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Shingeki no Kyojin has become something truly impressive. Over the course of its seasons, it slowly transformed from a post apocaliptic action series focused on people killing giants with cool gear, to a political drama full of narrative depth, sociopolitical commentary and a large cast of characters. Despite the radical tone and genre shift, it manages to tell a single, coherent story, with twists and revelations that have been hinted at from the very first episode.

Story - 10
The story occurs at a stable pace, speeding up as tension increases, and slowing down as it diminishes. The plot progresses organically as a result of the ... actions and reactions of the characters, at no point feeling like it's being forced into a particular direction. The conflicts are all carefully developed, with all sides having justifications for their positions and beliefs. One of its strongest aspects is how it manages to remain consistent while being highly unpredictable. Also, the story never fails to deliver satisfactory answers to the mysteries it introduces.

Art - 7
The art is generally a step down from previous seasons, which is not surprising given the schedule the studio had to work with. Some scenes have characters drawn inconsistently and lack fluidity, and the complaints about the CGI are not completely unjustified. However, it is still rather good, and I'd say an improvement over the manga.

Sound - 9
Nothing to complain here. The sound design is great, and at no point does it feel like a sound is missplaced or off. The ost fits the atmosphere perfectly.

Character - 9
The main characters are very well written, with fleshed out motivations and personalities, while the secondary cast is somewhat less consistent, with amazing characters as well as mediocre ones. The worst are the ones that only serve a single purpose and have nothing to them beyond that, such as that marleyan officer from the first episode. Those characters have very little in terms of importance and screentime, so they don't drag down the story much. It always feels like the characters are moving the plot forward as a result of their actions, not the other way around. The way their personalities and beliefs develops according to their experiences is natural and fascinating to observe, with some changing drastically over the course of the story while others remain the same. An aspect in which characters differ, however, is the subtlety with which they're written. Some have their entire arc and narrative purpose shoved into the audience's faces, while others have more nuance and can be interpreted in several ways.

Enjoyment - 10
This is a very subjective criteria, since there is no objetive way to determine enjoyment. This season will appeal mainly to those who enjoy political drama, stories with multiple sub-plots taking place in different locations, and those who are interested in action scenes that combine giant humanoid monsters with early 20th century military technology. As someone who fits all of those descriptions, I've been enjoying it thoroughly

Overall - 9.5
My scores would amount to a 9 if averaged out, but I place different importance on each aspect, so I personally consider this a 9.5/10. It's an outstanding piece of fiction, that I would recommend to anyone who's looking for a well written, engaging story to consume.