Attack On Titan is officially over. And nothing will ever be the same.
When I finished Breaking Bad back in 2019 prior to ever watching anime, if someone told me an anime would be on the same playing field as Breaking Bad and even exceed it at times, I would've told them they were crazy. But in reality, I was the crazy one. This story took me places mentally and emotionally I didn't think I could go.
In this dark and cruel world created by Hajime Isayama, while some things are objectively wrong, there's never a moment where you can definitively say that someone's the good guy or bad guy. Once you see the full picture of the show, it's indescribable to explain the show in the manner of good and bad considering how much everyone's in this dark abyss of a gray area that has no objective answer to whom is in the right or wrong. And that's the beauty of AOT.
Attack On Titan is not meant to be joyous. It's a tragedy. It's an unfair world where everyone at some point is given a dirty hand whether they deserve it or not, and the characters have to try and live with that reality and keep moving forward. Now that doesn't mean that there aren't moments where you as a viewer can feel joyous for your perspective favorite character/side because there likely will be, but when you're no longer told the story through this small microscope, you won't be able to see the show the same.
And that's where the absurd genius of the creator Hajime Isayama comes into play. As much as I love the Vince Gilligan's of the world, David Chase, Peter Gould, Jesse Armstrong, David Simon and honestly any writer of any piece of fiction... no one comes close to the creativity that this man has. Isayama is able to create this large world in these small walls surrounded by humanoid creatures that live to destroy and ruin the human race. But as you continue to watch the show, it's like you're peeling an endless onion that doesn't stop, and constantly makes your eyes water and tear up due to the brutality and the absurdity that this universe subjects you to. It will boggle your mind then tear you to shreds in ways that I've never seen before.
The plot twists are second to none. The heartbreak will shatter you to pieces. The betrayals will leave you speechless. The world building will make everything before seem small. And the clashes of different ideals will leave you wondering how you could even pick a side. I could go on all day but to put it simply, the unique story in itself is what brings this all together. And that's not even mentioning things like the voice acting, music, animation, esc. Which are all top tier.
This isn't an anime. This isn't a TV show. This is a fictional masterpiece. And I'm honored and blessed to say that I got to live to see the day where I'd witness the end of it. Thank you, Hajime Isayama. And see you later, AOT.
