Okay so as a huge SNK and Reiner fan I just NEED to talk about chapter 83 that I just finished. Also I noticed that everyone online was talking about Armin and our heroes but no one talked about Reiner, so I will be talking about everything that happens to him during these scenes.
During these past few chapters there are many times I thought my favourite character would die, but he seems almost immortal but he does go through a lot. I was really shocked when I saw him not just shirtless (we never saw him like that before I think) but also missing his limbs and blindfolded for some reason. On one hand I was shocked they would inflict so much pain on a 17 years old kid, but on the other I'm happy Hange (or Mikasa) cut his limbs to make sure the others were safe from harm, also he did harm Sasha badly so an eye for an eye I guess. Also I think all his wounds could also serve to dehumanize him, I mean look at his face, bald, with most of his faceskin gone, his eyes hidden, his upper clothes removed, his limbs gone,... Maybe they did all that to make it easier to torture him in their mind?
I also just love how Mikasa is carefully patching up Jean and his small bruise while Reiner is barely a torso two feets away. But there is also something I find so creepy, look at Hange left leg, she is standing where Reiner legs should be! Also I'm not really comfortable with a grown woman standing so close to a 17 years old, who isn't even clothed or has limbs to protect himself.
I understand Reiner cannot say much, its a miracle he didn't faint like Bertholdt but at least he mentions Ymir, someone we haven't heard of for quite some time now and some strange letter, I have no idea what is it, if its so important my boy would try to grab it as his limbs are getting chopped off it must be important.
And now the serious part begins as Hange rise up and tower over Reiner, I wonder if he is aware of what happens around him with no eyes and no limbs to feel anything. Also I like how he still has a few surviving hairs after everything he went through, and I like even more how his blindfold separate his hairs from his bald head.
Hange was never a friend of Reiner but even she seems to hesitate, she could have offered him a quick end, after all she had no more use for him and she would have never left him live. Did she consider he was a kid? Or maybe his many wounds dehumanized him so much she had less trouble torturing him? As for Reiner it seems he accepted his fate and each words pains him very much, and its the last word he will say for the remaining of this chapter.
Again i'm creeped out by Hange leg being where Reiner legs should be, she couldn't get that close to him if he still has his limbs. Also I was quite confused as to why she would cut his throat, I know there isnt much else to cut but if she hoped he would talk under torture would prevent him from talking? Is this really just mindless cruelty with no purpose? Hange can be a bit mad and cruel but I didn't know her to be like that.
I didnt expect Jean to argue for Reiner life, from what we saw earlier he seemed to have the least trouble killing Reiner while Sasha and Connie were in tears. I wonder how these two would have reacted if they were at the scene witnessing Reiner execution, but at least Jean seems to be fully against it and is still trying to save his old friend.
I think this is the moment the fact Reiner is only 17 shines the most, he tried to stay strong after enduring so much but when the blade is in his throat he bursts in tears like a little boy. Sure he is tall and muscular for his age but he is still a teen and shouldn't be dealing with all this. Unfortunately the many wounds on his face and the fact we can't see his eyes don't help humanize him, all these make him ugly. He is also absolutely helpless with no limbs to protect himself all he can do is take it and cry. I like how his left shoulder is visible to remind us of the state of his body, also if someone could explain to me why they put bandages below his shoulders, is it to slow down his healing?
It seems Jean wants to save his friend, but I find it odd he talks so slowly and makes so many pauses as Reiner could die at any moment, maybe Jean is exhausted from the battle too. Also Mikasa doesn't seem to care about Reiner at all but is more concerned about how Jean is feeling.
Reiner knows there is nothing he can do and just has to endure it all, he looks even more broken than before.
here too as everyone thinks and argue there is nothing else he can do as he even got stripped of his own voice. We also see how Mikasa is perfectly fine with Killing Reiner and that she won't hesitate like Jean did, its also nice to see Hange listened to Jean and decided to spare Reiner for now
Now we know where Connie and Sasha are, and why they were not involved with Reiner fate, still I don't really know if they would have acted more like Jean or Mikasa. Also I think Reiner shoulders are starting to heal a bit as I dont see the bandages anymore. But I believe he already know the survey corps can steal titans power and doesnt know about Bertholdt fate, maybe he is also thinking about him.
I really like the huge constrast between Mikasa still so mobile and Reiner stukc as a torso unable to even move, all the while Jean starting to wonder why he even saved Reiner in the first place, maybe him arguing earlier was a reflex and not what he truly wanted to do?
Unfortunately Jean chose wrong as Reiner miraculously get rescued by the cart titan and the beast titan, though it must be very painful for him to be dragged around in a titan mouth with all these wounds he has. I wonder if he was still conscious or fainted.
In this scene I do not believe cry because of the pain, I'm pretty sure he learned that Bertholdt didn't make it, combined with what he heard earlier he must know they will have him eaten and steal his power from him, he just lost his best friends and there in nothing he can do about it in his current state.
I truly hope to see him in the next chapters as he slowly heals, but I wonder where he will be going though