However, on a deeper read, its messages are a bit self-contradictory (The most obvious instance of this being the portrayal of death as brutal/painful/inglorious/meaningless but also a completely necessary sacrifice for the survival of humanity, with no viable alternative presented). AoT is definitely a very captivating/entertaining series, and it definitely has a lot to say. I think the above sums up the stance that a lot of people here have w/respect to the text. Hey, I’d be really interested on hearing your thoughts on this article would have been spoilery a few weeks ago, but we are finally at a point where I can post it here) Armin is easily the most introspective and self-aware person in the main cast – seeing him deal with the reality of being a titan has the potential to be way more interesting than it has been with Eren. Armin being a titan – much less the Colossal Titan (assuming this all works) – certainly adds a dimension to the story. I can’t imagine he’s going to be happy when he finds out he popped Bertholdt’s head like he was Denethor and it was a cherry tomato, but it’s not like anyone had a choice in the matter. That leaves us to deal with the basement – and of course Armin Mark II. And like I said, if – if – Erwin really is dead, in the end I’m not going to quibble that much about the details. But whatever the reason Levi did it, he did it – he chose the future over his own loyalties. I suppose the question here is this – did Erwin consciously pull his arm away? Did he have awareness of what Levi was about to do? It would be just like Isayama to give the guy who least deserves it a heroic death, but I choose to believe Erwin was incoherent and Levi did what he did because he’d seen Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Fuck that – the only way Eren and Mikasa should have left that rooftop was kicking, screaming and biting every step of the way. What Levi and Hange wanted to do was personal, no more and no less – they were prioritizing their friend over Eren and Mikasa’s. Of course Eren was right – it’d actually been Armin coming up with the good ideas at every turn, saving the day time after time – often after having been forced to by Erwin’s blundering. Frankly I think Eren and Mikasa gave up a little too easy (and I was ready to throttle the weasel from Erwin’s suicide squad). I did almost throw up a few times when Levi (and then Hange) were waxing endlessly about how essential Erwin was – how his “talent” was essential to saving humanity. This was right before he rescued Reiner right out from under Hange’s nose – and he was only still around because Jean shamed Hange into not killing him until they were sure he couldn’t be useful as the main dish in the injection project. Like the Beastmaster telling Eren (who he recognized) that both of them were victims of Grisha Jaeger – that they’d been “brainwashed”. The fact remains that the whole reason this exchange is taking place is still very much an unresolved factor, and we do get a few additional tidbits related to that. Given how badly I wanted to see Erwin die (and Armin live too, of course, though like I said I just didn’t sweat that too much) it’s hard to say whether this episode was really good or I was just tense while watching it. Sure he’s dead – but will he stay dead? Is that too much to ask for? And TBH I’m still scared about that a little – I’m going to see that irritating face in every shadow on AoT, at least for a while. No, what scared me a little was the prospect of an Isayama asspull that would have both of them survive, somehow. Not by letting Armin die – somehow, I just never felt like that was a realistic possibility. And that disbelief scares me a little, because I was worried right up until the end that Isayama would find a way to make Erwin linger like a fart in an elevator. I almost can’t believe it – I no longer have to have WHY WON’T YOU DIE in my blogging vocabulary (for this show, anyway).
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And I’m willing to overlook a lot of stick when that’s the carrot. Praise be to Jeebus, our long nightmare is finally over. It may not have played out exactly the way I would have liked, and it may have been rather clumsy and overwrought in the final moment, but the bottom line is this: Erwin is dead. Say what you will, I haven’t looked forward to an ep of Shingeki no Kyoujin so much in… ever? So that has to count for something, I guess.