Attack on Titan 2x9 Reaction Extended

Marriage material hahahah

Reiner is probably one of the most complex characters of the show, and because of that, one of the best.

daniel kurtz

You're right, and I don't mean to imply that I don't sympathize with Eren at all. This episode stood out to me though in the way the characters treat Eren. I can't help but think that is some sort of meta thing that the author is doing in regards to Eren.

Alex G

Exactly, the show in this season especially makes Eren look insignificant which I thought it was really nice and different. Eren seems more like a plot point this season rather than a main character. A lot of the secondar characters have been focused and their relationships and goals. Eren is just there linking things together a little bit. It's like a breath of fresh air for me.

mapo picker

"reiner is.. not doing well." lolol i love that

Lulu

I love how although this episode focuses a lot more clearly on Reiner's emotional reaction to what he's done, it more subtly reveals a lot about Bertholdt and even a bit about Annie's character. Bert has the weight of basically having to keep Reiner from slipping, something which we see him trying to do all this season, and which is painful for him both as a friend and because of the massive stakes involved. I mean, they probably can't go back to the walls now unless by force, which means who knows if they'll ever see Annie again — plus we don't really know the full scope of their mission or the consequences of failure. He also seems in some ways to have to be the core of their group, judging by the large amounts of antagonism between Annie and Reiner. I think that the effect that this mission has had on Reiner also might shed some light on why Bertholdt is so quiet and Annie such a loner in the training arc. Recognizing that these are all people who they might have to kill at some point, they probably felt they had to shut themselves out emotionally. Reiner, who allowed himself to become so deeply attached to the 104th crew, suffers immensely for it and just jeopardized the entire mission; even for Annie, the sole reason she got caught and captured is because the one person she couldn't bring herself to kill is the one who figured her out, and she then wanted to trust Armin even though common sense told her he was leading her to a trap.

a. tree

Suggesting AnoHana for Goodwin to Watch, only 11 episodes.

ArmdVctr

Honestly, the way Attack on Titan puts Eren is a great one for future.

Dorney_Sunraint

I've always seen Eren as a rabid dog not a decent person

Ramon Cintron

Ur right abt Reigner having a split personality ,He has his “warrior” side and his “soldier” side. Through the show you’ll notice bertholdt telling reigner that he’s not a soldier he’s a warrior or something along the lines of that, it seems to serve as a means to snap him out of his “soldier” personality and back into a “warrior”

jhāna

I always assumed Reiner had developed a dissociative personality disorder. Highlights the nuance of the character. 'Good' people made to do bad things. Bertholdt seems like he has high-level anxiety but not chronic anxiety. I always found Ymir to be intelligent and level-headed. She is blunt and brash but her analysis of people was not totally inaccurate. She is calmer this time because the situation is so extreme. Eren's black and white worldview makes sense to me. The titans just eat humans when they do not need to. They even skip animals. Then you have these shifters literally there to commit genocide against your people which resulted in the death of 1000s of upon 1000s including your comrade. Ruther less Annie not be discounted. Eren's lack of control for his emotion and his blatant psychopathic declaration of destroying all titans is inspiring and pathetic at the same time. It is like he is totally possessed and beyond just hatred. Watching this the third time, I feel you get so many answers not through just dialogue but looks, physical behavior etc. A lot of reactors seem to miss this and just blindly side with Eren here. Yet they want answers. I am glad you get comfort in knowing that Isayama is aware of what he is trying to set up. I can guarantee you that it will all make sense. He is a genius!

Yusuf

Even the Connie shoulder pat has a double meaning, at the time Riener probably had a good idea as to what happened in the village or at least an educated guess

The Idiot Inc.

Does anyone else have problem on 720p setting? I have to watch on 360p every since Goodwin could not use vimeo anymore. Before I was able to run 720p and 1080p. Oh well, grainy Goodwin vdeios is still awesome! Hehe

Yusuf

"Tha- what the hell?!" Attack on Titan in a nutshell. I could say something a whole lot more profound but ya know. Yes, this makes a whole lotta sense going back to it (this is only my second time seeing it)

Aidan Pullen

Yeah I think at first Eren is designed to seem generic. This is an issue I heard some people had with the first season. Typical revenge protagonist. This season really starts to show us that he's more layered than that, even though we already saw bits of it in season 1. Season 1 really is the tutorial stage lol.

Nick

I love this episode!! The emotional weight of the entire second half of the episode is fantastic and the voice actors are amazing!! The way the different sides are being established and how everyone is wary of each other but also hope to work together is so well written. And the way this show gives just enough information without revealing anything is truly an art I felt more and more confused by each episode even though I got so much new information. Also I agree that Ymir is developing to be a very level-headed and mature character. I’ve always felt that she was mature but just loved getting on peoples nerves. She's very emotionally intelligent and can pick up on a lot, which is probably why she knows everyone's insecurities and makes fun of them, like Sasha's accent or Conny's height. That might just be me looking too deeply into her character because I’m biased and I love her. It's so hilarious to see you compliment Eren for being smart for holding back and then he immediately goes back on it and acts unhinged. Also I'm so glad that you put into words the strangeness of Eren as a protagonist. Not strange is a bad way, Eren is a very believable character but he's also very childish. He also fits all the archetypes of anime protagonists but he still has a strange darkness to him. He always rushes into situations too quickly, is overly emotional about things, and sometimes does more harm than good. He also has a hard time seeing nuance. You’re very right to say that Eren finds any excuse to start fights or justify his anger. He thinks everyone is either good or bad which is probably why Eren is the most shocked when Annie, Reiner, and Bertholdt were revealed. Or why he was so confused about the purpose of the scouts learning hand-to-hand combat. Because to him the enemies are the titans and can’t see the other problems or potential enemies. In addition to that he doesn’t think of people as being multifaceted and being able to be good and bad, to him it's one or the other despite how hypocritical his thinking is to his own personality. Eren is a very interesting character that I hadn’t noticed until much later which is stange to say because he is the main character. He just seemed the most flat and predictable character which fits a lot of other protagonists but he is such a drastic character it strays away from what a typical protagonist would be.

meg

I was about to comment this! Translation is a bit unclear but yes, when Eren says "What's that? A monkey?" it's possible that he is literally asking what a monkey IS. Also, while it's sure Ymir knows what a monkey is, do Bertholdt and Reiner? I'm not clear on that. I think this is also related to when they find a can of herring a couple episodes back

a. tree

There's a video that was posted 2 years ago that's a complication of mikasa saying eren apparently she said his name 114 times XD so yes that exists XD

Brimmy

oh, when theyre talking about the "monkey" eren isn't confused because he didn't see it, he's confused because he doesnt know what a monkey is! monkeys arent found within the walls, and any knowledge of outside the walls is unavailable.

juice box!

I love that you are not cutting any slack to eren. I agree with you completely but its not so unrealistic of him becoming this way. Being thrown in to the cruel world of aot while he was a child and not to forget that he is a teenager still (15 i believe here) expecting maturity and level headedness in this situation is a bit... Also just wanted to point out that it has been literally 2 days since the annie reveal and fight. It is almost admirable that Eren is not having a mental breakdown right now.

Mert

Lol well there is a chance that "AOT only" will the the winner on the poll I'm posting tomorrow

Alex G

This felt like a big turning point for her character, at least in my eyes for the reasons you mentioned. It feels very different from her usual demeanor.

Alex G

Damn, and here I thought tree fort conversations with the boys only happened in movies. Sounds good though. I can say that some of my best memories with friends involve nature and a feeling of seclusion.

Alex G

Lol I'm glad that we both said a similar thing independently of each other. I'm wondering if this isn't some meta-commentary on audiences :D

Alex G

Are you willing to only post AOT until S2 finale haha. I'm dying man, the story starts to really unravel in the S2 finale and throughout S3 and I love seeing how you react to it all.

Christian Medeiros

Ymir’s intelligence, specifically her emotional intelligence really stood out to me in this episode. It’s not something you would immediately expect from someone so brash. She was able to understand Reiner and his internal struggles really fast just like she was able to see right through Historia’s facade. Obviously she has more information than the viewers at this point in the show but my point still stands.

Megan

Cause you're from the city not sure if you've experienced this often (Don't roast me if you have) but conversations with friends/other people while hanging out high up in trees just hit different. Or late night Tree fort conversations with the boys, something about returning to monkey and talkin with fellow apes in the trees like you did millions years ago is a whole vibe.

benj

Alex is like a dad, proud of Eren for coming up with a reasonable plan to listen to Bertholdt and Reiner lmao. "Good job sport, I'm proud of you!" Also, Ymir kind of reminded me of Kimblee in this episode, with how curious she was acting. How calculating she was, while still being somewhat antagonistic. On your Eren point, I think in many ways he is sort of a mirror for the audience. He has no idea what's going on, he's small and insignificant here and he's being fed the same info we are, slowly. He also jumps to emotions very quickly, which is something a lot of people do when they're invested in a tv show or a story as a whole. If a character does something like say what Reiner and Bertholdt did, a lot of people would have the same reaction Mikasa or Eren had. Confusion and anger. I've seen a lot of reactors who were basically completely prepared for Eren or Mikasa to just murder Reiner and Bertholdt after that reveal, rather than talking with them like you suggested. So yeah, I think Eren is kind of mirroring a portion of the audience in that regard. He's a VERY unconventional protagonist too. Edit: Oh I literally just saw your comment a bit above where you theorized the same thing I said about Eren lmao.

Nick

It's very interesting. It's very possible that I'm overthinking it, but to me this episode felt like a very direct way of poking at Eren. I mean... Even Ymir who is on his side is fed up. After finishing this episode I have all these questions about Eren. I wonder if in some way he doesn't represent the viewer. I mean that makes senes because he's the protagonist right? But the viewer is also being set up with Eren. We know as little as he does, when so many people around him seem to konw what's really going on.

Alex G

AOT doing what it does best, keeping the slow burn of answering questions with more questions haha. I think you're picking up on a lot of key character traits and potential theories. This is definitely a story I can't wait for you to see unfold.

Aura Y

It makes a lot more sense in hindsight. I feel like it explains something about Bertholdt too. The guy is a nervous wreck. Feels like he's been holding this secret together for so long...

Alex G

It’s cool hearing you talk so much about how off putting you find eren. Having watched up to this episode, I’ve felt the same way but have kind of been waiting for the show to justify his behavior since in someways he fits the typical overly zealous anime protagonist archetype. Big o assionate behavior is kind of the norm for a lot of shows, so I’ve been unsure of where the show seems to be going with his character. But I agree with you that it’s really starting to be presented as a potential subversion of that

Rebecca

Yeah, I think it’s strongly implied that Reiner has DID. That’s one reason why his confession to him and Bertholdt being titans was so sudden and odd

Katie Barnes

This is probably one of the more frustrating episodes on the first watch since like you said, it raises way more questions than answers XD

Anders Pike

aw hell yeah just in time

Nick Deano

Also Moblit being caring again for Hange melts my heart. He's definitely my second favourite character.

SirLagginton

I just got back from work two minutes ago, thankyou very much

SirLagginton