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chaos-is-inevitable · 4 years ago

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What Was It All For?

Or, Hamliet’s review of SnK 139: the Final Chapter.

Disclaimer: this isn’t intended to dunk on people who love/dislike things I love/dislike in the review. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions and feelings thereof.

That said, the ending is pretty in line with my predictions. While I’d give the final chapter an 8/10, the series as a whole gets a 9/10, because it nailed its themes. I don’t think endings can ever please anyone, but this is a solid one narratively. It is bittersweet: there is hope, but also pain, cruelty and beauty. It isn’t perfect, but the story was never set up to end with a fairy tale eucatastrophe. It was also never set up to end with a nihilistic ending. Whether the ending feels more bitter to you or more sweet depends on particular attachments, and it’s okay to feel how you want to feel.

The reason I personally find it satisfying is because the text did not suddenly swing a way it wasn’t heading all along: the message and themes and majority of the arcs were very, very clear, throughout the manga for the most part but especially this final arc. In fandoms, especially in long-running series, people can get attached to their theories and headcanons at the expense of ignoring the actual text. I’ve been guilty of this myself too, but I don’t think SnK pulled any last minute switches (yes it dropped some things; I’ll touch on that below).

About the conflict not being solved…

There is hope now. Paradis does have allies. Like, that’s Hizuru.

The fact that the conflict is not solved is at admittedly disappointing, because I’d like it to be, and yet thematically better that it is not solved. The framing of the genocide has always been wrong, but my one qualm has always been that if the genocide actually led to peace, then… the framing would be a bit whacked. I thought this would be explained away by saying the cost wasn’t worth it, that it was a pyrrhic victory. Instead, Isayama’s doubling down and saying not only is the cost not worth it, it solved nothing and set the stage for potential future conflict, which is probably the best way he could have ended this.

They have only to work towards peace slowly, with lots of risks, but it’s the only option. That’s part of what freedom means: freedom to make choices, good and bad. Eren’s attempted shortcut only hurt.

There are never guarantees.

About Ymir…

The attachment she feels towards King Fritz is framed as a negative thing and tt isn’t romanticized. However, I feel this wasn’t fleshed out well and that we needed more build up to this, but it’s not the end of the world (OR IS IT? sorry I couldn’t resist).

Basically, I felt it was hamfisted and a bit told, not shown. I think Ymir’s story suffered the most this ending, which sucks because she’s important to it. I don’t think the fact that Ymir loved King Fritz is inherently problematic–feelings towards abusers are very, very complex (yes, you can love or be in love with an abuser, and it doesn’t justify what they do to you, really). I think the series needed a chapter or two to explore this better.

About Historia…

Along with Ymir, this is the biggest complaint I have about this final arc. I think we should have gotten the rest of that conversation in 131–as I’ve said before, I think the point of that conversation was that Eren could not stop his friends from making a decision he did not like. However, this needed to be emphasized more, especially given the context of what that choice was and its disturbing implications.

My sister commented that the pregnancy is likely intended to be Historia choosing a pregnancy to maintain her life instead of being fed to Zeke as a way of fulfilling her promise to Ymir: to live instead of martyring herself. This is probably the case, but personally, I think Isayama really goofed with the framing. Historia seemed miserable, was even commented to not be taking care of herself, and while that can be explored with nuance (sometimes choices aren’t what we want), it wasn’t, so Isayama messed up here too.

As for early leaks suggesting she was just fine with genocide, it’s actually much more nuanced in the translation. Her actions here don’t seem exactly OOC given her declaration about not caring about the world, but it needed more exploration.

I don’t like that she didn’t get to see freckled Ymir again like everyone else did. Even a panel of her appearing as she delivered the baby or something–c’mon, Yams.

I’m going to headcanon Historia named Baby Girl Ymir.

About Mikasa…

I love that Mikasa is the hero in the end, even more so than Armin.

Personally, I see that last panel as Eren sending a memory before he died as a way to tell Mikasa it is okay to move on, and the bird flying away as a sign Mikasa will indeed rise and move on despite Eren always being a part of her. That said, I personally would have preferred to see Mikasa be rewarded for choosing to kill Eren, at least by giving her a family and/or showing her in Hizuru. But again, unlike the early leaks which framed it as Mikasa abandoning everyone and being miserable forever, the others are on their way to her. She will live, and she does have a family on their way to her.

About Hizuru, her mark wasn’t fully explored, which is one of the dropped points, but not one with a lot of consequence.

The implication is vague enough, but I liked Jean combing his hair and it being either for Pieck or Mikasa ;)

About Eren…

I don’t like Armin thanking Eren for destroying the world, because it doesn’t fit with the rest of the framing, but otherwise the story hit the framing well.

The takes that Eren is OOC aren’t textually supported at all. Eren has never, ever been rational. Like, find me ONE place in the entire story where he’s been rational, and where he hasn’t wanted to escalate from 0-100 real quick. He’s always been a hothead with a child’s black and white view of the world. Historia called him out on it, Levi did, everyone did. Throughout the story, it was a recurring challenge.

Eren is a big baby who has always been prone to violent outbursts (I mean he killed people at age 9 with no remorse and at age 10 went up to soldiers who were drinking on the job and screamed at them), and it’s tragic. Yet it’s why Eren has always stood out as a protagonist–because he’s allowed to be extremely flawed instead of a role model. And it sounds like I’m dunking on him, but I’m not, because this chapter reminding me of what I loved about Eren: he is a terrified, traumatized, self-loathing child.

I wish he had let Mikasa hug him. Good grief, she loves him so much, and he needed that love so desperately.

The point of his character is that it is tragic: he’s stuck in Neverland. It’s why he’s such a good character. I wish he had been able to grow up, but he didn’t and he chose not to. He chose to die; this was a sort of suicide. If I were in his place, I hope I would choose better, but who really knows? SnK doesn’t encourage us to condemn, so I don’t say this to condemn him.

About fandom…

It is really intriguing to me that Reddit Dudebros are raging that Isayama made Eren “an incel” as if their theories about Eren causing the rumbling all to protect Historia and the baby weren’t incel-esque? Like, it’s not that Mikasa wouldn’t sleep with him (she loved him), but instead that Eren could not be vulnerable enough to accept that love. He was too scared, too selfish and too selfless at the same time in that paradoxical human way.

Vulnerability is the opposite of toxic masculinity. It is brave, far braver than going into battle, and Eren was too scared, too ashamed to look Mikasa in the eyes, even though Armin begged him to keep trying.

She would have forgiven him. She would have run with him.

Honestly, Eren is a Reddit Dudebro. That’s the point. They were reading themselves into Eren–as they were meant to–but failed to comprehend the framing and themes of the series, because they’re used to stories catering to their fantasies. They expected Eren to validate them, but instead Eren was written to call them out on their toxicity, entitlement, and lack of actually creating meaningful change. But also like Eren, they do have some reasons to feel scared, feel traumatized, and are genuinely suffering–but it doesn’t excuse their inflicting that suffering on others. They are still human.

The beauty of Eremika is that even if Eren was a nightmare for most of the world, he was loved. Even if he couldn’t accept that love, he was loved. Even if he hurt and lashed out and was the worst villain in history for no reason other than “I felt like it,” he was loved.

And it was that loved that saved the world. It was that love that made him existing in this world worth it. We know that Mikasa would never wish she had never met Eren. We know she would and will love him unconditionally, forever. Even if she moves on, she will love him.

For Mikasa, despite the pain he caused her, the fact that he was born into the world was enough, and without her love, the world never would have been saved. It’s complex and hard to articulate exactly what I mean, but essentially SnK is saying Eren still deserved to be born and despite his cruelty and evil towards the end, he was loved, and that was beautiful.

It’s not a popular message, this callout of toxic masculinity, nor the undercurrent underneath it, which challenges humanity to love and find beauty in the middle of cruelty, and asserts that no one, no matter how horrible a person in the world’s eyes, has a wasted life just because they’re here.

About Armin and Annie, Gabi and Falco, and Levi:

I never thought Armin and Annie’d be canon, and now Armin’s out here saving his father-in-law. Cherry on top. Annie and Gabi are kind of foils to Eren in that Annie is very selfish and Gabi is very ideologically-focused, but they are able to overcome their flaws, get positive growth, and deserve their happy endings. I also loved Gabi throwing Falco into an embrace. Levi, too, deserved this.

Overall:

Anyways, I found the ending beautifully existentialist, far from perfect and worthy of criticism, sure, but highly satisfying on a thematic level. SnK was my first manga and anime ever, so really, it’s a major part of the reason I have this blog.

Thank you, Isayama,

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chaos-is-inevitable · 4 years ago

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Oh boy. Here goes... Shingeki no Kyojin Final chapter (139) thoughts and analysis ✰

Well, where do I even begin to accumulate my thoughts on the final chapter of Shingeki no Kyojin? Even after some time to reflect and read the chapter many times, over and over - I’m still going to struggle to form this analysis. But, alas I shall try my best despite this.

I appreciate anyone who takes the time to read this and understand my own views of the final chapter. Proceed with caution - ⚠️ spoilers ahead ⚠️

This chapter and ending overall has left me with a love/hate relationship with the overall tale in full. I’d even go as far as saying it has tainted my view slightly of the entire series in one way or another and I will never look at it the same way I did - as much as I wish I could. My reasoning for the love/hate relationship I have will come, but, I want to start off by saying that despite it’s ending I will always appreciate this story and Isayama for his work, even if I myself don’t approve of his steering towards the ending.

It is just like I said in my theory, the thing we all need to recognise with this story is that the characters we love and have cherished, were never going to get exactly what they desired and if anything this chapter is a clear indication of that fact. It has been a story that was paved for a bitter, somewhat ‘bittersweet’ ending (yes, I hoped it wouldn’t be in the form of ‘that’, but it was). It is just as Mikasa said - “The world is cruel and merciless, but it is also beautiful”. This tale became the typical embodiment of humanity and how ruthless it can be.

Again, like I said in my theory, it was heavily foreshadowed that Eren was playing devil’s advocate and might have to sacrifice his freedom in this life to save the ones who meant the most to him. We heard hints in OST’s such as My War, Red Swan, Vogel Im Kafig, among others…

“Angel playing disguise with Devil’s face”

“I’ll cry for you in a dream”

“All of my kingdom, for your return, I’d let it burn!”

“Spread your wings, which are dreaded in blood”

“And eternity as you, fly to heaven”

“Like a fallen angel”

“Looking down from above I feel awful”

“Every living being dies someday, whether we are ready to die or not”

“Is that the angel who flew down from the twilight sky?”

“Is that the devil who crawled out from the crevice?”

“Tears, anger, compassion, cruelty, peace, chaos, faith, betrayal.”

It was foreshadowed, all of those things in the last example is humanity in a nutshell. The use of birds to symbolise the dead was shown on multiple occasions. Hell, even in the Levi ova, his friends are shown as 2 birds above him as he continues forward. It didn’t shock me that Eren was reincarnated in the form of a bird - simply because birds are the most free creatures on our planet, they can fly over land, sea and maintain the air around them. Realistically, we should’ve analysed the birds presence more (it was even implied in the opening trailer for season 4. Falco awoke to a bird flying above him, we saw the bird present many times in even past seasons and don’t get me started on how many times it was present in the manga). Our Angel was Eren. He was a fallen angel - a slave to the story and what it means to be human, to feel deeply and make sacrifices. He was never a monster, just a pawn in a wicked game.

For a split moment of initial shock, I let the “judging a book by its cover” ideal kick in. After calming down and having access to proper translations, again I can’t say I love this ending or hate it - it has the bittersweet notion that was intended, but it was also lukewarm. It is not perfect by any means, there are some plot holes and loose ends that could have been tied up by extension. However, Isayama maybe intended for it to remain open for interpretation. Something of which, I’ll reveal of my and what I personally took from the ending.

One thing I am surely certain of, is that I can hold my hands above my head and say this chapter 100% embodied my love for my favourite character - Eren Jaeger. He had such a tragic outcome, he did it all for his friends and loved ones. He was never free, not in life and partially not in death. He was a broken child, in a broken world with a broken fate of shouldering mass amounts of responsibility with no idea of how to change or control the past, present and future. To witness your best friend talking of all the things he was going to see, yet knowing you wouldn’t be there to see it yourself. To know the girl who was there for him forever and always, could never be his to cherish. He had no freedom to do so. To live the life he wanted to, he would have died anyway. If he had ran off with Mikasa, he would have damned his friends. The life he wanted was not feasible, therefore he chose to sacrifice his desires so his friends could live long lives, unlike the one he was damned to. He was a character who was torn along all sides of the coin. Torn between his desires, his duty and his self - all while experiencing memories from all angles. He was not a monster or a psychopath and I won’t let others spit on his name due to their lack of understanding. He is human. He is allowed to feel. He isn’t pathetic for wanting to live, for wanting to be with his friends or the girl he loves. He is 19. Can you really say you wouldn’t feel the same? It is natural to be frustrated at your life being ripped from under your feet at such a young age. He was damned if he did, damned if he didn’t. Look at his face in paths when he talks with Armin, he is devastated and he had no solution.

However, I do believe he will be reunited with his friends once more. After all, the scouts were reunited in death, so why shouldn’t he? His friends will not live in vain, his sacrifice will mean something. They will live their life to the fullest and find peace in life and then in death - they have Eren to thank for that. Another misconception I want to pick out of the fandom is that they did not condone genocide, they did not thank Eren for ridding the population of 80%. What they did do, was acknowledge Eren’s sacrifice for them to live and that they understood it’s not what he wanted himself, but that due to unseen forces. - did he really have a choice? It is not by any means perfect, but it gives them freedom to live out with the walls - was this not Eren’s dream? To be free, not confined within the walls by Titans. He did exterminate all titans, that is one goal Eren Jaeger accomplished. We don’t know the full extent of the power of the attack titan or the founding titan, this is one of the open plot holes. Eren himself explains this, he himself has no clue and his head is a mess. He was a pawn in a story with no happy ending. At least not for him.

Even in the bird reincarnation theory, I hope he is happy and free. Free to roam the skies, perch upon the tallest mountains, titter along the grass banks of the world and watch over his comrades, his friends, the ones he loves deeply… The tragic protagonist I will always remember.

There was so many routes this manga could have taken, fan theories proved this and I do think the ending could have been executed better. We were not getting a happy ending, it is not happy by all means. Those characters left have to live in the aftermath, aware of their friends sacrifice and all he had to put himself through for them to live the lives they themselves desired. My favourite quote will always be:

“Don’t pity the dead. Pity the living”

Mikasa lost her family in more ways than one, she has to live a life where she didn’t get the one person she desired more than anything, but I believe she will move on and Eren will be by her side the entire time until they are reunited in death. Levi is the same, he lost everyone and whoever his love may have been - Erwin, Hanji, Petra (who knows). Either way, he didn’t have those loved ones around in the end. But, he no longer has to fight for survival and can spend the remainder of his time resting until the day in the future he can be reunited with his comrades, friends and even kick Eren a big one, ruffle his hair, tell him its okay and tell him all the things he wanted to tell him like he said. Armin lost his best friend, he held the burden above his head that he himself killed Eren and not Mikasa. However, he has an abundance of friends, he has Annie and he can travel the world like he desired - like Mikasa, he will have Eren by his side for the remainder of his time.

Jean can meet the woman of his dreams and have the children like he desired, knowing that even in their silly quarrels - Eren was loyal to him always. Connie can have his mother back, his family and move on. Reiner can live, not die like he once desired and live on knowing of Eren’s sacrifice, that he wasn’t a monster himself. He is free from the curse, as is Annie, Pieck and Falco. The warriors have their families back. Gabi and Falco can be together unlike their comparisons, sad, but fitting. They are in Paradis, a place we never expected them to be in the end, advocating for change alongside Onyakapon looking after their elder, Levi, alongside them. On Eren’s death anniversary, it is implied they all return to his grave to be together, none of them are alone like we initially thought. Mikasa is not alone in Paradis since it is implied that Levi, Onyankapon, Gabi, Falco, Historia even… still live amidst the walls - I think it would be wasteful to assume such a strong character secludes herself after the love of her life’s death. She does not have to love another man, she can choose to live her life for herself, a long one alongside her friends. This manga has never necessarily needed to have love stories, they are implied, but not needed. For life itself is the embodiment of their freedom.

Although I myself as a writer and artist would have done it differently, Isayama has created a beautiful manga with a tragic story that reveals the raw, tainted feeling of what it’s like to be human. We all want things, we all have desires…but we don’t always get them, no matter how hard we try, some will slip from our grasps. That is life, no matter the universe. But, I do think in ways Isayama did taint Eren as a character. I believe from what we have been shown, he would not have accepted his death that easily and would fight for another way. Although, I cannot blame him as I myself would have felt defeated, suicidal and depressed at learning everything he did after his contact with Historia.

This is the character development true Eren stans are enraged with. TATAKAE! Fight the attack titan, fight the founding titan, fight against your cruel fate - don’t succumb to defeat. There is always another way. I don’t accept this version of Eren, due to the development we saw built by Isayama of his character, I can’t. It leaves so many gaps among other plot reveals. I don’t see what was accomplished. Eren’s being, his life, was a ploy to keep the other characters we care about alive, but at what cost ? If I was Eren’s friend, I would go forward like he wanted me to, but I could never forget the burden he bared and what he had to go through and what he did to achieve that outcome for me. He did not necessarily know the Dina titan would go for his mother, but he had to direct it away from Bertholdt since in the timeline it was not his time to die. Always remember the theory of time, one thing changed, drastically changes the outcome. I would forever be sad. I would be living in a world much like this one, lacking in peace and serenity and above all is that not what we all desire in one way or another? He did not want civilians or people within Paradis to die, it became collateral damage and no one would be able to fight for some time because of the 80% notion. He gave them time to live, time to change things to the best of their abilities and experience all they possibly could. They became the ‘heroes’, but again, at what cost?

Now, to the plot holes and answers I feel needed to be present for the story to knit together in a better way. This will be less “paragraph” based and more pointed, since…well these things were not explained. Majority of potential foreshadowing was swept under the rug like it meant nothing to bring about the lukewarm feeling I was talking about.

The alien like hallucigenia, what exactly was its purpose? It’s reason for being? It disappeared and ceased to exist. No mention of how it came to be. Even Ymir just vanished. Everything ceased to exist and Eren himself couldn’t understand Ymir’s reasoning other than being able to witness love. This seemed to be cop out on Isayama’s part.

Historia’s pregnancy was heavily implied and emphasised on within the manga, making readers think it meant something (when a creator zones in on these things, its usually for further plot reveal) Her character development was destroyed and she deserved better. She sidelined herself and stayed away till the final moment where it is implied she and Armin will become the negotiators of a new world, all while housing tyrants (Jaegerists). Again a further implication of Shonen manga and its poor interpretation of women.

The conclusion to Ymir and Eren’s particular character arcs was shocking and this can’t be dismissed. We needed both their sides of things to explain more. It lacked real conclusion and didn’t match up to past events or character development. This chapter should have purely been an Eren POV with the ending moments of how the scouts moved on. Of course this couldn’t have been done in 1 chapter, hence the recognition that this manga needed ‘more’ and it wasn’t enough to tie it all together. Another flaw in Isayama’s writing and continuity.

The Ackermans? Don’t get me started. My theory again will entail my rage about this one. Did the Ackerman power cease to exist like the titan curse? What is their origin story? To imply the Ackerman blood concept in all its parallels and foreshadowing to not even have the 2 remaining characters from said bloodline talk about their shared experience in thorough detail is such an abysmal hole in plot. Especially with it being heavily emphasised throughout the entire manga.

The attack titan and founding titan, explain how it works. Why does Eren himself not fully understand yet he embodies them?

All the time loop links diminished to nothing other than Eren’s past, present and future…yet its implied in many characters even in their childhoods mentions of things they could not be aware of. How can it merely be coincidence?

I wholeheartedly believe that this was not the initial ending of Shingeki no Kyojin, specifically because I and a few others I’ve seen noticed the shift in the story around 10 or so chapters ago. It seemed to be going in the route of a few particular fan theories and then suddenly (quite drastically I’ll add) shifted into this ending. I can only theorise that Isayama changed his original ending along the way to please editors and readers in different ways. In interviews past, he has completely contradicted things he has said about the manga and its ending with what he has produced in the final chapter. When you look at it from a marketing point of view as a selling point, if Isayama had killed certain characters like “Levi” for example or left the ending dark as it possibly could have been (something I wouldn’t have put past yams to do) it would be bad from a marketing point given the likes of Levi is the targeted favourite of the series (even with being a side character) and editors would heavily warn him of this.

People are saying that it’s Isayama’s story and editors won’t have influence - you’d be heavily surprised how much the editing team can have influence, especially when a story of this magnitude becomes so popular. I do think in ways, Isayama gave up. As an artist even myself, its very abundantly clear when a fellow creative loses drive and how the concept of something becoming popular can influence you to become bored and look for a way out. Hence, the clear signs of the story coming out as rushed, its all there, the loss of continuity, the holes in plot and even though Isayama’s art can be inconsistently coherent - some parts of the past few chapters weren’t at the full potential we saw previously. We watched him get better to suddenly somehow revert? That to me seems like a creator who had just had enough and maybe in the end chose to veer off his original plan.

Alas! As I said, I will always love Shingeki no Kyojin despite its ending and loose ties, it holds a place in my heart and has been a favourite of mine since my school days. Being an adult now In her 20’s and experiencing the many troubles of what its like to be human and a creative can sympathise with the struggles and stress Isayama would have been under all these years as his manga gradually became the phenomenon it is now. As it is our favourite characters time to rest and move on, it is his also. Although the story is not where I and many others hoped it would go, I still thank him massively for giving me characters like Eren Jaeger, Levi Ackerman, Mikasa Ackerman, Armin Arlert… the list goes on. Thank you for embodying why Eren was my first and last favourite character. Goodbye Shingeki no Kyojin.

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