Levihan in 132, not what you thought
To understand 132 and Levi Arkerman as a character, one needs to look at Leviâs whole military life and beyond.
I think 99% of readers failed to notice a critical behavioral pattern from Levi - how he deals with death.
Let me refresh your memory.
In his first appearance in the manga, Levi is holding the hands of a dying comrade and promising him revenge.
The behavioral pattern starts from there.
He stares at Petraâs dead body.
He looks straight into Erwinâs eyes and asks him to die (to give Erwin strength).
Later he stares at Erwinâs dead body.
Even when Hange looks away he keeps staring, imprinting the image of Erwinâs death on his mind.
In the forest he killed all his subordiantes who turned into titans, deliberately stopped to stare at their dead bodies before catching up with Zeke. Though heart-broken for a fleeting moment, Levi, in extreme anger, almost got a⊠you tell me what experession on his face.Â
There must be a reason aside from the fact that too many deaths desensitize him to it?
Remember Leviâs childhood trauma?
He was abandoned by Kenny.
Levi copes with his fear for the death of people close to him, the fear of being left behind, by looking at death straight in the eye, sneering at it, metaphorically laughing at it.
Gradually, death fuels his anger, becoming an impetus to drive him forward, in a bone-chilling way it almost excites him, and he unleashes his anger through violence, or in a nicer name, revenge.
Let me reword this in case you think Iâm too harsh on Levi:
He avenges his comradesâ deaths to give meaning to their sacrifices; for himself, personally, he deals with death in this way so no oneâs death could break him.Â
He asks his comrades not to die, he wants to save people, as many as possible. But Levi, understanding the inevitability of sacrifice since joinging the Survey Corps, is not scared of anyoneâs death. He is Death itself, he is unstoppable.
You canât scare me, you canât hurt me.
Hange ends it for Levi, right there in 132.
First let me say, what a genius Isayama is!
Once, Kenny left Levi without a word, leaving him in confusion and pain: âwhy did you leave me that dayâ? 20-plus years later, Hange attempted to jump off the plane without a word to Levi. She only had a final talk with 104.
It was Levi who stopped her in her track.
Hange orders him to let her go (itâs not a polite ask).
He canât look at her eyes, he canât move. Nor could Hange look at his eyes, if she does, she will lose all the strength to go.
The sound of Rumblings and her order are the recipe for Leviâs mental breakdown.
It is an explosive moment ruined by wanton translations, which I will talk about at the end.
Hange walks past him, Levi remains in the same position, refusing to turn around to send her off.
Remember his stare-at-death-and-the-dead way of dealing with his comradesâ sacrifice?
On the plane, while 104 crowd at the window, Levi retreats to his seat, away from the window as if hiding from some monster.
So he wouldât have to watch her fall, so there is no image of her death on his mind.
(Note Levi is no longer near the window, he is at the opposite side, and looking downward)
Even better, he mumbles to himself and to her ââŠsee ya, Hangeâ, a pathetic act of self-deception.
A small Japanese language lesson to have a better grasp of it.Â
ăăăăȘ - what Levi said - is a casual way of saying âsee you laterâ in daily conversations. Like, at the end of a meeting, âitâs 5 pm, letâs call it a day, see ya!â
Say it to a deceased person, people who happen to hear it will freak out and worry about your mental statement. The right word for people youâre never going to meet again is ăăăăȘă.
Levi is a kid in denial.Â
If I canât accept something, I pretend it doesnât exist. I say it out loud to convince myself.Â
No sheâs not dead, I will see her later.
Ladies and Gentlemen, thatâs Levi kneeling in front of Death, covering his eyes and ears - he is scared. Over decades, for the first time, he canât face it. He fears (her) death.
Here is a Buddhist philosophy regarding love:
If I turn around, I will have to watch you go
I will break down, and beg you to stay.
See how Hange triggered Leviâs childhoold trauma of being abandoned by Kenny and itâs worse this time. He has less courage facing it than the little boy 20 years ago.
For 132âs âdevote the heartâ scene, it deserves another long-winded analysis, because again, you need to check the slogan and gesture featured in the manga, not with just a vague memory, and first you need to get the translation right. Not âdevote YOUR heartâ, no.
Speaking of Leviâs chilldhood trauma, Hange taking care of him with love and tenderness, protecting him, keeping him alive, is a reminder of momâs unconditional love.Â
I will save the analysis for another day. Isayamaâs genius play shouldnât go unnoticed - PietĂ ! (When is Leviâs brithday? Chritsmas)
All Iâm saying is, the love Levi recieved and the pain he endured during his childhood, all came back and culminated in his relationship with Hange.Â
I donât know why Isayama applies such aesthetics and narrative skills of literature level to a manga couple. Itâs too too too much for average readers and anime watchers.
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