Studying Hard! Titan Junior High School

"Steak and curry are good, but Hamburg steak and melon sound good, too. But cake, sushi, bean-paste bun, ramen, and gyoza are hard to give up, too. What shall I eat today?"

- Sasha is distracted by food metaphors during her makeup test

Studying Hard! Titan Junior High School (猛勉！巨人中学校) is the 5th episode of the 1st season and the 5th episode overall of the Attack on Titan: Junior High anime, produced by.

Overview
Sasha and Conny both fail their tests and ask Armin for help. Conny promptly forgets about the study session, but Armin manages to help Sasha with math by using food metaphors. Meanwhile, Eren, Mikasa, and Jean are forced to listen to Oruo brag about his test scores. Hange then arrives and tries to extort money out of them for lunch. When they ask her why she cannot afford her own, she shows them the two Titans she is keeping captive, forcing her to use up the biology club's budget as well as her allowance to feed them. Levi takes pity on her and gives her a bag of dog food to feed the Titans, which she then eats herself. Later, when the time comes around for the makeup test, Sasha fails due to fantasizing about food, and Conny fails after he forgets to show up for it; causing them both to be forced to take remedial classes.

Summary
The test results day loomed over the students of Titan Junior High as Keith Sadies informs the class about their scores. Much to Eren and his classmates' surprise, Armin effortlessly achieves a perfect score throughout the examination. The teacher then turns to Sasha, doubtfully asking her about her own doings. Dumbfounded with failure, Keith sends her to punishment without having any lunch until she recovers her results.

Sasha pleads with her classmates to help her with the studies, only for a ton of rejection to fill up her requests. Finally, she asks for Armin, with an agreement along with Conny as a study buddy, he surely agrees. After school, Armin and Sasha, minus Conny who forgets about their study session, start with Sasha's worst subject, math. Armin proceeds with making things for clear understanding, in Sasha's case, equation equals food. He begins with setting algebraic variables as curry buns, apples, oranges and so on. With that said, Sasha comes to think of infinite possibilities regarding food analogies, which helps her comprehension.

Meanwhile, Eren, Jean, and Mikasa head to the Scout Regiment clubhouse, catching a dilemma of Oruo in a drastic state. Petra prompts him to stop with such bragging due to her irritation. Upon Eren's above suspicion inquiry, Oruo starts to blame himself for letting his guard down in the exams. His clubmates try to convince him that he did his best and to stop bragging about the results already. In a moment, everyone shows their test results and seems like Oruo gets the highest of all scores.

On the other hand, Hange cheerfully approaches Levi with her test scores and pleading to him for a treat in exchange. But as he shows his scores to her which is two points higher, Hange dramatically changes into a poverty-stricken individual tricking Levi into pitying her. As he coldly ignores her plea, Hange comes to an idea of defaming his name in front of the first-years. With Levi's arrival in the Scout's clubhouse, he finds a restrained Hange and a bunch of members complaining about her. Under another circumstance of suspicion, Eren asks about Hange's poverty state, causing the upperclassman to get loose of the ropes, creepingly exaggerates her own cause by leading them to the biology club.

Thus, the introduction of her secretly kept captives, the Titans, Sawney, and Beane. Hange explains the expenses of their food causing her to go broke. Upon knowing the reason behind her neediness, Levi offers her a bag of dog food for the Titans. Hange points out his cold persona and eats the dog food instead.

Armin praises Sasha with her own abilities in solving problems easily, as they both are heading home. As Armin makes turns his own way, Sasha considers him somewhat smart and a nice person, setting aside his weakness. She pledges to do her best for the exams in exchange for Armin's efforts. Not a second thereafter, a rumble can be heard and Armin is rushing back to her, pleading that he is afraid of the dark.

The next day, makeup tests roll over and Sasha hustles with all the things Armin taught her, starting with a quick start of food metaphors. Sasha, however, ends up failing at the makeup test due to being distracted by the food metaphors, and is put into refresher classes. Meanwhile, Conny forgets about the test and heads straight home.

Parodies

 * Hange's introduction to the two Titans largely resembles many scenes from Episode 15 of the main anime.

Trivia

 * The manga that Gunther is reading is the original Attack on Titan manga series.
 * The video game that Eld is playing is Attack on Titan: Humanity in Chains.

Navigation
Junior High School - Épisode 5