English Dub Review: Attack on Titan “Midnight Sun”

Vaccines cause Titan Shifters.

OVERVIEW (SPOILERS)

Eren briefly mourns the charred remains of Armin when the Cart Titan arrives, carrying an armless Zeke. Zeke seems to recognize Eren and tells him that his father brainwashed him, which makes Eren hesitate. Levi chases behind, forcing Zeke to flee, though he says goodbye to Bertholdt and tells Eren he’ll be back to rescue him before leaving. As Levi tries to continue the chase, Eren notices Armin’s body is still breathing. He’s still alive.

Elsewhere, Hange interrogates the wounded Reiner, who threatens him with death if he doesn’t talk. As she goes in for the kill, Jean stops her, pointing out that they may be able to steal his Armored Titan abilities after they use the Titan Serum they obtained to make one of their soldiers into a Titan, then eat whoever they end up capturing. Hange decides to keep him alive for the moment, having Mikasa find Levi and determine whether or not Reiner can be used, otherwise he dies. Unfortunately, Zeke and the Cart Titan find them soon after and retrieve Reiner, then take off.

Mikasa finds Levi with Eren and the near-death Armin. They plan to use the serum to turn Armin and have him eat Bertholdt, but Floch, the only other survivor of Erwin’s plan, arrives with an unconscious and fatally wounded Erwin in tow. With that, Levi’s priorities shift to saving Erwin over Armin, which outrages Eren and Mikasa. For Levi, he needs to keep the leader of the Scouts alive for humanity’s sake, but for Eren and Mikasa, they can’t let their friend die. They argue points back and forth, how Armin’s plans have saved them time and again, but Erwin’s ruthlessness is crucial in a fight with monsters. How Erwin had dreams of seeing the cellar, but Armin wanted to see the ocean. Ultimately it’s Levi’s call and he chooses Erwin.

However, as he goes to use the serum, Erwin’s arm unconsciously swats him away, convincing Levi that their leader should finally rest. From afar, the other Scouts see Armin’s Titan form devour a screaming Bertholdt and emerge as human once again.

OUR TAKE

WELL. THAT. WAS. SOMETHING.

MAJOR repercussions and shifts in power this episode, along with some highly significant deaths and hints towards bigger things down the road. First off, the deaths of Erwin and Bertholdt, two major characters that have made major impacts on the series as a whole are now out of the picture. The Scouts are down a cold and calculating leader and the Titan side is down another Titan ability. And in their places now remains Armin, who has been allowed to live another day and granted the abilities of the Titan that ruined his and his friends’ lives. As previously discussed and shown, the Colossal Titan’s powers are highly volatile and costly if not used with the greatest precision and care, something that Armin might be able to utilize well enough with practice, but is hardly the only thing he’ll be adjusting to from now on.

This is also probably the first time we’ll get to see a person get used to their Titan abilities right after obtaining them. Eren didn’t even know about his until years after he got them, while Ymir’s development of her powers is shrouded in mystery, so this will be an interesting addition to the story. Though what’s also interesting is the parties between this power transfer. I’ve heard it mentioned that Armin and Bertholdt were sorts of opposites, with Armin being a caring person forced into being cold and heartless in battle while Bertholdt’s attempt at ruthlessness was constantly tripped up by his attachments and caring for his comrades, especially Annie. What it says about this power being taken from one to the other, I can’t say, but it adds another layer of subtext to the countless others.

And I guess we finally know what that mid-credits scene at the end of the first half was about, and it’s right after the main battle of this half of the season. Armin’s absence from that scene might have tipped me off about his position in it, but I honestly had no clue it would end up like this. The fateful decision and the debates over who should live all had great points, especially if you’re a fan of both these characters, though Armin does make sense as the choice considering how much character growth he still has. Still, seeing a group that is so used to seeing friends die finally having a chance to save someone was pretty gripping. With four episodes left, here’s hoping the rest of the season can maintain that.