I had to make one more comment after reading some of the earlier posts b/c I don’t think many readers appreciate the beautiful and bittersweet story this is! I posted this as a reply to another perfectly worded thread, and I decided to share it again as an independent post! (☆▽☆) Enjoy!
I see some people are rambling on about how the ending was a letdown and conjecturing how the ending should have been in their opinions or how it was full of holes! (︶︿︶) Well, tbh I don’t think many commenters understand what it meant for Eren to choose the path that he did! Albeit a painful and bloody one, he chose the path that would lead to his own friends’ and the Eldian’s happiness, even if it meant him sacrificing himself and the world for the cause! (´; ︵ ;`) From the beginning, Eren thought the only way to be free was to “FIGHT” and he did… from his hometown bullies to killing Mikasa’s kidnappers to combating the titans and then to deciding to destroy whoever was not Eldian. That was the TRUE EREN JAEGER… angry, selfish, and determined… a fighter till the end!
I think people forget that they were only children when they were conscripted into the military b/c it seemed like so much time had passed. But in reality, they were just teenagers who never got to have a childhood after the age of 9 or 10 when the story began… where afterwards they didn’t experience what healthy relationships were b/c of the harsh environment they lived in after the titans first attacked and never really knew how to express their feelings for each other beyond filial (brotherly) love! Mikasa loved Eren, and he loved and “despised” her at the same time. Some commenters make it seem as if saying, “I love you” ⁄(⁄ ⁄·⁄ω⁄·⁄ ⁄)⁄ and mean it from the heart happens as casually as saying, “Thank you!” ╮( ̄▽ ̄)╭ LOL If that’s the case, then “I love you” probably happens so often until it loses its power and no longer has meaning! Mikasa grew up with Eren and simply didn’t know how to describe what she felt for him… filial love vs erotica! Who was she supposed to talk to to differentiate between the two? Yes, Eren loved her, but he was just as confused about love b/c she was a girl he grew up with that always bossed him around. It was bad enough that she was like a sister that was better than him in EVERYTHING, so he probably despised her a little bit… case in point, when his Attack Titan tried to kill her! Could have been a fluke… maybe/maybe not… who’s to say b/c he didn’t try to kill Armin? And then Eren felt like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders once he peered into the future, and then there was no room for his petty crush or being confused about love after that! At least that’s how he saw it b/c it would only hurt Mikasa more if he declared his love for her but still chose to sacrifice himself after that destroying the world. She would have been stuck in perpetual heartbreak if he did that, you cold heartless b@stards! (っ ^︿^;)っ
In the end, I believe Eren had a lot of proven character development, even if commenters didn’t like the finale! He went from being an angry, selfish, and determined boy - who didn’t know how to express love - to a young man who learned how to show his love! His sacrifice was the epitome of LOVE… for his family (Mikasa and Armin), for his friends (the Survey corps), and for the people of Paradis! Maybe the way he did it was not the “right way” to bring about peace for them, but he was thinking and acting like a 19 year old that was looking out for his people… basically with a one-track mind to save his loved ones! That was a lot of pressure, and he was just trying to make the world a better place for THEM to live in! The people of Paradis were caged birds all their lives, and they were targeted out of nowhere one day by people who sought to destroy them just because of their heritage. Eren and his friends wanted the same thing - FREEDOM, but he went to the extreme to make it happen! When he saw into the future, that’s when his personality drastically changed, and as a young man with tunnel vision, he began to isolate himself from his friends in order to steel himself for what he felt he must to do for their freedom! He didn’t ask them to join him b/c he didn’t want them to bloody their hands with the lives of innocent people, but he chose to take on the role of doing this atrocious deed so that his friends’ humanity remained intact. All in all, his actions came from a heart of love, irrespective of who else had to die for it to happen! Don’t pretend extreme circumstances wouldn’t make you think about doing something you’d never thought about doing before if it meant your loved ones would be safe and free from harm! ٩(๑❛ᴗ❛๑)۶ The fight or flight instinct is human nature, and you never know which one you will choose when your loved ones are in danger! Yes, Eren had issues, but he had character development along the way! Some heroes in these stories aren’t all good; didn’t you watch Deadpool 2? Eren’s character will forever be remembered… even his scream as the Attack Titan! LOL
Btw… How are people confused about the bird wrapping the scarf around Mikasa’s neck?! It’s symbolism… a metaphor for freedom (๑•ㅂ•)و✧ and a way to remind her of Eren’s presence! It’s a Jaeger bird (symbolic of Eren), and by doing the same thing Eren did when they first met, it gives Mikasa a kind of closure per se after she was ultimately the one to take him down! It makes for a beautiful ending instead of her just regretting having been the one to deal the final blow. The bird is kind of like Eren is telling Mikasa that he is finally truly FREE!!! (▰˘◡˘▰)
This was an awesome and bittersweet story indeed! Thank you Isayama for making it one of the best there is! Now, give us a few side stories for the remaining characters (Mikasa and Armin, even Jean) to soften the blow from Eren’s death! (〜 ̄△ ̄)〜 #ReRead-Again -&-Again #RIPEren #FlyJaegerBird #LoveMikasa&Eren #FriendsTilTheEnd
I had to make one more comment after reading some of the earlier posts b/c I don’t think many readers appreciate the beautiful and bittersweet story this is! I posted this as a reply to another perfectly worded thread, and I decided to share it again as an independent post! (☆▽☆) Enjoy!
I see some people are rambling on about how the ending was a letdown and conjecturing how the ending should have been in their opinions or how it was full of holes! (︶︿︶) Well, tbh I don’t think many commenters understand what it meant for Eren to choose the path that he did! Albeit a painful and bloody one, he chose the path that would lead to his own friends’ and the Eldian’s happiness, even if it meant him sacrificing himself and the world for the cause! (´; ︵ ;`) From the beginning, Eren thought the only way to be free was to “FIGHT” and he did… from his hometown bullies to killing Mikasa’s kidnappers to combating the titans and then to deciding to destroy whoever was not Eldian. That was the TRUE EREN JAEGER… angry, selfish, and determined… a fighter till the end!
I think people forget that they were only children when they were conscripted into the military b/c it seemed like so much time had passed. But in reality, they were just teenagers who never got to have a childhood after the age of 9 or 10 when the story began… where afterwards they didn’t experience what healthy relationships were b/c of the harsh environment they lived in after the titans first attacked and never really knew how to express their feelings for each other beyond filial (brotherly) love! Mikasa loved Eren, and he loved and “despised” her at the same time. Some commenters make it seem as if saying, “I love you” ⁄(⁄ ⁄·⁄ω⁄·⁄ ⁄)⁄ and mean it from the heart happens as casually as saying, “Thank you!” ╮( ̄▽ ̄)╭ LOL If that’s the case, then “I love you” probably happens so often until it loses its power and no longer has meaning! Mikasa grew up with Eren and simply didn’t know how to describe what she felt for him… filial love vs erotica! Who was she supposed to talk to to differentiate between the two? Yes, Eren loved her, but he was just as confused about love b/c she was a girl he grew up with that always bossed him around. It was bad enough that she was like a sister that was better than him in EVERYTHING, so he probably despised her a little bit… case in point, when his Attack Titan tried to kill her! Could have been a fluke… maybe/maybe not… who’s to say b/c he didn’t try to kill Armin? And then Eren felt like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders once he peered into the future, and then there was no room for his petty crush or being confused about love after that! At least that’s how he saw it b/c it would only hurt Mikasa more if he declared his love for her but still chose to sacrifice himself after that destroying the world. She would have been stuck in perpetual heartbreak if he did that, you cold heartless b@stards! (っ ^︿^;)っ
In the end, I believe Eren had a lot of proven character development, even if commenters didn’t like the finale! He went from being an angry, selfish, and determined boy - who didn’t know how to express love - to a young man who learned how to show his love! His sacrifice was the epitome of LOVE… for his family (Mikasa and Armin), for his friends (the Survey corps), and for the people of Paradis! Maybe the way he did it was not the “right way” to bring about peace for them, but he was thinking and acting like a 19 year old that was looking out for his people… basically with a one-track mind to save his loved ones! That was a lot of pressure, and he was just trying to make the world a better place for THEM to live in! The people of Paradis were caged birds all their lives, and they were targeted out of nowhere one day by people who sought to destroy them just because of their heritage. Eren and his friends wanted the same thing - FREEDOM, but he went to the extreme to make it happen! When he saw into the future, that’s when his personality drastically changed, and as a young man with tunnel vision, he began to isolate himself from his friends in order to steel himself for what he felt he must to do for their freedom! He didn’t ask them to join him b/c he didn’t want them to bloody their hands with the lives of innocent people, but he chose to take on the role of doing this atrocious deed so that his friends’ humanity remained intact. All in all, his actions came from a heart of love, irrespective of who else had to die for it to happen! Don’t pretend extreme circumstances wouldn’t make you think about doing something you’d never thought about doing before if it meant your loved ones would be safe and free from harm! ٩(๑❛ᴗ❛๑)۶ The fight or flight instinct is human nature, and you never know which one you will choose when your loved ones are in danger! Yes, Eren had issues, but he had character development along the way! Some heroes in these stories aren’t all good; didn’t you watch Deadpool 2? Eren’s character will forever be remembered… even his scream as the Attack Titan! LOL
Btw… How are people confused about the bird wrapping the scarf around Mikasa’s neck?! It’s symbolism… a metaphor for freedom (๑•ㅂ•)و✧ and a way to remind her of Eren’s presence! It’s a Jaeger bird (symbolic of Eren), and by doing the same thing Eren did when they first met, it gives Mikasa a kind of closure per se after she was ultimately the one to take him down! It makes for a beautiful ending instead of her just regretting having been the one to deal the final blow. The bird is kind of like Eren is telling Mikasa that he is finally truly FREE!!! (▰˘◡˘▰)
This was an awesome and bittersweet story indeed! Thank you Isayama for making it one of the best there is! Now, give us a few side stories for the remaining characters (Mikasa and Armin, even Jean) to soften the blow from Eren’s death! (〜 ̄△ ̄)〜 #ReRead-Again -&-Again #RIPEren #FlyJaegerBird #LoveMikasa&Eren #FriendsTilTheEnd