The enemy of my enemy is still my enemy.
Creative Staff
Story/Art: Hajime Isayama
Translation: Ko Ransom
What They Say
“DO YOU THINK THIS WORLD HAS A FUTURE?”
Thanks to Eren’s timely arrival, the 104th has managed to turn the tide at Wall Rose. But this momentary victory forces two more traitors into a corner – and the identity of the Titans who have been destroying the walls is revealed! What can Eren do against the two most dangerous monsters humanity has ever faced? And who else might be an enemy in disguise?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
What a mess. In the last volume of Attack on Titan we learn of the greatest betrayal, that two of the 104th are actually the most dangerous titans currently known to mankind. The only thing standing between their escape is Eren, but their whole goal is to take Eren with them.
The large majority of this volume is a brawl. The mere mortal humans can only stand back and shout advice to Eren on what moves to make. The real problem Eren is facing is a lack of experience. He is severely outmatched by his opponent at almost every turn, and he can’t even draw upon what he does know of hand to hand combat instinctively at this point. In the end, he can’t hold out against two experts.
The author is still overusing and abusing non-linear storytelling. At the climax of the brawl he skips ahead to the end of it, which does nothing to heighten tension or speed along an already lengthy battle. It’s a weird choice to make, and it doesn’t even save much on panel time since he still has to go back and illustrate the end of the fight. I sincerely doubt that when this battle is animated they’ll keep that weird jump in place, unless it ends an episode.
I find it interesting that Mikasa almost emotionally retreats at the end of this volume. After all she’s been through you’d think she was stable and confident, but even she has her limits. Her dedication to the cause is ferocious, her determination is second to none, but if anything ever happened to Eren permanently, where would she go? Armin is actually the most rational of the bunch, and he has to deal with two friends who are both terrifying in their own way.
Hope comes from the most unlikely place for both of them. The closest thing to a father figure for these kids is an old drunken soldier, and Hannes arrives to give them a brief but effective pep talk. Grim determination sets in for Armin and Mikasa. They corps has a plan to catch up with the traitors before they can escape, but as usual it’s a risky plan.
Meanwhile, the mystery of why all of this is going down continues to be drawn out. The lengths at which the two former colleagues went to hide themselves or justify their actions have taken the sort of mental toll you’d expect. One even has a split personality because of it. I’m starting to think that no secret reason could ever begin to rationalize this war, and it’s clear at this point that for Eren it no longer matters. The raw emotion of the scene where Eren looks at the two whom he once trusted with his life and calls them mass murderers is visceral.
We come so close to getting at the reason for all of this when Ymir starts formulating a hypothesis involving the ape titan. She knows just enough about both sides to figure out what might be going on, but it’s a secret which is worth not just her life but Krista’s as well. Ymir’s loyalty is now put to the test, and the volume ends on the cliffhanger of will she or won’t she remain on Eren’s side?
In Summary
Eren might now be firmly in control of his titan form, but that doesn’t automatically mean he can take on all comers. The holders of the keys to this mystery still aren’t letting loose with any of their well guarded secrets, and I’m loosing patience. The one person who might have been able to clue is in has clammed up, hoping to cut a deal with a couple of terrorists. Now it’s up to the rest of the cast to attempt to rescue Eren, but that’s easier said than done. I wonder how many will make it back alive from the next attempt.
Content Grade: B
Art Grade: C
Packaging Grade: B
Text/Translation Grade: A
Age Rating: 16+
Released By: Kodansha Comics
Release Date: January 28th, 2014
MSRP: $10.99
Are you ahead of the latest chapters? Or do you only read the book volume?
I’m only following the collected volumes. I know that Crunchyroll probably has the latest chapters up, but I prefer going in fresh for the volume stuff I review. It keeps it fresh in my mind and is easier to write about.