Lost in the cruel world (OVA)

Lost in the cruel world is the eighth OVA episode of the Attack on Titan anime. It was produced by and.

This episode is an anime adaptation of the second volume of the spin-off manga Attack on Titan: Lost Girls (with Wall Sina, Goodbye: Part One and Wall Sina, Goodbye: Part Two adapting the first volume), written and illustrated by Ryōsuke Fuji, and based in turn on the visual novel Lost in the Cruel World, by Hiroshi Seko.

The episode was released in Japan with the special edition of Volume 26 of the manga, and subsequently aired on November 28, 2021 on as an extra edition of Attack on Titan: Special Omnibus.

Overview
Before the operation to take back Wall Maria, a Titan guillotine is seen killing Titans as Mikasa Ackermann begins to worry about Eren Jaeger. She recalls the time when she, Eren, and Armin Arlelt reminisced about the old days. Mikasa then begins to worry what Eren will do after the retaking of Wall Maria. She recalls another memory during the Struggle for Trost, when Armin informed her of Eren's death.

In shock, Mikasa experiences a different reality where her parents are alive. Inside her forest house, Dr. Jaeger brings Eren with him during a medical visit to the Ackermanns, and the two kids quickly become friends. Eren mentions to Mikasa that he will be leaving the Walls soon in a hot air balloon in order to explore the outside world, and upon reaching the place where he told her to meet him, Mikasa finds Armin alone, and he tells her of how Eren died to save him.

Summary
As Titans gather at a crevice in the Wall, the Executioner from Hell is seen crushing the head of one of them. Atop the Wall, Mikasa Ackermann thinks back to a time and place with Eren Jaeger and Armin Arlelt, where she wondered if they would go back to the old days before the fall of Wall Maria if they reclaimed the land and finally defeated all of their enemies. Eren told her that they would, but not everything would be the exact same as before, emphasizing that they should get revenge. Back atop the Wall, Mikasa worries that Eren would leave them after accomplishing his goals, lamenting that she cannot stop him.

Mikasa remembers her first family, in the year 844, Mikasa's mother teaches her a pattern of embroidery passed down throughout the generations in her family. She encourages Mikasa to pass the technique down to her children when the time comes. Mikasa curiously asks her father about where babies come from, and the father sheepishly claims he does not know, but that Dr. Jaeger, who would be visiting soon, could perhaps know the answer. A knock is heard at the door and Mikasa's father opens it to greet the visitor, but is suddenly stabbed in the stomach by a stranger.

Mikasa then recalls a time during the Struggle for Trost, when a crying Armin informed her of Eren's death and how he sacrificed himself to save him. Running out of gas, Mikasa fell onto the streets below, as a Titan started approaching her. Mikasa stared at a butterfly, dazed, then began having thoughts of envisioning a different reality in a different world where she could have what she wanted. However, Eren's death would not be prevented.

Mikasa is back in her first family's cabin, when the door is knocked. Dr. Jaeger enters with his son, Eren, and introduces him to Mikasa, asking her to become his friend, as he only has one. The two kids begin wandering the forest nearby and Eren tells Mikasa that he heard her mother is pregnant, to which Mikasa confirms and says her mother believes it to be a boy. Eren says that if the child is a boy, he hopes that he will become a soldier. He reveals to Mikasa that he wants to join the Scout Regiment to explore the outside world and that he has to train to kill the Titans. Eren asks a confused Mikasa of what she plans to do in life.

He explains that her father is a hunter, and her mother grows vegetables. Mikasa cannot think of an answer. Suddenly, the two hear howling in the distance. Mikasa becomes worried, saying that her father does not want her going deep into the forest, but Eren eagerly runs ahead on his own to investigate, prompting Mikasa to follow him. The two come across the ruins of a campsite overrun by rabid dogs that have killed a trio of travelers. The dogs spot Eren and Mikasa, then slowly approach them, but suddenly turn their tracks and leave. The two return home and inform their parents of the location of the corpses they saw. Dr. Jaeger makes plans to inform the Military Police, and he leaves with Eren.

Afterward, Dr. Jaeger began returning to check on Mikasa's mother more often, bringing Eren with him each time. In these later visits, the two avoided the forest and played around the house. On one of these visits, Mikasa learns about Eren's friend, Armin, who Eren says is very intelligent. Mikasa wonders if Armin knows how babies are made, and Eren tells her that they are brought to mothers by a bird that puts the child in the stomach. Eren tells Mikasa that one day, he and Armin will see the outside world.

On the next visit, Eren arrives with many injuries to his face, to Mikasa's shock. Eren tells her that on the outside world, there is a large amount of salt water called the ocean. It is big enough that merchants could never sell all of its salt. He continues that the outside world also has flaming waters, frozen plains, and snowfields of sand that all exist beyond the Walls. He explains to Mikasa that the people who fought him are cowards who are content with living ignorant within the Walls. Eren reiterates his dream of joining the Scout Regiment to see the outside world. Mikasa worries that he might end up in an even worse shape, but knows she cannot stop him, and prays that she at least be by his side.

When Dr. Jaeger forgets his hat at the cabin, Mikasa's father sends her to deliver it back to him in Shiganshina District. Arriving by a ferry boat, Mikasa is happy to find Eren waiting for her upon docking. Hearing the bell that signals the return of the Scout Regiment from an exterior scouting mission, Eren eagerly heads to see the Scouts, which return in shambles. Nearly all of the soldiers are wounded, and the commander gives an elderly woman the arm of her dead son. Seeing the state of the Scouts, Mikasa grows even more worried for Eren's sake and asks him if he still plans to join, which he affirms.

In front of them, two civilians comment on the scene, saying their taxes are being wasted on feeding the Titans. Eren strikes one of them in anger, and the man takes Eren into a nearby alley. The man begins to mercilessly beat Eren as Mikasa watches in shock. That night, Eren is taken to his home and his wounds are treated. Mikasa sits by his bed and is relieved as he finally wakes up.

During Dr. Jaeger's later visits to Mikasa's household, Eren is absent due to his injuries. Mikasa continues doing her usual daily chores. Winter comes and passes by and Eren is still not visiting. Mikasa wishes that she could see Eren. Sometime later, she overhears Dr. Jaeger telling her father that her mother has an infection, and that they need to be moved closer to the doctor's house in Shiganshina. Feeling that her wish to see Eren is what caused her mother to become sick, Mikasa rushes to her mother's side and apologizes to her earnestly while crying.

In Shiganshina, Mikasa questions why Eren stopped visiting her. Eren tells her that the Scout Regiment has been disbanded for the lack of results, and the gate leading to the outside of the Wall has been sealed off. Mikasa asks in relief that Eren will not be able to leave the Walls, but he says he will be leaving with Armin using a hot air balloon. He explains that he and Armin were busy building one that could fly above the Walls, and that is why he could not visit her. He tells her that he will be leaving in three days, and Mikasa asks Eren to take her with him. Eren wraps his scarf around Mikasa and mentions a path to a nearby forest, telling her that she can return it to him there in three days, at night.

A festival is held at Shiganshina as celebration of the sealing of the gate. Remembering Eren telling her that they will be leaving at the third ring of the bell, Mikasa rushes through the district as she hears the first ring, but is suddenly grabbed by a masked man. The man urges the crowd to look at him as he attempts to turn Mikasa into a murderer. Mikasa begs him to let her go so that she can see her friend, and the man agrees at first, but then tells her that he does not want to be made a liar.

He offers for Mikasa to kill him right away, since hypnotizing her would take more time. Mikasa hears the second ring of the bell, and the masked man warns her that she will not be able to meet her friend anymore, and that he will leave her behind. Mikasa is shocked to learn that the man knows Eren, and starts to question him of his identity. He tells her that he is no one, but can be anyone at the same time. Handing Mikasa a knife, he says that he knows that she is lost, and is here in this world she created because she could not accept Eren's death.

Hearing the third ring of the bell, Mikasa questions why the man is getting in her way. She grips the knife, and power surges through her body, but is interrupted by a loud booming sound. As she looks at the Wall, Mikasa briefly sees an apparition of a Titan. Suddenly, the masked man is found stabbed on the ground, with blood all over Mikasa. Shortly afterward, the man gets up, revealing that he is actually unharmed. Nevertheless, he succeeded in turning Mikasa into a murderer, as the crowd starts applauding and tossing money for him.

Mikasa arrives to where Eren told her to meet him, but finds Armin alone. He asks if she is Mikasa, before crying and apologizing that it was his fault. He explains that the balloon did not gain enough altitude, which made Eren throw him out before it crashed into the Wall, as Mikasa looks in shock. Mikasa wakes up at Trost where she decides to face one Titan, as a second one arrives and punches the first in the face.

Back atop the Wall in the present, Mikasa believes that Eren will be able to reclaim Wall Maria, kill every Titan, and see the ocean one day. She acknowledges to herself that no one can stop his fate, but resolves to be by his side no matter where he goes, before approaching and addressing him.

Ferry Boat
''A boat which interconnects the territories of humanity. Moving via steel wires suspended above the river, it carries passengers, goods, military supplies, and so forth. When Shiganshina was attacked in 845, many of its residents evacuated to Trost aboard the ferry boat. Its maximum load is 150 tons and is powered by the same compressed gas as ODM gear.''

Trivia

 * In the early stages of production this OVA was numbered 16.5C, in continuity with its two predecessors.

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Lost in the Cruel World