OK, if you did not know that there was going to be a second season of “Attack on Titan”, you go stand in the corner with the other two people in the world who got confused on this. The dramatic conclusion of the first season and the veritable ton of unanswered questions DEMANDED that there be a second go-around. Now, this felt more like an experimental season, complete with a huge amount of blind-side attacks and plot contortions that could have doomed other series. It doesn’t mean that this came out unscathed and the 12-episode run just added to the experimental nature of what is already a difficult show to follow. It is certainly more than the mere destruction of the titans, and, although the fight sequences do not disappoint, they can get a bit much. Now, let’s get down to brass tacks…..

The decision is made to get back to Eren’s hometown. There is something in the basement of his house that could stem the tide against the titans and potentially flip the table; to allow humanity a chance to put them on the run. However, that town is miles and miles away, across miles and miles of titan-controlled countryside. Even the fastest horses and the bravest soldiers may not be up to this arduous task, but you have to do something more than get into a war of attrition. However, on the horizon, is something that no one could have seen and have even less of a chance to defeat. But this is a plot twist of such mind-bending consequences, you will have to see it for yourself. But it completely alters the landscape for both forces.

It also appears that Eren is a much more valuable commodity than previously imagined, to the point where it comes across that he is being targeted by the titan community for capture and experimentation. Who can tell? Those guys don’t really talk and seem to be possessed more of a herd mentality, but something has changed. Can our intrepid band of brothers (and sisters) adapt to the new reality?

This was a series that I was really anxious to see that next season, and it felt like it took forever for it to be presented to us. I am not as energized for the second season as I was with the first, as it feels like the plot is having to catch up with us (which might explain the truncated run; the first season was a 26-episode epic) and I was asked to strain my credulity in regards to explanations, but even when it doesn’t deliver as one feels it should, there is still a strong visceral punch to things.

There is so much I want to tell you about this, but part of the enjoyment (or fear, depending on your mood) is watching it all unfold. Now, I am not a fan of binge-watching and this show kind of demands you take a break in things, owing to the intensity of the actions, but I am going to tell you to take off a day (we are talking about six hours of so) and chain the whole thing together. I feel that it not only can stand up to the unrelenting mayhem it spools forth, it would help with the flow a lot better in explaining the new permutations that are afoot.

Do understand that we are no closer to Eren’s basement as the end of the season than we were at the beginning, but things are steaming along to a cataclysmic conclusion that will seal the fate of everyone involved. And that means EVERYONE!

This has always been a hard show for me to binge, just because of its intense nature and how unrelenting it all is. If you feel you can take it on, go ahead, as you would probably feel what the rest of the cast feels about the rapacious, unrelenting, murderous sense of loss that bedevil them every single day.

On a scale of 1 to 10:

Artwork           7 (Some of those titans are positively grotesque)
Plot                  8 (Keeps you on your toes)
Pacing              8 (I need a breather!)
Effectiveness   7 (Some of the revelations seemed forced)
Conclusion      5 (It reaches a ‘coupler point’, but hasn’t ended)
Fan Service     0 (A similar show would be “Honey & Clover”)
Bingeability    7 (Only based on my failure to tough it out)

Overall            8 (Good story, building slowly but surely)

And remember, it’s first run until you’ve seen it. Eren!