English Dub Review: Attack on Titan “Children”

The worst kind of a liar is the one who lies to themselves.

Spoilers Below

A scout team returns to Connie’s village to investigate the odd disappearance of the townsfolk. No sign of blood and the horses are still there, but the buildings are trashed. The titans wouldn’t just destroy empty buildings, but where did the people go? They find the titan still laying in Connie’s house, and nearby is a picture of Connie’s parents. That titan is none other than Connie’s mother! But what does that mean about out concept of titans? In the meantime, the main body of Scouts and MP are catching up to the traitors who captured Ymir and Eren. Reiner tries to convince Ymir to join him and Bertholdt in their mission as they flee through the Forest of Giant Trees, but she doesn’t want to go without Krista. She momentarily relents, but the thought disgusts her, especially when viewed through the lens of her past. Into the flashback, we go!

Ymir began life on the streets. Riff raff, orphaned and abandoned. Her food was cold scraps and her bed was dirty cobblestone. That all changed when a cult leader came by and cleaned her up. He told his congregation that she was the blood of the king and the path to immortality. They worshiped her and she wanted for nothing. That all changed when the soldiers came. The soldiers captured everyone and asked if what the cult leader said was true. Was Ymir really the blood of the king? She looked at her cultists, and answered yes, buying into her own lie. But that was not the right answer. Each cultist, including Ymir, was injected with something, then kicked off the outer walls of the city. They either turned into titans, or died. Ymir was one of the lucky ones, turning into the Jaws Titan and scampering off across the wilderness. When food became scarce, she conserved her strength by hibernating. She hibernated so long, the dirt gathered up over her. She didn’t wake up until a group of campers pitched their tents over her. Those campers were Reiner, Bertholdt, Annie, and their friend, Marcel. She ate Marcel. But, that act gave her what she needed. She returned to being human. From there, she found her way to the Scout Corps, where she signed up, meeting Krista. In the little blond girl, she felt a kindred spirit. Another person who had fought so hard to live the lie she told herself. Ymir won’t let that stand anymore. Krista is going to be herself, and Ymir isn’t leaving her behind. She convinces the traitors to let her go back for Krista. Since it is in their mysterious objectives to bring her along, they let Ymir go back for her. The Scouts happen upon the Jaws Titan in the forest, but she’s acting strange, looking at each of them as if looking for something. When Krista catches up, Ymir launches herself at the girl, slurping her up like soup. She runs off through the forest, jumping onto the back of the Armored Titan, as he, Bertholdt, and the unconscious Eren run off into the sunset with the Scouts in hot pursuit.

You ever come into a room, and a bunch of people is having a conversation about something that has nothing to do with you? It’s full of information that only they know, and you try to fill in the blanks, but nothing fits together. That’s this episode. Ymir and the Traitors obviously understand the origins of the titans, and the titan shifters. They know the mechanics inside and out and even know more about Eren’s origins than he does. We don’t get all that information, just side references as they chat. I think this is brilliant writing. For one, it dodges “endless exposition forever”. They don’t stand around explaining what they know, but we don’t. Second, it’s a lot closer to how people would actually talk. You don’t go laying out every ounce of relevant information when you talk to people in the know. They’re in the know. A bunch of stuff is revealed in this episode that may go unnoticed, so let me lay it out for you.

Ymir’s city? Did you notice how its wall didn’t look like the ones we’re used to? This reveals the existence of human settlements outside the walls! Further, we have discovered that the titan shifters all become such with an injection. They are completely artificial and may require the consumption of a human being to return to their human form. Then again, we’ve seen plenty of titans eat people, and not return to human form. There may be more at play here. All of the Traitors knew each other, including Annie, and have a set mission outside the walls. Krista may be directly involved with this, so who knows what her role is here. We have yet to discover what that mission is, but apparently, Ymir is aware of it and is now on board. Oh, and we also get it spelled out for us the Bertholdt has a thing for Annie and is scared to say anything.

Speaking of Ymir, good work on voicing her, Elizabeth Maxwell! The entire flashback was so well narrated, I got chills near the end. It was loaded with mixed and blended emotions, feeling so raw and so vulnerable it was almost impossible to not root for the girl afterward. This voice over made the episode for me. Of course, the animation kept up with her performance. The way the Jaws Titan moved through the forest was smooth and fluid. It definitely meets the standards the series has set. I don’t remember seeing any errors throughout the episode either. CG was used very sparingly, and only at spots where the object was far enough away that you wouldn’t notice, such as the movement of a titan from a far overhead shot. With the story picking up, everyone on this project is on their A-Game, and I’m ready for us to meet the climax of the series head on! I give this episode nine unconscious Erens out of ten.