Yeah, seems like it. One person on tumblr had that theory even before we saw the upper part of the cliffhanger page, based solely on Armin's expression and Jean's comment in a a text spoiler that you can't use a gun with 3dmg. But with that page of Armin reaching under his cloak the likelihood of him popping his murder cherry to save Jean has risen considerably.
And yeah, I really want to see it happen, too. It'll be interesting to see how Armin will cope with it. He has been the most mentally prepared for killing someone, but I wouldn't be surprised if he's still shaken, even while he rationally knows that he did the right thing.
As for Jean, it's very likely that this will be his wake up call. I like his softness and regard for human life and can sympathize with him, but in the current situation his attitude is a liability. I'm curious to see how this will affect his relationship with Armin, too. Jean's never agreed with Armin's stance on needing to make sacrifices and killing people in this situation, but if Armin wasn't like that, Jean would be dead.
Last but not least, Mikasa's exact reaction should be interesting to watch, too, and and I figure that Sasha and Connie will have a word, too.
Basically, this turn of events should lead to some nice character development in future chapters.
(Oh and I've seen some people claim that Jean's hat falling of makes no sense if he wasn't shot, but the corpse of the woman will probably fall on top of him. Pretty sure that the worst that'll happen to him will be that he ends up splattered with gore.)
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. But, to be fair - I wouldn't call that murder. Oh, I'm sure the MPs would, but that action was entirely justifiable, as Jean's life was in danger and Armin was coming to his defense.
He has been the most mentally prepared for killing someone, but I wouldn't be surprised if he's still shaken, even while he rationally knows that he did the right thing.
Oh, he'll definitely be shaken once the action settles down and the adrenaline slows. He's pretty utilitarian, he's willing to take horrific actions if he believes they'll lead to a better world, but he's aware they're horrific. In chapter 55 he was angsting over the Survey Corps "not [being] good people anymore," and that angst was genuine.
Not to mention that, for the vast majority of people, killing someone regardless of circumstance is a traumatic event and not easy to do. Which is why I can't really blame Jean for hesitating. But, no, he can't hesitate if he wants to survive and he wants his comrades to survive, and I suspect you're right about the wakeup call there. He's on an arc toward leadership, and sometimes there's just no clear-cut moral choice for a leader to take.
Hahaha, sorry, I was exaggerating for humor's sake. I don't consider it murder, either. If anything, protecting yourself or your friend is probably the only thing that makes killing unambiguously a good act.
Yeah, poor Armin. He's been brave and attentive in this chapter, but his reward will be only pain. Well, maybe Jean will finally get his head out of his ass and thank him for what he did. It's long overdue, especially since Armin has saved him now the third time. (Or fourth if you count Armin's hand in liberating frost HQ way back.)
I don't know a lot about it, but in RL, you gotta train to kill someone (especially mentally), since crossing this line is genuinely hard for most people. So I don't fault Jean for it either. Add the fact that he is still the most sheltered member of the 104th and it's hard to deny that this was the most believable outcome.
Right now I have no idea if Jean will really become some sort of leader, but if so he's got a lot to learn (which is good, since it means that he'll hopefully live longer or maybe even survive the series). But then again, Marco's comments would be a waste of space and ink if Jean's character arc will not eventually culminate in this way.
Add the fact that he is still the most sheltered member of the 104th
Never thought about it that way but you're right, when I think of the formative experiences of the rest of the 104th — or Connie's experiences returning to his old village.
But then again, Marco's comments would be a waste of space and ink if Jean's character arc will not eventually culminate in this way.
Also, there was that bit of foreshadowing in the Forest of Giant Trees, when Jean glares at Levi from a distance and mutters about commanding officers being killed by their subordinates.
Man, I hope that's ultimately not foreshadowing about what happens to Jean himself.
Well, Sasha and Connie had it better than the trio, but they had it still worse than Jean. Sasha had to deal with starvation and her way of life being threatened by people from the outside. Plus it was established that she used to fear the world beyond her little community/tribe. And Connie's whole family and village were recently killed except for his mum who became a titan. If we take the 2nd OVA as canon Jean still has both parents and judging by the house he lived in they were fairly well-off, too.
I always feared that this foreshadowed Jean killing an incompetent leader (maybe to save his friends?) and as a result making so many enemies that it leads to his death. Dunno about Jean becoming such a bad leader himself, but it's an interesting idea. As of right now, he seems to represent the idea of a humane and compassionate leader and we'll see how that goes in the future.
Back in the day, people predicted that he might try to kill Erwin, but yeah, with the current developments people's predictions have shifted to Levi. I suppose we'll have to wait and see how Jean's relationship with Levi unfolds after this. One way I could see it go even worse would be if Historia really joined her father's side. Jean would probably blame it on Levi's treatment of her.
ARYT - Or he might try to kill Hange, who will assume command of the Corps if Erwin dies in prison. But I find your speculation compelling - he has no animus toward Hange, whereas Levi's treatment of Historia angered him.
Hange would be interesting, too, but I agree that it's unlikely given that he hasn't even interacted with Hange yet.
Levi would be the worst possible target for Jean, though, since he has no hopes of ever winning a fight against him. But it's currently the most likely one. Wonder what plot purpose it would serve, if it happens.
Jean wouldn't necessarily have to win a fight with Levi. All he'd need would be proficiency with firearms, the element of surprise, and a willingness to pull the trigger when his life isn't being threatened.
But, yeah, I'm not sure how it would further the plot either.
Same anon: Actually it's Mikasa IMO who's most mentally prepared to kill someone. Armin's been rationalizing himself into it for ages now, but consider Mikasa's speech in the stable. She's bought into Levi's motivation speech about mass murder for the sake of humanity - and it's not simply for Eren's sake anymore, it's at the philosophical level. She's considerably darker at this point than Armin is, and possibly Eren, whose arc has been one of perceiving greater nuance rather than seeing everything in black and white.
Oh I definitely agree that Mikasa is the most prepared. I should have written clearly that I was only comparing Armin to the teammates who haven't killed yet, either. Obviously, all of them pale compared to Mikasa.
Though I kind of love the the heroine of this story is the most ruthless and determined even compared with her male teammates - that's pretty unusual, especially in action manga with the shounen demographic.
Then again, this chapter has certainly (further) debunked that Mikasa cares only about Eren. Obviously, she saved Sasha, Histora and random townspeople in the past, but here she saves Armin (this one's not surprising) and cries out for Jean even though she's usually pretty indifferent towards him. If she had been closer, she would probably have been the one to save Jean.
Though I kind of love the the heroine of this story is the most ruthless and determined even compared with her male teammates - that's pretty unusual, especially in action manga with the shounen demographic.
She's catching up with Levi, for that matter. I wouldn't say she's as ruthless as he is, at least not yet, but she's definitely more bloodthirsty. He sees violence as a tool, a means to an end. She wants vengeance. Look at her face after Levi's told them all to kill as many enemy combatants as they can, when she replies, "Yes, sir."
If she had been closer, she would probably have been the one to save Jean.
I'm not sure she isn't the one who saves Jean. The arc of blood we see going flying along with his hat strongly suggests that Mikasa threw her blade and decapitated the enemy soldier. Armin's gun is small enough to be hidden under his cloak, probably no bigger than the revolver Levi had trained on Pastor Nick under his own cloak many chapters ago. I'm no ballistics expert but I don't think a projectile from a smaller, older gun like that would spray blood so dramatically.
That said, I'd rather it have been Armin, because I want to see how he mentally processes having knowingly killed another human being for the first time.
I haven't kept tabs on how realistic the blood physics is (although if it's anything like the anime, not at all), but if the enemy soldier got shot in the neck, her own blood pressure would be more than enough to have some dramatic spray.
If it does turn out to be Mikasa who saves Jean, I wonder how Jean's opinion of her will change. He seems to idolise her beauty and strength, but isn't comfortable with how cold she can be. Even if he's grateful, I think his crush on her might be affected, and not in a positive way. While if the considerably less ruthless Armin shot the soldier, perhaps Jean would be better about it since it could be seen more as a 'last resort desperation to save a friend', rather than 'I'll kill because I need to'.
AYRT - I was under the impression that Jean's crush on Mikasa fell by the wayside a while back. I can't go digging through the older chapters right at the moment to find it, but at one point he's called her an "idiot" for putting herself in unnecessary danger.
Then there was the stable scene in the previous chapter, with Jean vehemently stating that he won't kill people and Mikasa saying that she's perfectly willing to. If he were still crushing on her at that moment, I can't imagine how her comments wouldn't have thrown a huge bucket of cold water over the crush.
I was thinking of the very zealous way in which he saved her from the titan when they were rescuing Eren, back in chapter 49 or so. But you're right, he hasn't said or acted like he still has the crush since, that I can remember anyway. So yeah, if there was anything left I reckon it's been pretty thoroughly extinguished by now, pretty certainly if he sees her decapitate someone in front of him.
I'd say that Jean's crush for Mikasa was still existent as of chapter 51 - his anger at Eren allegedly "peeping" on her (lol Jean stop projecting) makes the most sense if you interpret it as jealousy.
Don't know if current events will change his feelings or not. They might, though, since his crush on her is not an integral part of his character even if fandom likes to exaggerate it. Then again, it keeps getting used for humor and to highlight Mikasa's loyalty to Eren (since she remains so indifferent to Jean). Plus, if a character has a long time unrequited crush (in many manga/anime) there is often some dramatic "moving on" or "officially giving up" scene which is frequently prompted by him/her witnessing the main couple getting together in some fashion. The latter of course only works if Eren/Mikasa becomes a thing. As it is Jean seems to know that Mikasa has only eyes for Eren (which is probably why he has never flirted with her again after the "beautiful hair" scene). Jean just kept having feelings for her anyway, even if it was futile.
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(Anonymous) 2014-06-08 01:18 pm (UTC)(link)But with that page of Armin reaching under his cloak the likelihood of him popping his murder cherry to save Jean has risen considerably.
And yeah, I really want to see it happen, too. It'll be interesting to see how Armin will cope with it. He has been the most mentally prepared for killing someone, but I wouldn't be surprised if he's still shaken, even while he rationally knows that he did the right thing.
As for Jean, it's very likely that this will be his wake up call. I like his softness and regard for human life and can sympathize with him, but in the current situation his attitude is a liability. I'm curious to see how this will affect his relationship with Armin, too. Jean's never agreed with Armin's stance on needing to make sacrifices and killing people in this situation, but if Armin wasn't like that, Jean would be dead.
Last but not least, Mikasa's exact reaction should be interesting to watch, too, and and I figure that Sasha and Connie will have a word, too.
Basically, this turn of events should lead to some nice character development in future chapters.
(Oh and I've seen some people claim that Jean's hat falling of makes no sense if he wasn't shot, but the corpse of the woman will probably fall on top of him. Pretty sure that the worst that'll happen to him will be that he ends up splattered with gore.)
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(Anonymous) 2014-06-10 01:54 am (UTC)(link)AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. But, to be fair - I wouldn't call that murder. Oh, I'm sure the MPs would, but that action was entirely justifiable, as Jean's life was in danger and Armin was coming to his defense.
He has been the most mentally prepared for killing someone, but I wouldn't be surprised if he's still shaken, even while he rationally knows that he did the right thing.
Oh, he'll definitely be shaken once the action settles down and the adrenaline slows. He's pretty utilitarian, he's willing to take horrific actions if he believes they'll lead to a better world, but he's aware they're horrific. In chapter 55 he was angsting over the Survey Corps "not [being] good people anymore," and that angst was genuine.
Not to mention that, for the vast majority of people, killing someone regardless of circumstance is a traumatic event and not easy to do. Which is why I can't really blame Jean for hesitating. But, no, he can't hesitate if he wants to survive and he wants his comrades to survive, and I suspect you're right about the wakeup call there. He's on an arc toward leadership, and sometimes there's just no clear-cut moral choice for a leader to take.
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(Anonymous) 2014-06-10 08:44 am (UTC)(link)Yeah, poor Armin. He's been brave and attentive in this chapter, but his reward will be only pain. Well, maybe Jean will finally get his head out of his ass and thank him for what he did. It's long overdue, especially since Armin has saved him now the third time. (Or fourth if you count Armin's hand in liberating frost HQ way back.)
I don't know a lot about it, but in RL, you gotta train to kill someone (especially mentally), since crossing this line is genuinely hard for most people. So I don't fault Jean for it either. Add the fact that he is still the most sheltered member of the 104th and it's hard to deny that this was the most believable outcome.
Right now I have no idea if Jean will really become some sort of leader, but if so he's got a lot to learn (which is good, since it means that he'll hopefully live longer or maybe even survive the series). But then again, Marco's comments would be a waste of space and ink if Jean's character arc will not eventually culminate in this way.
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(Anonymous) 2014-06-10 12:33 pm (UTC)(link)Add the fact that he is still the most sheltered member of the 104th
Never thought about it that way but you're right, when I think of the formative experiences of the rest of the 104th — or Connie's experiences returning to his old village.
But then again, Marco's comments would be a waste of space and ink if Jean's character arc will not eventually culminate in this way.
Also, there was that bit of foreshadowing in the Forest of Giant Trees, when Jean glares at Levi from a distance and mutters about commanding officers being killed by their subordinates.
Man, I hope that's ultimately not foreshadowing about what happens to Jean himself.
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(Anonymous) 2014-06-10 03:10 pm (UTC)(link)And Connie's whole family and village were recently killed except for his mum who became a titan. If we take the 2nd OVA as canon Jean still has both parents and judging by the house he lived in they were fairly well-off, too.
I always feared that this foreshadowed Jean killing an incompetent leader (maybe to save his friends?) and as a result making so many enemies that it leads to his death. Dunno about Jean becoming such a bad leader himself, but it's an interesting idea. As of right now, he seems to represent the idea of a humane and compassionate leader and we'll see how that goes in the future.
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(Anonymous) 2014-06-10 04:10 pm (UTC)(link)Or not necessarily a bad leader but a leader in strategic conflict with one or more of his subordinates. Or with traitors in the ranks.
But if that bit of foreshadowing wasn't a red herring, it's more likely that Jean will kill, or attempt to kill, Levi.
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(Anonymous) 2014-06-10 04:40 pm (UTC)(link)no subject
(Anonymous) 2014-06-10 04:44 pm (UTC)(link)no subject
(Anonymous) 2014-06-10 04:50 pm (UTC)(link)Levi would be the worst possible target for Jean, though, since he has no hopes of ever winning a fight against him. But it's currently the most likely one. Wonder what plot purpose it would serve, if it happens.
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(Anonymous) 2014-06-10 05:25 pm (UTC)(link)But, yeah, I'm not sure how it would further the plot either.
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(Anonymous) 2014-06-10 02:01 am (UTC)(link)no subject
(Anonymous) 2014-06-10 08:50 am (UTC)(link)Though I kind of love the the heroine of this story is the most ruthless and determined even compared with her male teammates - that's pretty unusual, especially in action manga with the shounen demographic.
Then again, this chapter has certainly (further) debunked that Mikasa cares only about Eren. Obviously, she saved Sasha, Histora and random townspeople in the past, but here she saves Armin (this one's not surprising) and cries out for Jean even though she's usually pretty indifferent towards him. If she had been closer, she would probably have been the one to save Jean.
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(Anonymous) 2014-06-10 12:46 pm (UTC)(link)She's catching up with Levi, for that matter. I wouldn't say she's as ruthless as he is, at least not yet, but she's definitely more bloodthirsty. He sees violence as a tool, a means to an end. She wants vengeance. Look at her face after Levi's told them all to kill as many enemy combatants as they can, when she replies, "Yes, sir."
If she had been closer, she would probably have been the one to save Jean.
I'm not sure she isn't the one who saves Jean. The arc of blood we see going flying along with his hat strongly suggests that Mikasa threw her blade and decapitated the enemy soldier. Armin's gun is small enough to be hidden under his cloak, probably no bigger than the revolver Levi had trained on Pastor Nick under his own cloak many chapters ago. I'm no ballistics expert but I don't think a projectile from a smaller, older gun like that would spray blood so dramatically.
That said, I'd rather it have been Armin, because I want to see how he mentally processes having knowingly killed another human being for the first time.
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(Anonymous) 2014-06-10 01:15 pm (UTC)(link)I haven't kept tabs on how realistic the blood physics is (although if it's anything like the anime, not at all), but if the enemy soldier got shot in the neck, her own blood pressure would be more than enough to have some dramatic spray.
If it does turn out to be Mikasa who saves Jean, I wonder how Jean's opinion of her will change. He seems to idolise her beauty and strength, but isn't comfortable with how cold she can be. Even if he's grateful, I think his crush on her might be affected, and not in a positive way. While if the considerably less ruthless Armin shot the soldier, perhaps Jean would be better about it since it could be seen more as a 'last resort desperation to save a friend', rather than 'I'll kill because I need to'.
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(Anonymous) 2014-06-10 01:30 pm (UTC)(link)Then there was the stable scene in the previous chapter, with Jean vehemently stating that he won't kill people and Mikasa saying that she's perfectly willing to. If he were still crushing on her at that moment, I can't imagine how her comments wouldn't have thrown a huge bucket of cold water over the crush.
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(Anonymous) 2014-06-10 01:35 pm (UTC)(link)I was thinking of the very zealous way in which he saved her from the titan when they were rescuing Eren, back in chapter 49 or so. But you're right, he hasn't said or acted like he still has the crush since, that I can remember anyway. So yeah, if there was anything left I reckon it's been pretty thoroughly extinguished by now, pretty certainly if he sees her decapitate someone in front of him.
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(Anonymous) 2014-06-10 03:23 pm (UTC)(link)I'd say that Jean's crush for Mikasa was still existent as of chapter 51 - his anger at Eren allegedly "peeping" on her (lol Jean stop projecting) makes the most sense if you interpret it as jealousy.
Don't know if current events will change his feelings or not. They might, though, since his crush on her is not an integral part of his character even if fandom likes to exaggerate it. Then again, it keeps getting used for humor and to highlight Mikasa's loyalty to Eren (since she remains so indifferent to Jean). Plus, if a character has a long time unrequited crush (in many manga/anime) there is often some dramatic "moving on" or "officially giving up" scene which is frequently prompted by him/her witnessing the main couple getting together in some fashion. The latter of course only works if Eren/Mikasa becomes a thing.
As it is Jean seems to know that Mikasa has only eyes for Eren (which is probably why he has never flirted with her again after the "beautiful hair" scene). Jean just kept having feelings for her anyway, even if it was futile.
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(Anonymous) 2014-06-10 04:46 pm (UTC)(link)but if the enemy soldier got shot in the neck, her own blood pressure would be more than enough to have some dramatic spray.
Like I said, I don't know enough on the subject to be 100% sure, and I do hope it's Armin for reasons of character arc.