First Impressions / Shingeki no Kyojin

「偶像 ―トロスト区攻防戦⑦―」 (Gūzō ―Torosuto Ku Kōbō Sen ⑦―)
“Icon ―Defense of Trost (7)―”

“I don’t know if I can do it, but I’ll do it.” Because when one’s forced into a do or die situation, there ain’t no substitute for victory. Still, it’s admittedly somewhat questionable how easily Pixis will believe in something that’s such a shot in the dark. I pointed out this aspect last week already, but yeah… you can be a great commander all you want, but there’s a stretch to how much someone can supposedly “see” or “recognize” before you step into the territory of pure fantasy. Still, he is pretty cool for doing this (Stilts would approve)… kind of. Well, until you get into the whole under age drinking thing.

Regardless, Eren does make a key point at this point. If this is potentially one way for Titans to exist, then they potentially aren’t just fighting against Titans anymore. Sure, the chances are small, but once you plant the seed of paranoia… suddenly no one is safe from suspicion. Indeed, Eren’s ability to transform brings with it not only the unknown element of himself, but the question of who else might secretly possess such a power and whether or not someone human is behind it all. Combine that with the fact that the Titan’s appearance a few weeks back was as sudden as Eren’s transformation… and things are potentially grimmer than we ever expected. Talk about suffering.

In addition, Pixis’ dialogue is also quite interesting as well—as he notes how before the Titans, humans fought among themselves. Furthermore, he notes how it was said that if a powerful external threat were to appear, humanity with unite against the threat. Considering how this comes on the tail end of the aforementioned… one wonders if all of this isn’t just a ploy by someone who tried to unite humanity. It would be an interesting twist to say the least—both in the context of the series and in how it basically says that even the best intentions could end with some terrible results. In addition, it’s notable how both Eren and Pixis note that that’s just a false dream, and it goes to highlight a commentary on human nature—particularly how we’re such a species where a threat that could cause our extinction might not even lead to us uniting against it.

Indeed, it’s a grim outlook, and one that just highlights the suffering here in Shingeki—especially via Dazz, who gives a face to the fears held by many soldiers, and the belief that trying to take back Trost is the equivalent to mass suicide. To say the least, the military is sitting on a powder keg that threatens to be the final nail in the coffin for humanity. But true to his now godly nature, Pixis pulls the biggest surprise of them all, and reveals Eren’s ability to change into a Titan to everyone. There ain’t nothing like suddenly telling troops you have hope (due to secret experiments no less!) to turn the tide. Combine that with the fact that their battle plan addresses the soldiers’ unease by making it so that they theoretically don’t need to fight (much), and it’s some crazy stuff—but just the way I like it. Not only that, but he owns those trying to desert too—by first appealing to them by saying he’d let them leave… then whacking them metaphorically with the comment that they’d just be spreading back their fear to their loved ones. To top it off, he then lures them back in with the confirmation that the attempt to take back Wall Maria was just a culling, and that it’s their obligation to fight in order to bear the sin that is continuing to live due to the sacrifice of those that died that day. Superb stuff. Just superb.

Also notable in all of this is the realization by Eren that there must be a symbol to unite everyone. In all great wars in our history, singular, charismatic figures have lead their countries to victory, and this situation is the same. Humanity needs something to rally around following so many losses, and Eren is in a position where he can be that icon. This is it. All these years of fighting, hiding, and just barely scrapping by have led to this singular moment—a shot in the dark that either speeds their path toward extinction or leads them on their first real victory.

In the end though, beggars just can’t be choosers, and it’s true here considering the plan to retake Trost. It’s admittedly still quite ludicrous how things developed over the course of the last few episodes however, and the fact that Eren seems to lose control at the end just hammers this in. I guess it’s like what they say though. All roads led to Rome back then, and all roads lead to the path of most suffering here.

Author’s Notes:

  • As usual, there will be a zero tolerance policy on spoilers. Spoilers should generally not be written in general if it can be avoided and any spoilers should have a comment detailing what kind of spoiler it is and should be in response to a query. Those found violating this will find their comment deleted and multiple violations (in the form of comment deletions) will lead to bans. Note though, when deletions of the offending comment are removed, so will accompanying replies. This does not mean that those whose accompanying replies are at risk of being banned, unless they also violate the rule in some way.

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    Preview

    103 Comments

      2. This series was good to get to the cliffhanger in episode 5, then it keeps us living almost real-time (with flashbacks) all this way. A little compression for the next 2-6 episodes would be nice.

        jhpace1
        Reply

      3. Isn’t this a spoiler? I mean, I have no idea if the hole would really be sealed or not (and with the show’s depressing tone I’m actually guessing that they won’t really be able to seal it).

        Saki
        Reply

      2. I’ll forever be amazed at how much a taboo underage drinking must be in Japan,or maybe it’s just portrayed that way in anime?And how the teenagers themselves reject it and only the biggest & baddest delinquents actually drink(sometimes not even that).In most other countries even a 14 year old wouldn’t hesitate so much to take a tiny sip of alcohol and by 16-17 there’s barely any hesitating at all.

        MgMaster
        Reply

      3. As awesome as that was, in terms of action or plot, almost nothing happened. People here complained of still shots, and they were retorted by people saying that its to conserve and use the animation budget wisely. Yet… Here we see THAT to show… a person using 3D gear to move around. It would be definitely be incredible to have that sort of animation throughout the entire series, but that burned the metaphorical wallet faster than any flamethrower I could think of.

        TheOrangeOne
        Reply

        1. Sorry, but I don’t agree with you… action or plot = nothing? What exactly do you mean by that? The anime follows the manga faithfully… the development is happening, the anime can not have 25 minutes of action, I’m sorry, but I find ridiculous when someone says that “almost nothing happened”. About the plot, a lot has happened in my opinion. It was possible to see the whole Armin strategy… and attempt to close the hole, and of course, the great Pixis: Eren be seen as an “experience”, this way, nobody would find strange a titan on their side while they hiding the truth… How “almost nothing happened”?

          vane
          Reply

        2. really the only ones who complain about nothing happening are the shounen battle freaks that salivate over constant fighting. They’re mad that last ep it was all dialogue along with this ep too *sighs* why can’t they just appreciate both a well planned out plot and action? Seriously, these people don’t need to be fighting Titans every single ep.

          SDFGS
          Reply

        3. I personally considered this the best episode up to date(DEM FEELS!)and there’s enough happening,it’s just that SnK is taking it’s sweet time in doing so(and judging by the phenomenal success of the series,it’ll keep doing it so best get used to it’s pacing now rather than later).It’s pretty much what Pixis’s speech was,about humanity finally launching their own “Attack on the titans” rather than constantly being on the defensive.

          For me however,the best part was that this seemed to be a good episode that will add to Eren’s growth as a soldier & individual(I don’t really care too much how powerfull his titan form is and I’m actually glad the series isn’t focusing or showing that much of that so far).We finally got to hear something else from him rather than “I’LL KILL ALL THE TITANS!ROAAAAAARRRR!”(I’m all down for GAR moments but there’s only so much one can take).I might actually start liking him if this keeps up.

          So yea,if you think about all that,a lot has happened – even at by SnK’s slow pacing standards.

          MgMaster
          Reply

        4. @I’m baffled vane. I state what I’m talking about; Eren moving around in 3D gear using up animation budget. And you translate that with me talking about the entire episode having nothing plot or action relevant? And everyone agrees? Umm…?! I don’t know how to counter that. Its like me complaining about a gun in a video game being too long to reload, and then everyone thinks I’m talking about the whole game being utter shit.

          TheOrangeOne
          Reply

        5. It is just the way I structured my sentences maybe? I really don’t know how show my opinions if it goes off the mark that badly. I’ll try to say it better this time.

          Like what the original comment said, a lot of budget was on Eren using 3D gear to move around. That by itself, almost nothing happened. He merely went from point A to point B. Its a cool thing to do with 3D gear, but there were plenty of other scenes with 3D gear that could have been animated better when fighting titans, or say a titan eating a person or whatever. Perhaps even do fluid gestures in important speeches to really put more power into the words spoken in relation to plot. The budget being used in the manner shown is basically an opportunity cost I don’t like personally.

          To all the comments in reply to mine: I’m not talking about the episode itself at all. Nor action scenes importance in pandering to a demographic who like it verses those who like dialogue just as much. I’m still not sure how my comment got mixed up in such a discussion. Can anyone clarify as to why it did?

          TheOrangeOne
          Reply

        6. As awesome as that was, in terms of action or plot, almost nothing happened.

          I for one um…well I..*lowers head in shame* somehow assumed you were talking about the whole episode,forgetting that it was a reply to TheFadingMoon above that specific scene then I got carried away typing and yea…My bad!

          MgMaster
          Reply

        7. Its okay vane, I don’t think its your fault specifically. Even after I clarified, people still seem to hate my comments, so perhaps a fault in perspective on the topic I discussed is not the problem. I think now the question is, if people disagree with my opinion still, why is that? Do they love the budget used for 3D transport more than using it in action scenes against titans or some other opportunity? I doubt I’ll get an answer at this point though.

          TheOrangeOne
          Reply

    12. You know.. the one thing i wonder the most is how the anchoring system releases itself given how deep they embed themselves…. hmmmm… the anchors themselves are pneumatic? Expands to anchor and contracts to release?

      If that’s the case… wow… Spiderman would be green with envy… hehehe

      Radler
      Reply

      1. The whole anchoring thing is a bit farfetched when considering they are imbedding themselves into stone.

        But if I were to humor the premise, they are probably released using the “break handles” on the control unit. They don’t show it in animation, but it is the most mechanically sound idea when you consider how break handles work in real life.

        One thing that the premise didn’t consider though is that they have replaceable blades, but not replaceable grapple-heads despite them going through much more punishment than the blades.

        Goodwill.Wright
        Reply

    13. Still, he is pretty cool for doing this (Stilts would approve)… kind of. Well, until you get into the whole under age drinking thing.

      I remember my US history teacher in HS saying an argument made during the Vietnam was was that it was ridiculous that a country would send 18+ year olds to die in a war, yet still say they aren’t old enough to have a drink until they are 21.

      I seriously love how they do some funny scenes with serious still shots. Like when Potato Girl was asking for Mikasa’s bread.

      RickyMack
      Reply

      1. You really don’t want to hear the phrase “If a soldier won’t _____, he won’t fight!”, which is why you had camp followers and brothels associated with so many armies.

        jhpace1
        Reply

    14. I had hoped for a faster pace. Instead he only transformered at the very end of the episode. I will have to check how many chapters this episode covered.
      I feared that Rico would never stop listing all those names.

      boingman
      Reply

    16. This episode felt a bit overdramatic to me =0\. I know the dialogue for this ep is supposed to emphasize what’s at stake, but still, it was a bit long-winded for my tastes.

      And I hope Eren will stop getting angry at Mikasa every time she wants to come with him. I’m not expecting him to realize her feelings, but at least she should be treated with some respect and appreciate that she cares enough about him to want to protect him(I’m sure that, somewhere inside himself, he feels the same way).

      frubam
      Reply

      1. while i agree, have too remember he has a inferiority complex. because of her always saving him an been a better fighter, an when she keep saying i want too be with you, you will die with out me it cause him more anger

        jimmy
        Reply

      2. I dunno about it being over-dramatic. The way I see it, this episode firmly explained why Pixis was making such a decision and he needed a way to make his soldiers see it too. He needs soldiers, after all.

        And this is also where I disagree with Zephyr about Pixis’ handling of things. Zephyr states that Pixis was betting on a complete unknown, which was foolish and unrealistic. The way I see it, Pixis has no choice. The second wall must, emphasis on must, be maintained. If it falls, humanity will die. The innermost wall simply cannot maintain humanity. This means that Trost must be defended at all costs. If that cost is an unpredictable new weapon, i.e. a titan-transforming Eren, then I think he’ll take it. If Eren was going to wind up killing them all anyway, then what would it matter if he does so alone with Pixis or not?

        sands76
        Reply

        1. Yeah, when Pixis mention that the Inner Wall cannot maintain the survive of the Humans. That alone changed many things into his favor. If Humans are in Despair (and i mean all Humans) they begin to kill each other for Surviving.. So if they take this Wall, Humanity is on brink of Self destruction

          Germanguy
          Reply

        2. I can see where Zephyr is coming from though.I would’ve also expected a Pixis to at least have some sort of back-up plan in case something goes wrong – he’s an experienced superior officer after all.

          MgMaster
          Reply

      4. I disagree about the bit with Misaka.She’s too damn one-dimensional and that needs to change,it’s only natural it would bug Eren.Even…no,ESPECIALLY if we’re to have some romantic developments between them,she needs to drop her Eren obsession.

        MgMaster
        Reply

    18. Pixis is a genious! Not only his plan is masterpiece but also I was touched by the whole scene, to mankind the titans are the incarnation of fear, there is nothing they fear more than death at their hands but he show them something even more terrifying: the idea of everyone they love experience the same fear as them. That was the momemnt when you see the change, the moment they decide there is something really worth dying that hoorrible death after all, guys that´s a whole new level of respect for someone who gives up his life for the ones precious to him.

      haseo0408
      Reply

      1. To be fair, it’s actually Armin’s plan that Pixis is going with. Just by seeing his actions, he’s a very excellent commander, no doubt, by recognizing the Armin’s tactical intelligence and having his subordinates manage the technical details as Armin comes up with overall strategy of the operation. So what has Pixis really done? Well he’s going to shoulder full responsibility if this plan fails but he recognizes this opportunity to flip the script in their struggle and is using all of his influence to get it started. His two subordinates seem to be of similar mind and probably would have thought the same but they would never have had the clout to get things started.

        Zephyr, Pixis probably sees the fall of Wall Rose as inevitable with the loss of Trost because the Armored Titan may appear again and break a hole into Wall Rose like it did before. Getting Trost back will rebuild the buffer they need and his curiosity was probably peaked when he heard Armin’s speech.

        MacrossFan
        Reply

      2. Oh, and Pixis sure knows how to pick his subordinates. He tells them to listen to Armin’s plan and the guy has no problem with it at all and doesn’t pull any kind of rank when Armin apologizes. The lady is also incredibly sharp in reading the mood of the soldiers. Too bad they’re going to be in the back managing the battle–they seem pretty seasoned and would probably do well. Hopefully we see what Rico can do–I love how she runs too.

        MacrossFan
        Reply

      3. Me, too. Pixis speech was Awesome. He found the right words on the right time. He turned the brink of despair into a light of Hope. Every Army needs someone with strong Charisma for giving Hope or a shred of Light in their darkest hour

        The Script write, i bow in respect in front of you

        Germanguy
        Reply

    20. I’m not sure if I really trust Pixis…Could be because he looks like a certain evil high priest from another series i.e., Orba from Hataraku Maousama…. /: That aside, this episode didn’t really catch my interest all too much save for the conversation between Eren and Pixis.

      Smiledie
      Reply

    21. The highlight of this episode had to be Pixis’s speech. Just… wow.

      Once you’ve given in to your fear of the Titans, you will never be able to fight them again! Anyone who has succumbed to the terror of the Titans should leave! And anyone who wants that very same terror to reach the hearts of their brothers, parents, and loved ones may leave as well.

      Jel
      Reply

      1. Shingeki no Kyojin is as much about killing titans as Evangelion was about killing angels. You read the series for the mystery, not the action. This will become pretty apparent soon if it isn’t already.

        Amarrez
        Reply

        1. Don’t get me wrong. While I’m complaining about the pacing, I still like what is being showed.

          Can’t help but feel the content being showed in recent weeks can be well-packed into a single episode, as they did in first few weeks.

          Bakaro
          Reply

      2. the way I see it they have no other choice but to lengthen some parts. Because if this is going to end on its 25th ep or whatever on a point in the manga, they want it to be at a certain point (which I already have what point in mind), and not at some random chapter. So they need to draw out the episodes so the ending episode can meet its deadline. Because some really good series have had horrible endings due to them going at the pace of the book and having their final ep being random as hell (2nd season of Toaru Majutsu no Index).

        SDFGS
        Reply

      1. wow, thanks for sharing my amv, i thought something was up when i seen my view count this morning. XD 150 views in a day just doesn’t happen for a nobody editor like me, but if you would like more like that i’m planning on a few more shingeki no kyojin amv’s. it’s just so much fun to work with. ^.^

        Dani
        Reply

    29. So I guess this ep finally explains the meaning of the title: “Shingeki no Kyojin” (at about 21:20)
      Shingeki is referring to the “advance” (or counter-attack) of mankind, which is made possible by a Kyojin (Eren), hence Shingeki no Kyojin.

      sinkingmist
      Reply

      1. Amen. The “a whole lot of people are going to die so you can become a Titan and show your muscles off for us” speech was a pathetic guilt trip by the female soldier on Eren. Like he hasn’t been told how pathetic he is since day 1 of basic training. It comes off as jealousy, not believing Eren can become a Titan, let alone carry a boulder to the gate.

        jhpace1
        Reply

        1. It’s common for military personnel to be like that.Most if not all rookies will looked down upon and treated like trash before they’ll get to prove their worth.You could almost call it an army ritual of sorts 😛

          MgMaster
          Reply

      1. or Armin is about to help Eren to take Control of this Titan Body. Perhaps that is the reason of Eren, he destroyed the Face so that the Titan are blind for “distraction”

        Lets see

        But yeah, if this pace goes on we will have Episode 15, when they close the Hole

        Germanguy
        Reply

        1. Well, lets see how Armin can guide Eren, or helping him getting the control back, to save the City. That will be the Key scene. A 2nd change is very unlikely. If he Fails, the trust is broken. Well what happen with Misaka? they know how to make cliffhangers

          Germanguy
          Reply

    35. From a song that I recently heard:

      “If we lose this time, we’ve lost forever” –The Last Battle

      And we’re finally seeing the real warriors and they’re awesome.

      Bear
      Reply

    38. Good episode. A commander takes control of his troops, which is what a commander is paid to do, not just blindly protect his own behind, like the bearded captain did.

      But I’m fully justified in warning people that you don’t take an unknown weapon and point it at the enemy, hoping it goes off correctly. Which is what they did with Eren, hoping he could remember his task after he became a Titan. Even Eren doesn’t know how to control himself as a Titan. So it was inevitable for him to get it wrong when he transformed.

      jhpace1
      Reply

    40. When they were putting off the transformation I just knew something bad was going to happen. But then he transformed and I was like “YES!!! NOTHING WRONG HAPPENED!!!”. Well you know what occurred next. “WHAT THE-“

      Zangkin
      Reply

    47. I liked that Pixis brings the troops back into a sort of stasis by reminding them that there can be no victory for humanity if they give up on the fights before them. Even if they were to retreat into the confines of wall Sina, they would have to face the conflict of man vs. man. And in that sort of situation who the hell’s going to have the moxie anymore to fight off the titans who might break in and slaughter the last of mankind?

      Pixis is truly one of those rare individuals that is instrumental to the army overall, reminding me of a sort of older version/mentor of L [Death Note]. He envisions things a few steps ahead of everyone, and knows that time is of the essence in this dire game of life and death.

      Whatever gambles we have to take is better than just folding and waiting for the inevitable return of the two titans that broke through the walls last time. At least with Eren’s abilities there just might be a chance that they can push back.

      Although it figures as much that even with the revelation of Eren’s new ability things are not going to go as smoothly as they want it to. Someone had once mentioned that they hoped that this wasn’t all gonna be “Now that Eren’s got this power we’ll just all rely on him alone.” Well from the looks of things at the end of this episode that definitely won’t be the case.

      No sooner had he transformed he was already running amok in the area, taking his first shot at Mikasa who was near by with one fell swoop of his hand. And we can’t forget that in the previous episode that he was having quite the nosebleed after he’d pulled out of his second transformation attempt.

      This new found power definitely look like it won’t be easy to handle any time soon, and it’s even harder to imagine how Eren is going to practice it without the guidance of someone who possesses the know how.

      Hopefully from what it looks in the preview Armin will snap Eren out of it quickly before this whole mission goes to hell too.

      Hal
      Reply

    48. Well, they build up the tension. And now they stretch it to far.. Dunno, in Episode 12. i became a bit boring… They are giving the Side chars to many Screen time, and plot not progressing..

      Germanguy
      Reply

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