A word about Eremika and the final chapter leaks
I’ve just returned from a regrettable jaunt on Twitter and I’m having trouble wrapping my head around why the leaks surrounding Mikasa have created so much turmoil in the fandom. My understanding is rather than a single panel of Mikasa visiting Eren’s grave, we get a sequence of four panels demonstrating how throughout her life she remained devoted to Eren.
Let me address the first elephant in the room. I’d have much preferred the focus of the final chapter be more on how inexcusable Eren’s actions were rather than additional pages of him being glorified. I am personally uncomfortable with how unbalanced the final chapter continues to be. In amongst his friend’s sadness, we needed something to remind the reader that Eren isn’t a hero. Yes, his friends should mourn him, but the horrific and inexcusable nature of his actions should be thematically written in bold letters alongside that grief. I personally am still extremely uncomfortable with the final chapter because we didn’t get that.
Ignoring that for a moment, it makes perfect sense for Mikasa’s character to be showcased this way. I understand and admire her capacity for unconditional love. I see beauty and poignancy in her never forgetting Eren, and I appreciate that love existing in the story. So while I uncomfortably squirm that a continued focus on her devotion is all we get, I don’t mind that it’s there.
Onto elephant number two: Sometime after the four year time skip, Mikasa decided to have a family.
I completely understand those who’d have rather Mikasa stayed single because I think there’s power in that. Had Mikasa been depicted as having a full life while remaining single I’d have applauded that decision. I’d have even preferred it because News Flash to everyone who needs to hear it: Women can have a full and satisfying life without marriage. Being alone doesn’t mean being lonely. And let us please smash those nasty stereotypes that women need children to be fulfilled. It’s disgusting and demeaning.
But choosing to have a partner who clearly respects and honors Eren’s place in her life? I’m fine with that too. Here’s what I know to be true. Moving on doesn’t erase the past. Moving on isn’t an insult to the past. And personally, I’ve always admired people who find love after loss. I see it as a compliment to the person they loved, not an insult. So I do not understand certain ship communities crowing about how this is “death to Eremika” when a focus on her lifetime of devotion is the exact opposite. This is a solid win for Eremika. I do not understand how it can be viewed as anything otherwise.
In the podcast discord we were talking about this and the obvious reference to Rose and Jack from the Titanic came up. Spoilers if you haven’t seen the movie, but after Jack dies saving Rose, she chooses to honor him by living the fullest life she can. That life includes marriage and children. Whomever her husband is remains nameless and faceless, and at her death, she is reunited with Jack. My friend Al made the point that no one aspired to be Rose’s husband, they all wanted to be Rose and Jack. Eren and Mikasa are Isayama’s version of Rose and Jack and if the art and fic doesn’t exist yet, I’m shocked.
Five years ago I wrote, “No matter what, Mikasa will survive. She’ll spend her remaining years making sure Eren is never forgotten. She will teach her children, who in turn will teach theirs, about the heroic boy who became a monster to fight monsters—and ended up saving humanity.” How I wish that last sentence had been true.
I don’t know how she’s presenting Eren to her children and grandchildren, but I choose to believe she’s telling them the cautionary tale of the boy she loved who became a monster to fight monsters–who lost his humanity in the process and very nearly destroyed the world. I hope it’s a balanced story. In other words, I hope she’s giving them what Isayama failed to deliver to us.
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