To get it out of the way – it’s not like this show is that big a deal, but if you are someone who’s invested and somehow, some way are reading this before having seen this week’s episode (and seriously, why would you ever do that? Why?) please stop. I can’t imagine I had to tell anyone that but when it comes to major spoilers, I always prefer safe to sorry.
Anyway… I could attack (pun intended) this episode from any number of angles, but I suppose it should start with the fact that it was quite a good one in objective terms. Wit Studio clearly saved a lot of man-hours for this one, and the animation looked as good as it has all season – that was obviously a wise choice. There was plenty of drama and action to satisfy most anyone I imagine, and almost no Erwin – which is in itself a huge plus. And the fact that Armin ended up saving the day certainly has a nice ring to it, though the cost is another matter altogether.
Now, that said, if Isayama kills off the one good character in this cast full of mulyaks and lets a character so bad he makes Levi not the worst character in the show (and that’s an accomplishment) live YET AGAIN, I’m out.
So, Armin. As I said, the one decent character (well, one good character – Jean and Reiner are decent enough, and I grew to kind of like Kenny the Ripper) in this cast. After last week’s humbling, he really rose to the fore here – so props to Isayama for acknowledging that yes, Armin is the one ring that rules them all. But if he’s dead, that kinda kills my incentive to stay invested because he’s the only person in the series I actually like. No one could deny Eren’s words that he went out a hero, but fuck that – Shingeki no Kyoujin needs Armin alive, plain and simple.
Fortunately, I kind of doubt Armin is actually dead, no matter how crispy he looked. First off, Isayama is one of the all-time kings of asspulls. And second, he has a convenient ass at the ready to pull – the titan injection, or potion, or whatever it’s called. Assuming Levi manages to finish off the Beast Titan (which I’m guessing he will, since he needs that potion) he’ll have a ready-made means of saving Armin’s life.
The problem here, as I see it, is Erwin. And not the normal way he’s a problem, which is by being the most awful person in the universe. No, the issue is we saw no body being pulverized to dust – no decapitation or vaporization. No, only Erwin’s subordinates (as usual) got that fate – the man himself is likely alive somewhere, wounded. And given Levi is an essential part of the series’ mythology of Erwin-worship, it stands to reason that if he does secure that injection, he’s going to want to use it to keep Erwin around to blunder his way through additional seasons of ineptitude.
Is there enough titan juice for two? I have no idea, but the drama would certainly be ratcheted up to eleven if there isn’t. So just to summarize my priorities at this point:
- Armin not being dead
- Erwin being dead
- Neither
- Both
- Erwin being alive, Armin being dead
#5 would be an absolute deal-breaker for me, #4 I’m on the fence. Any of the first three, well – if it’s #3 I’ll swallow my bile and forge onwards, though even by asspull standards bringing both Armin and Erwin out of this situation alive would make Benioff & Weiss blush. If both #1 and 2 happen, I’ll feel better about Attack on Titan than I have since before the eternal quicksand of Trost in the first season. I would suppose we’re going to get some answers next week, whether it plays out along the above lines or not – hard to see how this situation could be dragged out any longer than that.
In any event, it looks like an overall victory for the Survey Corps here, with both the Armored and Colossal Titans taken down at the very least (whether Reiner and Bertholdt are dead or not) and quite probably the Beast Titan too. And Armin’s plan was quite the good one, proving that Isayama is better at thinking up tactics than strategy. Nothing really to prevent getting to whatever’s in that basement now, assuming they can find the house underneath all that rubble. That part of the cliffhanger I could see being milked for another couple of weeks, but that’s fine – first things first.
randompassserby
May 27, 2019 at 9:14 pmi have a feeling the erwin worship is side effect of them never having a decent commander or the author can’t conjure one. it would be another tragedy altogether.
Guardian Enzo
May 27, 2019 at 9:29 pmArmin is under the age limit, I suppose.
ibtachi
May 27, 2019 at 10:10 pmThis is just conjecture on my part but here was my take away…
– Armin & Erwin are on the brink of death
– Theres only enough serum for one Titan shifter
– The S3(i) ending dialogue where Levi (Mr. Erwin Bootlicker himself) goes “what the hell have you guys done?” is making me think we’re gonna see him in conflict with a decision made by Eren & co.
Hence, we might see Eren make a decision to choose Armin over Erwin.
I really, really, REALLY hope that happens. Eren needs to choose Armin. Eren this season has been tolerable (honestly an upgrade from s1 and s2), but if he lets Armin die for Erwin he might become the most deplorable person in the cast.
Guardian Enzo
May 27, 2019 at 10:31 pmI don’t who will (who gets to) make the choice, but I suspect that is the choice it will come down to. And obviously I’m biased but I think choosing Armin is a no-brainer. He’s what, 16, and he’s already made far more successful decisions in the heat of battle than we’ve seen Erwin do in his entire on-screen career.
Rasu
May 30, 2019 at 2:32 amTotally agree.
I’m also a bit relieved that (not as smart as but still a bit smart character) Hange is still alive (she may be ridiculous at times, but at least she gained them knowledge with her human curiosity of: first, know your enemy and how it works, so at least she’s one of those characters that has a bit of common sense on that aspect in this show).
The good thing is that even if Eren is all guts and no brain, he is fond of Armin, and even if Levi worships Erwin, he has another Akerman who’s also fond of Armin and very loyal to Eren in order to oppose Levi.
I can’t wait to watch Erwin’s fate.
Orion Taylor
May 27, 2019 at 11:38 pmI really like the shot of the soldier realizing that he’s the lone survivor from the charge, as Levi slaughters a horde of titans in the background.
Rasu
May 30, 2019 at 2:24 amThe funniest thing is that is the same guy who was afraid of dying and wanted to abandon the horses to runaway by himsef xD
leongsh
May 27, 2019 at 11:46 pmI hope between Armin and Erwin, they would go with Armin. Erwin has been blundering through and sending many scouts to their early deaths while Armin has saved their skins many times.
With regards to the basement, I hope we get a better understanding of the titans and maybe the wider world from whatever is in there. It would be criminal to string us along to find that the basement is just a MacGuffin.
Simone
May 28, 2019 at 5:41 am*munches popcorn*
Anyway gotta hand it to Erwin, he came up with a plan, then completely got screwed, then his forces still managed to win merely thanks to the improvisation, ingenuity and superhuman skills of his own subordinates. Well, and a completely suicidal frontal charge to serve as a decoy. But I doubt he couldn’t have achieved the same objective in any less slaughter-y way. Oh, well… just another day for the Survey Corps!
Guardian Enzo
May 28, 2019 at 6:20 amWhenever Erwin executes a decision on the battlefield I hear the theme song from Benny Hill in my head.
Orion Taylor
May 28, 2019 at 9:16 amYeah, the content of this week’s blog post/episode is not really conducive towards conversation by us manga readers. Even the acknowledgment that we have to keep mum this week is in of itself a spoiler (I may have already said too much).
Guardian Enzo
May 28, 2019 at 9:22 amOnly option I have is to lock comments, which I really hate to do. Aside from that I jut have to trust in your discretion.