Hajime Isayama Missed Out on a Huge Opportunity to Give Mikasa the Family Even Eren Jaeger Couldn’t Provide
Almost a decade back, Hajime Isayama made his breakthrough as a mangaka with his series Attack on Titan. The manga remains relevant because of its poignant portrayal of war and strife. But most importantly, it serves as a purpose to highlight the dystopian society.
It is anything but a bog-standard shōnen manga, especially in its portrayal of human bonds. The dystopian series enmeshes themes of survival with love and friendship. In a war-torn society, there is no respite, and this applies especially to Mikasa.
As Eren’s close friend, she was his close confidante and a trusted family member. And while the series outlined their tragic love story, it failed significantly in other aspects. But mostly, to explore her relationship with yet another character.
Mikasa and her family connections remain uncharted
As we all know, Mikasa is one of the leading ladies in the series. But more than that, she is a fierce warrior who withstood it all. From witnessing murder to almost being trafficked, her story is nothing short of tragic.
What’s more devastating is her turbulent relationship with Eren. Throughout the series, the mangaka laid out complexities between both the characters. War plays a major role in shaping the course of their relationship. However, there’s more to it than meets the eye.
The theme of family is ever present in a war-stricken society. Amidst the Titans, the characters strive to achieve normalcy in their daily lives. Family, in this case, is an important factor that adds to the sanity.
With Eren’s insanity, their relationship is affected throughout the series. But most importantly, the series did a major disservice to her character in one aspect. This has a lot to do with her connection to yet another major character.
Most fans on X pointed to the uncharted relationship between Levi and Mikasa in this thread.
levi and mikasa deserved a conversation about finding out they are cousins
— astrid (@cosmickyber) November 6, 2024
“Mm. Okay so you’re-“ “yeah.” “Okay…. And I’m also?” “Apparently.” “Cool… cool.”
— Kenneth | shitting myself!!!!!🥩 (@lecterkisses) November 6, 2024
i like to imagine they bonded over it in their own awkward ackerman way
— bee⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡ (@ACKERMAANSS) November 7, 2024
Hmm black hair grey eyes and same last name something’s going on here pic.twitter.com/bSm2yfaiF6
— ミ★ emotional range of a spoon ★彡 (@Levisorangecat) November 6, 2024
yea cos why did no one even react at their surnames being the same
— miu 🐻 (@miumewi) November 7, 2024
The mangaka indeed left their connection unexplored further, stripping Mikasa of a possible familial bond. However, it doesn’t negate the mangaka’s brilliance in creating one of the most tragic romance stories in anime.
Hajime Isayama redefined tragedy and romance
After the series’ horrid ending, Hajime Isayama faced backlash in the most brutal way possible. According to most fans, the mangaka gave the worst possible ending. It was only later on that most viewers made peace with it.
Regardless of that, the criticism pushed the mangaka to tears and had him apologizing for it. While this was completely unnecessary, one thing is certain. He gave us one of the most tragic romances in his series.
Eren and Mikasa’s relationship isn’t a run-of-the-mill shonen romance. Even as a story deeply entrenched in dystopia and human horror, it gives moments of respite. From a red scarf to a severed head, Isayama’s manga is woven with symbolism.
To deprive both characters of a happy ending was the worst possible decision. This, however, plays out to redefine the trope of tragic romances. By depriving the readers, Isayama peaked in his brilliance as a mangaka. But there’s more to it.
He revealed frequently that he is inept at writing romance. It is this very inability that rendered one of the most beautiful moments in his series. Undoubtedly, Eren and Mikasa’s relationship remains one of the tragic romances in the anime.
Attack on Titan is available for streaming on Crunchyroll. The manga is available for reading on Viz Media.
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