Attack on Titan (2021)

[進撃の巨人]

Volume 34

Author/Artist: Hajime Isayama
Publisher: KC Magazine

Synopsis:
Eren's friends and the surviving Titan Shifters fight to save the last remnants of humanity from the Rumbling, even if it means killing Eren.

Story/Characters:
When the final chapter dropped in April, I heard the rumbling (see what I did there?) of fan discontent. Honestly, I couldn't imagine anything else as I've been none too shy about expressing my feelings toward this entire arc. I was hearing things along the lines of being as bad as Season 8 of Game of Thrones. Well, gentle reader, as far as I'm concerned, it's not quite that bad. I was actually rather eagerly anticipating the release of this volume because, knowing there was almost no hope of a satisfying conclusion, I might at least get a hilariously bad one. Honestly, I didn't get even get that. Sure, I could make Hatoful Boyfriend jokes, but is that really how I want to end my journey with this series?

The gimmick of the final battle, with Ymir (not the fake Ymir we all know and love but the real one) summoning past versions of the Nine Titans was neat—I'll give Isayama that—and it did provide an appropriate scale for the climax of the series. However, the fight could get a bit chaotic to the point where trying to keep everything straight was a bit of a challenge. Armin's time in the Paths serves as a bit of a breather. We get a fakeout ending just so one final kick in the balls can be delivered. Whether that kick sticks or not, well, I have to leave something for you to find out for yourself.

As for the ending, it didn't surprise me too much. You could almost argue it was an inevitability. I'm not angry about it. I'm not happy about it. I don't feel fulfilled and I don't feel particularly empty either. It's over. It's done. That's that. Not a ringing endorsement, I know, but maybe my lack of much negativity will prompt those of you leery about seeing for yourself to go on ahead and make it across the finish line.

Art:
I honestly would be disappointed if Isayama's art suddenly stopped being wonky here at the end. As per usual with him, the action scenes are pretty well done, but any delicacy with facial expressions doesn't quite get pulled off. We get a lot of interesting Titan designs for the final battle, so that's neat.

Other:
We go a bit meta with the high school AU where Armin and Mikasa argue about the end of the movie they just watched (which I'm guessing is supposed to be the main story). There's also a nifty little twist in the end. I've said before that I've been enjoying this side gag more than the main series and I honestly think it gets tied up better. Funny that.

Conclusion:
For all the storm and fury I was seeing online, I was honestly hoping for a proper trainwreck, but what we get is a so-so conclusion to a series that was probably stretched out longer than it needed to be. If we had ended the series when the gang first saw the sea, yes, we'd be left hanging, wondering how things would shake out, but Eren would've come out better for it. Sasha would still be stuffing her face and the vast majority of humanity wouldn't be pancaked. So it goes, I guess. I'm going to say give it a read as you might as well if you've made it this far. It's not a strong recommendation by any means, but I wasn't left feeling angry or particularly annoyed, so that's something.

Rating:
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