Attack on Titan Episode 23 “Smile ~Raid on Stohess Ward Part 1~” Preview Images and Synopsis

Hey, look what came out in time enough to be useful!

 

 

 

 

The 57th Outside the Walls Expedition was always secretly a strategy to capture titan shifters. Specifically to lure out titan shifters who may have already been living inside the walls. Due to the failure of this mission, Chief Irwin and the rest of the returning Scouting Legion that went on the mission are being called back to the capital with the decision of what to do with Eren looming darkly over them all. As they must pass into the central capital, their movement will be watched and guarded by the Military Police, and there we will meet and old friend.

Hiroshi Seko! It’s been so long since I’ve had to type your name for the Screenplay credit, but there you go. Even in this late stage, we still get to pull in new people. Storyboard is by Daizen Komatsuda, who’s done storyboards on Eva 2.0 and 3.0, two episodes of Panty and Stocking, and two episodes of ROBOTICS;NOTES. Not just him either. Episode is directed by Hirokazu Yamada, director of four episodes of Cowboy Bebop. And we have an absurd amount of animation directors, 7 in total. People you have seen before on this show: Hitomi Hasegawa, That’s it. Everyone other than her is totally new to this game. Youko Satou, animation director for Gintama. Masayuki Fujita, episode animation director on a number of things including Majestic Prince. Yuka Sugisaki in her first AD gig, but she has a few Key Animation jobs from episodes here and there. Masashi Nomura, occasional AD for Da Capo but also a Key Animator for JoJo’s: The Animation. And they’re just the people I can find things about. There’s also Sera Kouta, but all I find when I look up the name is a listing for Highschool DxD New, and Kim De Hoon who I can’t find anything on at all. That’s a lot of people being pulled in for this episode.

(Images from Shingeki.tv. © Hajime Isayama, Kodansha, WIT Studio, Production I.G., and The Attack on Titan Production Committee)

And don’t forget to check out this week’s “Training Corps” 4koma. Also last weeks because I forgot to mention it. Last week’s is part of a running gag, so look through the archives if it doesn’t click with you.

Attack on Titan Episode 13 “Primitive Desire” Preview Images and Synopsis

Armin is able to yell the transformed Eren back to his senses, and Eren is finally able to start the operation proper and start carrying the boulder for plugging the hole leaking titans into Trost. But the district is filled with titans, and titans are naturally flocking to Eren. The soldiers have devised plans to keep the titans away from Eren, prepared to die in the line of duty. Many are lost, but Eren is carrying the hope of humanity in that boulder.

Noboru Takagi is carrying the screenplay to the end of the Trost battle out of last episode. Storyboarder and director is Masashi Koizuka back from his huge amount of jobs in Episode 2 where he was storyboarder, episode director, prop designer, assistant director, and  sub-character designer. It’s weird to say that it might be a relief to only have two jobs. We’ve got another triad of animation directors. Ayumi Yamada from back in episode 8, Haruka Tanaka being promoted from assistant AD back during episode 10, and the totally new Megumi Tomita. Typically an animator with a good mix of between, 2nd key, and key, her only direction credits are on some Naruto gag things.

(Images from Shingeki.tv. © Hajime Isayama, Kodansha, Production I.G., WIT Studio, and The Attack on Titan Production Committee.)

Once again, there’s a new “Training Corps” on the previous episode page. As it involves Connie, I love it immediately.

12

Panel 2

(Bottle reads “Oil”)
Connie: Armin came up with the idea to paint me in this. As long as you’re covered in it,
you can get away from titans! I’m a genius!
(Sound effect around Connie says “Painted!”

Panel 3

(Sound effect: Not painted!”)

Panel 4

Connie: Ah!? It didn’t pierce!?
Annie and Jean: Stupid…

Attack on Titan Episode 12 “Scar” Preview Images and Synopsis

Just after going titan, the first person to feel Eren’s wrath is Mikasa. Though she is able to dodge, his uncontrollable state puts a halt to whatever plans there were for using his power to reclaim Trost District. After his lashing out, Eren suddenly stops moving, but a group of 3 titans is approaching. The field commander is at a loss. What will everyone do? Protect Eren and hope he comes around, or deal with the threat he poses before it gets any worse?

Script is being passed back to Noboru Takagi from episode 8. Storyboards are by a very interesting person. The credit is Sakomi Yajima, but from what I can find on ja.wiki, that’s a pseudonym used by Masayuki Miyaji, a storyboarder for things like King Gainer but probably more notable as an assistant director on Spirited Away. Direction is handled by Shintaro Itoga, episode director for a handful of things including ROBOTICS;NOTES, s-CRY-ed and what I think was one of the bad AD Police shows. We’ve got another team working on the animation direction. First up is Satonobu Kikuchi, moving up from his Assistant Animation Director job in the last episode. Second is Kyohei Tezuka who you’ll remember as an AD on episodes 2 and 7. Finally, Takaai Chiba, also back from episode 7, but more notably is the Titan animation director. Pulling in the person whose job it is to make the titans themselves move well bodes well for the action portion of this episode.

(Images from Shingeki.tv. © Hajime Isayama, Kodansha, Production I.G., WIT Studio, and The Attack on Titan Production Committee.)

There’s a new “Training Corps” on the previous week’s episode page. It’s about Sasha and food.

Panel 1
Off-screen Drill Sergeant: I will forgive anyone who decides to leave now.
Sasha (Thought): That means…

Panel 2
Sasha Fantasy: That means the crime of stealing that meat doesn’t count!

Panel 3
Sasha Fantasy: But if the Trost Recovery is successful, there might be even more meat to recover!

Panel 4
Sasha: A- but… Uuuuu
Jean: It’s not like Sasha to be so troubled…

The person I asked for help with the translation is super busy right now, so I’m still waiting a bit before we grab these and put them on a reader site. Shouldn’t be too much longer now, though.

Attack on Titan Episode 10 “Answer” Preview Images and Synopsis

A titan battleground fills people with an incredible fear. Even looking at his human body, the soldiers around Eren are unmoved by his or Armin’s pleas not to fire. They fire, and Eren reacts by summoning a partial, skeletal titan upper body to block the shot. Now the three of them, covered by the steam of the titan body fading away, must decide how to get out of this situation. The fear is all centered on Eren. What will he decide for Armin and Mikasa? What will he decide for himself?

This episode’s crew is all about letting the vets work. Screenplay is back to Hiroshi Seko. Storyboard and Direction is done by Hiroyuki Tanaka, the Series Assistant Director and Director on episode 1. Animation direction is by a pair. First is Ryousuke Sekiguchi, AD from back in episode 5 and key animator on episode 4 and the OP. The only totally new person is Yuko Yamamoto, and I mean totally new. She has tons of Key Animation credits from Doraemon to Nanoha to Samurai Champloo, but this will be her first AD credit ever. Let’s see what it is she can do.

(Images from Shingeki.tv. © Hajime Isayama, Kodansha, Production I.G., WIT Studio, and The Attack on Titan Production Committee.)

Also, don’t forget to look at last week’s preview set for this week’s Titan 4koma.

Attack on Titan Episode 8 “I Hear a Heartbeat” Preview Images and Synopsis

Despite the pictures, I’m pretty sure this episode isn’t about Marco.

Mikasa is saved by the strange, rouge titan. Armin, Connie, and she meet up. Because Mikasa doesn’t want to abandon Armin, he comes up with the plan to raid the building where the resupply team is under siege by titans. Connie carries him while Mikasa provides cover. Meanwhile, Jean and his unit also make their way to the same building. All together, form a plan to gather the supplies necessary to get out of this battleground and survive.

Crew has a few new kids this time. Screenplay this time is by Noboru Takagi, the Series Composer and Storyboarder for most of the episodes of Baccano! Storyboard is by Tomohiro Hirata. We’ve got a whole host of Directors and Animation Directors this time. The Directors are Tatsuya Minamikawa, Satoshi Kikuchi, a guy I had trouble finding any info on because he’s doesn’t have a ton of credits but who does have a direction credit on an episode of Hachiken: Eight Dogs of the East, and Ezaki Shinpei back from episode 5. Animation directors are Satoshi Kikuchi again, he actually has more experience in this field having done a few shows including Blood+, Ayumu Yamada from back in episode 2, and Hitomi Hasegawa, a key animator from last episode and on the OP.

(Images from Shingeki.tv. © Hajime Isayama, Kodansha, Production I.G., WIT Studio, and the Shingeki no Kyojin Production Committee.)

Attack on Titan Episode 6 “The World as She Saw It” Preview Images and Synopsis

Armin is freaking out, as you can see up at the top, because everyone around him in his team is dying. Also, his best friend saved him and was eaten right in front of his face after saving his life right as he gave up. He collapses and isn’t able to handle it, ultimately being rescued by Connie. Mikasa is in another district of the town fighting with a different unit. She doesn’t know anything about Eren’s fate other than her odd sense of foreboding, but reminisces about this first time they met.

Screenplay is once again by Hiroshi Seko from last episode. Storyboard is by Minoru Ohara who did the storyboard back in episode 3. Animation direction is being handled by a team of three newcomers: Kana Miyai, an animation director from Detective Conan and also did some for the Persona 4 anime; Reika Hoshino, has done some animation direction for shows about little girls; finally Miho Tanaka, typically a colorist, she has also done some animation direction on Hidamari Sketch x Honeycomb and Minami-ke Tadaima. All three of them were key animations on episode of JoJo’s. All this is directed by Tomomi Ikeda, another usual for key animation. Her only previous episode direction was two episode of Medaka Box Abnormal. Lots of people from the key animation section of anime making. Hopefully it works in the show’s favor.

(Images from Shingeki.tv, © Hajime Isayama, Kodansha, Production I.G., WIT Studio, and the Shingeki no Kyojin Production Committee)