A Sudden Visitor: The Torturous Curse of Adolescence

A Sudden Visitor: The Torturous Curse of Adolescence (突然の来訪者 ―苛まれる青春の呪い―) is the second OVA, Episode 3.25, of the Attack on Titan anime. It was produced by and.

The episode was first released in Japan with the special edition of Volume 13 of the manga and later received an English release with the special edition of Volume 20's English translation.

Overview
An argument breaks out between Jean and Sasha after a Cadet Corps training exercise in Trost, and a drunken Commander Pyxis decides that the fight will be resolved with a cook-off. Jean later receives an omelet from his mother, but he drives her away in embarrassment. However, Jean ends up using the omelet in the cook-off and wins against Sasha's cooked meat. Jean and Sasha make peace, and Jean decides to pay a visit to his mother.

Summary
In the year 847, Jean, in bed and under covers, intently sketches a picture of a girl. Suddenly, Jean's mother enters the room with supper in hand, and an embarrassed Jean yells at her for not knocking. His mother states that she has been trying to tell him that his omelet is ready, but Jean angrily drives her away. Frustrated, Jean tears his drawing apart before vowing that he will join the Military Police Regiment and secure a pampered life far away in the interior Walls.

Two years later, the 104th Cadet Corps are sent to Jean's hometown of Trost District for a mock defense drill. Word of a monstrous wild boar roaming the nearby forests is currently the talk of the town, and Conny mentions how he has never been to a walled district before, while Sasha states the town should have plenty of delicious food. An arrogant Jean boasts that Trost is perfect for them, and once he joins the Military Police and Conny and Sasha wind up in the Garrison, he will visit them. Armin and Marco wonder if Jean will visit his mother, but Jean angrily refuses to even consider the idea.

On the first day of practice, Jean teams up with Armin and Annie, and, knowing that Garrison Commander Pyxis is watching, Jean takes his group far beyond their designated post. Armin notices this, and warns Jean that their mission is only to handle targets that pass the front line, but Jean reminds him that it is their duty as soldiers to attack Titans, and Annie comments that Jean is only thinking about looking good. Locating a Titan target, Jean is cut off by Mikasa who swoops in for the kill, and Jean, rather than being too upset, silently compliments her. Finding more targets, Jean is again cut off, this time by Conny, Sasha, and Reiner, who take down the targets before Jean has a chance, much to his frustration.

After the practice, Jean confronts Conny and Sasha, calling them cheaters for stealing the targets he found. Sasha states that all's fair when it comes to hunting, though Jean states he does not want to hear "Potato Girl's" hunter logic. Insulted, Sasha and Conny demand Jean apologize for his insinuations, and Conny teases that Jean is on edge because he misses his mom. Enraged, Jean nearly turns the confrontation physical, but is stopped by Reiner. Just as Jean declares that they will settle things during their next practice, Pyxis enters, finding their exchange interesting. Pyxis insists that Jean and Sasha settle their dispute by having a cook-off that night, which he will personally judge. Jean is hesitant, but Sasha accepts the challenge and, after some goading by Conny and her, Jean accepts, declaring that he will win and put Sasha in her place. Eren and Mikasa look on in confusion.

Assisted by Armin and Annie, Jean heads into the forest to hunt for something to cook. Annie wonders why they need to help, but Armin sees it as their duty as Jean's teammates. Jean declares they will hunt the forest's Colossal Boar, believing that serving its meat will ensure victory. At that moment, Sasha, Conny, and Reiner appear, also intending to hunt the Colossal Boar, and guided by Sasha's meat-detecting nose. Armin reminds that this is Jean's forest, so they will have the upper hand. Unfortunately, Jean's team winds up completely lost, meanwhile, Sasha's superior hunting skills allow her to track the boar and find it sleeping. Intimidated, Reiner declares that catching the animal is impossible and that they should go home. Sasha hits Reiner twice, knocking him to the ground, and hysterically cries that his ancestors and the world would be ashamed of him. Reiner, though confused, apologizes and decides to stay. Suddenly the boar awakens and Sasha's team charges it, with Reiner making sure he takes up the rear. Hearing the commotion, Jean's team pursues the animal, too, but it is too fast for them, so Armin tries to lure Sasha away from the boar with some potatoes, though the allure of meat is too strong for Sasha to be distracted. Sasha kills the beast with an arrow to the head, and her team hauls the Colossal Boar back to Trost for all the townsfolk to see. Jean curses in anger.

Later that evening, Eren struggles to unload a crate from a wagon, while Mikasa is able to lift three crates at once with relative ease, much to his mortification. Just as she attempts to assist Eren (who embarrassedly pushes her away), Jean's mother appears, looking for her son. At the mess hall, Jean contemplates how to beat Sasha's boar meat when his mother arrives, asking why he has not visited. Embarrassed, Jean urges his mother away before finally yelling at her to leave when she continues to act motherly towards him in front of the others. Dejected, Jean's mother leaves, and Eren suggests Jean should be nicer to his mother.

As the cooking competition draws near, Jean proposes he, Armin and Annie should steal meat from their superiors' storeroom. Armin freaks out at the thought of stealing and flees in a hysterical panic, and winds up slipping on the stairs, injuring his legs. In no condition to be stealing anything, Armin opts out of Jean's plan, as does Annie, who states getting caught is not worth winning a competition.

Jean decides to try stealing the meat on his own, determined to win the cook-off and prove he is not a mama's boy. As he nears the storeroom, Jean's superior finds him and delivers a bag, stating it is from Jean's mother. Jean opens the bag, finding it to be a homemade omelet. Jean remembers all the times he and his mother have been there for each other and realizes how much she means to him. With new found determination, Jean cooks with all his heart, but Sasha is just as intent on proving the power of meat.

The cooking competition is soon upon the cadets, with a very intoxicated Pyxis ready to judge Jean and Sasha's dishes. Sasha goes first, presenting a magnificent pork steak. Pyxis takes a bite and, overwhelmed by the delicious taste, spirals into a bizarre hallucination, raving of the majesty of meat while slaying several Titans, growing to Titan-size himself, forcing Conny, Christa, Armin, Jean and Mikasa to shift into Titan form to stop him. Back in reality, Pyxis sits in a daze, making it clear that Sasha's meat will be nearly impossible to beat.

Next, Jean presents his dish: a humble omelet. The audience and Pyxis are taken aback by Jean's simple dish, but Pyxis proceeds to eat it, regardless. With his meal finished, Pyxis takes a moment to decide his winner. Finally, after much consideration, Pyxis announces Jean the victor of the cook-off. Baffled, Sasha demands to know why her delicious meat lost. However, Pyxis reminds Sasha that meat is only meat. Ashamed, Sasha breaks down, realizing that her confidence in meat blinded her from using other ingredients. Jean offers the defeated Sasha a hand, stating she was not the only one who just roasted her dish. Sasha accepts, and the two make peace. With a new day dawning upon the cadets, Jean muses that he will pay his mother a visit. At his home, Jean's mother awaits, with an apple and letter laid upon Jean's bed.

Trivia

 * This OVA features Jean as the main character, with actual main characters Eren and Mikasa placed in minor roles, and Armin as a supporting character.
 * In the opening, the first intro of the series with the song Feuerroter Pfeil und Bogen was used, but was heavily altered to revolve around Jean in a comedic tone, with him taking Eren's place in most scenes and overshadowing him in others.
 * In the scene where Mikasa turns to look at Eren, is Jean who looks at Mikasa, a reference to his [unrequited] crush on her.
 * Dot Pyxis was drunk for the entire episode.
 * This OVA features five of the eight fake volume previews drawn by Isayama:
 * Vol. 4 - Sasha cooking.
 * Vol. 7 - Jean's mother entering his room without knocking.
 * Vol. 8 - Armin hurting his legs on the stairs.
 * Vol. 9 - Sasha slapping and elbowing Reiner.
 * Vol. 12 - Fake Titan forms for Mikasa, Jean, Armin, Historia, and Conny.
 * Sasha states that she does not appreciate the nickname "Potato Girl" and thought everyone forgot about it.
 * Only Mikasa seems to regularly accompany Eren. Meanwhile, Armin is able to comfortably socialize with others like Annie and Jean.
 * No human or Titan was killed in this episode (although Pyxis daydreamt with killing 3 Titans).
 * Eren appears to be much weaker than Mikasa, as he struggles to lift one crate while Mikasa can lift three at once without effort, although this may have been an exaggeration for the sake of comedy.

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