The well-known story of Hajime Isayama has reached its final stage. Follow Eren Yeager, a Titan Shifter, in his quest for freedom. Quite some time ago, Attack on Titan started its last season. A perfect time to write a review about the first part of the final season of Attack on Titan.
Season four kicks off with a huge time jump. Four years to be exact. The season begins with the war between the Mid-East Allied Forces and Marley. Instead of opening the season with the trusted team of Eren, Mikasa and Armin, it starts with the 'Warrior Candidates' (candidates to inherit the Power of the Nine Titans) Falco Grice (Natsuki Hanae, Kamisama ni Natta hi), his older brother Colt (Masaya Matsukaze, King's Raid: Ishi wo Tsugu Mono-tachi), Gabi Braun (Ayane Sakura, Vlad Love), Udo (Ayumu Murase, Welcome to Demon-School, Iruma-kun) and Zofia (Yûmi Kawashima, Beibo suteppu). They are Eldian soldiers fighting for Marley. During this time jump, the world has changed quite a bit. The Titans have been wiped out on Paradise Island and they've become a lesser threat. But as Eren said at the end of season three, the enemy is on the other side of the sea. And that's where season four really begins.
The story once again stays true to the source material, the Manga. However, changes have been made here and there to fit the whole story into one (part of the) season. Unfortunately, this makes the first part of the final season feel rushed. Unfortunately, the anime also loses the magic of the Manga, which was mainly in the strong one-panel images. That's a shame, because some of Attack on Titan's strongest elements come from these panels.
This season, MAPPA took over the anime's animation. That was previously done by WIT studio. This led to some major style changes, especially the way the Titans are shown. WHITE used a classic way to animate the Titans. MAPPA, on the other hand, switched to CGI. Something that people believe may indicate a cheaper anime. Personally, I had to adapt to this new style, but in the end I made peace with it. While I found the older animation more appealing, of course I can't change it.
It was clear that this season was rushed. One reason WIT didn't continue with the anime was because of a terrible schedule they were given. While this affected the overall story, the elements that were hit hardest were the sub-themes, which were removed in favor of the overarching whole. I didn't mind this very much myself. In the Manga, it sometimes felt like the story had too many plot points. In the anime, they were reworked, placed elsewhere in the story, or removed entirely. It made the story much more understandable. This also allowed new characters to shine better and gave the story an overall better understanding of the Titans and the world the story takes place in. But to really understand the world of Attack on Titan, I recommend rewatching some of the older episodes as well.
The story of Attack on Titan is nearing its end. Although season 4.1 felt rushed and the animation style leaves a lot to be desired, I hope that season 4.2, the final part, manages to end this huge anime with a beautifully animated and well-written story.
