Attack on Titan Season 4: Crew’s Comments on Each Episode
Last year in November 2021, the crew shared their comments on Attack on Titan Season 4 episodes, which are available with English translations below.
A dark fictional anime series on Japanese Television, Attack on Titan, is based on the popular manga comics written by Hajime Isayama. The series has become the highest-rated series on various reliable sources like IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes, etc.
Attack on Titan storyline revolves around a protagonist character named Eren Jaeger and his friends Mikasa Ackerman and Armin Arlert. The plot covers the setting of a post-apocalyptic world where the giant humanoids, Titans, live behind the huge walls, which protects the surviving humanity. Some Titans did try and succeed in entering the city and killed the main character, Eren’s mother.
The exciting journey of Eren began with the desire for revenge for his mother’s death from the giant Titans. Four seasons of Attack on Titan has been released on various TV channels of Japan Asia-Pacific Countries and are also available on the universal platforms, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Hulu.
The four seasons of the Japanese series covers the journey of Eren discovering his power and ability to transform into a Titan and ends with Eren choosing the path of destruction of his enemies and the whole world apart from his own place.
The Attack on Titan Season 4 introduced two new characters named Gabi Braun and Falco Grice, young warrior candidates who are seeking to take over Reiner’s Armored Titan after four years of a failed attempt to reclaim the Founding Titan. The horrifying yet exciting adventures of Eren and his friends are witnessed in the Attack on Titan Season 4.
The crew members of the Attack on Titan Series have shared their comments on some episodes of Season 4, specifically the first batch of what is currently known as ‘Season 4A’. The comments were revealed in the year 2021, November. With the help of the ‘Attack on Fans’ website, we have shared the English translations of the crew’s comments.
Episode 60: “The Other Side of the Ocean”
Attack on Titan crew, including the director Yichiro Hayashi, talked about episode 1. Yichiro Hayashi entered the field of cinema in the year 2012 with the role of director. Apart from Attack on Titan, Yichiro has directed Garo: The Animation, Kakegurui, and Dorohedoro.
Yichiro Hayashi said about Attack on Titan Episode 1, “I think this was the most enthusiastic episode because it was the first episode for MAPPA, and I was quite puzzled by the fact that it was Attack On Titan, but it was all military. Personally, I focused on the dusty atmosphere of the battlefield.”
Episode 61: “Midnight Train”
Attack on Titan series has a lot of directors, and Director Daisuke Tokudo is sharing his views about the Attack on Titan Season 4 Episode 2, “The daily life of the warrior cadets (they are specially trained but only children). For example, how do they behave, and how do they express their emotions? I had to record such small details, so I used a rotoscope to pick up their movements as carefully as possible. I’m sure it was a lot of work for the people who worked on this scene, but I’m glad that I was able to get a sense of each of them. The long shots of young Reiner were very difficult to do, but we had to do it this way to express a world that only he could see.”
Episode 62: “The Door of Hope”
Attack on Titan crew member Director Daisuke Niinuma remembered something about episode 3 of Season 4 and thought about how “…all the staff took a lot of care in the scene where Reiner is beaten up by Annie and the scene where he raises his gun. It’s a shame that we couldn’t get through some of the scenes due to the length of the episode, but I think it turned out to be an episode with a lot of highlights, such as the scene between Kenny and Annie in disguise or the time when they were training soldiers.”
Episode 63: “From One Hand To Another”
The Attack on Titan team includes a Chief Animation Director named Manabu Akita. Manabu has worked with David Production for the project of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, and he was the animation director of its season 1.
Manabu Akita introduced a new character and shared his views on the Attack on Titan Season 4 Episode 4, “It was a quiet episode with no Titans in the story. We got to see Falco, Gabi and the others going about their daily lives, which made us feel attached to the characters, but also made us a little sad to think about what would happen next. I love how Gabi and the others are surprised by the festival and how the four of them turn to Reiner and the others with indescribable expressions on their faces. In this episode, I started working as a chief animation director, and I had to draw Willy [Tybur] for the first time when I wasn’t used to drawing yet, so it was a struggle.”
Episode 64: “Declaration of War”
Attack on Titan Director Teruyuki Omine, who also handled the work of the art department, expresses his thoughts, particularly on the turning point in Season 4 Episode 5.
Teruyuki Omine says, “Willy’s speech takes up a large part of the episode, and I think Kazuhiko Inoue did a great job of engaging the audience. The conversation in the basement was wonderfully acted by Kaji and Hosoya, but I struggled to reflect the tension. In this episode and the other episodes I directed (episodes 70 and 75), there were many two-sided scenes with Lights and shadows, and I felt I could create impressive scenes that increased the tension. [Yuki] Kaji was scared during the recording session because he looked like he was possessed by Eren. Hosoya is a good voice actor, and I personally grew to love Reiner.”
Episode 65: “The War Hammer Titan”
Attack on Titan 3D computer graphic supervisor Shuhei Yabuta, who also directed a popular series named Vinland Saga, was released in the year 2019. Shuhei Yabuta recalled the time he joined the team and said, “When I joined the team, I felt a lot of pressure because production had moved to MAPPA, and it was the season of active use of 3DCG. However, I was encouraged by the enthusiasm of Okuno and Ikeda, the 3DCG supervisors, and the spirit of Niwa, Higashida and Kondo in the production department, who were working around day and night. It was the first time in a long time that I was able to concentrate on my work as an on-site staff member. Ymir’s memories taught me that all of us who participate in Attack On Titan is equally lucky. The enthusiasm of all the staff has resulted in a wonderful episode…”
Episode 66: “Assault”
Attack on Titan Season 4 Crew experienced various feelings about the season 4 episodes, and one of them, the episode director Jun Shishido has shared a memory of himself taking on a massive POV switch of making Paradise Island the bad guys.
Jun Shishido says, “In episode 66, I focused on how to portray Eren and Survey Corps, who had been the main characters until Season 3, as the devil of Paradis Island. The highlight of the episode is the scene of the Panzer group’s deaths. By the way, there’s a hidden photo among all the photos next to Carlo’s rifle stand.”
Episode 67: “Assassin’s Bullet”
A tragic event that melted the hearts of all is the surprise death of Sasha. The death was the most emotional one and made Armin and Mikasa devastated. Director Yuichiro Hayashi has a few words to share about the incident.
Yuichiro Hayashi says, “Sashas’s death is one of the most important events in The Final Season. Sasha’s death will affect the lives of many characters. I think Kanai’s storyboarding, with his intonation and inflection, made for a tragic and heart-wrenching moment.”
Episode 68: “Brave Volunteers”
Attack on Titan Director Daisuke Niinuma talked about this episode which entails the a throwback style where the past is remembered in order to look back at the happy moments and how people lived happily on Paradis Island.
Director Daisuke Niinuma stated, “The Scenes from the past on Paradis Island, the cheerful expressions on the faces of everyone, including Sasha before she died, reminded me of the previous seasons and made me nostalgic. There are quite a lot of heavy content stories this season, so it’s great to be involved in such scenes. The Eren we see in episodes 68 and 69, before the fall of darkness (?), is handsome. Personally, I paid attention to Floch’s hairstyle, although he only appears for a moment.”
Episode 69: “A Sound Argument”
Director Kaori Makita has directed many popular movies like Twittering Birds Never Fly – The Clouds Gather, Twittering Birds Never Fly: Don’t Stay Gold. Kaori Makita reveals some of her feelings about this particular episode which include a lot of emotional aftermaths.
Kaori Makita mentions, “Episode 69 didn’t have any spectacular battles, but it was an episode with a lot of information related to the basis of the story. The conversation scene of the 104th cadet corps in the sunset was very impressive. In the conversation between Connie and Sasha, which treads a delicate line between gag and seriousness, we were able to reproduce the exquisite expressions and questions from the original story in the anime. The actors’ performances were excellent.”
Episode 70: “Deceiver”
Attack on Titan Crew includes an Animation Director Michelle Sugimoto remembers something about this episode and says, “In episode 70, I thought the world view would be less convincing if small things were not drawn correctly, not to mention the characters. The stew served at the Blouse house has also been revised. It was interesting to hear the line ‘This is delicious!’ from Falco, the first character I drew in Attack On Titan. So I was able to follow Gabi’s various expressions and actions, and it was a lot of fun.”
Episode 71: “Guides”
Attack on Titan Director Yuichiro Hayashi states this episode as “the most understated episode of The Final Season. Or perhaps I should say it’s austere. It’s mostly a political drama about a corps of soldiers who get caught in the middle of the Jaegerists uprising, so the visuals are a bit weak even with all the old guys. I like the way Zackly dies.”
Episode 72: “Children of the Forest”
Another viewpoint of Director Yuichiro Hayashi for this episode is that “probably my favourite of the Final Season. When I read this moment in the manga, I was impressed by Kaya’s emotions and direct development. In the scene where Kaya cries when she is being held in their arms, I drew her in a way that she cries and criest with all her emotions, like a little child.”
Episode 73: “Savagery”
The Attack on Titan Animation Director Hiroko Komatsu would like to share his comments on this episode, which are “In episode 73, the scene where Eren tells Mikasa ‘he hates her’ is very impressive. I tried to draw it as carefully and heartfelt as possible since it’s a very important scene in the story. When I drew this scene, I remembered the three of them in their childhood. And the words they exchanged in front of me looked like a lie, and naturally, I felt tears welling up in my eyes. Since I was in charge of drawing this heartbreaking scene, I made a point of drawing a smiling face for the illustration after it was broadcast (laughs).”
Episode 74: “Sole Salvation”
In the Japanese fictional series, Attack on Titan, Director Mitsue Yamazaki have something on her mind about this episode as she says, “When Grisha pushes Zeke, and he screams hysterically, the actors’ interpretation was very strong and powerful. I also paid a lot of attention to their facial expressions. What has he learned so far? I think he has a very good face. The final scene where Zeke is blown up by a thunder spear was directed by Takahiko Abiru, and I was very excited to work on it because it was as good as the tragedy of this story. Personally, I’m a little sad that Zeke, who was such a good and cute kid in his childhood, became such a tough guy after reaching adulthood…”
Episode 75: “Above and Below”
At the end of the Attack on Titan Season 4, Director Yuichiro Hayashi talks about “Armin’s fake tears in the dungeon are the best. The more serious the scene, the more cynical the laughter, which is the essence of Attack On Titan. In the end, Reiner appears as a hero. So look forward to Part 2….!”
The Attack on Titan Season 4 Crew experience with the series is shared, and the audience is also in love with this series. On Rotten Tomatoes, the audience score for the Japanese dark fictional series is 94 per cent, and fans are waiting for the next release to witness the horrifying yet exciting future of Eren and humanity.
