English Dub Review: Attack on Titan “Can’t Look Into His Eyes Yet: Eve of the Counterattack, Part 1”

Eren finally faces the court martial for going rogue as a Titan. How will Eren get out of that mess?

This is the apparent punishment for almost costing the lives of many of your comrades. Levi gets to shove his knee so far into your face, your nose becomes your tongue. To be fair, Eren had no control over what he was doing, but that shouldn’t come as a shock to people, because Eren ends up taking on more than he can handle, Titan transformations included.

Eren strikes me as an odd main character. Not because he becomes a big hulking monstrosity that’s like playing Russian roulette with human civilization. Erem is legit bipolar. He goes from “I want to free humankind from the terror of the Titans,” to having a bloodlust for Titan bloodlust. Then, later on in the episode, Eren begs for his life because he has no apparent idea what’s going on. This guy is either a great actor, or he’s tripping fucking balls.

This is also the beginning of the second half of the first season, and while the first opening was cool, this new opening is so much better. Gone is the stock animation that made the first opening so lovably mocked by the YouTube trolls, and we have a real opening this time. The music, by Jiyū no Tsubasa, sounds like what would be made if a slowed down Dragonforce and Blind Guardian spawned a new band.

Since this is coming after the airing, you can watch it on Adult Swim’s site and skip most of the first part. It was a lot of nameless people chattering about a Titan fighting for the humans, and Eren bellyaching about being locked up. The one prize for the beginning is Hange. This girl is hilarious! She seems to want to dissect Eren as much as the Military Police, but she’s just curious about Eren’s abilities. The real meat and potatoes come after the commercial break.

I like how “Eve of the Counterattack, Part 1” actually turned out. The second half was entirely about Eren’s court martial, and how every faction in the show has their own gains from Eren either living or dead. The religious sect even has a say, saying Eren is a demon that needs to be killed as soon as possible. Attack on Titan does a fantastic job in reflecting how real life works in the confines of the Walls.

The episode was the interlude to a bigger agenda, and that’s going beyond the wall. It’s something you didn’t really see, except for the convoy of carts coming back full of limbs. and Erwin acting distraught.  Eren is in for some very heavy shit now, and going forward, it should make for interesting television.

Now, let’s get onto that ridiculous beating that Levi gave Eren! This was used to make an example, and show how Levi can kill Eren any time he wants. I get why it was done, and it should have lasted for more than a minute. I know, I make the Eren fans sad, but I don’t care.  I think this whole court martial scene was great. It gave me a small A Few Good Men vibe, and whenever I get that, it was totally worth it.

“Eve of the Counterattack, Part 1” was half sitting and waiting, with nothing going on, to about 15 minutes of a courtroom drama. This is the first time I can say this with conviction, but I am very excited for what’s coming next.