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#FEATURE: Let's Talk about that Last Attack on Titan Final Season Opening

#FEATURE: Let's Talk about that Last Attack on Titan Final Season Opening

Attack on Titan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seid ihr das Essen? Nein, wir sind die Jäger! Even if you’ve only dipped your toe in anime, there’s a decent chance you can recognize this lyric from the very first Attack on Titan opening. Such is the nature of all of its theme songs.
 

As one of the most popular anime of the past ten years, Attack on Titan is known for its gorgeous animation, horrifying visuals, and of course, its epic opening themes. From the war anthems of Linked Horizon’s “Guren no Yumiya” and “Sasageyo to the emotional swells of Hyde’s "Red Swan," these themes easily rank highly among anime openings that you just don’t skip. Attack on Titan Final Season, openings don't fail to make an impression, either.

 

Of course, it bears mentioning that “My War” by Shinsei Kamattechan is certainly … unique, even among Attack on Titan theme songs. Its intensity is more downplayed in lieu of a wildly different aesthetic.

 

In case you haven’t seen it, check it out on Pony Canyon’s official YouTube channel:

 

 

Let this whole video sink in for a moment. Think of the very first opening and how it evoked excitement and Titan-slaying exhilaration. Or how "Red Swan" spoke to the heart-rending dichotomy between Eren Jaegar’s ambitions and the truth of the outside world. The last opening of Attack on Titan Final Season doesn’t do … any of that, it takes that artistic expression in a wildly different direction.

 

 

At first glance, this opening is a far cry from the exhilarating emotions brought on by its predecessors. Whereas the first openings squarely place the characters in their trajectories for the upcoming seasons, the visuals for “My War” tease very little of what happens in the actual story, lacking any sort of explicit scene or even feature more than one named character at the very last second. The song itself doesn’t feature many vocals and the melody is borderline chaotic and disorienting in its own haunting way. Its aesthetic is even notable for missing a distinct color palette, but replacing it with splashes of psychedelic color clouds to accent the pandemonium onscreen. Titans and humans clash in a cacophony of destruction, and we only ever get a sense of the violence that ensues between them, never truly delving into the specifics.

 

Truly, this theme song isn’t something Attack on Titan fans expected from a series that gave us epic ballads that have topped our workout soundtracks and all-time favorite anime opening lists everywhere. One would be hard-pressed to find anime enthusiasts who wouldn’t belt "Guren no Yumiya" at the drop of a hat. But as far as current developments are concerned, this is the perfect theme song to encapsulate every jaw-dropping moment and major climax we can expect from the final season of a groundbreaking anime. With how far the Survey Corps has come and the horrors they’ve been subjected to leading up to the final battle, there’s no better opening to capture the essence of the ongoing trauma than “My War.”

 

 

The newest opening, in all of its disturbing surreality, is nothing if not wholly emblematic of everything Attack on Titan has built up to. What "My War" lacks in spectacle and ferocity, it makes up for with a bone-chilling sense of forboding. Even if characters aren’t present and the scenes aren’t specifically indicative of what will happen in the climax, the song and the imagery embody the horrors of this centuries-long war that has consistently blurred the line between human and monster. 

 

Eren and the rest of the Survey Corps have uncovered plenty of shocking revelations and made immense sacrifices to achieve the freedom they’ve long yearned for. Even in the endgame, it’s difficult to say if all the trauma and terror they’ve experienced will even be worth it. Friends have been lost, humanity has been questioned, and no one can seem to tell the difference between the oppressed and the oppressor anymore. Inner emotional turmoil seems to hold as much weight as the overall conflict. Everyone has their own wars. Taking all that into consideration, the tumultuous and chaotic nature of “My War” makes it the most appropriate opening to illustrate all of that. 

Attack on Titan consistently displays the drama and devastation of war at its forefront. Fighting for your freedom was inspiring enough at first, and songs like “Guren no Yumiya” accurately illustrated the nature of that admirable sentiment. But things got far more complicated with that, and the harder the Survey Corps fought, the darker the world became. The fight became personal, and the wings of freedom that humanity once flew on became stained by blood.

 

 

There’s nothing left for the soldiers but to see this war through, and since this is the last war, the anthem needed to be something as confusing and horrible as their entire conflict leading up to the climax. “My War” is that anthem, and nothing else would’ve done Attack on Titan justice.

 

Which Attack on Titan opening was your favorite? Comment and let us know!

 

 


 

Carlos (aka Callie) is a freelance features writer for Crunchyroll. Their favorite genres range from magical girls to over-the-top robot action, yet their favorite characters are always the obscure ones. Check out some of their pop culture pieces on Popdust and Looper as well as their satirical work on The Hard Times.

 

Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

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