Hi! Iâve seen a lot of talk about Erenâs relationships with Levi, Mikasa, Armin, Zelenograd, etc, but not much about him and Hanji. What do you think about the pairs relationship as of now?
I have talked about Hange and Erenâs unbalanced relationship in this post and this one, and I still feel the same way.
Putting all of that together:
â In chapter 107, we got to see how Hange deals with Eren.
Hange fails miserably in getting through to Eren, ending up feeling even more insecure about their role as Commander and worsening their relationship with him.
At first glance, this panel is pretty emotional, as it brings back memories of âhappierâ times, butâŚin retrospect, it shows how, even back then, Eren could only listen, and Hange wasnât able to realize when to stop, couldnât understand Erenâs discomfort. They stayed up all night, Hange âtalked on and onâŚâ.
Hangeâs never been able to read Eren, they never paid attention.
There are 4 panels between these two scenes (above and under) where Hange rambles on. 4 whole panels before Hange realizes somethingâs wrong with Eren. Levi has to explain it to them. Then, another 2 panels before they apologize.
But chapter 107âs prison scene parallels also another one, from chapter 89.
Hange still couldnât understand when to lay off, couldnât understand that they were pushing Eren ăź who was suffering from severe PTSD memories ăź too much. Levi understood this immediately and intervened.
But in chapter 107, Leviâs not there to stop Hange, so things escalate, not even quickly, because Eren doesnât really react for 21 panels straight, until heâs accused, for the second time, of being the cause of Historiaâs predicament. â
Hange, I feel, has always seen Eren as something fascinating and mysterious because of his titan powers. Just like some people saw Eren as a weapon, others as a savior, or a friend, a comrade, a brother, a soldier, Hange perceived Eren as an awe (and fear) inspiring entity on their side (he is helping them and heâs following orders) that can be experimented on, a tool that can bring them closer to understanding the mystery of the titans. Hange is dismissive, or totally blind, to Erenâs distress, to his emotions, and to his physical conditions.Â
This has always been the case.
Everyone is scared and anxious, Eren in particular, heâs the one thatâs gonna end up dead if the situation escalates. Hange doesnât notice. This behavior goes on for at least 3 pages.
And when Eren finally frees himself, Hange doesnât care, or doesnât realize, how Eren was feeling.
I highlighted the word âsomethingâ earlier, because I believe Hange isnât interested in Eren as a person, his wellbeing as a human isnât at the forefront of their mind when interacting with Eren. They donât understand Eren, never had, never really tried. In chapter 107 Hange tried for the first time to understand Erenâs personal intentions, but failed. It was because Eren wasnât interested anymore in explaining himself. Still, this was the first time Hange tried, so it speaks volume of how their relationship has worked until that point. And they pushed and pulled all the wrong buttons with Eren ăź or anyone, really. I myself felt annoyed by Hangeâs initial loud and empty prodding.
Eren never really minded Hangeâs behaviour before because he wrote it off as âweirdâ, just like everyoneâs behavior in the Survey Corps (the fandom itself sees it as odd and funny and quirky). Furthermore, he felt useful when he allowed experimentation on himself, it felt natural to him that, since he was a titan, he should let the military use him as a weapon, as a test subject. He never complained. It was his coping mechanism against the revulsion and confusion he felt by being one of the monsters that caused humanityâs downfall. He was pushing himself to his limits in order to give his people an edge, an advantage to freedom.
When, during the timeskip, his people didnât seem to be fighting for real freedom (accepting to make Historia breed like cattle, or leaving themselves wide open for another Marleyan invasion donât feel like freedom to Eren), he put a stop to that. He wouldnât be the militaryâs punching bag, their dog, anymore. Yes, he chose to enter the military himself, but itâs also true that he hasnât been treated like a soldier by most of them. Yes, he was okay with how he was treated for the longest time, but he didnât know any better and it wasnât wrong in his opinion.
On the blimp, Hange said Eren got himself captured over and over again and they risked their lives for him. I feel this was a very unfair way to put it. The military used Eren over and over again and he got captured as a consequence. The military and humanity inside the walls, without Eren, would have been done for. They saved Eren for themselves, for their own goals, for their plans, not for Erenâs wellbeing. Eren understood this, finally, and used that against them, forcing them to come to help him.Â
It is unfair. Thatâs why I say their relationship is unbalanced, skewed, from both sides.
