Since I have received a request, here is the full translation for the new fans book.
Disclaimer 1: Based on my observation in Japan, if you like Eruri, I think the interview should be good enough, but if you ship Erwin heavily, you may be disappointed by Isayama’s views of life and death or his interpretation to Erwin’s death.(Tbh, I generally share the same view as Isayama thus I am mutual to what he said)
Disclaimer 2: Better read the book together with Answers, otherwise, you won’t have a full picture.
Disclaimer 3: I tried my best to translated fully based on the printed words without bias. For points which I think needs clarification I have put it as Note, I put it in the bottom so that the comment won’t influenced your own interpretation when you are reading.
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1) Interview (IN): Erwin lost his life in Shiganshina Battle, that was a really shocking incident.
Isayama (IS): It was planned to let Erwin dead there from the beginning. I always wants to write Levi and Erwin as a mutual and equal relationship (対等な関係). Erwin joint the SC because of his innocent curiosity to know the “truth” and also his atonement for letting his father died. And gradually he became the leader of SC and he starts to get tripped between “a small child who is chasing his dream” and “a responsible adult”. In order to convince himself, Erwin has used “fighting for humanity” as an excuse to cheat himself. (Note 1)
2) IN: A man who can sacrifice his humanity can’t give up his dream, it was really a surprise.
IS: That’s also what Levi felt. Levi stayed with Erwin till now because he interpretates Erwin’s slogan “Fight for Humanity’s Future” as a very selfless (利他的) aim which he will never think of and he makes this target as his life mission. (Note 2). That’s why Levi also demanded Erwin to be a man who is “loyal to his mission” and “can make cruel decisions”. When Levi realized that Erwin also has a selfish (利己的) side for his dream, he has a feeling that he has been betrayed. But, at the same time, he also felt that a man who he thinks he can never defeat also has “a side like an innocent boy”. (Note 3)
3) IN: Levi told Erwin to “Go to die” after he realized that this great man (偉大な男) is also a human like him. What a cruel decision……………..
IS: I started recall what I thought at that time. I think people reveal their truest self at the time when they have been pushed to the corner and need to face death. For Erwin, Shiganshina Battle is the place where he reveals his true self. What he reveals was a man waving between “his dream to go to the basement” and “his responsibility to fight against beast titan until the last minute”. Looking at Erwin, Levi felt that Erwin wants Levi to say “Give up your dream and go to die”. He caught what Erwin wants. With Levi’s word, Erwin was transformed to an adult who can give up his dream to fulfill his responsibility for the future.
4) IN: What Erwin recall in the last minute was his days with his father in the classroom which is also the beginning of his dream. Is that memory a happy memory to Erwin?
IS: No one knows. Erwin died before he know the answer. May be Erwin has chosen to left the answer behind unanswered forever. But you can’t say he has completely no regrets or maybe he really has. I was drawing that that time thinking that “all people are enslaved to sth” and for Erwin, it was his dream. As long as Erwin is alive, he will never get over his dream and the only way to set him free is death only. Levi giving up the chance to save Erwin for him (Note 4) and released Erwin from being a slave to his dream.
5) IN: So Levi understood Erwin’s feeling (思い)………….
IS: Yes. At that scene to choose between Erwin life and death, Levi was also influenced by his experience with Kenny. When Kenny left him during his childhood, he always thought that “Kenny left because Levi failed to meet Kenny’s expectation”. That’s why when he met Kenny again during the revolution, he wanted to fulfill his childhood’s feeling (Note 5). But at the very end, when Kenny get heavily injured during the collapses, Kenny was not using the injection for himself but give the injection to Levi. From Levi’s point of view, it was a totally selfless act which he never thought a selfish man like Kenny will do. Based on this experience, Levi has chosen not to restore Erwin to life but to treat him as a human and let Erwin go (Note 6).
Oh I also recalled now, some people said it is the best to not fulfill their dreams. It means a life which can chase dream forever may a better life. I drawn Erwin’s death based on this thought.
6) IN: May be dream is dream because you can never touch it and that’s why you can chase it forever. But because of this decision, Levi has lost Erwin, who is someone irreplaceable (かけがえのない存在) to him. So where will he look for his future fighting motivation?
IS: Yes, he is like a balloon dangling in the air (宙ぶらりん) (Note 7). Because to Levi, stayed with Erwin until Erwin’s last minute gave Levi a feeling that he has accomplished everything he needs to. Of course Levi still wants to kill the Beast Titan, for the hole in organization (Note 8) left by Erwin, Levi will look at Armin to fill it up maybe? Since the scene in Snk Vol 18 when they are searching for Reiner inside the wall, I intentionally portrayed Erwin and Armin as the “past” and the “future”. Erwin died without fulfilling his dream. Armin fulfilled his dream and now Armin can only look at the reality.
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Note 1: : Be aware Erwin is only cheating himself not other here
Note 2: The phrase is written in a way that Levi is not really interest in saving the humanity, but more he is impressed by the selflessness in Erwin’s slogan
Note 3: Together with Answer => At the beginning, Levi felt “it was different from what Erwin told me before” and a sense of lost [喪失感, a feeling you feel when you lost sth dear to you], but it does not mean he felt distrusted to Erwin, later he starts give in and think “I will help you anyway (しょうがないから協力してやる)”
Note 4: “諦めて[くれた]” have a nuance that Levi is giving up for other (Erwin)
Note 5: I think it means to fight Kenny at full force to meet Kenny’s expectation
Note 6: I have a feeling that Levi was not treating Erwin as a human but a god like figure before he knew Erwin’s dream ;). Anyway, I think Isayama wants to emphasis that Levi’s choice is completely selfless (利他的), completely made for Erwin’s sake not himself i.e. selfish (利己的).
Note 7: I think what Isayama wants to say is Levi is unstable and lost or sth like that. 宙ぶらりん is a word saying you are tripped in the middle and dun know where to go.
Note 8: As mentioned before, Isayama specified that it only refers to the hole in organization (組織的な穴). I interpreted the nuance as there is hole other than organization i.e. mental or whatsoever :)
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