Shingeki no Kyojin(Attack on Titan) – 32[Close Combat]

It really does feel like this episode passed by far too fast as I remember Eren and Reiner fighting and not much else. Much like most of you I am sure you are very interested in who won that fight between Mikasa and Annie. Well I can certainly let you know that this fight is never ever brought up again. Look I bash the overuse of flashbacks in this series quite a bit but I really hate it when a flashback I am invested in is brutally cut off by the main character saying “Eh, who cares about that anyway.” To give you peace of mind, apparently the two were evenly matched and fought until an instructor cut the match short. The flashback served it’s purpose to suddenly teach Eren Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. Got to admit that was very convenient timing as it makes it really odd that Eren never made use of these techniques against the very one that taught him them, Annie herself. In fact it’s rather odd that it’s only now that he starts to utilise these skills.

We have a couple of standout moments such as Hange reacting to a titan finally acknowledging her words and Mikasa’s fantastically animated cut into Reiners legs. However I really must ask, did it take them that long to figure out they should be attacking the gaps in his armour. I mean these people aren’t exactly educated people but it seems like minimum level combat tactics to strike at someone’s weak spots. Point is that if you need to break through a wall and there is a wall of concrete with a wall of styrofoam right beside it then it’s rather silly to go for the concrete wall. I saw that shot of Mikasa repeatedly trying to stab Reiner’s shoulder armour when there was a clear fleshy gap right beside it. Plus couldn’t the rest of you scouting crops swoop down and give Eren a hand? I mean the ending had a perfect shot for someone to fly into and cut the neck yet everyone was too busy playing spectator. I know you had spare blades Mikasa, why did you go after the legs instead of the neck?

I have a few more complaints too, like the way the kept interrupting the action to show others talking or reacting or whatever. The shot of Mikasa cutting the legs did not need intercuts to Eren choking Reiner. It should have been one unbroken shot and that really shows when someone edited the shots together without the fluff. I don’t mind the interruptions about how people feel about Reiner and Belhots betrayal as it does explain why Mikasa didn’t go straight to chop their heads off before they transformed as well as hyping up the fight. Even if Eren was being…well…Eren at the beginning. Seriously, Eren. You can be really damn disappointing at times. So we have a action packed half hour that leaves us with another big cliffhanger that honestly felt like ended the episode too soon. This episode also marks that we are over halfway through the season and I can hear the frustrated tears of Attack on Titan fans from here.