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It’s been a long time coming, but we finally know when we’ll be able to see the most anticipated anime in years.

Attack on Titan’s Japanese title, Shingeki no Kyojin, is a little ironic. It literally translates to “The Advancing Giants,” but the anime adaptation of Hajime Isayama’s manga has been on hiatus for almost three years.

Since finishing its initial run of 25 episodes in September of 2013, the franchise has taken a number of detours, including a pair of recap anime movies spliced together from existing footage and two extremely ill–received live action films. Tetsuro Araki and Wit Studio, the TV series’ director and animation production house, even went on to create the original anime Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress, largely a more boisterous reworking of Attack on Titan with gorgeous character designs, a pseudo-Japanese setting, and a train to protect instead of a walled city.

But now, after tears of waiting, there’s finally a light at the end of the tunnel, as an official premiere date has finally been announced for Attack on Titan Season 2: Spring of 2017. The news came during a fan event held on July 3, and was accompanied by the following statement from Isayama:

“It’s taken some time since the end of the first season, but that’s been put to use making a high-quality anime. I hope you’ll enjoy it!”

Little has been revealed regarding the storyline for the second season, but considering that Isayama has continued drawing Attack on Titan during the anime’s hiatus, a fairly faithful adaptation of the manga source material seems the most likely. The promotional image released with the announcement shows the series’ core human trio of Eren, Mikasa, and Armin, as well as the remaining primary Titan triumvirate of Titan Eren, the Colossal Titan, and the Armored Tian readying for a jumbo-sized brawl.

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Japan’s spring television season usually kicks off in April, so there are still nine months until Eren and his cohorts return to TV screens, but the waiting must be a little easier for fans now that they know when it will end.

Source: Attack on Titan official website, H/T Jin
Images: Attack on Titan official website