Vogel im Käfig

  A Shingeki No Kyojin manga / anime meta blog, not spoiler free. Posting all kinds of things about it, especially about parallels between characters, some kinds of aesthetic montages, echoes with pieces of philosophies, and (highly probable crack) theories. Also sorry for the possible bad english, I am not a native and have a quite limited level

[metasnkpotato]

Final opening

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2S4qGKmzBJE&ab_channel=bachlokillo

THIS OPENING

is an absolute banger. The fact it being Eren-centric (the lyrics are still in first person, Eren speaking) and heavy metal is so perfect to this second part.  There’s a lot of things to say so here we go (but beware of spoilers).

ANALYSIS CLIP / LYRICS

First image is Eren’s eyes opening. It make furthermore sense since the starting images depict a separated EMA in which only Eren is preparing himself whereas Mikasa is letting go of her scarf and Armin is eyes-closed, seeming to sleep behind bars.

By the way, all characters except for Eren are in reflective poses, all seem to be in the throes of existential crises and above all, at a standstill. 

Eren in the clip seems to be the only one who walks which embody the fact he never stops moving forward.

So Eren, which we’ll follow all along, is seeking for liberty. But it's an insatiable quest that never satisfies him, which makes the big difference between him and Armin otherwise. The fact that the freedom Eren seeks will never be truly his is represented by the following shots of him walking in a dark corridor, with a ceiling (a ceiling blocks the passage to the sky, prevents flying away) following the flight of birds but at which level he’s only found in background.

We find further his little walk with the birds, this time on the wall. There's no more ceiling because Eren has continue to go on, and he is this time beyond the walls. Also, you never know what Eren is watching. His gaze is focused straight ahead, giving an impression of mystery since Eren's true intentions only erupt towards the last chapters, but it should be noted that he is never focused on birds anyway.

But then we see Eren lash out in front of Reiner with visible rage, which reminds us that Eren remains plagued by hatred and prisoner of a past he would have wanted better for those he loves.

But it is interesting to see that unlike the others warriors, Reiner is showed awake and determined, cause Reiner has a hero like role this last season.

Even though then warriors are depicted in their titanic forms as fighting, they also are represented in their human form like the other as being at a standstill, in a kind of depression state.

(doing those shots allows me to see this little surprise of Ymir being in the reflect of Porco, which is also interesting here about their own interior demons they’re fighting).

Transition to the following scenes : Bertholdt's memories, sadness mingled with the tragedy of his life and his end (tear of blood flowing to Armin) seems to be Armin awakening to his titanic form, which then gradually resurges in the action.

What ends Eren's wanderings, the point where he stops walking is where he thinks he has achieved freedom, which is immediately overshadowed by black and white plans, then reference to his first murders when he was twelve years old

and then above all, by the seen of all the victims of rumbling

At the end, although Eren stopped moving forward and stopped at the mass slaughter to watch at the imagery of his “freedom”, a character finally gets back into action :

Mikasa, beyond the walls too is wearing her scarf again assuming Eren’s life weight in her own and stating her opposition to Eren’s acts while revealing truly her love for him. It makes sense regarding what we know of the story : Mikasa is the hidden hero, in connection with Ymir on one hand since the beginning and deciding to deliver the final blow to Eren on other hand, which will stop well, the entire story.

Which leads to the EMA climbing hill scene, but which is modified here so that there is a few moments of vacuum once the objective of the race is reached.

It may not sound like much but followed by the evolution of Eren then his final screaming (wonderfully connected with the song by the way, which definitely seems to be his own creation) makes once again that we feel the impossibility of Eren to be satisfied, struggling with himself about that. 

Indeed the race is portrayed in the manga as being a source of happiness for Mikasa and Armin which are just happy being the three of them but not for Eren, whose only thought is to win it.

Everything relates to the final image of a butterfly with broken wings by rumbling : 

Eren is this butterfly in a way, with a fleeting freedom that ends up being trampled on, crushed by the weight of his choices.

LYRICS

I'm not going to do such a lengthy analysis of the lyrics as it seems to me that they speak for themselves quite well but I just wanted to underline the fact that I appreciate Eren's direct address to Mikasa.

“ All I ever wanted to do was save your life I never wanted to grab a knife, I swear “

The reference to their meeting is made twice in the clip, and it seems important to me because here shown as the first choice Eren made towards rumbling. All the more important since it belongs to Eren in his own being, even before the whole history of the titans finally and especially of the legacy of the Attack Titan.

The entanglement of the destiny of Eren and Mikasa as respective heroes from two opposing angles seemed really interesting to me because it was very paradoxal and intuitive though.

Okay, well that was it for me, it's really nice to see the last part of Attack on Titan happen although it also marks its end. Hoping that this part will be as qualitative as this very promising opening.

[kokomiin]

mikasa from the stream!

[nicartz]

I swear this is canon, I SWEAR

[gricefalco]

進撃の巨人 E.M.A.

[metasnkpotato]

wow, always underestimated Connie's hotness until this panel

[metasnkpotato]

End of the story

Hello, 

Finally, last chapter of Shingeki no Kyojin has been released and this piece of art is coming to an end.

It's been a long time since I fed this blog, although I continue to pass regularly on tumblr, but on this occasion I would still like to make some last posts before letting this story go.

Chapter 139 and Snk’s end

There are some things that I deeply enjoyed, others less. To begin with the most unpleasant part, the "rushed" side of this last chapter left me a slight bitter taste. 

Points that have no outcome

Some plots have obviously been abandoned - which is understandable insofar as Isayama has already produced much more than he thought he would be - but which is a pity as to the substance of the story.

Ackerman’s clan, which was an intrigue started since Royal Government arc eventually fell into disuse and was left for the reader's comprehension as Eren’s bullshit. I find it a pity personally having been a big fan of the possible links between Levi and Mikasa to never having been able to assist at an ackertalk or the "direct" answer that the manga could have offered regarding the question of the free will of these characters who have completely dedicated their lives to others. It surely has a lot of it has to do with the choice Isayama made to keep Levi alive but but it's still a shame not to have completed this point.

As for Hizuru that unfortunately we didn’t have the opportunity to see everything as the completion of the plot Mikasa / Kiyomi and Hizuru’s government.

It is missing some elements on key characters for example of this last arc, like Yelena (what did she become in the end?) Historia who must have had less than ten pages during this last arc while she was almost the mc of an arc...

And finally, this last scene of Mikasa, as necessary as it is to enclose on the place of the hill and on the name of Eren, is of an infinite grief. Seeing her cry him three years later, as if she had never really gotten over it, is very hard to close the manga. Obviously, at a cold intellectual level we understand that she is not alone (others are coming to visit Eren’s grave), that it’s normal to miss someone three years later their death when you spend your whole life thinking about them, but the emotional effect produced remains heartbreaking.

Well, for the negative points it's over. For the positives ones : 

Last chaper is a gift to readers

I mean, just look at Armin and Eren’s interactions

it’s light, refreshing and funny, I just loved this moment they had, the kind of trip they realized as they promised they would... It was really beautiful and cool Isayama didn’t forget to emphaze on their relation too.

The achievement of the leader and heroic Armin that has been emerging from the start

is beautifully executed, especially with the parallel of “Are you titan, or human ?”.

I loved the final turnaround of Mikasa being ultimately the real hero of this story since she was the one who had the power to make the choice, the “someone” of Ymir and who undid the central issue of the story.

I liked the moments of joy, relief and closure at the end of the fight, like Gabi and Falco

Annie which have finally found her father again

Reiner and Jean, Connie and Connie’s mother not being slave to titanic forms anymore...

all of these, I’ve perceived them like Isayama’s final gifts to readers after his painful but masterfully deep story and this is why despite the negative points, this chapter remains sublime.

Epilogue

As for the epilogue, I enjoyed the idea of the peace embassy formed by Marleyans and Eldians protagonists we’ve followed. They have way too much style, a pleasant dynamic and beautiful ideals which ends the story with a pleasant and much needed bubble of optimism.

The odd mix Gabi Falco Levi is quite fun, as well as Onyan Kopon; the continuation of the militarization of Paradis seems on the one hand depressing, on the other hand not in the sense that it is realistic, and a form of homage to what Eren left in history.

In short, probably like everything the fans think, I think it would have been really good to have more, but this ending is to be taken for what it is, the closing of a story that we have all followed with passion and which has been, once again, an unparalleled masterpiece.

Thanks Isayama for offering readers this piece, I’m glad I could have lived this little adventure with you guys, glad to have met people thanks to this common passion ; thanks you for following me, and well, see you latter ;)

[jeanandthedreamofhorses]

“The old world is dying, 

and the new world struggles to be born: 

now is the time of monsters.”

- Antonio Gramsci (1891-1937)

[lenok993]

Levi: she needs more time

[because-of-eggs]

Eremika Week Day 6: Crossover / Disney/Fairytale

Violet Evergarden crossover

[snknews]

Shingeki no Kyojin / Attack on Titan: The Final Season 2nd Key Visual Revealed

The second key visual, trailer, and staff of SnK’s fourth and final season have finally been revealed! It features Hanji, Sasha, Levi, Jean, Armin, Connie, and Mikasa post-timeskip.

The Final Season is being animated by Studio MAPPA and will begin airing on NHK-G, Crunchyroll, and Funimation on December 7th, 2020.

Related News: MAPPA || Photos: Official Art || Season 4

[kokomiin]

Hello ~ I saw you were a big fan of TLOU 2 so I was wondering : could you, if you have some time or some desire to do this, make a draw of Abby ? I like her very much but as she's hated af world is missing of arts on her

here she is, thank you for requesting her!

[ryuichirou]

things Eren did at the age of 9: this

uwu

[kokomiin]

mikasa from the stream!

[ryuichirou]

Dethklok, anyone?

[hunnymzdrawsposts]

[metasnkpotato]

Some anger at the end of the chapter I didn’t saw many people talk about that so I’m complaining here :

meaning : we won’t have next chapter until August

[metasnkpotato]

From Bystander to Hero

A thing I damn enjoyed this last chapter is beauty of reversion and final act who concluded the characters’ arc of mentor figures, Shadis and Magath.

Keith Shadis, a man who believed himself out of the circle of special people capable of saving the world, managed in spite of himself to die as a hero for world’s sake. It goes the same with Theo Magath, his parallel.

And where there is room for a eulogy of heroism to have sacrificed your life for a greater cause and to have died for an idea, which in view of Erwin's death seems to be one of the most rewarding death in terms of SnK codes, there is also praise for the opposite of heroism, of peaceful and normal life. The chapter is called Nostalgia, feeling of regret or the melancholy of the past and it’s seemingly was made for this Magath’s passage, remembering the happiest times of his life about how he would be fulfilled to have seen his mentees live without responsibility and the heaviness of the war for which he trained them.

This echoes in his parallel, the words of Carla faced with Shadis' harangue about living a useless and insignificant life, which praised the value of a simple and its preciousness by nature (aka “Being born in this world is enough”).

You can try to live an extraordinary life that is useful for the whole community, a society, a country or even all of humanity. But however laudable this intention may be, it is beyond the particular will of people and this is what Magath finally emphasizes by telling his regrets about how he has followed what his country was waiting for him and not what he wanted.

But what is beautiful ultimately, is that despite the constraints that were placed on these characters because of the story that fell to them to continue they have succeeded without even realizing it, in achieving incredible things and in moving people around them so as to pursue these things, and to fulfill the dreams they hoped to be able to achieve. Despite everything, they managed to make choices that led them to free themselves from the constraints they faced, and to educate children they so cared about to go in this direction.

The failure they thought they had resulted in was not ultimately, since for Shadis he finally managed to be some time during the leader he tried to be many years ago:

and for Magath, which managed to break free from his country’s orders and indoctrination about Eldians and their sins, by redemption acts which go from him bending to Armin, Jean, Mikasa and Connie for their forgiveness, to him sacrificing to the children he educated and send to war, and the Eldians / Marleyans alliance he finally contributed to form.

The beauty of the narrative here is to bring these two characters together who are unable to see for themselves the good they had the chance to produce around them and to put them as a kind of empathetic mirror for what they have achieved, giving them a moment of satisfaction that makes them smile as a swan song.