Musing Over Manga: Attack on Titan Chapter 60--Your Princess Is In Another Castle

And by "princess," I mean Eren. Historia is a Queen.

Well, that was anti-climatic. I was sure that they'd gotten the place right this time, but nope! Where the heck are the MPs keeping Eren and Historia then? Kenny was with them, so they couldn't have gotten too far...

 
But it looks like that's a concern for another chapter. In the meantime, I appreciate the detail that our heroes went for non-lethal injures, even though stabbing people through the leg is still pretty brutal. It fits their style and the mission objective. They're not interested in taking lives if they don't have to, but get in their way and you'll regret it.


Which is why I find it kind of funny that the guy that they took hostage thinks that guilt tripping them into turning themselves in will actually work. I mean, it's a fair tactic despite being a low-handed one. He's threatening their friends and colleges, even going as far to say that Erwin will be the first to die. However, this man also makes the fundamental mistake that the MPs have made all throughout this arc so far--they're underestimating the Survey Corps and their dedication to their cause. They've seen far more horrible things than the MPs ever have, so they know exactly what's at stake here and will lay down their lives in pursuit of it. Not to mention the only surefire way that they're all getting out of this alive is if they see the plan all the way through. And Levi's not the kind of person who will fall for a "sacrifice yourself to save everyone else" line.

In fact, the only thing this guy accomplished was to make Levi angry.

Threatening Erwin directly seems to strike a nerve though

There is one moment in that conversation that I want to highlight. When the man mentions Kenny Ackerman by name, Levi seems to get confused by it and asks him to repeat the name again while watching Mikasa's reaction. It's very strange that Levi decided to stop at this moment, since if he were already aware of the Ackerman connection or was trying to cover it up (which have been the popular theories leading up to this chapter) then it wouldn't do him any good to point out the name and its connection to Mikasa.

Personally, I'm starting to think that Levi's reaction was because of a couple possible scenarios: 1) He was not aware of the Ackerman connection at all and this is news to him too. We've only heard Kenny call Levi by the Ackerman name so far. It's possible that he doesn't know his family name at all. Or, 2) Levi never knew Kenny's family name, so knowing that they share one was a genuine surprise to him. Either way, the important detail here is that so far we've been given no concrete reason for Levi to want to hide his connection to Mikasa if they are in fact family, and his strange reaction to Kenny being called Ackerman complicates things. I hope that we get some real answers for this soon, but that probably won't be until Levi and Kenny face off against each other again.

Hanji confirmed as Batman

In the meantime, the chapter jumps backwards a day so that we can catch up with Hanji. We're still continuing the theme of information control through the newspapers, with the reporters being well aware of the truth but too afraid to do anything because of fear of retaliation. Hanji is also quietly scary at this part, likely because they found out about their squad's death through the papers and was more than a little upset about the slander of their names. As a writer, that "my original plan was to take your hands and twist them into shapes that would never be able to hold pens again" line makes me shiver... But Hanji isn't blindly ruthless and understands that they're being forced to publish a made-up story.


But even though the tone of optimism from Chapter 57 is gone, there's still a flicker of hope in Hanji's actions. The official translation has Hanji introduce themselves as Squad Leader, not Commander. In the general fandom excitement about Hanji being named as the next Commander, I think a lot of people forgot a key point--Erwin is still alive. Yes, he has collected a record number of death flags at this point, but he's not gone just yet. Hanji still using the Squad Leader title speaks to that. Hanji still believes that they'll all make it through this and is working towards that end. If that's not trust, I don't know what is.

The fact that this was presented as a "what if" panel means that it's not going to really happen, right? RIGHT?!

And to be honest, I trust Erwin too, despite all the evidence that things aren't going to end well for him. I can't help this feeling that he's exactly where he wants to be, that the fake monarchy has played right into his hands. What that wider plan might be is anyone's guess right now, but as I've said before, this series has never been this obvious about an impending death. It's always been sudden and shocking, not a slow march of inevitability. That said, who's going to get Erwin out of this? Hanji is out in Trost, and Levi's squad is who knows where trying to track down Eren and Historia (if they ever specified where they are within the walls, I don't remember). Some third party will have to interfere. My money's on either Nile or Pixis. Nile's been having some second thoughts about the government lately and is Erwin's old friend. Also, Erwin's quick dismissal of Pixis when Hanji asked about him helping them seemed...suspicious. However, we'll just have to wait and see if my guess is right.

Random nitpick: What is Erwin's arm tied to in the above panel? I only see rope around his wrist. Is it even attached to anything? Is this another drawing screw-up from Isayama or are the Military Police really that incompetent, because I can see it going either way. Also, wow, beating up a restrained one-armed man, truly you are the superior military branch, MP. /sarcasm


Anyway, speaking of incompetent Military Police... How did they not immediately clue in to the fact that Flegel was leading them on with the questions? The way he phrased them makes it obvious that he did know what was going on, despite his claims otherwise to stop them from killing him right away. Still, I have to admire the guy for staring down some gun barrels to prove what really happened to his father and clear the name of the people he trusted. He deserves the respect of the city after that.

Meanwhile, HANJI DODGING GUNS HELL YEAH

But even with this victory, they're back to square one if the word doesn't get out, and the newspaper is the best way to do that. However, this guy is still hesitant because of his family. I can understand why, and yet... He just overheard the MPs saying that it didn't matter whether Reeves kept following orders or not; he would've been killed sooner or later because he knew too much. That same logic probably applies to the newspaper workers as well. How else would they have been able to keep these secrets for so long? (I can hear some people already saying memory manipulation, but that whole bit hasn't been clarified yet.)


However, in answer to his question, of course Hanji doesn't have the moral authority to put his family on the line. But I'm not sure this guy understands the gravity of what he's asking. He wants them to sacrifice everything for his sense of safety. There are people's lives at stake, yes, but there's also an entire world at stake, and with Hanji's nature, he's put them in a tough position. I hope that we get to hear Hanji's answer, since I'm not sure what kind of choice I'd make myself.


On a final note, this chapter directly referenced a story that was put in the last episode of the anime which I've screencapped below for anyone who needs a refresher. There's still debate over whether the extra parts added into the anime should be considered canon as far as the manga is concerned, and while this doesn't give a definitive answer, it certainly hints that there might have been more foreshadowing in the anime than fans were ever aware of:


Images from Crunchyroll.com. Please support the official simulpub.