Attack on Titan Episode 57 Review: That Day

Isayama did it again. I can’t even begin to describe how many times my jaw dropped during this episode. It’s absolutely insane how he wrote this story and was able to keep so many things straight with information being so consistently fluent. If anyone ever doubted the amazingness of Attack on Titan, after this episode you will realize that it is a goddamn masterpiece.

Japanese Original Episode Title: あの日

Plot

Back to Grisha’s flashback story, he takes his little sister Fay outside the Liberio Internment Zone to see the zeppelin landing, but they are caught by a pair of Marley Public Security guards, Kruger and Gross. As Eldians that have stepped out of their interment zone they had to choose between labor or beating and Grisha decides to take a beating punishment from Kruger and Gross and to then take his sister back home. However, the next day, Fay’s corpse is found next to the river and Gross pretends not to know anything about it. Grisha’s father then tells Grisha how their people, the Eldians, are descended from Ymir Fritz, the first Titan. After a great war with the nation of Marley, the Eldians fled to Paradis Island and walled themselves off, while those left behind in Marley live as second-class citizens in the Liberio Internment Zone as a penance for the atrocities they committed. As Grisha gets older, he is approached by one of the Eldian Restorationists, who tells him that his sister was actually murdered by Gross. He joins the rebel movement. The Restorationists are led by Owl, a secret informant in the government, who sends Dina Fritz, the last remaining Eldian with royal blood on the mainland to share her story with the rebels. She then gets married to Grisha and have a son named Zeke. They attempt to raise Zeke to be an infiltrator, but he betrays them and turns them over to Marley. Grisha and his fellow Restorationists are taken to Paradis Island to be forcibly turned into mindless Pure Titans, and Grisha recognizes Kruger and Gross among the execution squad. Kruger then intervenes, shoving Gross to his death. He then reveals to Grisha that he is both the Owl and a Titan shifter as he transforms and annihilates the rest of the execution squad.

Episode Highlights

Grisha’s family: This guy’s family has been cursed since day one. I mean it all started with his poor sister being fed to the dogs that Gross’s son owned, then he got married and had a son of his own, who he tried to ‘brainwash’ and ended up fucking up his head. His son then betrays him and send his parents to get executed. His wife Dina is turned into a Titan who appears to be the Titan that ate Eren’s mother in the first episode and then he decided to go to Paradis Island and start another family. We all know how that turned out… At this point I have to add that I don’t really know if Dina’s last words are super emotional and romantic or just plain unsettling: ‘Grisha, no matter what form I take, I promise I’ll come and find you.’ Oh, and she did find him alright…

The history behind it all: So basically Ymir was the first Titan because 1820 years ago she was chosen to be the child that makes a contract with the Devil of All Earth to obtain the Power of the Titans. When she passed away (or did she really?) her spirit was split into nine different Titans who formed the Eldian Empire. They defeated the Great Nation of Marley and ruled over the continent. The people of Marley tried to alter history by making Eldians appear as a violent and cruel race that did an ethnic cleansing for 1700 years since they thought that they were superior from all other races. The people of Marley then sided with seven out of the nine Titans and turned against the Eldians and won the ‘Great Titan War’. This made the Eldian King flee with his people to the island of Paradis where he put up three huge Walls made of Titans. The remaining Eldians in the mainland were forced to live in the Liberio Internment Zone and were treated like an inferior race. The people of Marley wanted to infiltrate the Walls and acquire the powers of the Founding Titan but they were afraid to do so, since the King threatened to release the millions of Titans that he used to make the Walls against his enemies.

He tied everything with the first season: Okay, despite the fact that Eren and Zeke are both Grisha’s sons which blew my mind, I was astonished by how well Isayama linked the events of Grisha’s past with the first season, aka the beginning of the story. Most of the Titans that appear in the first season are the actual fellow Restorationists that Grisha saw getting punished, and his ex-wife ate his current wife. ISAYAMA, YOU ARE A GOD DAMN GENIUS.

Themes & Trivia

Information Available for Public Disclosure

Humanity outside the Walls: Though the humans who live outside the walls look no different from us and speak the same language as we do, their civilization appears far more advanced than ours. However, they view us who live inside the walls as a race of devils that have committed terrible sins.

Comments

Before I mention anything else, I want everyone to appreciate the fact that young Zeke in this scene is playing with a huge monkey toy. Thank you.

While watching Grisha’s story, I couldn’t stop thinking how bloody ironic and accurate everything is if you take out the whole Titan powers thing. It’s the circle of humanity’s history where the dominant races prevail over the weak and where constant wars and shadowy schemes are happening behind people’s back in order to obtain more power. The irony in this is just insane.

A Titan uses their power like this.

I honestly have no clue how the story will go on from here. Are they going to war against the nation of Marley? Are they going to unite with the rest of the Eldians and then take revenge? Is the Owl still part of the government? Is Grisha still alive? So many questions and not many episodes left in this season. If they leave us at an insane cliffhanger, I will rip my face off.

NEXT TIME: The Attack Titan