Attack on Titan: The Retrospective 

I feel like Attack on Titan is a show that will be analyzed for decades

truly one of the greatest media of all time, the storytelling, character arcs, world building, everything about this show is truly special to everyone that has followed it since the beginning and Hajime should be proud of what his first series has done for the world

Isayama truly is a genius, he manages to evoke some emotions I never thought I would feel such as empathizing with mass murderers, and feeling catharsis over a group of adults beating the shit out of a child

"our only hope, is to help each other to find a way out of this forest" one of the phrases that stuck with me after AOT finished. This phrase describes a "real"way for peace .... Actual peace , not the politically corrupt version that our world is cursed by today . 1) Admit your cruelty as much as your enemies. 2) Admit the humanity and the suffering that your enemy experienced as much as your own suffering. 3) work your way "together" to end the suffering. Maybe one day we would listen.

I’d write a college paper on AOT and how it relates to real world conflicts. Because it accurately depicts the greyness of humanity. It’s easy for us to say what’s right or wrong when we’re not directly involved in a conflict, but for the people directly involved and affected by the conflict, it is much more complicated than that. I like the way AOT tackles that topic

you truly have been going crazy this year man. love the hard work and dedication you’ve put in. 2024 your year

To bring forth something new to the discourse of online media, especially through such a competitively volatile medium, is extremely difficult and a rarity to achieve. Most content creators struggle to provide even a minute of worthwhile insight that hasnt already been parroted plentiful times beforehand. However, what you've managed to do is absolutely incredible, to provide an hour of genuine, fresh and unprecedented perspectives to an otherwise, thoroughly dissected piece of fiction. You are the first reviewer I've seen who looked at the entire story through the lense of the ending, and not the other way around. Most youtubers looked at the ending in terms of the series, as opposed to watching the finale and recontexualising everything that had come before it, as intended. Nearly everyone who's spoken about the ending did so on the basis that they already knew the meaning of the story, and then wondered why the ending wouldn't fit their idealised perspective. And yet, you managed to give me a new perspective to the ending, AS WELL as the entire series as a whole. What you've done is shown me why the story and finale should be appreciated in tandem, and my appreciation to Eren's final moments, as well as his journey towards freedom, has increased as a whole. As a long time fan of Attack On Titan, thank you for this incredibly wonderful insight.

This is one of, if not _the_ , the most insightful retrospectives on SnK that I've come across yet. The ties back to the Trost arc, Eren and Armin's conversation before he lifted the boulder, Eren's visualization of freedom...awesome, thoughtful observations! I also remember you calling that Eren had never changed or grew up before the series had concluded! Masterful analysis, friend! I'm interested in hearing your own criticisms and *definitely* interested in a video where you dissect some of the more prevalent criticisms of the ending. Again, great work!

My view is similar but a little different. One of the key themes of the story is the cyclical nature of "life, death and rebirth". I see the three leads as the physical embodiment of these three concepts. Armin embodies life. Eren embodies death as his drive is the freedom from death and suffering. Mikasa represents rebirth and change.

So happy this video exists, you did a phenomenal job talking about the massive concepts and themes aot encompasses. It's not easy to be as comprehensive and cohesive when talking about this series in my experience but you pulled it off. I was also very disappointed by the lack of substantiative discussions and arguments about the series after the ending(in my experience), it's not what it deserves. I genuinely appreciate your efforts in pushing forward that sphere. Cheers!

Rewatching the series and seeing a series full of sympathetic characters Erens arcs and end is so sad! We legit went on the journey with him! A good person who grew to do evil things

Absolutely phenomenal video and you actually went into a lot of the aspects of the story that I don't usually put as much weight into myself yet it still feels like you captured the essence of it beautifully. I really think AoT is the most thematically rich and complete work I've ever seen, where there is a plethora of things it has to say about the human condition but no two people necessarily come out of it with the exact same imprint, something you also bring up in the video.

Imagine publishing your first manga in your 20s and it becomes the GOAT. This is genius on the level of Shakespeare, Newton, and Mozart.

i just finished watching AOT in full for the first time and i'm obsessed with its themes. this is a great video, thank you. also appreciate the use of the Garlemald theme in one of your sections :D well done. subbed!

I love the aspect that Eren doesn’t have new experiences anymore

Attack on Titan is one of my favorite stories ever

You consistently shatter my preconceptions of my favorite manga, Thank you Radman

You've saved me brother, I will give it a reread

Awesome analysis man! Loved the ending, its been great watching this show with yall!

I've watched every AoT video I can find and this one is one of the very best. I wish I had more to add, but you encapsulated all the major themes, motifs etc perfectly. Thank you I am definitely subscribing and looking forward to more wonderful content! Actually here is one point: I love AoT's motif of ostensibly superficial contradictions masking deeper truths via the resolution of those apparent paradoxes to deeper dualities and more profound truths. To that end I don't think AoT is a "compatabilst" form of determinism. Instead the irony is that Eren's power saps his ability to perceive any free will thus becomes a literal slave to not only freedom, but to casual time itself. I think it's supposed to be a contradiction/ironic seeming-parodox hiding a greater truth in the duality. (Edit: on rewatch perhaps what I just described IS the definition of "compatabilism," or at least as posited in the show. It is even simple logic: Take two things that at first seem to be a "paradox," or contradiction. If both disparate facts are demonstrated to be proven true, Then by definition the paradox itself must be the issue. That's why I initially said it is not "compatabilism." But actually that i I think that Isayama takes this a step further and suggests that reframing the apparant "paradox" in a deeper context actually (in fact ironically!) often opens up some of the most profound truths of them all. I suppose that is Compatabilism (at least from a Dualist perspective.)) There are many such examples (in fact you point out most of the most poignant ones!)

Absolutely amazing video man. You're killing it this year.

Thank you for creating a beautiful video with excellent production, writing, and retrospection. Each chapter reframed from the ending's frame of mind each moment, each conversation that much more meaningful. This is one of the greatest videos on AOT's core themes and you represented this once-in-a-generation story masterfully.

This is probably the single greatest analysis of this absolute masterpiece as a whole to date. AoT might stand as my favourite piece of media of all time, for a long time. That said, I would freaking LOVE to see you make a video discussing every single criticism you have of it, including the most popular ones from the fandom. Great work once again, take care ^^

Thank you for your insight on this masterpiece. Especially the part where you appreciate Isyama's art work from the manga. Not talked about enough and is arguably the source of why we have this beautiful story in the first place. 👏👏👏 Liked and subbed

What a great and interesting video! Thank you so much for this massive analysis. This video and AOT have me so much to think about and learn from. 🙏🏻❤

Absolutely incredible work here ❤ thank you

i love this analysis great work!

Damn.. Another banger analysis after the Jjk one. It was really great to see such earnest love for Aot throughout the video

You have some excellent insight into this series, thank you for making this!

incredible video man. great analysis

Amazing analysis!! I especially loved the addition of wonderful OSTs from other anime like Made in Abyss and FMA

Great video !! Loved the deep analysis

Super glad someone actually had a constructive and insightful commentary with their intellect on display. Thank you for your analysis! I will be recommending this video to friends who hate the show to see if they actually can have their minds changed

Great video! You really helped me understand Mikasa's character.

What a great video! Also excellent choice in the background tracks! I almost recognized all of them (Always great to hear Penkins work. And the Runescape track was a nice unexpected addition!). Still, I have one final issue with this show that was never resolved. What the heck did Eren saw in the Warhammer Titans memories that made him pause for a minute? No really, in the Anime it seemed like it was something important, but we never got to know what.

Amazing video! I absolutely love how you pointed out that the last look Eren saved for Mikasa, when his head was already cut off, was an experience that his all-knowing power could never rob him of. I have been wondering why Eren couldn't know the action of Mikasa that would bring about the end of the Titan Curse, and your explanation of this detail that i missed finally made everything make sense. Thanks you for the interesting insights. I would also love to hear your critique about the ending too, as I too have my own despite how much I love this ending and the story as a whole.

I'm about halfway through and I'm really enjoying this. Thank you for the hard work.

You’ve scratched the itch in my brain perfectly with this analysis. I just finished the series a few days ago and honestly I was devastated by the ending. It shattered my heart and I felt so deeply for the circumstances surrounding Eren’s death and all the events that led up to it. I couldn’t stop thinking about it and it really provoked some self reflection that led to me having an existential crisis. The conversation between Armin and Zeke particularly stuck with me, because when he said simply running up the hill with Mikasa and Eren was what he felt like he was born to do, it made me realise that the meaning of life is whatever we decide to give meaning to - you do not need to have a grand purpose but you can simply exist in happiness and peace 💕

Truly an amazing in-depth analysis for such a multilayered story! Thank you for your hard work! I'd be very interested to hear your criticisms too, the ones that you said you have at the end of the video so if you ever make a video on them, that'd be highly appreciated, yes!

Great video! Id love the video of the response to the backlash of the ending!

Your videos always inspire me to write my own stories

What an incredible analysis . I pray that is not killed by the algorithm 😅

Magnificent analysis. Thank you from Japan.

It's been a 10 years hell of a ride

I’m so happy people are coming to these same conclusions! Great video!

12:35 i had to rewind that part because i got so distracted by the fact you used a theme from ff14 that i missed a whole minute wondering if i'm going crazy from playing too much 😆 Love your analysis, it's short and precise and you point out all the essential reasons for why the story of AoT is so beloved and successful. Great job!

This is beautiful. Thank you.

Fascinating, this the most distinct AOT analysis, Perfect, just perfect

the endless cycle you could argue about in attack on titan is personally my favorite part of the show. the rest of the world called eldians devils and shoved them onto an island and into camps because they did not feel free under them, then even after eren(and/or ymir) serves them the consequences of their actions through the rumbling and the eldians still save them despite the oppression, they STILL refuse to look at them and see human beings. only eren believed(kind of) the rest of humanity deserved death in exchange for stealing eldia’s freedom, yet after he was killed and stopped by ELDIANS- they barely accept them. you are so right in saying eren was blinded by his rage and ignorance, unable to sense the meaning of actual freedom.

I saw eren carying the boulder as a reference to sysiphus. The whole message of Keep moving forward and also the cyclical nature of aot not only thematically but literally if we presume it is a time loop is much like Sysiphus pushing the boulder. Furthermore Armin's conversation with Zeke reveals a very absurdist and Camus take. Even if it is all pointless and the boulder comes tumbling down the mundane moments and brief windows in time that bring peace are worth repeating the cycles. Eldia fell and humanity is doomed to repeat their mistakes but it also means armin gets to run in the wind forever, and zeke gets to throw that ball forever, and Eren gets to wrap that scarf around mikasa forever.

This is probably the best video i've ever seen on Attack on Titan.

Sorry for another comment but I just got to the end of your video (finally) and I you stole my words: while the conclusion suggests another cycle, but while Ymir was being hunted for death, this kid looks to be coming in as peaceful/relaxed way as possible, just exploring with his dog. Perhaps it isn't doomed to be a continuation of a "cycle of hate/violence"

Beautiful job

This has probably already been said, but the terror that this story strikes in me has always been because I understand it. I know how a world like this could come about and the character's decisions make perfect sense. The fact that I could see this happening in real life if this were real is the most terrifying part of the story. I was rewatching the first episode before I watched this and needed a second opinion on the beauty of this narrative. Thank you for this comprehensive look at everything.

This is a great vid, i also love your pronouncing of these characters names.

Please make that followup video about the conclusion, I would love to see it. Finding this video has been a breath of fresh air after trying to wade the online fandom to find actual discussion about the themes of the show. Thank you!

This was such an amazing video omg. It made me fall in love with aot all over again. Honestly the story is far from perfect bc there's a lot of conditioning factors outside of the creative process, such as edition, format etc. And I think that also acts in detriment of the storytelling process. But over all, omg I really need to rewatch now. Personally, after seeing the last chapter animated I felt much better about the ending, those little changes (especially on Eren and Armin's last conversation) made me feel so much for Eren, which is also incredible since I've never been on his side and never liked him as a person (always admitted it was a great character but never "liked" him) After seeing this video essay now I want to rewatch and focus more on Eren and Mikasa's journey too bc I've always been ignoring them and I think what you said was so ON POINT in hindsight. AHHHH this just revived my hype to a 3000 level!! 🔥🔥🔥🔥 THANK YOU 🙏🏽

Wow nice video. I think I should be taking notes

I loved this video and I really hope you do a video on breaking down some critiques of the ending. I also do not think it’s perfect in the slightest but much of the hate it receives are blinded. Notably saying that Eren’s character was assassinated while the entirety of season 4 has been screaming on how Eren is and has always been the same. Eren didn’t regress bc there wasn’t any progress really. You can’t say his character went backwards when it never moved forward to begin with. He is the most static character and the ending says just that.

Excellent video, for me you've expressed all the ideas wonderfully and I'm glad to see a perspective with which I agree pretty much on everything. Also, your exposition widened my own perspectives, so lots of thanks for that!!! To leave at leas a small attempt of a contribution I'd like to add a tiny piece about the child finding the tree at the very end of the story. Not only they weren't being chased and running away from the insanity of hate like Ymir was, but it seemed to me like their vibe is much more the one of an explorer. They're a child in the forest without adults to guide, but his attitude reminds me of everything you mentioned about Armin's curiosity and his persue to experience the world for himself. So, maybe this final child is some mixture between Mikasa and Armin, symbolically speaking. And maybe this new character with their own new story to tell suggests some type of representation for two thirds of our main trio, which finally reunites with the last third awaiting for them in a whole new context. Happy 2024, everybody!!!! 😁

Attack on Titan holds a special place in my heart. My friend wanted me to watch it when it came out but like everyone else was not telling anyone anything because spoilers. So I proceed to blow his mind by predicting the entire series from just the title.

I just finished watching AoT for the first time and it was nothing short of phenomenal. Love your analysis. By the way, hearing FFXIV Garlemald music in the background made me smile. My favorite game!

yessss i really would like to see the video where you discuss ppl’s criticisms about the ending

great analysis

Phenomenal video

Attack on titan I think is mainly saying that we have to fight even though it may "do nothing" in the longterm. But it does do something, slowly opening the onion, throwing away the layers of suffering, hatred and destruction. The fact that we don't just kill each other, can talk things out, democracies existing and stuff like that prove that our ancestors fights were meaningful. Altough probably they thought it was meaningless to fight as it was tough to see that tiny progress But the snowball keeps rolling

Thank You.

What about the theme of "Sins of the Father"? Hajime Isayama said that it's one of the most important themes in AOT

I never really thought about that relation between Ymir Fritz's desires and the behavior of the pure titans, very interesting. And while it is clear that Armin and Eren seek the outside world for different reasons, I didn't truly appreciate just how self-limiting Eren's perspective of it really is. Whether the obstacle is near (the walls) or far away across the sea, that's all Eren sees. The meaning of the name "Ackermann" and how it relates to Mikasa's character is so cool (not to mention that "acker" sounds similar to an "acre" of land). I should be looking into the names of characters in media more often, because more times than not, a character's name is intentional. Great video!

The highest quality piece of entertainment ever created 🔥

Top tier watch incoming

Good video

Thank you. ☕

42:24 Yup, I was wondering what the hell was going on inside his head.

i heard somewhere that titans eat people because they are looking for a shifter, so they can turn back into a human by eating them

I love this analysis. I think that when you talk about Erens God like status it is reminiscent of the golden compass for me. In the book, Lyra’s father opens up the multiverse because he believes in free will and is in rebellion of God aka Destiny. Mikasa’s love, her ties to the boy she knew, eventually gives Eren his freedom when she kills him. In a way, love is the antithesis to destiny/God. Future and past and pain and nature and nurture and destiny are meaningless in the face of the present moment and the love we feel for those moments. It gives life its meaning. In the golden compass, the father says “Human beings can't see anything without wanting to destroy it. That's original sin. And I'm going to destroy it. Death is going to die.” Bravo my man

I will watch it later,

Great video I hope it gets the love it deserves

Incredible analysis!

18:28 we are the reason those moments exist 😵‍💫🤯😳🥹

letting you know i want you to address the crappy criticisms. liked and subbed

Not sure if this was mentioned, but I've wondered for a while. Is Ymir rebuilding the bodies of titan shifters over and over each time they transform? I think the show said or implied she does but don't remember. also, the attack on titan analysis with Majula theme music combo is awesome.

been waiting on this one 🔥🔥

Regarding the ending, for every fan you please, you'll disappoint another. And usually when you try to please everybody, you please nobody

i am so sad, cus i see myself allways standing on the walls. wanting freedom even with the risk but yet i feel caged from so many human falacies that bedevil us and in this case me to a crippeling degree. I hope i can understand humans sometimes and finde the conversations you point out in the end. but i am neither a Jäger nor n Ackermann i am an engineerr at heart and this seperates me more and more from humans as i go along...

"Eren IS Attack on Titan", I mean, literally, since the Japanese title can also be translated into "the attack titan" which is Eren

Its been 4 months since i watched AOT and ive heard many analysis and many watched many videos of it. This is by far the most insightful and my favorite. Like you bought so many freaking points to the table. No one else realized the dog being the friend while approaching erens tree being symbols of a hopeful future (good part of life). And the golem of prague analogy. The propaganda and shackles of freedom and the benefit of innocent curiosity. I want to add that i find the current israel/palestine in context of ww2 very similar to AOT, especially s4, and ive seen people also look at it the same. But neither them nor I could identify which side reflected who, because eldians seem to be treated very similar to jews (for the 80 years instead of 2000 years), but the walls and key to a lost house symbolism and quest for freedom is very similar to Gazans, but also eren doing the worst to supposed self preservation is very similar to israel--especially with the story of the golem. This video made me realize that isayama merged the 3 parties into one for a reason, to instead highlight the struggles, the motivations, the crimes, the victim becoming the perpretator and the cyclic nature of violence of any modern war. And i think that is a very insightful way to put it. And maybe isayama never took inspiration from the situation, but to me it was very reflective and thought provoking, and it was special to me as it came from a show that was with me for 10 years.

JESUS THAT END OF EVA SCENE MAKE ME CREEPY

YESS PLSS id love to see what your response would be to ending critics! Of course, there are certain parts of the ending that i found partially abrupt or id like to have seen differently, but all in all i am satisfied with the ending! The amount of AOE believers and ANR followers, who have done nothing but cry over “chad eren” being gone, is funny but sad at the same time! They created a whole new image for eren, creating a new visualization of the anime to themselves, that it made them so shocked and upset, when their dreams didn’t come to life. It surprises me how many fans are still hung up on the ending, when it initially came out two whole years ago! It’s about time they actually learn. This entire video was helpful, and as an obsessive Zeke fan, thank you for mentioning him 10 times in this video! This video deserves a lot more likes!

nice FFXIV music on here was a good fit.

Please make another video about things you disagree with. I love your video style and analysis!!

35:45 I feel like a lot of people don’t get that imo

runescape music big w

Could you make a video commentimg on the endings more popular criticisms. This videos was probably the most insightful video I've seen on AOT so i would love to see what you would say.

Incredible watch

i would love a video of you dissecting the ending. i do think isayama is a fantastic writer and was similarly disappointed with the ending, and still kind of am. i think the anime improved upon it a little but i do think the eren we saw talking to armin was a bit of a shift for me. the wording „I dont know maybe im just an idiot“ really stuck out to me, as eren‘s motivation to destroy his enemies was clear from the beginning. i would be very interested to hear your take that eren was always just passively doing what was set in stone from the get go, which to me was always a bit strange

You don’t have to look too far to find an ending that was extremely controversial. 2019 Game of thrones probably blows this out of the park. Even Rise of Skywalker was just as controversial. From a tv show viewer only of AOT I’ve only heard praise and love for the show as a whole

Can u talk about the eyes in bleach universe? why does reio have four, yhwach had two then it changed and became three, mimihagi have one but the other arm (pernida) has two. Can u upload a video telling us why it is different and what does the eyes represent and why yhwach eyes have became three?

Attack on titan is a show like death note it’s a MUST watch.

I thought the anime had a fine ending. I was satisfied. I was honestly mostly drawn to the show by the absolutely mind blowing world building and revelation. It's just so good