While uneventful, this was a rather convenient episode. Not only does it open with a brief summary, but we also get a time skip and a voice over narration where drill instructor Shardis gives a run down of the various cadets, showing their pros and cons. Not only does it help act as a way to introduce a few new characters, but it helps better establish ones that we only saw briefly in the last episode.
From there, the episode starts to slip downhill. Even after two years of training, Eren can't seem to catch a break as he gets owned by Annie, one of the aforementioned new characters introduced. Between her and it being stated almost verbatim that Mikasa is awesome and the best at everything, you get the sense that the writers are trying too hard. Fortunately, it's made up for by Mikasa's general good nature and Annie's cold demeanor, which comes off as rather creepy at points. Said demeanor also allows Annie to come off as surprisingly astute as she notes the paradoxical nature of the organization's set up.
The best cadets are moved inward, suggesting that the aim isn't really to fight the titans. This seems confirmed by the cadets themselves, who say that they just want to live peacefully behind the walls. Some even go so far as to say that the titans can't be beaten and that fighting is utterly pointless.
This allows Eren to shine as he delivers a speech, calling BS on that mentality. The fact that he manages to sway so many may come off as corny or heavy handed, but it worked out alright.
I can't say the same for Sasha, though. I figured that her madness seen in the last episode was the result of exhaustion and hunger, but it seems that even after two years, she's still suffering from the effects. Either that or it didn't stop there and her misfortune was perpetual. As glossed over as some of these plot points are, it's hard to tell.
One of the areas where the episode really shines is in the final minute or so. After five years, a titan returns and attacks the second wall. The scene was effectively shot and it made for a great wham moment, but you do have to wonder how nobody spotted or heard the giant monstrosity until it was right there.
Honestly, I was expecting some sort of fake out. Having it just be a hallucination or dream on Eren's part would not have surprised me. The looks on the other character's faces made it clear, though, that stuff was going down.
At first, it seems like Eren is relapsing, as he starts to flashback to the last attack and looks like he's going to freeze up in panic. However, he screws up his courage and actually takes command of the situation, leading the others to attempt a counter-attack.
Granted, it's still early in the fight, but it seemed like he knew what he was doing. It's a far cry from what we had seen previously. I figured that this sort of evolution would occur, though I admit, I figured it would be a more gradual arc. Having it done through time skips is faster, I guess, but it has its drawbacks.
From what I glossed over on wikipedia, the next arc is going to play out over nine episodes as the characters try to fend off the titan siege. It should be fairly action heavy. Hopefully, it makes for a more gripping watch, because so far, it's been a bit of a struggle to get into this series.
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