'Attack on Titan' Season 3 Loses Longtime Animation Director

With summer rolling in, fans are eager for what the next anime season will bring. The end of July will welcome the third season of Attack on Titan, but it seems a fan-favorite director will be absent from the project. After all, Yamada Ayumi confirmed she did not return to work on season three.

Over on Twitter, the animation director let fans know she stepped back from Attack on Titan with a short post. Yamada posted a photo she took of a poster for season three that she found at a subway station (via SNK News).

"Found at Hibiya Station, the director wrote. "This time I will support the work as a viewer!"

For those wondering if bad blood resulted in this separation, there is no need. It seems Yamada parted away with Attack on Titan as she is the Chief Animation Director on Banana Fish for MAPPA. The series is a well-known one in Japan, so Yamada chose to shift her work to Banana Fish as it will air concurrently with Attack on Titan's new season.

Of course, diehard fans of Attack on Titan will miss the director's work. Yamada worked on the anime's first season as an Animation Director before being promoted in season two. Last season, Yamada served as a Chief Animation Director and oversaw much of season two's production. Right now, there is no word on whether Yamada will make a return for the show's fourth season.

For those unfamiliar with Attack on Titan, the series was originally created by Hajime Isayama. Starting its run in Kondansha's Bessatsu Shonen Magazine in 2009, the series has been collected into 23 volumes as of 2017. It's set in a world where the last remnants of humanity live within a walled city in order to escape the danger of the Titans, a race of giants monsters that eats humans. Eren Yeager joins the military with his two childhood friends Mikasa and Armin after the Titans break through the wall and attack his hometown.

Are you ready to see what kind of animation is in store for Attack on Titan's new season? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics, k-pop, and anime!