think it's more the case that this was simply meant to be a losing villian's last desperate swipe against the world rather than a climactic battle.

I don't even know how much of a "villain" he truly was...In the flashbacks he seemed to hate Titans as much as anyone else...

[Kanon]

Originally Posted by wingdarkness

I don't even know how much of a "villain" he truly was...In the flashbacks he seemed to hate Titans as much as anyone else...

That was before he realized the will of the first king is impossible to overcome. Both his brother and his daughter promised him they would succeed only to fail. He knew Historia would end up the same way. He didn't actually believe a word he said to her.

[Applehell]

Whew, what a great episode! It's only fitting that this arc ended with a titan battle and after not having one for so long made even more fitting. There is till some loose ends but I'm pretty satisfied withe development Eren and Historia got.

Originally Posted by wingdarkness

I don't even know how much of a "villain" he truly was...In the flashbacks he seemed to hate Titans as much as anyone else...

I think that was the point and to show what Historia could have end up like as he wasn't much different than her. But Rod succumbed to the despair and eventually changed after losing so much. Rod was a broken man; broken by the Walls, loss and dark truth behind his family. Historia however still had the chance get and make the changes that was needed within the Walls.

[Guido]

A little let down since I expected more on screen time action with the Rod Titan's assault to the walls of Orvud District. Nonetheless, the score played from the time that the Scouts devised their strategy up to Historia's graceful finisher was both an epic and fantastic piece of music.

Parallels between from the day the Colossal Titan breached Wall Maria to the current one with Rod's Titan assault were drawn. However, unlike the tragedy that struck Armin, Eren, and Mikasa as kids from back then, this time the children from Orvud not only were spared a similar tragedy but witnessed a miracle history unfolded, as humanity not only repelled but destroyed a threatening Titan.

This should be enough witnesses from Orvud to grant credibility to Historia's claim as the ruler of the walls, since she was as well put her life in the line to ensure the destruction of that massive Titan; she's no longer a Queen by title but now a Queen by deeds as well.