#aot139spoiler #aot139spoilers #aot139 #AttackOnTitan #aotchapter139 #aotspoilers

Thoughts on the final chapter below:

I have mixed feelings towards that final Attack on Titan chapter. Some things I loved, some things just felt random and shallow. And me feeling mixed about it is disappointing, because that isn’t really the ending the rest of the story deserved. I wanted to adore ALL of it.

I don’t think the chapter was some travesty, nor do I think it betrays the story, but I wish I felt a bit better about it.

But it’s already grown on me despite the flaws and hopefully I’ll be able to appreciate the ending more & more as time goes on, we’ll see how it goes.

I read the unofficial translations last night, really didn’t like it and couldn’t make sense of a lot of stuff, and decided to wait until the officials before making a conclusion.

Despite still being disappointed by some things, officials definitely made me feel better about it.

I really like the conclusions for Armin and Mikasa, and I’m fascinated with that overall idea of freedom not being this tangible, achievable thing but rather a pipe dream that enslaved Eren. True, idealized freedom that they all dreamt about was always a false horizon.

These lines now hold a lot more extra meaning. They echo for Eren throughout the entire story in a variety of contexts and it’s excruciatingly sad.

The “freedom” our characters have at the end is a much more interpretive, subtle one than anyone really hoped for. But the key is that it does provide them with hope for the future, which was never the case with the status quo unchanged.

And the parallels between Ymir and Mikasa make a ton of sense, I didn’t understand at first but it’s no wonder at all that she saw herself in Mikasa and was happy with her grasping her own life and personal freedom. They were both enslaved by love, and Mikasa broke free.

I loved Levi’s conclusion too + seeing Gabi and Falco grown up, and I think the final message is quite fitting, bittersweet and powerful. Can’t say I enjoyed the fakeout deaths (VERY cheap), the conclusion for Historia (baffled at that, tbh), Reiner’s ending, stuff like that.

There were quite a few things that make me tilt my head and seem out of place, unfulfilling and/or ineffectual, but I don’t really want to get too much into negatives and maybe I’ll change my mind on them as the dust settles. Something I really DID like is that -

Eren’s actions are framed as exorbitant, pointless and the result of a broken mind shackled by a devastating “destiny.” Despite Eren wanting his friends to become heroes, Eldia is still hated by humanity’s remnants & conflict remains. But the Titan curse is gone, and that’s key.

As long as humanity exists, there will be strife. But the figure of Helos has been put to rest, and now there is real hope for understanding and cooperation where there was none before. & they’ll work towards that. It’s grim yet hopeful & I think that’s a nice sweet spot tonally.

Also - side note - seeing how devastated Mr Braus was at the violent, still-nationalistic state of the Yeagerists’ Paradis was desperately sad and illustrates just how broken the world still is.

But the thing is, Eren KNEW that it was a possibility that this wouldn’t end conflict. Which makes his actions feel even more shackled and futile in a way.

Eren’s plan was not to wipe out all of humanity except for Paradis, it was to wipe out enough so that it gave his loved ones a fighting chance even if the world still opposed them afterwards while stopping the endless subjugation.

And he did that, but there’s still an air of “that’s it?” around his goals that’s put forth by the story through Armin, and I think that’s quite clever. I dunno, there is lots to think about with regards to all of that.

Armin calls it all a mass error and does not thank Eren for the act, but rather the sentiment. He can’t conceptualize the depths of Eren’s pain, but he knows he has a good heart and appreciates that, despite needing to oppose him. The nuance there is very key.

Like I mentioned, there’s a thin sliver of light there now where there wasn’t before, that hope for mutual understanding, and that is very much significant and something worth holding on to and investing in for our protagonists.

Also, Eren’s corny dialogue was kinda cringe but it humanizes him in a beautiful way, I think. He’s just as confused, lame and dorky as always, and that’s comforting in a way. And it’s very sad to get confirmation that he loved Mikasa like that right before the end.

Yet - A loving hug from Armin, an embrace from Mikasa, and in the end, Eren is free from a life that he was cursed to constantly fight against. Hopefully finally unbound, and I think that IS the case as symbolized by the bird at the end (the bird is NOT actually Eren btw).

Anyway, regardless of any of that, Attack on Titan has been & will continue to be a huge part of my life, and the story has provided me with so much joy and fulfillment. #ThankYouIsayama for everything, and regardless of my thoughts I hope that he felt satisfied with this finale.

Throughout, AoT has consistently been a benchmark in emotional storytelling and I’m very melancholic now that it’s finished. Me not adoring everything about the ending doesn’t change that. Still a strong favourite, there’s no way it could not be after what it’s given me.

Last thing - please be respectful. I’m not interested in tolerating rudeness, regardless of whether you think I’m being too forgiving or that I’m wrong for not thinking the chapter is 10/10.

I’m really looking forward to how the adaptation handles the final act, & I hope you guys enjoyed the ending. This is might be brazen but maybe this thread helped sort your feelings out on a few things. That’d be cool, because writing it definitely helped me a bit.