Shingeki no Kyojin/Attack on Titan (Manga Discussion)

Oh no... this chapter is good enough to make me go crazy fan mode again. Please be (short) temporary.

Now, that's a cliffhanger. As usual, someone's continued existence is being dangled in front of us readers. That has gotten tiring, but I gotta admit that the intensity of this chapter was "well done" enough for me to be more or less on the "hopes this character survives" camp instead of the "pfft, I'll believe it when it happens" sector.

Still loving the chess tactics (a lot), to a point that I'm calling this arc the Chess Arc. Atm, I'm so impressed by the tactical aspect of this arc that the only hole I can see is that they did not do more to make it hard for Bert and Reiner to spot who's Eren early in the arc.

I think this is the best arc so far, and if certain characters actually get killed off - it will be because really tactically speaking - the enemy had both the brains and the brawn (and knows the importance of range and artillery).

That was some impressive stuff from Erwin this chapter. I'm still kind of hoping he'll survive, but narratively the odds are against him. (Though Titan-Erwin would be loads of fun.) I like the fact that he realised being surrounded in a neat ring of titans could be taken advantage of, for someone as skilled as Levi (or these guys).

Life sucks when fighting Bertolt. Hopefully Armin manages to figure out something against him.

…So I guess they can't stump the Bert. >.>

The Unspoken Plan Guarantee makes me very afraid of what's to come next chapter. =[ And I just can't see the Beast Titan being taken down so early in the game. But still, those feels.

edited 9th Apr '16 4:48:33 AM by Lyendith

Yeah...I can't help but think that Monkey Trouble is hardly going to miss the titans dying/reacting when Levi gets near him. It seems too blatant a method. Maybe Erwin's plan has another layer to it?

Oh and holy bejeezus, Reiner is back up already. Honestly, that feels a bit unsatisfying. The apparent kill earlier was a reasonably well-executed scene, it would have been narratively acceptable for his death there to be genuine.

Crazy for a possible plan for Armin: lure their enemies into cracking the wall to expose the titans inside to sunlight, then use Eren to control them. That could be terrifying...

Although come to think of it, how did Monkey Trouble manage to take out Bertolt and Reiner? Does he have some tricks with him? Could they be stolen and used against Bertolt now?

Well, they won't go out will., but they but they won't go out quietly either.

Best you can do really.

edited 9th Apr '16 8:25:13 AM by HandsomeRob

Every main character in this show has plot armor. I don't think Erwin is going to die even if it takes something very stupid to make it happen. I mean they introduced an unforeshadowed power to make Reiner survive his head exploding.

But we still don't know everything about Reiner. Erwin really looks like he's at the end of his character arc.

Hange was unceremoniously vaporized (until further notice), and this is one of the prominent characters.

Still, Eren controlling titans was still a thing...

Yeah Erwin's had a death flag over his head for while now.

It seems completely acceptable that he'd die here where with Reiner, I wasn't sure if it was the right time yet.

Also that was a good speech.

It should've ended with Erwin screaming:

Now for wrath, now for ruin, and a red dawn! Forth, Eorlingas Scouting Legion!!!"

edited 9th Apr '16 2:53:15 PM by MadSkillz

Or a less dignified version.◊

If there's more to do with Reiner's character, fine; but pulling two would-be deaths in a row like that is just sloppy writing.

I doubt Hange is actually dead, for that matter.

Err, yeah, that's for sure. >.> She may or may not have landed into the basement by chance.

Hange (and Moblit) still alive would be expected. Even them somehow getting to the basement first wouldn't seem too far-fetched.

Erwin still surviving pass this chapter, on the other hand, would seem like an asspull unless Levi (ordered) him to inject the Titan serum.

Honestly, I can't decide if the good guys side getting another titan shifter is a good thing or not. Even the idea of Erwin Titan tackling Monkey Titan has me torn between "I want to see that!" and "I think this manga has jumped the shark."

The latest chapter got me interested enough to hunt for when S2 will air. If it's delayed to 2017, I'm OK. No more rushed episodes please.

While Erwin surviving would be an asspull, it wouldn't be the only one. The story just hasn't allowed any main characters to do die regardless, even it has to use something that was not foreshadowed or not foreshadowed enough. Reiner got his head blown to bits and survived using a power made up in the chapter right before. So Erwin surviving isn't unlikely.

Agreed, but if he survives, it would be quite a waste of dramatic setup for an (important) character's death, narratively-speaking. The latest chapter was just so "well done" in that regard. The set-up for Reiner about 2 chapters ago imho doesn't compare. Especially since Erwin is leading a charge of young soldiers which he inspired on to their deaths by "that" speech. (And what a speech.)

If he survives, a lot will be cheapened. The sacrifice of those young soldiers, the deaths of every single scout before.

Damn, that chapter impressed me enough to be rather seriously discussing about it. Hell, we probably won't know if Erwin (and Hange and Moblit and Marlo)'s dead or alive until the end of the arc.

no... I won't go and compute how many chapters are left in this arc. Goddamit, I was quite happy to be through with the crazy Shingeki fan phase.

Yeah it would be nice. But chances are that Erwin will survive. People have been expecting his death for awhile now and he has gone on living. He will live and the death of the soldiers will just act as more character development for him just like all of the other minor characters that dies: Squard Levi and Marco for example.

Anyone have the US manga? I'm wondering what the purpose of the creepy, giant eye that seems to begin to open on volume 2 and start moving around 3-4 is. Is it the Colossus Titan?

Speaking of, new chapter out.

RIP in pieces, Scouts. Marlowe, you rocks-for-brains, you should've stayed with Hitch when you had the chance! Guess we'll know for sure next month if Erwin wins the syringe bowl. And goddamnit Levi, there are other confirmed shifters in the area! Dont dick around when you have the enemy commander at your mercy! Kill that damn, dirty ape and be done with it!

edited 8th May '16 8:04:07 PM by TheAirman

Who was that one dude who apparently survived?

Rest in Peace Hitch. Your sacrifice accomplished nothing and was totally pointless NOT IN VAIN. Nope. Not at all.

Hey! We actually had the death of a fairly important character! Woo! That aside, I really liked this chapter. Seeing Levi as the Human Buzzsaw is always great but I seriously wonder how much of the Survey Corps is left after this.

Hitch is Annie's roommate... Marlo is the guy that got killed

edited 8th May '16 7:57:10 PM by FrozenWolf2

Marlowe. Hitch was the other unicop, possibly slept her way into the job. She wanted Marlowe to not join the Scouts.

Edit: Ackerman'd

By my count: Team Levi, Survivor-kun, soon-to-be-syringed-Erwin, and Queen Historia if you're feeling generous.

edited 8th May '16 8:03:11 PM by TheAirman

Survivor-kun would be the guy who had been freaking out about dying pointlessly in the previous two chapters (Chapter 79: "Who cares about saving the horses?! We're all gonna die!!"); in chapter 80 he's the one who asked Erwin if dying bravely or cowardly was all the same in the end. I think he was also the ex-Garrison in chapter 70 who said Jean and squad Levi had changed, judging from their faces. He has the same hairstyle and eye shape.

So, really, a case of Survival by Irony. Heh. :c. Poor guy. I really want to see what the narrative does with him, though. That he was right next to Marlo during all of this might become a thing later.

I'm also intrigued by Armin's plan, since (in an obvious parallel to Erwin) apparently he might not survive if his plan does work. Will he work as bait? Will it have to do with the Titans in the walls?