The End of Anime's Longest Dream

It's always interesting when a show concludes, some are met with a melancholic appreciation as they realize that all good things must come to an end. Others are met with a flame horizon of anger as fans believe their show should've been done to a better justice. Of course, there are also shows that just never seem to end cough cough One Piece. But that's besides the point.

Attack on Titan, one of the Biggest, Most Defining Animes in the Industry, has Concluded.

Attack on Titan can easily be titled as genre-defining. It was one of the few shows that broke the medium of anime through to the Western world, it spanned countless episodes animated with top-tier quality and nail-biting scenes. To many modern-age fans, both eastern and western alike, Attack on Titan was the defining show that represented this genre.
However, upon entering its fourth season, AoT became bogged down and slowed, its plot fading from our memory, as of such, its struggle to adapt and conclude the show made it hard for us viewers to retain attention and for the show to retain relevancy.

So how did the show, when it finally release its concluding episode, go out with a bang that reaffirmed its status as a genre-defining anime?

#Plot
Starting with the most fundamental aspect of the show, the Plot can actually be ignored. For the past few movies as well as the entirety of the Final Season, we are met with the fact that Eren Yeager wishes to kill the rest of humanity. We've well established that, so if you're watching this movie, then you're definitely not here for the plotline. So let's talk about how this plot is executed.
Personally, I feel that the execution felt deserving of a large finale-type episode. The fights included every single recurring theme as well as trial and tribulation the squad had to face in the past, as well as offer an incredibly uphill battle that by the time we reached the halfway point, we still weren't sure if they were going to succeed or not. The plot was not stretched out, though the final, most climatic part of the moment definitely felt a bit forced, but given that it was covered wonderfully by the animation team, I'd say that's hardly a point against the show. Of course, the pacing felt very smooth for a 1.5 hour film that starts right in the battle. But hey, other movies have completely messed up their pacing using even more lax conditions. I also thought the insertion of various little dialogue tidbits felt very fitting, conversations between the various characters did feel slightly interrupting at times but the conversations helped build the hype just in time for the big boom to happen on screen. Overall, plot was great, No complaints there considering the studio never messed up when it comes to this stuff.

#Characters
Oh boy did they do the characters justice.
Over the years as we followed the various cast members of the Survey Corps, we saw them develop their ideals and morals, only to have it thrown away with the advent of the reveal of the entire mainland as the fight shifts from humans fighting giant monsters to humans fighting slightly-more-morally-corrupt-but-still-humans. This not only swung every ideal these characters had built up across the past few seasons, but also forced them to draw new lines on the fly.
In this final episode, and especially for the likes of Mikasa—who we've never seen develop much ideals ever— and Armin—who's ideals still remain stupidly stagnant despite the fact he nuked a city a few episodes prior—develop into fully human characters who realize their flawed ideals and strive to make compromises to be the best version of themselves. When paired with the fact that Mikasa and Armin are basically killing a lover and a brother respectively, and also given a moment to breathe through the various dialogue interjections, we see the changes in their humanity as they push through with their choice to define what is the best for them and their future, without Eren's opinion.
The supporting cast all go through something similar, as when faced with insurmountable odds, we see them stick to the resolves they have established over the past few episodes and bring them out in full force. Truly a wonderful display of human tenacity.

#Art and Animation
Welp, it's not Studio MAPPA for no reason.

As is usual with their work on the series, MAPPA killed it with the animations. The art style remains unchanged from the Final Season style, which depicts everything in a duller, more depressing tone that suits the heavy and somber tone that the show swiveled to. However, their animation remains just as crisp, from the very first titan fight to this last climatic battle, the animation stunningly weaves and follows these warriors as they zoom through forests of bones and beasts, dodging projectiles and slicing with immaculate accuracy. The animation feels crisp as the fight sequences feel smooth and detailed. It the type of work that defines MAPPA as an animation studio, and they absolutely killed it in their work.

#Music and Sound
The epicness is real.
The music as usual contained the hype of the show in a perfect tee. The orchestral score proved to be extra dramatic given the intensified situation. Of course, those who have watched this episode already can vouch for me when I say that when the main leitmotif dropped in that super hype moment, it shook the entire show to its core.
However, constant dramatic booms were not all the music was good for. The various conversation interjections came with their own music, calming and peaceful, yet with an eerie and unsettling undertone as various characters spoke within their own consciousness or Ymir's sandy domain. Music team killed it on this one.

Attack on Titan's conclusion truly is the end of an era. The end of the show that brought millions of viewers from the West, the end of a show that sparked a new wave in the Shounen animes, and the end of the show that put anime on the map. Just as Spirited Away defined anime storytelling, or how Your Name defined art and music. How Kaguya-sama defined comedy or how Evangelion defined mecha. Shingeki no Kyojin carries the torch that the shounen trifecta of Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece lit, defining a new age of anime that raised a new generation of people. Even though it faltered sometimes and was dragged out for way too long, the Final Season closed this era-defining piece with a masterful conclusion and a wonderfully beautiful last episode. I think that we will have a hard time finding an anime like AoT for some time.