Anime Attack on Titan finally ended last weekend after 10 years, debuting in April 2013 and surprising the world with its impactful story and excellent animation moving from Wit to MAPPA in the previous seasons.
The New York Times interviewed author Hajime Isayama and asked him about the ending of the series. When the manga ended in 2021, some fans did not like how the story ended and criticized Isayama on social media.
There is even a fan movement looking to recreate the manga’s ending, and another group of fans have promised to animate this alternative ending. But let’s see the author’s response:
How many manga endings did you have in mind when you started writing “Attack on Titan”? And how much has it changed along the way?
That was pretty much there from the beginning, the story started with the victim then going through this story and becoming the aggressor. That’s what I thought about from the beginning. Along the way, some aspects of the story didn’t turn out as expected and I adjusted and added certain aspects. But I can say that the ending of the story doesn’t change much.
The manga ends with you showing the future of Paradis and in a way the cycle of war continues. The conflict and cycle you present in the story has no end?
I guess there could have been a happy ending, the war was over and everything was fine and wonderful. I guess that could happen. At the same time, the end of fighting and the end of disputes seem like a joke. It seems even more unbelievable. It just doesn’t make sense in the world we live in today. And sadly I had to give up that kind of happy ending.
You’ve been involved in anime production for a while, overseeing the script of the film adaptation and being known to request story changes in the adaptation. Do you personally have any requests for the final episode?
Correct. Absolute. I checked the script, but the main thing is the storyboard. There are many different things that I have suggested. When it comes down to it, the real role of the manufacturer is to make those decisions. But I’d at least like to give my opinion so they can take those into consideration when making their final decision.
According to: Kodoani.com
