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It's been a few hours since I watched the final part, and I've had some time to stew on it.
This is not a review of the content of the final part, but rather how I felt before, after, and as I was watching it. Thus, there will be no spoilers whatsoever.
The first time I watched the show, I was a 14 year old girl who had yet to understand the world around her. She was as naive as she was hungry for content to escape to.
Attack on Titan was one of her first interactions with a Fandom. It was the birth of her first OTP, her first published fanfic, and her first sense of belonging in a community.
Watching the final parts of this show, I could not help but think that... I wish I had never first watched the show when as young as I was.
I could not understand (though certainly I was affected) by the sheer magnitude and loss of life felt throughout the show. I could not understand how profound and impactful the trauma was to the characters on screen that I grew to love and cherish.
But at the same time... I'm glad I got the chance to join this community when I did. I'm glad I got to share the sorrows and joy felt throughout these 10 long years.
Watching this final part, I realized a few things...
- I will never be the same ever again. Good or bad, this part has changed me.
- My life on the internet started because of this show, but now it's over... and I'm not sure how to feel about it. It's been my online persona for so long, that a part of me is crushed that we will never again get official content.
- Despite this anime coming to a close, it will stay in my heart as the show that defied all odds and shot straight to being an instant classic.
- This show will go down in history for being one of the most beautifully tragic shows on either hemisphere.
- There may never be more official content, but you can be rest assured that I will never stop loving this show, this Fandom, this community. I will never stop making fics for my first ever otp, no matter how much life gets in the way. I'll always come back to the place that brought me rhe most joy in the darkest days of my life.
Now for my non spoiler thoughts of the episode itself...
I stopped reading the Manga at roundabout the season 4 part 2 ending, so I went into part 3 and part 4 completely blind from spoilers, and I'm extremely glad I did so.
I understand that the final chapter was a bit of a controversial topic as there were some loud voices that thought the ending was bad.
It wasn't. There was a particular ending I was hoping for, but it wasn't what was presented. It was the opposite.
And I solute Isayama-sensei for having the actual balls to do it.
Mappa studios nailed the tone and theme for the final season in a way that I doubt WIT studios could have done. Not to mention the amazing cinematography in which scene for scene, shot for shot, was an artful masterpiece that seriously deserves to be displayed in a museum.
Hiruyuki Sawano deserves a round of applause too, for the absolutely stunning score and music displayed throughout the whole season, but especially so in the final part. He had me in utter tears althroughout the episode. And honestly? I can still hear the choir's part hours after I watched the final episode.
Not to mention the voice actors! I won't mention actors specifically in case I accidentally spoil something but... shit. They all performed their parts spectacularly. Every bit of dialog had me gripped so hard it felt like my heart would either burst through my chest or rupture to bits in sheer agony and pain.
But for all the tragedy, the ending was a well-deserved closure that I was sure would be fucked up in some way... but it wasn't...
It was perfect. The best ending you could hope for, for a series like Attack on Titan.
Every moment was well thought out and put together in a way that felt smooth and seamless. Nothing felt rushed or disorganized, or that it didn't belong.
All the elements of the franchise came together in perfect harmony that was neatly wrapped with a bowtie as a gift to the fans who have waited long and short for the series finale.
It was a thank you to the fans who have been with them since the beginning, and a thank you to the fans who have only recently joined in.
But it's also a message to those who will watch it in the future:
Although life may be unfair and hard, with a strength and will to move forward - hope will not be far off on the horizon. So long as your dreams are eventually reached, the many sacrifices made will be worth it in the end.
Or at least, that's my take on it.
I'm sorry that this is pretty long winded, but I wanted to share my thoughts on this somewhere as I'm not really on any other social media platform for my own mental health's sake.
If you got this far, thank you for being patient enough to read my probably convoluted thoughts.
This may not be a chapter, but please rest assured that I will start writing again as soon as my heart heals from the trauma of watching the final part (I say trauma because even though I'm numb now, I'll definitely be feeling everything at once later on).
On that note, if any of you haven't watched the final part yet, I suggest waiting until you get a day where you don't have shut to do for a whole week.
As I'm writing this, I have an exam to prep for, for the Monday after the final episode aired. Wish me luck? xD
Anyway, if you want, let me know what you guys think in the comments? About my thoughts or your own thoughts about the final episode. What did you guys hope for the ending? Did you like it? Or was it a miss?
As much as I didn't spoil anything here, I would love to talk specifics with you guys in the comments!
Before I go, here is a virtual hug for everyone that has watched it. 🤗🤗🤗 we'll all need them as we process the final part.
Take care, everyone ❤️.
Edit: I have no idea why my notes from the first chapter still appear at the bottom of the page, but oh well. I suppose it's still relevant as I haven't posted anything from that list...