Board Thread:Manga/@comment-5774380-20160609000528/@comment-24407809-20160609020553

Okay, here I go... *cracks neck*

Chapter 82's here, and boy if it ain't a laugh riot!... Just kidding. I liked Armin too.

This chapter was the definition of "going 0 to 100". Isayama thought to himself "well, it's been 82 chapters, I should probably kill someone from the 104th... sorry Armin." I've had a lot of fun watching people lose their minds over this, so I can only imagine how proud Isayama is. But, I digress. It's time to dive head on into this gut-punch of a chapter.


 * Pro: Isayama did a great job incorporating Eren in this chapter. I have to confess, I've been a bit burnt out (LOL, that was an accident, but expect a lot of burning jokes in my posts) on Eren for a while now. I just haven't been interested in him or his character, and these last few chapters with him unconscious have been some of the best ones in my opinion, so seeing him awake didn't exactly excite me. Then I cracked up when he fell off the Wall, because I just couldn't believe how useless he had been during this entire battle, but my opinion took an entirely 180 degree turn during that beautiful to page spread of him attacking Bertolt. I'm hoping he can keep my attention in future chapters.


 * Pro: "So the only one who miraculously survived the blast were the members of the 104th who were with Eren... To be honest... I wish they would've all been blown away, too. But... I'm used to these kinds of trials by now." Daaaaaaammmmmmmnnnnnn, even Bertolt is calling you out on your plot armor problem Isayama!... But in all seriousness, it's a good thing that you're able to see what you're doing. The first step is admitting you have a problem. Now all you have to do is make sure it doesn't happen again. ;)


 * Pro: I love how even though Reiner was crippled, he was still able to hold his own. Using the nearby buildings to defend himself was a pretty smart move, with some great results (at least for Reiner).


 * Pro: Armin's death scene was amazing. Isayama is really on fire with his illustrations lately. The detail in this scene so incredibly detailed and visually stunning, that it took my breath away (kind of like it did for Armin!) As for the scene itself, it was really cool seeing Armin's interactions with Eren knowing that his plan would end in his death (he's not a very good actor), and seeing him entrust a dream that he cherished so much to his friend. Although, I think some of the emotion of this scene was lost, since we saw something very similar back in chapter 80 when Erwin also had to give up on his dream and sacrifice his life for the greater good. I will say though, one thing that really got me in the feels was Armin's line "The only thing I have to give is this". Armin is quite literally giving up his life for victory.


 * CON: Oh, look at that: Hange's alive.... It's not so much the fact that she's alive that makes me mad (I figured she'd be back), it's the fact that Isayama didn't even try to explain why she's still alive! Look, I understand that we saw Moblit attempting to shield her from Bertolt's transformation... But the Colossus Titan landed on top of her, which caused a nuclear explosion which destroyed a third of Shiganshina, and she's still fine. Even if I were to play devil's advocate and point out that Titans are much lighter than they look (which Hange herself has pointed out), that still doesn't explain why she's fire-proof... Maybe next chapter they'll explain how Hange survived, but for now this is one giant plot hole that should not exist in such a well-written manga.


 * Pro: That two-page spread of Eren's attack on the Colossus Titan, is gorgeous. Not only is it well-drawn, the nostalgia factor of it alone is enough to get me amped up and cheering.

Additional notes:
 * Reiner's not-quite-fully-healed head looks pretty cool. Just thought I'd throw that out there.
 * Does it say anything that I was kind of disappointed that this chapter only focused on the 104th gang? They've been around for so long, I was kind of excited to see a new face and wanted to see more of him. That's part of the problem with a series like this; if you don't have variety, it starts to get a bit stale. I know everyone from the 104th is invincible (well, not everyone apparently), and I know Levi, Erwin, and Hange are all cool characters. But I also know that I'd like to see new faces, and that you can only read about the same characters for so long before they start to become less interesting. You don't have to kill the old characters off (but you should consider it, considering the type of series you are writing), but you should at least give some screen time to other characters and let them build up their own fanbase too.

All in all, this was a pretty good chapter. Now that Isayama has raised the stakes, I am truly unsure of what will happen next. Armin's dead, things aren't looking good for Sasha, they're looking worse for Erwin, and Levi's dangerously close to running out of gas in the middle of a Titan onslaught. On the other hand, Bertl and Reiner are both now in the custody of the Survey Corps, Hange is back to take charge, and it'll probably take Zeke a while to regenerate from his injuries (and even then, he probably won't want to go anywhere near Levi). At this point, it looks as though all bets are off and all I can wonder is if Isayama will stick to form and have Zeke and the Quad Titan succeed in kidnapping Eren, or if they'll be forced to return to the Hometown empty-handed. Bottom line, though? I wish I didn't have to wait a whole month for more. T_T