1:07:06 There's an interesting detail in the manga that's lost in the translation When Ymir says "Ape," it's witten with the Kanji form 猿 (pronounced Saru), which is the japanese word for "monkey" However, when Eren says the word later on, it's written in the Hiragana form さる (Sa Ru), which indicates that he's only copying the sound of what Ymir just said but doesn't understand its meaning In other words, Eren doesn't know what a monkey is
that makes so much sense wtf. i've always been wondering why he says that in the anime. thought that maybe there were monkeys in the forests or something since they're in 'madagascar.' thanks for mentioning
A small mention to Gelgar. The poor man just wanted a drink before he went out, but the last bottle was emptied while disinfecting Reiner's bite wound. Reiner, who can regenerate.
In that last scene with Mikasa telling Eren how much he helped her, I believe she thought they were going to die. She was injured and he couldn’t transform. So she wanted to say how she felt in their last moments.
Which makes Eren's decision more powerful imo. Instead of him giving into weakness and just kissing her like the cliche thing would be to do, he instead stands up, willing to fight again. Because he wants to make sure they have more chances for him to wrap that scarf around her again. A stark contrast from how he was two seconds ago when he was at one of his lowest points as far as how weak and useless he feels.
I think the reason mikasa's speech worked for me is that its basically Mikasa giving up and choosing to tell her feelings at their last moments before they die, cuz you gotta remember Mikasa is gravelly injured, the scouts decimated and no one knows anything about the control power, so it was basically the end for them, so you might as well just confess your feelings
This whole story is amazing on rewatch, when you know everything... But I don't think any character gets more elevated when you know everything like Bertholdt... The more I think about Bert the more I just love his character... The writing of this story is so Godly
You're right about the anime when it comes to Mikasa. The anime added a lot of unnecessary scenes of Mikasa just saying eren while also cutting more subtle scenes of her whereas in the manga she's a more reserved character, cool af but also a child who wants to protect her family but doesn't know what to do with the fact that family keeps being taken away and how to process that. "Eren keeps leaving us behind" if thats the narrative that eren needs to be taken away by his own will or through these external forces, Mikasa is a character who's desperately fighting against the narrative of the story.
Hard disagree, Lost in the cruel world OVA is the episode that really adds nuance and dimensionality to Mikasa's character (which a lot of people tend to ignore and I'd say is as important part of Mikasa's character as No regrets is for Levi, not to mention it foreshadows things) and not any of these changed aspects of her character in the anime.
This is a legitimate criticism against WIT Studio for making changes to Mikasa as a character (mentioning this because of the general criticism against Mappa that ignores WIT's shortcomings)
I always understood the moment where Mikasa and Eren make their confessions to one another during the final confrontation of this season to be because they both literally thought they were going to die in that moment or very soon after. Even Eren's punch he threw was just a last gasp of life. He had no idea the result that followed. That's why this scene works for me personally, because they couldn't have helped anyone or themselves. The only thing they could do was speak to one another.
he wanted someone to understand the situation they were in and then there was a shot of ymir face basically hinting that SHE DOES KNOW what they are going through and thats the reason she sacrificed herself in the end
Without any spoilers, you had a wrong deduction there. When you said: "Shifters don't age the moment they become shifters" That is wrong based on what info you currently have. Eren got his serum shot from his dad when he was very young. He aged and discovered his titan power as a teen. Reiner says in his betrayal speech: "we were just kids, we didn't know anything". The "aging freeze" happened in another point of the titan process.
Yeah, I feel so dumb when I watch her videos because I tend to take things face value and miss lots of subtle things. Meanwhile Merphy is spending ten minutes analysing the consistency of liquid on a titan in one panel in case it means something.
@@CdotB_ That's right. ********SPOILER ALERT******** She spends time focusing on the heat of titans. Though it's not the clue, she's on the right track to focus on the secret of the titans. *********SPOILER OVER**********
Not since Harry Potter have I been so obsessed with a book. I laughed, I cried, I paced back and forth. I backed into my drier without realising it while reading and knocked a vase off a shelf. I got so much joy out of the manga and am incredibly grateful
The Vlogs are great. You're doing exactly what fans want to see which is give your progressing thoughts, whether they are right or wrong and just genuinely enjoying yourself. I 100% think that season 4 will end up being your favorite but who knows.
AHHH, I love watching Merphy experience the Reiner rollercoaster! He was one of my favorite characters and I REFUSED to suspect him to the very last second. Every time something suspicious happened I found a way to rationalize it, like "He's just worried about Connie, he's trying to keep him focused." And then he just says it. And my entire world starts spinning. So watching Merphy spin here was super cathartic.
It's so refreshing to see someone experience Attack on Titan for the first time and having such a blast. I've just got one question, maybe one of the discord members has more info. Towards the end of the vlog when talking about Ymir, it almost seems like Merphy may have missed the ymir backstory scene in episode 10. I may be wrong and she just didnt elaborate on it, but for such a thorough theorist it seems slightly odd that she didnt speculate about its potential importance. Otherwise, I am super excited for Merphy's thoughts on season 3 onwards and hope she continues having such a good time experiencing this story
@@heitorgodinho4560 Jesus Christ, that's a bad placement. No, as much I dislike the changes thas has been done to AOT S1 through 3, this is NOT one of them.
because prior to s3 p2 the primary watchers was still anime fans who are used to certain gimmicky or other tropes of predictability with female characters, aot was already straying away from their familrity
I love the analysis of this series but god I am excited for the 3 hour plus ramblings when we get to the moment that recontextualised the whole story and all what comes after it xD
I interpreted the last scene between Mikasa and Eren not only as her reassuring him but also it seems she was giving up on her life cause she was injured and couldn’t save them and it all looked hopeless so she wanted to say the last thank you to him.
and also because eren literally said to himself that he is worthless and cant save anyone and then mikasa reminded him that he did saved someone it was her
Kinda suprised she didn't mention Ymir's flashback at all. It explains the whole goddess thing and why she is so determined to have Historia not pretend to be someone else, plus it teases so much info
@@Coeaxe Wow, sorry but its placement in the anime is better in my opinion. It makes Ymir backstory more emotional and adds a lot to the world building.
We know people are waiting for Merphy's reaction to "that" reveal.. And seeing Merphy going *_"What do you meannnn??!!!"_* about 30 times is worth it haha 😆
It’s really interesting seeing Merphy trying to figure it out, since I binged the whole story in one sitting I didn’t have the time to mull over all the information.
I thought the same for Mikasa at first when Hanes died, but after rewatching it, I had a different opinion. I feel like Mikasa saw everything fall down and she was wounded as well. It was a moment that she thought: we're all going to die, I have to tell Eren before it ends. But Eren realizes what Mikasa meant, she gave up. He turns back because he refuses to give up, even in the most desperate situation. It's something that is established numerous times. - Mikasa is strong but gives up rationally when everything seems like a failure. (When she was a kid and got kidnapped, when she was ready to die in ep.6 after Eren seemingly died, she kind of gave up on the wall before Hannes gave them a motivational speech) - Eren is irrational and will NEVER give up (His mom's death, his final fight against Annie, Trying to transform to save Hannes even after ripping off his flesh with his teeth) Mikasa often saves Eren physically but Eren often saves her from despair. That point is super important in the whole series from the beginning to the end. Also, another point to keep in mind for Eren is how his trust over his comrades evolves. The failure of Levi's Squad against Annie, the betrayal of Reiner and Berthold, all the death of his people due to him being capture. All of that is very relevant for the future. AOT build up narrative threads in a fabulous way.
As someone who has finished the series. You mentioned something that I would like to understand better. When you said." Mikasa saves Eren physically, but Eren saves her from despair," and the rest that paragraph. If you are willing, can you elaborate for me?
@nobody-br4rd I'm not sure if you thanked the right person because I was only asking a question for clarification. Unless UA-cam messed up and sent your reply to me instead of the right person. ( I'm also so new to UA-cam commenting that I'm not sure how everything works, so maybe replies go to everyone involved with the conversation? )
Yeah Ymir was lying when she pleaded Historia to save her. In typical Ymir fashion everything she was doing was for Historia's sake. But as we saw if Historia knew Ymir was doing it for her, she wouldn't agree to go and instead fight against it, as we saw she was telling Ymir to fight with them against Reiner and Bertholdt and come back to the walls. So Ymir flipped the story by saying actually she's the one who needs saving and that Historia coming with her outside the walls is what will save her, since Ymir knows if she says she's doing it to save herself then Historia will agree to go along with it since she values her above all else. Basically if, Ymir says she's selflessly kidnapping Historia her Historia's sake, then she won't go along with it. But if she says she's selfishly kidnapping her for her own self preservation then Historia will go along with it, since she values living for yourself and wants Ymir to live for no one else except each other.
1:31:50 I assume you missed this detail, cause you're entire "dislike" of the scene is based on that Mikasa can still fight, she has has broken ribs in this scene. You might remember when freeing Eren she got grabbed by a titan (and Jean saved her). After that, she really can't fight anymore. In the anime and manga she has trouble standing and walking. She even has a hand on her stomach for the rest of the episode/chapter. Eren even said "Not while you're injured" to try and stop her from helping Hannes and to instead free his hands. To me personally this makes the entire scene better. Everyone thinks they're going to die, mikasa can't fight, eren can't fight, noone can help them. If mikasa tries to leave eren is getting eaten immediately (not really sure how you're gonna run with broken ribs either but however). So, in their last moments, Mikasa want Eren to know he's not worthless. Her speach to me means so much more in these circumstances, and I was sligtly confused on why your opinion of this scene is the way it is in the video but I assume it's simply because you thought Mikasa wasn't wounded. You're entitled to your own opinion of course, but I heavily disagree with you on this one because of the reasons I stated above.
@@MrRenanHappyi think it’s because she stopped before the chapter where they discussed that Mikasa was injured and Eren puts her on the ground carefully so I assume she will get around it when she reads the next chapter
To go beyond the scene itself and more into themes, Mikasa’s whole thing is “the world is cruel but also beautiful”, so it’s fitting that in this moment she is choosing to see the beauty of her life and relationship with Eren while death and destruction is all around her.
@@gayanegasparyan4137 To be fair every reader or fan often gets something in their head, calls it a plot hole instead of thinking hey i likely know less than the author that trained alot of their life writing this. Lol. Haters of AOT are way worst. She noticed things on first watch many dont on 4. She also pointed out answers to the age old AOT is trash post season 3 debate. Brought on mostly cause what WIt assumed, and why they dropped it. Fans were becoming toxic and they didnt think they could live up to the over expectations and bad timing. I think the series is great when someone isnt yelling in your ear how bad it is.
One aspect of Hannes dying in the fight against the smiling Titan that is oddly heartening in a way is it confirming for him and the audience that he made the right decision all those years ago. It wasn't just him being cowardly or selfish, he saved the lives of people under his protection to the best extent that the situation allowed for. I reckon that not knowing whether perhaps he could have done more in that moment must have eaten away at him, and in his end perhaps his eyes, instead of pain, signal relief or elation as he looks at the lives he managed to protect (a bit head-cannony, but I think it's cool).
That is an interesting interpertation of his last look. I moreso thought it to be a form of silent communication with Eren and maybe Mikasa also as if to say I hope I redeemed myself in your eyes.
just want to point out that Mikasa did that whole speech due to her not being able to fight anymore because of her injury and she thought that they were going to die
Spoiler below: There's another hint like this. The way Reiner and Ymir talks about an ape/monkey and Eren looking completely puzzled by what they're saying. First you think he's confused becouse he didn't see the beast titan but it had a double meaning. Eren doesn't even know what a monkey is, so it's like they're speaking a completely different language.
I love your theories and ramblings as you go on through the series, Merphy. I love the way AOT can give you a character or moment you think isn't going to be brought up again only for it to suddenly be the center of a scene(hi Berturtle). The reveal of Reiner and Bartholomew is genuinely one of my favorite reveals ever due to how casual it is. And S2 just made me love Ymir, Historia, Reiner and Bertolt so much. Especially Ymir. I always find myself rewatching her backstory every so often.
I don't agree with your point about how Mikasa's speech to Eren "wasn't at the right time" since in her mind it was the only and last time she'd be able to say it. Her ribs are crushed and she can't move, Eren can't transform and is screaming into the ground in pure helplessness, Hannes is dead, no one is around to save them anymore. In her mind these are their last moments and their lives are gonna end with Eren screaming and crying about how useless he is. So she tells him that's not true, that he did have an impact, that he saved her and changed her life in so many positive ways. Since she thinks they're about to die, she wants Eren to die knowing that he was useful to her and loved by her. It wasn't a rallying cry or a speech meant to motivate him to do something, since by all logic there was nothing to be done at that point. No one could have predicted Eren unlocking a magical, unknown power at that moment. That's why when Eren gets up, it's not a rejection of her feelings and what she was saying but him affirming that he's not going to let them die here. She thanked him for wrapping that scarf around her when they were 9 years old, so he promises her in that scene that he'll wrap it around her as many times as it takes for the rest of their lives.
Loving this series of videos. It is great watching you go through each of these volumes. As someone who has finished the series, it is great to go back through it all. Pick up on small stuff that I missed and you saw, as well as see the story building. Keep it up. Thank you.
“Eren doesn’t seem to remember either.” It seems to have gone unnoticed here. I remember screaming when I first read that! My brother thought I went crazy. Oh well, it will get spelled out for you later.
I read the manga month per month as it was coming out. When the Riener reveal came out I remember rereading that part back to back like seven times because I couldn’t process what I was reading.
I'm am thoroughly enjoying these feedback and reflection as soon as you finished watching or reading a chapter. Not gonna lie, kinda wish we can get a real-time reaction of you when you first encounter all the twists. That would be epic! 😂
Without giving spoilers, I think you might want to give the episode "Children" from the anime another watch - particularly Ymir's flashbacks. There are some nuggets of information there that might answer or give a different context to a couple of the questions you mentioned at the end. It sounds like the manga doesn't have that sequence in the corresponding volume, and Children is a pretty dense info-dump episode. So be warned you might get two new questions for each answer. Great reaction/review series - loving both the short and long format videos.
Love Love Love your analysis!! I do disagree with your point about Mikasa during the “Scarf” scene during the battle, but other than that, your points are so incredibly astute & we’ll formulated. I live for these types of discussions of AoT!! I need season 3 Like Yesterday!
Hey Merphy, I never saw Hannes' death the way you did! I always considered that he failed,, but your interpretation is so much better. He didn't fail, by not killing the Smiling Titan, but actually succeeded, by standing up to her! thank you Merphy!
I love hearing your theories and ramblings because there’ll be some stuff that you get completely spot on or on the right track and then hyperfixate on Eren’s sweat or liquid or whatever. It’ll be interesting to see how your anime then manga experience goes with season 3 specifically the first half as it’s the part of the story that is the most different/changed in the anime compared to the manga. Tons of stuff got changed, rearranged or cut because Isayama wasn’t super happy with how the next arc turned out in the manga but I’m actually not as big on a lot of the changes (specifically what they cut). Can’t wait for the next review and of course the next vlog!!
1:25:00 i loved this section, also i liked how by the way of the shadow of the tree behind Merphy moved while the time passed in this recording, she must haved been talking for a least 1 hour straight, i love how she alows no matter how long she takes her full [ at least, most off] thoughts, it takes resilience to do this. kudos!
I find Mikasa's speech to Eren a parallel to her "The world is cruel yet also beautiful" dialogue to Eren. Every time Eren is unable to mentally bring himself together, he needed some words of encouragement to move forward. If Mikasa wasn't there to for Eren, he would have never had the will to fight Annie in s1 or kill the smiling titan in s2.
As someone who (up to a certain point) only had watched the anime I remember being like "man mikasa is so much cooler when she reels it back with the _eren_ "
1:31:52 see that's the thing. I know it has been said to death, but she physically couldn't leap to action, her ribs were broken, she really thought "we're going to die here, might as well get my feelings off my chest" and largely she was correct, had eren not had the power of ""bs"" on his side they would have been toasted
I agree, realistic they would have died there. The fact that Eren touched the royal Titan and discovered the coordinates is so farfetched so Mikasa was so real for telling him her true feelings but it seems some do not get the reality of that scene at all lol
watching you go through this series with fresh eyes made me relive the feeling I had while reading it the first time. So much nostalgia! Thank you, Merphy!
Please keep making more of these vlog style reviews, I love them more than the actual reviews! Makes me feel like I'm reading with you as we go along the story!
I think mikasa gave the speech at the end was because her ribs got crushed by the titan and she couldnt really fight anymore. It was the "see you at the other side" farewell confession before dying. Not because nows the time 😅 Can this uploaded as a podcast onto spotify? Would love to listen to this while going for a walk
Season 2 is highly underrated by a lot of fans, but it may just be my favorite full season because how much it builds up the mystery and intrigue of the show. 😬😬
I really hope Merphy makes reaction videos to her own videos after she finished the series. It would be so entertaining to see her reflect on her theories 😂
Great videos it's really fun to see you persception and understanding of the aot world unfold. There is one big misconception though that I wanted to clear up: The walls weren't built to protect humanity from the titans. They were built to protect the titans from Levi. 😅
I know I'm jumping farrrrr into the future, but when the credits finally roll on the last episode you should have it so you're able to read the lyrics. If not in the episode itself then right after on UA-cam, I'm sure you'll be able to find it. Really cements the themes the story is going for
The only thing I have to add to this video that I think Merphy may have missed is Ymir flashback scene? I'm pretty sure that was in season 2, Merphy does mention she did turn into Titan via syringe. I just feel like perhaps we've skimmed passed a section that helps with understanding her character and maybe a few other things to do with the general world-building
Seeing someone experience AOT for the first time is such a joy. Merphy's speculation reminds me of all the theories that were coming out when this was being released monthly. Good times man. S1 - S3 of AOT was something special.
I feel like I’m Walter White handcuffed in the car yelling that’s it’s a trap
Lmao I’m sure Merphy won’t get the reference cause she doesn’t watch TV apparently 😂😂😂
I haven’t watched the video yet but this is hilarious
yesss
@@gayanegasparyan4137 Someone adapt Breaking Bad into a manga asap:
ua-cam.com/video/pOcg-AdC2Y8/v-deo.html
At 27:45 right?
1:07:06 There's an interesting detail in the manga that's lost in the translation
When Ymir says "Ape," it's witten with the Kanji form 猿 (pronounced Saru), which is the japanese word for "monkey"
However, when Eren says the word later on, it's written in the Hiragana form さる (Sa Ru), which indicates that he's only copying the sound of what Ymir just said but doesn't understand its meaning
In other words, Eren doesn't know what a monkey is
that makes so much sense wtf. i've always been wondering why he says that in the anime. thought that maybe there were monkeys in the forests or something since they're in 'madagascar.' thanks for mentioning
Yep! The equivalent *translation* would be Ymir saying something like "that monkey" and Eren replying "uh... mun-kee?"
Omg this makes so much sense
A small mention to Gelgar. The poor man just wanted a drink before he went out, but the last bottle was emptied while disinfecting Reiner's bite wound. Reiner, who can regenerate.
I never saw the irony 😂
"The world is a cruel place"
I can maybe forgive Reiner for the Genocide, but What they did to mah boi Gelgar, Never 😤
In that last scene with Mikasa telling Eren how much he helped her, I believe she thought they were going to die. She was injured and he couldn’t transform. So she wanted to say how she felt in their last moments.
That was my interpretation also
Yep. That's exactly the time for that speech.
Her glimse of beauty amongst the brutal violence going on.
Which makes Eren's decision more powerful imo. Instead of him giving into weakness and just kissing her like the cliche thing would be to do, he instead stands up, willing to fight again. Because he wants to make sure they have more chances for him to wrap that scarf around her again. A stark contrast from how he was two seconds ago when he was at one of his lowest points as far as how weak and useless he feels.
Exactly same conclusion for me too.
I think the reason mikasa's speech worked for me is that its basically Mikasa giving up and choosing to tell her feelings at their last moments before they die, cuz you gotta remember Mikasa is gravelly injured, the scouts decimated and no one knows anything about the control power, so it was basically the end for them, so you might as well just confess your feelings
"Or maybe Ymir just has just has a good skin care regime" cracked me up Merphy 😂
That "Please, someone find us" moment from Bertholdt always brings a tear to my eye on a rewatch/re-read
This whole story is amazing on rewatch, when you know everything... But I don't think any character gets more elevated when you know everything like Bertholdt... The more I think about Bert the more I just love his character... The writing of this story is so Godly
Bert is so underrated. His other cry for help is even more heartbreaking.
You're right about the anime when it comes to Mikasa. The anime added a lot of unnecessary scenes of Mikasa just saying eren while also cutting more subtle scenes of her whereas in the manga she's a more reserved character, cool af but also a child who wants to protect her family but doesn't know what to do with the fact that family keeps being taken away and how to process that. "Eren keeps leaving us behind" if thats the narrative that eren needs to be taken away by his own will or through these external forces, Mikasa is a character who's desperately fighting against the narrative of the story.
Haven't heard this so well put ever!! Thanks for sharing.
Yeah it’s the most unfortunate thing about the anime making people see her as so one dimensional that haven’t seen the difference in the manga
Hard disagree, Lost in the cruel world OVA is the episode that really adds nuance and dimensionality to Mikasa's character (which a lot of people tend to ignore and I'd say is as important part of Mikasa's character as No regrets is for Levi, not to mention it foreshadows things) and not any of these changed aspects of her character in the anime.
This is a legitimate criticism against WIT Studio for making changes to Mikasa as a character (mentioning this because of the general criticism against Mappa that ignores WIT's shortcomings)
Really enjoying this Vlog style, especially for Attack on Titan.
I always understood the moment where Mikasa and Eren make their confessions to one another during the final confrontation of this season to be because they both literally thought they were going to die in that moment or very soon after. Even Eren's punch he threw was just a last gasp of life. He had no idea the result that followed.
That's why this scene works for me personally, because they couldn't have helped anyone or themselves. The only thing they could do was speak to one another.
"I don't know if everybody is traumatized or trying to gaslight Connie!"
Yes
Bertholdts "find us" I always interpreted as a cry for empathy rather than literally meaning of "find".
But thats just me.
Yeah. I love that line so much
he wanted someone to understand the situation they were in and then there was a shot of ymir face basically hinting that SHE DOES KNOW what they are going through and thats the reason she sacrificed herself in the end
Without any spoilers, you had a wrong deduction there. When you said: "Shifters don't age the moment they become shifters"
That is wrong based on what info you currently have.
Eren got his serum shot from his dad when he was very young. He aged and discovered his titan power as a teen.
Reiner says in his betrayal speech: "we were just kids, we didn't know anything".
The "aging freeze" happened in another point of the titan process.
Merphy is such a smart reader. Her ability to form good theories, even when they are wrong, surpasses the average AoT fan by far.
Yeah, I feel so dumb when I watch her videos because I tend to take things face value and miss lots of subtle things. Meanwhile Merphy is spending ten minutes analysing the consistency of liquid on a titan in one panel in case it means something.
Beautiful and smart
@@CdotB_ That's right.
********SPOILER ALERT********
She spends time focusing on the heat of titans. Though it's not the clue, she's on the right track to focus on the secret of the titans.
*********SPOILER OVER**********
"what do you mean???!!!!"
I love it
Not since Harry Potter have I been so obsessed with a book. I laughed, I cried, I paced back and forth. I backed into my drier without realising it while reading and knocked a vase off a shelf. I got so much joy out of the manga and am incredibly grateful
The Vlogs are great. You're doing exactly what fans want to see which is give your progressing thoughts, whether they are right or wrong and just genuinely enjoying yourself. I 100% think that season 4 will end up being your favorite but who knows.
It's crazy how many clues you noticed or got right. I'm sure it will make the reveals even more satisfying
AHHH, I love watching Merphy experience the Reiner rollercoaster! He was one of my favorite characters and I REFUSED to suspect him to the very last second. Every time something suspicious happened I found a way to rationalize it, like "He's just worried about Connie, he's trying to keep him focused." And then he just says it. And my entire world starts spinning. So watching Merphy spin here was super cathartic.
It's so refreshing to see someone experience Attack on Titan for the first time and having such a blast. I've just got one question, maybe one of the discord members has more info. Towards the end of the vlog when talking about Ymir, it almost seems like Merphy may have missed the ymir backstory scene in episode 10. I may be wrong and she just didnt elaborate on it, but for such a thorough theorist it seems slightly odd that she didnt speculate about its potential importance. Otherwise, I am super excited for Merphy's thoughts on season 3 onwards and hope she continues having such a good time experiencing this story
Maybe she hasnt watched it, on the manga it only happens when historia reads her letter in s3 (volume 22)
She probably skipped that episode becouse we get Ymir's backstory much later in the manga.
@@heitorgodinho4560 Jesus Christ, that's a bad placement. No, as much I dislike the changes thas has been done to AOT S1 through 3, this is NOT one of them.
The sad part about anime Mikasa is that they cut some of her dialogue from the manga which upsets all of us , no idea why it was done :(
because prior to s3 p2 the primary watchers was still anime fans who are used to certain gimmicky or other tropes of predictability with female characters, aot was already straying away from their familrity
I love the analysis of this series but god I am excited for the 3 hour plus ramblings when we get to the moment that recontextualised the whole story and all what comes after it xD
When Mikasa gives the scarf speech, to me it's like she accepted they would die there, those were intended to be her last words.
Ah, yes, the "home town"💀
Ymir: "Let's go beyond the walls where nobody hates you because of who you were born as!"
Me: ...
The warrior village
I interpreted the last scene between Mikasa and Eren not only as her reassuring him but also it seems she was giving up on her life cause she was injured and couldn’t save them and it all looked hopeless so she wanted to say the last thank you to him.
and also because eren literally said to himself that he is worthless and cant save anyone and then mikasa reminded him that he did saved someone it was her
I always interpreted mikasas talk with eren as her way of saying goodbye.
Also, she was hurt. So she wasn't able to help others in the moment either.
Kinda suprised she didn't mention Ymir's flashback at all. It explains the whole goddess thing and why she is so determined to have Historia not pretend to be someone else, plus it teases so much info
Maybe she was told to skip that part of the episode because it's not in the manga until later
@@loganshalloe5927 Really? When does this scene happen in the manga?
But this scene works better in the anime 😢Isayama was the one who told the studio to make that change .....@@loganshalloe5927
@@scythe9734 chapter 89, when Kruger and Grisha were talking on the wall so after RTS & basement reveal
@@Coeaxe Wow, sorry but its placement in the anime is better in my opinion. It makes Ymir backstory more emotional and adds a lot to the world building.
26:17 omg I am LOVING this. The talk about reiner Berthold and their brotherly bond. ❤
Will keep on listening to this. 😁
We know people are waiting for Merphy's reaction to "that" reveal.. And seeing Merphy going *_"What do you meannnn??!!!"_* about 30 times is worth it haha 😆
It’s really interesting seeing Merphy trying to figure it out, since I binged the whole story in one sitting I didn’t have the time to mull over all the information.
I love these ravings of a mad woman. I love hearing AoT theories, symbolism, and lore talk.
I thought the same for Mikasa at first when Hanes died, but after rewatching it, I had a different opinion.
I feel like Mikasa saw everything fall down and she was wounded as well. It was a moment that she thought: we're all going to die, I have to tell Eren before it ends.
But Eren realizes what Mikasa meant, she gave up. He turns back because he refuses to give up, even in the most desperate situation.
It's something that is established numerous times.
- Mikasa is strong but gives up rationally when everything seems like a failure. (When she was a kid and got kidnapped, when she was ready to die in ep.6 after Eren seemingly died, she kind of gave up on the wall before Hannes gave them a motivational speech)
- Eren is irrational and will NEVER give up (His mom's death, his final fight against Annie, Trying to transform to save Hannes even after ripping off his flesh with his teeth)
Mikasa often saves Eren physically but Eren often saves her from despair. That point is super important in the whole series from the beginning to the end.
Also, another point to keep in mind for Eren is how his trust over his comrades evolves. The failure of Levi's Squad against Annie, the betrayal of Reiner and Berthold, all the death of his people due to him being capture. All of that is very relevant for the future. AOT build up narrative threads in a fabulous way.
As someone who has finished the series. You mentioned something that I would like to understand better.
When you said." Mikasa saves Eren physically, but Eren saves her from despair," and the rest that paragraph. If you are willing, can you elaborate for me?
Your comment gave me a new perspective on AoT ending that I failed to see. Thanks.
@nobody-br4rd I'm not sure if you thanked the right person because I was only asking a question for clarification. Unless UA-cam messed up and sent your reply to me instead of the right person. ( I'm also so new to UA-cam commenting that I'm not sure how everything works, so maybe replies go to everyone involved with the conversation? )
@tjws255 yes notification goes to everyone involved in a convo.
@nobody-br4rd OK, thank you. That's good to know.
Yeah Ymir was lying when she pleaded Historia to save her. In typical Ymir fashion everything she was doing was for Historia's sake. But as we saw if Historia knew Ymir was doing it for her, she wouldn't agree to go and instead fight against it, as we saw she was telling Ymir to fight with them against Reiner and Bertholdt and come back to the walls. So Ymir flipped the story by saying actually she's the one who needs saving and that Historia coming with her outside the walls is what will save her, since Ymir knows if she says she's doing it to save herself then Historia will agree to go along with it since she values her above all else.
Basically if, Ymir says she's selflessly kidnapping Historia her Historia's sake, then she won't go along with it.
But if she says she's selfishly kidnapping her for her own self preservation then Historia will go along with it, since she values living for yourself and wants Ymir to live for no one else except each other.
Yep.
1:31:50
I assume you missed this detail, cause you're entire "dislike" of the scene is based on that Mikasa can still fight, she has has broken ribs in this scene. You might remember when freeing Eren she got grabbed by a titan (and Jean saved her). After that, she really can't fight anymore. In the anime and manga she has trouble standing and walking. She even has a hand on her stomach for the rest of the episode/chapter. Eren even said "Not while you're injured" to try and stop her from helping Hannes and to instead free his hands.
To me personally this makes the entire scene better. Everyone thinks they're going to die, mikasa can't fight, eren can't fight, noone can help them. If mikasa tries to leave eren is getting eaten immediately (not really sure how you're gonna run with broken ribs either but however). So, in their last moments, Mikasa want Eren to know he's not worthless. Her speach to me means so much more in these circumstances, and I was sligtly confused on why your opinion of this scene is the way it is in the video but I assume it's simply because you thought Mikasa wasn't wounded.
You're entitled to your own opinion of course, but I heavily disagree with you on this one because of the reasons I stated above.
Kind of weird she missed that considering she read and watched it
@@MrRenanHappyi think it’s because she stopped before the chapter where they discussed that Mikasa was injured and Eren puts her on the ground carefully so I assume she will get around it when she reads the next chapter
To go beyond the scene itself and more into themes, Mikasa’s whole thing is “the world is cruel but also beautiful”, so it’s fitting that in this moment she is choosing to see the beauty of her life and relationship with Eren while death and destruction is all around her.
@@gayanegasparyan4137 To be fair every reader or fan often gets something in their head, calls it a plot hole instead of thinking hey i likely know less than the author that trained alot of their life writing this. Lol. Haters of AOT are way worst. She noticed things on first watch many dont on 4. She also pointed out answers to the age old AOT is trash post season 3 debate. Brought on mostly cause what WIt assumed, and why they dropped it. Fans were becoming toxic and they didnt think they could live up to the over expectations and bad timing. I think the series is great when someone isnt yelling in your ear how bad it is.
"eren always leaving us behind" "I think this is foreshadowing of what to come" ......................oh boy...this hits hard
"Gaslighting my boy Connie" 😅
One aspect of Hannes dying in the fight against the smiling Titan that is oddly heartening in a way is it confirming for him and the audience that he made the right decision all those years ago. It wasn't just him being cowardly or selfish, he saved the lives of people under his protection to the best extent that the situation allowed for.
I reckon that not knowing whether perhaps he could have done more in that moment must have eaten away at him, and in his end perhaps his eyes, instead of pain, signal relief or elation as he looks at the lives he managed to protect (a bit head-cannony, but I think it's cool).
That is an interesting interpertation of his last look. I moreso thought it to be a form of silent communication with Eren and maybe Mikasa also as if to say I hope I redeemed myself in your eyes.
23:42 Merphy impersonating Ymir being a jerk cracked me up lmao
just want to point out that Mikasa did that whole speech due to her not being able to fight anymore because of her injury and she thought that they were going to die
The herring bit is sooooooo good and deep and even sets up something for season 3 lol
Spoiler below:
There's another hint like this. The way Reiner and Ymir talks about an ape/monkey and Eren looking completely puzzled by what they're saying. First you think he's confused becouse he didn't see the beast titan but it had a double meaning. Eren doesn't even know what a monkey is, so it's like they're speaking a completely different language.
I love your theories and ramblings as you go on through the series, Merphy. I love the way AOT can give you a character or moment you think isn't going to be brought up again only for it to suddenly be the center of a scene(hi Berturtle). The reveal of Reiner and Bartholomew is genuinely one of my favorite reveals ever due to how casual it is. And S2 just made me love Ymir, Historia, Reiner and Bertolt so much. Especially Ymir. I always find myself rewatching her backstory every so often.
How are you still copy pasting the same comments after all these years?
@melf5057 This is quite literally an original comment but go off I guess
@@alexinator-hh5fe im sorry
I don't agree with your point about how Mikasa's speech to Eren "wasn't at the right time" since in her mind it was the only and last time she'd be able to say it.
Her ribs are crushed and she can't move, Eren can't transform and is screaming into the ground in pure helplessness, Hannes is dead, no one is around to save them anymore. In her mind these are their last moments and their lives are gonna end with Eren screaming and crying about how useless he is. So she tells him that's not true, that he did have an impact, that he saved her and changed her life in so many positive ways. Since she thinks they're about to die, she wants Eren to die knowing that he was useful to her and loved by her. It wasn't a rallying cry or a speech meant to motivate him to do something, since by all logic there was nothing to be done at that point. No one could have predicted Eren unlocking a magical, unknown power at that moment.
That's why when Eren gets up, it's not a rejection of her feelings and what she was saying but him affirming that he's not going to let them die here. She thanked him for wrapping that scarf around her when they were 9 years old, so he promises her in that scene that he'll wrap it around her as many times as it takes for the rest of their lives.
Yeah I'm pretty sure Merphy missed the fact that Mikasa can't move because her ribs are broken, I've seen many people miss that.
I hope people who read the comments for Merphy are gonna show her your comment cause this is perfectly said !
A 1000%!!
@@enoobis8651If her ribs are broken, she would not be able to talk.
@@AnimeCriticalthat’s not true
Loving this series of videos. It is great watching you go through each of these volumes. As someone who has finished the series, it is great to go back through it all. Pick up on small stuff that I missed and you saw, as well as see the story building. Keep it up. Thank you.
“Eren doesn’t seem to remember either.” It seems to have gone unnoticed here. I remember screaming when I first read that! My brother thought I went crazy. Oh well, it will get spelled out for you later.
these documentaries are going to be so valuable to whenever im thinking about the series in the future. thank you merph.
I read the manga month per month as it was coming out. When the Riener reveal came out I remember rereading that part back to back like seven times because I couldn’t process what I was reading.
I'm am thoroughly enjoying these feedback and reflection as soon as you finished watching or reading a chapter. Not gonna lie, kinda wish we can get a real-time reaction of you when you first encounter all the twists. That would be epic! 😂
1:04:55 Reiner saves Bonney... And Luffy saves Connie 😂😂😂😂
I'm going to honest here and say that this is giving me chills because of what is about to come with the next arc 😭
I just love that Mike Zacharius, second only to Levi in strength, is just "that poor fella." Isayama really did him dirty lmao
Without giving spoilers, I think you might want to give the episode "Children" from the anime another watch - particularly Ymir's flashbacks. There are some nuggets of information there that might answer or give a different context to a couple of the questions you mentioned at the end.
It sounds like the manga doesn't have that sequence in the corresponding volume, and Children is a pretty dense info-dump episode. So be warned you might get two new questions for each answer.
Great reaction/review series - loving both the short and long format videos.
She didn't watch it exactly becouse it spoils things in the manga. Gives away too many answers way too soon.
I love both styles of videos on SNK. keep them coming :)
Love the long style discussions ❤❤❤
You are so attentive to detail, so many things you picked up just flew above my head the first time. It is really entertaining to watch.
Love Love Love your analysis!! I do disagree with your point about Mikasa during the “Scarf” scene during the battle, but other than that, your points are so incredibly astute & we’ll formulated. I live for these types of discussions of AoT!! I need season 3 Like Yesterday!
I know this is an incredible story because of how close Merphy gets without getting the answer quite right
Hey Merphy, I never saw Hannes' death the way you did! I always considered that he failed,, but your interpretation is so much better. He didn't fail, by not killing the Smiling Titan, but actually succeeded, by standing up to her! thank you Merphy!
Love these ramblings!! You may want to split seasons 3 and 4 into two parts each because there is so much to talk about 😅
Love hearing your thoughts! It’s like experiencing the series for the first time again through you.
I'm really enjoying hearing your thoughts so far.
I love hearing your theories and ramblings because there’ll be some stuff that you get completely spot on or on the right track and then hyperfixate on Eren’s sweat or liquid or whatever.
It’ll be interesting to see how your anime then manga experience goes with season 3 specifically the first half as it’s the part of the story that is the most different/changed in the anime compared to the manga. Tons of stuff got changed, rearranged or cut because Isayama wasn’t super happy with how the next arc turned out in the manga but I’m actually not as big on a lot of the changes (specifically what they cut). Can’t wait for the next review and of course the next vlog!!
I cannot wait for her to get farther and eventually finish this series
Love hearing these more rambling type videos
1:25:00 i loved this section, also i liked how by the way of the shadow of the tree behind Merphy moved while the time passed in this recording, she must haved been talking for a least 1 hour straight, i love how she alows no matter how long she takes her full [ at least, most off] thoughts, it takes resilience to do this. kudos!
I find Mikasa's speech to Eren a parallel to her "The world is cruel yet also beautiful" dialogue to Eren. Every time Eren is unable to mentally bring himself together, he needed some words of encouragement to move forward. If Mikasa wasn't there to for Eren, he would have never had the will to fight Annie in s1 or kill the smiling titan in s2.
As someone who (up to a certain point) only had watched the anime I remember being like "man mikasa is so much cooler when she reels it back with the _eren_ "
Season 2 has so much information and it can be hard to miss them since future reveals will clear things up better.
1:31:52 see that's the thing. I know it has been said to death, but she physically couldn't leap to action, her ribs were broken, she really thought "we're going to die here, might as well get my feelings off my chest" and largely she was correct, had eren not had the power of ""bs"" on his side they would have been toasted
I agree, realistic they would have died there. The fact that Eren touched the royal Titan and discovered the coordinates is so farfetched so Mikasa was so real for telling him her true feelings but it seems some do not get the reality of that scene at all lol
s1 -s2 only 1 day has passed
watching you go through this series with fresh eyes made me relive the feeling I had while reading it the first time. So much nostalgia! Thank you, Merphy!
Eren couldnt transform and his spirit was broken. Mikasa was injured so she thought this would be their last moment thats why she told him all that
how can she be so right and so wrong at the same time!? I love it.
Please keep making more of these vlog style reviews, I love them more than the actual reviews! Makes me feel like I'm reading with you as we go along the story!
I think mikasa gave the speech at the end was because her ribs got crushed by the titan and she couldnt really fight anymore. It was the "see you at the other side" farewell confession before dying. Not because nows the time 😅
Can this uploaded as a podcast onto spotify? Would love to listen to this while going for a walk
Thank you so much Merphy for sharing your AOT's investigations and your love about its storytelling ! It's really enjoyable !
I really liked the Mikasa scene.
“It sounds like wiping out humanity was some sort of revenge for some reason.” Bam! Right over the target.
Season 2 is highly underrated by a lot of fans, but it may just be my favorite full season because how much it builds up the mystery and intrigue of the show. 😬😬
Season 2 isn't underrated because it's the most hyped season to the fans.
1000000% agree.
@@D__634 S3P2???? Huh???
@@mesacboy7939 what?
@@D__634 season 3 part 2 is by far the most hyped by fans
I LOVE these breakdown videos! Can’t wait for the next one
The opinion that anime Mikasa does nothing but shout "Ereh" is VERY prevalent lol
Yep they did her character dirty in that regard
man, you should really give everything a reread after you're done with the manga, you're gonna appreciate how great the storytelling in this manga is.
I really hope Merphy makes reaction videos to her own videos after she finished the series. It would be so entertaining to see her reflect on her theories 😂
I personally VERY interested in these vlogs, so thank you cuz hearing you theorizing is super fun.
Its always fun watching you go through a series. Im super excited for the next one
woo this is so fun to watch after just finishing the series
I LOVE LOVE THESE RANTS. So glad you are continuing doing these!
These are perfect for my long drives! Thank you keep em coming!
Great videos it's really fun to see you persception and understanding of the aot world unfold.
There is one big misconception though that I wanted to clear up:
The walls weren't built to protect humanity from the titans. They were built to protect the titans from Levi. 😅
I know I'm jumping farrrrr into the future, but when the credits finally roll on the last episode you should have it so you're able to read the lyrics. If not in the episode itself then right after on UA-cam, I'm sure you'll be able to find it. Really cements the themes the story is going for
You were sorta able to tell that Ymir was lying when talking to Historia
The only thing I have to add to this video that I think Merphy may have missed is Ymir flashback scene? I'm pretty sure that was in season 2, Merphy does mention she did turn into Titan via syringe. I just feel like perhaps we've skimmed passed a section that helps with understanding her character and maybe a few other things to do with the general world-building
flashback scene is anime only
@@tx6723 She is watching both.
@@tx6723yes and she should’ve already seen it by the end of s2
@@tx6723 no it's not, it was just moved forward from a point later in the manga
@@tx6723it isnt anime only, but it happens way later in the story when Historia reads Ymirs letter in volume 22 (the one he gave to Hange)
Very much enjoyed listening to this while doing my 1 hour cardio and reliving attack of titan. Keep it up :)
Aot is a goat. The intrigue mystery foreshadowing and reveals are on another level. You havent even gegun ti unciver stuff yet. Its so cool
Seeing someone experience AOT for the first time is such a joy. Merphy's speculation reminds me of all the theories that were coming out when this was being released monthly. Good times man. S1 - S3 of AOT was something special.
I love this style of video!
Hearing Merphy say “I’m cooked” is the best thing ever
12:50 also please show her this clip when she knows because this thought is scarily close to
I can't say anything but I am loving these. Maybe I should start taking notes on your theories and then post them in your final episode of this series
OMG CANNOT WAIT FOR THE LATTER SEASONS!!!
been waiting for these videos for 2 weeks omfg thank u
1:03:50 like Tugg Speedman when he played “Simple Jack”… he told Kirk Lazarus he had to learn to do things normal again