I view Chap 138 and 139 as one prolonged chapter. I give the conclusion a 2.5/5. It´s all too predictable but I don´t think that the overall themes of the series are fully served by it. Isayama's struggle to write multi-layered female characters came to bite him in the ass. Mikasa sucked since the start and Historia got no favors either post-time skip. Too much of the ending relies on being invested in them. The former is a non-character while the latter was laughably sidelined for all of the 3rd act. Good for farmer-kun. I guess? Ymir is another non-character and I don´t get what Isayama tried here when all was said and done. GoT S7&8 this ain´t but the rot there sat in way earlier. Isayama on the other hand knew what he was doing for most of the manga and most of the time skip arc. I can most importantly respect that he ended the series on his own terms. Let's see what the man´s next work is about but I hope it has fewer blatant exposition dumps. Overall a solid B grade manga.

I wouldn´t mind a bonus extra epilogue as there are a few fully unresolved main plot threads too many. Like the one Death Note go. A historian could try to make sense of it all ages after the events in a way for Isayama to show what sort of legacy was left behind by this forever war of ideologies and to clean up lore questions. Or to create even more confusion... Final Fantasy Tactics did that.

Edit: The Vol 38 epilogue drops the ending to a 2/5 for me. It arguably goes back to the original ending and is way too rushed. But I was right that a giant time skip would be used. The legacy of the AoT forever war is to start another forever war? Lame.

I also read EU/US comics and am a librarian.
Manga-Masters, My ANN-Lists + Imdb

I'm extremely dissatisfied as it somehow managed to even fall way below my already lowered expectations.

Pretty much a copy of Watchmen ending: Global, Skynet Judgment Day level genocide by the lead, all false 'heroes' are partners in crime with none of them having the integrity or balls of Rorschach, the land of leads turned into Nazi Reich, no conflict resolved and only WWII was setup but without titans this time.

Looks like a setup to an easy follow-up and if not, everything after time skip contributed nothing to the original story. I think it should have finished back when they discovered the cellar if this is the real finale. Compared to back then, I like none of the alive characters right now.

Isayama was famously inspired by Zack Snyder´s Watchmen adaptation (the director's cut is the best of the 3 versions) in making the manga. That inspiration apparently even played a role in the ending now that we have seen it. Snyder changed aspects of the comic´s ending. His operation S.Q.U.I.D. expands the death toll greatly and made it international as major cities around the world got fried instead of just NY like in the comic. International mass death to preserve a false peace? Hm. Not that the manga suggests that the end result was all that successful.

Watchmen´s film adaptation and AoT´s first chapter were released in 2009 but the basic idea for AoT is older and the WM comic itself dates back to the 80s. The closest copy of the WM ending I have seen so far in a manga is in Destroy and Revolution. A legit mess of an ending/final arc.

I also read EU/US comics and am a librarian.
Manga-Masters, My ANN-Lists + Imdb

I'm quite happy with it. Also happy for its author as well, it must have been a really tough final stretch on Isayama-sensei... just the sheer amount of expectations (from outside and self-imposed), all the accumulated milleage... now the man can finally enjoy a much needed rest, while taking care of new pursuits (he's going to do a Sauna businnes from what I read in interviews).

Much of the final state of affairs is plausible and what you'd expect from that kind of post-war, almost apocalyptical situation. I must comment on the very end and the closure with Mikasa though, as I imagine that scene will probably be very criticized and meme'd. A lot of people will probably think it's dumb or stupid.

Now Eren was pretty much everything for Mikasa, and there was absolutely nothing anyone could say or do about her loss. It can happen with anyone who lost a very precious one, and sometimes solace can only be found through very personal experiences, dreams, spiritual guidance or such. The final scene felt kinda like an augury, but with a more positive and symbolic message (birds have always been symbolic in SnK and the seagul for its association with the Ocean would be quite particular to Armin, Mikasa and Eren). I got from it a message to be strong and move forward, which to be fair, is exactly one of the main messages throughout much of the series, though in this case it's more particular to Mikasa's situation. Mikasa has always striked me as a character very in-tune with her immediate surroundings, and the most fitting and reassuring message to her at that point, could only have come from the other side.

Anyway, it was a fun journey, and it'll stay as one of my favorites.

I really liked it 4/5 🙂
I did predict that he wasn't fully be in control of the titan powers (and when Annie got out ,almost everyone I know predicted a simmilar ending), but strictly speaking those last two chapters were very fulfilling. I could've lived without the bird (I would've in fact preferred a distant shot of Mikasa and the tree or her wrongly exalted /killed by an extremist mob ). If we take that out and the extremist Pardis mob (I mean he can alter their memories) those two chapters are a solid 7/10

What I liked the most was how he only went out of his way specifically to save Armin (even thought that wouldn't lead to the best outcome ) and Jeans joke on the history books (future Connie or whoever sniffed Historia's letter totally looks like a creep).

This doesn't take out that the last ark as a whole is terrible.😕
There were too many unnecessary things:

The flying titan
The whole chapter 137 dropped the series finale as a whole (I was a terribly random explanation of evolution) the series totally makes more sense without it, that over explanation was extremely unnecessary. I bet Isayama's science teacher dropped it there.
The giant centipede had 0 sense.
The random last minute power up of the founder titan, just served to cut Levis leg off.The conclusion of that, just felt as a terribly used power of friendship trope and it's quick resolution left me a terrible aftertaste.
and other stuff like the rushed encounter of most the titan shifters could've been done better
(WTF happened with the other Yimir?)

@Ultramarinus
I bet there will be even more memes comparing Eren with fascists.
XD

I was right. Vol 34 will feature additional pages. Nothing new for long-term manga to put in an epilogue or redrawn pages in the final release.
Or to even put out a bonus volume (HxH) or specials (Death Note) down the line when other releases can be promoted. We´ll see. Not that anything like this is confirmed but major manga franchises never die. So you know and we still have one anime season and at least one US film in front of us that are ripe to be exploited with bonus manga or short story releases. The IP is already rich in spin-offs. Never say never.

I also read EU/US comics and am a librarian.
Manga-Masters, My ANN-Lists + Imdb

Ending should reveal that the last chapter was only a possible timeline. The real ending should be Eren escaping Paradis with his waifu. At least it would make for a good meme instead of a disappointment.

PS: King Fritz must have been God in bed for Ymir to love him so. That's the only possible reason to explain this whole bullshit.

0/10 ending

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