Attack on Titan - S1E5 - First Battle/Attack on Trost, Part 1
Previously on Attack on Titan - ‘Night of the Graduation Party: Mankind’s Comeback, Part 2′
There’s no better way to test what you’ve learned in boot camp than to get into battle the day after graduation. Our boy Eren wastes no time in getting in that bastard’s colossal face as he quickly maneuvers around the cannons and the Titan’s attack. His training has paid off; he notices that the attacks aren’t random arm swings. No, the attack on the wall is strategic.
It doesn’t take a cadet in the military to understand that by kicking down the gate and stripping the walls of the cannons, that strategy denotes intelligence. While this comes to Eren as shock and horror, he doesn’t shirk away from the obvious. If he can take this monster out then things will be easier to deal with. Well, as easy as it can get with a huge hole in the wall and man-eating giants marching through.
He takes a ballsy leap off the wall, fires his hooks into the arm of the Titan, runs up and quickly gets behind it and swings for the weak spot; the back of the neck. Just as he’s about to strike a blast of steam throws him back and once it clears, it has vanished as quickly as it had appeared. That’s one hell of a magic trick.
After he gets back to the wall, orders are issued from another officer to head back to headquarters and report the situation. At headquarters, it’s controlled chaos. Everyone knows that if they don’t get their shit together, it’s a repeat of five years ago. No one wants to even think that it is, let alone say it. Evacuations are made, and this time at least there was prior warning. Armin, the poor guy, as he’s gassing up his 3D rig, is freaking out. He tries to say that he’s fine, but the technology to seal the hole in the wall instantly doesn’t exist. Eren grabs Armin and tells him it isn’t the same thing like the last time. It’s different. They know how to fight back now, and they won’t lose to the Titans ever again.
Contrasting this stressful situation (and that’s putting it lightly) is a noble (based on that ridiculous outfit he’s wearing) playing a game of chess with General Pixis. Lord Balto remarks that he beats Pixis every month. He beats the General of the southern wall in a simple board game. Pixis knows what to say in the presence of a member of the 1%, ‘I am no match for you it seems.’ The message finally reaches Pixis; a Colossal Titan has appeared and Trost is under attack. He nods, stands up, takes a huge chug from Lord Balto’s bottle of wine and leaves to meet the enemy. Like most rich bastards, he wants the General to stay with his soldiers to protect this domain. Pixis’ reply is that his soldiers are defending the best to their ability. People are without a doubt being killed, so he must go out there and rally the troops to make a stronger defensive position. Lord Balto tries to discourage him by mentioning he can’t win a chess game, so how can he defeat the titans to protect worthless lives? The General doesn’t answer but his subordinate does.
“Unlike chess, General Pixis will be able to act without restraint.” Yeah, he did that. He’s been played for a fool and called a pussy. Pixis silences him quietly and tells Lord Balto to continue to live in calm and peace.
Back at headquarters the Garrison commander is briefing everyone on the situation. The wall has been breached and the titans are moving in. The Trost district is divided into thirds. On the front lines, the Advanced Guard who are holding off the Titans. The Cadet corps is in the middle working as a security force. In the rear, the elite members of the Garrison corps who will be making sure people are getting out. The defensive strategy is simple; defend to their dying breaths every last citizen until everyone is evacuated. They are also not to be surprised to see an Armored Titan running through at any moment so they need to be on the spot with communication between the different sectors. As dissent begins to rise in the ranks they’re reminded that any desertions or refusal to carry out orders is an act of treason and punishment is execution.
Once every heads to their positions we see John, sulking. Due to the attack, he won’t be headed to the interior any time soon. Seeing Eren, he takes it out on him. The same speech from boot, the same old bullshit about how he was set to live in safety but now he’s going to end up dead so the least Eren can do to help him out is not look so smug. Tired of this shit, Eren grabs him by the shirt and slams him against a piller. He reminds him about the last three years in training. They saw other people wash out or kicked out to go to the reclamation missions. They looked death right in the eye and they didn’t even blink. He basically tells him to get his shit together, survive today and he can go to the Interior tomorrow.
John begrudgingly complies and picks up his friend who had been puking his guts out earlier. Misaka shows up and is ready to leave with Eren until another soldier tells her she’s been reassigned to the rear guard. Due in no small part how exceptional her skills are. Misaka protests but Eren shuts her up. Now is not the time to worry about him or her. They have to act now to save Humanity from extinction. Before he leaves, Misaka makes Eren promise that he won’t die. There’s no way that could backfire could it? On a rooftop with Armin and the rest of his squad, they wait for the order to move out. Eren says there’s no way he’s going to die without seeing the outside world. He then reflects on the lessons he learned from boot. As far as they know, no attempts to communicate with these creatures have been successful. They also show no interest in any other living thing except humans. If that’s not enough to chill your spine, they also don’t have to eat humans to survive. They lived a hundred years cut off from them and the numbers didn’t seem to have diminished any. At this time, the only speculation about their behavior is that they exist only to slaughter humanity. After the flashback, in an effort to buck up his buddy’s spirits, he tells them if they prove themselves today, they can get on the fast track to getting promoted within the Scout Regiment.
The rest of the squad saunters up, saying that it’s not that easy since everyone here is a candidate. With spirits high, they challenge one another to see who can kill the most Titans. They’re told to move out to help the front lines. The squad flies into action and they see how bad it is. The front line is in shambles and there is an ass-ton of titans looking for a snack. Suddenly Eren notices one of the unique Titans. (Because even monsters can be unique) This fucker jumps at the squad, mouth agape to catch one of them out of the air. They dodge and it crashes into a tower while they land safely. They look back at it and Thomas is caught between its teeth. As fast as it happened, the faster he’s swallowed whole.
It is then that Eren goes Rip-shit-riot. He takes off after the titan that ate Thomas, swearing revenge for taking his friend. In the frenzy of rage and adrenaline Eren is sailing through the air. He closes the distance quickly and he winds up for an attack and…loses a leg to another jumper. He tumbles head over heel and eats clay tile shit. Everyone sees this and everyone gets distracted by it.
One girl is yanked out of the air by her cable and she is looking right in the eyes of one of the titans. One cadet screams and begs for his life while in the clutches of a titan. Armin sees all of this. In shock, he doesn’t move or fight as he’s picked up by a titan that looks like Santa Claus and ready to drop him down the hatch. By the time he comes to, it’s too late.
He’s about to slide down into the belly of a beast when against all odds, Eren saves him from certain death. The flashback gave him the final push to save Armin. Holding the jaws open with one arm and reaching out with the other, he swears that they will see the outside world. Just as the jaws of the titan clamp down, severing his arm. Eren lets out an anguished scream that Misaka might’ve heard.
