「白夜」 (Byakuya)
“Midnight Sun”

Well if you aren’t surprised I’d say you’re either not trying, or you’re a manga reader in hiding, because oh boy did we go places this week. For an episode of inaction it was certainly all action as SnK’s old guard made way for the new and one character in particular made the hardest choice of them all. I don’t expect many saw the results this week coming, but the aftermath is something I expect will see some vigorous debate for the foreseeable future.

As mentioned last episode with Levi’s comment on Titan powers and the one syringe to rule them all, it was only a matter of time until Titan powers became the key to saving lives, and this week fulfilled the prophecy. Armin and Erwin: two lives on the verge of death, two lives worth saving, yet only one who would see the next sunrise. Pretty obvious something like this was coming, but to have it over the biggest minds of SnK’s protagonists? Yeah, that hits hard. There’s arguments for why both should have been saved, but the interesting bit is the thought which went into the decision Levi ultimately made. He frankly would have saved Erwin outright due to the same emotional attachment Eren and Mikasa felt for Armin (and there’s no denying it), yet through sheer circumstance, willpower, or both wound up making his choice because of what the little blondie offered for the future. Erwin’s purpose, his reason to be was to discover the truth; once he had that in his hands, well, his purpose (in his mind) was done. Armin however had a vision of something more. Truth, understanding? It gets you part of the way, but it can never provide a reason to keep on going. For Armin it’s about finding a place in the world after learning one’s position in it. No matter how vague and ambiguous such a dream may be, it’s something worth fighting for after the truth is discovered, and for a people so philosophically listless, that’s reason enough to keep on going. Mind you there were some other factors influencing that decision (looking at you age gap), but in the end, this choice was inherently impartial.

With Levi’s choice now made however, the fun becomes in what happens next. Reiner after all is still going strong thanks to a little timely intervention, while our big monkey is still, well, doing big monkey things. Armin may be saved, but the good guys are still as close to victory as they were when Erwin launched his suicidal charge. It’s going to take something more to see this standoff shift in any noticeable way, and someone likely will have to pay a serious price to make it occur. The question of course is who that will be (and what the price is), but when you consider who’s left standing, the calculus becomes that little bit simpler.

The world of SnK is standing on a precipice, and once the secret of the world is finally (finally) revealed for all to see, the real fun and games are set to begin.

 

Preview

15 Comments

  1. The Armin or Erwin conflict was pretty much given after last week’s preview, and the result was pretty predictable as well. The amusing twist is that it was Bertholdt, the sane character with actual goals, that served as the sacrifice rather than batshit crazy PTSD-ridden Reiner, lol. If anything though, the trainwreck of a character he is having to cope with his only actual friend dying could be some useful development for him… could, at least.

    I dunno if Levi actually picked Armin because of worth, though. It kinda seemed like pity to me, since Levi already saw how at his limit Erwin was before he lead the suicide charge. Redhead (does he have a name? I forget, lol) was there pretty much only to establish that Erwin would be viewed as Satan incarnate if he was revived by the surviving members of the Scouts, and when Erwin’s last words were a sad recall of his childhood curiosity Levi just couldn’t let his friend suffer any further. Ultimately that means Levi’s just more willing to throw Armin to the wolves… but hey it’ll probably work out better for humanity anyway, so w/e.

    PurpleBomber
  2. This is the chapter where story begins it’s dramatic change to what i can only call shit. I believe this was the point where it was suppose to end but due to demand alterations were made and story was continued.

    Poring
    1. I can understand why you feel that way. I guess people feel like it’s a bait and switch. They were hoping for lots of titans eating people like the first part of the story and that’s not exactly what’s happening right now.

      Personally, I’m frustrated in current manga events but I don’t think it’s shit. I think it’s by design. We don’t have a full picture of what’s going on yet and the characters are acting out of character, hence my frustrations.

      But who knows? Maybe I’ll eat my words once the manga ends but it’ll be a wild ride nonetheless.

      Zanber
      1. “characters are acting out of character” exactly, all the massacre feel like alternative timeline, what even is Eren anymore, he’s not even Eren, just a tyrant.

        Poring
  3. Apparently the Anime Goddess has something against me. I was spoiled about the huge events of AOT in the most unexpected ways. First got spoiled about Anee and berth and reiner being the titans, while reading some random shoutbox comment in some random site. Then got spoiled about Armin eating berth 2 days ago, when I was playing overwatch and some asshol just blurted in the global chat.
    Anyway back to the EP, There was no doubt in my head Armin should have been the one to survive. Erwin ,while a great leader, is ultimately very selfish and the truth about the world is all that occupies his mind and frankly his dream seemed so significant compared to what was driving Armin. If Erwin is gonna run out of fuel the moment he finds out about truth, then his death came at the right time, to pass the torch to someone who sees way behind the horizon.

    luckyluck
    1. Lol, one of my students spoiled the Armin reveal even though she had never watched the show. Her friend who reads the manga told her everything! Another reason why manga readers ruin every thing. Hahahaha

      Bamboo Blade Cat
  4. Was gonna say that that was really emotional, since Mikasa’s VA did such a great job, and the two blondies are one of favourite characters. But then I thought, well to be honest I like most of the “good guys” in this series, Hanji, Mikasa, Levi, Jean, Sasha etc, except Eren.

    Bambi

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