"I became a mangaka to inflict harm on others." And boy did he succeed, because AOT traumatized the shit out of so many, myself included. Lol On a serious note though, it's insane and almost scary how much Eren reflects Isayama. The poor guy was so self deprecating and obsessed with being uncool but he kept moving forward anyway. Despite the pain, despite the stress. He moved forward, because it was what he wanted to do. God bless you, Isayama, hope you're feeling better.
It makes me feel really sad he felt like he had to apologize for the ending. This man gave us so much with aot, so much of his time, blood, and tears! . Something he didn’t need to do but he did. If it wasn’t for this man we wouldn’t have one of the greatest animes/mangas ever made. We should be thanking him! And I say thank you!
Man, I used to be angry with him because the ending, you gave me a new point of view, a deeper one.. I'm not angry anymore. I wish he is happy with his new life right now, and I really really appreciate his efforts and won't complain anymore, his journey with himself and his work was tough but he earned the love and respect from millions of people ...❤ Thank you for the video, subscribed ^^
no matter how the end, it’s still a taxing job that deserves appreciation. Esp if you’re a Shounen mangaka (they seem to have work crunch way more than other mangaka). I know Horikoshi (MHA) has admitted to changing his story to fit with reader polls and reoccurring nightmares which seems to have negatively effected his work. Ppl like Miura and Togashi have suffered a lot due to overwork. These issues often negatively impact the work, and we shouldn’t hold it against them entirely.
I really feel like he ended it that way because he wanted to appease the fans and maybe the editors as well and give it more of a "happy" ending adding in certain things that the fans wanted (romance), so he probably was really discouraged when everyone hated the ending that he thought they would love. I imagine he would've ended it very differently if he had full creative freedom and no insecurities or doubts in his mind on how the people would of perceived it. We got a glimpse of his original ending with eren holding a baby so there was a different idea originally in place imo
Being a MANGAKA is a hard profession. This profession means you will get a lot of hate, time crunches, rewrites amongst other issues. I’m glad he gave us AOT. He really brought something revolutionary into the world IMO.
Yeah, no matter how the work comes out at the end, I think it’s still a taxing job that deserves appreciation. I know Horikoshi (MHA) has admitted to changing his story to fit with reader polls and reoccurring nightmares which seems to have negatively effected his work. Ppl like Miura and Togashi have suffered a lot due to overwork. These issues often negatively impact the work, and we shouldn’t hold it against them entirely.
This was an amazing breakdown, I’ve never realised how hard it had been for him, people are ruthless on the internet, I’m happy he can finally live his life now. The quality of this vid was awesome keep going with the content!
Imagine spending the decisive years of your personality formation and reflection on life (mostly from your 20s to 30s) drawing a manga. It's simply impossible not to imprint your personal philosophies on the work. In that sense AoT reminds me of Evangelion, because Shinji was also a way for its author to deal with a personal problem of his, and during a very important period in his formation of worldview.
wow, i could not disagree more, in my opinion attack on titan and evangelion are directly opposite ends of the spectrum, where attack on titan is brilliantly thought out and everything connects, while still having a fantastic cast to carry the audience through the story, and also being hype as fuck, while evangelion is a confusing mess thrown together by a boring author who doesnt seem to have any plan or ideas with incredibly bland characters and monster-of-the-week villains, with insomnia-curing mecha fights thrown in and no real story to speak of, keeping it so vague that people just draw their own meaning from it. its crazy how we humans all interpret the things we see in such different ways, you could probably ask a dozen people whether they thought the shows were similar and they'd all think differently. but yeah i could honestly not think of a show any less similar to attack on titan
@@redmenace3786 You watched it too soon. Many such cases. I wish eva didn't pop up on so many poorly thought out epic recommendation lists but that's the fate of a popular critically acclaimed show. It's like expecting the average joe to just suddenly have the innate art-appreciation required to actually see eva. It is unironically not a beginner show unless you had a certain childhood encounter with animation. I think eva can only click fast for certain types of people and if you're not in that lucky group, you need to see or at least understand some older stuff first and at least get a better grasp on visual story telling and theming. Watch Ashita no Joe, then at least a few episodes of Ultraman, Gunbuster is useful too, but especially something like Zambot 3. Bunch of others that will all paint a clearer picture, and then once you yourself have attained a passion for art and creation through the lense of the media ashes that eva was born of, eva becomes very very easy to love. Because it is a work that oozes love. It's truly a waste to waste your time worrying about not getting the meaning (even if it's yelled in your face in eva's case), or can't immediately appreciate the episodic complexity that is a MotW formula. It's all taste and taste is not rigid, it grows with time, through familiarity and passion.
@@EvilMikaIzHerethe fandom is very childish and most dont know anything about storytelling either lol. They just want their fav manga to be badass and edgy like they think they are😂
This is very inspirational. He appears to be so scared and down on himself yet he still takes action and moves forward. There is absolutely a multiverse out there where he was too scared to take action and never did anything towards his dreams and worked those part time jobs…
@@Aryan_H1But what if we already influence quantum mechanics to some extent, through the likes of such phenomena as the observer's effect? Or, even if we cannot possibly affect it and it's purely the quantum data deciding a said Universe and thus our actions as well, aren't we still playing some role in it, expressing properties of a given universe? What even is will, at this point? Are the observer and the observed casting a feedback loop? A causal chain? We're under a video about the mind behind Attack on Titan, and I suppose it means we're both into the story's development and themes, and so, founding on its ideas (and deeefinitely not on schizo theories of AoE believers about timelines and breaking causality) I want to believe in the human heart, even if it in itself being driven by a determined set of events. Even if I was pre-determined to believe in voluntarism, so be it, because until we find a solid answer (which, if it ever happens, will not happen soon, given how questions risen by quantum mechanics border on the very genesis of metaphysics and the edge of human conscience that makes some of its interpretarional theories seem like borderline fictional mumbo-jumbo), all that matters is *how we observe* it, and belief in agency reinforces agency. At least, that's how I see it.
Interestingly, Isayama put his inferiority complex into almost every important character. Eren: Struggles with being weaker than others. After his mum died, he lamented that he couldn't save her 'because I'm a kid, because I'm weak' Armin: Tries to sacrifice himself for others at least four times because of how little he likes himself Reiner: Was the bottom of the warrior unit and only became the Armoured because Marcel got involved Falco: Often laments that Gabi is more capable than him Zeke: Never succeeds in his training Ymir: Decides to sacrifice herself because she sees her life as pointless as compared to Historia or the warriors Floch: Sees himself as a horrible devil Bertholdt: Considers himself a monster who deserved to die There's still Levi, Mikasa, Sasha and others who were either always capable or didn't care about their capabilities, but the amount of characters with inferiority is staggering
Shadis: He's not special like the others, just a normal person incapable of great deeds Kenny: He believes he's not empathic with others because he likes power, or some form of transcendental understanding, and can only move forward if drunk in some faith Hanji: She's smart and all, but not suited to be a leader or make tough decisions First King of the Walls: Imprisoned his own people within the walls in the hope that they would eventually die cut off from the world Ymir: Loved her own torturer The list probably goes on.
I was at the isayama panel at anime nyc, and I’m just so proud of how appreciative the audience was. Seeing the reception of the ending really scared me on his behalf, but everyone was hyping him so much that. Ps, he’s such a funny guy!!
What the creator said about why his female characters are like that actually felt wonderfully empathetic. The appeal of media like Shounen is the escapism, the fantasy of becoming truly powerful by working hard, and it’s often made really difficult for women to participate in that fantasy. A lot of women really like action-y anime, or would, but the female characters are either very weak or uncomfortably sexualized, or both, and if they are strong, it’s because they are remarkably special, and even then it’s often played as a joke and they tend to be side characters. Unlike make shounen protagonists, they usually aren’t given the chance to genuinely compete with male characters, and they definitely don’t get to earn enough respect to not be treated like a punchline if they do. It’s a terribly lonely feeling to know you wouldn’t have a place in the world even in your fantasy, and the writer of AOT understands the yearning for a fair fight and gives everyone a chance to imagine having a part in his story. That’s really very sweet.
Definitely the way he writes his female characters, with respect to them as a person (rather than focusing in on their gender and stereotypical gender differences), helped elevate the story as a whole. Most of the audience loves Mikasa, Sasha, Annie, Hange, etc. Honestly, a lot of the characters served their part in the story well. From the parallels we see between the soldiers in Paradis Island and Marley, and the themes they help drive home. The story does a great job respecting their characters and the roles they play in the story.
Ironic that you say this when Mikasa is literally the epitome of the female stereotype in shounen that you just desribed (although SnK isnt shounen). Shes only super powerful because shes special (an Ackermann), she has no real character development through the story except the very beginning, and the only reason shes the way she is is because of Eren, her whole life philosophy is something Eren taught her, as a matter of fact her whole character is basically nothing without Eren. I agree on the other female characters in the story being decently well written but Mikasa is just an awful example though.
@@runway5338 I understand your point but I see no reason why a woman or a man can't base their struggles off their sex. Men often have to deal so many things, expected to do things JUST BECAUSE they're a man. So why not women? NGL that kind of thinking is incelish. We can't ignore biology, bro.
A lot of this resonates with me as an artist. However I haven't found any means to share my creations properly. I don't lack the ability either, what I lack is the conduit. At least in Japan manga is a viable option for artists. To my family I look like a child playing with crayons still even though I went to college to study fine arts anyway. It's a hard field when you need to prove your self worth whilst being vulnerable at the same time. Most occupations allow a distance between the labor and one's emotional life. Art however, demands it.
Glad somebody depicted yams personality and nature. Hes indeed very structured but reserved. I always felt sorry for him, but really no one knows what's going on inside of him. the man only took a couple of vacations and postponed chapters during the new years
This video really shows how much Isayama poured of himself into what I think will be his magnum opus, I can really see myself in Eren, and now in Isayama too, the multifaceted philosophy of AOT is a direct reflection of the many experiences Isayama lived and endured, I really think that as much as he denies it, his messages are very clear (freedom, ethics, someone’s good is another’s evil, and both are inevitable, just like human violence, because again, as beautiful as this world is, it is still very cruel, and actual peace, if it exists, is still very far ahead (these are just some of the themes in the show/manga)) and he feels similar to Eren on many levels. I loved this video, keep it up!
As someone who hates staying in one place and feeling trapped, feeling like im not special and that I'm just the next person in line. These things never sit well with me. And I feel like Isayama and Eren express this. The constant need to think and to do things differently has always been in their nature. Until you reach a point where you alienate yourself and feel like you are more difficult to connect with and understand. I don't want to sound like thousands of ppl online saying "he's just like me". But I get it. And I'm glad so many others do as well. It must have touched him deeply to realize how many people adore this series.
What Eren's mother said to Shadis is for you, then (and me too). The scene where she talks while carrying Eren. I can't remember the exact words but the message lingers. Missed it during my 1st and 2nd watch.
He's a real genius! His story telling is incredible in AOT. In my opinion, it's the best show of any show I've ever seen in my 57 years of life,, and I've watched thousands of shows. Mr Isayama. Don't trip. No matter what happens from this point, AOT is still the best story I've ever encountered
Ever since I'd heard on social media that Isayama had apologized for the ending of attack of titan, the question of who Isayama really is has been lingering in the back of my mind for months now, but I never really bothered to find out until now. I think now I have something similar to that of an answer. His story is very relatable and inspiring. Thank you for this video, it was very well put together👍
After all of this I just want to give this man a big hug He absolutely fucking deserves it especially after what he's given us and what he's personally been through Isayama is an absolute fucking legend
He has written and drawn the most incredible story I ever heard and saw. In my opinion, AOT is the best show I ever saw in my life. The story of AOT are exactly nightmares I had as a child. Being eating or chased by a giant humanoid was the scariest thing to me. I immediately identified with AOT.. I say thank you Mr Isayama. I love AOT!!
God as an aspiring mangaka this video hits hard.. I feel like I resonated with basically everything Isayama said and felt here... While I wish he didn't have to go thorugh so much mental turmoil, knowing I'm not alone in going through all this and even those that many would call a legend, a genius, the GOAT even has been through it, it gives me hope to push through and make my own shonen series that will resonate with people as deeply and as much as AOT does...
A feeling of endless adolescence is honestly something I've never recognised in aot until now, but the more I think about it, the more I feel that that's a big part of the picture and why it's so important and resonates with me. This video is really well done, it made me feel things 10/10
Bro, the part where Isayama was apologizing to the fans for the ending broke my heart. He crafted an incredible story and ending in my opinion. I hope he knows how loved he is.
Bro, as a writer and the biggest aot fan ever (read the manga and watched anime like a 100 times), this video is just jaw dropping and inspiring. Although I knew a lot about the author, but never in such detail and chronological clarity. You did great justice to one of my favourite creatives of all time. To realise that isayama with all his flaws and insecurities wrote this connects me so much to him and brings me much closer to everything he’s done in the show. He’s one of us, a purist , a normal guy and he just wants to be one of them, you know ? Man isayama is one of the main characters of attack on titan for me. This literary piece of art has been one of the most rewarding experiences of all time, despite any controversy. Isayama, if you are reading this, I want you to know that you’re my best friend even if we never met. Thank you for putting your heart and soul and making perhaps one of, if not, the greatest modern masterpieces…no no..remove the word modern.!!! P.S. we want more hahaha, no pressure
To be honest, I'm reserving my thoughts until I watch the anime. I don't think the manga represented what Isayama wanted to say and just like certain scenes in the anime make more sense just because of animation and music, etc, I wanna see how I feel about it. I rushed through the ending because it's worth waiting for in the anime. The last chapter, I'm curious. Isayama himself said that the anime is the better version, so fingers crossed that the controversy is lessened.
@@schismedUp well can you atleast tell me what you thought the general message was. I can tear the ending he gave us to shreds tbh but i always wanna hear what people thought the intention was
I wonder what sort of character Eren would have been in the end if Isayama didn't have the opportunity grow as a person over the course of writing him? Would the story still reach a similar conclusion, just with less depth? Or would it go a completely different direction? It seems like many of the major plot points were decided from day one, but the tone/personality/motivations of the character throughout those plot points may have been entirely different.
I understand it. Despite it being critically acclaimed, its the little things, like the few negative reactions, and the realization of a now much more experienced writer/artist looking back at his past work and thinking "man, I could've done that better", that adds up and can lead to self doubt and the underestimating of oneself.
I am not trying to diagnose anybody here, I obviously can't know this in any way. But just speculating here. I wonder if perhaps Isayama might be autistic? I have autistic people in my life, who all had similar experiences growing up, feeling like they were very different, they often have a serious facial expression and they have the ability to hyperfocus on things they are interested in. They have a lot of inner strengths and interesting minds, but outwards they can come across as a little awkward, and they tend to experience a lot of self doubt and inner struggles. So while I was watching this video, I kept wondering if perhaps that might be the case with Isayama as well.
Not gonna lie. I relate a lot to Isayama in that my own ideas did come from playing with legos. I am an aspiring writer, and a lot of my methods came from legos.
@@cheezitfargworthWhy would you say such a thing? What do you gain out of it? Do you just enjoy being an asshole with the anonymity afforded to you by the internet? I'm genuinely curious.
Art is and always will be a reflection of its artist. It's simply impossible to write an objective story. Thanks to this video, I can now appreciate the characters in AoT a lot more and see why Isayama chose to write certain characters the way they are.
This dude created literally the best Anime ever to be seen on this planet..he is such a normal human being with his own troubles behind all of this. This success must come in as a great shock to a person..
When you were explaining isayama backstory it kinda hit home to me because I’m in the exact same position. I’m not good at anything I don’t feel special. I’m very awkward and people remind me each time because when I talk to some they give me a weird look. Hell i can’t even pronounce my name right because of the way I speak I have to slow down my words to say it. Even though I’m 18 this is a problem I’ve been having for a while and it’s very frustrating. I don’t have much irl friends over it. I’m trying to better myself though and speak up more because nothing will change if I don’t change it.
I think Eren is Actually Isayama. Eren last word to Armin : *"I'am just a stupid boy with overwhelming power, so this is the only end result that i got, destroy all humanity and got separated with my love, Mikasa."* Hajime Isayama : *"I'am just a stupid boy with overwhelming imagination, and this is the only end chapter that i can write and draw, separated 2 most people that has the purest love to each other, Mikasa and Eren."*
Watching your video and understanding what Isayama went through made me appreciate AOT a lot more. You deserve a lot more views and subscribers, you're amazing!
Isnt it interesting how the most troubled artists produce the most interesting and nuanced work? Almost like you need to suffer in order to produce something monumental. An interesting thought...
This is an excellent and heartwarming video. I'm continually horrified to see how easily and sloppily people label this poor, awkward man "fascist" without critically engaging with his story.
I would never understand why some people say the ending was bad. Yes it was tragic and unfortunate but by no means bad. It essentially ties together the prevalent themes of the whole story. It made sense to me for it to end that way. It encapsulates the idea of the world being beautiful but also cruel at the sane time. It was tragic, but beautiful.
Isiyama seems oddly relatable? For years now I've struggled with art that to me seems horrible, not even good enough for my family to see terrible. Yet I've had these concept writing ideas for decades and I've just been forced to sit on them until they bottle in my mind and threaten to burst. They need to be put to paper, yet if I try, somethings always wrong (usually the anatomy or fluidity of the characters), or it takes me a month to draw something a mangaka is expected to draw within a few hours, etc etc.
It annoyed me to see the reaction from the manga ending- it was realistic and had an incredible message, and I can see how his presence in production made the anime ending resonate too.
@@phonesjuda7318”realistic” isn’t really a good expectation when there’s straight up magic in the story. You can dislike the ending, I suppose, but those are rather flaccid/ uninspired reasons
@@phonesjuda7318also I’d say it’s pretty coherent, and it’s certainly poetic. Eren was broken as an adolescent and so he takes it out on others, perpetuating what was done to him rather than ending the cycle. This mirrors Isayama wanting to “hurt” his readers just as he was hurt.
@@phonesjuda7318if you thought the story was about the virtues of patriotism/ nationalism, I’d argue the show painted those concepts as dubious from the start. Everyone deserves peace, freedom, and understanding. Nobody should be oppressed because of the actions of their ancestors, doing so will only create more violence and oppression. What is irreplaceable though are your friends and your experiences, which in the end mattered more to Eren than anything else.
He did make a truly perfect story with perfectly written characters. And then in a single chapter threw all his hard work in the trash and set it on fire.
Thinking back, my expectation was twisted by the fandom theory. There really is no way for Isayama to make everyone happy, even if he fulfill these fan expectation, there will be a different group hate it. It much be terrifying to gather so much fan and being pressure by multiple different expectation. A year after the ending. I found myself accepting AOT for what it is. It's Alright and that is enough and it's still one of my favorite show. So thank you Isayama.
Exactly. When confronted with the pressure of pleasing multiple people with different sorts of expectations from one another, Isayama ultimately chose one that he is satisfied with the most. I think he made the correct decision, because nobody should live their life to be a slave to others.
@@daniaaalbut that's kinda what his characters ended up doing, staying slaves. And no, he wasn't satisfied the most either, he even apologised publicly and knew he had to make amendments in the anime version
Wow, that was such a good all in all review about Isayama and what he had gone through while making AOT. I liked the ending of the story of that manga, so I never really understood why so many people were so angry about it. I also knew that Isayama really felt bad about the negative criticism, that made me feel so sorry for him. I really hope he can relax now, after the anime is done. I think he made a great manga which story I will never forget about.
I genuinely liked the ending at first read so hopping on to the internet to see other people's reactions definitely shocked me 😭. Well my opinion hasn't changed, love aot. Best anime ever.
Eren Yeager is def a reflection of Hajime isayama. From his personality, and determination to keep moving forward no matter how shit it is, but also how they had the same up bringing and wanting to be free to see the world. Both got their wish because they kept moving forward and never looked back.
You should not overestimate yourself when you are learning a skill. In reality, underestimating your ability can help you discover your flaws on that hard skill. It's a strategy, not a cheat. Not saying you should feel bad about your skill. Just acknowledge it and embrace it. Be & feel willing to just improve what you just discovered about yourself that you want to change. Edit: Did I get this wrong? please reply to point out any mistakes here.
I actually don’t think any of this negativity is rare at all, especially among creatives, but probably among all of us. I know I’m very similar. I think what IS different is Isayama’s willingness to admit to his insecurities so blatantly. This video probably is the first time I’ve really connected with the “actually me” meme. But on a far larger scale, clearly this man lives up to what we might call a genius or at least close to it. And perhaps when it comes to people we would call genius, it’s probably for the best if they aren’t fully aware of how high they stand on the pyramid.
I only watched the anime, I thought the ending was excellent and I couldn't understand why there were so many negative reviews and comments from people saying that the ending was rubbish.
As mentioned in this video, Isayama thought the ending was a good idea that was poorly executed. That is why the anime version is the same story, but the dialog is slightly different, particularly the final talk between Eren and Armin.
They did switch dialogue order, cleaned up the storyboard of the scenes, added a few extra bits in there that came from official art pieces, etc. (and left out the extra pages) So it's overall a bit more clear and consistent. (plus the addition of how to present it helped when bein adapted into the anime)
I was very happy when Sasha died. Not because I hate her or thought it would provide the pivotal breaking point to force the characters into new, complex arcs. But it felt like Revenge. There was an anecdote before then about how Isayama wrote the manuscript for a chapter where Sasha died and his editor Cried at it and told him to change it because she was their favorite character and he couldn't just kill her like that. And because of the weight of the enormity of AoT's popularity at the time, Isayama felt compelled to do what he was told to work the story for the fans. Then at some point it felt like he snapped, realized that the entire series was in HIS control, not his Editor and not his Fans, and just started doing whatever he wanted, press and prestige be Damned. And I respected that a lot. An author who bucks the trends forced upon him and sticks a middle finger up at EVERYONE who told him what to do is going beyond just good writing, that's a leading man's attitude. That's someone with confidence in their story. It's all anecdote, borderline rumor, but I hope Isayama's next work has as little obstruction as possible between his ideas and the public.
I feel like he lost that control in the final chapters though and let the fans/editors get to his head unfortunately but the lead up was very legendary indeed
After the animated ending, it seems like most people really like it. I remembered back to when the last chapter came out and it seemed like everyone hated it. With more positive feedback I hope the man feels satisfied with everything now
Great info on the very talented mangaka. The interest is heightened due to the controversial ending but if you dive in and truly understand the theme of the entire story, everything in the ending makes sense and is the only way for this story to end. Stories where the author chickened out and betrayed its theme is shallow and hollow. I'm very glad that Isayama told the story that he wanted.
An absolutely amazing analysis. I feel him as a artist honestly. I’m glad he was able though to leave an impact on millions of readers. He truly is a genius in art and story. I checked out your channel and I absolutely love your content, I’d love to collab with you on an analysis anime video sometime if you are ever interested :)
I can say that this very much help to me because his story attack on Titans alone has changed my outlook on life grateful that the story was able to get this far
I really did like the manga ending. Of course, it wasn't at the same level as the previous episodes but I think that can be fleshed out in the anime, with more space to breathe. In the end, the scene when Eren is talking during the rumbling about achieving Freedom, that to me spoke a lot about Isayama's feeling of adolescent energy of wanting to destroy everything. That was a nice moment of mirroring that I got.
@@dinmavric5504Are you this insecure that you're insulting someone over a freaking opinion? Even I don't think the ending is good, but i don't insult people for it.
I love AOT because the story matures as the mangaka matures. It started with Eren screaming that he would kill all titans, but ended with some serious questions about hate, war, and violence. It's very unorthodox, but it works because it reflects Isayama's personal growth.
I really didn't like the ending. That being said, if I ever met Isayama, I would never tell him that to his face. How can you hate a man that worked so hard on a series? I would only tell him of the positive things I liked. I'm still grateful he created AoT and I really do enjoy the series as a whole. Even if I didn't like the ending, if it's what the author truly wanted then I'm fine with that. Not every series is going to be a solid 10/10, but you can still appreciate the good aspects of it.
Sure, I think I'd like to do an Akutami video. Though I might wait a bit to gauge how close we really are to the end, get some more interviews from this year and decide where to cut off the story.
Please I hope you do more introspection videos of the creators of these works. As a writer and artist myself these are really inspiring, insightful and informative.
I have some more mangakas I want to cover in mind. Though they take a long time to research so I'll have to spread them out a bit over time. Hope you'll check them out!
I hate the way people look at stories sometimes. People expect everything to be perfect or familiar but I liked aot specifically because it didn't do that. The stories that don't conform and instead dare to introduce new ideas despite its flaws are infinitely more interesting than the stories that are perfectly constructed but play it safe and don't do anything new.
I feel so bad for this guy. Being a mangeka means going months where you're only allotted a few hours a week free time, horrible back and wrist pain, ungrateful fans and not nearly as much money as you're worth. Besides the pure evil jobs like 'asbestos smell tester' mangeka has gotta be up there for one of the most terrible.
I saw in another interview when he was asked if Eren was truly free or if he was forced to do what he did, and Isayama answers by comparing it to himself. When he started writing he had a plan for how the story would go, and as he grew older and more experienced his outlook changed a lot and the series became more popular, yet when it came to writing the ending he felt he was stuck with the plan he came up with when he was young. That even though it was his story that he came up with, he didn't feel in control of the direction it would go.
I read this as well, I believe it was the New York Times interview with Isayama that was released a few weeks ago. Some nice insight I wish I could've included
Its so strange, now that I have finished the anime (and read the last chapter of the manga) I think the ending is pretty great, I dont really get all the hate
I think the hate comes from people not understanding. There was definitely more hate when the manga chapter came out rather than the animated episode. I get that there were a few fixes, but I don’t think that the problems in the manga were anything too crazy to make people hate it as much as they did
The hate comes from people who only watch the show on a surface level. They say things like "everything Eren did was pointless then?", but Eren achieved all of his personal goals. His friends lived long lives and the power of the titans was eradicated. His goal was never something as unrealistic as to permanently change human nature such that war could never happen again. He never cared about "Eldia" outside of his friends.
@@felix_patriot "people who only watch the show on a surface level" "you just dont understand the story" i cant take it anymore. every ending lover who sees AOT criticism writes it off as people being dumb. how do you not see the problems in the ending?? let me point some out: eren killing his mother served 0 narrative purpose. armin barely reacted. eren gets to play the "oohh im just stupid" card and act all "human." this man committed genocide. he shouldnt be framed this way. ENTIRE ALLIANCE is showing sympathy towards eren. ymir loved fritz. disgusting wording, 0 elaboration. diminished impact of her scene with eren in paths. historia's pregnancy mystery is dropped. eren kruger sides with the alliance. ackermans get memory manipulated. eren turns colossal _after_ rumbling stops. chapter 131, eren's convictions to save the _island_ is completely ruined. eren has somehow failed to show any romantic affection towards mikasa for 139 chapters. the fact that you say "His goal was never something as unrealistic as to permanently change human nature such that war" while criticizing ending haters for being "surface level" says a lot. eren's goal was never to stop ALL VIOLENCE, but rather the CYCLE OF RACISM. it was to _bury the cycle of hatred,_ referring to the 2000 years of Eldian conflict. ever heard of the theme "sins of the father" and "surpassing the father?" basically it's about how parents pass on their word views and expectations onto the child, thus creating a constant cycle of hatred. picture grisha passing on his restorationism ideals onto zeke, creating conflict between them. picture marleyeans parents passing on eldian racism for 2000 years. surpassing the father would be breaking this cycle. this theme is never given closure. the cycle of eldian racism isnt stopped. the world will only continue to pass on the anti-eldian ideals down. the remaining 20% will not forget.
@@blubblubblup professional yapper but no weight behind anything you said. It can all be summed up with, this is bad because of that, and that is bad because i say so. "Serves no literary purpose" you really didn't understand the story😂
I came here to say Despite all of my complains about the final, I can not imagine my life without his art. It's still masterpiece after all. It is still touching my soul and every scene of it breaks my heart into pieces like no other film or anime or anything does. It now defines my personality a little bit, because the thoughts he brings with his work... Wise. He is a wise man. If he could ever hear me I would say that he is a wonderful writer and so talented despite all controversial reviews.
Thank you for your research about Isayama. I'm an anime-only fan of AOT and I'm genuinely looking forward to the finale finale of the show, despite more or less understanding that it's a controversial ending in the manga that displeased a lot of the fans. Personally, I'm a fan of tragic stories as long as they provide meaningful lessons for the audience to reflect on. So I have a feeling that I will like the anime ending, despite what others say. Watching your video about Isayama and how it parallels to his writing and the characters in the show makes me appreciate AOT even more, not as something that's meant to be objective, but rather a reflection on how the author views the world and a subjective and emotional catharsis for the author. So thank you once again.
I seriously cannot wrap my mind around people disliking the ending. Looking back over the entire story, especially with your point of endless adolescence, it seems it couldn’t have ended any other way for Eren.
The hate comes from people who only watch the show on a surface level. They say things like "everything Eren did was pointless then?", but Eren achieved all of his personal goals. His friends lived long lives and the power of the titans was eradicated. His goal was never something as unrealistic as to permanently change human nature such that war could never happen again. He never cared about "Eldia" outside of his friends.
@@felix_patriotthey self insert and make Eren (and by virtue themselves) a hero of whatever political cause they identify with. The show is inherently political, but was never meant as a self insert the way people use it. Go to any video of Floch or Erwin and people will talk about the Yaegerists and how they’re the good guys and Eren is their leader. In reality Eren used the Yaegerists as a tool to achieve his own personal goals. It was never about the Eldian Empire, even though that’s why people think he’s a badass or sigma or whatever. “I am to western culture what Eren is to Eldia!”
excellent presentation, liked and subscribed well done sir. This video hit me in the gut I was not expecting to cry over a RU-vid video with my morning coffee, to hear how brutally he took the reception of the ending at first after all his hard work. I loved the ending regardless that it hurt like a motherfucker, it was true. it was honest and it shattered me. I really pray the anime delivers and fans don't tear it apart again. people have no respect these days. good work once again thank you for sharing his story !
First, the disclaimer at the start was based asf, I can hardly enjoy video essays without a looming threat of being spoiled. Second, this video was PACKED with really significant stuff. Creators have gotten into the habit of basic recollection rather than deep research, and it's evident you indulged in the latter. A couple points in here actually reinforce some themes relevant to a video script I'm writing now! Isayama interviews with proper translation are hard to come by, so this video was an absolute goldmine. Thanks for the hard work!
