To You, in 2000 Years: The Fall of Shiganshina, Part 1

"That day, humanity remembered the terror of being ruled by them. The humiliation of being kept in a cage."

- Narrator on the attack of the Titans

Ni-sen Nen-go no Kimi e -Shiganshina Kanraku (1)- (二千年後の君へ ―シガンシナ陥落①―) is the 1st episode of the 1st season and the 1st episode overall of the Attack on Titan anime, produced by Wit Studio and Production I.G.

Overview
One hundred years after the appearance of the Titans, humanity receives a grim reminder of the threat that the Titans pose. Under the belief that they were safe behind the Walls, a Colossal Titan peers over the Walls and breaks the Wall with its foot. In that instant the lives of mankind are changed forever. Humanity had grown complacent, unprepared for the Titans that rushed in devouring everyone they saw. All they could do was run, and hope the Garrison could stop them. A young boy and his foster sister do what they can to save their mother, trapped below the debris of their fallen house. They are forced to flee when a disturbing Titan appears. One of the soldiers, Hannes, tries to kill the Titan, but he ends up scared. Unwilling to leave his mother behind, the boy watches as, before his eyes, the Titan picks her up and eats her.

Summary
The giant hand of a Titan above Wall Maria, humanity's outermost Wall, ominously looms over the onlookers below, gaping in awe. The narrator explains how on that day, humanity received a grim reminder, and how they lived in fear of the Titans and were disgraced to live in the cages they called Walls.

Earlier that day, beyond the Walls, the Scout Regiment are traveling through a forest when they encounter a Titan. The soldiers attempt to assault it in an effort to establish humanity's first base outside their own Walls. Closing in, they break into five groups and start using their omni-directional mobility gear and launch an attack. Within the safety of the Walls, a child, Eren Jaeger, awakes from a dream crying. His adoptive sister Mikasa Ackermann asks him why he is crying, but Eren is unable to remember what he was dreaming about. While returning to the Shiganshina District, Eren and Mikasa encounter a group of soldiers guarding the gates, including their family friend Hannes, who are all laughing and drinking on the job. Eren, voicing his concerns that the soldiers will not be ready in the event of an emergency, is reassured that the Walls are 50 meters high, taller than any known Titan, and there has not been an incident in the past 100 years. After speaking his mind on the situation, with Eren comparing their situation to that of a caged animal, Eren and Mikasa continue on their way. Eren expresses his desire to join the Scout Regiment in the future. Just as Mikasa starts to discourage him from that suicidal goal, bells begin to ring, signaling the Scout Regiment's return from a mission. The Scout Regiment's parade through town leaves Eren and other onlookers commenting on how so few have returned; one of them looks at a smiling Eren and turns away in sadness. Soon after, a mother starts to look for her son, Moses, among the survivors only to find that his arm was all that was recovered. Trying to rationalize the sacrifice, she asks if his death contributed to humanity, even if in a small way. Sadly, the commander says that their expedition accomplished nothing. As bystanders start to give their opinions about the deaths and the waste of tax money, Eren retaliates by jabbing one of his firewood sticks at one of the complaining citizens. Mikasa quickly drags him away from the crowd and throws him against a Wall, causing the firewood he had bundled on his back to scatter across the floor. Continuing the conversation she started earlier, she asks Eren if he still intends to join the Scout Regiment after what they witnessed today. After a brief pause, Eren asks Mikasa to help him pick up the wood.

At the Jaegers' home, Eren and Mikasa join the dinner with Eren's father Dr. Jaeger and his wife Carla. Not long after their return, Dr. Jaeger announces that he has to leave for a couple of days to see a few patients further in the interior. Against Eren's wishes, Mikasa tells the family about his plans to join the Scout Regiment, leading to an enraged objection from his mother. His father asks why he wants to go into the outside world, and Eren tells them he wants to know what is going on and to pick up where others left off so their sacrifice would not be in vain. At this, Dr. Jaeger says he must go. Eren's mother asks him to talk some sense into him, to which he replies that human curiosity is not something one can restrain with a lecture. He then tells Eren that, upon his return, he will finally show him the room in the basement which he has kept secret. With his father gone, Eren's mother insists that he must not join the Scout Regiment and that only a fool would do so. Eren replies that to buy one's safety at the cost of living like cattle is even more foolish. With this, he runs off and Carla asks Mikasa to watch out for him. As Eren runs, he sees his friend Armin Arlelt is being bullied by a group of boys, who get angrier the more Armin uses reason. Finally, Eren shows up, which seems to draw their attention off of Armin until they catch sight of Mikasa trailing behind Eren, which causes a full retreat. Eren offers to help Armin up to his feet, but Armin insists that he can stand on his own. Later that evening, as the three sit by the river, Armin explains the source of his assailant's anger: Believing, as Eren does, that humans eventually need to explore beyond the Wall, effectively renders him a heretic in the eyes of the public as the government has declared any interest in the outside world a taboo. The conversation then circles back to Eren asking Mikasa why she told his parents about his intentions to join the Scout Regiment. Armin concurs with Eren, wondering if humanity is truly safe with the Walls. As soon as the words leave his mouth, the ground starts to shake, leaving the three worried about what happened. Running out into the open streets, Armin is the first to see it. The hand of a 60-meter Titan appears above the city's Wall.

People are watching shocked and curious, and just at that moment, the Titan begins to lift its leg, plunging it through the Wall. The onlookers are thrown back, and the remnants of the crushed Wall plummet into the city, crushing houses and squashing the townsfolk. As a horde of Titans forcibly enters the breach, the city turns into a panic-stricken area. Eren and Mikasa hurry through an already severely damaged residential area, hoping that their home is still intact. Turning the corner, he sees that a boulder has landed on his house with his mother still inside. Finding her pinned under the rubble, he and Mikasa try to pull her out. The commotion of a nearby Titan adds more stress to the situation. Eren looks beyond the houses, seeing gigantic Titans prancing through the city, and attempts to pull the rubble over Carla. She insists that he take Mikasa and run. Eren, still struggling with debris, objects and continues his efforts. His mother then tells him that her legs were crushed by the rubble, so even if he manages to get her free, she will not be able to walk. Eren ignores her implications, yelling that he will carry her. In tears, Carla asks why he never listens to her. The argument is cut short when a Titan is seen moving closer to their position. After more pleading from his mother and the Titan still approaching, Hannes arrives. Carla begs him to take the children and run. At first Hannes refuses, vowing to repay the debt he owes the family for all they have done for him. As he charges the Titan towering above the family homestead, he suddenly stops, horrified at the frightening appearance of this Titan. He withdraws his blade and runs, grabbing the two children. With Carla grateful and Eren protesting, Hannes makes a run for it. Carla covers her mouth, crying, silently begging for her children's return. Eren, looking behind on Hannes' shoulder, gasps as he sees the Titan move debris of the house away, eyeing Carla. The Titan grabs her and Eren screams for it to stop. It breaks her back with its hands and devours her, blood spewing from its mouth. Eren can only look back in despair as the Titan swallows down his mother, blood splattered over itself and the ground below.

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