Is Attack on Titan anime ending different from the manga? Final moments of the saga, explained
The Attack on Titan anime ending had a ton of expectations because fans wanted something different. It's anime folklore at this point that fans felt the original ending in the manga was poor, and everybody was expecting MAPPA to make some changes to Hajime Isayama's conclusion. It also gives a greater and better perspective to the series, especially with the themes it was trying to convey.
Well, it's fair to say that the Attack on Titan anime ending had some major differences compared to the manga, especially in the most controversial scenes.
While that didn't make a massive difference in the overall story, it did smoothen some plot points that people found weird and awkward in the manga, and helped flesh out some scenes a lot better, especially regarding Eren.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the Attack on Titan anime ending.
The Attack on Titan anime ending is different compared to the manga
The Attack on Titan anime ending could be viewed as an attempt to fix some of the mistakes that Hajime Isayama made in the manga. Some moments, including the infamous Eren moment with Armin, where he breaks down and reveals his feelings for Mikasa, were smoothed a bit to make them more palatable for the audience. In terms of the added scenes, it was less than what most people were expecting.
For example, one added scene involved Falco and Gabi planting seeds in the last portion of the episode. This scene was added to further emphasize the story's themes and messages about the importance of peace and how war is never the answer, even if life pushes people to do horrible things.
Furthermore, some of the Eren and Mikasa scenes were extended, especially their moments in the cabin. The conversation that Eren and Armin have during the former's final moments is structured in a much better way, even if the protagonist still breaks down, like in the manga.
Armin's infamous words about his friend being a mass murderer were something that the people in MAPPA tried to fix, and changing it to "Let's go to Hell together" made the scene more impactful both in terms of symbolism and accountability. Additionally, that moment is elongated so it also flows much better.
Mikasa's goodbye to Eren's grave was extended as well, with heartwrenching voice acting and anime-original scenes of grief added to the mix. The shots of Mikasa's life passing by till the moment of her death were more carefully crafted. However, MAPPA kept the issue of Mikasa's husband a mystery till the end.
The last part of the ending also shows Paradis being bombed. While this was not a change per se since it happened in the manga as well, the audience actually seeing something like this could make a bigger impact regarding the consequences of Eren's actions.
The general feel of the ending
It's still early to gauge the general reception of the Attack on Titan anime ending since it just came out, but compared to the manga, the reception has been better. It makes sense, though, since Isayama worked with the people of MAPPA in order to provide a much more fleshed-out conclusion to the story.
However, for those who haven't watched the final episode, it's also worth pointing out that the changes and added scenes don't make much of a difference in the grand scheme of things.
The general structure of the ending is still the same, and none of the more controversial scenes were removed. Instead, MAPPA added and extended some to make them more logical.
All in all, it's still the same ending, but with some added bonuses to make it better than the original version. It is up to each viewer to pass their own judgment about the ending.
Final thoughts
The Attack on Titan anime ending is here, and the entire community is bound to dissect it in the coming days, with a lot of different views and analyses. It is par for the course in a series of this caliber, but, hopefully, this conclusion is what a lot of fans were looking for in Isayama's story.
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