the
fuck am i supposed to take away from this. “oh by the way this game,
where a girl has to make a choice between sacrificing a girl she loves
or sacrificing everyone else, is a great influence in this chapter where
levi basically chose to sacrifice humanity’s chances in order to give
erwin peace. also i really fucking love the romance in this game by the
way!! also i like BL. just saying.”
people in this chapter chose
their chloe over their arcadia bay. levi never stopped prioritizing
erwin, the only difference is that the definition of “saving erwin”
changed at the last minute and he was able to “accept” saying goodbye.
but he still chose erwin over the good of humanity.
in the game saving chloe means the whole town of arcadia bay gets fucked. i wonder how it’ll go in snk
There are bonus pages inside that I drew, and I want to talk about how fun that was. It is a fantasy of ‘What if the SnK world was an American high school?” It was a lot of fun to think about.
Why an American high school? There are two things that influenced me.
The adventure game, ‘Life is Strange’. It was so good! A masterpiece! It’s a well-made video game as well as a film And above all, it is one-of-a-kind Yuri!
[TN: Yup, yuri as in girlxgirl, as in ymir/historia, that kind of yuri]
The setting is an American school in the coutryside The student’s outfits are wonderful. I used them as reference in my own illustrations.
To begin with, the whole ‘school caste’ prejudice. Categorizing people and forcing them to fit in. It’s not a nice way of thinking. Not at all.
But it’s entertaining.
A phenomenon where without consent, people are classified into groups depending on how you look; your attributes, your clothes and your body.
Of course, if you get to know the person, you would know that they are one of a kind. But there are an unlimited number of people in this world that you would never get to know on that deep level.
And during the time you don’t know them, you can’t help but categorize them. And tend to hold on to prejudices more or less.
In this game, the main character transfers to a new school, and without becoming very familiar with others, she tends to have prejudices against the people around her. But as the story continues, she grows and learns that people aren’t that simple.
In the process of understanding people on a deeper level, to a certain degree, prejudice is needed. Taking that stance, I drew the bonus pages while forcibly affirming the school caste system.
In ‘Life is Strange’, the main character finds out that every time she rewinds time, her every choice affects her life in a butterfly effect.
The unbearable losses and partings in our lives. The story is about whether or not we can accept them. Frankly, this month’s chapter is greatly influenced by it.
And more than anything, it’s Yuri! Yuri is the best! Life Is Yuri!
The other influence is ‘21 Jump Street’.
This one involves the ‘school caste’ theme as well, but it’s not the typical school caste system. This one has a high level of awarenesss, a bit like ‘glee’… that’s the kind of film it is.
If the previous one was Yuri, then this one is a chrysanthemum.
[TN: chrysanthemum basically means BL. Yaois. Gays.]
Namely, a bromance!
Channing Tatum is jealous of Jonah Hill’s girlfriend!
[TN: wtf Isayama you fucking fujoshi]
The sequel ’22 Jump Street’ has an even richer bromance… So rich that it is heavy on the stomach. It’s insanely funny! I wasn’t particularly influenced by it.
But I wonder how long the series will continue…”
—-end—
To summarize, on the same day as the release of ch84 and ANSWERS, Isayama decided to rant about Yuri and BL on his personal blog.
So, Isayama was asked this question and three different people heard and recorded his answer. Since it’s three separate people hearing something by ear and recording it down afterwards, the wording is slightly different for each of them. But all three definitely heard the same nuance, and also the implication that he specifically likes TALL people and not just people taller than him.
Here are the three different accounts of the ‘tall’ part.
The first person recorded his answer as: 小さい人って背の高い人を好き (Small people like people who are tall) (x)
The second person recorded his answer as: 背の低い人って高い人が好き (Short people like people who are tall) (x)
The third person recorded his answer as: 背の低い人って大きな人が好き (Short people like people who are big) (x)
What he was trying to say was that since Levi is particularly small, he would probably be attracted to someone the opposite of him. Someone particularly tall.
Isayama used the word 背の高い人 (se no takai hito) to describe Levi’s type. This literally means ‘someone who is noticeably tall’. For example, it is often used as a compliment, since tallness is associated with models and attractiveness.
If I wanted to point out a very tall friend of mine to someone else, I would use this word to describe him. ‘That tall guy over there’. Because his tallness is a noticeable feature that is recognizable. Even if someone has no idea what my tall friend looks like, using this word would tell them to look out for the guy who is ‘noticeably tall’.
If Isayama wanted to say that Levi likes people who are simply taller than him, he would have said 自分より背の高い人が好き (jibun yori se no takai hito ga suki). This literally means ‘he likes someone who is taller than himself’.
But instead Isayama was trying to put emphasis on the fact that Levi is noticeably short. Because he is noticeably short, he probably likes people who are noticeably tall. Because they are his opposite and it would even him out. That was what Isayama was trying to communicate with his answer.
The average height in Japan is about 170-175 cm. I have noticed over there that this word is not used to describe someone unless they are above average height. Only a person who is approaching 180cm or over would be described as a 背の高い人 or ‘person who is particularly tall’.
Q. Please tell us the type of women Levi-heichou likes
A. Does he like women, though? …Short people usually like tall people, so…it might be that tall people are his type.
Yeah. He just went there.
As you can imagine, his…unexpected answer has caused a lot of debate on Japanese forums and such…it’s rather debatable whether he actually meant what it sounds like he meant.
We all know Isayama is definitely not afraid to put LGBT characters in his manga. And honestly…Levi being gay doesn’t…surprise me that much. Like, it doesn’t clash with the image I have of him at all.
EDIT: It also seems he was asked this question at least twice, and answered the same way. With a sort of hesitant, “…does he like women, though?” then going on to say he likes tall ‘people’ and not ‘women’
So, Isayama was asked this question and three different people heard and recorded his answer. Since it’s three separate people hearing something by ear and recording it down afterwards, the wording is slightly different for each of them. But all three definitely heard the same nuance, and also the implication that he specifically likes TALL people and not just people taller than him.
Here are the three different accounts of the ‘tall’ part.
The first person recorded his answer as: 小さい人って背の高い人を好き (Small people like people who are tall) (x)
The second person recorded his answer as: 背の低い人って高い人が好き (Short people like people who are tall) (x)
The third person recorded his answer as: 背の低い人って大きな人が好き (Short people like people who are big) (x)
What he was trying to say was that since Levi is particularly small, he would probably be attracted to someone the opposite of him. Someone particularly tall.
Isayama used the word 背の高い人 (se no takai hito) to describe Levi’s type. This literally means ‘someone who is noticeably tall’. For example, it is often used as a compliment, since tallness is associated with models and attractiveness.
If I wanted to point out a very tall friend of mine to someone else, I would use this word to describe him. ‘That tall guy over there’. Because his tallness is a noticeable feature that is recognizable. Even if someone has no idea what my tall friend looks like, using this word would tell them to look out for the guy who is ‘noticeably tall’.
If Isayama wanted to say that Levi likes people who are simply taller than him, he would have said 自分より背の高い人が好き (jibun yori se no takai hito ga suki). This literally means ‘he likes someone who is taller than himself’.
But instead Isayama was trying to put emphasis on the fact that Levi is noticeably short. Because he is noticeably short, he probably likes people who are noticeably tall. Because they are his opposite and it would even him out. That was what Isayama was trying to communicate with his answer.
The average height in Japan is about 170-175 cm. I have noticed over there that this word is not used to describe someone unless they are above average height. Only a person who is approaching 180cm or over would be described as a 背の高い人 or ‘person who is particularly tall’.
3rd and last page of this particular section about Erwin and Levi. Continued on from where my last post left off
Isayama: Then in vol 18, when Levi tried to take over command of the mission and Erwin wouldn’t listen, Levi was a bit angry at Erwin’s behaviour. Levi’s line, “I trust your judgement,” had a bit of an angry, “If something happens, this is your responsibility,” mixed with it. And right after, when he broke up Eren and Jean’s fight by using more violence than was necessary, it was actually Levi taking out that anger on them (laughs).
—That was very unfortunate for Eren and Jean (laughs). But the fact that Levi can take his emotions out on his new squad, you could say it’s because he has such a familiarity with them.
Isayama: They don’t treat him like a monster, so I think he feels a trust for his new squad that he’s never had before.
[TN: So Levi didn’t have as much trust for his old squad as he does for his new one? I wonder if his old squad looked up to him too much that it just put Levi under pressure in a bad way]
Levi noticed Erwin’s unexpected intentions, had just said farewell to Kenny, so he must have been feeling a sense of loss. And his new squad may have buried that crevice in his heart. That’s why in vol 17, even though he was punched by Historia, there was a bit of “You worked hard” and “You’ve done well” mixed in with his “Thank you”.
—That scene with Levi’s smile was a truly warm scene. And Levi’s liege, Erwin, begins pushing forward to solve the mystery of the titans.
Isayama: His unconscious dream became a conscious one, and as a human, the stable side of him was present even more than before. But even so, Erwin is not the kind of person who prioritizes his own dream. He follows through with his responsibilities, and when the time comes Erwin is able to give up on his dream and make the best decision.
If we were to compare, Erwin is a character in a similar position to Armin. Armin is chasing a dream that is pure and fresh, while Erwin’s is drenched with something very personal, you could say.
His father was killed because of a slip of his own tongue. He had delusions of a sort in response to that, and acted to achieve his own private goals. But before he knew it, he was at the top of the scouting legion and giving orders to subordinates. There was a part of him asking himself, “What am I even doing this for”. He was a paradox, a self-contradiction. So when he faced his subordinates, telling them, ‘for the sake of humanity’s future’, he felt like he was lying to them. He has been struggling with these conflicts and anguish all along the way.
Here’s the first and second page, thank you to @b00kcake for the easy-to-read scans! More coming soon.
—In the Uprising Arc, we start to see some subtle changes in Erwin and Levi’s relationship, don’t we?
Isayama: In American hero comics, they write about conflicts in relation to the phrase, ‘With great power comes great responsibility’. In Levi’s case, if he didn’t have any power, he would just be a normal person without any responsibilities. But because he has power, he has become a person who is burdened with too much responsibility.
Levi himself realized this when Kenny said, “Everyone is a slave to something,” and asked him, “What about you?”. He is a slave to his own power. He felt a sense of duty: “I have to become a hero.”
…This can be said about Mikasa as well… The Ackermans serve their liege, so there are many of them who are able to exert their power to the utmost maximum.
—Huh?? (surprise) That’s information that hasn’t even been revealed in the story! It’s true that for Mikasa there is Eren, and for Kenny there was Uri. They both have a ‘liege-like’ presence in their lives…
Isayama: For Levi, that person is Erwin. He has acknowledged Erwin as an existence who he looks up to. It’s part of the Ackerman bloodline, or an instinctive part of them, you could say.
—I-I see… (surprise). Levi maintaining his surroundings and distance, and the way he avoids facing those who wander in, it’s all because of the huge power he possesses?
Isayama: He may have been scared of building deep relationships. Since he is living in a world where he doesn’t know when he’ll be eaten by a titan, he avoided having people he considered his family.
—Being the only one left as everyone dies around him… the pain he would feel. But even this Levi was able to build a parent-like, close relationship with his new squad.
Isayama: There are a few causes for this change in Levi, and one of them was when he realized Erwin’s intentions. In vol 13, when it was revealed that Ragako Village’s inhabitants had been turned into titans, Erwin smiled. Erwin smiled because he was thinking, “I was right all along”. But to Levi, Erwin is the person who once said to him, “let’s save humanity together”. So in that moment, Levi thought, “Isn’t that different to what he said before?” (laughs)
—It was a great surprise to him (laughs). So I wonder if Levi can accept Erwin’s intentions, then.
Isayama: Around the time of vol 13, Levi wanted to say to Erwin something like, “You’ve been hiding this from me, haven’t you.” But he just gradually stopped… He wasn’t doubting Erwin. It was more like, he felt Erwin was mysterious. This person who he considers to be an existence that is above himself, that there is still so much that he doesn’t know about him. And he realized that same person has been acting all this time with a motive that is childlike. He was interested and reacted with, “Well, it can’t be helped, I’ll help you with it then.”
[TN: fuck fuck fuck I didn’t even know that, how can people fucking deny that they’re equals?! Levi thought of Erwin as someone higher than him and yet he realized in that moment that no, Erwin is actually a child at heart with childlike dreams. And Levi didn’t doubt him, instead he wanted to go along with him. Fuck fuck fuck]
Then in vol 18, when Levi tried to take over command of the mission and Erwin wouldn’t listen, Levi was a bit angry at Erwin’s behavior. Levi’s line, “I trust your judgement,” had a bit of an angry, “If something happens, this is your responsibility,” mixed with it. And right after, when he broke up Eren and Jean’s fight by using more violence than was necessary, it was actually Levi taking out that anger on them (laughs).
– fanart picked by Isayama’s editors every month are Eruri in nature quite regularly. Like, yeah let’s publish this drawing of Levi shirtless and sweating and daydreaming about Erwin, we’re not implying anything at all lol
– Voice actors are Ono Daisuke and Kamiya Hiroshi. You know, the guys that are known for playing characters with gay sexual tension?
– the smartpass interviews. Observe how Levi never shuts up about Erwin in his private time. Read how they eat meals together alone after expeditions, and how Levi doesn’t like to let others into Erwin’s office.
– Levi and Erwin are the two most popular characters in Japan (this isn’t relevant, I just wanted to remind Erwin haters again hah)
Please add to my stupid list. Let’s lie in Isayama’s trash can together.
– They stared at each other in the rain in one of the smart pass stories.
-Erwin has said he was selfish in considering those close to him… including Levi.(see what I did there :’D)
-Erwin knows Levi isn’t simply a “clean freak” and allows him to cope as he needs.
-Erwin writes the mans tea off on the SL budget.
-Levi would have rather temporarily disabled Erwin to keep him safe that let him go on the excursion to Shiganshina.
-Levi goes from visibly tense to sighing and at ease when Erwin shows up.
-Unbreakable trust.
-If you count the drama CD, Levi insinuates Erwin is privy of his underwear preference.
-Also Erwin goes to Levi for protection from Mikasa.
-The ridiculous amount of tmi knowledge between those two and their old man bowels/health.
– Levi does. Not. Shut. Up. About. Erwin.
-They bicker and taunt like an old married couple.
– Sad Erwin? Insert a Levi with a shit joke and you have a smile and laugh.
Procrastination Station 