The beginning of the end: The pain that made Isayama apologize to the animation studio
Naruto, One Piece, Dragon Ball Z, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventures, and Attack on Titan form the five pillars of the anime fandom. Now, the last one is ending after about a decade of patient waiting by fans.
Attack on Titan first began publication in 2010, and its first episode was aired on April 7, 2013, in Japan. The last episode will be aired on November 4, 2023, and will be 85 minutes long.
As expected, the series creator, Hajime Isayama, delivered a message to fans before that fateful day. But curiously, he apologized to the animation studio MAPPA. Why did he decide to apologize all of a sudden to them?
In a letter to fans on November 1, 2023, Attack on Titan creator Hajime Isayama revealed that he had apologized twice to MAPPA. It’s the animation studio working on the final episode of the anime. Isayama apologized because he felt the studio would have a hard time animating the controversial ending of the manga, where Mikasa killed Eren just as he had felt writing it.
Why Did Hajime Isayama Apologize To MAPPA?
On November 1, 2023, Attack on Titan creator Hajime Isayama wrote a curious message for fans. In it, he thanked fans for their support for more than a decade. Also, he revealed that he had apologized twice to the animation studio, MAPPA when they were busy working on the final episode of the long-running anime.
It was because it was hard for him to write and draw the climactic ending of Attack on Titan. So he figured that it was perhaps going to be as difficult for them to animate it. But he said that, ultimately, he was excited to watch the final product.
The manga ending, which was published in April 2021, showed Eren Jaeger going on a rampage and killing 80% of humanity. To stop this insanity, Mikasa kissed Eren and then decapitated him, ending his terror reign.
The ending has been controversial among fans of the series for its dark material, and many were hoping that the end of the anime would get changed. In fact, some think that Isayama has hinted at that in his fan letter for the last episode.
Will The Ending of The Last Episode of Attack of Titan Get Changed?
In his fan message, Hajime Isayama wrote that he penned some additional rough drafts for the ending portion of Attack on Titan’s last episode. So he requested everyone to watch till the very end.
Fans online quickly interpreted it to mean that the manga’s ending has been altered. One fan wrote on X, “So Isayama confirmed a new ending?” Another one commented, “Rough draft means better ending, right?”
However, that doesn’t seem to be the case. It looks like Isayama drew additional stuff for the ending song of the anime since it will be the last one ever. But many aren’t losing hope for a slightly different ending. Whether that happens or not remains to be seen.
What are your thoughts about the ending of the Attack on Titan manga? Would you like it if the anime had a changed or new conclusion?
Let us know in the comments below.
