For two seasons, Attack on Titan has showed us the monsters trying to get into the city walls. We had started to learn about where the Titans came from and that not all of them are evil. The third season shows that even if humanity has a common enemy, their darker instincts can not be denied.
Smoke Signal
The first episode shows that Levi and his group might not be under attack by the Titans, they are still in danger. The secrets that were reveled last season are dangerous, and there is a group of people who will kill to keep the rest of humanity in the dark. A story from Levi is the approaching storm as the Interior Squad shows up and starts dropping people. Levi escapes, but someone is in hot pursuit.
The focus away from the Titans is an intriguing one. For a show that has made it’s name on big set piece battles, to take a step back and show their are other dangers in the world might be a risky gamble, but Titan handles it masterfully. The question is not how do our heroes survive, but who can they trust. In the first few epsiodes, there is not a Titan battle in sight.
Trust
Has the show tired of our giant monsters? I think the answer is the show wanted to become more dangerous and raise the stakes. The five episodes I have watched deal with how those in power deal with having everything that have taken away from them. Much like The Walking Dead, the monsters outside might be a threat, but they are nothing compared to the ones inside. while I hesitate to call this the dark season, the first few episodes make you wonder what Levi and the others are fighting for.
Titan is a an anime that keeps getting better each season. My favorite moment so far is one of the best “gotchas” in anime. Levi and the rest might have a moment to catch their breath, but the rest will be short lived. There is still the question of who that woman was at the end of last season. It is a testament to the writing of this show that no monsters have appeared and I was too invested to notice.