In Attack on Titan, Erwin Smith’s final charge is a masterclass in anime direction and sound design. The scene begins with Erwin realizing he’ll die alongside his soldiers, and Levi quietly telling him to “lay down and die.” Then the soundtrack fades into screams as the scouts charge the Beast Titan. The pacing and transitions are perfect—the hopeful music plays under Erwin’s speech while we’re shown the reality of everyone already dying. The editing switches between the plan and the execution,