I’ve been thinking about this since I did a rewatch of S1 but what do you think about the way the anime of SNK seemed to emphasize Rivetra a lot more than the manga, given the added scenes that show Levi taking her death the hardest? I find it interesting how the anime did that while the guidebook and Junior High spin-off manga teases Petruo (which I prefer) more with their “old married couple” dynamic.

That’s an interesting question. I have no idea. I also prefer Petruo and don’t ship Rivetra (it’s cute though, so awesome if you do!) But I really wonder. The anime also played up LeviHan in the first season as well if I remember correctly? Maybe they were just going to maximum Levi appeal. 😛 

Hello! I was just wondering what do you think about Aruani? I know there’s been a lot of buzz about them due to recent chapters but tbh I’m not sure how they became one of the more prominent ships 🤔 I’m kind of a dud when it comes to pairings I don’t ship so I’m pretty oblivious about the appeal here lol ^^;

It’s my OTP! Haha it’s my favorite SnK pairing. I’m not expecting canon romance really, but Isayama definitely teased it in recent chapters, and I do expect Annie to get out of the crystal and her most important relationship in terms of interaction thereafter likely to be with Armin based on the set up, but you never know. I wrote this awhile ago! 

How do you feel about Fuyumi’s way of dealing with Endeavor’s abuse? I don’t think her way is wrong, per se, and I don’t even think trying to talk her brothers into it and being frustrated they don’t feel the same way is. But it feels like the fandom vilifies her and plays down Endeavor’s neglect towards her as less worthy of sympathy to justify that she’s in the wrong, while also accepting the same neglect as a valid point of sympathy for Natsuo because he (& they) feels the same way as Shouto.

I think Fuyumi’s desire to reconcile is what she should pursue if that’s what she wants. It’s up to every person to work through whether or not they want a relationship with an abusive parent once safe, and the boundaries and time is up to the victim to decide. 

I do think her actions are a bit *ugh* but they warrant empathy, and villainizing her makes me sad. In theory, it’s really not cool to try to push your siblings to reconcile when they do not want to (Natsuo) or aren’t ready (Shouto). Trust me, I’ve been there–having someone push you to forgive is really hurtful and not helpful. That being said, I also totally understand where she’s coming from. She’s a child who had her family ripped apart, and who really wants her family to stay together. She stayed living at home to care for Shouto, so she’s always been motivated by her family. Condemning her for this is sad, I think. 

Also, the idea that neglect is somehow less harmful than physical abuse:  #yikes It is still abuse. It can be extremely traumatizing for a child. People who say that should really… not. 

Can I ask you something Hamliet? Do you have any… advice on how to properly put distances between you and your family, not because they’re bad or anything but because some stuff is affecting you too much and you need to live your own life, but can’t manage to cut the link and not feel guilty about it? Because of financial reasons I can’t for now live on my own and so I’m in this environment that is stressful and a little overwhelming sometimes.

Same Anon, sorry, it’s just that I’m extremely sensitive and
clingy to my family, always been unable to have this emotional
independence ever since being a kid, so when things are tough sometimes
(a lot this year) it really stresses me out to hear lots of arguments
and since I can’t move out yet because of money, I’m just looking for
what I can do to reduce the anxiety about it. I know you’re not a
counselor or anything, but you’re always very insightful, so I’m just
wondering. Thank you.
       
   

Hugs to you, if wanted, Anon. That’s really, really stressful. I can relate as well, having been in a similar circumstance before.

I’d strongly encourage you to reach out to someone you trust, even if it’s anonymously, who is willing and able to listen to you. It’s important not to keep it all bottled up inside.

I’d also encourage you to find an outlet–like writing served as one
for me, or even reading meta or reading manga or watching anime, as all
these have been somewhat helpful for me at some point in my life. Outlets can help you express your anxiety and even work through it, even if not directly addressing it, in effective ways.

I’m sorry if that’s not very helpful. I hope things work out soon, Anon ❤

How do you think one can reconcile enjoying a work but knowing that the author or filmmaker or what-have-you said or did awful things and hasn’t taken any steps to be better or are dead and therefore can’t improve.

It depends on the person and on what they did, and on you and your personal triggers, and I don’t think there’s a perfect answer. I’m pretty much into “death of the author” (aka the author’s/artist’s work should stand on its own), which can allow you to enjoy works by problematic people to an extent–because we’re all problematic. If we try to make sure we don’t consume any art that’s problematic or created by a problematic person, you’re probably not going to be able to experience art of any sort at all. 

That being said, like, I don’t watch Woody Allen or Roman Polanski films, and I’m really disgusted with anything Woody Allen related in particular. I know Orson Scott Card is horrifically homophobic, so I avoid Ender’s Game and the like, but a lot of people really like Ender’s Game and aren’t homophobic… so they separate the work from the author. Which can be done. It’s just harder for some things for me than for others. And that’s fine.

Honestly? I think the art someone likes and consumes is not a good indicator of their morality. I don’t think it’s an indicator at all. That being said, each individual is allowed to be like “yeah, not dealing with that because the person behind it is awful.” But if other people still enjoy the work on its own, that’s also fine.

@aspoonofsugar recommended this video from Mother’s Basement to me. I think he does a fantastic job of exploring the tension and nuance between good art by a bad person.

A sort of follow up question to my question in the Marley arc. As a fan I didn’t join in on the AoT manga until the Festival Battle so I didn’t notice the effects of the pacing as much as other fans. How could Isayama have addressed the pacing issues?

I think a monthly manga lends itself to pacing issues naturally to an extent, but I also think part of the slow pacing with the flashbacks that didn’t offer new information might have been Isayama wanting to set up chapter 100 to be that chapter lol. In other words, I think a lot of the flashbacks weren’t necessary or could have been incorporated to Shiganshina–we could have learned about Reiner and Bertolt’s friendship, etc. before Bertolt got killed, which would have made his death more impactful. I am very, very interested to see how the anime is going to handle the Marlay Arc in a likely season 4. in general they did a good job fixing the pacing of the Uprising, so I’m interested to see what they do with the Marlay.

Did you like the introduction and expansion of Marley in AoT?

I very much like it as far as it goes in terms of writing; it’s definitely among my favorite arcs! But I also think it was a pacing disaster and there’s a reason the fandom went basically dead for a few months. I think those chapters are very strong and Gabi, Falco, and Reiner all got excellently fleshed out, but in a monthly manga, it felt just–very long and drawn out, and it’s just a long time to spend away from your main cast.

Hi hamliet! I enjoyed reading some of your posts about mutsurie and found myself here! I was curious if there were any scenes in tgre that proved mutsurie isnt just a one sided love Would there be any good scenes showing mutsukis side of affection??

Hello! Thank you; Mutsuki is still a favorite character of mine and Mutsurie a favorite ship! I have written about this before, so feel free to search my blog for it, but I would also recommend the light novel re:quest (which definitely implies it), and the scene wherein Mutsuki realizes Urie is coming to save him on Rushima (Akira tells him) and murmurs his name, then getting the strength to fight, implying a sense of comfort and strength with Urie.