The Ravings of a Mad Woman | Attack On Titan Part 4.1 [Marley Arc]

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[@merphynapier42]

I couldn't stop getting hung up on how much Eren looks like Kruger so I went back in a previous volume to check and I take it all back 😂 they dont' look that much a like, my memory just superimposed old Eren's face on Kruger because it's delusional

[@Atlas9766]

Hi Merphy 👋😐

[@gayanegasparyan4137]

I think he looks more like Grisha in S4 rather than Kruger

[@t3cchan]

My reading on Eren's character is a little different from yours! I think that Eren DOES realize that he is not solely the product of his environment, and that he has agency in deciding which path to take. It's just that for him, the choice is crystal clear. He is going to choose his people over the Marleyans in spite of seeing the humanity on both sides

[@Sabor180]

Honestly, there's so much backtracking and rereading that is needed to get the whole picture of things in this story, so I can't even fault you for spiralling on that 😆. I'll never say it's a bad thing to chase a theory, especially in AoT. P.s. I love that part when it shows Bertholdt's perspective as the Colossal Titan back in the 1st episode, because one of my favourite things about this story is how much the context of that 1st episode changes depending on where you're up to in the series when you rewatch it. Like, rewatching ep 1 after Reiner and Bert are revealed to be titans, context change. Finding out more truth about Dr Jaeger and what he was doing, change. Finding out about the outside world, change, etc. It's so good! Mini-rant done sorry, love your vlogs 😁👍

[@D__634]

@@merphynapier42 you have do AOT livestream discussion and/or tier list

[@mk9beatz]

One of my FAVORITE Zeke lines… Zeke : “There were a few miscalculations… Hange : “Who are they?” Zeke: “Miscalculations.”

[@AM17titan]

yea zeke too didnt wanted falco and gabi to come to airship

[@adoniscreed4031]

Gabi is just a walking miscalculation the entire series. That's why I like her character upon a re-read cuz she adds this element of chaos to everything through sheer grit and stubborness. That girl is trully a devil 😂

[@FortRemy]

1:15:31 "atleast it wasn't Connie" is INSANE LOL

[@merphynapier42]

please forgive me, I was trying to comfort myself in any way possible and regretted it as soon as I said it 😂

[@VinnieMF]

Lmao

[@josesanchez-rr6rn]

Me at the same time: "WHY COULDN'T IT JUST BE CONNIEEEEEE????😭😭😭😭😭"

[@smilingdragon]

i would have been fine with connie, not my potato girl

[@LEVl.K9]

that made me light headed

[@peterepeatepete2845]

I always encourage people to watch/read the scene where Reinar is at dinner with Gabis parents a second time. A ton of subtext with what the adults in the room know vs what Gabi thinks. They have to close the shutters because they are terrified that someone might hear what Reinar was saying.

[@merphynapier42]

oooo thank you, I will read it again!

[@olivierhague4626]

@@merphynapier42 I think it's also worth noting that, when Gabi goes "wait, they're bad people, right?", Reiner's mother frames it as them being bad for abandoning them. That's how the scene ends, and it then transitions into a flashback where she tells Reiner why his father isn't with them. Considering what we later learn about what really happened with Reiner's father, it probably makes sense that she'd feel particularly resentful and angry about being abandoned.

[@jagerbradley]

That scene was always so weird because three different things are happening at once and they all butt heads lol

[@olivierhague4626]

@@jagerbradley That episode clearly had a different animation style, yes. I like it quite a bit, personally, but in the greater context of the show, I can see how it could be a bit jarring / disorienting... And yeah, there's a lot going on in that scene (and others, really)... Like that transition from the shell-shocked soldiers panicking over the sound of a "bomb" to Gabi proudly mimicking that same sound, of course. Or the part where she explains that she was getting shot at, and... short blank... "... Galiard! Galiard showed up and saved me!". I don't know if she just didn't want to give Falco any credit, or if she subconsciously edited him out of her memories and got genuinely confused for a moment, there, but I thought that was pretty funny.

[@jagerbradley]

@@olivierhague4626 I think all it was was that Isayama wanted to finish in a specific number of chapters so he had time to condense a lot of information like that Still weird though!

[@deanmanbad]

Neat little tidbit: Bertolt keeps talking about how often he dreams of the man who hanged himself. In that “goofy sleeping pose”, his pose is that of “The Hanged Man” tarot card.

[@lucasemanuel5743]

Which is a reference to when he saw the hanged man, so he can predict the weather because it would be the weather in which he saw the hanged man.

[@hirvale]

One thing I'll note about Eren's monologue at the hospital is that you might have overlooked the second part of it. Yes Eren says most people are pushed by others or by their environment to go into this hell. But then he notes that there are some who push their own backs because they see something beyond the hell, be it hope or just another hell, and the only ones who will know which are those that keep moving forward. To me that indicates that Eren sees himself as the latter: someone who chose by himself to go into this hell. This is further supported by what Eren says before his assault in Liberio. When Reiner admits it was his choice to continue the mission, Eren says something like "Just like I thought, you and I are the same. I'll keep moving forward till I've destroyed all my ennemies"

[@JaketheMovieGeek]

Exactly. Eren is definitely the one who pushes himself and Gabi for example I think is someone formed by her environment.

[@paulsylvestre1288]

Facts, and it highlights the only difference between the two of them; Reiner wants to move forward to be loved and respected while Eren wants to move forward to exact revenge and justice.

[@pukkandan]

Wings have been a motif from the very start, most notably the scout symbol "wings of freedom"

[@JaketheMovieGeek]

Gabi is one of my favorite characters. Her arc is basically one of the main themes of AoT

[@blakemullins6812]

I hate her because she offed my favorite character… but she does have a really good arc.

[@writingmoonstone1338]

Incredibly rare and based opinion

[@olivierhague4626]

Even aside from the thematic aspect, the villager wasn't all that random: if you go back to Eren's first conversation with Reiner and Bertolt, you'll see that they used that villager's story as their own. He told them that he left three children to die, and he was the only survivor, so they probably thought it would make for a decent cover story (I imagine the overall chaos within the walls at the time helped quite a bit, too). Claiming they all were from that one village kinda came back to bite them in the ass once Annie was discovered to be the Female Titan though... (And while we're on that subject... Bertolt talked about how he kept dreaming of that man, and we saw the weird pose he was sleeping in on that day: upside down, with his hands hidden behind his back, and his legs crossed. Just like the Hanged Man tarot card. Just a neat little detail.)

[@booksandtropes]

oh I'm so excited to hear your thoughts!!!

[@booksandtropes]

11:40 cool thought with the mention of wings

[@D__634]

@@booksandtropes maybe you can collab with Merphy :)

[@n0ham]

Would be really nice yes !​@@D__634

[@taimoordanish3802]

Please collab with merphy

[@197ankitakumari4]

The character development Reiner goes through from episode 1 to episode 67 is truly insane. Who would have thought we would grow to sympathize the person who killed our sweet doe eyed Marco. Isayama really spent his own sweet time in developing Reiner and because of this Reiner is truly heart and soul of the AOT. He is the lens through which we come to understand the predicament of this whole situation. Eren and Reiner truly are same side of the coin , both of them want nothing but to protect thier people in their own way.

[@AM17titan]

Regarding That last line I think you misunderstood both reiners and eren’s desires Saving the world is just an excuse for them Reiner literally says to eren in ep5

[@jo0rd73]

@@197ankitakumari4 A very key part of the parallel that some people miss is how they lie to themselves, Reiner admitting to it much earlier than Eren. Reiner claims he wants to save the world and Eren claims he wants to protect those he cares about. Yet that was a convenient excuse to live with the atrocities they were committing, their primary motivation was selfish. Reiner wanted to be seen as a hero so he could feel all he went through could mean something and in hopes it would change his situation. Eren on the other hand had his desire of what he saw in Armin’s book, the main thing that sparked his desire in the outside world, an unexplored playground for him to do as he pleases, the political complexity of the outside world was something he didn’t want to deal with and so he chose to try wipe it all away, the other things he achieved on the way were just bonuses to see “the view”.

[@aryavairagare5418]

16:30 It wasn’t Marley, the Ackerman clan was an accidental result of the Old Eldian Empire’s experiments with the Subjects of Ymir and Titan science.

[@nivenyo]

​@@secondeye1574I think it's said by Zeke on the rooftop with Magath and Colt

[@Jack_L]

My interpretation of Willy’s play is different from yours. Willy wasn’t saying that King Fritz’s desire for peace and refusal to fight back means “we should kill them, they want to die.” He just was finally saying the things that could not be said because up until now that deep fear and hatred of Paradis was an important tool for their narrative to keep the Eldians in Marley oppressed so they could use them as tools of war. This is why, at least in the anime, the crowd starts murmuring and people are questioning why they hate them if they’re not a threat. But none of that narrative is needed anymore because Eren is now a very legitimate threat. If Willy hadn’t told them the truth about King Fritz‘s desire for peace first (and Eren hadn’t attacked), all it would sound like is, “You know that island full of people that we all hate and are dangerous, but haven’t caused any harm to us in any of our lifetimes? Let‘s rally together because they’re dangerous and we should hate them!” Not as effective.

[@monkeyboy275bobo8]

@@secondeye1574 She didnt mention Pieck either :(

[@SamuelPulkkinen-jp8ev]

I disagree in parts. There are two parts to consider. 1. Eldians are widely hated as devils all over the world irrelevant of Paradis. The islanders are used as propaganda to have the mainland Eldians differentiate themselves from them and create grudges, but not with a major emphasis. The sins of their past are what are mainly used for guilt tripping. 2. We know thanks to later information that there were public efforts being put into improving the position of mainland Eldians, because from the mainlanders' perspective at its kindest those Eldians are no longer a part of the Empire unlike Paradis-Eldians and are even working to "right their sins". In short: Mainland Eldians are still devils, but Paradis-Eldians are much worse in people's minds. With his story though Tybur created another Eldian, maybe the ultimate Eldian who has seeked redemption (from the perspective of the rest of the world) by being the secret hero to Eldian Empire being toppled, Karl Fritz. The other Paradis-Eldians are still bad, but Karl Fritz not only ended the oppression but is told that he'll never even defend himself. If his legacy still persisted, overtaking the king in the walls seems problematic and the islanders don't seem that threatening by association, so what's the problem? Well, by making Karl into the hero, he then emphasized the "evil" and danger of the new government and Eren who usurped him. He told the truth, but also basically reinstated the fear of Paradis.

[@SamuelPulkkinen-jp8ev]

@@secondeye1574 There are a lot I could somewhat question and agree in parts, but I want to focus on one thing: *"he goes out of his way to add more plot elements justifying Eren's attack, since there's no rational reason to do it then and there."* I think you are referring to their infiltration into Marley, making attempts to appeal to other nations etc. we see after the attack at Liberio? 'Cause your tone implies Isayama artificially added that info, that it wasn't planned. I disagree with that if that's the intent, we are not given all of the context right away to sell the horror Marleyans are feeling with this sudden attack. Without extra context our guys seem more like the conspiring villains, although many of us can also sympathize just with the context we got before the attack why Eren would do it. A declaration of war is a declaration of war, they did theirs, Eren did his. *"Before the speech started everyone hated Marley. Willy changed it. Why do people think it's impossible to change it back?"* Because the default position of the rest of the world as a majority is that Eldians are devils that would be better of dead and that Paradis is an official Eldian nation. They hated Marley, but Eldians are worse, barely human. After the speech the threat of the Rumbling gave the world the greatest incentive to attack Paradis. I'm not saying it's impossible, but do you realize how little odds there is to negotiate with people who already hated your existence as monsters AND THEN learn you got a nuke in your grasp? Like you can criticize that the narrative didn't convince you enough, but I'd argue it should've been obvious by the end of Willy's speech that the crowd is basically representing the world. What would've made you think otherwise?

[@danielcastaneda4975]

​@@secondeye1574merohy is too Biased. She is more eldian nazi team than flock .that's why she didn't catches these characters because they are Marley

[@philiptimothycflores341]

I love the parallel between Eren's attack and the Titan attack in the very first episode. Both events give off the same atmosphere of horror despite the attacker's and the victim's roles being reversed. And both events produce a character that is consumed by vengeance, emphasizing the perpetual cycle of hatred

[@jfree672]

i love it when smart people read attack on titan.

[@ayete6465]

Took me a while to realize attack on titan is not for everyone, most reactions feel empty....then I meet people who like to pay attention to detail, people who want to know more enjoy aot 😊

[@ysjyoutube2599]

It's genuinely the thinking man's favourite anime. The way people choose to experience this story with their eyes closed then complain about the ending (redditors and shonentards) frustrates me to no end.

[@philiptimothycflores341]

Your concluding statement of this vlog was perfect Merphy. Yes, AOT is not trying to be a story of good vs evil, hero vs villain. Neither side is more right, or good, or better than the other. Both sides have committed atrocities, and both sides are equally accountable for the destruction they cause. And yet each side considers that the destruction, the pain, the suffering they cause to be worth it, because of the loyalty they have for their own. Eren's conclusion after staying in Marley was this: yes Reiner you have a family, and loved ones, and your own people. But so do I, and your people won't stop trying to eliminate my family, my loved ones. I see the people who are precious to you, but I still have to choose my own, over yours. And since you won't stop, then I won't either.

[@bidossessi]

Well said

[@brofst]

52:29 want to correct a misunderstanding here, Willy isnt saying to go attack Paradis because they are pacifists and just want to die; in fact he knows that Paradis (and the Fritz vow) is what's been keeping the world safe. However, now that a nonroyal (Eren) has the founding titan, the world is in danger again, thus necessitating a "preemptive defense" strike.

[@AM17titan]

Exactly ! And eren declaring war literally confirmed that paradise needs to be eradicated even magath questioned this later in the next episode

[@mr_BENDS3019]

Never stop talking, your videos keeps reminding me of this masterpiece show

[@Darksightkellar]

On the speculation about who potentially messed with the Ackerman bloodline, just noting that they were originally meant to be warriors defending the Eldian royal family, as Kenny's grandpa revealed.

[@itsdylan-w1b]

This part of the story does such a good job showing how complex cycles of violence can be. It's hard not to see the real life parallels happening in our world right now. Who's right and who's wrong is hard to say, but the one constant is that people are paying the price with their lives

[@franktaku9121]

38:27 when I saw this episode I remember it really sinking in for me the way Reiner has always struggled with his identity. Marleyan and Eldian, Warrior or Soldier and then to hear him say “Reiner is dead..” “I’ll be Marcel.” It’s no wonder now why his mind used a different identity to cope with his trauma and the atrocities he’s committed.

[@dannythemann6]

I hope her patreon people tell her which episodes to watch for a reaction. Cuz there is a certain part that blows people's minds and I REALLY want to see her reaction when that comes out lol

[@light9205]

Oh yeah I know the one (s) I hope so too

[@MrRusty103]

As a great man once said, "Gabbi is just season 1 Erin, but she spawned on the enemy team instead of ours"

[@bananapeel892]

She really is, and I think that’s very intentional. The difference is that Eren got a titan.

[@katsura2605]

And gabi got no scope sharpshooting quirk😂​@@bananapeel892

[@commonviewer2488]

A lot of volumes have a bonus page towards the end, a gag preview of what the next volume will have, like Eren waking up from this nightmare late for modern day school. A notable gag was the introduction of Paradis's new "Titan Corp" where some of our Survey Corp members have become Titans, and one of them had wings.

[@drunkeldian3150]

The first time Eren says "Reiner I'm the same as you" he's comparing their circumstances, the fact that they both infiltrated enemy land, lived among their enemies and learned of their humanity. However the next time Eren says "I was right, I'm the same as you" is after Reiner breaks down saying that it wasn't his environment that caused his actions but his own selfish desires to be a hero. I think this is Eren acknowledging that both of them are motivated by something deeper and more personal than just their own environment, they both have selfish motives within that push them to make these decisions. We see this in Eren's talk with Falco where he talks about how most people are forced into war by their environment and circumstances but there are those who push themselves into hell to see what's beyond that hell, and that the only ones who can are the ones who keep moving forward, which he is now doing. Extra ironic since Reiner was the one who first told Eren to "keep moving forward", so Eren definitely sees both of them as 2 of a kind who will keep moving forward purely by their own will.

[@the_Nameless_One99]

From being worried that Merphy would cram all of season 4 in just one video, instead of at least 4 (one each for part 1, part 2 and then 1 each for the two movies) to getting one hour plus video just for the first half of part 1 makes me so satisfied!!! Because so much happens in season 4! So much is explored! Thanks Merphy!

[@nes-fl7mz]

Eren said “there are others who push their own backs because they see something beyond the hell, be it hope or just another hell, and the only ones who will know which are those that keep moving forward” and he’s obviously referring to himself, meaning he’s admitting he’s not making choices based on his environment but because he pushes himself because of his memories and what he saw, I think many always forget the memories thing and how it’s affecting eren, and how much knowledge they gave eren, and upon them he’s pushing himself, he’s not saying “well my environment is the only reason and this is why I’m gonna do it”.

[@tictactoc9311]

Yes this is the best approach for the review

[@augustbeller]

“At least it wasn’t Connie” okay but ME TOO when I watched this😂 Connie is so precious to me

[@johanliebert1992]

Your reviews add so much to how I view Attack on Titan. Great insights and things I would never have noticed otherwise in all these videos. Thanks Merphy!

[@suneilgoel3144]

Isn’t it just the best series ever. It goes so hard

[@andrewcurcillo]

The Ackermans were created long before Marley was in power, that was done by the Eldian empire. I think a lot of titan research and experimentation was done by Eldia first, then Marley used it.

[@SamuelPulkkinen-jp8ev]

As we learn any in the line of Founding Titans could basically morph the biology and mind of all and any Eldians by just telling Ymir what to do, so Ackerman's really aren't that wondrous. "Hey, make this bloodline really good fighters." Done and done.

[@rashotcake6945]

i wish the aot fandom also had your maturity when reading the series. Many people didn’t care too much about the themes and were just caught up in the hype of seeing Eren transform thrice and mess up the warhammer titan

[@SuperSupper2]

For the bug squashing scene with Annie, to me, it speaks more to how you can only crush others like a bug if you are ignorant of their humanity. Loyalty to one person or group comes at the cost of loyalty to Humanity, itself. This scene really contrasts with the early story where everyone worked together to fight for humanity, but are now pitted against one another because of small loyalties.

[@gaara_of_the_desert1118]

Yeah series that get you hyped up, only to make you feel bad for it are painful... can't wait for Arcane season 2 next month.

[@kamikaze.33]

This story is definitely a tragedy in the truest, actual classical definition of the term. And I LOVE it for that reason. It doesn't pull any punches, it never provides real resolution of any kind, and most importantly (IMHO) it doesn't force any lessons or morals on the audience, it doesn't tell them what the correct answer should be or illustrate a clear right/wrong or good/evil dichotomy! It simply asks the audience to observe and think for themselves. And in my years (almost a decade for me) since first starting this show up until even now, whenever I try to come up with what the best answer is, what the characters should've done, or what the perfect ending could be, I'm left with nothing... He wrote such a marvelous work that, IMHO, truly lacks any clearcut answer whatsoever from anybody. No one's right, no one's wrong, and there's seemingly nothing you can do except keep moving forward.

[@gayanegasparyan4137]

Merphy!!! This format suits this story the best!!! Thank you!!!

[@ThroughfulGamer95]

I don't agree with the idea of Eren thinking it's his circumstances that put him there, because he adds immediately after how some people CHOOSE to throw themselves into hell because they see something beyond it (hope or more hell, as he puts it), and it cuts to his face and the revelation of who this wounded man has been all along. Visual communication, saying Eren is that type of person who will willingly throw himself into hell for his goals. I also think you misinterpreted his "we were born this way" quote. 'Born this way' and 'product of one's environment' are antithetical to one another; the former is nature, the latter is nurture. Eren is saying that he is who he is and will make the choices he wants to make. He says "we're the same" AFTER Reiner admits that he had choice IN RESPONSE to Eren calling him blameless due to his circumstances.

[@TheAngryMontage]

exactly! I think it's because she missed the line "some ppl choose to throw themselves into hell.."

[@r_bear]

Upping this comment x1000000

[@nevermind9835]

I love this part so much. Became a fan while the second season was still releasing, but only after “season 4” arcs started AOT became one of my favourite series! Thank you so much

[@vigilantvigilante2582]

I think this is my favorite attack on titan vlog of urs yet!

[@jo0rd73]

I am so glad on how much you picked up on in the Reiner and Eren conversation. Most people understand the parallels being made but from what I’ve seen, a lot of people tend to miss the difference in how Reiner takes accountability for his actions while Eren doesn’t.

[@skippingclouds]

You're not reading too into it at all!! You're like one of the few people who takes the time to catch these little nuances and subtle emotions and actions and I really love that. I don't know how many people really appreciate the subtleties of Reiner and the Marleyan eldians in general.

[@lesliebailey1]

I’m glad you finally get to see Gabi the GOAT!! Amazing character!

[@legendleopard7125]

1:07:57 his name is Porco Galliard and his brother was Marcel Galliard. I had a hard time with his name too when I first watched.

[@oyamampendu9467]

At least you don't call him pock. His relationship with Reiner ends os well

[@josesanchez-rr6rn]

I just can't wait for you to catch up. I just showed my coworker the whole anime over the last 2 weeks and got to watch and chat about his live reaction every day. This is a series where once you finish it, you just have to share the pain, lol😂

[@Alex-go6le]

Your Attack on Titan videos are the highlight of my day. There can never be enough.

[@MultiWar22]

This arc of season 4 is probably my favourite in the entire manga. I love everything in it. Specially Reiner, this made him my favourite character in AoT

[@Nasser851000]

Merphy gonna become a Live Radio Ranter in the future 😆

[@LightStrife94]

Just want to say how much I appreciate your theories and breakdown of the story. It’s almost as if I’m getting to experience it all over again through your POV. It’s truly been a joy.

[@SamuelRodriguez-ux1vi]

Merphy, your ability to analyze stories and characters make me enjoy them on a much higher level. I love your content and please dont ever stop creating it❤

[@ramzes2624]

i used to pray for times like this

[@kdsanime4507]

36:22 So glad you caught this detail as it was cut from the anime, Part 1 of the anime is had a going against leading to a lot of missteps in areas like this, reiner flashback def took a hit in the anime.

[@illithidlore]

Merphy, you're 100% right that the series is about war/violence being complicated and not necessarily a good thing. It's why some people got upset with the latter parts of the series because they want standard DBZ shonen fair where problems are solved by hitting hard.

[@CoolAsianGuy]

Strawmanning. Typical tryhards

[@jo0rd73]

@@illithidlore Well to be fair there are a few camps but I will say each of those groups ideas for what the ending should’ve been speaks volumes in how messed up their own political and moral beliefs are….

[@davidlyford-tilley1598]

I love the conversation between Reiner and Eren. Eren has seen the humanity in the people of Marley like Reiner saw that of the Paradisians, and thinks they are the same for this. But really they are not the same, because Reiner is tortured and suicidal because of this knowledge, and Eren sees the humanity of the Marleyans and resolves to kill them anyway.

[@TheBilli96]

Somehow this has turned into most amticipating part of the week for me hahaha I love attack on titan and I love seeing people experience it for the first time!

[@ayoCC]

Eren forget the most important thing about going to the other side of the sea: Find someone you love

[@thoughtfulfreespace]

I was a fool, I should have been watching the vlogs the whole time! I absolutely agree that Gabi is basically Eren when he was younger, just on the opposite side. Eren had this whole "kill all the titans, *they* are the enemy" and trying to hunt down the Colossal Titan, but that perspective was slowly changing as the scouts learned more. And now you have Gabi, and Eren is essentially *her* Colossal Titan, this larger than life enemy who has killed/caused the destruction of her home and friends, and *she* needs to kill the devils who attacked them! AoT is so good, I love it. Idk what episode that reaction was from but I can hazard a guess, and it was a good reaction lol. Thanks for the video.

[@zbox913]

43:09 is a great pickup by you! Nature vs nurture is a major theme of Season 4. You should definitely revisit this thought when you get further in the story. In fact, I’d suggest rereading the basement conversation between Eren and Reiner once you’ve finished part 2. There is subtext there related to that theme that is not possible to appreciate without the context of the rest of the story. For now, just pay close attention to what Eren says right after Reiner confesses that he did have a choice. Particularly, the “I think we were born this way” and “I knew it. We are the same.”

[@AM17titan]

people misunderstand this and mischaracterize erens character in the ending

[@zbox913]

@@AM17titan Agreed, that’s why I wanted to highlight the importance of revisiting these two scenes when future context is given.

[@dimitrisathanasiou6029]

Damn Murphy more perceptive than 90% of the fandom with the Reiner/Eren conversation in Declaration of War. I think you're on the right track, but later events will shed more light on Eren's demeanor here and what he says about them being similar/born this way.

[@thegentleartoffisticuffs6983]

Absolutely fantastic interpretation of the text, with the limited information you have! This was always my favourite arc for how thematically focused it is.

[@FlameZB]

This is easily my favorite series rn, glad you’re having so much fun with AOT

[@nerd660]

Chapter 100 is an event. A masterpiece of a chapter, top 5 in the entire series.

[@DiegoB0525]

Just wait until the later episodes. I'll be waiting for the 10-hour video! 😂

[@mem5860]

if she react to this series she probably would be the greates reaction channel, just those small clips show how great she is, the passion that she has for the story, but understanding all the nuance, seeing all the little details that the anime show..

[@mythosinmediagaming]

You hit the nail on the head with the discussion about accountability and CHOICES. There's an entire group of people that see the hype in these scenes and are all like "Yeah, Mikasa! Yeah, Eren!"... No, this is horrible. For Mikasa to express disagreement with what Eren has done it means he has CHOSEN to do something horrifying. He is not helpless, he just chose this route and I stead of stopping keeps "moving forward" and these are the consequences. The cycle of hate.

[@mythosinmediagaming]

@@NimmelTheGreat I don't think I said it wasn't possible to see both. In fact I did see both. My comment is more about the people that are so ride or die that they don't see the deeper implications in those scenes. They don't see that their hero is doing something objectively horrible and is forcing his friends to also do something horrible. That's the point of my comment.

[@lovelyhatter]

Connie making it this far in the story had always been wild to me lol RIP Sasha.

[@ashoneth]

Reiner wanted to be a hero and earn people's respect. sure, it's his environment that made him wish to be a hero. but still, it's his selfish goal that made him destroy the wall. He has a choice. "Reiner, I'm the same as you" implies that, just like reiner, eren knew he has a choice. he's doing this for his own goals. his environment was just a reason that solidified his choice.

[@muebele]

I'm so glad you picked up the same thing I did in Eren and Reiner's conversation. It's brilliant because you think they are reaching a point of mutual understanding. Eren understands now what Reiner went through and offers understanding, clemency. But when Eren says "we're the same", oh man. If a narrator said those words, maybe you see the parallels and believe it. But of Eren's mouth, it's a bloody bloody lie. Reiner was a child, understood next to nothing, and as an adult, HATES his decisions. Give him the choice, and he takes everything back 10 times out of 10. Eren is an adult, knows EXACTLY the consequences his actions will produce because he's EXPERIENCED it first hand....and he knowingly chooses it anyways. They're not the same. They're orders and orders of magnitude different and Eren comes across in this scene as genuinely evil in my book. It's terrifying.

[@omarholder9036]

I don't think they are as far apart as you think. Yes the difference of Reiner perpetuating his violent act out of an initial ignorance and Eren committing after he learns the truth of the people is intentional so you don't sympathise with Eren's choice, however, Reiner is no better. He made the choice to persevere even after he found out the truth. They went to attack the walls a second time he killed Marco. Reiner is the same as Eren

[@jo0rd73]

@@omarholder9036 Okay but they go to attack the walls a second time to prevent the rumbling and rescue Falco and Gabi….very different circumstances to when he was an ignorant child choosing to slaughter thousands of innocent civilians.

[@henfarasubtitrare9764]

28:35 "So, i accidently watched too much anime..." you and me both, sister 😂

[@davidtitanium22]

part 4 is a really really wild ride. The author has set up this world and all the characters in it, and it feels like we're just watching all the dominoes fall in the most horrifying way and we are powerless to stop any of it. Well, just enjoy the ride while it lasts

[@MrCoolAttitude]

Here we go boys. We're eating good with this one.

[@nmikk10]

I’ll never forget watching that first trailer for season 4 multiple times a day every day for months just waiting for the show to come back.

[@Aurilash]

1:18:49 I am! This has been great and looking forward to the next ones!

[@GoofballAndi]

And this is the point in the manga everyone lost their minds. i still get emotional about it

[@tastymedicine3073]

Yep this is gonna be a wild wild ride

[@jandib4541]

I always get giddy watching people experience AoT for the first time ❤

[@adoniscreed4031]

This review of part 4 is gonna heal my soul because I know that Merphy will give this story the appreciation it deserves instead of just vomiting weird takes with zero reading comprehension behind it. I'm so blessed 🙏

[@LEVl.K9]

is so sad because the character that died was a symbol of charisma and wholesome and every attack on titan fan liked her, never in my 10 years of watching i've met someone that disliked her.

[@AM17titan]

Spoilers…… Her father in the later episodes showed she was flawed as a person as well

[@matiaspereyra9392]

This is completely optional, I invite you after you have already watched episode 70, to play episode 6 and episode 70 side by side from the 16:00 minute mark until the start of episode 70's ending, it's not integral but it makes me want to share this with everyone because it often goes unseen and I think it speaks to the care and attention that the people making the anime put into it

[@LightWolfArt]

Woo! Sounds like the show is getting wild

[@jossecoupe446]

Perfect! My train trip will fly by with this, thankyee lol

[@AM17titan]

you perfectly understood eren saying 'i am the same as you reiner' many people dont understand this and mischaracterize erens character in the ending

[@calvinmenyfield3375]

I love these vlogs, your feedback is awesome! You got me back into finishing this series. Can’t wait until you post the next part!

[@ayushvishwakarma5795]

Old meme- S1 - humans vs titans. S2- titans vs titans S3 - humans vs humans. S4- Free for everyone

[@Merith89]

1:01:32 - 1:01:44 Attack on Titan in 12 seconds

[@Teippiftw]

I think you missed the reason why the Tyburs wanted to declare war against Paradis. They fear that at any moment Eren will release the millions of titans inside the walls and make them destroy the world. In the past they weren't afraid of that possibility because they knew how the king inside the walls was a pacifist and wouldn't fight back if attacked, but now that power is in the hands of someone else. Edit. This was explained in episode 5.

[@TheAngryMontage]

SPOILERS: You are right (thus far in the story) but we know that zeke was the one who even pushed them to declare war in the 1st place lol (so the whole world's military power assembles and eren crushes it with the rumbling causing paradise to be safe from any attacks for atleast 50 years and develop technologically to surpass the other nations)

[@drjank6667]

Right, and the hidden other side of the plan: to make the Marleyan Eldians and Tyburs the tragic victims of Paradisian aggression and heroes of the counterattack (a new Helos), while at the same time replacing the existing Marleyan leadership with a more Eldian-friendly one (like Magath).

[@gayanegasparyan4137]

But the way she interpreted the scene was also interesting cause Willy was manipulating the crowd too and he knew that they’re gonna get attacked that evening

[@Sycafox]

Isn't it interesting how wings right before Grisha's diaries were a symbol of freedom and perseverance, and now the skies are bound to be places of war in the future? It's like there's only one path for humanity in this story, and that is slaughtering each other because everyone wants freedom from something or for something, but that just can't coexist with other definitions of it and other groups of people.

[@the_Nameless_One99]

Diwali came early today! What a lovely surprise!! Thanks Merphy!

[@IanChristopher]

This just dropped out of nowhere, what a pleasant surprise

[@felix_forrester]

"Armin, the sweetest sweetheart with no bloodlust" I'm wheezing

[@guesswho8556]

I would recommend doing 2 formal videos on your office. One for the Marley POV arc, and another one for the Finale. There's gonna be too much stuff to review if you mix it in a single video. It will be hard to give it justice in less than an hour.

[@JonHerreraCA]

These are wonderful. Thank you! Next volume will certainly be happy, I'm sure!

[@TrinexxSlayer]

1:15:17 "oh, no!!" joseph joestar would stand proud

[@truthseeker8841]

Having not all the information is fine, having opinions on what you know so far is fine, with further details revealed in future it recontextualizes your opinion which is fun to watch

[@chitynelu99]

One awesome thing I noticed are the poster covers for the S1 and S4 part 1 from the anime. It's the same shot, but reversed, first it's the colossal attacking Paradis, then it's the attack ravaging Marley. It really reinforces the cycle and the parallels that you also noticed in the story. I was shocked when i found out

[@BenganGamer]

Personally I think Reiner genuinely thought about the worst things he experienced and that's the worst things he could muster which is why his family reacted so badly because he humanized them so much unintetionally. But that's just my interpretation.

[@luggi5053]

Yess!!!!!!!!! I am sooo excited for this! I can not wait for the next arcs and your commentary!!!!

[@BenganGamer]

1:02:15 I really like this shot, Marleys side is all titans while the eldians are all humans, even if only for Eren and Armin being excluded.

[@mk9beatz]

1:02:36 “I bet the next volume is gonna be happy! 😃” *She was wrong*

[@Kite-Chan]

Love these videos u make cos I love AOT🤗