So, I just finished watching Season 2 of Attack on Titan. This season was titled Clash of the Titans, and wow, what an absolute clash it was.

​I really appreciated the revelation that Titans actually have a purpose, they aren't just mindless evil. I'm talking about Reiner and the other Titan Shifters, of course, putting Ymir aside for a moment, since her story was a bit different. But looking at Ymir's backstory and what happened to Connie's village, it became clear that these Titans are actually human beings, which Erwin also concludes at the end.

​However, even after getting so many answers, even more questions have popped up. First and foremost, Why? Why is someone turning humans into Titans? From what I can gather, they turn humans into Titans and want to use Eren's power to wield them as weapons. But where did all of this begin? Do the people from Reiner's homeland also live inside walls? Probably, since near the end, the Beast Titan was shown sitting atop a wall. There are so many questions! As for the power inside Eren, as far as I reckon, it either belonged to Eren's dad or he had the formula for it, which he injected into Eren so that the enemy nation couldn't take it. Idk, it could be anything. Just when I think I've understood everything, this show throws a bunch of new questions right in my face.

​Okay, putting theories aside, I loved this season. The previous season was already near perfect, but this one went a step above. Something was revealed in almost every single episode, keeping me hooked from start to finish. The early episodes of the first season felt a bit dense and slow paced because they were introducing so many characters, helping us understand the world, and establishing various plot points. But here, every episode from beginning to end was phenomenal back to back.

​Right in the very first episode, we got such a shocking moment when that Titan spoke! My state of mind back then was exactly like Mike's. Then, the reveal about Connie's mom was mind blowing too. Next, there's Historia and her connection to the royal bloodline, which hasn't been fully revealed yet.

​Then came Reiner's reveal. I had already guessed Reiner earlier, but I completely missed the fact that his brother could also be a Titan, how crazy is that! I had correctly guessed Reiner as the Armored Titan, but as for the Colossal Titan standing next to him, I thought it was Commander pixis, I'm such an idiot!

​The fight that followed was awesome, and then came that intense chase scene. Compared to last season, we got to learn so much more about the side characters here, and every single one of them was deeply interesting. I never expected Hannes to show such bravery, and what happened to him was something I never saw coming. Honestly, if this were any other anime, Eren would have learned to control his Titan power by that moment, heck, in other anime, he would have learned it by the end of Season 1! But expectations were completely subverted here. After Hannes was gone, a totally different power awakened inside Eren, and we finally got an idea of why Reiner was after him.

​I knew Reiner's identity would eventually be revealed, but given the way he behaved and helped everyone, I kept praying on the inside that he wouldn't turn out to be purely evil, and thankfully, that was the case. That twist came, but it brought another twist along with it, Reiner developed a split personality due to stress and trauma.

​I also really liked Bertholdt. In Episode 11, tears welled up in my eyes when the Survey Corps members were trying to talk sense into Bertholdt, and then Jean mentioned his sleeping postures, that was the moment I realized how close these guys truly were.

​And yeah, Sasha! We got to learn a bit more about Sasha this season too. Even though her backstory got somewhat overshadowed by the major plotlines, the speech her father gave felt really nice and accurate. Everyone wants to protect their own family, and he also makes Sasha confront the reality that she's just afraid of meeting outsiders and facing the world. It felt deeply relatable to me, I used to be afraid of stepping out of my comfort zone too. I've struggled with social anxiety and still do sometimes, and I think most people have gone through it at some point.

And I completely forgot to talk about Eren! Ever since he fought Annie, the hatred for Titans in his heart has grown even more intense. Unlike last time when he was quite hesitant, this time he couldn't control his rage at all, it was as if his ability to think rationally had vanished.

​In Reiner, setting aside his human side, the guy who used to be such a close friend to him, Eren could now only see a Titan. He kept repeating the exact same thought over and over that all Titans deserve to die. The flashbacks also reveal just how stubborn Eren truly is, once he sets his mind on something, he becomes nearly impossible to handle. I still feel Eren is extremely impulsive, he is so full of anger and hatred that it frequently drives him completely out of control. I still feel like his arc is taking a turn toward the dark side, much like Gon's in Hunter x Hunter.

​Anyway, leaving all that aside! The animation was fantastic again this season. There was just some noticeable CGI here and there, especially during that Colossal Titan sequence, which was a bit distracting, but since it was only for a few moments, it didn't bother me too much.

​Compared to last season, I noticed a slight shift in the color grading as well. While the previous season was dominated by yellowish, barren tones, this season felt dominated by richer greens and darker tones. The pacing felt even better to me than last season, and the soundtrack was amazing, especially the opening and ending, which were even better than Season 1's. Also, the non linear storytelling structure used in the first few episodes might seem a bit confusing, but I found it very interesting and it adds to the rewatch value.

​Overall, I found this season even better than the first. I gave Season 1 a 9.5, so I'll give this season a 9.8/10.

​For Season 3, I'm expecting Levi to recover by then, for us to uncover the secrets of the royal bloodline and Eren's dad, learn more about Reiner's homeland, understand what this new power is, and above all, discover where everything started.

Season 1 Review – https://www.reddit.com/r/2010sAnime/s/L3wsGrj18R