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The problem I think with aruani-- or at least with a fair chunk of aot's readership not seeing the appeal of it-- is the same problem with most parts of aot that people don't get; the development and inevitable canon goes hand-in-hand with the overarching themes of the story
It doesn't particularly matter that we didn't get to see every emotional shift in Armin's feelings or that we never saw Annie outright admit that she spared his life because he was a weakness of hers... what matters are the consequences of those actions
two enemies stayed their hands to the detriment and eventual downfall of their missions only for what seemed regrettable at the time to culminate, eventually, in an allyship that ends up saving the world...
The idea is that a small act of mercy, an outstretched hand of understanding, an act of kindness that can either be years of companionship or even just a feeling of empathy... can smooth over, sometimes, what seemed unbridgeable, what seemed like a foregone conclusion
I think critics focus too much on what wasn't shown without taking into account a) that this is a bio mecha war drama and b) what WAS shown-- and what was shown was that armin and falling in love is the most literal embodiment of the moral of the story
Which is that conflict will always exist, but that something unexpected and good and even beautiful can happen if we choose to be brave and compassionate despite that damning inevitability... that each other's stories are worth hearing out. That love is sometimes all you need.
