Review: Attack on Titan “I Hear His Heartbeat: Attack on Trost Part 4”

Can the cadets break through the Titans and reclaim their HQ, even with a Titan on their side?

Spoilers Below

So, the defense has turned into a total shit storm, but it has taken a slight turn for the better how that this new Titan is fighting with the Scouts. The fight to take back HQ starts now, with Mikasa and Connie carrying Armin to battle. Armin is pleading with them to leave him there, because they can’t carry him and go mobile. He then comes up with a plan. Armin tells them that they can lure him to HQ by taking out the Titans that are on their way.

Meanwhile, Jean is still throwing his personal pity party, then has a plan to make a break to HQ since the Titans seem to be distracted. They make a break to HQ, while Mikasa is clearing the way for the friendly Titan. Jean almost gets caught by a Titan, but he slices off its fingers so he can get free. One of his team gets caught, and he feels terrible. They make it to HQ, where Jean comes across part of the supply team. He takes one and beats him senseless, because they left all of them to die.

Just then, a Titan breaks through HQ, and tries to make it in, until the friendly Titan starts breaking Titan skulls at HQ. This Titan probably could have been a UFC fighter with the throws and holds. The military makes it to the supply room, where they find a bunch of buckshot rifles. Armin lays a plan where they take out the Titans in the supply room, where they lower a group to get the Titan’s attention.  They fire at the same time in all directions, blinding the Titans, That’s where the scouts kill all seven of them, with one attack. It’s a desperate measure, but it’s all Armin has.

Everyone talks Armin up, because he doesn’t think his plan is going to work. The shooters get lowered into the room, and they have one. More come in, just in time, and they get all of them, except for Sasha and Conny. The other two are taken out, and the scouts all resupply. Sasha starts to break down because she failed. Jean then talks to Marco about being called a great leader, and wants nothing to do with it. Marco tells Jean that he’s not a great leader because he’s strong, but because he knows how it feels to be weak. Jean made the call that had to be made to save lives.

Everyone starts to break out of the supply room, but Mikasa notices that the Titan that saved them is now getting eaten by the other Titans. Reiner says they need to fight the scavengers off the Abnormal Titan, because he’s too valuable. Armless, the Abnormal goes after another Titan, killing it. The group goes to leave but Mikasa sees Eren come out from its neck. She puts her to his chest, hearing his heartbeat. She is so elated, she starts to cry. Armin notices Eren’s eaten arm and leg are now grown back, and now he starts to cry. Jean then puts the pieces together, and Eren was the one who helped them out.

Finally, Eren comes back. This episode had a lot: suspense, action, and downright terror. Jean is as dumb as a brick, because it wasn’t so hard to see that Eren turned into the Titan and went on a rampage. Especially so when you see him come out of the Titan’s neck. I really liked this episode, because it was the first one that felt like it lived up to the hype that the series built.

I like the suspense, and the build up, of Eren coming out of the Titan. It wasn’t your stereotypical “everything is okay” scenario. Eren is still unresponsive, and the Titans are still there. It feels like the downswing is over, and it’s time for the scouts to come back. While the episode was pretty fucking good, the parts where Jean is having a mental breakdown kinda dragged the episode. Even Armin came around at some point. Jean just sucks.

Going forward, I am curious as to Eren became the Titan. Also, where the hell is his father? I also kind of want to see where the rich people ended up, especially that lord that wanted his own personal security force. Everytime something ends in this show, more questions arise.  It’s a sign of a good arc.

The best thing I can say of this arc is that this is where the show should have started. The first four episodes just sucked. The Battle For Trost arc is where I feel the start of the series is. If you’re watching this for a training montage, you may have the wrong series. This is all about Titan on Human, and Titan on Titan violence. This show shines when the focus is on those aspects.

This is the first time I can say I came away fulfilled with Attack on Titan. Now that the series found itself, hopefully it finds its stride next, and gives us the backstory we need instead of fluff.