Attack on Titan takes place in a kingdom where mankind is beset by titans (giant, flesh-eating monsters). The people live in a city surrounded by giant walls. Unfortunately, the titans have breached the wall, and it is up to the military to fight them back. Season Two starts with the titans breaking through another one of the walls.
Season Two has 12 episodes in total, down from Season One’s 25. Having a shorter episode count fixes the pacing problems that affected the show’s first season. The storyline doesn’t feel stretched out this season, and individual episodes are able to have more impact on the story than they would have with a longer episode count.
Attack on Titan has a large cast, but the episodes on display here manage that cast size size by focusing on a core group of characters. Some old favourites don’t get the attention they got last season, but the characters that do get the spotlight benefit from room for fleshed-out character arcs and a few surprise reveals. Early on, Sasha gets an episode dedicated to her that shows off her skills, examines her character, and explores how dangerous even one titan can be.
The one aspect that may prove to be the most disappointing is the plot. Without going into spoiler territory, it is debatable how much this season goes towards expanding the plot of the show as a whole. What prevents this from being a bigger issue is that the show is at its best when it gives its cast room to act within the world and plot scenario. This, combined with the few nuggets of new information the audience does get, is enough to make Season Two feel like a success.
In the age of streaming, it is easy to doubt the appeal of a physical release. This is typically where special features come in, and the special features present here are fantastic. There is a wealth of extra content that is rarely found on an anime DVD/Blu-ray.
Two of the episodes come with commentary, some of the cast get interviewed, and more of the cast take part in Attack on Titan-themed challenges. Between them, these features offer both comedy and an insight into the inner workings of the show. The one negative is that the challenges performed by the cast refer to website polls that are no longer running, though this doesn’t affect the enjoyability of the videos themselves. Marathon play and the ability to watch the Japanese dub are both present, giving fans multiple ways to enjoy the series.
Attack on Titan – Season Two improves on its predecessor and makes up for that season’s key failing. It does enough to advance the plot and provides plenty of opportunities for its characters to shine. The show itself is backed up by a selection of special features of such quality that it should be considered the gold standard for such collections. Attack on Titan – Season Two is what an anime season box set should be.
Special features: Episode Commentaries (episodes 30 and 31) / Anime Expo 2017 Interview with Trina Nishimura / Interview with Tetsuya Kinoshita & Yui Ishikawa / Interview with original creator Hajime Isayama / Inside the Episode / Eyecatch Gallery / Promo video / Textless Opening & Closing Songs
ATTACK ON TITAN – SEASON TWO / CERT: TBC / DIRECTOR: VARIOUS/ WRITER: VARIOUS/ STARRING: BRYCE PAPENBROOK, JOSH GRELLE, TRINA NISHIMURA, JESSICA CALVELLO, ELIZABETH MAXWELL, MATTHEW MERCER/ RELEASE DATE: 26TH FEBRUARY 2018
