A semi-realistic re-draw of my old manga design for ‘Sebastian Michaelis’ (from Kuroshitsuji) which can be found here –[ x ]. Drawn just for@playfulcrow&& his original verse for the character. Please do not use without permission. ♡ Thank you!
Isayama Hajime Holds Autograph & Q&A Session in Oyama, Oita on March 3rd, 2018
As announced on his most recent blog entry, Isayama Hajime held his latest autograph session in his hometown of Oyama, Oita, Japan!
The lucky fans who were able to attend shared various photos of his sketches and signatures, as seen above. Separate sessions were held with different groups of fans within a room in the onsen resort where the event took place. Each group had 30 minutes to ask him questions and receive illustrations. A total of 30 chosen participants were divided up into 6 groups of 5.
Isayama’s answers to various fan questions are as below (Note: These are fan accounts):
About Levi and the other characters’ updated looks: Levi’s cape is a new, black one. However, Levi couldn’t adapt to the other changes, so he kept his uniform and blades. Kawakubo Shintaro (Isayama’s editor) didn’t want any visual changes for the characters – he even wanted Eren to stay clean-shaven. However Isayama decided to not “shave” Eren too much.
On Older Eren: 19-year-old Eren’s height is 183cm – the same as Grisha. However, Isayama states that Eren was more like Carla when he was younger. [T/N:Grisha is actually 182cm, so Isayama may have misremembered here. Zeke however is 183cm.]
On Erwin’s Burial: The Survey Corps had to move on quickly to fight further after Battle of Shiganshina, but Levi later returned and brought back Erwin’s skeletonized body with him/buried him. Though a lot of soldiers perished, there was a special memorial service for Erwin.
On Horoscopes: Neither Eren nor Jean’s birthdays were decided through horoscope characterizations/stereotypes.
On Levi’s Father: Isayama has no plans to draw Levi’s father in the manga. He’s not anyone significant – Isayama thinks he was probably just a short guy.
On Levi’s Cape (Again): The question was what Isayama thought of fans thinking that the cape belonged to Erwin. Isayama states that there is a sense that Levi dyed the green cape into a black color. He doesn’t know whose cape it was, but if it belonged to Erwin, Isayama doesn’t think the size would’ve worked for Levi.
On New Character Designs (Again): Why didn’t Levi’s change much compared to the 104th? Isayama says he wanted to show that the 104th trainees belong to the “Smartphone Generation,” but Levi decided to stay with his “Flip Phone.” Levi doesn’t understand the younger generation, and he is turning into an old man (Literally “Oji-san”).
On Erwin: Will Erwin appear in the manga again, even if just for one panel? Isayama says he thinks there are still chances, such as in flashbacks.
Hardcore Eren: If Eren goes to karaoke, what type of songs will he sing? Isayama: “Metal.”
General Eren Facts: Besides now standing at 183cm, Eren is also a heavyweight drinker (Doesn’t get drunk easily) and good at cleaning. He is now influenced by a lot of the memories he retained, and he determinedly chopped off his own leg before entering Marley. His irises are a grey-ish color and his bloodtype is B.
“Will you be happy with developing the future plot similar to how you drew the story so far?” Isayama: “Yes! But I want to see the readers anticipating [the upcoming plot].” Kawakubo: “Like he said, I’ve been saying the same thing! Everyone is looking forward to it.” Isayama: “…Then I’ll change the story.”
Eren & Elysium: When Eren asked Falco “Is that person…a girl?”, he was under the influence of other people’s memories (Possibly Grisha in that moment). The new Survey Corps uniform was inspired by Matt Damon’s external armor/exoskeleton in Elysium (Below). When asked about the members going to the restroom, Isayama: “It would be better to open a hole in that design…”
Lots More Information: Isayama on Eren’s bloodtype – “Because this is a fantasy series, maybe there are not only 4 blood types. But then again, are they even counted as human…?” [T/N: This somewhat contradicts the earlier fan account where Isayama said outright that Eren’s bloodtype was B…].
“What will Levi think of Eren’s current look?” Isayama (Without hesitation): “Dirty.” [T/N: As in unclean, of course]
“Was it Eren’s own idea to grow his hair long?”
Isayama: “Right now he is in a state where he is no longer paying attention to how people view him, so he just let it grow out.”
“Did Eren consider the fact that he will be infiltrating Marley when he grew out his hair?” Isayama: “Since he was supposed to be a hospitalized patient, he actually should’ve kept a cleaner hairstyle.” [T/N: A little vague, but this basically sounds like Eren didn’t mean to grow his hair out as a disguise]
“Were there any cases of when you let the characters’ behavior and dialogue develop organically?” Isayama: “In general, I let the characters evolve on their own. I don’t remember things after I draw them. I can’t look at my storyboard calmly right after I finish them, so Bakku-san (Kawakubo) is the one who reads them objectively.”
“Following up on that answer: Bakku-san will immediately read your storyboard (In less than one day) after you submit them to him?” Isayama: “Since he has been waiting for the storyboard to arrive, in most cases he will read them in one or two hours after I give them to him.”
“Did they (Eren and Levi) resolve the confusion of when Eren said ‘midget old man (chibi oyaji)’? Or did Eren apologize?” Isayama: “Levi is not concerned about being referred to that way. But after Eren said it and Levi thought about the moniker by himself later, he seemed hurt. He probably thought “So Eren sees me like that….”
“Any plan to draw the four-year period back on Paradis island?” Isayama: “That’s something I can’t tell you for now. (Kawakubo also chimed in here and said: “Isayama-sensei won’t tell you anything, but please look forward…”)
“Kenny said he will never go to a brothel. Does Levi think the same way?” Isayama: “Because it’s an environment that Levi had been part of since childhood, it seems like he considers prostitution as just another ordinary job.”
“What is Eren’s current body weight?” Isayama: “If I have to answer that now – he indeed gained some weight because he has grown taller. However, he has a rather slender body.”
Chef Levi: “When the characters lived in the castle [T/N: Not sure if this meant Utgard or the SC headquarters], who made the meals?” Isayama: “Everyone. Everyone knows how to cook, because they are soldiers.” “So it doesn’t matter if someone is a new cadet or not?” Isayama: “Ohhh. In that sense, maybe those who are in higher ranks don’t cook.” “Then can Levi cook?” Isayama: “I think he can.” “Does he hold the knife in a reverse fashion?” Isayama: “He holds it the normal way. If he holds a cooking knife in reverse, he would just seem like a cocky person (Laughs}.”
Bloodtypes (Again): “Please tell me the blood types of Shingashina Trio.” Isayama: “If we are talking in the sense of normal blood types, then Eren is B, Armin is O, and Mikasa AB.”
Anime Changes: “At the end of Season 1′s OP, Eren’s eyes turned red. Was it an effect of him turning into his titan form?” Isayama: “It’s because the anime was completely at director Araki’s discretion. In the original work, it was not designed like that.”
Eren, Levi, & Cleaning: “I feel that Eren has been together with the Captain for a long time. Will their actions or language be influenced by one another?” Isayama: “For Eren, [the thing that influences him the most is] the cleaning. It is not because he likes cleanliness, but more that he has to do it – otherwise he will get scolded.” “Does Eren have a cleaning skill he is very good at?” Isayama: “It would be that — dusting. [T/N: Isayama’s original word here means “beating/knocking and dusting”. It can mean dusting general objects or dusting a futon, during which you hang the material outside. Judging from his next sentence saying Eren could make a stick for cleaning, Isayama was likely referring to him beating a futon and dusting it that way.] Maybe he would make a stick from tree branch and then wrap it with clothing or cotton.” “Then how will Levi react to it?!” Isayama: “Ohh, wouldn’t Levi want to see it (Laughs)? Although he wouldn’t consider it as good work, he would be quite surprised [T/N: There is a sense of “caught off-guard” in his feeling].”
Another Character Death: “There have been a lot of character deaths up to now. Is anyone going to die in the future?” Isayama: “I don’t even know, but I’ve decided for one person to die. It’s like when I draw the storyboard and I suddenly realize – ‘Huh? [This person] just died?’ But for other characters, I still don’t know.”
High School AU:“The High School AU is very popular among fans. Will you make it into a complete story?” Kawakubo: “Isayama-sensei is very into the idea of doing a spin-off.” Isayama: “I’m very concerned about its quality. I think I can only do that if I have the chance to learn about American culture in-depth, and draw it in a detailed fashion.”
Levi in the High School AU: “What’s the color of janitor Levi’s jumpsuit in SnK High School AU?” Isayama: “Deep blue. I based its model on the game Life is Strange.”
“Have there been times where you came across ‘secondary creations’ of your work (e.g. Donjinshi and/or fanart)? If so, what perspective do you have of them?” Isayama: “There are times when I have come across them. That alone has already made me happy. Like, people are creating new types of ‘fun’ out of Shingeki. I don’t mind no matter how you are having fun with it.”
On SnK’s Manga’s Ending Date: “Have you decided on when to finish this series? Have you ever considered timing its completion with the Tokyo Olympics (In 2020) somehow?” Isayama: “I’m now working on the manga without any decision about the ending date. But [Kawakubo and my] shared idea is to finish it quickly. Five years ago, we decided to finish the series in three years (Isayama and Kawakubo laugh together).”
Erwin as a Character: “What’s the role of Erwin in the work Shingeki no Kyojin?” Isayama: “For the protagonists, it is necessary to have a charismatic superior, and that ;person is Erwin. I think he never broke into cold sweat. It would be wrong for him to get that nervous/anxious.”
Revisiting Erwin and Bertholt in Flashbacks: “I find it hard to draw Erwin in flashbacks, because I feel there was already a perfect ending for him. But for Bertholdt, I haven’t finished drawing him…”
Bertholt’s Family: “To be honest, I didn’t think much about his family. If I’m going to consider it right now, he is probably performing his tasks (e.g. Being a child warrior) for the sake of his father.”
Why Bertholt was Chosen for Colossal Titan: “He had his own hidden opinion towards the fact that he was asked to take on the most important responsibility. Well, I think [it’s because] he could do anything [physically], so [he might think] ‘I can also grow mentally stronger in the future [by doing this].’”
On Character Deaths: “But I don’t think the characters literally ‘died.’ Even if they died in the story…well…they still often appear somewhere else. [T/N: We’re not sure if he meant they would appear in the story again or appear in another form, such as in the anime or merch]
Kawakubo is Nervous About these Q&As (LOL): “Things like this… I… I am not remembering all the things Isayama-kun is saying here. There is going to be trouble for me later when we make guidebooks for things like birthdays or other stuff.”
Janitor or Thief?: In the High School AU where Levi entered Eren’s room, he entered through the window.
Eren & Alchol (Again): “Does 19 y/o Eren drink alcohol?” Isayama: “I think he drinks, but how should I put this…there is ‘compliance’ in the manga industry regarding adolescent law [T/N: To prohibit mangaka from drawing illegal situations. In this case, the legal age in Japan to drink alcohol is 20]. Maybe it would be fine to draw alcohol? As long as it is not in the anime.”
On Spin-Offs(Also combining this Tweet): “How should we consider the relationship between SnK spin-offs and the original manga?” Kawakubo: “Kyojin Chuugakkou (Jr. High)’s author had creative freedom.” Isayama: “Regarding ACNWR, I talked roughly in advance with the author about things that could happen in the underground world.” [T/N: OP mentioned her memory was not clear and she could be wrong] Isayama’s own design was that Erwin noticed thug Levi in the underground and decided to draw him into the Survey Corps.
On Levi’s Return: “Recently I haven’t been drawing Levi in the manga. Sorry that I drew a far too smooth/straightforward return for him when I finally made him appear again.”
On Mike’s Death: “What were the feelings of Levi and Erwin and others when they heard of Mike’s death? It was necessary to have their feelings depicted in the manga, right?” (Kawakubo smiled bitterly) Isayama: “Why did I rush that back then and not draw it properly?” Kawakubo: “It was too early for a good person to die.”
On Erwin and Levi Touching Hands: “When entrusting the syringe and serum, was there any meaning behind the scene when Erwin and Levi’s hands touched each other’s?” Kawakubo (Laughing): “Are you asking about Isayama-san’s meaning or Erwin and Levi’s meaning?” Isayama: “There is no particular meaning. In reality, if this were two real people, it would also be normal for them to touch hands…”
On Erwin’s Mom: When asked about Erwin’s mom’s story… Isayama: “I’ll start thinking about it from now on.“
Kawakubo: “We need to have a memopad here [for him to help Isayama keep track of all his responses/new ideas].”
PERHAPS MOST IMPORTANT, this was Isayama’s Disclaimer at One of the Sessions: “Ultimately, the story resembles a living creature in the way it evolves. My answers during this autograph event are just some of all the possibilities that can happen. I hope you can ask questions while having this idea in mind.” [T/N: Isayama, forever the King of Vagueness]
OMG Anon, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you (and actually, if you have any question about the French language, always feel free to ask, I don’t mind!)! :3
Actually, what I said was just because I feel there is this strange effect that you’re always going to be lazier or “meh” about your mother tongue than about the other languages you learn. x)
Like, to give you an example, you know the “You’re” vs “Your” mistake in English? I seriously don’t understand how it’s possible to mix the two and actually (I may be wrong but) I was under the impression that native English speakers make this mistake more often that non-native English speakers with a good level?
It’s the same with French from my point of view. The other day, I was at a party, discussing with my best friend’s sister-in-law who is Russian and who came to France for her studies (so she had to learn French) and she was complaining about her trainee (as a lawyer) who made a lot of spelling/grammar mistakes.
In her opinion, since she, as a Russian, is able to write an almost flawless French, a native French speaker should be on a similar level, especially as a lawyer trainee. And, well, she’s not wrong at all, but the example of a mistake she gave had me thinking about it for at least a few seconds.
[…The thing is, a few years back there was this project of a law supposed to make the French spelling, grammar and conjugation “simpler” because too many French native speakers can’t seem to write properly (those examples below only being a few). A lot of people (including me) found that outrageous though and thankfully the project was abandoned but, it’s just to say, I’ve seen non native French speakers write almost flawlessly 100% of the time when too many native speakers can’t, so it doesn’t have to be scary as long as you’re not giving up!]
My own example is different though, because as I explained, I feel I questioned my French from the moment I started practicing English daily. As for Spanish, it does have similarities with French (which is why I can understand half of it when reading), but maaan, I hate the past tenses the most and never could get used to them.
Anyway, speaking French is not the real problem here (although some oral mistakes are common for some irregular verbs and pronunciation has its share of exceptions as well), rather it’s writing/spelling it that can be tricky, especially for native speakers. That’s why sometimes I have to pause and recheck my sentence while remembering the rules to avoid a few mistakes.
Soooo, to give you a few examples:
some verbs: ending in -er or in -é? => “chanter” or “chanté” (or “chantée, chantés, chantées”) ?
Typical example of a group of verbs that can be written in different ways but with the same pronunciation when speaking (-é and -er sound the same), which means that how it’s written depends on the context + other words of your sentence.
It’s a situation that concerns all the verbs of (what’s called) the “first group” for conjugation. They all end in “-er” for the infinitive form (except the verb “aller”, which means ‘to go’ and belongs to the “third group” because it’s an irregular), but that doesn’t mean they’ll be written as such in every sentence:
I’m going to sing => Je vais chanter? Je vais chanté?
I sang => J’ai chanté? J’ai chanter?
He went to sing on a stage =>
“ll a été chanter sur scène? Il a été chanté sur scène?
That’s why teachers give a trick to little kids so they can remember how they’re supposed to write it properly, depending on the rest of the sentence.
The trick is to take a verb from the third group and to replace “chanter/chanté” with it to see what form it takes in the sentence and thus how you should write your verb from the first group.
Example with the verb “vendre” (to sell) which is the one I always use xDD
Je vais vendre => infinitive form so:I’m going to sing = Je vais chanter
J’ai vendu => past participle so: I sang = J’ai chanté
Il a été vendre => infinitive form so: He went to sing on a stage = Il a été chanter sur scène
Sounds easy, maybe you already knew that even, but I can assure that it’s one of the most common mistakes French
native
speakers do when writing or spelling (”is it “er” or is it “é” (or -ée, -ées, -és), how should I even know???”).
French direct or indirect objects (COD/COI), a.k.a partially the reason French native speakers wonder about “é”, “ée”, “ées”, “és”, etc.
Trying to give you a simple example and explain why almost every native French speakers hate those, because how you’re going to write your verb (especially for the past participle form) depends on where the COD/COI is in the sentence
sounds hard, so I’m just… going to leave it there as the reason for yet other common mistakes made when writing. x)
Les chansons que j’ai chantées (the songs I sang)
J’ai chanté des chansons (I sang songs)
For #1, the COD (direct object) is “les chansons” (word in plural form and feminine gender) and it’s before the verb, so you’re going to make sure that your verb is going to include that plural form and feminine gender => -é (past participle) e (feminine gender) s (plural form).
For #2, same verb and basically same sentence but the COD (”les chansons”) is after the verb, so your verb stays in simple past participle form (”-é”).
EDIT: ended giving the full explanation here, if you need it.
“Accordance”, a.k.a the other reason
French native speakers wonder about “é”/“ée”/“ées”/“és”, “u”/”ue”/”us”/”ues”, “i”/”ie/“is”/“ies”
Accordance is the correspondence
of gender, number, and/or person when it comes to properly write adjectives, pronouns or verbs in sentences.
Example: Elles sont venues habillées (they came dressed). “Elles” is a pronoun that shows a plural form and feminine gender, so you gotta make sure that your verb and adjective will show the same :
-u (past participle), e (feminine), s (plural)
-ée (feminine), s (plural)
It’s not necessarily where I’ll mess up, but a lot of French native speakers make too many mistakes sometimes, by simply not paying attention.
French subjunctive tense
The tense native speakers use without problem when speaking but who can more often than not not get it right when writing it down for some verbs.
In fact, it’s incredibly hard to explain why and when subjunctive tense is used in the first place and, having helped a few non native French speakers for some documents, I noticed that most of their biggest mistakes would usually come down to this in particular.
It’s a weird tense and I know a few irregular verbs are sometimes giving me some trouble with how they’re supposed to be written for some pronouns.
I only gave you the aspects I know I have to double-check when writing, but I hope this didn’t seem too scary Anon. :3
These rules are all about “how to properly write in French”, it’s not about reading or speaking, that’s why (for you who are learning) I’m sure that going with your own pace and focusing on what your books or teacher say first is important. A good teacher should have lots of lil tricks to help you remember all the rules and exceptions of the French language and, as I told you, I don’t mind helping and sharing my tricks if you need them!
I hope it answered your question, have a nice day :))
Nope, the original Japanese line is exactly the same!
君と同じ顔をした僕が – “I, who has the same face as yours,”
君の魂と引き換えに – “in exchange for your soul”
君が願った君になる – “will become “you” who you wanted to be.”
As for the question whether it was for RC’s sake or for OC’s own sake, at first glance OC’s decision in the latest chapter may seem self-sacrificing, however, if you really think about it, it’s actually not! In fact, it was a selfish decision OC made for himself because RC never asked his little brother to avenge him nor to succeed his wish after his death. Becoming “Ciel” was OC’s own idea he himself came up with, his own decision – something no one asked him to do. Therefore, claiming “it was for RC” would be nothing but “selfishness of the survivors / luxury of the living” – as stated by OC himself in ch8:
And this is precisely what I love about OC so much! He fully knows what he’s doing and takes full responsibility for his own actions. He doesn’t pass the buck by using the excuse “But I did all this for you!!!!!”.
I totally agree, that’s why you can see a big difference in our!Ciel’s speech when it comes to revenge throughout the years. Initially he said…
…which might be interpreted as “I want revenge because the Ciel I became would have wanted it”, but then in ch95 he also said…
and I really think he didn’t lie in this part of the chapter.
That’s why confronting his brother in this arc is important in my opinion, because the current “Earl Ciel Phantomhive” became more about him than about his brother, despite the initial attempt to make it all about his brother. Just my take on it, tho.
midnight-in-town 