As fans around the world prepare to say goodbye to in Attack on Titan in Anime form, the final volume of the Manga released in June 2021

 

It’s hard to believe almost 10 years after Hajime Isayama’s Attack on Titan took the world by storm we are at the end.

The final episode of this iconic series is set to air later this week though as I noted, the final manga was released in June 2021. Several years before that–a few years before Season 2 was in production–Isayama famously shared with the world what the final panel would be:

 

 

Translated the person–who is later revealed to be Eren Yaeger–says “Now, you are free”.

This is a MAJOR SPOILER to anyone who hasn’t read the Manga but after Eren uses the horde of titans from Paradis Island to bring mankind to the verge of extinction, Mikasa decapitates Eren. Not before he confesses his love to her that is. Yes, really. Since Eren was the current Founding Titan, when he died all Eldians became normal humans. Those who could become Titans at will lost their powers as well.

Mind you, this is after it’s revealed Ymir, the original Founding Titan was in love with King Fritz centuries ago. He not only mistreated her but it’s implied all three of the daughters she had with him were conceived from rape. In the end, Ymir is brutally murdered in a fit of rage after King Fritz is overthrown. The name of Ymir’s daughters? Rose, Maria and Sina. If those names sound familiar, they’re also the names of the walls of the City of Shiganshina on Paradis Island.

After Ymir was killed, her daughters are in turn used for breeding. After a few centuries, hundreds of thousands if not millions of people–referred to as Eldians–exist across the world. All with the ability to transform into titans. They are largely feared and hated by the world for this reason. They’re largely treated the same way Jews were in 1930s Germany before the Holocaust (I assume Isayama didn’t want to go THAT far with the parallels).

 

All that said. This OP stands as a pop culture icon not just in Japan but globally:

Linked Horizon earned a spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for this song alone. No question. As soon as you hear that “Sie sind das Essen und wir sind die Jaeger!” (German for “You are the food and we are the hunters!”) at the beginning, you know you’re in for something special. While unintended, I’ve heard this song and the first Season of AoT got some people to enlist in the military. Not just in Japan but around the world.

 

While Guren no Yamiya helps lay out the grim and largely futile human resistance against the Titans on Paradis Island, SiM’s The Rumbling helps set the stage for the apocalyptic destruction unleashed by Eren Yaeger.

I’m gonna back up a bit and recap some stuff for those who may not have watched Seasons 2 and 3 in particular. In Season 2, The Survey Corps learns with certainty they are not the last of humanity on the planet. In fact, there are millions if not billions of people beyond their  shores. It turns out the ruling power in Shiganshina tightly controlled the spread of knowledge and information among the population. Anyone who got too close to the truth disappeared. This was to slow the development of technology as much as possible but more importantly, keep the people ignorant of the existance of people beyond their shores. The roving Titans on the island were an additional measure for population control. It wasn’t until about 100 years before the start of the series that the military created the ODM Gear, making it possible for Eldians to fight and kill Titans for the first time.

One of the biggest plot points of Season 1 was what secrets Eren’s father hid in the basement of their home. All we know in a flashback is Eren’s Dad takes him somewhere and injects him with something. He leaves Eren with the key to their basement and urges him to go there. Then he’s never seen or heard from again. It’s later revealed Grisha Yaeger is originally from the mainland. Born in an Eldian slum, as a child Grisha and his little sister sister wandered into a part of time they’re not allowed into. Grisha makes it back hom but his sister is never seen alive again. Apparently she was mauled to death by guard dogs. Most Eldians viewed their treatment at the hands of others as justified because of their ability to spontaneously turn into a Titan. Some like Grisha felt otherwise.

When he got older, Grisha got involved in an underground anti-Marley movement. He married an aristocrat and they had his first son, Zeke. Grisha made the mistake of telling Zeke about the movement he and his wife were involved in to Zeke who in turn alerted the authorities. They were taken away to be exiled…as Titans on Paradis Island. As an aside. In a bizarre irony, Grisha’s first wife Dina eats his second wife Carla. Eldians do not age while in Titan form on that note. Grisha himself is saved by an insider who reveals he is a mole and has chosen him to succeed him as the Attack Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin). Yes, that’s also the name of the series.

When Grisha goes to Shiganshina, he claims to have amnesia and the military is astonished to have encountered someone from beyond the city. Grisha is equally amazed to learn the military is fighting Titans. It’s shortly after his arrival that Grisha meets Carla. They marry, have Eren and later adopt Mikasa. During the Titan attack back in Season 1 Episode 1, Grisha pays the king a visit and urges him to use The Rumbling to wipe out their enemies on the mainland. When the king refuses, Grisha turns into a Titan and devours him, gaining the power of the Founding Titan. Since he is not of royal descent himself, he is not able to use the Founding Titan’s power. After later finding Eren, Grisha injects him with Titan spinal fluid. Eren immediately transforms and eats Grisha, gaining the Attack Titan and Founding Titan’s powers. We didn’t know it at the time but Eren’s second-ever on-screen transformation  was actually that of the Founding Titan.

A few years before the series started, a team of Warriors led by Reiner (Armor Titan), Annie (Female Titan) and Bertoldt (Colossal Titan) infiltrated Paradis Island and Shiganshina with the express purpose of finding and stealing the Founding Titan’s power. By this point, The Marley Empire already controlled seven of the remaining Nine Titans. All except the Founding Titan held by the king of Paradis Island and the Attack Titan which was possessed by Grisha. The families that controlled the other Titans selected an Eldian to inherit the power every 13 years. Any Eldian could become a Titan but there were only two ways to pass on the power of The Nine: An injection of the host’s spinal fluid or someone in Titan form eating the host. For example, Armin inherited the Colossal Titan’s power when he ate Bertoldt after being turned into a Titan. Eren gained the War Hammer Titan’s power when he ate the host while in Titan form.

Annie was revealed to be the Female Titan in Season 1. Reiner and Bertoldt are revealed to be the Armored and Colossal Titans respectively in Season 3. Due to the Colossal Titan’s size and the MASSIVE explosion the transformation sets off, this is why we’ve only seen the transformation a few times compared to others. A cool fun fact about the Armored Titan is it’s modeled after UFC Hall of Famer and WWE Superstar Brock Lesnar.

 

All that said. It’s revealed at the end of Season 2 Krista Lenz, a minor character to that point is really the last surviving member of the royal family and has a legit claim to the throne. Conceived from an affair, her father arranged for her to live as a commoner provided she keep her true identity a secret. When the Survey Corps learns her true identity–Historia Reiss–they also realize the government was pulling out all the stops to keep the fact their country had no leader a secret for a while. After deposing the Usurpers, Historia is installed as Queen. Her first order is to direct the Survey Corps to recover the secrets in the Yaeger Family’s home. That sets the stage for the Survey Corps’ showdown with the Beast Titan (later revealed to be Zeke), Bertoldt and Reiner.

Commander Erwin sacrifices himself and most of the Survey Corps to create an opening for Levi–last name later revealed to be Ackerman–to take down the Beast Titan and cut out the human inside. Later, after the Survey Corps learns of Grisha’s past preparations are made to travel across the sea. Now that the people of Paradis Island are aware they are not the only people left in the world, they prepare to take the fight to the Marley Empire for their role in recent Titan incidents they’ve been dealing with. Historia decides to get pregnant primarily to protect herself from being used in a power struggle. The identity of the father of her child is never revealed but the prevailing fan theory is it’s likely Eren’s child.

It’s after learning about Marley and his father’s past that Eren’s personality noticably changes. It’s as if a switch in his mind was flipped. In reality, long-supressed memories from not just his past but his father’s and Ymir’s past awakened. When the Survey Corps infiltrates Marley to gather intelligence ahead of a planned aerial bombing, Eren poses as a wounded veteran with amnesia. By chance, he’s given the opportunity to see Reiner who’s been dealing with PTSD ever since he returned from Paradis Island. When the survey corps launches its suprise attack on multiple fronts, Eren takes on the War Hammer Titan and ultimately succeeds in taking its power while the others keep the Beast, Cart, Jaw and Armor Titans–all alligned with Marley–busy.

Marley launches a retaliatory offensive on Paradis Island hoping to take out Eren but he’s five steps ahead of not just Marley but the Survey Corps. During the flight back from Marley, Eren has a chat with his half-brother Zeke Yaeger. Everyone was worried Zeke would persuade Eren to join forces with him but what no one anticipated was Eren overpowering Zeke in a battle of wills, allowing him to fully use the Founding Titan’s power . Eren then sets off The Rumbling and departs to wipe out everyone not on Paradis Island.

 

 

In the two years since the final volume of the Manga dropped, Isayama took fan reception to the ending pretty hard to say the least. He actually held a press conference in early 2022 in which he apologized to the world for “disappointing the fans”. As a writer and aspiring author myself, the provoked me to anger. More so these days, “passionate fans” who think they know a fictional world as well as and in a growing number of better than the creator(s) get real toxic online with their language and rhetoric towards the creator and their product.

One thing ANY content creator online and otherwise will tell you is when someone tells you “this sucks” (or something similar), it’s hard NOT to take it personal. It’s hard not be feel some kind of way after a project you dedicated hundreds of hours, many sleepless nights and missing time with loved ones just to create a product for countless people you’ll never see or meet in person because you like what you do THAT much…only to see the vocal minority say they didn’t like it. All that time and hard work invested only for the loudest voices you hear being people who call it “garbage”, “lacking” or something similar.

This brings me back to Isayama’s “apology” over AoT’s ending. To me, that set a very dangeros precident for inexperienced, new and aspiring content creators in particular out there. Now, many new content creators are going to think twice about what they include in the finished product. I’m sure most will just have at least two versions of the finished product: The public/commercial version and their version. It’s disappointing to know because of toxic fanbases, content creators will now be feeling pressured to make content that caters to only what the vocal minority wants to see.  I’ve noticed this on a few websites 20 years ago and now that this kind of “practice” has gone mainstream, certain legal and copyright questions will now need to be asked but that’s a topic for another time and a different blog.

All that said. In an interview earlier this year, Isayama revealed he was “influenced” by the Anime and now understands a lot of the criticism over the Manga’s anticlimatic ending. He said he plans to revise ending in a way that portrays Eren in a more positive light. Given the ending to the Anime has not yet aired as of this writing, that raises the very obvious question of weather or not the anime’s ending will be changed from the Manga’s. Fan speculation is anime fans will see a different ending from the manga so we’ll see. Isayama likely greenlit a different ending by now and assuming he did, it would explain why we had to wait so long for the ending and why it’s going to be 90 minutes long.

We’ll find out for sure when the series finale of Attack on Titan drops sometime this week!

 

 

 

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Eren Jaeger takes power of the War Hammer Titan in Episode 66

 

Episode 66 not only had non-stop action from start to finish but it left you wanting episode 67 NOW. Episode 65 ended with The War Hammer Titan seemingly forcing Eren into a stalemate. Episode 66 makes it clear that this is NOT the same Eren Jaeger you knew from the end of Season 1. This Eren is older and much more calculating than the one we knew at the beginning of Season 3.

When the Beast, Cart and Jaw Titans enter the battle, it looks like the tables have been turned on Eren and the Survey Corps. The Marleyian Forces are shocked and horrified to see the Survey Corps, which has been hunting Titans on Paradis Island for generations fearlessly taking on their Titans directly. Levi gives a long-owed receipt to the Beast Titan, dropping him like a bad habit out of nowhere. Jean and Sasha pin down the Cart Titan and she ends up being severely injured.

Then, our boy Armin debutes the Colossal Titan with a bang. Literally.

 

His line after emerging from the Titan form he took from Bertoldt at the end of Season 3 sums it up: “Is this how it felt for you, Bertoldt?” For those who need a reminder, when the Colossal Titan transforms it’s basically a nuclear explosion that gets set off. This is why Armin transformed off the cost on a raft–a transformation that wiped out the Marleyan Fleet rushing to provide backup–because if he didn’t, he probably would’ve instantly killed thousands of people in the city.

He didn’t do anything beyond that and he didn’t need to. The Marleyan Army now knows Paradis Island has two Titans and they know how to use them. Commander Hange later tells Armin he seems to have become more like her predecessor, Erwin Smith. He shrugs it off, saying he hopes to be a little like their former leader. Meanwhile, Eren patiently tries everything he can think of to take the War Hammer. The owner of the War Hammer crystallized herself like Annie, the Female Titan did.

Prior to Armin’s entrance, the Marleyan Army was sure they had Eren cornered. After his arrival, this gve Eren the space to focus on taking the War Hammer’s power. “If you had anything left, you would have done something by now.” he remarks before freeing himself and transforming again. “Me, on the other hand…I’ve got plenty of strength left.” When the Jaw Titan breaches his own Hardening, Eren figures it out: He grabs the Jaw Titan, tears off his limbs and then uses the Jaw Titan as a giant nutcracker above his head to devour the War Hammer Titan’s powers. He gets interrupted before he can finish off the Jaw Titan by the arrival of Reiner, the Armored Titan.

The preview for Episode 67 announces the Armor Titan falls which is a fair assumption: Reiner told Eren he basically had a death wish so…yeah. Assuming Eren takes the Armor Titan’s power next, he will have four Titan powers (Founder, Attack, War Hammer and Armor). The status of the Cart and Jaw Titans is currently unknown but both are critically injured. We also do not have confirmation Levi actually killed Zeke yet. Excluding Armin (Colossal) and Annie (Female), all of the Nine Titans are now accounted for. All but the Female Titan, who is crystallized are in the same place right now too. Things should get real interesting.

 

 

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Attack on Titan’s Final Season: The Story So Far

 

All good things must come to an end. The above screenshot from the very first episode will go down as one of the most iconic moments in Anime history.

A lot has happened in in the almost 10 years since then. The Manga turned Anime spawned a spinoff Manga + Anime (Attack on Titan Junior High), several prequel manga series, two live-action movies and a number of video games. Like most Manga adaptations, the Anime was put on hiatus for a few years to allow the Manga to progress enough for the story to be adapted. I have the first 20 Volumes of the Manga and do plan to eventually finish collecting the entire Manga series once I am financially stable again.

For those who have only watched the Anime or may not have watched past the first season, you may not know a lot of the backstory that’s been revealed already. You may also be a little confused if you started watching the final season to find the focus is not on Eren Jaeger or what’s going on with the Survey Corps. The story has shifted to Marley, where the history of the Titans began.

Here’s a recap of the larger story to now:

• Sometime in the past before the start of the series, a woman named Ymir Fritz awakened as the First Titan though no one knows how or why. She founded the Eldian Empire. Those of Eldian blood were granted the ability to transform into Titans. Those with Eldian blood were also known a Subjects of Ymir. Ymir used the power of the Titans to subjegate the entire continent. Eldians forced others to have children with them to increase the number of Subjects of Ymir. This can be detected with a blood test.
• 13 years after awakening to Titan Power, Ymir died. Her power was then split into nine successors who are known Simply as the Nine Titans: Founding Titan, Attack Titan, Colossal Titan, Jaw Titan, Cart Titan, Beast Titan, War Hammer Titan, Female Titan and Armored Titan.
• Like Ymir, these Nine Titans can only live for 13 years after receiving their unique Titan power. Zeke Yaeger, who is the current Beast Titan is known to have one year left to live. Its known as the Curse of Ymir. When one of the Nine Titans dies before passing on their Titan Power it is randomly given to a newborn baby with Eldian blood regardless of status, distance or class.
• The Nine Titans are different from Pure Titans in that they retain their human intelligence. The Pure Titans are the ones you’re most familiar with: Mindless, man-eating monsters. All with Eldian Blood are capable of becoming a Pure Titan after being injected with Titan Serum, which is spinal fluid from a Titan. Abnormals are in between Pure Titans and the Nine Titans in which they retain some of their human intelligence after they have transformed.
• The Great Titan War was an earth-shattering conflict between the Nine Titans in the past. The conflict abruptly ended when King Reiss–ancestor of the Reiss Royal Family–who possessed the Founding Titan moved the capital of the Eldian Empire to Paradis Island where the first three seasons took place. He erected the Three Walls using Titans and warned the mainland to stay away or he will use the Titans to “Flatten the Earth”. The King then used the power of The Founding Titan to erase the memories of everyone in the Walled City of the outside world.
• After King Reiss withdrew to Paradis Island, Marley–a territory once conquered by the Eldian Empire–saw their chance and not only regained their lost territory but most of the Eldian Empire on the mainland. They also managed to take Seven of the Nine Titans from the Eldians.
• Having regained control of the continent, the Marleyans forced the Eldians to live in Internment Zones. One of them was in the city of Liberio where Grisha Yeager–Eren and Zeke Yeager’s father–grew up. As a child, Grisha’s younger sister Fay was killed by Marleyan Military Police when they were caught tresspassing outside the Internment Zone. Grisha’s father then revealed to him the history of their people and why they are so hated and feared by the Marleyans.
• When he grew up and became a doctor, Grisha met a man who confirmed for him what he always suspected and that was his sister had been killed and her murder covered up. Grisha then decides to join the Restorationists, a faction of Eldians in Liberio who wanted to restore Eldia as a world power. Grisha married into the Fritz family and had a son named Zeke, who would later become the Beast Titan.
• Around this time, Grisha learned the Marleyans were recruiting children to be given the power of the Seven Titans they controlled to send them to Paradis Island. Their goal was to take The Founding Titan’s power to further enhance their military strength. Grisha planned to send Zeke as a mole to Paradis Island but after he told Zeke of his plans, Zeke exposed the Restorationists to the Marleyan Military.
• Grisha, his wife and some of the Restorationists are taken to Paradis Island where they are transformed into Pure Titans one by one. Grisha pleads for them soldiers to let his wife, who has royal blood go but his pleas fall on deaf ears. The cruel irony is Grisha’s second wife is devoured by his first in Titan form many years later.
• Before Grisha can be killed, Eren Krueger–a mole disguised as a soldier–steps in and saves his life. He then transforms into the Attack Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin) and lays waste to the Marleyan soldiers, artillery and the steamboat that brought them to the island.
• Krueger decides to pass on the power of the Attack Titan to Grisha, explaining the 13-year rule to him at the same time: Ymir died 13 years afrer gaining her Titan Powers. So too do the Nine Titans die 13 years after gaining their Titan Power. In Krueger’s case, he was in his final year. He killed countless Eldians to keep his cover intact including Grisha’s sister. He felt it only fitting Grisha be entrusted with the next phase: Infiltrating the walled city on Paradis Island, gaining the Founding Titan’s power and using it to ultimately help restore the Eldian Empire.
• When Grisha arrives outside the Walled City, he is discovered by the Scout Regiment and claims to have amnesia. He is imprisoned and later freed. Shortly after beginning work as a doctor in a hospital, he meets his second wife Carla. They marry and have Eren a few years later.
• When the Titans invade Shiganshina at the beginning of the series, Grisha rushes to the Reiss Family Chapel where he reveals his is an Eldian and begs Freida Reiss to use the Founding Titan’s power to stop the marauding Titans. She refuses and so Grisha transforms into the Attack Titan. Frieda transforms to fight him but he easily overpowers her and devours her, gaining the power of the Founding Titan. He then goes on to kill everyone else present except Rod Reiss (Historia/Krista Lenz’ father) who escapes.
• Remember that flashback scene of Grisha injecting Eren with Titan Serum? Right after that, Eren transformed into a Titan for the first time and devoured his father, gaining the powers of both the Attack Titan and the Founding Titan.

 

…Whew.

When Season 3 ended, the Scout Regiment–having learned the truth about their world and the past–were preparing to invade the mainland. Four years have now passed and as of this week, an older and taller Erin Yeager has been revealed as having infiltrated Marley while disguised as an injured soldier.

For those who may be wondering, the reason the story shifted to the mainland when the season began is because the story of the Walled City on Paradis Island is now over. The cover image for the final season shows Reiner, who barely escaped Paradis Island with his life facing Eren in Titan form in a Marleyan city.

Before I forget. We have seen only Eight of the Nine Titans over the course of the series so far. The only one that hasn’t been revealed yet is the War Hammer Titan. It’s currently possessed by a member of the Tybur family in Marley though Zeke recently got them to agree to bring the War Hammer Titan to Paradis Island in an effort to gain the power of the Founding Titan.

Armin inherited the power of the Colossal Titan at the end of Season 3 and we have yet to see how his Titan form looks. Porco Galliard–the brother of Marco Galliard–gained the power of the Jaw Titan from Krista’s friend Ymir when she decided to return to Marley in Season 2. Ymir unexpectedly gained the power of the Jaw Titan by eating Marco when she was roaming Paradis Island as a Pure Titan. Everyone else gained their powers in a controlled process for the most part.

Why is everyone after the Founding Titan’s power, which is currently possessed by Eren Jaeger? Because it is the “Coordinate” from which all paths originate. The Founding Titan has two abilities: Memory Manipulation and controlling other Titans. It’s not yet known if Zeke knows Eren posseses the power of both the Attack Titan and the Founding Titan but it’s unlikely.

Remember: The first king of the Walled City use the Founding Titan’s power to erase the memories of everyone in the city. As subjects of Ymir, Eldians are basically Titans in Human form. So, memory manipulation is not all that hard to believe. With that in mind, it’s not hard to understand why Marley would want that power for themselves or why the Restorationists want it too. The Eldians want to regain their former glory so…yeah.

 

This is the final season of the Anime and it’s sure to be a must watch. Before I forget, you can legally watch the final season of Attack on Titan in the U.S. on Crunchyroll and Funimation.

 

 

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Anime updates for Attack on Titan, Black Clover and The Rising of the Shield Hero

 

…The 6 month wait was worth it. I’ll just put it like that.

A few weeks after Historia Reiss–introduced as Krista Lenz–assumed her true indentity and is is crowned Queen, the reformed Scout Regiment finally returns to Shiganshina District to find out what secrets Erin’s father has kept stashed in the basement of the Yaeger family home. The Beast Titan, who recruited The Armored Titan (Reiner) and the Colossal Titan (Bertoldt) makes his move. As both sides clash, the prizes are two: Erin Yaeger and whatever vital secrets his father kept in the basement of their home.

Just like the first Season, there is a high human body count.

Hange’s Squad and Armin’s Squad–yes, Armin is given command of soldiers–clash with Reiner and Bertoldt in their Titan forms. Reiner is taken down thanks to the Thunder Spears developed specifically to pierce his Titan form’s armored hide. Seeing Reiner fall, Bertoldt transforms and wipes out Hange’s Squad save Hange herself. Armin sacrifices himself to buy Eren the time he needs to deal the decisive blow.

Meanwhile, The Beast Titan wipes out The Scout Regiment with volleys of boulders. Commander Erwin sacrifices himself and the remnants of The Regiment to buy Levi time to take down the Beast Titan. he succeeds in forcing out The Beast Titan’s true form but is unable to finish the job. It’s revealed in this week’s episode Commander Ervin brought a vial of Titan Serum and left it to Levi to decide who to use it on. Everyone knew almost everyone would likely be killed so the plan was for the titan serum to be used on a soldier close to death. That soldier would then eat Reiner or Bertoldt to gain their Titan form.

Levi arrives after Eren recovers Bertoldt and Armin’s bodies. Armin is barely alive and Eren urges him to use the Titan Serum to save his life. He’s about to inject Armin when another soldier brings Commander Erwin–who’s barely alive–to be revived. Levi makes the call to use it on Erwin despite Eren and Mikasa’s protests. Before he can, Erwin knocks his hand away as if to reject the chance to live again. Levi, who knows the commander better than anyone decides to honor the unspoken request and uses the Titan Serum on Armin. Erwin dies shortly afterward.

In the previous episode, Commander Erwin bet everything on Levi getting the job done. He literally led most of the regiment to their deaths to buy Levi time to turn the situation around. Levi didn’t finish the job but now the surviving soldiers firmly hold the advantage for now. They still have Eren, Armin now has the Colossal Titan’s powers and in the next episode, we’ll find out what secrets Eren’s father has in their basement.

Next week’s episode is a much watch!

…Whew.

Did you know this Anime was originally going to be only 48 episodes?

The Royal Knights Exam Arc wrapped three weeks ago. On next week’s episode, we will find out who made the cut for the Royal Knights Squad. This special squad made up of Magic Knights for all 9 existing Squads will take the fight to The Eye of the Midnight Sun. It goes without saying Asta and Yuno both made the cut. We’ll have to wait and see for everyone else.

This week’s episode and last week’s episode reveals the interesting backstory of how Yami and William Vangeance first became friendly rivals. They were originally squadmates. Yami wraps up this story from presumably a few years back with the two being named captains by The Wizard King after completing an important mission. Vangeance founds the Golden Dawn while Yami founds the Black Bulls.

Julius Novachrono is doing much to bridge the divide between Commoners, Nobles and Royals within the Magic Knights. Asta and Yuno came from nothing and are considered key assets in their respective squads. The next Arc is sure to be interesting.

 

 

For the first time since the first episode, the Four Heroes stood together.

Naofumi finally worked things out with the other Heroes, had his name cleared and his reputation restored thanks to the Queen of Meldromarc personally getting involved. Naofumi may have made up with the other threee Heroes but he sill plans to do his own thing. The difference is now he’s no longer a marked man and can freely travel the country.

When you think of everything this man went through since being teleported there, it’s been a long time coming.

 

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Attack on Titan set to end in 2019; The story so far

 

…It’s hard to believe it’s only been 5 years since Attack on Titan/Shingeki no Kyojin burst onto the scene and became a GLOBAL Phenomenon out the gate. Five years after it began, series creator Hajime Isayama (Also had a part in Death Note) announced over the summer during an interview the iconic series will end next year.

 

He allowed cameras to capture him drawing what will be the final panel of the series:

The dialogue bubble says “You are free.” No context was given, presumably on purpose. The two leading theories from fans are it’s either Eren and his daughter or an unknown pair many years later.

As I mentioned in my previous post, Season 3 of the Anime is taking a 6-month hiatus and will resume in April 2019. The reason given is so that action scenes in the second half of the season can be properly done right but this may be the other reason: To give time for the Manga to wrap up. I have the Manga volumes up to 20 but plan to get the rest up to present once I have income again.

It is worth noting the Live Action movies did use plot elements from the Manga that hadn’t been approached yet. I’m specifically talking about the origins of the Titans and how the world was before the walled kingdom. The timeline including the events of the prequel Before the Fall series seems to be a few hundred years from the present. Researchers develop what we know as the Titan Serum, a special cocktail that will cause the person injected with it into a Titan. The first Titans unleashed on the world wiped out whole nations single-handedly and in fact, 80% of the world’s knowledge was lost shortly afterward.

Most of the world’s survivor erected the walled city and hid from the Titans inside. As we know, there WERE other humans who lived outside but due to the country’s strict control of information and knowledge, those who lived within were ignorant of the world beyond the walls. If anyone knew how to kill a Titan before, that knowledge was lost by the time the Before the Fall series begins. The series takes place 100 years before the start of AoT and the Omni-Directional Movement Gear (ODM Gear for short) is introduced for the first time. The first known successful Titan kill is recorded during that time as well.

Anyone who knows the series knows a Titan’s one weak point is the nape of the neck. Using paring blades with the ODM Gear, humans could now kill Titans by attacking thir weak point. The main series seems pretty straightforward but then a curveball is thrown when it is revealed Eren and other humans have the power to turn into Titans at will. Even worse, there are traitors among them. In ousting the traitors, the Survey Corps becomes aware of a closely guarded conspiracy going back many generations within the government and both Erin and Krista are key.

It’s revealed Krista is really Historia, the illegitimate daughter of the last remaining member of the royal bloodline. To protect her life, her father arranged for her to live under an assumed name but times have changed. In the end, Historia decides to turn on her father and decide her own life on her own terms. She backs the military-led coup de tat and inadvertently ends up cutting down her father after he turns into a gian Titan. This allows the military to present their new Queen to the people as a Hero.

It’s revealed along the way that Mikasa, Levi and he man who raised him named Kenny are all from the Ackerman Clan. Their clan is one of two who are immune to the power of the royal family’s bloodline. By the time AOT begins, the three named people are the only known members of the Ackerman Clan still alive. Mikasa’s mother was a member of the clan but she along with Mikasa’s father were both killed by bandits. She was taken in by the Jaeger family after the incident. Levi was raised and trained by Kenny, who kept their shared heritage a secret out of convenience. Yes, his full name is Levi Ackerman. He had no clue until Kenny told him in the end. With Kenny dead (cue South Park reference lol) that leaves Mikasa and Levi as the sole known members of the Ackerman Clan left alive. The rest were killed off or went into hiding (which Mikasa’s mother did).

I am not up to date on where the story currently is–not yet anyway–but I do plan to own all the volumes of the Manga. I have plenty of space on my bookshelves. I do feel that AOT will be remembered as one of the most engaging anime ever. Its global reach goes without saying. I do remember hearing a few years back that Marvel approached Isayama about doing an AOT crossover. On that note, the spinoff series Attack on Titan Junior High was done with his blessing (Unlike in the US, Fan Fiction is protected in Japan and more so when you have the original author’s permission).

I can say for sure Attack on Titan is on my top 10-all time Anime list. I’m sure it is for alot of folks. It’s certainly one to remember!

 

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Happy Mother’s Day to All Mommy’s Review

 

Since today is Mother’s day I thought i would do a review on 6 anime mothers.

 

First we have Ryouko Fueguchi from Tokyo Ghoul.

Ryouko was Hinami’s mother. Ryouko was a gentle woman, and though a ghoul, she preferred not to hunt or kill people. She loved her daughter, to the point where she told Hinami to run away so that Ryouko could stand up against Kureo Mado. Before the moment of her death, she wished for Hinami to live. As a result after Ryouko died Kaneki kinda became a big brother to Hinami. Kaneki however covered Hinami’s eyes so she wouldn’t see what happened to her mother.

In my opinion i would so totally do this for my own children. Ryouko sacrificed herself for her daughter so her daughter would keep living. I think any mother should want to do that.

 

Next we have Kushina Uzumaki from Naruto.

More than anything, Kushina wanted to protect her newborn son Naruto. This was why she first objected to Minato’s decision to seal the Nine-Tails into him. She did not want to impose the hardships that jinchūriki had to endure during their lives, and moreover did not want to leave her son an orphan should Minato carry out his plan which would also cost him his life and as such, Kushina wanted to sacrifice her own life and reseal the beast into herself. Ultimately agreeing to Minato’s plan which would also protect their village, Kushina imparted her final words to Naruto by which he should live.

I myself think a lot of the mothers who will sacrifice themselves for there children. I know today is mother’s day but i think we should also remember the mother’s who have sacrificed themselves for there children.

 

Next is Carla Yeager from Attack on Titan.

Carla Yeager also translated as Kalura Yeager was the mother of Eren Yeager and the adoptive mother of Mikasa Ackerman. Carla had been known to be protective of her family, enough to put them before herself when Eren and Mikasa were in potential danger for attempting to rescue her. However, once her children left earshot, she whispered that she did not want them to leave her alone to die and continued crying until she died.

Now I must say that Carla did what most mom’s would do but also in this anime you kinda see it coming when she gets picked up and eaten. I can say i might have cried a bit with this scene but not a lot.

 

Next is Hana Kirisaki from Nisekoi.

Hana Kirisaki is a world renowned business consultant who keeps much of the world’s finances in balance, she is the mother of Chitoge Kirisaki. Hana is generally fearsome and isn’t afraid to speak out her mind. (kinda like myself.)

I don’t really have a lot to say about her but she is a very hard working mom. But Hana still retains her caring nature albeit to a lesser extent as shown when she constantly fails to give her gifts to Chitoge. So to me i think she is a real busy body person but she still cares for her family a lot.

 

Next we have Sanae Furukawa from Clannad.

Sanae is the wife of Akio Furukawa (who runs a bakery named Furukawa Bread with) and is the mother of Nagisa Furukawa. Normally she’s very childish and a cry-baby, especially when someone insults her bread but when needed, she can be very strong-willed and dependable. ( I can be a few of these myself lol). One of the series’ frequent gags consists of Akio making a negative comment on Sanae’s bread while unaware of her presence, causing her to run off with tears in her eyes, and Akio stuffing his mouth with her bread and saying he loves it, as he chases behind her ( This just sounds like something my husband would do to me.).  She’s also quite proud of the way people often mistake her for Nagisa’s older sister because of her youthful appearance.

Sanae plays a larger role in the After Story arc, often coming to Tomoya’s aid when Nagisa is ill and needs to be accompanied, especially during Nagisa’s pregnancy.  Well I don’t want to spoil too much for you so i will stop here.

I tend to be a lot like Sanae as well. When my kids are sick or cooking myself, I tend to get hurt if someone criticizes my food or doesn’t eat it. When any of my family is sick i will drop everything just to help them.

 

And our Final Mom is Yasuko Takasu from Toradora.

Yasuko is Ryuuji’s thirty-three-year-old mother, though she refers to herself as eternally twenty-three. Though she tells Ryuuji his father died before he was born, the truth is they were never married and he left her before Ryuuji was born and she raised her son by herself. She is also klutzy and is never entirely in this world as she is usually half asleep. ( Now this is definitely me. I swear I always stay in an asleep state lol).

Despite her childish, air-headed behavior, Yasuko proves to have a rather good insight of other people. She cares deeply for Ryuuji and sees his potential. To support his dreams, she took on two jobs so that he wouldn’t need to work to support himself through school.  (Not a lot of moms would do this). When he starts working at the bakery, she gets upset because she wanted him to focus on studying rather than working.

To me I think she wanted him to have complete concentration on his studies and not work so he could reach his full potential. I myself can relate to this and I bet a lot of you mom’s out there can relate as well to what Yasuko was trying to do for Ryuuji.

 

Now as I have come to the end of my little reviews of anime mom’s i want to throw out there a little of myself and me being a mother.

I have a pre teen son and an almost pre teen daughter. My son and daughter both can be a handful at times and all I can think of is that I’m glad I have them. If it wasn’t for them I don’t know where i would be now.  My pre teen son can sometimes get on my last nerve through out the day but the one thing that never fails is at night right before bed where he comes to me and gives me the biggest hug and a kiss on the cheek and says
“I love you mom”. My soon to be pre teen daughter can always find that one little thing that can irritate me more than her brother and she can usually get me to the point of almost snapping but the one thing that never fails is as the same with her brother. She will come up to me and give me a hug and kiss before bed and then of course be like her mother and forget she has already done that so she comes in for a second time and gives me another hug and a kiss and says “I love you mom”. I think these are the things we should treasure the most just these little memories.

 

BEWARE Possible TRIGGER word ahead.

Now since I have said a little more about myself and my children I want to add in. No matter if you have had a miscarriage, delivered a still born or you have your children, YOU ARE THE BEST MOM and HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY. The strongest out of all of us though would be the mother’s who have went through miscarriages and delivered a still born but you wanna know something they still have that faith of trying for another child but it would never replace the one they lost.

~ AnimeKat

 

 

Aurabolt’s Edit: 

As the Admin of the Blog, I have a responsability to support my Co-Editor as much as possible. I say this not to put her on the spot or to garner pity or anything like that. What I’m about to say is because I want you all to understand how much I respect her not just as a member of my team but as a personal friend as well.

The two of us have talked about this privately but you guys have probably noticed some glaring grammar and punctuation errors in her posts right after they go live. Since it’s my blog I do go back and take care of it (which she is aware of), usually right after it’s posted. Knowing her situation aside, her passion for all things Anime is why I asked her to give blogging a shot. I can’t help but be impressed. She left this out but AnimeKat was a teen mom and didn’t finish high school because of that. She sacrificed much for her family and continues to now but one of her goals in life is to finish her education.

Last week, we launched a Fundraiser. I am calling on folks who are able to do  so to please consider hitting the donate button. It doesn’t have to be much but whatever you can give will go toward bringing you a better experience.

~ Aurabolt

A little more about Me

I thought i would give everyone a little more to read about me.

I got into anime about 4-5 years ago when i really didn’t know what to do anymore other than watch movies on netflix and we all know that can get boring real quick, Well i came across Vampire Knight first and i fell in love with the genre of romance at that point and i kept going from anime to anime just binge watching. Before you think I’m just someone who sits at home and binge watches anime, the answer to that is no, I don’t always binge watch anime’s or just watch anime’s all the time in general.

I am a multitalented person, I love to draw for my friends, family, and myself i find it very relaxing. I was diagnosed with PTSD almost 2 years ago now and i have severe anxiety thanks to that but in March of 2017 i just started drawing because i was told it could help since it helps with concentration and you can calm your breathing. Well here we are a little over a year later and this is what i have to show for it.

This picture is one of the first ones i drew when i first started.

And now I am proud of how far i have come thanks to a lot of friends helping with drawing advice and coloring advice. Here is a few of my most recent drawings that i have completed.

 

My friends and family are so special to me for helping me along my adventure into the art world and I couldn’t have asked for more. Aurabolt is an amazing friend who is always there to talk to if i need to talk.

Anyway since i think i got off topic a bit lol. I’m Sarah and im a new aspiring traditional artist and couldn’t be happier.

6 Anime made video games worth trying

There have been alot of video games based on Anime–not to be confused with Anime-ish video games like Tales of Symphonia and Persona 4–but until about15 years ago, they were rarely released outside Japan. The last decade has seen a Naruto game released every few years in particular, many of which I’ve played.

These are 6 games released on consoles I’ve personally played, still own and highly reccommend playing, counting down from 6:

 

6. Bleach: Dark Souls (Nintendo DS)

…One thing Bleach had a knack for was timing when it did filler arcs. Dark Souls is no different. The game’s story mode is set right after the end of the Soul Society Arc (when Ichigo first visits the Soul Society to rescue Rukia) and follows a non-canon storyline involving Mod Souls. The game is dual audio English and Japanese. Everyone has all of their moves from the anime including Gin and Tossen, who are unlockable characters along with Aizen–not the Aizen reintroduced much later, mind you–and yes, their Bankai if theirs was introduced before. I believe the only ones who don’t have their Bankai in Dark Souls are Aizen’s (which hadn’t been revealed at the time) and Rukia’s (same as Aizen though in addition, Rukia was still recovering from the injuries she sustained at the end of the Soul Society Arc).

The game’s very difficult to find in a Gamestop. There is an mobile version of the game but from what I’ve seen, it’s definitely not the same game.

 

5. Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment (PS Vita)

The smash hit Anime series got two video game spinoffs on the PS Vita (so far): Hollow Fragment and Lost Song, both of which I own. I haven’t played Lost Song yet (gasp!) because I am playing other things at the moment. Hollow Fragment, on the other hand is digital only in North America. Unlike Dark Souls, Hollow Fragment’s story takes place during an existing point in the anime. It is a non-canon storyline that takes place towards the end of the first half of Season 1. It’s an action RPG. Unlike your typical RPG though, you don’t start the game at level 1. Your level and that of your recruitable partners is much higher to fit the story’s narrative, which is just before the Aincrad arc ends.

Sinon, who is introduced in Season 2 of the anime is a playable character in this game. The obvious problem from a lore standpoint is she never was in Aincrad in the canon. The game kinda gets away with this given she is introduced in the game before she is introduced in the Anime: The anime premiered in Japan almost a year after Hollow Fragment was released in Japan. I watched it on Crunchyroll so I can say that. If you want to buy this game, it is digital only.

4. Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 3

I bought the game a few months ago and was pleasantly surprised when I saw that unlike the previous two games, the game’s story mode is a a full retelling of the a portion of the canon storyline. The story begins during the Hidden Lead Village’s reconstruction after it is destroyed by Pain and ends with Kurama accepting Naruto, helping him fight Tobi. The secondary storyline introduces North American fans to Naruto’s father and the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze as well as his mother Kushina Uzumaki. The game was released during the filler episodes that aired before Naruto meets his mother in the Anime.

There are button prompts that pop up during pivotal fights in the game. Mess up and you take damage before retrying. There is also additional dialogue during the dialogue not shown in the Anime. Mostly because the game isn’t restricted in terms of how much content per episode they can put in the game. The game was released on the PS3 and well as the Xbox 360. The 4th game, Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 was released on the PS4 and Xbox One earlier this year.

 

3. Attack on Titan: Humanity in Chains (Nintendo 3DS)

….Believe it or not, someone actually LOVED this game.

Folks are trying to pretend the game never existed even though the upcoming PS3 port is the exact same thing. The hate comes from the lack of gore in the 3DS game. No, seriously. It’s a SOLID game and stays true to the anime in terms of mechanics. The game’s Story Mode spans the entire anime series. You play as Eren, Mikasa, Armin, Sasha and Levi. The meat of the game is the more open-ended Mission Mode: You create your own character and start your own legend as a member of the Survey Corps =D

Humanity in Chains also contains video clips from the anime (Japanese audio with English subtitles) as well as yes, the Opening we all know and love–how can you NOT love that on a portable game? The game is digital only, sells for $30 and is worth the price tag in my book if you call yourself a fan of Attack on Titan.

2. Dragonball: Xenoverse

Hailed by diehard DBZ fans as one of, if not best Dragonball Z game released since the Budokai games, Xenoverse mixes the done to death retelling of DBZ’s Sagas and custom characters to make a game with near-endless replay value. The game breaks the 4th wall a bit as you can chose to play as a Human, Saiyan, Namekian, Frieza-race or Buu-race character. The lore for those last two I just mentioned are being made in the spinoff anime series Dragonball Z Super, which began with the movie Dragonball Z: Battle of Gods. Anyways, Trunks summons you to join the Time Patrol, an interdimensional fighting force that is tasked with fixing abnormalities with the time-space continum. Someone is intenionally screwing with iconic battles in DBZ’s lore. Trunks can’t intervene himself (being Vegeta’s son and all) so he asked Shenron to bring you in to do the job in his place.

…The game is MASSIVE. That’s how it is.  I bought the game digital on the PS3 but it was also released on the Xbox 360. The crazy thing more mind-blowing over this being #2 is two games tied for first =O

1. Dragonball Z: Legacy of Goku II/Dragonball Z: Buu’s Fury (Game Boy Advance)

…Surprised, I take it? So was I the first time I played Legacy of Goku II: It was a faithful retelling of the Androids Saga and the Cell Saga. Watching DBZ Kai the last few weeks reminded me of this fact. There is even a secret boss: Cooler. In addition, Hercule is an unlockable playable character in the late game. Buu’s Fury picks it up from there, spanning The Underworld Tournament to The Buu Saga. The secret boss is Broly in that game. Both games are action RPGs. Oh and yes, you can go Super Saiyan (or Super Namekian in the case of Piccolo in Legacy of Goku II) at will. You can also do fusions in Buu’s Fury, all at will. The games allow fans to relive their favorite battles or those new to DBZ to enjoy the story at a slower pace.

Both games were released halfway through the Game Boy Advance’s lifespan. If you want to find it, Amazon is the place to go since it was never ported or re-released on newer consoles. I first played both games when they were current so…yeah.

 

…Well there you have it. There may not be a whole lot of Anime that made the jump to video games but of the ones that do, few of them are as well received as half the ones on this list. This is just my list of personal faves. There actually IS another Anime I have in mind that was originally a visual novel. I found the review I wrote for it and realized I never posted it. That oversight will be correctly shortly.

 

Thinking of Cosplaying at Anime Boston 2016…

I thought about doing it last year but due to how crazy things were for me around that time, those plans were put on hold. Seeing as pre-registration for AB2016 could come as early as late October, it’s worth thinking about now before things get crazy in the first 3 months of 2016. I originally planned to announce this as a video but didn’t feel the efort would have been worth it.

So who or what would I cosplay? I’ve narrowed it down to these:

Or this:

 

Or even this:

Or finally, this:

In all four cases, I would be buying the costume. I wanna throw that out there before folks get too excited. For those who don’t recognize the second one, it’s Izanagi from Persona 4. I’m pretty muscular though not ripped though regardless, I’m expecting a tight fit: I’m 6’1″ and weigh 230 lbs. Don’t let my weight fool you: I’m more muscle than body fat, believe it or not.

Even so, I’m leaning toward Attack on Titan or Robin from Fire Emblem since they’re ambiguous and would require the least amount of alterations. For example, I don’t necessarily need to buy a wig for either cosplay. While yes canonically Robin has white hair, in-game it doesn’t really matter since you can customize his (or her) appearance. I also say that because I will be bald and a wig won’t matter =D

Since this will be my first time cosplaying, I will only buy one costume. I plan to buy all the components between December and March: Halloween is next month and that means the prices will go up until after it’s done. It’s called being a smart shopper. LOL. Of course, I COULD just buy the components at Anime Boston but I’d rather take care of things in advance.

Let’s Talk Attack on Titan

I put this video together last weekend. Enjoy ^_^

 

…And yes, I had fun making it XD

Apologies if there were ads. Putting the OP from the Anime is why.

…Next, I shall do Clannad. It’s sure to be interesting =D