Calm Before the Storm – Shingeki no Kyojin Ch 127 Review

Check out my review of SnK Chapter 126 here.

So I never thought I’d say this, but…I actually really like Yelena now.

Is that wrong to say? Is it too soon? I mean after finding out that she wasn’t completely and utterly insane, but actually very calculated in her delusions…I see her in a new light.

I was completely wrong about her, and that is a testament to Isayama’s stellar writing of Shingeki no Kyojin.  The way Yelena had been portrayed up until this point was almost as a religious zealot who quite literally worshipped chaos.

Does anyone remember that panel where the dirigible was exploding and she had her hands raised in praise because she was so happy?

So to find out this chapter that she was a bored Marleyan who just wanted to be with the Eldian prince and save the world while simultaneously calling out every single character in the forest on their sh*t was marvelous. She’s alright in my book. Jury is still out on Floch though. He just stays on that BS and although it is justified (somewhat) from an outsiders point of view…Floch just comes off as insufferable.

I’m truly waiting for his imminent reunion with the gang of good…so Jean can have at him like he did Reiner. Which to be fair, it had been a few chapters since Reiner last suffered so he was overdue. It’s also been a few chapters since the brainwashed child soldier Gabi has been problematic so no doubt we should see a new situation chiefly concerning her latest outburst in the coming interactions.

And maybe I hadn’t been paying attention much, but I never noticed how much Falco looks at Gabi. In this chapter alone his eyes were always drawn to read her expression. Either he’s monitoring her because she is all he has left, or he also knows that she is overdue to cause trouble soon.

Let’s be honest – this alliance of good isn’t going to work. Hanji admitted to wanting to hide out in the forest for the rest of her days with Levi to the rest of the gang. Mikasa is still having an identity crisis. Armin is struggling with who he now is – the colossal titan. Annie is trying, but still comes of aloof and callous. Reiner is still eternally suffering. Marley is still untrustworthy. And Jean…Jean is still dreaming of simpler times.

We got the flashback with the reason behind Jean covering his ears and zoning out alone during The Rumbling.  He was sitting on a bed dreaming of his original goal: a comfy military life in the interior with what looked like either a Mikasa clone or an actual long-haired Mikasa. And the child they would have together.

I didn’t know Jean still liked Mikasa. For some reason because it was never shown, I just assumed he stopped feeling that way. Unless, his vision of a better life is just intrinsically linked to his boyhood fantasy of starting a life with his crush at that time – Mikasa.

Jean lost his temper once this chapter, went into the forest, and came back out some time later – deciding not to take seconds of the soup. I saw a thread on Reddit detailing the usage of the forest in relation to Mr. Blouse’s analogy for the world after Sasha’s death.

The forest could symbolize war, and fighting. Many of the crucial fights in the series take place in the forest, and the alliance of good is taking refuge in the woods while dealing with animosity and in-fighting. In the end, Jean dealt with his anger in the forest, decided not to take seconds of the stew over the fire (possibly symbolizing ‘simmering’ rage) and came back out a new man.

It’s an interesting theory, but I do wonder how it could relate to Marley. Hanji brings up a great point when speaking to Magath. He is spouting his nonsense as usual, and Hanji mentions that Magath cannot fathom why the “island devils” would want to help the nation they had been at war with for 2,000 years not be wiped out.

To be quite fair, I don’t understand it either.

Aside from the one kindness to Gabi when trying to console her before pulling away, he has shown that he hates the “island devil” Eldians through and through. Gabi is an Eldian who lives in Marley, so maybe in Magath’s mind she is different. She is also a child, and a fellow soldier fighting for the same nation as he. So I’m not sure why Hanji is deluding herself into thinking the Marleyans are even trustworthy at this point.

Then again, as I’ve mentioned in previous chapter reviews, I fully support Eren.

Seeing Hanji scramble and the alliance of good discussing their plan to talk no jutsu Eren, who has literally traversed time and space, inherited the power of the founder, and quite literally is god in their world is laughable to me. Reiner didn’t fully recover during the night, so that means his titan regen abilities have been altered – aside from his armour.

There are far too many variables at play and there’s the fact that they can’t even locate Eren. On top of that, Floch and the Yeagerists have taken control of the harbor so they can’t get to the plane left by Kiyomi. This is a complete disaster waiting to happen. But, it was a fun chapter.

I’m sincerely looking forward to the next one.

So, how do you think the alliance of good will turn out? Will the Marleyans eventually turn on the Eldians who are trying to help them save the world? What do you think about Yelena and her backstory?

Leave your thoughts in the comment section below, I’d love to hear from you! Also be sure to follow us for more Shingeki no Kyojin in 2020!

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