Expedition O-Taku, auteur sur O-Taku Manga Lounge

Shinjuku, free from discrimination

Posted on 30 June 202115 December 2022 by Expedition O-Taku

Japan is a very conformist and conservative country regarding family values and relationships in society. This is one of the countries where people who do not obey the “norm” are the most marginalized in society. Foreigners, LGBT + people, associated with gangs like the Yakuza … all kinds of people are marginalized by the Japanese system. Most of the population is supposed to marry and have children to become the traditional Japanese family. This creates a lot of challenges for marginalized people. However, the Shinjuku neighborhood in Tokyo is particularly proud of being mostly free of discrimination.

First, there is the famous Shinjuku Ni-Chôme, also called Gay Shinjuku, which is quite simply Tokyo’s gay district. Saunas, love hotels, gay bars, massages, and more are available for all kinds of clientele, keeping an emphasis on accepting LGBT + people. When you walk into Shinjuku Ni-Chôme, the mood changes completely since people aren’t hiding, and they don’t pretend to be anything other than themselves. This district also has the highest density of gay bars in the world, approaching 300! Here, the colors are blazing, the gay pride flags everywhere.

The history of Ni-Chôme dates to post-war Japan, when, under the American occupation, prostitution became officially illegal. However, post-war people needed nighttime entertainment just as much as they did before, so gay bars have simply taken the place of brothels to humor the same patrons. Do not imagine that LGBT + is the only kind of people who visit these bars; a whole marginalized part of the Japanese population becomes regular customers.

These famous gay bars are interesting in that they usually have the same regular customers and do not have more than ten people inside at a time. Shinjuku being crowded, the spaces available for these bars are therefore very minimal. As in many Japanese bars, here the bartender, or the barmaid, is called Master-san or Mama-san. Their role? Listening to you! Work, relationship problems … while serving alcoholic specialties of foreign or Japanese origin. The relationships developed in these bars can sometimes become the only relationships that customers, who work long hours and often have no close family to confide in, will be able to nurture. That’s why these customers usually come back to the same bar, to chat with Master-san or Mama-san. In exchange for this loyalty, bars organize onsen outings, picnics, or even Hanami ensemble, like the O-Taku Travel Troupe in 2022.

Bars are generally aimed at a targeted clientele, some of them only admitting Japanese people and not foreigners, regardless of their language skills, while others will have a typically English-speaking name and will be very open to foreigners.

Entrance fees are generally between 1,000 and 2,000 yen, which is relatively affordable for Tokyo. Activities can range from drinking all night, karaoke, dancing with strangers, playing games like darts or pool. You should also know that Shinjuku is one of the few places in all of Japan with an active nightlife. The vast majority of entertainment and services are generally closed from 8 p.m. In Shinjuku, there will even be bars and restaurants that only open at night.

Obviously, there is more to Shinjuku than gay bars. If you venture into the alleys, you will very quickly see some great bistros, ramen shops and other small restaurants that serve food for stranded souls.

For the most curious among you, discover the APA hotels, specialized in LGBT + clients.

And one of the best-known local tourist attractions remains the Robot Restaurant, which is said to have cost the owner a whopping $ 100 million! This is a robot-themed restaurant in a futuristic atmosphere with its share of crazy shows and entertainment, in vibrant colors and 80s-style neon lights.

To name some of the most famous gay bars, Arty Farty is renowned for people who love to dance. The bar is also host to many weekly events. For women, the Gold Finger bar is arguably best known for its flamboyant and wacky style.

This concludes our little summary of Shinjuku Ni-Chôme and how LGBT + culture thrives there. Why not check it out on your next trip? You could have a blast living the night life!

Alongside the Ni-Chôme, there is also the famous Kabukichô, from where secretive rumors about the yukuza are from. Being much more popular with tourists, Kabukichô is even more flamboyant than Ni-Chôme, with its neon lights and impressive buildings. Next time the neighborhood will earn its own article!

With that, see you next time when I tell you about another Japanese curiosity!

Comics vs. Manga: What’s the difference?

Posted on 12 June 202115 December 2022 by Expedition O-Taku

While American comics and manga are both technically graphic novels/comics, they typically have completely different audiences. And while they each have their strengths and weaknesses, these might be difficult for a newbie to recognize. Let’s identify the main common points and differences between manga and comic books!

Obviously, we won’t be able to cover absolutely every type of comic or manga, there are just way too many styles to cover. So, let’s use the most popular genres in each as a representative example. This would be superhero comics and Nekketsu shonen manga.
Some of you may already be asking yourself: what is a Nekketsu shonen!? Quite simply, Nekketsu are classic quest-type shonen series, that usually feature a central protagonist who must work hard to increase his power levels and continue his quest. Big names like Dragon Ball, One Piece, or even Naruto are all examples.

Now that this point is clarified, we will be able to get to the heart of the matter.

Visual differences

Anyone who’s ever read a manga or a comic book might already see a clear difference, but let’s quickly go over the basics before we dive in.

The main characteristics of manga, with a few exceptions, are the black and white drawings and the Japanese reading direction, which is the opposite of ours here in North America. So from right to left instead of left to right, but still moving through the page from top to bottom.
Conversely, comics are almost always in color (there are obviously exceptions: The Walking Dead, for example) and are read from left to right and top to bottom.

Publishing

In Japan, before being published as bound volumes, manga are pre-published chapter by chapter in weekly magazines, the best known of which is obviously Shueisha’s Weekly Shônen Jump. It’s through Jump that we’ve seen practically all of the classic Nekketsu shonen emerge.

These huge 500-page journals, sold at a very low price as they are printed on cheap, newspaper-like paper, are used to test manga. If the public is receptive, the manga is then published in 10-12 chapter volumes, which is the format that can be found in stores on our side of the globe.

On the comic book side, the system is slightly different, but there are still a couple similarities. Stories appear first in what are called “single issues,” the equivalent of a chapter. Typically between 25 and 40 pages, each of these soft cover issues are available in specialty stores, and features a story about a central character or team.

But unlike with manga, you can find the same character in several different “single issues”. For example, the character of Batman can be simultaneously found in “Batman” as well as in “Detective Comics”. Once a story or a narrative arc is finished, these single issues are gathered, like manga, in either hard cover or TPB (Trade Paperback) volumes. There is also usually a new “deluxe” paperback edition released several months afterwards. These volumes are often the main entry point for anyone interested in discovering a particular character or comic book universe.

Now that basic information is out of the way, let’s get to the heart of the matter. Concretely, what makes a manga different from a comic book?

The way the story is created and told

A manga has a writer and artist, or even a single person working on both aspects, known as a mangaka. As we follow the adventures of the story from first to last volume of the story, we are also following the vision of the same author(s) throughout the entirety of the manga all the way to a fully complete ending.

With comics, it’s a whole other story. Characters can be created by someone years ago, but be used and reinvented by different creators and writers over time. There is, of course, a certain history to the character that must be respected, although new authors often take liberties to write stories according to their vision of the character.

This is the major difference between manga and comics: on one hand, manga feature the vision of a single mangaka or team. On the other hand, comics are published as “runs”, or separate narrative arcs, that permit different creative teams to work with their own interpretations of the characters. This is an aspect that can pose certain continuity and consistency problems, which becomes expected when you can have dozens of years of history to respect. Some runs will fit naturally into the canon continuity, but others set up different versions of the characters. There’s actually a concept that was created to correct this problem, the notion of multiverse, which is mainly found in the Big Two, DC Comics and Marvel.

When reading comics, although there may be unclear elements in the issue you are reading, the arcs are generally made to be understood by readers with varying depths of backgound knowledge.
This is an interesting aspect of comics, because, as we read through more issues and expand our knowledge of the story universe, we find answers to previously unclear elements.

In a manga, when we cannot identify with the hero or story, there is no ‘solution’. The narrative frame does not exist outside of that particular manga. This is quite rare though, manga often draw you completely through worldbuilding and perfectly defined characters, again thanks to the consistency of a single creative input. Character development is one of the major strengths of manga in general, which we will come back to slightly later.

In the world of comics, the notion of multiverse means that a hero can be reinvented in many ways. There are many possibilities that open up outside of the “classic” universe.

It also allows for characters to be formally ‘updated’ over time. For example, Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, has had his origins reviewed several times in order to fit a current context. The first version of the Iron Man story, created in the 60s, takes place during the Vietnam War, but in order to attract a new audience and make it easier to identify with the universe, history was later reviewed and relocated to the Gulf War, and then to Afghanistan. This is something that would be unthinkable to do in manga where the origins of the characters are eternally frozen. This multiverse system will also allow universe “reboots” to allow new readers to find entry points without needing to know a character’s full history.

Evolution of the characters

In manga, and particularly in shonen, the hero evolves through the story. This can be an evolution in power level, but can also often reflect an evolution in the maturity of the characters that we will follow and who we watch grow up. This is why shonen manga feature important life lessons that often target young people, teaching them values such as respect , courage, friendship.

In the comics, the operation is very different. The heroes do not evolve or change very little over time (time which becomes very relative, by the way). If we take the example of Superman who has been around since 1938, he obviously hasn’t aged 83 years. He remains forever in the guise of a man in his thirties and his powers do not evolve. He is and always has been able to fly, has super strength, etc… Obviously, we are generalizing a little bit, there is obviously a character evolution, but it is very minimal compared to those found in manga.

In comics, these character evolutions are more likely result of choices made by differing creative teams over time, usually in order to renew interest in a character. No one wants a hero who stays the same!

This concludes our little introduction on the major differences between manga and comics! Of course, this is a rich subject that deserves more than a single article. We’ve only just barely scratched the surface! Expect more detailed articles from us soon!

A day in Japan: Sakura blossom

Posted on 30 April 202121 February 2023 by Expedition O-Taku

Have you ever seen it with your own eyes ? The blossom season of the Sakura in April is a unique phenomenon, symbolizing a fresh start. It is around the same time that schools begin traditionally in Japan, as opposed to September in western countries.

Now, let me bring you on a small trip to Japan in spring …

The sun rises as early as 4.00 or 5.00 am during spring and summer. But that’s still too early. All you can see in the streets are elderly people doing their morning routine or some night workers who just finished their shift. The streets are silent, most businesses aren’t open yet. You are still in your apartment, sleeping soundly.

As your alarm rings at 7.00, you finally wake up to your small apartment where everything feels narrow and small, like a small cabin on a tree. It is the first day of a new semester, so you carefully prepare your pack for the day. Once all the preparations are ready, you notice something special, something that wasn’t there last night. Near your balcony, there it is, your little bonsai tree of a Sakura. It has begun to blossom.

But something more grandiose is waiting for you, just outside the building. One step outside makes it very clear. What were just ordinary trees that you passed by for months without ever paying attention to, have now become Sakura trees in full bloom. The leafy green of tree-tops has exploded into a storm of light pink. You find yourself filled with a surprising amount of enthusiasm, so it is time to take some pictures!

One petal, two petals, three petals. They are impossible to count. Falling like rain drops, the petals of Sakura trees fill the neighborhood, like the setting of a fantasy film. This sea of pink has inspired the rest of Japan as well. From the symbols on your VISA, to the mascots of the Tokyo Olympics, cherry blossoms are everywhere, and you think that this a moment you’ve been waiting for for a long time. The air feels fresh, the cool breeze comfortable on your skin. The ambient temperature is not higher than 18 degrees celsius, perfect for a walk in a park. But first, you must go to university. Your classmates await!

Walking to the train station, it doesn’t take much longer than 10 minutes for the next one to arrive. Having checked that it is the right one, you step inside and notice something different on the train as well.

Until now, trains were always filled with advertisements. Sometimes drawn in a manga style, sometimes with funny looking actors on them. But today, every single panel has been changed to pictures of Sakura blossoms, creating a brand new atmosphere in the train.

Sakura blossom is not only the start of the spring season, but more than that, it feels like a month long holiday. As you look outside from the windows of the trains, more than half of the houses you pass by have a Sakura tree in their yard. After a few dozen minutes, you’ve reached your destination, and it is time for one last small walk.

It is now almost 8.00 am, class starts in half an hour, so you’ve got some time left for a coffee. What better place to grab one than your university’s local coffee shop? On your way, you notice some changes in the local convenience stores too: brand new Sakura-themed products are now available. Cookies, chips, soft drinks and coffee of all kinds, all with Sakura flavor and themed packaging. Everything seems to have its Sakura version variant, including coffee. But what does Sakura taste like? Curiosity drives you to try something new today.

So here you have it, Sakura flavored coffee. Sweet, smooth and tasting quite like vanilla, but with a hint of something different. The Sakura flower shaped candies on top of it are absolutely delicious, while the coffee itself tastes like a cross between cappuccino and strawberry milk. Perhaps that’s how it’s made? Yet, it is something absolutely new, like so many other products you came across in the shops on your way to school. In the school yard flooding with Sakura petals, you see some new faces and some familiar ones.

Finally, it is time for you to go to class, to greet your new classmates and teachers and start your first day in this brand new season. Today, you’ve only tried the new coffee, but the Sakura season is only starting. What will you try tomorrow?

Mythical manga: One Piece

Posted on 27 April 202121 February 2023 by Expedition O-Taku

Series summary

What is it about ?
One Piece takes place in a world of pirates, in which there is only one elongated continent called “Red Line” that connects the two poles of the world. This strip of land crosses, an ocean that is just as elongated, the famous “Route of all Perils”, or “Grand Line”. These two natural elements divide the world into 4 smaller oceans called North Blue, East Blue, West Blue and South Blue.

The oceans and the many small islands of One Piece‘s world are the scene of naval battles between the Navy and the 4 Emperors, as well as treasure hunts and attacks on the inhabitants.
Certain characters have very strange powers thanks to mysterious “Devil Fruits”. The unique abilities that can be obtained include the ability to control one’s environment or body, (“Paramecia” fruits, ex: slowing down / accelerating time, controlling body weight), transforming into an animal (“Zoan” fruits, ex: leopard, jackal, etc.) or an element (“Logia” fruits, ex: transforming your body into smoke).
On the other hand, as soon as you bite into the Devil Fruit, you lose the ability to swim, your body becoming a weighted anvil as soon as it touches the water.

22 years ago, the Pirate Lord called Gold Roger was arrested and executed. Before dying he confessed to having hidden his immense treasure somewhere on the Route of All Perils. The first person to find it would be able to stake claim it and would gain the title Pirate Lord.
This legendary treasure is called the One Piece.

What’s the story?
One day, young Luffy decides to leave his native island in the East Blue Ocean to go on an adventure, find One Piece and become the next Pirate King. Indeed, he dreams of following in the footsteps of pirate captain Shanks Le Roux who once saved him from a sea monster before bequeathing him his precious and signature straw hat.
However, Luffy cannot navigate the seas and cannot swim, because he has eaten the Devil Fruit “Gum Gum” making his body elastic.
Miraculously landing on an island close to his own, Luffy must try to recruit his first crew member …

The history
The release of One Piece began in 1997 and continues to this day. As of April 2021, 98 volumes are published in Japan.
In an interview, Eiichiro Oda estimated that he would finish his work by around 2023. As the 100th volume approaches, it looks like the current Wao Country arc is the penultimate arc of the manga!

The different arcs
East Blue: Departure for the adventure and first recruits = Volumes 1 to 12
Arabasta: Traveling from Drum to Arabasta= Volumes 12 to 24
Skypiea: The Celestial Isles and the Thunder God = Volumes 24 to 32
Water Seven: Holidays in Venice before attacking the World Government = Volumes 32 to 46
Thriller Bark Arc: A Dark Pause in the Shadows = Volumes 46-50
Summit War Arc: Separations, Encounters and Historical War = Volumes 50 to 61
Fish-Man Island Arc: Reunion and scuba diving = Volumes 61 to 66
Dressrosa Arc: Emperor’s Revolution and Attack = Volumes 66-80
Four Emperors Arc: Zo, Tougato, Wa and combat! = Volumes 80 to current

Success in Japan and around the world
In Japan, One Piece keeps breaking records (best-selling work in the history of Japan, manga that most quickly exceeded two million copies sold, etc.).
It’s not until the last two years that we’ve seen One Piece leave the very top of the best-selling podium in Japan, falling behind Demon Slayer and Kingdom.
One Piece is the world’s best-selling manga with over 480 million copies sold
In Canada, it is first in the top 10 most popular Viz Media manga (according to MyAnimeList).

The characters (spoiler up to volume 17)
Straw Hat Pirates (entering DressRosa arc)
Monkey D Luffy, Captain, resilient and skilled fighter who wishes to become Pirate Lord. Bounty: 100 million Berry (One Piece universe currency)
Zoro Roronoa, swordsman, first recruit . He promised his friend Kuina that he would become the best swordsman in the world. Premium: 60 million Berry
Nami, sailor, professional thief who tries to pay off a terrible Fishman pirate captain before being helped by Luffy. She dreams of making a complete map of the world.
Usopp, a carpenter and sniper / gunner, an outstanding storyteller who lies to embellish his stories. He lives a real adventure with the arrival of Luffy on his island. He aspires to become a proud pirate adventurer of the seas.
Sanji, cook on the restaurant-boat Baratie and expert in fighting with the feet (to preserve his cook’s hands), he is urged by his former chef to discover All Blue, the legendary sea where all the varieties of fish from all oceans.
Tony Tony Chopper, physician. It is a blue nosed reindeer that ate the “Hito Hito” Fruit, allowing it to transform into a humanoid and speak. He wants to be able one day to cure all the diseases that exist in the world.
Going Merry, ship given to Usopp after he saved Kaya in Syrup Village.
Other pirates:
Shanks, Captain and role model for Luffy. He instills in the young boy his desire to become a pirate after saving him. This episode will have cost him his left arm and he makes Luffy promise to become a strong and proud pirate before their next meeting.
Buggy the Clown, cruel East Blue pirate capable of splitting into several parts, and making them fly thanks to the powers of the Fruit “Bara Bara”.

The mangaka
Eiichirō Oda was born on January 1, 1975 and dreamed of becoming a manga artist from an early age. At 17 he received the honors of the 44th Tezuka Awards for Wanted !
He is the assistant to many well-known authors like Nobuhiro Watsuki (Kenshin the Wanderer) or other future big names like Hiroyuki Takei (Shaman King).
He will then publish the excellent Monsters as well as what will be the basis of the future universe of One Piece: Romance Dawn.
In 2004, he married Inaba Chiaki, who played Nami during the Jump Festa.
In 2018, he donated 800 million yen (a nod to Luffy’s bonuses) to his birthplace, Kumamoto, for reconstruction following the 2016 earthquake. A bronze statue of Luffy was inaugurated there in his honor.

Adaptations
Animation:
Since the anime’s inception in 1999, one episode has aired per week in Japan until 2020, when Toei Animation takes a short hiatus due to the pandemic. In total, 20 seasons, more than 950 episodes and 4 OVAs so far. One Piece is also adapted into 14 films.
A live-action adaptation is scheduled for release in 2021 on Netflix!
Video games:
We can embody the Straw Hat gang in around 40 video games ranging from the Japanese WonderSwan to the Switch, including the Playstation 1, 2, 3 and 4, the GameBoy and GameCube or even the Xbox One.
Goodies:
Countless One Piece merch items have been created, since the universe is so vast. If you’re looking for particular merch, you can assume it exists.

Why we recommend One Piece
While Master Oda has created a classic, a legitimate descendant of a Dragon Ball, it should be noted that the manga is approaching volume 100 and is still being written. The well-balanced humor combined with the emotion infused into the past of its characters will bring us to tears more than once. Adding this to the zany atmosphere of Oda, in a world of pirates that is not so common to find in manga, One Piece can be suitable for all types of new readers from around 10 years old, such as older people who want to finally read this monument of the shônen genre. Even after several full re-readings, we always find new details and we love looking for Pandaman hidden in the crowd and plunging back into the deep end of privateers and buccaneers.

Find our selection of One Piece manga and merch here!

Rebuild of Evangelion: Anno and Fandom

Posted on 25 April 202121 February 2023 by Expedition O-Taku

Are you all excited for the final installment of the Rebuild of Evangelion movies ? Currently being released in theatres in Japan, Rebuild of Evangelion 3.0+1.0: Thrice upon a time will be the last Evangelion animated project ever. So before this final goodbye to Hideaki Anno’s masterpiece franchise, let’s take a look at his work on the Rebuild movies so far. For those of you who didn’t know, Anno loves to experiment with fans and is quite critical of fandoms in general, while still embracing Otaku culture positively. In fact, we’re going to discuss a bit about how exactly he is critical of fanfictions and fandom in general.

As for movie 1, You are (not) alone, there is not much to say here. The movie is almost an identical remaster of the original anime’s first few episodes. Although it may seem very boring at first, it is an absolute necessity for Anno’s following plans. In fact, Anno’s desire to work and discuss the topic of fanfiction wouldn’t work if the first film was not at least identical to some of the original material.

Fanfiction usually depicts a different plot after the start of the series, in this case, most fanfics take place somewhere in the storyline once the main characters are introduced. So movie 1 is essentially here an introduction to the franchise, which will allow the viewers to enter the franchise’s storyline from the same angle as if they had watched the original anime. After this established same start, the Rebuild films diverge from the anime. At the end of the first movie, a small preview of the next one was shown, during which you could hear the narrator tell the audience that there would be plenty of fanservice. From there on, it becomes clear Anno is having quite some fun with the fans, trying to both deliver a message and show to them what happens when fanservice takes over the franchise.

Movie 2, You can (not) advance, is arguably the most stacked movie in this Rebuild series. It is the longest one and it also introduces one of the fan favorite characters, especially prominent for fanfics: Asuka. To be able to properly understand many of the choices Anno did during this second installment, we must first go back to what the fans disliked or wished differently in their fanfics, but also in their criticism toward the original series. For example, Shinji, being a young boy scared of piloting the Eva and reluctant in doing so, was often criticized for his cowardly behavior and compared to many of the badass shonen heroes of other anime and manga.

In the face of this criticism about Shinji, Anno created another character, Mari Makinami, introduced since the beginning who, acting like an excited Otaku in an amusement park, would feel happy and energetic, even excited at the idea of piloting the Eva and fighting Angels for the fate of mankind. And just with the introduction of this character, you could feel a different vibe from the dark and mature theme of the original anime. Fighting Eva has become … easy and fun, which totally does not suit the tone of this universe. The idea that the pilot is risking their life and the fate of the world while fighting this Angel is no longer present. Fans could immediately understand that something was out of place.

The same thing happens with Asuka when she is introduced, she literally defeats an Angel in a record time while barely beating a sweat during her introduction. While she does also fight an Angel during her introduction in the original anime, it is very far from giving off the feeling that Angels have become a joke and something easy to defeat. The sentiment that every Angel was a danger to mankind is just lost. Going onward to the topic of fanfic. Well, the complicated plot and tension between Asuka and her complexes and Shinji and his complexes were a breeding ground for misunderstandings and negative feelings between both of them. During the original anime, they never really get to understand each other. But fans really did want to see them in a more comedic school romance moment, which led to so many fanfictions about them with a lighter tone and having a better relationship. Anno, being very well aware of this desire from fans, decided to give it to them. This fanservice notably included turning Asuka, a very complex female character with a lot of hidden mysteries, into a simple tsundere archetype, going as far as to make her cook for Shinji.

In contrast, Gendo, Shinji’s father who never had a positive relationship with Shinji until the very end of the original series, even dines with his son and repairs his relationship with him by visiting together the graveyard where Shinji’s mother rests. Everything becomes lighter, the school gang even visits an aquarium together, like in any normal school romance anime. Anno, with his own sense of humor, would even include a yaoi fanfiction reference in the form of Kaji Ryoji telling Shinji that “Gender has nothing to do with love”.

Ultimately, the movie even ends in a way that is very cliche of typical shonen anime, with the main character sacrificing everything to save Rei, the girl he loves most, which is a trope that does not suit the Evangelion universe that well, since it was a story of survival for mankind. In the end, from this movie onward, we could see that the Rebuild series is not going to be nearly as dark as the original anime. In fact, Asuka being just a tsundere, Shinji and his father fixing their relationship so easily, everything became so bluntly superficial. The subject of Angels and Evangelion’s own universe are not taken as seriously anymore. Angels are almost forgotten and out of the picture until some battle scenes. The overwhelming threat that the Angels were during the original series is quite absent. At the end of the movie, during the preview for Movie 3, the same narrator says once more that there will be plenty of fan service.

Movie 3, You can (not) redo, is a big mess and an interesting continuity to movie 2. To properly discuss it, I will write another article dedicated to Movie 3 and its subcontexts. In the hopes that you will start looking at the Rebuild movies with a new perspective from now on. Thank you for reading my first article and rendez-vous next week for my article!

Attack on Titan: A conclusion to the fight for freedom

Posted on 22 April 202121 February 2023 by Expedition O-Taku

Although its popularity rose with the release of the anime adaptation, made mainstream via popular streaming platforms such as Netflix and Crunchyroll, Attack on Titan’s popularity was kept high thanks to consistent good writing and plot development by the author. At first, the manga’s plot was very simple to understand, humans being threatened by Titans and Eren wanting to eradicate Titans. But as the series went on, topics such as freedom, truth, knowledge and an overwhelming amount of historical and symbolic references could be found in it.

Volume 34 is set to release sometime this summer and according to various sources, will include an extended final chapter, so make sure to get your hands on it!

This article will explain many of the confusing parts of the final chapters, so before you read further, please be aware that it will contain spoilers!

Let’s start with chapter 138 from volume 34, a chapter depicting Mikasa’s dream of a perfect life with Eren. In this chapter’s key moment, Mikasa is requested by Eren to forget about him but she decides that she cannot, right before dealing the finishing blow to the series main protagonist in front of Ymir.

Now, one could wonder, what does Ymir represent in this scene? In the manga, Ymir is a slave who was in love with the king to whom she belonged. Because of her love, she was a prisoner, her love for the king stopping her from setting herself free from all her torments and being finally happy. As a result, she spent her entire existence chained by the king’s orders, unable to oppose the king out of love. A similar behaviour can be found in Mikasa’s character, who acts inherently loyal to Eren in every possible way. Her overwhelming strength as a soldier is reminiscent of Ymir’s own ability to defeat the king’s enemies. So in this particular scene, Ymir could easily see herself in Mikasa and her actions.

What sets Mikasa apart, however, is that right before slaying Eren, her last words are words of rebellion, in opposition to the demands Eren made of her. She was able to keep loving Eren, but still refusing his last request, showing that she would not always obey blindly to the one she loves. This is something Ymir was never able to do until her death. By making the decision to keep loving Eren and opposing his final request, Mikasa symbolically freed herself from being a slave to Eren, choosing her own path. She accomplished what Ymir always dreamed of doing, which put a smile on Ymir’s face, allowing her to finally rest in peace.

Next comes chapter 139 from volume 34. This chapter begins with Eren explaining to Armin that he truly does not have any other choice than to move forward, that every choice he made was inevitable due to Ymir’s influence on the course of events. Then what does freedom truly mean? Was Eren ever truly free? While Isayama’s characters don’t explicitly discuss this idea, it is the desire for freedom that motivates Eren throughout the series. In exploring this theme, Iseyama avoids any obvious moral lessons, choosing instead to let readers come to their own conclusions in response to the questions asked by the manga.

Isayama has used many historical references throughout Attack on Titan, from references to the segregation of Jewish people under the Nazi regime to the psychological impact of wars and bombs on their survivors in the first few chapters of the manga. We can conclude that Isayama is quite fond of history. Inthe last chapter, one of the biggest irony was that despite Eren’s sacrifice, we see the emergence of an army choosing war over peace. Despite the promises made by humans in previous chapters, stating that if they could survive, they would never make the same mistakes again, war is once again imminent. It is no secret that Attack on Titan portrays many ugly sides of humans overall. Despite being freed from the fear of Titans, humans would keep fighting, those who have the freedom and will to fight shall continue waging wars. In the end, the causes of mankind’s suffering were never the Titans, but instead what mankind made of the Titan powers, and the choices humans made are now bound to inevitably repeat themselves.

Do notice that Eren’s main goal at the beginning of the series: Eradicating all Titans, was accomplished. In fact, despite the story’s tone changing drastically from the start of the series, his end goal was nonetheless accomplished. We can also observe a very simple illustration from chapter 139 from volume 34.

The various reactions of Eren’s friends when discovering the truth about his actions are very similar to how the author could expect the fans to react upon reading the last chapter. One of the aspects of the manga that proves Isayama is a master when it comes to capturing his audience’s feelings and portraying them through his characters.

Hajime Isayama is still young and will probably return with future works just as epic as Attack on Titan, so make sure to follow him on his future projects! In the meantime, don’t forget to Sasageyo!

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