thread exploring mikasa, eren, and what ‘love’ can mean in attack on titan
firstly, the functional reasons why he doesn’t know. erens eyes are closed in the mouth of his titan, he opens them when mikasa enters and he only sees her (eye reflection) once his head was severed. just like when he didn’t know how he entered paths after gabi shot him
this lack of knowledge is important because it ties into how his memories work. when he talks to zeke in marley he states that he didn't just see memories, he ‘felt' them. essentially eren fully EXPERIENCES the memories he holds as if he himself lived them
actual ‘reaches’ (not foreshadowing btw wrong word):
-pg 13 only numbered page in aot (links to long dream, 9 pages long)
-ymir + zeke from page they got powers to page of death = 13 pages
-eren wakes up pg 45 in yr 845, dies ch138 pg 45
- 139 = end of a cycle
complete breakdown of eren’s psyche, mikasa’s role, and the battle between free will and determinism in attack on titan ep87: ‘the dawn of humanity’
this episode is the first real look into eren’s psyche since the timeskip and it’s centred on two main concepts: his determination and his self loathing. his venture into the outside world changes his perspective but it doesn’t stop him from following through. +
for this it’s important to note that his coldness in his conversations with floch and historia is BEFORE he crosses the ocean. he can still view them all as enemies who he is fighting but he’s forced to accept the reality that they’re ‘all the same’ once he sees them for himself+
thread looking at annie, floch, armin, mikasa and the rise of the yeagerists
attack on titan episode 82: ‘sunset’
the episode opens with the ruins of stohess. this is a call back to s1 where erwins plan led to the capture of annie with lots of civilian casualties at the same place. erwin was later revealed to be led by his ‘selfish’ dream, and this selfishness is what allowed him to +
sacrifice others. his burden and guilt gives rise to questions concerning eren’s own mind. he said he was doing the rumbling to protect paradis but his actions have led to the titanisation of paradisians along with civilian casualties. it’s aligned with another important +
the second noble truth in buddhism teaches us that because we believe we are a permanent and unchanging self we fall into clinging and craving, jealousy and hate, and all other poisons that cause unhappiness. this is kokushibo and his search for the ‘self’. +
yoriichi and kokushibo present two opposing halves, much like other siblings have throughout demon slayer. one was given the rights to the house, education, clothes etc while the other was ‘blessed’ with talent. kokushibo’s journey stems from egotism. +
it was mostly emphasis on the fact the desire to be strong is borne from insecurity (weakness) or past failures. it was the same for uzui, tanjiro and the other demons. demons are humans who gave into the desperation of their weaknesses and through that lost their humanity. +
the hatred akaza felt was just an extension of self loathing, the weakness he abhorred in himself. this is when muzan plays in. the process of becoming a demon is what removes the memories of the past, they become lost in their anguish and are reborn into suffering (samsara). +