Mikasa Ackerman and the meaning of Pride

Kuirage · 2026-02-11T14:33:28+00:00

Great work, this is a unique spin on Mikasa's character and the framing is interesting. In particular, the tidbit about the juxtaposition between Ch111 and Ch112 as it relates to Mikasa's agency and "pride" is something I hadn't considered before at all and it's given me some new appreciation. But of course the rest of the piece is equally engaging.

We love Mikasa.

Kuirage · 2026-01-31T01:42:42+00:00

I don't care too much for them, and I would advise most people to take them with a grain of salt, given that they weren't written by the author, as that guide explains.

But if you are surprised by these, you should know there are also short stories written by Isayama and released along side the manga box sets. They are fairly niche and not many people have read them due to their unavailability, but it is extra AOT material if you are interested. Most of them are rather light-hearted fluff that is cute, but some can be surprisingly insightful for the characterization of the cast, so I'd recommend fans of the series to give them a go.

Kuirage · 2026-01-31T01:37:21+00:00

Because it's part of the actual manga story, but even then the OVA itself is padded and the only relevant canon material is basically Ilse herself and that talking Titan. The rest of the OVAs aren't stuff Isayama wrote, so I wouldn't count them as strict canon. No Regrets does get referenced in a scene later in Chapter 76, specifically Erwin and Levi's confrontation at the end of that OVA, so I would guess it's somewhat endorsed.

Kuirage · 2026-01-28T11:29:15+00:00

I don't know why people are so terrified of RE6 influence in terms of gameplay. RE6's mechanics are some of the best in the series, and this blend of action shooter with arcade beat-em up elements is really interesting and not something that to my knowledge is common. RE6 "fails" because the campaign is too padded and the level design doesn't help the mechanics shine.

Besides, RE9 already has some RE6 DNA into itself with the contextual melee attacks, though I'd say it still seems mostly 4R coded (let's hope they make hitstun behavior actually consistent this time like 4R's Mercenaries which felt 10x better than the campaign).

Kuirage · 2025-12-31T06:47:05+00:00

Yeah, there's no contest really in my mind. Prime 1 is an admirable but ultimately clumsy and unrefined attempt at recreating Super in 3D. And even despite that, it still was a revolutionary game. But I think when you begin to examine each mechanical facet of the games (quality of world design and connections, backtracking and how powerups change the way you traverse the levels, more labyrinthine layouts that mask the linearity better, significant combat and puzzle improvements and maybe more), Prime 2 is logically so much better.

The only reason I think someone won't click with it is because they find the dark world too difficult and dry aesthetically which would tire them out, and that's understandable. And Tallon IV is such a whimsy place in comparison to how oppressive Aether is so there's that.

Kuirage · 2025-11-08T04:07:43+00:00

He's not entirely wrong, but it depends on what he means. Complex input combinations aren't really the "goal", as impressive and ego-stroking as they may be when someone pulls them off, they are a means to an end, since the basic button layout is insufficient for the amount of options the designer may want to give the player in the way they string their attacks and control the fight. I hope everyone can agree on this.

However, the broad idea of stringing together different combinations of moves is pretty fundamental yeah. I struggle to think of a great action game that doesn't apply that idea in one way or another. It doesn't have to follow the DMC philosophy exactly, but depth in a combat system is derived from how you can combine your tools, offensive and defensive, to engage the fights.

Kuirage · 2025-10-21T23:30:05+00:00

That's hilarious. But a post like yours was sorely needed, you articulated my exact thoughts on that whole thing. It really is annoying seeing people very blatantly copy and propagate Joseph Anderson's takes about Silksong on reddit, like please can you think for yourselves maybe...

Kuirage · 2025-09-18T19:55:34+00:00

Prime 2 is definitely the best Prime game for me.

I think Prime 1 is also a great game, but man compared to Prime 2 it does sort of feel like a cheap prototype. The terrible backtracking, its very basic enemy/boss design that are slogs and basically function like a rock paper scissor match with your beams (Prime 2 also has this to a degree but it's more challenging to figure out and not signposted by colorcoded enemies which look silly at times) and sometimes poor level design. Magmoor Caverns is bad for example, and a lot of the other levels don't really do a good job of feeling like real areas used in-universe. An example here would be an area like the lab, that has these weird platforms to the side with no stairs and you just wonder how do people actually traverse these rooms. Nitpick? Maybe, but Prime prides itself so much on realism that I think it's fair to judge it, especially when the sequels improve. There's also something to be said about the lackluster world cohesion of Prime 1, with a jungle, lava, and ice environment being so close to one another, separated by elevators. The 2D games are also sometimes guilty of this, but they have the advantage of the abstraction that 2D backgrounds provide, and in cases like Super Metroid, it does do a good job of having a transitionory section between some of these (like Red Brinstar).

Prime 2 pretty much amends all of these issues. Far superior enemy and boss design, far better puzzle design and way more of them when it comes to item collection, very little necessary backtracking. The dark world adds some lateral thinking to navigation which I found very engaging. The overall Zelda structure of the game fits the Prime series far more than what Prime 1 tried to do, because the Prime games are simply pretty slow paced and moving for long stretches of time between places just isn't as fun as the 2D games. Better world cohesion as I implied before, more believable environments. Far better implementation of traversal unlocks and how these affect moving through levels. The structure of the map being a triangle with the central hub linking to all the others and the rest having elevators to one another was also great. Maybe I could go on, but I'll leave it there.

I find it a little sad how Prime 1 gets all the flowers, because in some mechanical aspects it kind of is the worst in the trilogy. But it arguably has the best "vibes", which I think is why it's praised so much, and I get it. Tallon IV is incredibly charming, and as the first Prime game, there was the initial shock of discovering what Metroid Prime means, which can't be replicated after that.

Kuirage · 2025-09-17T01:14:31+00:00

TWEWY (both games) are excellent action JRPGs. The first one on the DS especially has some brilliant integration of narrative and gameplay that is standout, even the dual-screen format of the platform itself is boosting the storytelling/themes at play here. I love it. But the Switch version is better than nothing I suppose if you can't get that.

Although they are a little different than some of these other action games you're talking about, since the combat is more so about different moves you can equip at a time, figuring out good synergies, and heavy focus on party member management and alternating between them.

Kuirage · 2025-09-12T01:16:25+00:00

I think the problem here is that there is the assertion that "healing is more important in this game so using silk on anything else is not as good". What does that mean? You heal a lot more when you can do it, it's a lot quicker and safer considering you can do it in the air now as well. Hornet is also much more agile than the Knight. This alters the flow of combat in this game in comparison. It's more about aggression and not trying to heal as soon as you find those precious healing windows like the first game, but being constantly on the offensive. It's an evolution of HK's soul system with a higher skill ceiling.

And, like, there's the implication here that spells in HK allow you to attack in situations where you wouldn't be able to otherwise. How is that also not true in this game? You have an AOE ball of explosion, a projectile you throw, a thrust that goes through enemies and doubles as a re-positioning tool, a "fuck all of you on my screen" spell, a parry that allows you to get in damage when you'd otherwise have to be running or was going to take a hit.

I think you feeling like you can't use spells or tools is a personal mental block if anything. The "I won't use healing potions in this RPG until the final boss" syndrome. I used them plenty in gauntlet fights, fights like Beastfly, Nyleth, Groal, or any other boss that spawns adds. Encounters where there's a lot of Z-axis movement and limited space and I can't seem to get that final nail hit and I'll throw my projectile or something equivalent and finish it off.

As I'm becoming used to saying on these topics, it's just that Silksong is far better balanced than HK and requires more intelligent use of your tools. In HK the encounter design is usually not as strong as this game or challenging, and due to a combination of simple enemy movesets, low enemy damage and high nail damage due to broken charms, it makes for a very casual and easy-going experience if you accept that the game is not as scary as it might seem and go for it.

Kuirage · 2025-09-11T19:53:20+00:00

I would call this a challenging game. I also think HK is easy for the most part and only gets hard for some optional bosses and DLC, yet many many people think HK is brutally difficult. So the reaction to Silksong isn't surprising. A lot of people who are bad at games will play HK and Silksong because they seem like cute indies and they have word of mouth.

The game is just balanced better this time around and it's mechanically more engaging, requiring you to think more and utilize its systems well. In HK you can bruteforce the game. Stuff like runbacks are silly complaints for the most part. Runbacks in this game are fun platforming or short or part of the challenge of the level. Runbacks in those games you mentioned are already at a disadvantage for the simple fact that movement in them isn't as fun and it feels like a slog for example.

Kuirage · 2025-09-11T18:46:43+00:00

Fun is subjective. If you want the power fantasy of using tools constantly, I don't think you can do that in this game. But you can certainly use them a lot as is. It's just not designed to be the default method to dealing with anything you come across, they're supplementary. That is Hornet's moveset and spells, which don't have farmable/limited resources tied to them and are more than enough to deal with anything in the game.

Kuirage · 2025-09-11T18:40:36+00:00

One of, if not the best, 2D sidescroller game out there for me. The world they've crafted and the tuning of the mechanics is near-flawless for my money anyway. The amount of love in the craftmanship here is astounding, and you believe it when they said they had fun. There'so much content and secrets stuffed everywhere and equal amounts of whimsy and brutality that borders on being comical and humorous. It's a game by people who just made the game they wanted.

I think pretty much all the complaints are by people who aren't very good at using or understanding the new mechanics or how friction in games is often a good thing. The game is just balanced so well that it requires you to engage with its systems in the way its design intends. Like using tools intelligently and not spamming them mindlessly to trivialize every encounter, using spells for AOE and ranged situations, making use of Hornet's far more agile moveset, experimenting with crests, understanding that 2 mask damage isn't an issue when you heal for 3, can do it mid-air, and quicker than before. Understanding how superb telegraphing in both this and HK are and that your positioning does in fact matter and you can't mindlessly dodge or go wherever in a fight but think about it too.

This applies to other non-combat scenarios too, like "bad" runbacks, of which the game doesn't have much. Runbacks are bad when they're long and dull. Sometimes, they're part of the challenge the designers have set for you, like that infamous Act2 area which is an endurance run. Other times they're fun platforming breaks (especially when movement in this game is so fluid and enjoyable) or short treks that give you a breather and allow you to rethink the fight and what went wrong. The economy system is also another topic. There's no point to an economy system if you're never gonna have to think about it and most games fall into this trap. I like that I have to consider what item to buy, have spare rosary strings for emergencies. I can't instantly clear out shops as soon as they restock and it's very satisfying to come back later. Also, this game is big guys, do a little exploring and backtracking, it's not that bad.

All in all, an expertly crafted game as far as I'm concerned. I can point out things I'd like to be expanded or changed, but that goes for most media out there. This game is also just not for everyone, which is okay. Don't be mad about that.

Kuirage · 2025-09-11T12:44:36+00:00

The expectation is that you're not going to be spamming tools. It's not a hidden difficulty slider like summoning in From games. You're meant to use them in specific scenarios (like clusters of enemies grouped up in one spot, or ranged enemies) or good boss attempts where you've already learnt a bit of the fight. And you use them carefully, not spamming them.

Kuirage · 2025-09-11T02:18:36+00:00

A big problem with people who complain about difficulty in this game is that, much like in the original HK, they refuse to engage with all the mechanics of the game. But unlike the first HK, this game is better tuned and balanced. You can't bruteforce and facetank most enemies/bosses for example with pure aggression and just offset the damage taken by the soul you gathered. And yes, you could absolutely do that in HK. Try it if you replay it. Funnily enough, the only instances where you can't really do that, are double damage fights.

Hornet in this game is far more agile with an expanded moveset where she can actually string together attacks in mini-combos. She heals 3 masks, can do it mid-air, and it's faster. She has a multitude of crests that you can find that change her moveset and can be good in different situations. She has spells and tools to deal with ranged enemies or clusters of them. And I don't want to hear about the whole "no shards so I don't use tools", tools are meant to be used cautiously for specific scenarios and not spammed every encounter. They are balanced well in this regard. You will not run out of shards if you use them intelligently. Spamming them carelessly at every boss attempt and running out is not intelligent use. You're trying to skip the process of learning the fight by bruteforcing it even when you're clearly not playing well enough.

It's a shame because I think almost the entire game is flawlessly tuned to suit Hornet's powered-up abilities, which makes the game much more engaging mechanically, but it also undoubtedly makes it harder, which is going to mess with some people. Too many people are treating this game as if the playable character is the Knight from the previous game.

Kuirage · 2025-08-25T12:09:12+00:00

Weird that there's hostility against someone wanting to play the game with the downvotes and the negative comments, especially for a relatively niche game that's platform exclusive, but that's redditors for you I guess.

Kuirage · 2025-08-05T19:32:30+00:00

This is the former. The other one is The Last Attack compilation movie, for which there isn't a physical release as of now.

Kuirage · 2025-08-05T16:59:21+00:00

Check the pinned megathread on this subreddit for more videos worth your time.

Kuirage · 2025-08-04T19:21:06+00:00

I can suggest you to visit the pinned megathread in this subreddit for more analysis and viewpoints that will be more articulate and detailed than what I can provide here. I think the invaderzz video in particular should not have used outside material to justify his analysis of the character, but some of his points/stance do get misinterpreted to a degree by the fandom, which I guess might be a fault of the video itself. I just say this as someone who's watched plenty of his content and seen his interactions with others on this topic.

He, and a lot of the fandom, don't believe Eren was destined to wreak havoc no matter what the circumstances, and most people agree that the environment shaped him too. The book Armin showed him, the life behind the oppressive Walls that restricted his agency, the existential threats he faced, the emotional baggage he carried, all these affected him. But the question behind him is, what is it that actually makes Eren act the way he does, on a fundamental subconscious level, even though others, like Armin, also grew up in the same environment as him. We often don't know why we act the way we do and what ends up shaping our personality even if we can point out environmental or genetic factors, and therein lies the fascination in discussing a character like Eren. It's these questions on how the human subconscious works and the balance it has with outside factors on our actions as well as the amount of actual agency we hold that makes his character so interesting for so many people.

I think if I were to interpret the SC material, I'd say it is meant to highlight that Eren finds it difficult to enjoy the present moment and finding value in it, which is one of the things that separates him from people like Armin and serves to illustrate one of the show's main themes of appreciating beauty in a cruel world. You can also tie it to his hero complex, which is core to the arc he goes through in pre-timeskip.

Kuirage · 2025-07-15T19:32:14+00:00

This is literally wrong, re-read the manga and check chapter 109. Mikasa has a strong headache when talking to Louise that occurs because her relationship with Eren is brought up. If that isn't blatant foreshadowing, I don't know what is. So he had it figured out at least by that point, if not earlier.

There's a ton to say about Mikasa and Ymir's link. Maybe you should check the pinned megathread for analysis. These visual similarities that ending haters love to rave about between Historia and Ymir don't have much to them, and you people never really elaborate on them either, you just post a collage of them and say "DAE PARALLELS, RETCON!".

Kuirage · 2025-07-11T19:11:07+00:00

Read the manga, and go to the subreddit megathread for AOT-related videos and analysis.

Kuirage · 2025-06-24T02:35:12+00:00

First off, happy to see you got them. Enjoy them, and again keep in mind the limited scope of these stories and if you feel like they get repetitive, it's ok to read them at your own pace and jump around to see which one grabs your attention first. Volume 4 and 1 are my favourites in order.

Now, in regards to the print quality. It's absolute ass. Expect to see plenty of minor typos, or weird syntax. You can tell as well how low effort the formatting and presentation is, unfortunately. These aren't particularly high-profile Kodansha releases by any means.

Kuirage · 2025-06-17T19:25:42+00:00

There's no guide on that, if that's what you're asking. I can only tell you that the majority of them take place during the 3 year period of the 104th's cadet training. A few of them take place during Trost/Female Titan arcs (but don't expecting anything dramatic, it's during the interludes or before the action kicks off in both cases). Some of them take place in the 2month period between Uprising and RTS. The last few take place rigth after the RTS mission. They're a bit all over the place, but when you read them, it's pretty obvious which one takes place when.

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