I mean… yeah. I agree. Those three deaths–Erwin’s, Bertolt’s, and Ymir’s–I think have a lack of closure. I think Erwin’s death was at the very least satisfying in terms of his arc closing, but Bertolt’s wasn’t even that. But Erwin was still such an important character that the info dumps & timeskips directly following it are kind of poorly placed in terms of pacing. I do think we will get some kind of reflection on Erwin, especially as Levi takes focus again (and he almost certainly will). I hope Bertolt gets more of a reflection as well; he and Reiner were so close. And Ymir, obviously, with Porco and Historia.
1) Armin Arlert. He’s my favorite character because of his complexity and relatability, and I love how his flaws are still present, and how he’s basically a covert hero for the entire story. His flaws are that he underestimates himself and has major insecurity and a lack of self-worth, as shown in his heroic sacrifice. He really doesn’t value himself completely because, like Erwin, a foil of him, he values ideas over individuals in some ways–however, he still struggles to reconcile that with a very real and very present compassionate side, as shown in how he understands that empathy and talking to Marlay is the best way forward, not bam bam kill them.
2) Eren Jaeger. He’s such a unique protagonist, and despite his anger issues and the things he’s doing now, he’s compelling, sympathetic even if you can’t excuse his actions, and just really intriguing. I think Eren’s current spiral is completely understandable but also not excusable, obviously, and I love his foiling with Mikasa, Armin, and Hisoria. He’s desperate and scared, and he’s a child who was forced to grow up too fast and now he’s an adult who is repeating the same mistakes adults made with him. It’s tragic to the core.
3) Annie Leonhart. I love Annie and if she doesn’t come back to the plot soon I’mma cry. I love her contrast with Mikasa, Eren, and Armin–all of them really–and how she really, really wanted to be a kind person and wanted to save individuals (like how she saved Armin during the Female Titan Arc) and get back to her father even though he was abusive because at least he loved her. Despite her cold personality, she wanted to be liked and loved, and I really want her to have that chance for however brief a time.
4) Ymir. I love Ymir and her relationship with Historia, and I’m still bitter about her ending lol. But her compassion and the way in which she foils Historia is excellent, and I do not believe her role is over in the story just yet even if she is dead.
5) Reiner Braun. Reiner’s development over the Marlay Arc has been amazing. I always liked him but this really made him grow in my eyes. I desperately want him to have the chance to redeem himself by saving Gabi and Falco–which does not mean letting either of them take over his titan.
6) Bertolt Hoover. I loved Bertolt. I really do still love him, and I think his ending should have been better written in terms of what it meant for his character because I think the ball got dropped a bit there. His “Somebody” speech from the Clash of the Titans Arc is exactly why that arc is my favorite arc, and that speech moves me to tears with how visceral and raw the emotions are every single time I read it. He just wanted somebody to find them and see them and save them. And, no one did for him.
7) Zeke Jaeger. I actually don’t like Zeke but I think he is a fascinating, compelling character and a fantastic villain (yes, I do think he is the final antagonist). He foils Levi in that he and Levi are both mentor figures for Eren. I don’t believe his “I was always on Paradis’s side!” spiel at all, but I do utterly sympathize with the role his father forced on him.
8) Pieck. She’s just cool, man. And I’m terrified for her.
10) Porco. I actually quite like Porco, though he’s kind of a brat. But I think he made the exact same mistake he accused Reiner of making during the most recent battle and messed things up for everyone, and I hope that jumpstarts some development for him.
11) Eren Kruger. Again, I quite like him, but he was only around for a few chapters. I am curious if we will access his memories again as well.
12) Grisha Jaeger. Grisha, you are a bad dad. I know he tried to do better and largely did with Eren, but he still cursed his kid and I just. I have a hard time with that. And poor Zeke.
Oh, I’m counting Marcel with Lady Tybur. They’re cool but just kinda there.
I adore it. It’s my favorite one visually and symbolically. It brought me to tears. Musically it’s nice but not my fave.
For my very brief, rushed analysis of it (I’m not gonna cover every shot I don’t have time but):
We open with Eren with his eyes closed.
And then Eren awake, with his eyes open, jumping into action.
The camera then pulls back, symbolic of how his world is going to open up this season with the discovery of Marley. It’s also a part of growing up and maturation, a major theme in the Uprising and Shiganshina arc: learning to expand your worldview.
They cast larger shadows, symbolizing among other things, again, groiwng up, and also what they have to overcome:
The still images are fascinating, because they are of them as children, because they can’t change their past no matter what happens in the future.
We then have adorable baby Levi stumbling around between street walls #symbolism.
Levi flipping a knife and looking at an angle that appears to match Kenny’s angle next, showing again, that Kenny is his father figure.
And also Kenny’s original shot of him with his face covered and then flipping his hat up so we see his face: a literal unmasking.
If this Erwin shot of him watching his father and his child self does not break your heart I don’t know if you have one. Erwin’s face is also resolute, signifying how he was driven by his childhood trauma to the very end.
Baby Historia, initially appearing alone, only then to be revealed to be with Frieda, opening her hands and releasing into the wider world.
Eren appears and then we see his hand reaching for himself, but he can’t grab hold. He also then reaches for Mikasa, who stares away from him up at the sky, clutching her scarf (a symbol of something that saved her during her moment of trauma, and of her love for Eren that anchors her).
The hand then reaches for Armin, looking down, and Armin vanishes and hte hand is left with blood, and if you’ve read the manga you’ll know what this is referring to. It’s also interesting that Eren, Mikasa, and Armin are all looking in different directions, which is again symbolic of growing up and forming your own individual place in the world.
More still images of Carla and Grisha and baby Eren, and then we see Shiganshina again, the childhood home, and Eren then gets to his feet to look out at the larger world, but with his back turned towards the audience. I don’t want to speculate too much but you can clearly see this as a reference to what’s going on in the manga right now, with Eren going rogue from everyone who cares about him, and not even listening to his child self who keeps trying to get his attention before giving up. This is my favorite part, and I cry.
Then we see them running as kids, but not the destination. We see the Warrior babies trying to find their way through a dark, confusing forest with a lamp, looking lost.
Historia at the fence, refusing to looking out and away, rocking as if she can’t decide whether to step forward or not, Erwin and Levi passing each other and Levi watching Erwin.
The Shinganshina trio are running and they lose a shoe, and it’s left behind, the key and then a still shot of them laughing together. The key of course is the thing that will unlock the larger world they’re a part of, a world that they all need to find their way in, and they have to keep running forward, keep fighting for that beauty in the middle of a cruel world. It doesn’t lessen the beauty of the relationships they’ve shared, but it does make it impossible for them to go back to those days. Their love for each other will never lessen, that I believe, but they won’t be able to return to the simplicity of those childhood days, and their dreams will be realized but with a cost.
I’ve never written a fanfiction before, but I want Bertholdt’s background so hard and then I decided to propose one by myself. Obviously, everything is based on the facts provided by Isayama up until now. And on my imagination of course.
And I feel sorry for my english, I hope everything will be clear enough!
Once Upon a Time …
Bertholdt’s family counted (and I intentionally use the past) three members: father, mother and Bertholdt.
Bertholdt’s father was a baker and so every lunch smelled of freshly baked bread and Bertholdt really liked it.
His father was considered as a good and honest man, respected by eldian people because he did not hesitate to give some bread to those who could not buy it. This was a topic for frequent discussion between his parents, because his mother had never agreed to take such a big risk and she was always terrified of finding guards at home.
His mother was not a bad person, but with a more selfish vision than his father’s one, caring only about welfare and protection of her family. She was too obsessive towards her only son and rarely let him leave the house for fear that something would happen to him.
To be honest, Bertholdt had no particular interest in leaving the house, since his house was a sufficiently welcoming place for him. There were several boys teased him on his way of his height and his silent nature, which was why he was often beaten. When this happened Bertholdt did not succeed in reacting, ending up coming home bruised and that’s why his mother didn’t want to let him go outside. He was agree with her.
Anyway, the work that his father did with so much efforts and dedication was a strong ispiration for Bertholdt himself, that’s why he had always been to inherit his father’s business. Growing up he began to help his father more and more, learning in turn the art of bakery and discovering talent and passion. Even his father appreciated his works, there was no greater happiness for Bertholdt Hoover.
His life, however, took a completely unexpected turn when his father fell ill. He was seriously ill and it was not possible to give him any kind of treatment in the ghetto.
His father, however, reacted particularly badly to the news of a future death. The only way to cure him would be to sacrifice his son to Marley, obtaining money and permits to bring his father to the best doctors.
His mother was totally opposed to this mad idea, but his father kept telling his son that because he had helped so many people risking his life now his son would have to pay that debt. Because he was so good and helpful to others, why he should suffer such a violent death? And more or less Bertholdt agreed with him.
He did not feel himself as a warrior at all, but he thought that if this was his father’s wish he would make him happy, then his father would be so proud of his son and every person in the ghetto would be nice with him. Even understanding his father’s difficulty in resigning himself to death.
Nope. I don’t think Levi is okay with this at all.
So, despite being like, very powerful physically, I don’t think Levi enjoys death at all, and even less so since Shiganshina. I honestly can see Levi agreeing more with Armin’s take here:
I think Levi at this point realizes that death accomplishes nothing, and threats and fear accomplish nothing. That was kind of the basis of Erwin’s arc, actually: his father was killed to protect the secrets of the wall and to thereby instill fear in those who would dissent. And that led to Erwin’s lack of self-worth and depression and guilt, which we know Levi knew about to en extent. Any kind of “peace” based on threats and fear and rumbling is not peace, because it is not free. Freedom is a major theme in SnK, and freedom and peace cannot exist without the other.
That’s why when Armin says he saw nothing useful from Bertolt’s memories I raise my eyebrows because I think it’s likely he saw nothing useful from that perspective of fear/how to intimidate Marley. When it comes to being able to empathize, as we saw Armin doing when he arrived in Marley, on the other hand–I think Bertolt’s memories have been incredibly useful, and honestly? That empathy is Paradis’s best chance, and Armin knows it, and I think to some extent–though I don’t expect Levi to go against the grain in any significant way while I do expect Armin too–Levi does too.
‘Mr.Hoover was always boasting so proudly about how his son was so devoted and sacrificed everything for the nation of Marley. So proud sending his child to war. And in the end..his son never returned..’
From the Warrior Unit: Bertolt Hoover, one of the holders of the Colossal Titan power.
When you look at these things you think that he don’t like or care about her either. But then I think about things like Reiner fighting with Zeke for them prioritize Annie’s ransom instead of Eren’s capture and even after losing it he was still talking to Zeke about rescuing Annie. Also moments like Reiner embracing Bert and Annie when they were hidden among the refugees of the wall Maria or the way he reacted when Armin lied about they are torturing Annie. Anyway, this all makes me think a lot.
I honestly think Reiner thought of Annie as a tool, but that isn’t a condemnation of him.
Reiner and Eren are parallels, after all, and Eren has A Bad Habit of not thinking of other peoples’ emotions and perspectives. He cares for other people, willing to sacrifice his life for Armin and Mikasa, and wants all of humanity to be free. But his empathy and ability to put himself in other peoples’ shoes has been extremely… let’s just say it’s a point of growth for the man haha. He thinks about people as they can serve his goals, albeit noble goals of saving humanity and getting revenge on the titans, and puts himself at the center of these plans.
This isn’t an Eren criticism by the way; it’s an observation and this perspective is egotistical, but not in the sense that egotistical=arrogant, but in the sense that egotistical=childlike, as child by nature think of themselves as responsible for everything that happens to them. As adults we grow out of this perspective, as we see with Eren slowly beginning to see the other aspects of the world–Marlay, etc., and understand the complexity of the situation. If you don’t grow out of this perspective that’s when you get egotistical=arrogant.
But back to Reiner. I honestly think he views Annie as not another person with her own unique desires worth respecting just as much as his desires are worth fulfilling, but as a person to help further his own goals. This is again not a criticism but an observation. Reiner is not some manipulative cruel overlord; he’s a frightened child forced into an impossible situation and trying desperately to cope. He views Annie as Bertolt’s crush, and his concern for her seems to have been not so much motivated for her herself, but concern for making sure Bertolt and Annie got their happy ending… but considering again, the fact that Annie would never have canonically liked Bertolt, this shows that Reiner isn’t taking Annie’s feelings into consideration at all. He does truly love and care about Bertolt I believe and given his trauma and determination to become just like Marcel, a boy who helped Reiner achieve what he wanted and protected him, he wanted to ensure Bertolt’s happiness.
So, Bertolt is my sister’s favorite character, and she’s influenced my thoughts a lot. Basically Bertolt just wants to go home and to go home with the people he cares about–he’s kind and sweet to Reiner, to Annie whom he has a crush on (even if it’s a NOTP of mine), to Pieck and all the others. But he’s scared. He can’t speak his mind really, and yet he’s sensitive enough to know that what they have done is irredeemable, and that they don’t deserve forgiveness, and he hates himself for it but he clings to his love for his friends. So there’s this kindness warring with the tragic despair inside of him, and it comes out through how he sleeps in weird positions, etc., because he’s never really able to make peace with what he’s done.
My favorite chapter in SnK is “Somebody” the chapter where Bertolt screams for help.
He’s begging them to help him. Begging. But he also can’t abandon his friends in Reiner and Pieck and all the others, so he makes no choice. Basically Bertolt is the Hanged Man, and I believe one of his weird sleeping positions is even indeed a reference to the Hanged Man.
In the end, the tragedy is Bertolt decided to fight them and commit himself to actions he knew were wrong, but he was still a traumatized kid who wanted to go home with Reiner and Annie. And the people he begged to come find them killed him.
It’s not too late for them to find Gabi or Falco, though.
I also really love everyone! The vets are not characters I’m especially attached to for the same reasons I love characters like Eto and Arima in TG but they’re never going to be faves: the focus is on children coming into an adult understanding, so I find myself drawn to those children. If I had to rank, I’d say my top would be:
1) Armin
2) Eren
3) Historia
4) Annie
5) Mikasa
6) Jean
7) Reiner
8) Ymir
9) Zeke (what the hell I’m yelling at myself for this because I can’t believe I’m saying this; I hated him a year ago, like hated hated, and I still think he’s a malicious bastard but damn if he isn’t interesting)
10) Bertolt
shout out to Levi as well sometimes I contemplate switching him with Zeke or Bertolt.
hamliet 