Jean Analysis - Tumblr Posts
Reminder that Jean is canonically described as handsome in an official q&a
Links or it didn’t happen? XD
I did some cursory googling to see if I could uncover what it was you’re referring to, and so far nothing has popped up; I’d appreciate a link if anyone has one! I really wish there was a database of Attack on Titan interviews and Q&A’s that was searchable. :( The closest thing we have right now is the Wiki, which I feel should reference this Q&A, but at the moment it only says the following of Jean’s appearance:
“Jean is a young man with spiky, light-brown hair shaved into an undercut style, with the shaved portion being black. He has small, intense light-brown eyes, and is said to have the same vicious look in them as Eren does. Jean is of average height and muscular build, and has a scowl similar to Eren’s but is said to have a long face (a “horse face”).[8] He is often seen wearing the typical uniform of the Survey Corps worn with an olive gray button-up shirt. After overthrowing the government, his hair appears slightly longer than before.” (From the Jean Kirstein Attack on Titan Wiki page; emphasis is my own)
There’s also no reference to Jean’s potential attractiveness in the trivia section of his Wiki page. I even control-F searched for “handsome” and “attractive”–no dice. My googling (which, again, was not exhaustive) was similarly ineffective. I mostly came up with fans discussing Jean’s appearance; I did, however, find this summary of an interview where apparently Isayama confirms that Jean has a “horse face”.
It’s not exactly a secret Jean is my favorite! xD He’s a great character: his struggles with maintaining his personal ethics in the midst of a war are compelling, his empathy for his comrades and even complete strangers is endearing, and I admire his commitment to honesty and speaking his mind (to power!), even if it is a “bad habit” which gets him into trouble. I like his weaknesses too: his snarky argumentative side, his inner turmoil about his self-preservation instincts, his stubbornness. He feels like a real person, one whom I can respect quite a bit. And while I’m waxing lyrical about how much I adore Jean as a character, I might as well come out and say that I also love that he’s not (to my mind) traditionally attractive.
Now, I personally find Jean handsome, but I didn’t always. It was not an immediate attraction–to his personality or his face. I had to warm up to him. But in general I (again, personally) do tend to find people with interesting and expressive faces more intriguing than people who might be considered “beautiful” or “handsome” in a more culturally standardized way, but who are also less expressive. My feelings aside, however, I don’t think Jean is supposed to tick most people’s boxes of an attractive man. All references to his appearance within the canon emphasize his glare and his long face–these are the things people notice about Jean.
Armin, for instance, draws attention to Jean’s villainous appearance twice.
Chapter 31.
Chapter 51.
While we might dismiss Eren’s comment about Jean’s horse face as a rival’s grousing, Hitch later offers the same assessment of Jean’s appearance, albeit during a tense moment.
Chapter 59.
I personally think it’s important that Jean is plain and his design does, in fact, code him as a “bad guy.” He’s almost always scowling, he has smaller eyes, and a long face: like Armin, we’re supposed to read him as a villain, but then be surprised when he reveals himself to be much more complex and even kinder than his outward appearance and initial actions would suggest. In fact, his appearance is remarkably similar to Ymir and even Hitch (as I was actually talking about with a friend just the other day; although Hitch is pretty, her smirk and facial design align her with Ymir and Jean, I think), both of whom–like Jean–profess to be all about number one before revealing that they actually care quite a bit about others, in their own unique ways. I think Jean fits into a larger theme of Attack on Titan that appearances can be deceiving, and that him being conventionally attractive would undermine that.
I will, however, rethink my interpretation if I find a link to this Q&A!
Thanks for the note, anon! Sorry I’m so contrary ^^’
(1/3)Hello, random person again with a long rambling theory about Jean's class background because I have actually thought a lot about it because I have a Problem with worldbuilding. So here's my theory. Trost used to be a relatively affluent town (we can imagine it as a marketplace, as it would be a natural point of entry for Maria agricultural's goods towards the inner walls, and we know from canon that there were some sales companies like Reeves corporation), until Wall Maria fell.
Helloagain, Random Person! Thank you for sending me this headcanon! There’s no suchthing as “thinking too much” about Jean! That’s kind of the premise of thisblog, after all xD. Longass Jean-Metas Unlimited.
I’msorry it’s taken me a bit to get back to you and I’m sorry if this post is alittle rambling: I’m quite sick today and it feels like I’m really strugglingto think properly lol.
I’m putting my answer under the cut because it is kinda long (oops!).
Keep reading
Happy birthday, Jean Kirstein!
Chapter 90.
I’m a fangirl, yay! xD In honor of my favorite SnK character/blog-namesake’s birthday, here are 10 of my favorite Jean Kirstein moments, in no particular order. It was hard to pick just ten!
Really, all I do on this blog is talk about Jean. I should just rename it Jean-Meta.
Under a cut because the the pictures make the post a bit long!
Keep reading
there's some sort of childish innocence to Jean being the only known 104th squad member to give his horse a name
Some people complain that even though Jean is supposed to be the master of the ODM gear, we never get to see that. I mean, of course he gets overshadowed by two Ackermans, but let’s not forget he is one of the very few characters who manage to outmaneuver the Female Titan (in an open terrain, nonetheless) back when his fighting experience is still pretty much close to zero. Levi’s Squad gets obliterated in a forest.
Let’s not forget his gear gets broken during the final battle, and he can only use one wire to move around. His skills, as far as regular humans are concerned, are insane. Spoilers below:
I have so many thoughts (and feels) about Jean and Reiner’s relationship, but I find them hard to put into words.
Anyway, what strikes me the most about them, is the fact that they both started off as rather minor, but well fleshed out side characters (instant faves), who eventually underwent tremendous changes and, at least for me, set the tone for the entire story.
Reiner’s shift from the toughest solider around to the most vulnerable victim of war, and Jean’s shift from a self-absorbed asshole to the most caring and selfless leader, tie in very well with how their own bond was shaped in the grand finale.
What can I say, Jean is Jean because of Marco’s death. So, when he tells Reiner he’ll never forgive him, he can’t forgive him, this is what Reiner surely expects to hear, just like the rest of us.
But then, the moment Jean realizes why Reiner did what he did, and that their motivations are exactly the same, Jean backtracks on what he said — does not forget (because it's still about Marco to a great extent), but does forgive, if you ask me.
Jean then proceeds to be visibly alarmed whenever Reiner is in any kind of danger and comes to his rescue time after time. And Reiner? Well, he is still the same suicidal man who has for a long time considered himself to be the biggest piece of shit, unworthy of anyone’s forgiveness. And here comes the best friend of the man he helped to murder, the one that should despise him the most, and shows him that Reiner’s life is important to him. Jean doesn’t spend the final battle shouting Conny’s name like a maniac or worrying about Mikasa (as if she needs that, ha) — he instead focuses on Reiner, because he gets him now and because he regrets dealing damage to the man who has been already damaged enough.
In the final chapters Jean’s mission, aside from the obvious one, is to keep Reiner alive.
So, Jean shows Reiner how much he cares. He single-handedly saves him from the Colossal Titan. Tells him he is still one of them.
Once Reiner realizes Jean really means what he says, something shifts. It must be strange for Reiner, to acknowledge this kind of concern for his person — taking into consideration not only their rocky past, but also the contrast between his own mother and Jean. One telling him he is only as valuable as his Titan power. The other telling him to stop transforming because he's afraid Reiner will get hurt again.
From that specific moment shared with Jean, Reiner no longer seems as much resigned to his fate. On the contrary, he’s focused and determined. And to shamelessly quote Gojo Satoru (hehe), he knows that dying to win and risking death to win are two completely different things.
(and Jean continues to worry)
What I’m getting at is that along the way, Reiner and Jean have become the hidden heart of the story. Together, they shifted from the sidelines to the very center of the action.
Even if they are just one piece of the puzzle, drowning in the bigger picture that are Eren, Mikasa and Armin, Jean and Reiner are the ones that, quite possibly, have the most to say about humanity itself in the AOT universe. They are the bridge between the two sides of that war.
Isayama’s decision to pair them up for the final showdown and to continue placing them next to each other in almost every following panel is a very nice touch. (They are his faves too, after all)
Not to mention this cover variant:
One of them is a child turned into a weapon of mass destruction. The other almost a toy soldier in the grand scheme of things.
It's good they managed to save each other.
One not often (?) discussed aspect of the Jean/Armin friendship is the fact that while Jean obviously likes Armin, he also finds him a little scary at times.
Proof?
These are the faces Jean makes when Armin argues that Erwin was right to not involve many SL members in his plan to capture Annie even though this led to more SL members losing their lives.
He sure looks a little uncomfortable.
Or that time when Armin said that the titans in the wall will soon awaken.
Jean laughs nervously and assumes that Armin’s pessimistic prediction (?) is a joke.
And let’s not forget this:
Jean’s reaction to Armin’s joke about staging a fake incident to make the SL look good in the eyes of the public (even if it means some lost lives).
Crappy and insensitive comment, am I right? Jean’s so disturbed by Armin’s morbidity that he tries to pass it off as a result of Armin’s trauma. Eren denies this, and he should know since he has been Armin’s best friend for years.
Also, Jean’s character interview for the smart pass AU has never been fully leaked, but summaries of some not leaked parts state that Jean says that "Armin is occasionally scary". Source (Another source states that Jean says “sometimes Armin is as scary as Erwin”, but I currently can’t find it anymore. Will update the post when I do.)
Overall, Jean thinks that Armin has a “dark side” which he can’t reconcile with the rest of Armin’s personality. Jean would rather not think about it and be in active denial about its existence. This is probably because he hasn’t (really) known Armin for long - Armin’s morbid jokes and opinions that ruthlessness is needed to win this war throw him off. Partially because they subvert Jean’s initially expectations and impressions of Armin, and partially because he probably fears that this is who Armin really is at his core - someone cold and cruel. From chapter 55-58 we know that Jean does not want to be either and doesn’t really understand or accept the need for it. And since his friendship with Armin is still new, it’s also not really surprising that whenever Armin shows his “dark” side, Jean gets somewhat scared that maybe Armin’s usual kinder and gentler side is just some sort of mask.
But the story doesn’t end here.
Keep reading
Here’s Isayama’s interview about Jean :) (hope it’s readable!)
It is, thank you very much. ^^
Isayama’s Interview on Jean Kirstein
From Gekkan Shingeki no Kyojin, Volume 4
[Translation: @yusenki; Editing: @fuku-shuu]
In my own view, I created Jean and Armin as representatives of humanity. They are not bad people, but they are also not purely righteous people, either. Sometimes they have a sly [cunning] way of thinking, tell lies, and there are also times when they are confused. I wanted them to be characters whom readers can sympathize with and relate them to actual human beings. However, as the story progresses, Armin has grown to be an excellent individual, while Jean is left to be the only true representative of humans.
Jean is a person who wavers easily. He initially aspired to join the MP to have an easy life, however in the end, he chose the SC. It’s suitable to say that he is easily influenced by people around him. While drawing him, there are often times when I think, “It’s good to have Jean as SnK’s main character, huh?” There are many times where I can’t relate to Eren’s way of thinking, however it is easier with Jean. It’s reasonable for normal human beings to react like him, so that’s what I interpret. It’s easy to bring out his human nature, thus he is a character that I am able to understand while drawing him.
A lot of parts of Jean are contributions by director Araki and the anime production team. I think his VA, Taniyama Kishou’s voice is really good as well. Actually, I have a lot of regret in my own characters’ portrayals in the manga, therefore I requested director Araki to improve those issues during the anime production - and that’s what ended up happening.
During early stages of the manga, I didn’t dive deeper into the characters’ personality when I drew them, because I expected that the series was going to be completed quickly. As a result, I thought it would be better to develop the story faster. With that, I can seize the readers’ heart faster, which was the initial plan. At the time, I thought it was fine to progress like so, however in the end I even experienced a lot of regrets regarding the construction of the components, 3DMG design, etc.
It is actually a fortunate event that the series was made into an anime. I was really happy because I had the chance to amend any parts I held regrets for. Additionally, the anime quality was excellent - if the full score is 100, I would say that the animated version’s score is 120. I also think it is alright to consider the anime version as the exact adaptation of the manga.
I always think “whatever I don’t enjoy won’t be enjoyable for others.” To me, if I didn’t think a manga was interesting enough while drawing it myself, then the readers definitely won’t think that it is good, either. I also carried the same belief during the production of SNK anime, and so I really appreciate that the anime team, who worked under director Araki also possessed the same feeling toward the series. They didn’t think it as work or an obligation told by their superiors to execute. One of the precious things I felt during the anime production was that all of the staff members stayed motivated and active throughout.
My take on the mischaracterisation of Jean Kirstein
The mischaracterisation of Jean Kirstein at the end of the Attack on Titan manga and the series as a whole has spread a wide discourse and controversy around this minor character. As he is not apart of the 3 main characters being Eren Jaeger, Mikasa Ackerman and Armin Arlert, Kirsteins upbringing and development has been severely left in the dark. Hajime Isayama’s widespread audience between both Asian and Western societies fail to take note of Kirstein’s character as he is not under the spotlight as much as other characters. This consists of the common belief that he should not be deemed to be a character that has had any development and continues to carry out the same ideals and linear thoughts and mindset; Kirstein’s relationship with Mikasa Ackerman and the sudden pairing of him and Pieck Finger.
Common misconceptions with Jean Kirstein are that fans are quick to assume how he has no type of character development all the way through from when he was first introduced at the first meeting with Keith Shadis as cadets to when he was last seen Post-Rumbling. What is made out to be fan’s perception in Jean’s character is the mess hall scene where a rivalry is introduced between Jaeger and Kirstein. Of course, the audience will side with Jaeger because he is the main character and has witnessed his ideals and trauma from the past few episodes. Kirstein, a mere outsider has not. Isayama intends to give a realistic view on Jaeger's goal of slaying every titan because the idea in itself sounds insane. The same idea would have been felt within other civilians of the past especially within the military, but it has never been done before; The people who have the same mindset as Kirstein have lost faith due to the everlasting duration of this massacre and deemed it not to be possible. This isn’t intended to be an attack against Jaeger, only because Kirstein does not wish to see him give his hopes up. That’s not saying Jean does not want the titans to be gone, in fact he wishes to live comfortably in the interior as a Military Police. For some reason this wish is seen as ‘selfish’ on Kirstein’s part by fans. Is it so bad that someone living amongst human eating monster's desires to live comfortably? Isayama erases the stereotype of Shonen characters desiring to be the saviour in Kirstein and even Annie Leonhart. It is not out of laziness; it is out of loss of faith and thinking rationally. This ideal does change after witnessing the mass casualties in Trost and loss of his implied to be ‘close friend’, Marco Bodt. From this, he creates a new belief for himself but still based off his old one. Kirstein believes every human deserves a chance at life whether they are an enemy or friend. This is why during the fight against Kenny’s squad, he hesitates to kill one of the members. This hesitation almost results in his and Arlert’s deaths. This should not be deemed to be an act of weakness, sentiment and empathy are the right terms to describe this. During Levi Squad’s evaluation of the battle fought, Kirstein speaks up about the idea of humans fighting humans and how it isn’t isn’t morally correct as he became a soldier to kill titans, to reduce the number of lost lives in the scarce number of humans left within the walls. Kirstein is written to be a symbol of realism which is not typically portrayed in Shonen characters as most tend to appear more driven by their environment (whilst in the moment) rather than logic, and instantly getting beaten by the antagonist or dilemma occuring. Kirstein is also shown to be showing this type of empathy during the Marley arc after witnessing Sasha Braus’ death. He ignored Floch Forester’s suggestion of throwing the culprits out of the airship as he still considered them to be children over the fact that they are enemies first. Evidence that confirms that Kirstein has changed as a person is during a conversation him and Forester hold together. “Go back to being the old Jean; Reckless, annoying and cheeky” In which Kirstein finds rude of him to say, showing that he has changed from his old self. Kirstein has drastically changed as a person from when he was a cadet to an ambassador from participating. in the “Battle of Heaven and Earth”; Fans must learn to understand this and to not only pay attention to the main character as minor characters like Kirstein also serve a purpose.
Kirstein’s relationship with Mikasa Ackerman has been a wide controversy for a while as it is hinted that Kirstein takes a small interest in Ackerman; however, this was when he was still young. The only circumstance where he serves a somewhat interest for Ackerman is during the scene in the mess hall where Ackerman walks past him. He is seen to be blushing and compliments her hair. However, this is purely just admiration, not romance. Romance requires two parties that have synchronised feelings about one another. This interaction does not mirror Kirstein’s current self as he barely even hit puberty during this period when this scene occurred. It’s inaccurate to think that someone who is 12 years old thinks and acts the same as they do when they are 19 years old. A counterargument to this is how the woman in Jean’s dream resembles Ackerman. That is correct, the woman did resemble Ackerman, however it was never confirmed that Kirstein’s spouse in said dream was Ackerman herself. If it was, isayama would have made it clear. Even so, that wasn’t the purpose behind the showing of this dream. This dream depicts how much Kirstein desires to live in a state of comfort whilst disaster is striking. Isayama was smart to display this as it shows a personal depiction of what one of the characters experiencing this war would be thinking. Kirstein’s relationship with Ackerman solely as her comrade who values her existence deeply. This is where audience’s perceptions of Kirstein start to turn to the wrong direction. Kirstein values all his comrades as well as Ackerman. Kirstein manages to keep his distance and is respectful about Ackerman’s relationship with Jaeger. Yes, it is hinted that he especially loves when a woman has long black hair from when he compliments Ackerman’s locks, a portrait he completed of a woman with black hair, and the fact that Jaeger made a comment mentioning Jean about when it was mentioned that people overseas would have dark hair. “Jean would like that.” The misconception of Ackerman marrying Kirstein at the end of the manga is the most widespread misinterpretation currently. It is not like Isayama to pair two characters all of a sudden without a longing build-up to where they admit their feelings for one another. Kirstein has always been respectful of Jaeger’s relationship with Ackerman and ensures to keep his distance; It is not like him to barge into Ackerman mourning her lost lover and sweeping her up on her feet again and taking the opportunity because “Jaeger is dead now”. The scene where he suggests to Ackerman that they must kill Jaeger is not for his own personal gain so his “competition” is gone, it was a genuine suggestion that would benefit all of humanity; This would make sense considering his nature. Isayama does not desire for us to wonder if Ackerman ended up with someone else or not because that completely misses the point of what he is trying to conclude. Even if Ackerman did supposedly move on, it was unlikely to be Kirstein as they already know each other too well and their goals and ambitions would clash constantly; it would not be a healthy relationship as Kirstein would be well aware that she still loves Jaeger. The fact that Ackerman kept the scarf till she was buried may sign that she did not move on at all because nothing can make her move on from the emotional strain Jaeger’s death had on her. Inevitably, Kirstein would not desire to be a burden to her, same as anyone else.
The fanon pairing of Kirstein and Pieck Finger is sudden and way out of character. Ever since Pieck has been introduced, there was a wide discussion of who she should be shipped with as what anime fans always do because a character not just live in peace without any love interest. Initially, a popular pairing was of her with Porco Galliard, but now that he is out of the picture; Pieck is singled-out again. Attention is brought upon Kirstein, and something drives them into shipping them together. This was not out of pure connection; PikuJean is merely based off the fact that they both meet each other standards. A Reddit user states: “Jean likes women with long black hair and Pieck likes men with beards”. Quite frankly, this sentence alone depicts how ignorant anime fans are to how relationships work because this is the only argument they have. Is that saying that you can instantly fall head over heels for someone only because they have a characteristic that you find attractive? there is a difference between being attracted to someone and loving someone. Grisha Jaeger has a beard too, why not pair him with Pieck? Kiyomi has long black hair, hey, she must be perfect for Kirstein! See how ridiculous it sounds? Another argument that PikuJean shippers have is the fact that they have each other to fill the void for their “lost lovers” since Kirstein is unable to be with Ackerman and Pieck experiencing the same with Galliard who is deceased. Does that not sound downright disrespectful on Kirstein’s part? It’s the same as with Ackerman, swooping Pieck off her feet now that her “love interest” is deceased? Kirstein is always seen as the “Plan B” in these types of situations. The only thing that is driven by the pairing of Pieck and Kirstein is convenience. There is no real connection. One of the pieces of “evidence” to this pairing is the fact that Kirstein and Pieck were working alongside each other during the Rumbling and the fact that Kirstein saved her at one point. Is that not what he is supposed to do? To make sure no one else dies. This counters with Kirstein’s objective and ideals to ensure no one else losses their life because of someone he’s known for 7 years. Isayama’s audience is extremely brainwashed from other types of media that display these romantic tropes which do not apply in such a complex story as this. Attack on Titans complexity is the reason why people are quick to misinform each other.
To conclude this, the mischaracterisation of Jean Kirstein from the Attack on Titan manga and the series as a whole has spread a wide discourse and controversy around him. This is because Hajime Isayama ensures to write his characters to be complex and not 1 dimensional which is common in minor characters of a Shonen setting. This consists of the common belief that he should not be deemed to be a character that has had any development and growth, his relationship with Mikasa Ackerman and the sudden pairing of him and Pieck Finger.