It’s been four long years, but the wait is finally over! Hajime Isayama’s Attack on Titan is back for its second season! Does the hype from the original continue? Does the theme song inspire an over-saturation of epic parodies? Let’s dig into Episode 26 and find out!
First Episode Impressions
It’s odd to call this the “first episode” because while, yes, it is technically the first episode of the second season, they branded this as Episode 26 to show that it is a continuation of the first season. Honestly, I prefer it so much more like this because if there is one thing my OCD loves… it’s continuity!
The one thing I disagreed with was the recap at the beginning of the show. I know one could make the argument that it’s been four years and people need a refresher, but they had a few animated movies which already took care of the recap. Seriously, if people are watching Attack on Titan season two, that means they’ve already seen season one; and if they are really big fans, they’ve already seen the movies which recapped the first 25 episodes.
The other issue stems from the fact that they branded this as Episode 26. If you’re treating this as a continuation, doing a recap looks weird to someone who will marathon all 36 episodes once this season finishes. It may cause someone to wonder why there’s a recap rather than a fluid transition. Honestly though, that was the only qualm I had about this episode.
The rest of the episode delivered everything one would expect from Attack on Titan. You get reintroduced to the characters, you get re-acclimated to their voices after repeatedly watching the first episode of Abridged from Team Four Star over and over again for four years, another wall gets broken down by the titans and you end the episode on the introduction of a new titan: The Beast Titan… who can talk!
Okay, I already know who the beast titan is because I do read the manga so it was a bit hard for me to buy into the mystery of it all, but I still really enjoyed how they handled its introduction. Non-manga readers, like Uzumaki Khan, had absolutely amazing reactions to it and I’m sure that’s what Wit Studio was going for. Since I already knew the beast titan talked, it didn’t surprise me at all. Instead, I was filled with a sense of satisfaction that they adapted the manga pretty well here.
Overall, this was a VERY solid return episode of Attack on Titan and the only question is that with twelve episodes, where are they going to stop? I’m betting it’ll be with the Armored Titan and Colossal Titan’s identities being revealed.
OP & ED Impressions
Linked Horizon and REVO return to provide the opening theme song. “Shinzou wo Sasageyo” is the theme this time around and, honestly, it doesn’t really amp me up at all. It does have REVO’s classic style to it, but I would rank this song as number three behind “Guren no Yumia” and “Jiyuu no Tsubasa.” I’m the odd man out who liked the second opening theme more than the first. The third opening theme just falls flat in terms of quality. There are several points in the song where it seems like it is ramping up to something epic, only to pull back on the reigns. It had potential, but I think it was wasted. Maybe the full version will be better, but then again, the recording quality of the first two songs was atrocious so there’s that barrier we’ll have to hurdle as well.
The ending theme is “Yuugure no Tori” by Shinsei Kamattechan and… eh… it’s a mixed bag for me. The song sounds a bit on the creepy side and it definitely seems like it’s going to be a love it or hate it type of song. I’m going to have to listen to it a few times to see if it grows on me, but since I’m basing these impressions off of the first listen only, I can’t say whether I like it or hate it. It’s just different.
Worth Watching?
YES – If you are a fan of Attack on Titan, this is a must watch show! If you haven’t seen Attack on Titan, you really should watch the first season. The first season ended before I joined The Outerhaven so I do not have a review of it; however, when the second season ends, I will review all 36 episodes as a consolation! Toonami will be airing the second season starting on April 22. It was originally slated for April 29, but got bumped up a week completely negating this news post. That still gives new fans about two weeks to marathon the first season before diving into the second season. Of course, there are “alternative methods” of acquiring the second season if you don’t wish to wait that long, but we here do not condone such methods. If you don’t want to wait… Crunchyroll and FUNimation have it available for streaming so go check those sites out, but just be warned that both sites have the new episodes behind their pay wall.
