Attack on Titan has made its way back onto the airways, and with its most recent
episode being on IMDB’s list of the highest rated television episodes of all time,
along with its consecutive compatriots season 3 episode 16 and 17,
the season is starting off very strong to say the least.
The return to Paradis Island and Shiganshina brings up both nostalgia and new feelings in fans.
Yet, another battle between Eren and Reiner, the star crossed lovers
I mean–
friends
I mean–
enemies
The shift of sides, not knowing who's the enemy here and what our goals are,
The show truly leaves us in awe with every new episode
It seems that, for the most part,
concerns regarding animation and CG that flooded the internet at the beginning of Season 4 a bit
over a year ago have dissipated, and once that dust settles fans have thankfully realized that when
all is said and done, Attack on Titan IS ATTACK ON TITAN. But amidst the news articles released
every week about the groundbreaking series, it’s almost impossible to ignore a prevalent question
and topic of discussion… Will Attack on Titan Season 4 Have A Different Ending From the Manga?
If you haven’t seen anyone talking about this topic, let me give you a
quick, spoiler-free, of course, breakdown of the whole situation.
And if you comment, do try and preface or simply avoid manga spoilers.
The final chapter of Attack on Titan was released in April of last year, and it was very, very
divisive. So divisive that thousands of Attack on Titan fans erupted across Twitter and the rest of the internet
and even went so far as to sign a petition on change.org for Isayama to "Write a satisfying, alternative ending to AOT!".
Likewise, in the aforementioned concerns about the CG in the show, last year
we saw people sending mass hate to MAPPA, the company animating the last season. But I digress.
With most of that in the past now, what is concerning is the future of the series.
Making anime original endings is something anime fans are no stranger to,
as there’s a rather prolific, and often notorious, record of them. 2003’s Fullmetal Alchemist is
arguably the most famous example. After its first couple episodes, the series diverged heavily from
the source material because the manga was not yet finished at the time and created its own ending.
However, though the original anime series wasn’t nearly as successful as its incredible older
brother Brotherhood who shadows over it and all anime for that matter as what is generally
referred to as one of the best anime of all time, the original Fullmetal Alchemist on its own wasn’t
that bad. In my opinion of course. Likewise, K-On! is probably the best example of a series that
not just diverged from the manga, but essentially expanded on it and improved on it in many ways.
But the list of those that ended poorly is far more extensive than the ones that ended well.
Claymore ditched the manga ending and finished its anime adaptation with a rushed final battle;
Soul Eater went as far as completely changing character arcs and shifting their sides,
famed as one of the most disappointing endings to an adaptation ever;
and the very recent Promised Neverland Season 2 ending wasn’t just a bad adaptation, but
a horrible season all around that completely tarnished the reputation of a series that
had an incredibly promising and beloved first season.
There are many reasons a show goes anime original… the manga isn’t finished, people
generally don’t like the manga ending, or just a decision by the animation studio… and, of course,
the second one is what we’re focusing on here with attack on titan.
Do I think that they should change the ending, or even will? No, I don’t.
MAPPA by all means could; a surprising anime original ending, if done right, would surprise
anime-original viewers and manga readers alike, boost the seasons attention and popularity, and
potentially satisfy the many dissatisfied former manga readers. But the key word here,
of course, is “if done right”. If it isn’t, then attack on titan will be known not just
for one disappointing ending, but TWO. Also, along with the flacc MAPPA received last season
for its adaptation, I wouldn’t be surprised if fans worldwide expressed their outrage against
them once again for changing the ending, even if they didn’t even like the original that much.
With Chainsaw Man, Hell’s Paradise, AND Attack on Titan on their plate among other huge names,
MAPPA doesn’t have the resources to deal with even more fan critiques, let alone allocating time and
effort to thinking up a completely different ending to the biggest anime in the world.
And most important of all, in my opinion, is respecting the wishes of Isayama, the author.
Isayama does know about fan disappointment in the ending.
Last year, in Isayama’s interview with Kodansha, the series’ publisher, he discussed the ending
in depth. He "realized that the climax was a very difficult theme for him to draw. So he regretted
not being able to express it properly in the manga. He thought he would please everyone with
the final chapter. So he is sorry to those he disappointed, yet thanks them for the support,"
Considering the effort MAPPA has already made into adapting Isayama’s work properly,
it’s very unlikely in my eyes that they would stray from it with such a huge franchise.
And I will acknowledge that perhaps there’s bias here,
because if you’ve been with my channel for a while or watched my video way back when in april of last
year, I posted a pretty long video talking about the final chapter. And personally, I liked it.
There were parts I loved more than others. There were things that surprised me,
and things that didn’t. It wasn’t perfect, but in my opinion I enjoyed it and felt reasonably
satisfied with the series’ tenure as a long time reader of about 5 years.
What do you guys think about the possibility of an anime original ending? Do you want it? If you do,
do you think it can succeed?? Leave your thoughts. As always…