Attack on Titan (2016)

[進撃の巨人]

Volume 21

Author/Artist: Hajime Isayama
Publisher: KC Magazine

Synopsis:
Both Armin and Erwin are on the verge of death, but there is only one syringe of the Titan serum and Levi must decide who lives and who dies.

Story/Characters:
After Armin had almost every inch of skin melted off of him, I really didn't expect him to still be alive. I didn't think Erwin would still be alive either, but a good chunk of this volume contains the bitter feuding over who gets the serum and a second lease on life. Now, you may complain that I've spoiled enough by revealing that Armin and Erwin survived the events of the previous volume, but there's really no way for me to talk about the key conflict of the first half of the volume otherwise. There's still plenty for you to discover about how the situation gets hashed out, so take some comfort in that. I'd be interested to see some of the debate on the final decision. I've got one more spoiler for you. It may come as a given if you take into consideration that there are any survivors at this point, but finally, after being teased with it for six years, we finally get into the daggone basement and there are some huge revelations that'll shake your view of the world even more than the secret behind the royal family. The glimpse into Grisha's past is some dark stuff and in no small part explains a lot of the things he did. (We also see just how much Eren takes after his dad.) I'm really looking forward to the continuation of this backstory.

Art:
We get a lot of intensity in the expressions, as you might imagine, but while Isayama's made a lot of progress, things still look a bit off, though by now I've pretty well accepted it as his particular style.

Other:
The fake teaser is the school AU I would rather see than the Shingeki Chuugakkou we got. It wouldn't surprise me if it was in the offing.

Conclusion:
We get the high tension of Levi's Choice and then we get some huge revelations about the world. The drama is pretty well done and all this new information is very tantalizing for longtime fans. I'd say that's enough to make it worth adding to your collection.

Rating:
Own It