The Top 5 Works of Fiction I Experienced in 2022

2022: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. At least for me. This year was one of the most enjoyable of my lifetime, with some of my fondest experiences coming from this year. But it is also responsible for some of the worse experiences of my life, and a decline in my mental health, especially towards the end of the year. All I can do now is hope 2023 is more of that good stuff and less of that bad stuff.

But 2022 was also a year a dug deep into storytelling and in a lot of ways, that really helped me, especially through the bad times. And now I want to talk about those stories, because if you follow my Twitter, you know I’m really passionate about stories and talking about them. So without further to do:

HM1: attack on titan

This didn’t make the list because it wasn’t all this year. I experience the beginning through Marley last year, then did a complete reread this year since the Colossal Editions were finished. Since I experienced a good chunk of the story before 2022, I decided to keep it off this list, but holy shit I still have to talk about it.

The plot is insane, maybe the tighest I’ve ever experienced in storytelling. You consistenly want to know more and the story always feeds you just enough to keep you wanting more, and when those big revelations come they produce some of the greatest moments I have experienced in all of fiction. If I were to make a list of my favorite fictional sequences alone I experienced this year, the Paths sequence with Eren and Zeke would almost certainly make the Top 5.

The cast is also all incredibly solid. Not every character is super compelling, some (Mikasa) felt like they could’ve used more development. But the characters that fuck, FUCK. Eren is incredible. He’s this pathetic child who has also committed innumerable war crimes and is also borderline insane. He has become one of my favorite characters to talk about because there’s just so much about him. Reiner and Zeke are also incredible, as are Levi, Erwin, Gabi, Falco, etc.

The ending wasn’t perfect, but the story was so consistently good beforehand that I can easily forgive it and respect what it was trying to go for. Overall it was a really fun experience that got me really invested and has become one of my favorite stories to discuss with friends. Tatakae. Tatakae.

HM2: Berserk

This didn’t make it for the same reason AoT didn’t consumed too much of it before 2022 and wanted this list to be fresh experiences. But dear Lord, Berserk, FUCKS. Art. FUCKS. Characters? FUCK. Conclusion? RAW AS FUCK.

Seriously there’s not much I can say about this story that hasn’t rightfully been said before. It is probably the greatest manga of all time (though not my personal favorite) with mindblowing character dynamics and thematic storytelling that makes you feel like you could overcome literally anything life throws at you. It is unbelievable, there were several parts of this story were I legitimately could not believe what I was reading was something produced by the hands of man, it is that fucking good. Read Berserk, that is all I can say.

Now, on with the list!

#5: arcane

I was not expecting Arcane to make this list. I mean, it’s based off of League of Legends, a game I’ve never played but the internet tells me I should hate so I do. Damn though, it hit different. Arcane’s most impressive quality to me is it’s ability to tell so many stories, each with their own protagonists and antagonists, and have them all be equally compelling. I had my favorites for sure (Jayce & Silco MVPs), but I was never unhappy to cut to a character because I was so interested in all of their tales. There’s a tragic aspect to ever character, to the point where I had empathy for just about all of them.

It combines this with a creative, imaginitive world that piqued my curiosity whenever we learned something new about it. Zaun and Piltover serve as fantastic foils for one other and the multi-faceted conflict between the two nations made for a Game of Thrones that constantly kept me waiting to see how it would resolve. Throughout this 9 episode season, I can’t remember ever being bored, which is incredibly impressive. Each act just improved the story more, and by the end, I could call this some of the finest television I’ve ever watched. The best game adaption ever created and one of my favorite shows period, I’ll be damned.

#4: a game of thrones

I am not a book person, or at least I wasn’t before this year. My preferred mediums always involved visual storytelling, and I find it hard to connect to just… words on page. So what made me decide that my first novel in forever should be over 700 pages and take me more than 30 hours to complete? I thought it would be interesting, and you know what? It was. This book actually has a lot in common with Arcane in terms of its strengths. It follows a multitude of protagonists who are incredibly interesting as the try to find their place in the world, whether its with their family, or with their kingdom.

I think there were more moments/characters in this book that left me a little bored than there were in Arcane (which is again, very little), but the peaks of this astonished me more than anything in Arcane did (which is again, a whole lot). The story will just hit you with a WHAM! moment that will take you a day to recover from, then you go back and see the seeds were planted all along. Every shocking moment makes complete sense due to the incredible consistency in which GRRM writes his characters. It’s a thing of beauty and I did not expect words on a page to make me feel the emotions this did. I put it slightly higher than Arcane though, mainly because this had more to prove to me as a novel, and god damn, it delievered and actually started making me read more this year. The commitment is pretty high, but I’m excited to keep going through this series, maybe ACOK will end up on next year’s list if I do that.

#3: The lord of the rings (movies)

Yes, I am 19 and this was the first year that I, someone who loves Fantasy, watched the LOTR trilogy. Shock and horror, but yeah it’s just as good as everyone says it is. These movies were a lot more interesting thematically than I thought they’d be. A lot of people online portray LOTR as a strictly black-and-white story, good triumphs over evil, and while it is about that, there are shades of gray that make this so much more interesting. The humans/hobbits/elves/yougettheidea in this story aren’t these untouchable demigods who are always virtuous, they’re people trying their best to do the right thing, and sometimes they fail. I mean, aside from the climax of the whole trilogy, there’s Boromir in the first movie being and his relationship with Aragorn. Neither can resist the ring, but only one is wise enough to acknowledge he can’t handle it and take responsibility, and that’s where his heroism lies, and I find that really interesting.

These also might be the most breathtaking movies, potentially even works of art, that I have ever experienced. If I could see any movie ever in an IMAX cinema, it’d probably be these movies. The preformances are all so phenomal to the point where if I ever read the books, these will probably still be the characters I envision. The score too, it is just peak in every aspect a movie can be peak in. This is maybe the greatest adaption of something from one medium to another ever. And those action scenes? Hype. As. Hell. This is an unbelievable story that I am so glad I finally got to experience.

#2: Bojack horseman

So confession: this is the only thing on this list I haven’t actually finished (I have 8 episodes left), but since I don’t expect it’s position to change and don’t want to leave this for next year, I’m putting it here. Like LOTR, I always expected to really like this one, but… holy shit, this is one of those rare fictional experiences that feels life-changing. If I had to describe this show in one word, I’d choose “fascinating”. A lot of times I didn’t know what to feel, but I couldn’t look away from it. Bojack is one of the worst protagonists in terms of morality I’ve ever sat with, but he may just be one of the most compelling fictional characters ever. He’s like that show Becker, all the pieces are there for him to get better, but he can just never put them together, and even when he does some of the most fucked up things you’ll ever witness, you can’t help but pity him a little.

Speaking of which, this show does go places I’ve never seen many pieces of media go. Despite this being a cartoon with talking animals, it is one of the most grounded stories I’ve ever experienced. It is not afraid to look at the dark side of people, but it never shrugs its shoulders at these issues, it always offers a solution. Things do get better, but only if you work towards that. This message is communicated unbelievably well through the show’s structure. It builds up to the infamous Episode 11s will have you questioning your own existence and reason for living, but Episode 12s give you the aftermath, and things get better, or at least it shows us that they can.

That’s not even mentioning the other characters. Diane and Princess Carolyn are incredibly fascinating in their own ways, dealing with similar issues to Bojack (a lot of times because of Bojack) but going about it different, usually healthier ways. Then there’s the comedic reliefs, Todd and Mister Peanutbutter, who are incredibly funny but when they get real, it’s beautiful to watch. I am biased to Todd because seeing actual Asexual representation on screen was otherwordly but these are all S-Tier characters. It’s a show that is somehow both incredibly creative, which each episode being a completely new experience, while also really grounded as mentioned before. It’s now my favorite TV show of all time, bravo funny horse man. Hell, it probably even enters my Peak Fiction tier of media, which before only had 6 other stories. In any other year, this would not doubt be my #1.

And yet…

#1: OMORI

You know that scene in Ratatouille where Anton has to write his review for the food he just ate, and before he does he just stares out the window, unable to articulate a critical review because what he just ate affected him so personally?

…Yeah. That’s how this feels.

Granted, this is not a very critical or analytic post to begin with, I’m just talking about stories I like and if someone tries out something because I made it sound appealing, that’s great and would make me incredibly proud. But in each of the stories above, I could seperate my personal feelings from the work, so I could talk about how it amazed me critically as well as why I personally liked it. Omori tops this list not because it’s a better told story than Bojack Horseman or The Lord of the Rings, but because no other story I have ever experienced has felt this personal to me.

But let me try that for a moment… that whole critical analysis thing. Omori was a story that knew exactly how to use the medium of video games to its advantage in creating moments where you could feel exactly what the protagonist did. When the protagonist was astonished, so was I, in those few moments of peace he gets, I also felt at peace, and in those horrifying moments, boy did I feel what he did. I used “I” there a lot didn’t I? Well anyways, it combines this transcedent immersion with shocking plot beats, and the result is a recipe that will emotionally hit you like a god damn bullet train. Not once, but oh so many times. Seriously, GO IN TO THIS GAME AS BLIND AS POSSIBLE. I CAN NOT RECOMMEND THIS ENOUGH. The game doesn’t really reveal what it’s about until the end, which has led to some players not really enjoying parts of the beginning and middle of the game. But I think the mystery and atmosphere that always feels off provide a good hook that left me invested in the entire game.

The characters are all also really good. Featuring the greatest silent protagonist in the entirety of the medium for the reasons I alluded to earlier. But his supporting cast is also incredible. Like many stories on this list, all of the characters have this element of tragedy to them, as they each have to deal with this shitty thing that happened to them in their own lost, confused way. Nobody is perfect, but nobody is a villian. They’re all just kids trying to find out how to move forward after being pushed so far back. I can’t remember wanting a cast to just be happy in so long. All of this builds in a climax and ending that might just be the best I have experienced in fiction. Like Bojack, the most shocking moment isn’t where it ends, it’s how to keep going in its aftermath.

Again though, this is #1 because of what it means to me. I can’t go into detail without getting more personal than I should in a WordPress post, but this game tackles a lot of issues that I have personally dealt with in my life (well, not the exact circumstances, thank God), but it tackles these dark, relatable subjects beautifully. I got out of it an experience that resonated with me in a way I still feel months later. I dare to say that no story has ever made me feel seen the way Omori did, hell it feels like no story will ever make me feel the way Omori did.

There’s so much to say about this game, but to prevent this from getting way sappier than it is, I’ll leave with this: Of all the stories on this list, it’s the one I have the hardest time recommending, it’s not a perfect game (especially in the actual game aspect), but if you watch the trailers, and think in any way this might appeal to you, TRY. THIS. GAME. I don’t think this game is going to hit everyone like it did me (though considering 2 of my college roommates are just as enthuastic about the game, I could be wrong), but I don’t want anyone to miss out on what was to me, a transcedent experience.

Fuck wait I didn’t talk about the top tier music uh… I like the song with the piano in it.

Thank you all for listening to my nonsense. See ya!

Dreams & The Legacy of Stevie Nicks

Stevie Nicks, the singer, songwriter, and producer. She is known mainly for her work on Fleetwood Mac, one of the most successful bands of all time. She is the first woman to be inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and is considered one of the 100 Greatest Songwriters of all time by Rolling Stone Magazine. This is all to say, she is a really successful figure in the Rock and Roll scene, and this is only more impressive when one realizes how hard it is to succeed in the music industry as a woman.

Nicks’ second album with Fleetwood Mac, Rumours, is one of the best selling albums of all time and is where her most well-known work comes from. On this iconic album, one of the most iconic songs is Dreams, the band’s only Number 1 hit in the United States in 1977, a song written entirely by Stevie Nicks. It was written during a turbulent time for the band, at the time 3 separate breakups were occurring in the band, including her own with Lindsay Buckingham. Buckingham made his own breakup song with Go Your Own Way, but this song was written entirely from the perspective of Stevie Nicks.

And that may be the most important thing about this song. According to the publications of Dr Stacy L. Smith and her peers, only 12.3% of Songwriters of the last decade were women. The figures do not exist for the 70s, but we can logically assume due to discussions we are having today and how our attitude towards sexism has evolved, the numbers would be similar, if not worse. Especially for big classic rock bands, female songwriters were a rarity. That is why Stevie Nicks giving her side of the story matters so much. Was she successful? Well, her awards and recognition today should speak for themselves, but that does not tell the whole story. The most important thing about Stevie Nicks is what she had to say. And she had a lot to say. And Dreams coming at such a turbulent time in the band’s life meant she had a lot to say. The song is known as the magnum opus of the entire band, even more than Buckingham’s Go Your Own Way which was his side of the breakup. So what does she say with her side? Well.

Now here you go again, you say you want your freedom

Well, who am I to keep you down?

It’s only right that you should play the way you feel it

But listen carefully to the sound of your loneliness

Verse 1

This song was written almost directly to Lindsey Buckingham, as a response to their current breakup. It is easy to interpret from the first two lines alone, that this is the case. But as we also see, she is in control of this situation. She does not appear depressed over it or desperate for the man’s attention, instead, she has agency over the breakup just as much as the man does. She calls it his right to do so, but to also stay in touch with his emotions as he does so.

One might argue that another love song talking about a man is not progressive at all, however as noted by the New England Public Media in their video Challenging Female Stereotypes in Music, “…there are not a lot of variety of the ways in which women are portrayed in music, usually either in the background as kind of filler in videos, or there are specific tropes about being a strong woman or hypersexual.” Stevie Nicks is no background character in this song, she is the protagonist. And for her to take control of a song so powerfully gives her agency against an industry that tries to take it away from her.

Like a heartbeat drives you mad

In the stillness of remembering what you had

And what you lost

And what you had

Oh, what you lost

Pre-Chorus

Once again, Stevie Nicks takes the agency here. It is not her who lost something by not having a man around her, it is the man who lost her. Many breakup songs by women are framed as apologies. As stated in Hill, Mel Reiff, and Jay Mays’ The Gender Book, feminity is associated with: “Sensitive, mysterious, graceful, empathetic, caring, passionate, beautiful”, and it is true that Stevie Nicks does not abandon her traditionally feminine qualities, in particular, her mysteriousness and gracefulness defined her stage presence. But she notably shows decisiveness and toughness, something more associated with men, and uses it to give herself power.

Oh, thunder only happens when it’s raining

Players only love you when they’re playing

Say, women, they will come and they will go

When the rain washes you clean, you’ll know

Chorus

As Carol L. Thompson notes in her article Changing Gender Images in Rock and Roll: An Analysis of the Songs and Image of Stevie Nicks, “Nicks isn’t daunted, damaged or denied by losing her lover in this song. She emerges wiser and stronger.” And that is a fact, Stevie Nicks is saying “You may find other women, but at the end of the day, you will never find another one like me, I am a one in a kind individual.” And that establishing of individuality is so important because women were so far in music, even now, typically only used as sex objects in the background of videos. Stevie Nicks is saying that she will not be relegated to that, and she is in control of everything here.

Now here I go again, I see the crystal visions

I keep my visions to myself

It’s only me who wants to wrap around your dreams

And have you any dreams you’d like to sell?

Dreams of loneliness

Verse 2

In this verse, we see the bitterness, but also somberness behind Nick’s words. She is mad that Buckingham is selling their lifelong dreams together for short-term success, as expressed when she sings about selling dreams. But we also see her vulnerability in her words. She wants to wrap around his dreams, be a part of him, but she knows it is not going to work. Some might interpret this vulnerability as regressive, saying that she doubles down and admits that she does want to be with a man. But in reality, she shows her strength by displaying her vulnerability as she makes the decision to move on. She does have feelings, of course, she does, she is still human. But she is still making the ultimate choice to go her own way, independent from her once boyfriend, despite the feelings she may have, and that is true strength.

As Nadja Lovadinov says in her Epigram article Inspirational Woman: Stevie Nicks as she quotes Nicks herself, “Nicks is a bewitching beacon for young women who preaches freedom ‘I am a totally free woman, and I am independent, and that’s exactly what I always wanted to be.” It is not just her number of sales or awards, but who she is as a person who is so powerful. In one song she shows power, grace, and independence, while not being afraid to show vulnerability. She is the ultimate feminist songwriter, not only standing toe to toe with the many men in the industry but above them. That is why her presence is so incredible, and why even today, the ripples she made across all of the music industry can still be felt.

Works Cited

Smith, S. L., et al. (2019). Inclusion in the Recording Studio? Gender and Race/Ethnicity of Artists, Songwriters, and Producers Across 700 Popular Songs from 2012 – 2018. Publication of USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative. Retrieved from http://assets.uscannenberg.org/docs/aii-inclusion-recording-studio-2019.pdf 

New England Public Media. (2019, March 14). Challenging Female Stereotypes in Music 10:46 min. Retrieved fromhttps://youtu.be/IYct8ZLySzI

Hill, Mel Reiff and Jay Mays. The Gender Book. Marshall House Press, 2013. https://thegenderbook.com

Carol L. Thompson – Changing Gender Images in Rock and Roll: An Analysis of the Songs and Image of Stevie Nicks: http://ac-journal.org/journal/vol2/Iss1/essays/thompson.htm

Nadja Lovadinov. Inspirational Women: Stevie Nicks. (2021) – https://epigram.org.uk/2021/03/08/inspirational-woman-stevie-nicks/

“It’s Not Your Fault” – Good Will Hunting’s Deconstruction of Toxic Masculinity

“You don’t know about real loss, ’cause that only occurs when you love something more than you love yourself. I doubt you’ve ever dared to love anybody that much.”

This is a quote from Robin William’s character Sean Maguire in the movie Good Will Hunting. It comes from a scene where therapist Sean Maguire sits down with Matt Damon’s Will Hunting in a peaceful park to open up about his deceased wife. This scene is particularly powerful, because it’s a scene where these two men are battling. But it’s not fought with fists or guns, but with words. As Sean Maguire, tries to help Will Hunting fight against the forces of toxic masculinity. But as important as this scene is, it is part of a greater narrative, and the true impact of this scene can only be understood when looking at the climax, and those painful three words, “It’s not your fault.”

Directed by director Gus Van Sant, Good Will Hunting is a 1997 Drama starring Matt Damon. It is critically acclaimed and loved by critics. But maybe less understood, is the way in which it confronts toxic masculinity head on. Because in Good Will Hunting, the greatest antagonist that Will faces is toxic masculinity, and the idea he has to push down what he is good at in order to be a man.

Sean Illing once said in his article, “What we get wrong about misogyny”, “Misogyny, the way you define it, is something we practice almost unconsciously. We’re embedded in a culture and we internalize the customs and social mores that define that culture — and thus perpetuate it. We’re all implicated, even if we’re not aware of it.”

Throughout the movie Will’s idea of masculinity is very much unconscious. If you were to ask Will Hunting himself what toxic masculinity is, he would probably quote a definition he heard in a book, but he wouldn’t understand how it impacts himself and how it ruins him.

As Colleen Clemsns says in her article, “What We Mean When We Say, “Toxic Masculinity”, “But in a culture that equates masculinity with physical power, some men and boys will invariably feel like they are failing at “being a man.”

Throughout the movie, Will gets into fights with other people, hangs with his tough friends, all while secretly yearning for a life where he can embrace his full talents. He wins over Skyler, his love interest, with his wits, but still puts on the tough guy persona with her, all while being deeply insecure, not allowing himself to be vulnerable to her, which potentially destroys their relationship.

This is the lie Will Hunting believes, one he latches onto, and one Sean Maguire must beat in order to save Will. Will is fighting to keep his traditional masculine values, do not be vulnerable, keep others away, be a man. Sean is fighting to help him understand more healthy values, you should share your pain, and it is ok to cry. Throughout the movie, Sean makes progress with Will, and Will slowly begins to break this mindset. But there is one barrier Will has yet to overcome, his past. Will has never been allowed himself to confront his past, because he knows doing so will require confronting emotional pain, which is not the “manly” thing to do. As Randy Flood says in his essay, “Toxic Masculinity – The Hidden Trauma in Men’s Lives”, “It is erroneously believed that real men don’t burden others with their problems. They suck it up and deal with it on their own. In fact, the mark of “real man” is one who is heroic enough, tough enough, man enough to face and endure traumatic events unscathed.”

Will endures so much because that is what he is supposed to do. In many other movies, Will would have been rewarded for sucking it up and acting strong, maybe even called a hero. But that is why Good Will Hunting hits so close to home, because it is one of the few movies to address this fact.

So what is the reason Will, and by extension, Men in society, that prevents them from being able to cry? It has to do with the desire to keep men in control, and by extension power, and vulnerability is thought to take that away. As Pop Culture Detective in their video essay “Boys Don’t Cry (Except When They Do”, “The myth that vulnerability is synonymous with loss of control, and therefore incompatible with power, is so corrosive and strong that many men have come to believe they must kill their emotional sides in order to be useful members of society.”

This perfectly sums of the mindset of Will Hunting. Will believes he is more useful as a man working as a janitor than the countless other opportunities he would have if he just embraced his gifts, because that would involve self reflection, something a man is not allowed to do. Will’s mindset, the traditional masculine one, prevents him from succeeding in areas he should prosper in, which is why he needs Sean to break down those walls. The Patriarchy is not the standard Will should be held up to, and Sean knows that. Therefore, the only way for Will, and many other men, to reach their full potential, is to realize that their vulnerability does not make them any less of a man, it just makes them human.

And this is the final piece of Good Will Hunting’s puzzle, the patriarchy, and by that extends, Fathers. Despite there being no conversation between any Father and son throughout the movie, Sean is very much a Father figure to Will. Will’s biological Father was abusive, beating him as a child, and very clearly never offered him emotional support. So Will decided to never let himself be hurt that way again, and closed himself up, believing, like many other men, emotions to lead to pain.

This is why Sean Maguire makes such an impact on him. Sean is very much Will’s Father figure in the movie, and as Ellen Hendrikson says in her article “How to Fight Toxic Masculinity”, “When a man rejects suffering in silence, he becomes a role model and paves the way for other men to get help and be healthy, especially those who need it most.”

When Will sees someone so open with his emotions, particularly genuine love and vulnerability for his wife, he internalizes that, because Sean has become his idea of a man. There’s a very telling line in the climax where, feeling himself start to cry and be vulnerable, Will says, “Don’t fuck with me Sean, not you.” Sean is the only man Will genuinely trusts, and this line shows Will’s deep insecurity with the people he loves. For a second, Will views Sean’s attempts to help as an attack, and Will can not handle being attacked again.

Many men are like Will in their belief that others encouraging them to ask for help is an attack. When traditional masculinity is so ingrained in the brains of men, they view any effort by others to help them, as demeaning. But eventually, Sean does break through, because in the end, Will needed to cry. Men may not be allowed to cry, but they want to very badly. Feeling pain is human and necessary, and when we share our pain with others and allow ourselves to be vulnerable, we can really love each other. And often, it is their Fathers who can be to permanently ingrain toxic masculinity into their children, or hopefully, be the ones to break the cycle, and let their children cry.

In conclusion Good Will Hunting deconstructs masculinity by showing us a character whose life has been ruined by it, and showing his growth through finding a much healthier mindset for men. The final scene is where it all comes together, where Will and Sean finally embrace, and Will can just be vulnerable. Will has found a man in his life who is actually a positive role model for him, and this allows him to break free of the chains traditional masculinity placed on him. Many coming of age stories open with a boy usually more prone to crying, and ends with them being a man who has shut out their emotions. Good Will Hunting starts with a tough masculine man, and ends with a someone allowed to cry and be vulnerable, and is still a man. And that is the story many men today should see.

Works Cited

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.vox.com/platform/amp/identities/2017/12/5/16705284/elizabeth-warren-loss-2020-sexism-misogyny-kate-manne

https://www.learningforjustice.org/print/99849

https://sanfordhousegr.com/toxic-masculinity-hidden-trauma-mens-lives/

https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/health-fitness/mental-health/fight-toxic-masculinity?utm_source=sciam&utm_campaign=sciam

Berserk Blind(ish) Review Part 1 -Black Swordsman Arc

The Start of something amazing

The Black Swordsman Arc from Berserk is most known for one thing, being the first arc of Berserk. That may sound obvious, but I say it like that because, as important as it should feel, this arc seems to be the most forgotten arc in the series, with some even skipping it and going straight to the Golden Age arc. And for a long time, this arc was kind of a roadblock for me getting into the manga. I had watched the 1997 anime before and really loved it, but these chapters never clicked for me, and as a result I had never read the rest of the manga. That was until an impulse purchase a few days ago where I actually bought the manga physically rather than just reading it online. Maybe it was reading it physically, or maybe it was me maturing enough to appreciate the story, but this was the time this arc really clicked. And so, this is the beginning of my journey through the highest rated manga ever, and there’s no better place to start than at the beginning.

The Hook

This story opens with our main character having sex, the woman turning into a demon to eat our character, then our main character putting his arm cannon in her mouth and blowing her up. I think that sums up how this story tries to hook the reader, with a badass main character, demons, and action. And it does capture your attention. The first chapter is really good like that, with huge demons, an epic fight scene, and a really big sword, with enough mystery and questions to get you interested in more.

The Antihero – Guts

This arc is meant to determine one thing above anything else, if you like Guts. And Guts can be a tough character to like. He’s may be badass, but he can be a pretty bad person in this arc, particularly when he makes the decision to put his quest for revenge over the safety of other people. But what really sells me on the character is how we see the cracks in his façade. He may seem like a man who doesn’t care if anyone else dies on his quest, but that’s not how he actually thinks. There’s a really telling scene in Chapter 2 where, as a result of traveling with a little girl, the girl becomes possessed by a demon. Guts is in shock, allowing him to be vulnerable enough to get stabbed by her. And when he slices her in half, he vomits, so disgusted by his actions, but he has to keep fighting anyways.

Guts is a very “show, don’t tell” kind of character. He’ll say one thing, and then do something completely contradictory that reveals his true character. And it makes him feel complex and real. At the end of the day, he’s human, and as much as he tries to push them down, he has real feelings that will surface because he is human. The very last thing we see him do in this arc, is cry, and then once again hide his vulnerability. Because in this cruel world, he doesn’t think he can show vulnerability. But when he sees people cry in pain, such as that old man who with his dying words wished for revenge, he can’t help but empathize, because that’s just who he is. It’s why, despite only having 8 chapters, this arc makes Guts a more interesting character than many stories can in their entire run time.

A Dark, Cruel World

The world Berserk is set in really puts the Dark in Dark Fantasy. A rule for this arc is that the worst possible thing that can happen will happen. Maybe it’s the horror of malevolent beings who feed on humans in masses, that most people couldn’t possibly fight against, but this world as this really oppressive feel to it. It’s violent, terrifying, and existentially horrifying.

Humanity’s fight against causality will be a prevalent theme in Berserk, and it really gets introduced here. We can fight against it with all our might, all our strength, but the full power of a cruel fate is overwhelming, and nowhere is that more apparent with the God Hand. As powerful as Guts is, these beings are on another level. They seem unbeatable, evil, and otherworldly. They are some of the most terrifying beings in all of anime and manga, and Guts has something personal against them. After seeing Guts fight to the near destruction of his body against an ultra powerful slug demon, only to be completely overpowered by the God Hand, it’s one hell of a whiplash.

And then there’s Puck, the comic relief. I like him. He can definitely be a bit intrusive, but it says a lot when I already needed his light hearted humor. He’s also not completely one dimensional, getting his feelings hurt by Guts, but also not willing to completely abandon him. Not a perfect character, but one I personally enjoy.

All of this helped by Kentaro Miura’s amazing artwork, which is just so good. Even in the early phases, Berserk still has some of the best artwork I’ve ever seen. Expressive, but subtle, with so much detail, and every panel feels impactful in some way.

A Long Journey Ahead

This concludes what I have to say on this arc. There’s a lot more to talk about, but smarter people have, and I honestly there’s just so much with Berserk that this post would take too long. Join me next time, though, for an arc I probably won’t be able to shut up about, the Golden Age arc. Thank you so much for reading.

Attack on Titan Blind Review – Part 5 (Return to Shiganshina)

One of the greatest story arcs of all time

Attack on Titan has been a really great story up to this point, but this is the arc that has already cemented it as one of my favorites. This arc was everything: interesting, emotional, exciting, and so many other emotions that just sent me on a rollercoaster of a story I wasn’t prepared for. The result was an experience I can call truly unforgettable, and not only lived up the hype, but exceeded it.

The Hypest Battle

This was the most exciting arc so far, not only due to the contents, but the build up it received. Ever since the beginning of the story, this arc was built up. From the fall of Shiganshina, the teasing of the key, the reveal of the Titan traitors, and Eren’s growth throughout the series, it’s all been in service of building up to this one battle. As a result of Isayama’s planning and patience, this battle feels appropriately climatic, and it is in universe, it is for the fate of the country after all. Stakes are only as important as the audience perceives them, the destruction of a city will not seem all that important in a story if you don’t care about anything in it, where as a couple not getting together can feel like the end of the world. This battle wasn’t just high in in-universe stakes, but it was personal for our characters, who have risked everything up until this point just for a chance at seeing the basement.

Isayama absolutely nails the pacing. It devotes the first half to the battle for Shiganshina, and the second to the aftermath, such as the consequences of the battle and the secrets of the basement. This may seem bizarre, as traditional three act structure dictates you dedicate the first quarter to set up, the next two quarters to conflict, then the last quarter is the resolution, however reading this arc Isayama undoubtedly structured it perfectly. For one, the set up has already been done by the other arcs in the story, and the aftermath of the battle is so important that it deserves the time it was given.

And by God this battle was exciting. Every moment in this battle feels impactful, the strategies feel real, and its just exciting. No part of the battle overstays its welcome, and no part felt too short either. Once again this arc uses the excellent build up throughout the story and it takes full advantage. The hype Eren vs Reiner rematch, the intrigue of the Beast Titan, and the Colossal Titan’s connection to Shiganshina all come into play in this battle for excellent payoff.

Most importantly, there are consequences. The already dwindling survey corps are reduced even more, with the especially devastating loss of Commander Erwin. And the enemy isn’t completely defeated either, Levi fails to kill the Beast Titan, and the character’s sympathies allow him to take Reiner back. So not only does the basement itself change everything, but the battle itself feels monumental. In particular, I really like the episode Midnight Sun, where we get the cooldown after the climax, where the characters just have to take in the consequences of the battle now that everything is done, and make the hardest decision of the story so far. Overall, this battle was just fantastic, and got me so hyped throughout.

Scene analysis – The Charge & Levi VS Beast Titan was Phenomenal

Hero is the second highest episode of television ever, and upon viewing, yeah it deserves it. Once again I need to talk about the fall before the rise, because damn this section nails it. There’s this bleak hopelessness in the way Erwin talks with Levi. And when that happens, this story has nailed it in that Erwin and his troops are going to die, so you feel the absolute despair in this scene. Even in Erwin’s speech, as fantastic as it was, hits home the fact that it’s hopeless. It does a fantastic job of putting us in these characters shoes, that they are going to die, and this charge is suicide. So when those soldiers start dying left and right, it hits hard. It even feels real. This scene made me feel exactly what it wanted me to feel, and by the end, not only did I feel despair, I wanted to see the Beast Titan fall.

And then it happens, Zeke sees the titans have fallen, looks up, and there’s Captain Levi, and he absolutely fucks him up. The animation picks up, Matthew Mercer is going fucking hard, and it delivers the most cathartic moment I have ever watched in an anime. I definitely popped off during this scene and I am not afraid to admit that.

EVeryone at their Peak

While a well-written narrative is of course important, characters complete the package, and boy do they complete the package here. By the time this arc was done, I liked every important character in it a lot more. In fact I think the best thing to do is go through every single character and list what I liked.

• This arc might’ve made Erwin my favorite character in the show. We truly got to see the inner depths of his psychology. He’s a devil, but he’s convinced himself he had to be in order to fulfill his ambitions. And he’s convincing with it too, I was ready to charge into battle with him by the end. It’s the conflict between his selfishness and selflessness that really captivated me though, a man who is willing to lead others to his death for his own ambition, but willing to abandon his life if it means humanity’s progression. Just an awesome character.
• LEVI! Far and away the most badass character in the show. Like Erwin, he’s a devil with a dream, and damn is he interesting. Tough and merciless, but as Midnight Sun showed, he can be sentimental. Captivated me throughout, what a fantastic character.
• Armin got the most spotlight he ever has, and he uses it well. The parallels between him and Erwin are becoming increasingly Erwin, but perhaps he doesn’t have to be the devil he was (though we have gotten hints he could be even worse). His confrontation with Bertolt (another character he parallels) was fantastic, and remains one of the best fights in the series.
• Jean is really growing into his role as a leader. I like his dynamic with Armin a lot, where like a good leader, he knows his strengths but also his weaknesses. Despite his arrogant demeanor, he is actually really humble.
• Mikasa is growing into a soldier who doesn’t need to always stay near Eren. She was willing to stay out of Armin and Eren’s plan for the greater good of the battle, and I think that’s great (because God that was getting grating).
• Floch is an interesting character, because he’s right, but out of line. Like Erwin, he seems like he’s willing to become a devil if it means pursuing the truth. I’m sure he’ll get more to do in future arcs, and I’m looking forward to it.
• Bertolt really came into his own this arc. While his arc was pretty much all in the subtext, I’m cool with that, and it even makes him an interesting character. The scene where he instinctively smiles seeing his old friends before he dies, and damn that’s heartbreaking.
• Reiner doesn’t get too much, but I feel he’s similarly tragic to Bertolt. When he says “I don’t want to die” before getting shot by the Thunder Spears, I felt really bad for him.
• Zeke is such a force in this arc. We don’t learn too much about him until the basement, but up until Levi cuts him, he’s the biggest monster in the series so far. And when we do learn about his backstory, it only makes him more interesting. Really excited to see where he goes from here.

And that’s the characters that really stuck out. Others were still great, but they didn’t quite catch my attention like these did. Well there were two more characters you might have noticed, Eren and Grisha. Because it’s finally time to talk about…

The truth of the Basement

Yeah so humans outside the walls weren’t extinct. In fact they are trying to invade Paradis for their resources.

Wait what.

What a bombshell. I didn’t think my expectations for the basement could be meant, be damn was I proven wrong. It really does just explain everything and then some. And the flashback is amazing. Grisha’s life story is just filled with so much to comprehend and take in, it was mind-blowing to experience. Attack Titan? Death in 13 years? War with Marley?! Yeah what an experience.

So what did humanity gain by entering the basement? Was it hope and the light of freedom, or was it a path to even more despair and bloodshed? I have a hard time saying, because we there’s more story yet, but this finally brings me to the ending of this arc, the beach, and Eren.

Conclusion

“If we kill all our enemies over there… will we finally be free?”

I’ve mentioned the poison of Eren Yeager, and to be honest, this scene may be my favorite Eren scene. Eren’s stubborn mindset is one of his defining qualities, that’s what makes him so compelling. So how far is he willing to go for freedom? I can’t say yet, but what I do know is that I’m interested.

This arc was fantastic, from the pacing, action, twists, and incredible characters. I can’t remember the last time I’d give an arc a 10/10, but damn does this arc deserve it. Thank you so much for reading.

Attack On Titan Blind Review Part 4 (Royal Government Arc)

This story is, to put it professionally, Bananas

I feel like a broken record saying Attack on Titan is an absurdly well plotted show. But with every arc getting crazier and crazier, it feels necessary to say it each time. So many crazy things happened this arc, several questions answered and truths revealed, but so many doors yet to be unopened. If this arc proved anything, it’s that this story never forgets. And it does this all while shifting gears from the Titan killing action we’ve come to know, to more of a political thriller. Does it work? This arc has it ups and downs for sure, but as I’ll explore, the Uprising arc is a bold, impressive arc, that is finding itself in the running for my favorite arc so far.

But First, the Anime and Manga

Normally I would end this review with my thoughts on the differences between the manga and its anime adaption, but the differences impact this arc so much that I feel its important to establish now. Because for the first time, I have legitimate issues with how the anime adapts its manga counterpart. This arc cuts out a lot of material from the first half of the arc. And while I have heard people say they prefer the anime’s snappier pace, I don’t think it was worth it at the cost of the careful character work done in this arc. And to best show my point, let me list some key characters who were better handled in the manga due to these changes.

My biggest complaint with Mikasa’s character is how she’s felt way too chained to Eren. Her personality is “protect Eren” and while I like her backstory, I can only tolerate so much of the same character trait. In the manga version of this arc however, I actually like her quite a bit, because here we focus more on her relationship with Levi. The two had some beef back in Season 1 during the Forest Battle due to a conflict over Eren, and it’s by comparing Mikasa in this arc we actually see growth from her. There’s a scene where Mikasa says she trusts Levi’s judgement, a pretty big character moment for her, again comparing it to the forest. This is her growth as a soldier, doing what is right and even becoming similar to Levi himself, shown even more clearly in the same scene when she tells her collogues it’s up to them to decide for themselves what they want to do. Cutting this is a pretty big blow to Mikasa’s character in the anime where it’s just cut and it removes the extra dimeson to Mikasa’s character. (Scene happens in Chapter 57).

But the biggest screw up in the anime comes from one cut scene, one which makes the character of Levi and Historia less interesting. It’s in Chapter 56 when Levi reveals Historia’s status as Queen. Historia goes in a state of shock, and refuses believing she is unfit for the role. Then Levi gets aggressive on her, to the point of picking her up and throwing her on the ground. The we get this line from Levi:

“I want to put an end to this recurring nightmare, right now. There are those who would get in my way, so I’m fine with playing the role of the lunatic who kills people. I have to be ready to rearrange some faces, because I choose the hell of humans killing each other over the hell of being eaten. At least that way, all of humanity doesn’t have to be damned.”

This line, this entire conversation, it’s so incredibly important (and frankly, just REALLY good), that cutting this one scene takes away so much from both characters. Historia gets more scenes cut that also impact her character, but this is the biggest scene to me. The second half of the arc is done really well, but after reading the manga, the anime adaption just feels really incomplete. That’s why this review will focus mostly on the manga story and not the anime’s.

With that out of the way… Politics!

Fun fact, the government in this world is corrupt, lies to you, and is never in your best interest. Oh and in the world of Attack on Titan too. So there’s two different politics games going on in this arc, one with Erwin & Co versus the Government, and the other being Levi Squad versus the Reiss Family.

Erwin’s struggle against the Government was less well handled to me. While we always knew the government was corrupt, it was never really talked about in the story much. But now it’s at the forefront of the story, and we know conflict is going to happen. The Interior MPs get involved in order to stop the Survey Corps from getting too close to the truth (good thing the police in our world don’t only exist the protect the interests of the wealthy elite, boy would that suck). So now it’s Erwin and some buddies versus an entire century of a corrupt system that has always been maintained power. It’s going to be a length, hard fought battle and… they solved it in one chapter. What?

Yeah so uh… that was quick. It’s not completely resolved in one chapter, they still need to find a new monarch and the ending implies a military state is probably not a good idea, leaving things open. But wow I sure was not expecting the overthrow Government any% run from Erwin, bravo. You can argue the rest of the arc the buildup for this, and this is the payoff, and even considering that, this is Chapter 11 of the arc. It’s not like this was discussed in the prior arcs, so really overthrowing the entire government was the payoff the 10 chapters of build up. That is not a lot for how grand this should be. It’s not like I was incredibly invested in this conflict anyways. We get Erwin’s backstory about how government bad and lying but that was it. I had nothing against these nobles personally so it’s not like I really wanted to see them fall. And since it was distracting from the more interesting A plot, I really feel like this plot was not done super well.

The more interesting plot comes in the Eren and Historia rescue mission, AKA Historia’s wacky family hijinks. Eren and Historia get kidnapped by Kenny Ackermann, Levi’s “foster father” (he wasn’t much of a father) and Levi Squad has to save them. I’ll touch more on this section when I discuss the characters, because they are what make this part of the story, but politically I still find it interesting. The Reiss family is mysterious, but they’re extremely powerful, ruling the world from underneath its nose. And as we learn more about them and their history, the more interesting it gets, while still leaving us with questions to be answered later. I can’t go too into it without discussing the characters, but this part of the story is great.

Finally, these two plot threads converge at the end. Erwin joins Levi Squad in their plan to stop the Titan Rod Reiss. It ends with Historia accepting her role, and becoming the new queen. Overall, this is still a really satisfying story in terms of the plot, even if the side plot is a bit messy, I still found myself enjoying and being blown away by a lot of it. So many things are revealed here, and this was the arc that really convinced me that Isayama never forgets, and he always has a plan.

Characters are Cool

While this isn’t the first arc the spotlight isn’t solely on Eren, it is the first he isn’t the main protagonist of. That honor goes to Historia Reiss. While her character arc here isn’t the most unique thing ever, it’s a pretty standard Royalty arc, but it’s the execution here that really matters, and it’s really good. It helps that Historia was a character who was already intriguing by Season 2, so this character progression didn’t feel unnatural or rushed. And her story is really interesting. While “don’t let others control you” isn’t a new theme, the story frames this morality is interesting, as at some point she says she’s willing to be an enemy of humanity if it means the ability to make her own decisions. This whole arc was really great and by the end Historia really ended up becoming one of my favorite characters.

But as good as she was, Eren was once again the highlight for me. Before this arc Eren was a character I was fascinated by, but wasn’t really emotionally attached to all that much. This arc changed that, and it all came down to the scene in the cave. In this scene Eren learns the truth about the fate of his father, and his actions against the Reiss family. And this guilt overcomes him, all while he is unable to speak, so we get these chilling close ups of his eyes that just show the agony he is experiencing at these memories. And it’s only made worse when he’s told if he his Father hadn’t stolen the powers of the Reiss family for him, humanity might’ve been saved.

Around this time we learn that Erwin might not be interested in the best for humanity if it means he won’t be around to see it, so you might wonder if Eren is the same way. But soon after Kenny allows Eren to talk again, and cuts his head allowing him to transform into a Titan. And then Eren just… gives up. The guilt is too much, even if they weren’t his sins, he feels responsible for all the deaths he could have prevented had he never been born. And then he wishes to die. This scene was phenomenal, it really showed a new side of Eren that had only been touched on before. He always felt responsible for the deaths of the soldiers on his missions, but here it breaks him. It was definitely the most emotional I got at Eren’s character, and its in the running for my favorite scene with him so far.

But they really best off each other. Maybe my favorite scene in the arc is the scene where Eren and Historia just get to talk to each other about their crazy lives and how far they’ve come. Their chemistry in this arc is sweet, they feel like real friends, and they help each other. Eren gives Historia the confidence she needs to be herself instead of her Krista persona, and Historia gives Eren the will to live. And their talk at the end at the farm was a great way to end the arc. Overall, these characters, both individually and separately, carried the arc for me. While this arc has other great aspects, this is what makes into a great arc overall.

Halfway done

This marks the end of the halfway point of the story. This series has been great, but I am really excited to see where it goes. The Return to Shiganshina arc is supposed to be fantastic, so I am pumped for that. As always, thank you for reading.

Attack On Titan Blind Review (Part 3)

Clash of the Titans

Attacking my expectations… Again

Wow. Holy shit. I don’t know how to properly start with this review, because this is by far the hardest arc to articulate my thoughts on so far. But stating that I am absolutely awe-struck by this series is a good place to start. This series is turning out to be not just everything I wanted it to be, but it’s better than that. And the Clash of the Titans arc may just be the greatest piece of the story yet. Exciting, unpredictable, and investing. This arc may be the most mind-blowing story in a story that keeps blowing my mind.

The plot thickens, and thickens, and th-

This arc opens with Titans being discovered IN THE WALLS. No explanation yet, only that the Church is involved, what a god damn opening. My mind was already blown, but that may not even be a Top 5 craziest things that happened this arc. We also NEED to talk about The Giant Monkey Titan TM. This guy is introduced as being able to speak and completely control other Titans, completely destroying any expectations I had about what Titans were like or how they worked. We see him do other shit in this arc and he probably has something to do with the titans appearing without a hole. Who is he, what does he want, is he the enemy? Oh yeah, this arc was the Titan reveal fest, where we got 3 whole Titan reveals, and a number of facts about Titans revealed.

Alright I was never gonna make it far in the review without mentioning this scene.

“WHAT?! WHAT?! WHAT?! – Me watching this for the first time

This scene was so damn good. I don’t remember the last time I got so hyped at a scene. I actually had to get out of my chair for a bit it was so hype. So how did it elicit such a reaction? Simply put, the execution was perfect. It starts out incredibly subtle, with it being mentioned when the characters aren’t even the focus of the scene. I knew I had just heard it, but I couldn’t believe it. Then they shift more into focus, and it starts sinking in. Part of the genius of this scene is how they completely placed the viewer into Eren’s shoes. The disbelief I felt watching was completely mimicked by Eren, and when it finally got serious, and we could no longer deny the truth as shit got real, God that made the eventual clash all the more hype.

Wrong Scene but I didn’t feel like downloading another picture I’m sorry

My only complaint is Bertolt being the Colossal Titan was kind of underwhelming. I get the idea, the biggest threats can be the people we least expect/ seem the most innocent, but I just felt underwhelmed. I think if we got to know Bertolt better rather than that guy who just followed Reiner this would’ve been better, but at the very least I understand the intention, and the actual hints and foreshadowing were incredibly well placed (seriously, going back to the hints Isayama placed was mind-blowing).

The other big twist for the Titans was Ymir being a Titan. I’ll talk more about Ymir’s character in the next section, but I appreciate this twist. This was certainly the least predictable twist but I think it worked really well as a WTF moment, and it really left me awe-struck when it happened, so I’d call this yet another win.

These of course weren’t the only twist in this arc, but the rest leave more questions than answers. How did the Titans get in the wall without a hole? What the hell is the Beast Titan? What is the Titans homeland? What is Eren’s new ability? All questions I’m sure we’ll get answers to, but the way this series can answer a ton of questions, and still leave so many more is one of my favorite things about it. Even only a third into it, this is already one of the best plotted stories I’ve read in a very long time, and I can’t wait to see what is to come.

Time for some Side (Characters)

The previous arcs in the series really only focused on a couple characters, the main trio, Levi’s squad, and a couple characters. The only other character from the 104th Corps we got to focus on aside from the trio was Annie due to her role as an antagonist. Other than that the rest of the characters were all just supporting and never really had the attention shifted to them.

This arc changed that. This first example of this was Sasha, previously a character designated almost solely to comic relief, was given an episode all to herself. And it was great! Giving this one character focus and their own arc over this short story not only worked for her character, but also expanded some aspects of the world I hadn’t really thought of before. They gave her a genuinely touching, yet exciting arc with the limited time they had, which is just amazing character writing.

Connie also received some screen time. While his plot point mostly revolves around whatever happened to his mother/ village and what that reveals about the plot, he does get some attention from it. Not much, but it still fleshes out his character with the appropriate amount of screen time that he has.

Then there was Ymir and Historia. It took me some time but overall I think I like it. There’s not much to say in the beginning other than, yeah it’s really sweet. The flashback is incredible, atmospherically it’s great, and it recontextualizes Historia’s character in a brilliant way that added way more depth to this character than I thought I needed. Ymir is also great, up to this point she was without question my least favorite of the 104th Corps, but after this I understood her on a far deeper level, and while I still found her to be kind of a dick, I didn’t mind it anymore, because I knew there was more to her. One of Attack on Titan’s most interesting ideas is why we shouldn’t just give up and die in such a cruel world, and this scene is an argument, between Historia who wants to be seen as a hero, but secretly wants to die, and Ymir, who doesn’t care how she is seen, and in it finds her own purpose for living. And of course there is Ymir’s anime only flashback, which further shows us her pain and suffering over the years, and why exactly she values Historia so much. Easily one of my favorite scenes of the arc.

As for how it progressed, I’m not sure how I feel. Ymir was definitely uncomfortably controlling over Historia but it kind of felt like she was ok with that and just wanted to do what Ymir did? And the tone felt kind of weird too like I wasn’t sure if the story wanted me to root for Ymir to get Historia or not. I think I’ll save my judgement until the end but for now, the flashback scene on the hill was so good that I found myself liking it overall.

But there’s one clear star of the arc, Reiner. Bertolt was fine too, but we didn’t see his internal conflict too much aside from a couple of lines. There’s some really great ideas with him and I’m sure I’ll love him when he gets more screen time, but holy shit Reiner was just on a another level. Reiner’s internal conflict is front and center and it is glorious. Going back to THAT scene, it was Reiner’s fucked mental state that allowed that scene to be so good and bat shit confusing. Then the scene on the trees where it starts becoming increasingly obvious he’s insane was sooooo good. Every scene he is in post-reveal is immediately ten times better because he is in it. Even the action scenes, such as the best fight in the series, his MMA fight with Titan Eren, which had no right being as complex and interesting as it was. And the scene where he just started chucking Titans?! Godlike. He’s probably my second or third favorite of the series now, he just left such an impression.

WAIT EVEN BEFORE THAT. MY MAN LET A TITAN BITE HIS ARM, AND CARRIED IT UP TO THE DAMN WINDOW ON HIS BACK. WHAT A CHAMP.

As for the main trio, my opinions have not changed much. Likely because they did not have as much to do this arc since the side characters and antagonists got more focus, but overall, I still think Eren is really fascinating and his degrading morals are incredibly well written, Mikasa is great but could use more to talk about aside from Eren. Armin however looks like he could be going down an Eren-like role. He seems to be convincing himself to throw away his humanity as well, and I’m excited to see what becomes of him.

Oh and while this doesn’t fit anywhere, I’ll say it here, Eren and Mikasa’s last scene with Hannes was phenomal. What a devasting scene as Eren succumbs to his weakness yet again, leading to the untimely death of Hannes. But then there’s the scene of him and Mikasa which is so beautiful, then Eren’s awakening which is so epic. Man the range of emotions I felt during that scene was amazing. And while this might be the straw that breaks Eren’s moral compass, what a treat it was to see.

The final standout of the Season was Erwin Smith. Erwin is such a fascinating character to me. Characters who have dream that they yearn for to relentless degrees have always been some of my favorites, but Erwin combines that with the weight of leadership. He’s willing to do whatever it takes to achieve his ambition, but he’s not inhuman, and the sacrifices he has to make weigh on him, even if he doesn’t show it. And he’s just badass too. Man got his arm bitten by a Titan and still chose to show no weakness and lead.

Themes and whatnot

I don’t think this arc has any particular grand message on its own, rather its about building up older themes and establishing new ones for later in the story. If there was one big theme, it’s betrayal, and how people aren’t who they seem. It’s not just the titans, but Historia who lied to the world about who she was, and Reiner takes this double by lying to himself and the world. We see how betrayal, and lying to yourself can break you, and that only by accepting who we are can we be at peace. Ymir makes the hard choice of letting go of Historia, but even at the end is at peace with herself, and Historia is allowed to grow because she embraced who she is. And even Eren learns this, as he learns his role as not the weak boy he thought he was, but a protector who is strong and capable. Resulting in his new Titan Call power, where by devouring the Titan who represents his past trauma, we see him taking the biggest step in overcoming that, and becoming the most capable version of himself.

It also seems to be leaning more into the political aspects. I won’t talk too much about it because apparently that’s what the next arc is about, but the Church is corrupt, the government is lying, and the rich are evil. Nothing too crazy yet but it’s the build up to the topics, I don’t expect them to be. For now they only serve to add greater intrigue to the world, and I am perfectly good with that.

Manga or Anime?

Manga & Anime Fans fighting idk

The last two arcs I mentioned how I thought the anime kind of blew the manga out of the water. However here I can’t say I prefer one of the other. The mountain flashback got some material that I liked though it wasn’t really necessary, the flashback added when Hanes talks to Armin and Mikasa was not really necessary either, and the Ymir flashback that was moved earlier was also great to have and ultimately I think I like having it here. However since the manga was arguably better paced, there is an argument for it being better, but the anime does have the usual benefits of voice acting and really good animation, though the 3D Colossal Titan is another argument for the manga. Overall, they’re both great, and is the first arc the manga matches the anime’s quality.

Final Thoughts

Overall, what a fantastic arc. Filled with character depth, action, and so many plot twists, it’s an arc that is never boring. Any complaints I have feel mostly like nitpicks, so I feel no need to speak them again. Personally my favorite arc so far, and I can’t wait for what’s next. Thank you so much for reading, and next time I’ll be reviewing the first half of Season 3, The Uprising.

Attack On Titan Blind Review (Part 2)

Attack On Titan keeps getting better

Attack On Titan is a series that keeps surprising me. Whenever I think I have a good idea of where the series is heading, it manages to surprise me with twists and turns that keep things fresh and exciting. And I’m happy to say the Female Titan arc not only surprised me, but provided me with some of the best storytelling in this material so far. Not only was this arc constantly engaging, but it was incredibly nuanced, providing without question some of the best characterization yet, as well as diving deeper into the themes that make Attack On Titan unlike anything I’ve ever read, is an arc that comes as close as perfection as the story has gotten thus far.

keeping an engaging plot

What Attack On Titan has proven to me ever since Trost is that it’s one of the finest stories in terms of story arc structure, and the Female Titan arc only exemplifies this. This arc very much follows the traditional three act structure seen in many pieces of story telling:

Act 1 is the set up for the arc, giving us all the exposition and introduction we need to kick into the story, which is followed by the first act turn, the introduction of the Female Titan. It shifts from what we thought was an arc about a test expedition, to an arc about the existence of the Female Titan and how the characters choose to deal with it. In the second act, this arc becomes somewhat of a horror story, with the Female Titan taking the role of a serial killer. The end of the second act comes at the end of Eren’s battle with the Female Titan, with our protagonist at his lowest point. The third act comes of course with the battle at Stohess, where it very much becomes the action story in the same vein that the Battle of Trost District arc was (well on the surface anyways). This allows the arc to explore a variety of tones and themes that keep it constantly interesting. This is truly such an arc that never has to worry about getting boring because of how much it has going.

This is of course, mixed with Isayama’s brilliant pacing. Isayama knows how to make it so there’s never a dull moment in his story. To show what I mean, let’s take the second act, which primarily takes place in one location, the forest. Usually the second act is what most story tellers struggle the most with, since it has to take up the bulk of the story (50%), and you can only fill it with so many plot points without it feeling unnatural. However, Isayama keeps the second act exactly as long as it needs to be. While the focus is Levi’s Group escaping the Female Titan, we shift from many different perspectives, some showing off the world such as the 104th Corps reaction to being completely in the dark, or that draw parallels to many of the stories themes, that being Erwin’s mission. If this was just Eren fighting Annie for 2 volumes, it wouldn’t be nearly as interesting, but instead we get a chase sequence and then a fight, and the fight only coming after we get to explore Eren in different ways, as throughout it he has to make several moral choices, which is key to interesting character writing. As for the other two acts, they’re easier to nail down. Act 1 gives us personal stakes for this mission, as whether this mission succeeds or fails will decide Eren’s fate. We also get world building and more time to spend with Levi, who’s just great, and it sets ups mysteries. The third act is a great climax and resolution, giving the audience an exciting fight, satisfying payoff, as well as giving as new mysteries. Overall, this arc was an improvement over the already excellent paced Battle for Trost District, something I didn’t think I’d say so soon.

The Decay of Eren Yeager

This arc proved that Eren has progressed a lot from the beginning of the story, both in terms of as a character, and in character writing. Remember the moral choices I mentioned? Yeah well Isayama sure knows what I’m talking about, because he knew exactly how to bring the most interesting parts of him out this arc. One question Attack on Titan started to explore but never truly scratched the surface of until this arc was, “Is Eren worse than the Titans?” This question of course represents a broader idea in both the arc and in the story, but this thematic question is at the core of Eren in this story.

You may have heard that the most interesting character arcs come from putting what they want and what they need in the same, yet opposite directions. This means that the character will go on the journey of the story to get what they want, but their ultimate growth comes from choosing what they need to grow and become the best version of themselves over what they want. Of course this isn’t the end all be all, many stories have what the character accepting what they need being the ultimate key to getting what they want, but generally it’s a good rule to follow.

In this story however, what Eren both wants and needs are coated in a layer of gray. He wants to kill all of the titans, but he needs to learns to trust other people. Well in this arc that need is brought to the forefront, to the point where Eren even starts to acknowledge it, but we see how acknowledging that need only makes him regret it that much more. When he makes the moral choice in the right direction, while he is rewarded for it at first, the second time he is punished for it severely, which only deepens his lie, causing him to regress to the point where he convinces himself that the time he almost certainly made the right call was actually the wrong move.

In this, we see how the cruelness of the world is impacting him. He wants to make the right choices, but in this world, he is simply not allowed to, and if he wants to achieve his want, to kill all the titans, he realizes he will have to abandon that desire for true connection, which will, if he doesn’t realize he is deluded himself, will destroy him. We can already see how it impacts him in his final battle with the Female Titan at Stohess, where Eren becomes even more of a monster than she is. Again, the Female Titan, who was shown to be a serial killer chasing her prey just episodes prior, is shown to be less of a monster than Eren. It’s clear to me that Eren is going down a dark road, and as much as I hate to say it, I love every moment of it. It is such compelling character drama that I feel is only going to get better and more interesting as the story progresses.

One more note, I just want to praise the anime adaption even more for having Eren’s remaining shreds of humanity be the reason Annie seals herself, thus making the mission and lives lost near pointless, thus further reinforcing his lie, great touch.

The Female Titan – The Human Killer

For now I want to explore a point I made earlier, that the Female Titan arc is nothing short of a horror movie villain in this arc, and why that was a brilliant move. First from a narrative standpoint, it makes this arc really intense up until Stohess. The Titans have always been portrayed as something akin to savage animals, who just mindlessly devour their prey. So contrast that with the way the Female Titan acts, the moves she makes are distinctly calculated, distinctly motivated, distinctly… human. No better example sticks out in my mind than the scene where she just spins a lifeless body around on a string as she just stares at her next target pragmatically.

Throughout the arc her motives are kept a mystery, adding to this element of horror. We never quite know what she’s thinking, so even though I thought it was completely obvious who she was supposed to be (I mean who else could it have possibly been?), the why is always kept hidden. This allows her to be truly creepy when she wants to be, such as her first scene with Armin, where she just gives this icy stare as she lifts Armin’s hood.

This makes her terrifying, but that adds to the story’s theme of the terror of humans. While she is a Titan, her most terrifying moments are when she acts as a human would. While I admit I would’ve liked to see her motivations fleshed out a bit more by the time she was defeated, as seeing her cry left me with confusion which is not what I think the author intended me to feel, I still absolutely love the way her mysterious nature was handled, and I can’t wait to explore her more as the story progresses.

the grayness of human morality

Attack on Titan has always shown its conflict to be black and white, but this arc directly challenges that. This arc gives us three sides of that conflict, Eren, Annie, & Erwin. All three characters either learn or already show the idea of abandoning humanity. But what would cause someone to so abandon what makes them human? The answer, as I discussed in Eren’s section, is to set the humanity aside to achieve their desires. At the center of this arc is the idea that human morality and ambition are in direct conflict.

First, let’s look at Eren again and his character arc throughout this story arc. He goes from someone tired of being outcast and just wants to maintain basic human connection again, to someone who believes that desire is what got all his friends killed, and must throw away those desires in order to obtain his true goal. And what this arc teaches is that he is right. When both Eren and Annie make their fatal decision that backs them into a corner, it is their trust in others that lead them there. First, let’s look at Eren again and his character arc throughout this story arc. He goes from someone tired of being outcast and just wants to maintain basic human connection again, to someone who believes that desire is what got all his friends killed, and must throw away those desires in order to obtain his true goal. And what this arc teaches is that he is right. When both Eren and Annie make their fatal decision that backs them into a corner, it is their trust in others that lead them there. In order to achieve his ultimate goal, Eren learns to abandon human morality, and focus on his own goals. The way he beats Annie is by abandoning his humanity completely, and becoming a completely savage monster. In order to achieve his ultimate goal, Eren learns to abandon human morality, and focus on his own goals.

Annie also shows the grayness of human morality, but her she doesn’t need a character arc to learn this, she clearly already knows it. The reason she is so terrifying as an antagonist is because she is so human, that she ends up being more terrifying than any of the titans we encountered thus far. Isayama mentioned in an interview that he got the idea for Attack on Titan during an encounter with an aggressive, savage man, and he realized just how terrifying humans can be, and I believe this is the first arc this is truly on display. This raises the question, “Are Humans worse than the Titans?” A question that has no clear answer yet, but the most interesting perspective to this comes from Armin’s answer when Annie asks if she really looks like a good person.

“A ‘good person’…? I… don’t really like that phrase. I mean… that’s just what you call someone who acts in a way that’s beneficial to you. I don’t think anyone can act in a way that benefits everyone. Even if you’re being helpful to one person, you might still be a ‘bad person’ to someone else… so… if you’re not going to go along with this plan… that would make you a bad person to me…”

I believe this conversation represents Isayama’s view on morality too, that we base our morality around what benefits us. To examine this, let’s look at the character of Erwin Smith. Is Erwin as bad as the Female Titan? At first it’s easy to think, “of course not”, but why? Erwin is the one responsible for throwing all of those lives to the Female Titan, without even telling most of his soldiers, making them go on a far more dangerous mission than many of them anticipated. The reason you probably think Erwin is a better person, is because Erwin is on the side of the humans. We understand his motives are to benefit humanity, and that the lives lost under his orders are only to serve humanity. The difference between Erwin leading soldiers to their death, and the Female Titan killing those soldiers, is Erwin has a motive, and the Female Titan’s motive is unknown. But from a purely pragmatic point of view, you could argue that they are both equally responsible for the lives lost on that mission.

This is an aspect of Attack on Titan I absolutely love, the way it approaches the grayness of human morality. I love a good gray conflict and this story keeps delivering on just that. The way it deals with its themes in a nuanced way through complex, gray characters is just perfect, and a big reason why I love this story so far.

Final Thoughts

Overall, this arc represents what I consider the peak of Attack on Titan. Not only does it know how to keep things exciting, but we get our most interesting character studies yet, as well as some incredibly nuanced themes that keep the story deep. I didn’t even get to cover all the other characters I love, so before I go let me just go through a run down of the notable characters I didn’t get to mention:

• Levi is just awesome. He’s a very traditional stoic tough guy given a lot more nuance through his more emotional scenes. Easily in my Top 3 of the story.
• Mikasa is still cool, but she desperately needs more to do. I almost miss the times where all she would do was be in conflict with Eren.
• Armin keeps getting better. The last arc was great seeing his strengths as a person in action, but his conversation with Annie represents maybe the highlight of his character.
• I liked the section with Jean and Reiner, but Reiner don’t think for a second I trust you.

And that’s all for now. Thank you so much for reading, and I’ll see you all after Season 2.

Attack On Titan Bind Review (Part 1)

Learning to Love Attack on titan

Three times. That’s how many times it took for me to get into Hajime Isayama’s Attack On Titan. That may seem crazy considering how good of a hook it has, but hear me out first and about my rocky relationship with it up to this point. It’s one of the most popular manga of all time and spawned an anime adaption that took the world by storm, making its way into the mainstream. Everyone seemed to get into it, even some of my friends who despised anime loved it. But I, who felt I should’ve loved this dark, action drama, something that seemed right up my alley, could never get myself to care enough past Episode 1. So I would like to explore two things, the first is why I found the series arc to be a flawed one, and the second, my impressions on two arcs I never read or watched before, The Battle of Trost District arc, and the 104th Training Corps arc, and how those two arcs managed to hook me into loving the series.

The Fall of Shiganshina – The Hook, The Characters, & The World

The first arc of the series, and widely considered one of the greatest first arcs ever… failed to connect with me my first few times. It follows the lives of Eren, Mikasa, and Armin, and the inciting incident of the story that forever changes their lives. This seems like the perfect first arc at first, not too long allowing it to get straight to the meat of the story, establishes our characters lives before they forever change, and sets up mysteries and plot threads that will go into other arcs. However I had my issues with it that prevented me from getting invested after trying twice. I felt the characters weren’t given enough time to shine in their normal world before it came crashing down, which impacted both the weight of the moment and my first impression on these characters.

But let’s start at the beginning, and by that, I mean the VERY beginning. A good first shot or first page is one that gets your interest, but a great one still lingers in your mind long after you’ve seen it, and the image of a 50 meter Titan overlooking a city as young children watch in terror is a really memorable first page. The fact the first thing we see in this story is the greatest symbol of safety you could think of being invaded sets the tone really well, nothing is safe in this story, least of all humans and the barriers we make. But I think what really sold people was the inciting incident, and hippity hoppity what an inciting incident. A good inciting incident establishes stakes that both put the protagonist in danger and give them some sort of desire that will guide the rest of the story, and the invasion and fall of Shiganshina goes just that. Seeing this safe town be brutally overrun, and soldiers being too scared to fight, and Eren’s mother dying a brutal death, it really grabs your attention right as the story starts, and makes you want to read on to figure out what will happen next. 

But the best part of this arc is it’s world building. Our first glimpses into it are depressing to say the least, first we see its very walls being crumbled down, then the incompetence of the people who protect, then the dead end the human race faces when up against the Titans. It’s pretty gloomy to say the least, so gloomy at first that I considered it one of the biggest challenges to the series. How could I get into a series with so little hope, something I’ll touch on later. But it’s also covered by a thick layer of intrigue. We know nothing about the titans, and the story understands our intrigue and dangles the mysteries of this world in our faces. Speaking of dangling mysteries in front of our faces, how about the literal key it dangles in our face. This is one of the most interesting aspects of the story for me. I’ll discuss it more when I talk about my theories, but for now, let me just complement what a fantastic narrative choice it is. Not only is it a compelling mystery, but it will later serve to drive the plot and give us a goal to work towards. I love it. 

But as for my complaints, first let’s talk about Eren Yeager. First I’m going to be speaking from the perspective of someone trying to get into the series, then as someone who has gotten into it thinking back in retrospect. I did not care for Eren at first. To me it felt he was lacking likable traits. If I can look at a character and say, “That’s a guy I would like to hang out with if I knew him.” then that’s how I know I find them compelling. Is Eren the type of person I would like to hang out with at the start of the series? Honestly I don’t think so. Almost every interaction he has in the first chapter is him arguing with someone. While these are arguments that reveal important character traits of his, we don’t get to just hang out with him. And I didn’t find the rest of the characters that interesting either. It felt like everyone existed to be a foil to Eren, but since Eren wasn’t interesting or likable enough to carry character interactions, the interactions didn’t interest me much, as so the characters didn’t either. The character I liked the most was honestly Eren’s parents, his Mom being the only character I had an emotional reaction to, with her pleas to her family to not leave her after her fate has already been sealed to be one of the most realistic reactions to this type of event I could imagine, not only grounded the series but man it just hit hard. Then there was his father, who had a laid back attitude, but was one of the most mysterious characters in the show with his key.

Those were my initial thoughts, but now as a fan of the series, I think I was missing a lot of things in that analysis. When I look back on Eren’s character, while I think he could’ve used more diversity in his early scenes, I still have a lot of respect for his values. I could completely understand where he was coming from, and most importantly the story gives him a clear desire and goal, the eradication of all titans, while also giving him a flaw to overcome, his boiling hatred. That last part is the most interesting to me and what really struck me about his character. The flaw he needs to overcome and his desire are in direct conflict with one another, as with any good protagonist. But with Eren the poison in his character is what defines him, and if he doesn’t grow past it, this poison may end up consuming him. So it wasn’t my sympathy for him that won me over, but rather my empathy, and the desire to see how his character arc will go. Funny how the darkness that drove me away at first was the thing that hooked me the most.

Overall I’ve grown to really like this arc. I think it could have been a chapter or two longer to really get invested in Eren’s character, but I understand the effect it would have on pacing and realize it probably wasn’t in Isayama’s best interest. While Eren and his parents are the only characters I grew invested in, that’s to be invested, dare I say storytellers should focus on their best character when they begin the story. But Isayama’s true brilliance here comes in its world building. Using art and character, he conveys the safe, yet cruel and confining nature of his world, only to expertly destroy it and let us know that nothing is safe. It had my curiosity, but its next arc would really get my attention.

The Battle of Trost District – The Thesis of the Story

“Compared to what’s been taken from humanity, it may be a small thing. But it will mean we’ve finally managed an attack on the Titans.“

The Battle of Trost District is the second arc of the manga and the third arc of the anime. It follows the 104th Training Corps after their graduation as they must fight as soldiers against the invading Titans. It’s also the arc that got me really invested in the series, and in retrospect it’s pretty easy to see why. Take all the complaints I had with the previous arc, mainly the rather uninteresting cast, pacing feeling too fast, and a world so dark I wondered why I’d even want to follow it, and then just fix those flaws. What really sold me though, was its strength thematically. Just like the previous arc, it shows a cruel world, but now we’re given hope, that though the world is a cruel place, there might just be light in it after all if we just keep fighting for it.

No where better are my complaints shattered than with the character of Mikasa. Before I honestly found her to be pretty uninteresting. Her character seemed to serve two purposes, follow Eren, and argue with Eren. So separating her from Eren was exactly the move she needed to stand out. Not only do we physically see how strong and capable she is on her own, but how even without Eren she can drive the story. And she does this all while we explore her relationship with Eren, giving the relationship more weight than ever while also examining how that could be dangerous. And her backstory we get is amazing, serving as a microcosm of the themes of the story, while also endearing us more to her and Eren’s character.

We also get to explore Armin more. I’m not going to act like I find his character particularly groundbreaking so far, but I think of all the characters he’s the one I personally relate to the most, except without the genius strategist part. In a world where strength appears to be everything Armin has low self-esteem for not being psychically strong enough, and his journey in this arc, and I predict for the rest of the story, is him learning to value the gifts he has. It’d be a pretty mundane arc if this wasn’t a story taking place in hell where every move you make will result in your friends dying.

Speaking of friends there sure are other characters in this arc, most of whom desperately needed more screen time before this. Yes, I’ll touch on the anime adaption later, but for now, the only character I thought was really noteworthy was Jean. His arc was learning to not settle for the mundane and instead, use his natural skills as a leader to save lives and bring hope to his peers. He serves as Eren’s main foil within the corps, and he’s pretty effective because you can definitely see where he’s coming from, but also the flaws in his logic, allowing for believable growth as his situation increasingly demands him to. The rest of the characters are… fine. A lot of them feel like they were written to die dramatically, or are just to be introduced so when they actually do dramatic things later we’ll have the context. I’ll withhold my thoughts on them for now, but I have them in mind.

I complained that the introduction arc went a bit too fast, but I’m happy to say I thought this arc was paced beautifully. While I could argue that once again some characters should have gotten more screen time in the peaceful moments so that we could get to know them better, that is something the next arc will do anyways, so it’s more of an issue with the overall structure of the story, something I will definitely be talking about when I discuss the anime. Everything else is pretty perfect. Dramatic moments are given just enough time and attention to be genuinely impactful, but when the story needs to get going, it doesn’t waste any time, going from twist to twist at a perfect speed. The action flows seamlessly, bringing in the high octane action while still letting the character moments in between shine, which helped me gain appreciation for how well the story combined both character and plot. And these twists were amazing. I knew the Eren twist going into this and I still could not predict how this arc was going to go. But all the pieces were there so when it did go in new directions, I never felt cheated, and thought the story was simply well-thought out and knew what it was doing. All the strategies employed by the characters were well thought out, but they were dangerous enough so that the execution was always enough to keep me on my toes. 

But above all else, the main reason I love this arc is for what it represents. This is an arc about hope. While the previous arc offered us no signs of anything but the worst, this arc is about how even if the world is hell, things can be better if we work for it. The obvious example is of course, the scene where the rock is successfully placed, it’s the little things too. It’s the scene where Eren is no longer helpless against the Colossal Titan, or the scene where a plan goes smoothly and the heroes make some headway or save some lives. It’s inspiring to see that despite all the odds being against them, these characters carve out their own paths. While this isn’t a particularly new theme of a manga to explore, the reason it is so effective in Attack On Titan is because of how good of a job it does at showing us how cruel the world is, making it all the more inspiring when the heroes do find their light.

That’s why this arc was so great to me. Only 13 chapters into the story and it’s already shown me how well it can write its character, how interesting it can twist the narrative at any moment, and provide its story with a message that really speaks to me. I wasn’t just intrigued by the mysteries or why everyone else loved it, I was engaged because I wanted to see where these characters were heading on their journeys. And with this high octane action arc done, Isayama decided to slow things down, with an arc that proved to be just what I needed next.

104th Training Corps – Character, Structure, & Adaptation

The 104th Training Corps is the third arc in the manga, but takes place before the Battle of Trost District and after the Fall of Shiganshina. But notably, in the anime, the arcs are placed chronologically, so the 104th Training Corps is before the Battle of Trost District. For this segment, not only will I be giving my thoughts on the arc, but on why I think the structure of the anime is better than that of the manga and aids what the arc is trying to accomplish.

In this arc we learn about the 104th Training Corps, consisting of such characters as Eren, Mikasa, Armin, Jean, and more. At only 5 chapters and 2 episodes, it’s a pretty short arc, but it is absolutely a necessary one, as in it we get to learn key details about these characters. We learn about Eren’s tenaciousness yet inexperience, Mikasa’s loyalty but pragmatism, and Armin’s self-doubt that both pushes him and hinders him. But most importantly, we learn about the side characters who fought alongside them. Reiner, Connie, Marco, Annie, Sasha, and Jean are all given exploration and time to show off their personalities. Not only are they given time to show off in action, but they communicate their personalities by the way they talk, their reactions, and how they deal with conflict. And I found myself liking all of them. Particular shoutouts go to Jean, who I mentioned before, Reiner and Annie, who are the characters I’m most interested in seeing as the story progresses.

All of this is to say, this is an important arc for developing character, but after the previous arc, a lot of the stuff we learn feels kind of redundant. We already explored a lot of these character traits in a more interesting environment, so this only really helps the characters who didn’t get much screen time in the previous arc. This is why I think the anime’s decision to swap arcs works so well. Normally I do not like it when anime’s switch arcs around, see My Hero Academia Season 5, but this time it feels way more natural. We get to learn these characters strengths and weaknesses in a relatively low stakes environment, so that when we do see them in battle we already know what informs their character, so seeing them fight in a high stakes environment is given that extra drama since we now not only know them better, but are more attached to them. The choice to switch these arcs ends up benefiting both of them.

Overall I thought this arc was much needed, but was misplaced. It marks the point in the story where I like the characters the most, but that added weight could’ve done wonders for the manga. I’m happy to say though, that no matter which version you’re reading, you’ll still get a relatively lighthearted but compelling character study that will help you grow closer to these characters.

Final Thoughts & Theories

Overall, while I still think the first arc is a smidge mishandled, and the latter two arcs should have been swapped in the manga, I still love Attack On Titan so far. The world building stands out to me as one of the best introductions I’ve read, the characters are all sympathetic, but some still have that poison in them that makes me really fascinated in their arcs, and while not without its hiccups, the plot is tightly written and engaging, with many fantastic twists in its first couple of arcs that many stories can’t manage the whole way. If you’re reading this and you are like I was, debating to give this a shot, do it, I can’t recommend it enough. I recommend the anime if you’re new as it has a better structure, but the manga is still great. To close this off, here are my theories that will totally be wrong.

• Eren’s “dream” that caused him to cry was a flash forward of the future. I predict it is either him or Mikasa dying.
• The key to the basement is still a mystery to me, but my guess is it contains some sort of ultimate weapon to use against the Titans.
• The Armoured Titan is Reiner. Their hairstyles look similar, that is my proof. Maybe Erwin?
• The Colossal Titan is another unknown. Crack guess is Levi. Maybe the more powerful the hunter, or the will of the hunter, the more powerful the Titan.

And that’s all I got, thank you so much for reading.