Over the span of seven years, “Attack on Titan’s” fourth and final season is finally here. The “Attack on Titan” anime is an adaptation of the best-selling manga series by Hajime Isayama, which is still ongoing and has not yet come to a conclusion. The show had garnered much popularity from its first season and came to a bittersweet ending at the end of its third season.

According to the show’s synopsis for the fourth season, it has been “four years since the Scout Regiment reached the shoreline, and the world looks different now. Things are heating up as the fate of the Scout Regiment — and the people of Paradis — are determined at last. However, Eren is missing. Will he reappear before age-old tensions between Marleyans and Eldians result in the war of all wars?”

Fans of the series were thrilled for the start of the final season. However, rather than showing the usual setting in the walls or the usual scouts, this episode introduced a new setting, new titans, and new characters — which fans were not used to. Even more so, the opening song of this season is completely different from that of the opening songs from the previous seasons. It was showcased with a different art style

and without any of the main characters. On the account of the title, “The Other Side of the Sea,” the viewers are revealed to the opposing enemies in battle. The whereabouts of Eren and the other scouts are not disclosed within the episode, but Jean makes an appearance within the last few seconds of the episode.

I watched the premiere episode with my brother, and he expressed that “it was an interesting choice of a four-year jump with no context.” However, he is looking forward to the explanation of what the four-year gap is all about. “It makes me wonder more about what happened within those four years than what is going to happen in the future.”

I asked Winzlet Marasigan, who is a fan of the series and is caught up with the manga, about their thoughts on the first episode. “At first, I was a little confused about what was happening, but I was still super excited to see how things would look, considering how “Attack on Titan’s” animation has always looked amazing,” said Marasigan. “Since I’m caught up on the manga, I”m mostly just excited to see how the scenes I’ve read will be animated.”

“I would definitely recommend “Attack on Titan” to anyone who is able to get past the gore aspect of it. Its artwork is amazing, it has a crazy, well-thought plot, and is just overall entertaining,” said Marasigan.

This premiere episode was in stark contrast to what viewers were used to and left a controversial impression since there was little context given. Nonetheless, it was still a remarkable introduction to the final season, which is sure to bring about much attention to details once more of the story comes to light.