Shingeki no Kyojin – 06
Hooray! Now they have meat to feed everyone for the next month!
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I’ve been a bit busy getting shots and blood tests so I can volunteer at the hospital. I just got my last set on pin pricks yesterday so I’m chock full of antibodies for almost any disease that tries to get inside my body. I’M INVINCIBLE. More importantly for you (I suppose) is that I finally have time to blog today because I’m done being a human pin cushion. Onto the Titans! |
Eren is still gone, leaving behind Armin and Mikasa to pick up the slack. We still have yet to see who will be the one to fill in for him. Although there’s still the remote possibility Eren somehow busted out of that Titan while Armin blacked out, I’m going to just assume he’s dead for now. If he’s dead, then one of the survivors needs to step up and take control. Our two choices seem to be more doomed without Eren’s leadership than I initially thought.
“I’ve seen some shit.”
Take Armin, for starters. He’s been doing a fair job of trying to steel his nerves and keep up with the other recruits. So far, his sharp intellect has done him nothing but bad, as it has made him painfully aware of his own weaknesses. The more he reflects on himself, the more he sinks into despair. Now he’s completely fixated on that weakness, because he sees it as the cause of Eren’s death. If Eren didn’t feel the need to constantly protect Armin, he wouldn’t have saved him. If he was strong enough, he could have escaped on his own. Armin doesn’t realize that Eren is the kind of guy who would fling himself into danger – and even death – even for someone he’s never met before. We see this later with Mikasa’s flashback.
Armin hasn’t learned to be strong like Eren yet. With his only role model gone, it’s hard to say if he can muster up the strength to take his place. He’s a complete mess for the entire episode, and seeing more of his comrades dying around him doesn’t really help make anything better. The big difference between Armin and his two friends is that the latter were scarred a lot earlier in their lives. Mikasa and Eren were hardened quickly by coming face to face with death as children. That’s why they wear completely different expressions on their faces compared to Armin, and that’s why they don’t flinch at the Titans. I wouldn’t say they don’t fear death, but they are at the point where risking their lives for something they want seems natural. They almost died once before, so this is almost “borrowed time” for them.
She must not have passed the “stop performing CPR if they have no lower body” stage of CPR training.
Then we have Mikasa – who has been promising in every single category (except personality). She’s calm, strong, and doesn’t balk from a fight. She’s like a more level-headed version of Eren who prioritizes survival over self-sacrifice. The only problem is that this week we learn that Eren is probably the only thing keeping her traumatic past from driving her bonkers. I’m worried that when she learns Eren is dead, she will collapse. Although she constantly looked after Eren when he stuck his nose into trouble as a kid, she needed him just as much as he needed her. Her needs were just more on the emotional side.
She’s a strong character so I can see her pushing through the pain to keep killing Titans, but I feel like it will change who she is permanently. Eren represents a big turning point in her life, and taking away her last attachment to anything remotely resembling a family is just cruel. I’m sure everyone (aside from the manga readers) are dying to see how she’ll react to the bad news. What do you guys expect from her? An eerie calmness? A breakdown? With someone as strong yet deeply tortured as Mikasa, it’s hard to tell. I think she’ll have to man up at some point though since Armin isn’t the best main character for now.
As for the episode itself, they hit it out of the park once again. I loved this episode even more than the last one. Everything just came together perfectly in a mix of flashbacks and Armin’s current thoughts as he fumbles through the city. I’ve been vaguely aware that the music has been suiting for this series, but it was only this week that I really found that it stood out (in the best of ways). In particular, the music that played as Mikasa worked up the courage to stab her abductor was perfect. The violins started to swell at the perfect moment – just as she was about to drive the knife into his back.
That whole flashback of Eren and Mikasa meeting for the first time was just wonderful. It explains a hell of a lot about the two without too much time spent on tedious explanations. Eren simply witnesses a bloodbath for the first time in his life…and runs off to save someone he’s never met. That pretty much sums up his entire character. Then you have Mikasa, who is taught by Eren how to survive these horrible things than are happening her. She watches her parents die, gets kidnapped, then has to kill a full-grown man all within a few hours of the same day. Although surviving all this is ultimately up to how strong her will is, having a nice boy coming to save you really helps with the recovery process. Although she loses her old family, she gains a new one. That doesn’t make her situation any less horrible, but at least it helps her recover from it faster.
Aside from what we learn about Eren and Mikasa, there’s also a big “AND THE MORAL OF THE STORY IS…” message. For me, that message was that the world is shit. Absolute shit. If it’s not Titans messing things up, it’s people. 300 years from now the Titans could all be dead, but you’d still have to lock your doors and be afraid of going out at night because there’s always something that’s there to prey on you. The cycle of the strong preying upon the weak is everywhere. Mikasa learns that as a child…Armin learns it as a teenager when he sees Eren die. It’s better to learn this lesson early if you’re forced to learn it, because it has allowed Eren and Mikasa to cope with these things a lot better than the uninitiated recruits.
I had forgotten that people could die due to something other than getting trampled or swallowed by a Titan. This was a nice, harsh reminder that humanity is still pretty deadly as well. If they’re not actively trying to slit your throat or sell you to people for being a rare Japanese girl then they’re just being wretched human beings and blocking up the only exit. It’s amazing how people are either one of two things during a crisis: 1) a total asshole 2) a saint. If we see any more of those rich fat cats in the city wall, I’m sure we’ll see more of #1 as well. As the chaos unfolds, each episode just gets better and better. I can’t even fathom how next week will top this.
Preview: Mikasa hears some things she doesn’t really wanna hear. Sasha gets upset because she thinks Armin is about to say they’re out of potatoes.
About Overcooled
A neuroscience graduate, black belt, and all-around nerd. You'll either find me in my lab or curled up in my rilakkuma kigurumi watching anime.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
Hooray! Now they have meat to feed everyone for the next month! Not really, the Titans started melting like ice cream in the summer sun.
OC, is Anti-Biotic Lass. But is she immune to Space Vampires? Cause there is a new midori Valvrave pilot out there, and she loves to body swap/shop.
I may be raining on the parade, but the writers of this story obviously spent far to much time listening to the Despair section of the “How to tell a story” lectures. Geez, lighten this cast up.
And Eren, freak Ninja!? I was almost LOLing until I realized that that would make me quite the sick puppy.
But despite my gripes, they do know how to command your attention. The pacing was well done, as you mentioned and characterization, thou insane, is above par.
I just want a hope spot for these guys that doesn’t involve Mikasa killing giants like anime character devour Pocky…
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
I noticed that the Titans completely melt or burn up once killed. What the heck is with that? At first I though the people burned them but we saw no fire. Them I thought it was the water, but that made no sense. Then I remembered that it was said that they operate with extremely hot body temperatures, so maybe they burned from the inside out?
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
I got nothing. But that much heat, once given to death, just continues like human nails and hair grow a bit after death…..which is crap by the way, the skin recedes giving the illusion that the nails an hair grow after death…
POWUH: 800-899 and Mad Scientist with 814 comments
I think you’ve got it there. Supposedly the titans are capable of constantly regenerating, so maybe that’s how they tolerate having such high body temperatures. Of course, that’s moot when they’re dead. That’s my take, at least.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
I assumed that because it was raining (I think) at the time that the Titan just turned the rain to steam because its body was so hot. However, since we don’t see many corpses lying around it makes more sense that they just melt away once their weak spot has been hit and they can’t regenerate any more.
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
People, skylion has turned even more demented! The cast will surely lighten up with the amount of deaths we are already seeing.
Btw, to answer Irene, Titan bodies are different from humans and Suma has it right about quick regeneration and their body temperature being too hot. I think they go through combustion after their important brain part is sliced away.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
I didn’t mean that kind of lighten…..
and Hey…
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
You gotta grab the food while it’s hot! The face-melting flavour is a one in a lifetime opportunity!
I’ve never come across a space vampire so I’m not sure how immune I am. I’ll let you know if I end up going on a body-swapping adventure…Hopefully not, because I’m happy in this body thank you very much!
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
If you ever come across a space vampire, don’t you dare try to dissect it. You know how I feel about doctors cutting up supernatural being. I doubt you’d be immune at all if you ever got into contact with their blood.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Just because you mentioned it, they’re releasing a Blu-Ray of Lifeforce. Space Vampires from 1985!
POWUH: iLurker with 3 comments
I am happy you appreciated this episode.
I actually just wrote a wall of text bitching at how many bloggers constantly nitpick at everything possible, how they even every show down to average no matter how good it is, gave analysis to why that takes place, shown how conflicting their arguments are, how biased and ungrateful they became, but then I thought… it’s stupid. I won’t waste your time.
Instead, I will just write down that I am happy you appreciated this episode. So did I. And as a bonus from manga reader a note that I seriously believe next episodes might once again top everything that came till now.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
Hello Kinza, I’m very happy you choose to comment.
So, what happened to that wall of text. Given your follow up, it doesn’t seem like a waste of time to read. Give it to me. Give it to the Skylion.
I try to keep myself spoiler free, by avoiding the material that anime adapts from. I’ve been reading Tolkien since 1981, and that dichotomy from source material to adapted material taught me a lesson. I’m glad to see that the next couple of episodes will provide something awesome to watch.
Cheers.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I also avoid source material, not necessarily because of spoilers, but primarily because of disappointment at the choices made by those doing adaptations. Stuff has to be left out, other stuff modified, and even things like voices and character designs won’t match the expectations one makes in their head. Perhaps the only books I’ve read before their movie adaptation were the Harry Potter books (What? No, I keep telling you there is NO Starship Troopers movie. I have no idea what you’re talking about). I like to read materials afterwards, because then they fill in things and expand the world, instead of reading first and then feeling like the movie / show is a narrow vision of the world.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
There is a Starship Trooper movie, mostly because it was awesome seeing Doogie Howser turn into an ertzazt facist scientist. And it was awesome seeing Kurgan saving the day. Yeah, 80’s references….I gots them.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I’m sorry, are you talking about that Bug Hunt at Outpost Nine movie by Paul Verhoeven that was released in 1997? Because there was never a Starship Troopers movie. Nope, doesn’t exist. What a good book, tho.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
I second Skylion. Thanks for commenting for the first time here! Feel free to write whatever you want, even if you feel like you’re just venting. There is no wall of text that is ignored.
I think when nitpicking gets too far you stop enjoying the show for what it is. Shingeki no Kyojin has been consistently excellent and I have almost nothing bad to say about it. It’s that good.
I’m even more excited for the next episode if it’s even better! I don’t know how they’ll pull that off though.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
Ach, Spammy just ate my welcome comment to a new poster. That is just downright evil, you little cuss.
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
Ohohoooo, next episode will be so gooooooooooooooood! Actually, the following 2-3 depending on how much progress they show.
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
Another awesome episode that shows the depth of Eren and Mikasa’s relationship as well as who Mikasa herself is. We find that Mikasa is half-European, half-Japanese (of course…) which accounts for her Asian name in comparison with all the European ones being tossed around.
Eren it turns out was a badass even before the Titans attacked and actually saved Mikasa when she was kidnapped after her family was killed. Eren is an awesome character who is the one who convinced Mikasa to fight and gave her a home. He is also from whom she gets her signature scarf.
Now how Eren learned to fight and kill like that without fear is a mystery to me, since he doesn’t come from a sad past or a neglected childhood, so I do wonder how he became so cold-blooded as a young child. Is he a psychopath with a bit of bi-polar disorder? However, it was refreshing change from the usual kids I see in anime, who mostly act like young Mikasa.
We also get some of Armin who is in shock and despair at this point over seeing Eren’s death. We dread what he has to tell Mikasa.
I’m glad you clarified that poor Franz had actually been bifurcated, because I had suspected but I wasn’t clear. Poor Hannah…she’s gone insane with grief. As to that guy who was blocking the exit and all the other rich cats in that town, they had better be glad they’re in a town that’s full of saints who are unable to adopt a mob mentality.
I’m sorry, but that was not natural. If it’s a choice of that trade guy or me and my family, the guy’s gotta go. And that one guy and his 6 goons aren’t going to be able to take a mob of people with the single mindedness to survive. Even as I watched that scene, I was like, “that guy better be glad there wasn’t any Americans in that crowd”. I swear, that guy would have lasted about a half a minute against some modern-day New Yorkers. Seriously, they would have killed his goons, him, AND stole his stuff along the way. LOL 😛
Great episode, I give it a firm 9/10.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
“All good is hard. All evil is easy. Dying, losing, cheating, and mediocrity is easy. Stay away from easy.”
-Scott Alexander
This is by far the best quote you have given. Thank you.
Re: Eren. Dudes a natural ninja. Other than that, I got nothing.
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
LOL, I try. This show is epic enough to have epic quotes.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
The Burke quote is becoming rather obvious these days, but you can can’t fail using Psalms. But Alexander is such a cheeky bastard I couldn’t help but put a highlight on it.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
Eren went from zero to badass INSTANTLY. His whole story was that as a kid one day he just straight up stabbed some dudes. That’s it. I don’t think most kids would resort to something so drastic immediately. I don’t think he has any sort of mental disorder – that’s just how the world is in that tiny, enclosed place. Insane. The closest thing I see him having to any disorder is ADD because he’s frighteningly impulsive :B
Yeah, it took me a while to realize half of him was just NOT THERE. I also saw someone else post a comparison from the manga where they completely show him severed in two. Guess they wanted to censor it a little.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
Well, the context of this world is far far different from ours. What we consider normative for child development is going to be incredibly foreign. Even moreso than our modern viewpoint of ancient culture.
So, the need for Eren to cull, as he sees it, might be an absolute need, one that his superiors are failing to recognize.
All in all, we cannot judge from our middle class comfortable lifestyle the times of these characters.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Nice quotations. This one pretty much sums the feels going on in this show.
POWUH: 500-599 with 519 comments
Dang. 0_0 Mikasa’s backstory…I was expecting something bad but not that bad. And she’s half-Japanese too. The last.
Reminds me of the Last UnicornI really can’t wait to see how Mikasa reacts to Eren’s “death”(we’re not sure he’s dead yet so yeah…)
Also the way that one Titan was running. Umm what? XD He was a special abnormal Titan indeed.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
Mikasa realizing Eren’s death. She told him quite specifically not to die. I mean, that was as much a confession of love and life as she could muster at that time. I fear for Armin’s safety now.
POWUH: 800-899 and Mad Scientist with 814 comments
I don’t think Mikasa would actually harm Armin. She doesn’t strike me as the type to blame people for bad things happening. If anything, Armin’s going to hold it against himself for more angst.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
Oh, she could cold shoulder him, he’s already as down as one could get.
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
She wouldn’t because like Eren, she bonded with Armin too. Supposedly, one of the few she could actually call a friend.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
This is true, but my gut is telling me otherwise.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I honestly don’t know if Mikasa is stable enough on her own to be able to deal with it. Yes, she seems like this strong cool person, but how much of that is because she essentially offloads craziness to Eren? Without him to orbit around, I don’t know what’s going to happen, and I don’t know if she can shift that emotional anchor to Armin.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
I don’t get the feeling she bonded with Armin. She protected him because Eren wanted to protect him, but overall she seemed pretty wary of his talk of outside the wall. I think anyone not named Eren is just scenery for her – they don’t matter.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
Yes, OC, this. You nailed that relationship right plum.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I don’t know if it’s nitpicky, but to me, this show is still following Valvrave off the cliff of ‘WE’RE GONNA BE AWESOOOOOOOME!’ So far we’ve learned that Eren is a child killer, has no limiter, and not really any ability to regret. Oh, and he went off and got hisself kilt.
This world does suck, and basically all the humans have is Mikasa. Other than her, nothing. The cannons are ineffective, the other guards are more likely to be eaten than even get a swing in on the Titans.
Well, we’ll see what happens, but I think this might actually pass Valvrave for unbelievability.
POWUH: 800-899 and Mad Scientist with 814 comments
I dunno if you should be sweating about the believability of these shows. The concepts of both are pretty ridiculous as it stands.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
As I’ve said before, it’s not about believability in our world. It’s about being able to believe in *their* world that they’ve actually got rules, or that they’ve got something that acts as a wild-card for rules. I’ll believe all sorts of stupid crap, as long as you give my brain an out. You can even handwave it away and call it ‘magic’ or ‘gravitons’ or ‘holy power’, or even say it’s a magic energy tower.
It’s when they don’t even give me that out that my head rebels and says “Wait a second, how the what can you do this?” The world’s stupidest concept can work fine, as long as it’s consistent and explainable for me. But they start pulling stuff out of nowhere, and it falls apart.
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
I’ll tell you guys one thing. The only theme that Titan has is “The world is cruel”. That is all.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Are we sure Gen Urobuchi isn’t somehow behind all this misery and despair? This anime’s thick with dark feelings.
POWUH: 800-899 and Mad Scientist with 814 comments
But isn’t the Butcher into cute girls and belly dances these days?
POWUH: Meta Resident and Werewolf Chaser with 1270 comments
I did read somewhere tht the author is friends with the guy behind the Muv Luv series….
POWUH: 800-899 and Mad Scientist with 814 comments
Well then it really comes down to what you call handwaving, I suppose. I didn’t think the overpowered nature of the titans was pulled out of nowhere. The show has been stressing time and time again how hopelessly outmatched the humans are.
Eren’s behavior as a kid is rather surprising, I will admit. But I don’t see anything that’s really inconsistent and so unbelievable. The humans in their world understand so little about the titans themselves, as it is. We know that they don’t know better, and so this is all we get.
POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 77 comments
This episode provided a good back story and info on all three main characters. From what I can gather Eren has always been homicidal, from such a young age. I wonder how Mikasa will react to Eren’s death, since he is such a large part of her life.
I also liked how they really portrayed the aftermath, like the person giving CPR to Franz. Very accurate on how a person would generally react to such a situation, and adds the feel of the episode. However if Armin wants to be more like Eren and Mikasa he should stop taking his anti homicidal pills and let his fallen comrades inspire his wrath.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
There is almost no difference from when Eren was a child to how he is now. He became slightly more aware but overall he’s pretty much the same, reckless guy who will kill for revenge without a second thought.
I loved how they didn’t just cut to a full-blown flashback. Seeing the survivors through the eyes of the already devastated Armin was a nice touch. I should have know that the lovey-dovey couple would get separated after all that fluff!
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
Ok, when I post something serious, Spammy just eats it whole. When I post something tupid he lets it go.
Spammy, you are an odd beast.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
Yes, I know. Sasha and the Meat. We shipped it, and only faith can keep it alive.
POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 77 comments
When all else fails, ship harder! Ship with all your might! Sasha and meat FTW!
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Are you willing to go down with this ship?
POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 77 comments
Yes! To the last man! Don’t worry Sasha and meat! You’ll forever hold a place in my heart alongside my love of everything mechanical and everything about aircraft! This ship will never sink, no matter what!
POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 77 comments
Hmmm, Eren now see’s his actions differently, however I wonder if being reckless is good? He lost his whole squad in the first minutes, and got himself killed (I think there’s gonna be a plot twist somewhere), I also wonder, if they somehow broke outta their little Stalingrad and moved about like nomads, would they not have a better chance? This little castle is like a cookie jar for titans, all the sweets you could ever want!
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
One of those needles wouldn’t happen to be Killing Goods, right? Otherwise, things will get strange. Not to mention it sounds like you’ve been pricked multiple times. And blood tests. Just be sure there isn’t anything in there that will make you more than human.
Like getting fangs. 🙂Seeing Eren take out those guys in such a brutal fashion left me dumbstruck because he seemed so much like a cowardly weakling at the start. If he had the similar motivation, he would have stood a chance against Annie during their training. The way he looked at the bodies of Mikasa’s parents, people that have relation to him and he acts like that. It shows some part of him is immensely disturbed. I think he’s worthy of your analysis, OC.
With Mikasa’s backstory, the story is really doing its best to say this world is screwed up and there’s no such thing as hope. She’s going to have heart ache and a serious mental breakdown when she hears about Eren. If not for him, she would have already lost her will to live. But her suffering is what made her who she is now. What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger and she has a lot of it.