thinking abt cannibyler/ canniwill again (.. for no particular rsn<3) n the relationship will would have w eating ppl once he eventually starts, if we're coming from a "came back wrong" perspective. yk I thought at first "ok maybe its exclusively ppl who're not so great ppl/ maybe its a hannibal type think w rude ppl n mike goes "might as well bc they were rude to will, right?"" but there's smthing special abt will having a good relationship, a great, special one even, w another person n eventually eating them anyway. "bc he can't help himself??" well sure in a way, but maybe bc it makes him hungry in a way cruel ppl dont, the urge to consume someone who grows increasingly important to him bc cant love be more powerful then hating someone, esp for will byers himself?

...ill see myself out

I've seen some of your AOT posts and I genuinely want to know your opinion on Isayamas writing? I truly don't think it's as brilliant as so many people make it out to be. I feel like Eren is not as well developed as I thought he would be before I read the manga. Especially Mikasa, I thought she was going to be this ground breaking female character, but she was just fine like Idk I just don't understand the hype around AOT.

this isn't rlly the best question to ask someone who bailed around chapter 40 and tried picking it back up three times 😭

from what i remember, the writing was good enough to keep me engaged (the first time i read it. i dropped it bc i ran out of chapters and thought i'd let it build up before binging it which i never did) I think isayama's writing is better quality than other shonen writers, and the plot twists and characters (I have so many thoughts on good plot vs good characters in manga) were enough to keep ppl hooked until the basement plotline was revealed. i've heard different opinions on this, and i've read that it's from there on that snk's writing faltered. i've touched upon what i think of the anti semitic themes in other posts so i won't open that can of worms in this ask

i've said this before but one of the absolute banes of my existence are snk dudebros who worship isayama and the "you aren't smart enough to understand snk's brilliance" snk weebs, so if you think snk is hyped up you’re probably right lmao

as for snk’s popularity!!!! i have so many thoughts!!!!

i don’t necessarily think it was the strong writing that made snk into what it is today. granted, writing is a part of it, but snk’s entire (beginning) plot revolving around fighting man eating titans, the grotesque scenes filled with horror, and all the shock value in the beginning of the manga was what catapulted snk into mainstream western entertainment, especially since during the time of snk’s inception there was really nothing else like it. i think isayama settled on a niche and executed it extraordinarily well (well at least. better than others) most ppl’s entry into snk is bc they saw a picture of a titan probably immortalized in a meme or something or eren’s mother being eaten. it’s kinda how like pmmm “revolutionized” the dark magical girl genre. snk has inspired a lot of other dark fantasy/horror mangas hoping to capitalize on snk’s popularity. all in all i do think that isayama and snk’s popularity changed the course of anime in the west, and once something is that popular, it simultaneously becomes harder to criticize and subject to more criticism, if that makes sense

as for mikasa it's kinda the same as ppl praising jjk for having the "best female characters ever" when it really doesn't since the standard's so low. mikasa was like the first female character depicted as strong and on the same level with the best of them. i like that mikasa has agency in the later chapters, even with eren in the picture, and yet ppl still have things to say about her relationship with eren!!! taking away what character she does have and attaching her to a man :/

idk if i’d call her groundbreaking tbh, but at the time when there were scarcely any female characters with agency and strength??? yeah totally. but then i again i haven’t completed snk and can’t say anything abt the later chapters. since mikasa as a ‘strong female character’ entered public anime fan consciousness, this hype around her character carried over to where it remains today. basically if you ask anyone abt a strong female character, chances are they’ll tell you mikasa.

in the end, i’d say not to let public opinion influence you, but to keep your mind open too!! i agree with you that snk may be overhyped, but there’s also a reason why snk has achieved so much popularity and done what other mangas haven’t been able to no matter how much i hate isayama!!