#aot chapter 131

[melishade]

Is Chapter 94 is meant to be your rebuttal towards what Isayama was trying to convey to his readers through AoT? It certainly feels like that considering you have Primus of all bots spinning a more positive outlook of Eren’s conclusion about life outside of the walls.

It's a little bit more complicated than that.

One of Isayama's main themes of AOT is that 'there's cruelty and beauty in the world'. Another theme Isayama punctuated is that so long as people exist, there's always going to be conflict.

Now I say this as a manga reader, when the chapters were dropping on a monthly basis, there was a lot of speculation on what would happen next and how the story would end. There was a sketch of Grisha holding baby Eren and Isayama had stated that the sketch was the last panel of AOT. A lot of people thought that Eren would succeed in the Rumbling, a lot of people thought that the kill count among the alliance was going to be higher. There was a lot of speculation and expectation, considering Isayama's own writing ability. But when chapter 139 dropped nearly everyone agreed that everything felt rushed, save for Levi's ending and farewell with the Survey Corps. When Isayama later said he was going to release 8 additional pages, many thought that the eight pages would elaborate on some of the things that were definitely not clear or felt rushed. Like Ymir's love for Fritz, Eren allowing Bertholdt to live and inadvertently killing his mom, his main motivation for doing everything he did, etc. But the last eight pages were more of an epilogue to a rather rushed ending, emphasizing the cycle of hatred and conflict is something that would never end. I can't speak for the anime watchers. So far I've seen that their reactions to the ending of AOT have been positive, possibly because Isayama made a few tweaks here and there, although I have seen a few criticisms of the anime ending, mainly that it felt rushed.

So when reading the manga and those eight pages, I did get what Isayama was going for when it came to the cycle of violence being never ending, even without the power of the titans. But many felt like they didn't get closure with their main cast members, some thought characterizations were rushed or even botched (I can point to the infamous Eren scene as an example of the contention between people who liked and hated that moment.) We never really got a full run down on how the power of the Founding Titan worked, specifically with Eren saying that he was able to see past, present, and future. Personally, I thought he was just disassociating in chapter 131 because he was just killing a bunch of people and he knew it was wrong.

Because the ending felt rushed to many people, they didn't like the extra eight pages because they felt that it added nothing to the story. In fact many thought that it cheapened everything that Eren, Armin and co tried to achieve. In the anime, it look like it took a good hundred years, arguably I'd say 1,000 before conflict arrived on Paradis' doorstep once again. In the manga, it looked like it took two hundred years. It felt like everything the main cast did to obtain peace, however they did it off screen, amounted to nothing.

Because the ending of the manga felt rushed, one of Isayama's talking points that's he's been emphasizing had been missed: conflict will always arise and happen because people just exist. The cruelty and beauty of the world theme was still there, but execution of it near the end could have been better.

So going back to AOP, the way that I've been writing the end of the story has been both a rebuttal and an agreement with Isayama's ending. I've stated this before, AOP basically turned into what I wanted to see in AOT with giant Transformers from another planet, like expanding on the four year gap, seeing Hizuru, Eren's descent into madness instead of getting it through flashback. Because if Isayama did expand on these moments, I do believe that the ending might not have been met with a lot of division when it originally came out.

I did ultimately come to accept what Isayama was going for with the conflict will always happen situation, and it's something I did bring up when Primus was showing Armin all of these other timelines. Primus does believe that peace is possible, but it happens so rarely on a scale of infinite possibilities. And the peace that can be obtained, comes with great loss and sacrifice. So long as freewill exists, there will be both good and evil, and that is not something Primus can control, nor will he manipulate anyone to create an outcome that he believes is correct. I even have Primus acknowledge the arguments to his own beliefs, that living brings nothing but suffering and pain and only ends in death. But Primus still believes that people should be allowed to exist because they were born into the universe. The thing with Eren is that he hated those words coming out of his mouth. He hated the fact that Eren of all people was saying those words, especially since he wanted to use his gift of life to destroy others.

But going back to the world is cruel but beautiful message, it is reflected in Primus as he appreciates life and gives everyone in the Paths a second chance and believes that the small moments in life are worth living. This message is also reflected in Armin Arlert who, despite the fact that he's learned that alternate timelines exists, still believes in a world where peace is possible. Because despite his flaws and imperfections as a human, Armin believes in hope and that without it, then everything up until now would have been for nothing. Isayama does this with Armin in chapter 137 when he's talking with Zeke in the paths and convinces him of the importance of living. But it felt...off that Armin was able to convince Zeke so quickly to help out with stopping the Rumbling.

Basically my thoughts and feelings towards Isayama's writing of AOT is this: I get it. I see the vision you were going for. However, I do believe that it could have been conveyed better. I don't know how good of a job I did. I guess I'll find out when I finish AOP.

And sorry if my thoughts might seem a little bit scrambled. I don't know if my analysis is the best. lol

[aotopmha]

what do you think about the "it's because i'm an idiot. an ordinary idiot who gained power." line the anime added to eren and armin's conversation? it's funny to me how some people interpret it as isayama degrading eren's character to "being an idiot" as if it was the only reasoning eren had for his genocide. media literacy is at an all time low.

AoT is probably the story I have seen have the most bad faith readings.

Yes, I'm pretty active talking about it and participating in the community surrounding it, but even then it feels like it's one of the most commonly misread stories in manga and anime.

And it's all because Isayama (most likely) said some dumb stuff back in 2010/2014.

Every time I see that stuff now I have that tweet in the back of my head. People bend over backwards to make the story fit that tweet.

When in reality if Isayama said it and meant it, he probably didn't make a connection between it and the story he was telling.

If you've ever written anything *you know* how easy some connections are to miss and not to think about.

This story has clumsy enough thematic stuff for me to believe that he said some stupid shit 10 years ago without understanding the issues with it and the connection it has to his story.

Tweets generally ain't some super deep thought out stuff, just spotaneous thoughts, positive, negative, anything inbetween.

But going back to the main bit of the ask, I actually don't also see Eren's sole motivation being "an idiot with too much power" as an issue, lol.

Because that describes a lot of powerful people.

It's not – he also did it to save his friends, to free everyone from the Titan curse and because he was messed up in the head by an ancient parasite and its time travelling powers.

(With maybe just a touch, a sprinkle of a destructive impulses and strong opinions about freedom in there garnishing it all, maybe. He still stabbed a guy at 6 without any hesitation.)

Also the world not fitting the mold he wanted it to fit into, an aspect of himself he was terrified of or the massive amount of guilt he had about killing all of the people he saw he was about to kill.

Or the entire dichotomy of young Eren's idealism and old Eren's horror at what he is going to do. Chapter 131 is some great stuff.

(Eren is a mess of motivations that's fantastic in my opinion.)

People tend to focus on a single aspect of a character or story or any aspect of a piece of media if they dislike it or if they want to put it in a box fitting to them.

But Eren also absolutely is an idiot. The fact that he's loser trash, but also complex is the good part to me.

So jokes on them? An idiot with too much power is great, actually.

Thank you for the ask!

[rosypastry]

Isayama really said "Let me make a quick shoujo moment amidst some kids getting stomped on by some BIG ASS feet" huh.

[wwa435]

Damn Armin took Bertholdt’s Titan AND his crush😳

[bileforgirls]

2 best boys getting emotional for 2 surprised best girls. they understand hisu & annie the best, anyway, same energy, immaculate taste.

[dorovahkiin]

My 131 coloured pages, RIP Ramzi and Halil :(

[hhonbun]

sweet dreams

[flamingo24]

THE ARUANI IN THIS CHAPTER OMG

[ereminist]

131 is where aot ended lol

best chapter

[harunokazesblog]

T_T

[sa-tou]

another thing I cannot make sense of

Why the fuck did we need chapter 130 where Historia asked Eren how he would feel like if she had a kid, think about it. If Historia is just platonic friend of Eren, why would she ask HIM in particular? I’m no EreHisu shipper, but if there really wasn’t anything between them (like him being the father) then she could have asked ANYONE out of the 104 right? Because I believed in the rebirth of Ymir theory, where all the shifters die and Ymir is born free in a world where no titans exist and the rumbling didn’t kill 80% but 100% of the world’s population (genocide is still fucking horrible, but at least with a full rumbling the world wouldn’t be able to go after Paradis anymore, thus Eren actually keeping Armin and Mikasa safe).

Also, again I’m NO erehisu shipper, so do not spam my inbox with me being a erehisu Stan, the only ship I ever cared for in this fandom was Levihan and Fingerstein. But anyways, Eren’s endless love for Mikasa...where did this start? The only time we caught on he liked her was when he asked her what he meant to her, but other than that what else? Everything he was kind to her it was the same as his love for Armin, heck even his actions towards Armin seemed more romantic. He treated Mikasa like shit nonstop (yeah to have her distance herself, which she didn’t anyways) to all of a sudden sell us the idea that he killed 80% of humanity including his own mom for Mikasa to be able to move on? for his friends to die anyways because they are 50 years behind in technology and 20% of a world’s population is still a lot more than all the people of Paradis + Marley... even 5% of the world population is more than Eldians left on the earth, no titan powers no advanced technology, yeah once the world wants revenge they’re dead.

Also Armin thanking Eren for genocide, get fucked.

dude the more I think about it, the more I dislike this ending, I have a feeling that Isayama changed the end to cater to specific romance fans and Kodansha, he didn’t even take the time to write an end note or whatever, makes me think even he doesn’t support this ending.

[bitandbytes]

Chapter 131 Discussion

FREEDOM IS EREN’S PRISON

*Manga spoilers ahead*

This will be a long post, bear with me.

Woke up to see Chapter 131 is out and I felt sick and disturbed after reading it. We are entering the end game and the tension is real...

The irony...

At this point, we got a clearer view on Eren’s ‘rumbling’ motive. It is no longer ‘saving the Eldians’, but his own selfishness, his own obsession. 

He knew what he is into. He knew that his decision on mass-killing is wrong. He’s trying so bad to justify his view “This is the right thing to do” “There are no other way”. He’s trying to ease his own feeling of guilt. This is human emotion, Eren just had it the more ‘extreme way’.

But this panel, somehow it just showed that he had the power to change the future, which he rejects. He forces himself to believe that the future cannot be changed, while in reality, he was the one who choose ‘that’ future to happen. 

He saw Ramzi (the boy from the market) got bullied in the alley and chose not to save him because he felt guilty for things he hasn’t even done yet. This shows that he is not trying to change the future, he is not trying to do a ‘greater good’. He felt he is/will be a monster, so why bother acting like a good person? It’s sad to see that he hated himself for it. He is capable of feeling emotions, yet too blinded by his obsession.

Next panel - The Rumbling Scene

These made me sick, to point I felt like throwing up.

I really felt like I was on that setting, running away from the sea of titans. Seeing all those Eldians and non-Eldians running away was suffocating. Who’s Eren trying to save? 

Then Eren’s confession. It felt like someone is pouring gasoline on fire. 

HE WAS DISAPPOINTED..

He was disappointed that there are humans outside the walls, which is a very absurd way of thinking coming from someone who was fed on a knowledge that ‘humanity has gone extinct outside the walls’. At this point, he is irredeemable. Personally I think he felt conflicted on the inside, doing what’s right vs what he wants.

Child Eren looking towards the wall just gave a whole new meaning. For me, somehow the walls symbolizes Eren himself. He is caged by his own obsession on freedom. He was trapped in his own mind. A child sees the world in black and white. As you grow up, you got to see that there is a ‘gray area’, there are things to compromise, that the world is full of possibilities. However, Eren sees the world like how a child sees them.

I first thought that Eren was only blinded purely by hate. But this chapter shows that it is not solely on hate that keeps Eren moving, it is his ‘dream’ and jealousy. Kenny’s last word “Everyone had to be drunk on something to keep moving on” hits me, again.

He is jealous that these people outside the walls (Eldians & Non-Eldians) gets to taste ‘freedom’, that they are the most free. Jealousy is a common trait for a child, but as we grew older we start to become rational. However, Eren is stuck on this phase, not wanting to grow up. I think this is why child Eren is the one who narrates his ‘mind’ out loud.

Next Panel - Armin

It was nice to see Armin and Annie’s interaction. I wasn’t able to enjoy it 100% with the stress I got from the previous pages. Armin and Annie are adoooorableeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! But I felt like it will be tragic, both of them being a titan-shifter with the 13 years Ymir curse......

Okay back to the topic.

Armin knew that he has done tons of irredeemable things, that he is not a ‘good person’, that he has became a monster a long time ago. But he is not using it as a reason to do more ‘bad choices’. 

Yes he is disappointed that the outside world was different from what he believed in. It was different from the book that he read. But he grew up. He acknowledges that things doesn't always end up the way he wants it to be. He’s disappointed but he believes that there are still other things that they don’t know yet. There is still a bright future ahead of them, despite the conflicts they’re having now.

Here we see the contrast between Armin and Eren’s perspective. Eren got stuck in his black and white world. Whereas Armin believes that there are other possibilities, that there are something more, a lot of things they haven’t explored. This as I explained before, shows that Armin grew up, but not Eren.

I think it’s clear that Attack on Titan won’t have a ‘happy ending’. I don’t see Eren coming out alive from this war. Armin who narrates the story from the beginning of the story, might be the one who survives from this battles. It will be a bumpy road ahead and it’s gonna be a tragic ending for sure.

Despite the stress this chapter has given me, I want to say that Isayama did an awesome job. 

Note. Its interesting because Armin’s perspective is more likely to be the ‘lead character’ point-of-view, whereas Eren is the ‘second-lead’ or the ‘lead-antagonist’ point-of-view. Yet in this manga, we see it the other way around.

WAIT I JUST REALIZED SOMETHING... THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE OUT ON OCTOBER? SO I HAVE TO WAIT FOR ANOTHER 2 MONTHSSS??? UGH THE WAITTTTT

Pretty sure the wait will be worth it! We’re entering the end game everybody! Brace your seat! Isayama’s gonna rockkk our world!

Edit: next chapter is coming in a month, apparently Chapter 131 is on September Issue, so Chapter 132 will be on October Issue! My bad :p

[isarart]

I finished this humble fanart of Aruani from SNK chapter 131 😔

Ignore the rubbish coloring and if there're some mistakes ignore them also 🚶🏻‍♀️💔

[brbarou]

i give in to a morbid fantasy, death to a billion families

[hanaisoo]

FREEDOM

[sucubuss-art]

Divine 🔥 | snk 131

T w i t t e r: sucubuss_art