You think the past several weeks have been tense? That’s all just a warm-up for today.
What They Say:
Episode 32: “Close Combat”
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
As we come into the middle of the season, we look to be heading for a mid-season climax, something quite common with many shows. I have seen the word “anticlimax” thrown about at some other places for what’s been happening the past week or two with Attack on Titan and perhaps those saying that have a point of sorts, but this episode seems headed for a more non-anti than anti destination.
With the revelation that Bertholdt and Reiner are the Colossal and Armored Titans, made completely manifest by their transforming right there in front of everyone’s eyes (poor little Conny seems to be the only one who hasn’t received the memo concerning what is happening), we have a life and death struggle between Humans and Titans…yes, I know, that’s par for the course for this show. But this time there are some real consequences. For these are the two people most responsible for Eren’s pain and misery. They are in his eyes as directly responsible for the death of his mother as the Titan who actually ate her. If he could kill them, he would be able to avenge her death and the deaths of all those he knew those many years ago.
Of course, Reiner and Bertholdt are not going to just allow themselves to be killed or captured. Capture was Hange’s first intention, but as Bertholdt appears to have very strong defenses against attack (he can release super-heated steam all around his body which makes it impossible to get close to him) and Reiner’s armored body is near impregnable against bladed weapons, she quickly orders both to be killed. She recognizes now that no matter how much valuable intelligence they might be able to provide, they are far too dangerous to leave alive. Especially as their intention now is to kidnap Eren (and also Ymir, who is swallowed up by Bertholdt) and return to this “hometown” Reiner kept on going on about.
The centerpiece of this intense and vibrant action set piece (there is quite a bit of fluidity of movement here) is something else, however. For what this installment is most focused on is Eren finally beginning to use his brain a bit. Eren has always been for the most part about pure anger, pure hatred, pure brute strength. Emotion, not reflection. His honesty and straightforward nature have also been positive points for him in some respects (the full Humans around him can trust he’s not a traitor or double-agent in the way Annie, Reiner, and Bertholdt are because Eren is far too transparent to hide a hidden agenda within himself), but against Reiner, Eren’s “charge straight at the enemy and crush it through brute force” tactic will not work. And Eren comes to know this himself as his anger is fueled more and more by his frustration at losing to Reiner.
And here we have an interesting flashback to his training days, where Eren first learned about hand-to-hand combat from Annie. Eren’s brain strains to recall how she, who seemed so much weaker and smaller, was able to dominate him in close quarters. He never fully remembers the details in his remembrance, but in the end that’s unnecessary as his body remembers and he begins to beat Reiner using the close quarters combat techniques that Annie once used on him.
Of course, the fight is not quite so simple as Eren just using his new combat tactics and dominating things. We have, of course, to end on a cliffhanger as Bertholdt and Reiner work together to counter Eren.
Clearly, this episode is working for a climax spanning this episode and the beginning of the next, which should be followed by another lull that could well be filled with exposition, unless Isayama wants this roller coaster to just have a brief spell of calm movement in order to set us up for yet another massive plunge and series of twists and spins. This was a pretty thrilling ride at least, with the two fierce battles, inconclusive as they were to this point.
In Summary:
The battle between Eren and the Scouts, on one side, and the traitors Reiner and Bertholdt, the Armored and Colossal Titans respectively, on the other, begins in earnest. Eren follows his usual plan of charging straight at his enemy and using brute force…to no effect as Reiner’s armor protects him. Eren is forced to look within for answers as to how to face this old foe. Bertholdt, on the other hand, quickly swallows Ymir and then makes a defensive stand against the Scouts under Hange’s command, who cannot breach his super-steam defenses. A standoff ensues. But Eren gains the upper hand when he recalls how the weaker can defeat the stronger, a lesson learned long ago from Annie during their training days. Will the two traitors be captured or killed? Or do they have a plan for another option? We must wait until next week.
Grade: A-
Streamed By: Crunchyroll (also streaming on Funimation)
Review Equipment:
Apple iMac with 12GB RAM, Mac OS 10.11 El Capitan
