Snk Reread - Volume 2
This one took so long.
Previous
Snk Reread - Volume 1
Cover
I just realized Mikasa is left-handed? Or at least, her angle of approach when attacking is from left to right.
Also, I realized that the first three volumes focus on EMA and how they begin to overcome their insecurities/weaknesses: 1) Eren, 2) Mikasa, 3) Armin. The covers reflect this.
I really like how the back covers reflect the status of the characters. Eren is faded out in this one.
Wtf I just noticed that the title on the back cover is different for each volume?? This one says “Birth of a Monster” :O
Character Introduction/Recap
Eren’s says “longing for the world outside the Wall”... I’m telling y’all that was his true motivation for everything. Even during the Disbanding Ceremony, that was the main reason he listed. The Titans were just in the way of that. I feel like Eren only truly started going down the revenge route when he saw the Colossal again and his PTSD hit. Then him “dying” and being “reborn as a monster” solidified it. But exploration was his true goal and you can see that because it’s the thing that actually gets to him when he passes out later on. Not revenge for Carla, but seeing the outside world.
Armin’s eyes are clearly dark in the manga (i.e. not blue) since they’re shaded in.
Chapter 5 - A Dull Glow in the Midst of Despair
Bro wtf there’s a Titan that’s crawling??? Creepy.
The anime really glosses over a lot of the violence.
Omg Armin was a baby here. Look at them eyes.
Connie is such a sweetheart and so underrated. He’s always helping others.
I really like how Armin dissociates from shock here. People are always going on about him not noticing Eren emerging from Santa Titan, but he literally didn’t regain consciousness until Connie snapped him out of it. I really appreciate how Isayama put in a variety of realistic ways in which people cope with war and violence. I don’t get why some people say he didn’t portray much of that.
Damn, Ymir was so harsh here even though she had a point about the pampering. Still, that comment about Armin not being worth it was too much. Connie does say she was “clowning around more than usual” though so maybe this was her way of motivating Armin and coping with the situation? I like how Connie tells her off for being insensitive though.
Ah yes, lesbian love from the very beginning, all the way back in chapter 5. Look at Historia blushing. Also, people always say she never reciprocated any of Ymir’s feelings, but she never rejected her either?? She just wasn’t as outspoken about it lol. Her reaction to losing Ymir is indicative enough of her feelings.
Armin getting triggered by Connie offering a hand :’( Again, his insecurity was coming through.
The whole “this world is cruel” theme is a major part of the story. Rereading has made its accuracy sink in even more for me. Nature literally revolves around “survival of the fittest”. The strong outdo the weak. That’s just the way it is. I feel like with the level of technology and convenience we live in though, most humans have forgotten that. That’s why I really love Major Gross’s speech. Took me a while to understand it, but it’s so honest and accurate.
This part always hits me right in the feels :’( But also ha @ the people who say “Eren was useless even as a kid”. Look at him taking on two bullies at a time. He was able to hold out on his own just fine.
This part actually shows that Armin chose to enlist in the SC (at least originally during the Disbanding Ceremony) because he idolized Eren and Mikasa. Which makes sense because even before the Fall of Shiganshina, he didn’t actually want to enlist.
Wow I just realized I’ve never seen a closeup of the hooks before. Cool!
Ugh that scene with Hannah and Franz gives me goosebumps every time. It’s such an impactful and haunting moment (the setup is AMAZING), especially in the manga which actually shows you everything fully (also I think this is the only time in the manga where we see any mouth/mouth action, even if it’s not really kissing). It shows how people can deny what’s right in front of them as a coping mechanism.
Wow I can’t believe Dimo Reeves was introduced all the way back in chapter 5... I wonder if Isayama always planned on using him for the Uprising arc. Same with Louise... I love how Isayama brought back characters that most people wouldn’t look twice at.
Reeves was such a dick though, especially when he said that stuff about the cargo being worth more than the people. Also, he was so dumb. How the fuck would that cargo fit through when it was clearly bigger than the entrance.
Holy shit dude, this guy in the beginning of the chapter was Louise’s dad! I wonder if he survived...
I still remember how my sister was predicting those kids (Louise and the siblings that were watching the SC when they were leaving for the 57th Expedition) would join the military later in the story and she was right.
Mikasa telling Dimo off...that was some good shit. I LOVE her lines here. “How could a corpse say anything?” Like damn girl.
Louis imprinting on Mikasa LOL.
Mikasa’s headache number 2: Mikasa and Louise “dedicate their hearts” > headache appears. I wonder if it was Mikasa’s subconscious knowing Eren wasn’t okay? So again, failure to protect him? On the other hand, I find it interesting that it was after she saw Louise “dedicate her heart” that she got the headache, just like in the recent chapters. In the Final Exhibition, Isayama pointed out that he meant for the pose to relate to Eren stabbing the kidnapper in the heart so it’s the trigger... But again, I wonder if it just makes her remember Eren rescuing her and the moment she bonded with him, and then that triggers the “failure to protect” instinct?
Hmm...the 844 panel for Mikasa’s flashback has a different design again. It’s just faded out...
I hate how the anime never showed Mikasa getting the tattoo here. How the heck are they gonna explain that part when it’s revealed post Marley? Also, it’s my first time noticing it’s on her right hand.
“How do you make a child?” DEAD.
Bruh, Mikasa’s dad says “speak of the devil” in reference to Grisha and there’s all those the Attack Titan potentially being the devil theories...I’m shook.
I wonder if Grisha was actually coming to check on Mikasa’s tattoo? Eren later on says that he came for a consultation... Or maybe it was just a regular checkup. Or her parents were interested in having another baby after all... :(
Eren is so cute and tiny ahhh I love him so much!!!
“Depending on what she does...” same the fuck. We love an insociable shy cutie.
Dude that roast by Grisha though....I’m still dead. (But also proof that Armin was Eren’s first friend I’m cry).
I wonder if Grisha actually took Eren along this time so that Mikasa could finally make a friend (he mentions how no other kids live around the area which means Mikasa probably had very little interaction with anyone outside her family up to that point).
Adfjasdf Eren looked so unimpressed with everything as a kid; look at his face in those panels 😂.
Mikasa’s home wasn’t in Shiganshina, was it? Because Shiganshina doesn’t have any mountains or a forest, so I’m guessing she was actually in Wall Maria?
This Current Publicly Available Information section is so interesting! Never realized there was a lake feeding the rivers on Paradis (which makes sense lol) and that bit about Wall Sina being on higher elevation. Also, Paradis being rich in natural resources was shared from the very beginning... :O Isayama really had all this set up. He’s amazing.
Chapter 6 - The World that the Girl Saw
Dude Eren witnessed death from the age nine too...seeing Mikasa’s parents dead wasn’t something light.
See, even Grisha noticed the peculiar expression on Eren’s face (!)...and there’s the emphasis on his eyes... I’m convinced Eren wasn’t 100% in control of his actions here. I think an AT will got passed to him through PATHS in this moment.
Ugh I can’t believe people have the audacity to accuse Grisha of arranging for Mikasa’s parents to be killed.
Holy shit those creeps talking about having sex with a 9 year old 😷. And then people have the nerve to hold what Eren did to those pieces of shit against him. They deserved to be brutally murdered when they were going around selling women into sexual slavery. Isayama really hints at all these horrible situations in real life throughout the story even if he doesn’t fully breach them.
I get the feeling that people who went along with Karl Fritz chose to do so willingly. I think Karl told them what he intended to do and then people segregated based on whether they wanted to go live on the island or not. He could have also not been 100% truthful about the memory swipe though. Either way, some of the families that supported him eventually changed their minds...So I think they disagreed with the whole memory swipe bit.
Omg poor Mikasa, that whole scene with her parents is really horrible. No wonder she went in shock. And her mom died in such a brutal way. I actually cried a little during this reread.
I’m wondering...is Mikasa actually a reliable narrator for what happened with Eren during this scene? She was in shock, so she might have seen things differently. Like since she was scared, I think she pictured Eren differently until she got confirmation that he wasn’t planning on hurting her.
Eren’s acting here was on point though. Dunno why people hold it against him.
Although I think Eren was being influenced by PATHS here, I think adrenaline was another thing that kept him going.
Holy shit I just realized that Eren killed that guy the same way he killed Mikasa’s mom. JUSTICE!!!
Also woah Eren knew exactly where to aim...I wonder if Grisha ever taught him any medical/anatomy stuff.
That jump though. Is he a ninja 😂. Almost makes me think he was receiving some sort of powers like the Ackerman ones in this moment.
I agree with Eren about people who kill for oppression deserving to die.
In regards to the people who say it’s unrealistic for Eren to be able to kill someone at that age...9 year olds can have a lot more strength than you think (I would know since I have younger siblings). Also, Eren had the shock factor on his side. He wasn’t able to withstand the third dude.
Omg poor baby got kicked so hard :’( I really wonder what Carla’s reaction to all this was. Like Eren obviously showed up with a bunch of bruises and then there was also Mikasa.
Again, Eren’s quote and Mikasa’s moment of realization...you have to survive, it’s just the way the world is. I really love how Isayama portrayed this part. It shows the whole “natural selection” theme too well.
I think this is the moment that made her powers awaken; seeing the determination in Eren’s eyes. Because before that, she was still frozen up.
Omg Eren actually almost died here :’(
The reaction of the MPs reiterates the feeling that both Eren and Mikasa were influenced by something unnatural. We know about the Ackerman powers in Mikasa’s case, so it seems most likely that Eren’s was related to PATHS.
Grisha’s reaction 😭. I love how he stresses that Eren shouldn’t have disregarded his own life like that. He wasn’t mad at him for killing those sad excuses of human beings, but that he risked his own safety like that. Such a huge contrast to how he put Zeke’s life in danger by enlisting him in the Warrior program. I really love his development, and imagining what was going through his mind in that moment...he was probably thinking back to Faye and Zeke :’( Actually, the whole Mikasa situation probably really reminded him of Faye’s death.
Omg Eren has such a big heart. When he says “but I wanted to help her quickly”...😭 He’s been selfless from the very start. Always helping others who need it.
Grisha says here that he met Mikasa several times when she was still little...pretty sure he was working with the Ackermans. Or at least, they were informants that helped him locate the Reiss family and then they became friends on some level...
Eren’s way of wrapping the scarf around Mikasa 😂. That part is so cute and pure I’m cry.
Ah I think I see what that one anon was talking about. Isayama drew Mikasa’s bandage on the left arm in this one panel here which is wrong.
It was honestly so nice of Grisha to take Mikasa in...he didn’t have to.
Mikasa really changed post timeskip. She understood the cruelty of the world here but I feel like she started being unrealistic ever since the basement reveal...
Also, I think Mikasa’s problem is that she attaches herself and her worth to people around her. She improves a bit on this eventually, but I think that’s what she really needs to overcome now that Eren told her off. Also, I find her comment here a bit too accurate since without Eren, she would have never been able to do “anything” (like her powers wouldn’t have activated in the first place, she would have never enlisted, etc.).
Chapter 7 - Small Blade
Dude, those trainees were all kids... So easy to forget that sometimes, but their reactions are all too realistic.
I understand the stance of that one dude who killed himself. It’s faster to die that way than to be eaten alive. But that poor girl who was beside him and witnessed that...(I wonder if she even survived though...).
Poor Connie and Sasha. They were doing their best to motivate people but no one wanted to listen to them.
Ugh, those traitors! And poor unsuspecting Marco, hanging out with his future killers.
Until who gathers around? The titans? More people? I never understood what he meant here... Also, Marco’s lines are so deep. He has a point.
I always found it weird how Mikasa approached Annie here when they weren’t even close... Even Annie looked surprised. Maybe she preferred her over her other options lol.
I kinda feel like Mikasa didn’t show much concern for Armin before? Like she was always all “Eren”. She didn’t ask about him and only remembered him when Annie mentioned his presence... I mean later on she doesn’t give up on him which was sweet but yeah.
Omg Armin no :’(
Wow, I just realized that Eren and Armin both watched each other “die”...Armin when Eren got eaten and Eren when Armin got burnt. And now Eren “died” again...does this mean Armin will too...?
Bro I was literally hearing the anime audio while reading this part.
Everyone was so shook here but RBA’s reaction makes me so angry (although you can see Annie really cared). Especially Bertolt when he already tried to kill part of that squad while they were on canon duty.
Omg I love Mikasa’s “motivational” speech here. It’s so funny. She wasn’t wrong though about being stronger than everyone lol.
Lol @ Jean bringing up Eren at every point...same though. I believe he understood that Mikasa was referring to Eren’s legacy when she repeated that quote because he goes “it’s your fault Eren”.
Speaking of which, I do think Eren was Jean’s main trigger that got him to start fighting and develop into a better person. Eren was that voice of reason that started to crack through to him during training, but it wasn’t until he witnessed the reality of their situation that he admitted Eren was right. And the reason why I think Eren was his trigger here is his look of shock at Eren’s “death” and then “Eren...this is your fault”. (Also, this was an anime-only scene where Eren spoke to Jean before they left for battle but I really appreciated its addition. It reiterated all of this).
One of the main themes in the story is how the world is cruel and always will be but that there are beautiful parts to it that make it worth living for, like love and kindness and freedom. And Eren was that beauty in life for Mikasa when she lost all of it.
The Attack Titan’s debut!!!
I believe the title of this chapter refers to the blade that Mikasa fought back with in both instances and I find that really cool. I really like the chapter titles, they’re always so well thought-out.
Mikasa admiring Eren...same. (He looked so peaceful while dreaming here, although he woke up crying 👀).
“I’m sorry, Eren...I can’t...give up” makes it sound like Eren would have wanted her to die with him? Is this a translation mistake? Or maybe I’m just reading it wrong.
Eren literally saved Mikasa’s life, he taught her to cherish it and fight for it...how do people not see how good of a character he was from the start? People just focus on him being sad and angry over what happened in Shiganshina instead, although he was completely justified in feeling that way.
Mikasa definitely loves Eren separately from the Ackerbond. She was able to find herself after he “died” here...unlike Levi who just spiralled down when Erwin died. I think that’s good enough proof that her Ackerbond isn’t the sole reason she cares for Eren.
This scene was just so beautifully executed. It gives me so many goosebumps. (I remember some hoe complaining about how Eren “ruined” Mikasa’s moment of development by interfering here though. Like bro, do you think she actually would have done any damage against that Titan? Her moment wasn’t ruined, you just want to hate on Eren for no valid reason).
Chapter 8 - Roar
Eren is literally the “fury of the human race incarnate”. I love that description. Also, this moment was so beautiful, both in the manga and the anime.
Omg this kill is still one of my favs.
Connie literally dived here I’M DEAD.
I like how Mikasa admits to her own faults here. She is a good soldier and comrade when she’s not too busy obsessing over Eren.
I love these kind of panels where the facial expression progresses.
Bro, what’s this Titan doing? Taking a break? 😂 Also wtf there’s a bald Titan?
Jean was being smart when he used the deaths of those people as a get-away...it was still a horrible situation though :(
Jean’s monologue here...I love it. If it weren’t for that one last line, I would have thought he meant Eren was right about this being their reality. Maybe he did mean it that way still, but that last line implies that him thinking they could get away in this moment was the illusion he was chasing.
Lol I call this the “nani” scene thanks to the anime. Also, I just realized that the anime adapted the manga pretty well up to this point.
Bro, the Colossal Titan is so huge...a 15m Titan doesn’t even reach its knees! It’s so hard to wrap my head around sometimes but when I compare the Titans to the height of buildings around me, I get really scared.
Chapter 9 - The Beating of a Heart Can be Heard
Connie @ Reiner...same. And Annie looks so done with Reiner’s shit. Same.
Why was Marco not part of the seven that shot the Titans when he ranked higher than Connie and Sasha?
Wait, the slash is supposed to be 10 cm wide...? Is that how thick the blades are? It’s more than I realized... I don’t know why they always looked so thin.
I’m convinced this is legit.
Sasha is so cute wtf, apologizing to that Titan.
I love this moment between Mikasa and Sasha.
SHUT UP REINER! What did you want Annie to do here? You literally said it yourself; if one person failed, you’d all die. Fucking hypocrite. I hate how he’d always hound Annie’s ass.
Eren saving everyone since Trost 🐸☕️. LOOK AT HOW MANY TITANS HE KILLED ON HIS OWN HERE.
I wonder if part of Mikasa felt that Eren wasn’t quite dead yet/sensed his presence inside the AT? And that’s why she kept looking back at it? She does say she was thinking they could use it to solve their problems but who knows.
Dude I’ve watched this part in the anime so much I’m literally hearing all the soundtracks and voice acting while reading it.
Another favourite kill. Also, Reiner and Bertolt SHOOK.
I love this part...so many emotions, and RBA’s reactions...they were probably wondering how this meant Eren was a shifter this whole time and whether he knew and was pretending otherwise like them. Also, this was their first time seeing the Attack Titan...I’m guessing they assumed that’s who this Titan was since they’d never seen it before.
You know, RBA’s reactions really didn’t stand out of place because it looked like they were just shocked to see a human controlling a Titan like everyone else. Isayama set up everything so well.
Eren has such pretty and long lashes??
When Mikasa starts bawling...and Armin’s reaction...my heart 😭.
Eren is so gorgeous wow.
Damn right he did Jean.
To me, the title of this chapter actually refers to the emergence of hope, not just the literal meaning of Eren’s heart beating.
