Library Read // Attack on Titan, Vol. 34 by Hajime Isayama

Volume 34

Eren's titanic Rumbling claims thousands of lives beyond the walls of Paradis, and the boy who once lived in fear of the Titans becomes the world's most feared man. Determined to stop the destruction wrought by their childhood friend, Armin, Mikasa, and their surviving comrades reach the Attack Titan and decide to face him head on in an ultimate showdown. Will humanity finally be set free from the cycle of fear, oppression, and destruction, or will the Titans outlive their victims?

I read Vol. 33 back in July of last year. Being that I was reading this through the library, I wasn't going to wait to re-read that volume before reading vol. 34. As soon as it became available to me, it was going to be read. So I muddled my way through what recollection I had of the story, expecting it all to come flooding back with ease. However, I can't say that was the case. As I've read 33 volumes of this manga, I've noted that volumes with battle heavy chapters tend to read a bit messier. The storytelling can feel rushed, prompting search back and re-reads of preceding chapters for comprehension. 

That was the case here. At times, character crosstalk made speaker identification unclear. The chaotic pacing of the story events meant chaotic character introductions. The nine titans were introduced, and while they looked diverse morphologically, they didn't really posed much of a threat in-story. Not a one of them received sufficient time to highlight their powers or battle prowess, save when the story conveniently needed a hurdle to overcome. So that was a weak point.

But the weakest point of all, for me, was the ending. It all seriously boiled down to Eren and Mikasa's romance? Truly? Honestly? No. Take it back. That was a mess. All of that emphasis on Ymir's suffering for it to be condensed to "she loved her oppressor." BIG YUCK. BIG DISGUST. And then, suddenly, Mikasa and Eren had a serious, reciprocated romance? Sure, Jan. 

So that was a big letdown for me. The end credits via the Attack on School Castes, Armin's gripes were my gripes. "I've been waiting for this day for so long!" For ten years now!" And indeed, the anime, my first exposure to this story, first premiered in April of 2013. It's been years. Even worse, the manga ran from September 2009 to April 2021. I can't imagine waiting 12 years for an ending this mid. Clearly the conversation between the Armin and the Mikasa analogues were predicted expected responses. "Didn't you want them to subvert your expectations, but, you know, in a good way?" I did. I really did. And I appreciate the idea that the conversation might be taking place in a future Paradis. Or at least a hundred years post the war, excuse me, "The Battle of Heaven and Earth." What a name.

There was no clear moral winner here. There was no clear message on war or culpability. And I suppose that's realistic. But I didn't necessarily want realism. The way I'm feeling with this ending makes a strong case for me to continue being a non-manga reader. Just saying.

I've previously given Attack on Titan volumes 4 or 5 stars. Not without precedent, I will be giving this 4 stars, with the caveat that it's really more like 3.5. The ending felt rushed, but I'm no stranger to, specifically, anime, endings like this. Now to watch the apparently currently ongoing anime. Maybe it will have a different ending. I don't expect it to, but it'd be nice. It'd be nice to get potential endings presented. That'd be interesting.