I finished Attack on Titan just recently, and wow, just wow. It’s a whole different experience diving back in while already knowing the story, and yet when everything unfolded, it still hit just as hard, or probably even harder.

AoT is such a memorable series. It was actually the first anime that reawakened my slumbering weeb persona. I was an exclusive bookworm for couple of years and that was basically what my blog was all about. But eventually, I ran out of things to read, so I decided to give this series everyone kept recommending a shot. I was hesitant because it was way outside my comfort zone and honestly not something I would’ve watched even during my much younger weeb phase. By that point, I thought I’d read hundreds of books already, so I figured maybe trying something new wouldn’t hurt?

And boy, was I wrong to underestimate it.

Ten episodes in one night. The entire season in 3 days. And it was so good that I immediately rewatched it after finishing the first season.

After consuming many anime, manga, and even manhwa/webtoons afterward, I still want to say that Attack on Titan is one of the best pieces of storytelling I’ve ever stumbled across, and I’m incredibly grateful I did. And like I said, experiencing it again with complete knowledge of the story was a different and amazing experience altogether.

Hajime Isayama really plotted this series so intricately. He knew how to start it and he knew how to end it. During my rewatch, I noticed tiny bits of information scattered throughout and those little details that eventually grew into major plot points. He’s just that clever. AoT feels like the type of series that was written with the entire picture already in mind and then strategically unfolded piece by piece.

Of course this isn’t unique to AoT, many stories are planned ahead, yes, but sometimes you can tell the narrative is simply going along as the story progresses. Not Attack on Titan. Its writing is so solid that when everything is laid out, it’s evident why every major (and even minor) detail was shown. That amount of foreshadowing is only possible with that level of planning. I honestly never thought about it before.

When the story shifted to Marley, I was confused. I watched Season 4 before reading the manga, so I wasn’t really fond of the people outside Paradis and saw Marley purely as the antagonistic nation. But it wasn’t that simple, and just like the ending credits suggest, the cycle of violence and war continues as humanity evolves, and that’s incredibly sad overall. I also liked how Isayama drew inspiration from real life. Made me realized about lot of things during the war.

I also didn’t like Gabi at first watch, but I grew liking her. She really portrayed a “what could’ve been” version of Eren had he not been tied to the role he was destined to play.

I’m of the opinion that Eren dying was vital to the conclusion. It’s not something he could’ve escaped anyway. While other series they used glimpses of the future to their advantage, for Eren, those memories became a burden he couldn’t rid himself of. The future he saw was already set in stone because they were memories: so it had already happened. And that’s what made his story incredibly tragic. He really had no way out.

The Rumbling had to happen. Whether it represented freedom—for him or for everyone else—is still up for debate. After all, was being unknowingly trapped on an island secured by walls any better? Or was being remembered as the race that annihilated most of humanity even worse? Those were questions I found myself thinking about after my marathon.

I also have to say that MAPPA did an incredible job with season 4 despite the insane crunch they were under. I actually loved the subtle changes they made. A lot of people disliked “My War,” but I absolutely loved it. It was so different and understated that, as someone who hadn’t read the manga before watching, I genuinely had no idea where things were heading. And the shift in perspective? I think it was necessary.

I also felt that MAPPA was more creative in its adaptation, whereas WIT’s approach was technically stronger and more polished. I just really loved MAPPA’s cinematic style of storytelling. But maybe that’s just me.

I know this is just one long ramble because I literally just finished the series and my mind is all over the place. But damn, I love this series. And I know for a fact that this wasn’t my second and final marathon. There’ll be a third, fourth, fifth, and many more after that.

That’s how good it is.

I’m so in love and grateful with this series, as it reawakened the titan within me (a homage to an old post).

Oh, and the next post will be about Tokyo Ghoul, another old favorite. See you in my next ramble!