Parallel World : The Other World’s Animator

The fifth episode of the second season of Attack on Titan aired at exactly eight o'clock at night.

The episode opened by turning back the clock, showing how Ymir and Krista had grown close during their time in the training corps. Two girls who seemed completely different, each carrying her own shadow, had somehow formed a bond amid military discipline, constant fear, and the suffocating reality of a world enclosed by walls.

The story showed how Ymir, even at the risk of exposing her Titan power, would still choose to save Krista from danger.

Through that flashback, the audience was also able to glimpse Krista's quiet self-loathing, the almost instinctive kindness she showed others, and a few dark fragments of her hidden background.

The episode seemed determined to answer a question that had been building for some time: why did Ymir care so much about Krista? Why did she insist on prying into Krista's personal affairs? Why, when she could have stayed hidden and safe, had she chosen to reveal herself?

The strange feeling Ymir held for Krista, something that clearly went beyond simple friendship, made her decision in the previous episode painfully understandable. To protect Krista, she was willing to risk her identity, her freedom, and even her life, throwing herself against a swarm of mindless Titans with no guarantee of survival.

In the second half of the episode, the story focused entirely on Ymir. Transformed into a medium-sized Titan with a huge, gaping mouth and a savage, almost animalistic ferocity, she fought dozens of Titans at the foot of the tower, turning her own body into the final barrier between those monsters and Krista.

Even hopelessly outnumbered, even with death closing in, she kept moving forward.

For Krista, she would do anything.

In the end, just as Ymir was gravely wounded and on the verge of being torn apart, reinforcements from the Survey Corps, led by Hange, arrived in time to save her.

The plot was becoming harder and harder to predict.

But more than the battles, what truly set the audience ablaze was the relationship between Ymir and Krista.

Since the premiere of Attack on Titan, the anime had offered very few romantic moments. The connection between Mikasa and Eren felt less like love and more like an awkward daily routine shaped by Mikasa's intense devotion and Eren's rigid, almost blind determination.

Now, with Ymir and Krista, that pair had finally been properly introduced to the audience.

"So… this isn't love?"

"Sora, you magnificent bastard. You know exactly what we like to watch."

"Ymir saw a reflection of herself in Krista, didn't she? Is that why she protects her like this?"

"It's strangely moving. In this anime, these intelligent Titans keep appearing one after another, but there's still no explanation for where they come from."

"That might be the biggest mystery in Attack on Titan so far."

"That's why, in Eren's memories, his father gave him that key and told him to return to Wall Maria and open the basement. He said all the secrets were inside. Maybe everything we want to know about this world is hidden down there."

"Judging from the current plot, whatever is hidden in that basement must be the key that connects the past and the future. In the end, everything has to return to the city that was destroyed five years ago."

"Too bad the protagonist, Eren, didn't even show up in this episode. He's barely appeared for three weeks now. If this keeps up, I'm going to forget his name."

"Either way, Ymir was badly injured and captured in this episode. In the next one, the Survey Corps should be able to extract a lot of information from her."

"But are Ymir, the Female Titan, the Armored Titan, and the Colossal Titan all on the same side? Why haven't the two most mysterious ones made a move yet?"

"No idea. Maybe the Armored Titan and the Colossal Titan will appear in the next episode. Just like when they suddenly showed up and destroyed Wall Maria and Wall Rose."

"Hahaha, honestly, that makes sense. Kantoku Sora's scripts always flip everything upside down when no one expects it. Who knows? Maybe the Armored Titan and the Colossal Titan really will show up next episode."

"Maybe next episode we'll even get an alien flying saucer."

"No. If this anime actually brings aliens into the story, the plot will collapse."

"If it were anyone else, maybe. But with Sora directing, even that might somehow turn out absurdly good."

The discussions continued spreading across the internet.

The ratings for the fifth episode of Attack on Titan's second season were slightly lower than the previous week. By the end, it closed at 6.68%.

No matter how moving Ymir and Krista's memories were, and no matter how decisive Ymir's role had been in saving Reiner and the others, they were still not the main characters of the work.

Stories centered on supporting characters had to be handled with care. One or two episodes were enough to deepen them. Any more than that, and part of the audience would begin to feel that the story was dragging and that the main plot was moving too slowly.

Even so, fluctuations in ratings were normal. What truly was abnormal was an animation that continued rising from beginning to end without ever slowing down, as had happened with Sora's previous works.

Tokushima was Yume Animation's main base of promotion and investment, and there, Attack on Titan almost always maintained ratings above 6%. Outside Shikoku, however, because Yume Animation's influence and Sora's fame had not yet spread with the same intensity across every region, the anime's average rating hovered around 5.6%.

Even so, among the animated works airing in the same time slot, Attack on Titan was already comfortably moving between first and second place.

Another week passed in the blink of an eye.

Friday arrived once more.

After returning home from work at six in the evening, Kaiba began browsing the internet for news about Attack on Titan.

The seventh Blu-ray volume of the first season had been released, selling 160,000 copies in Japan alone during its first week and surpassing 370,000 units worldwide over the same period.

The latest collectible figure of Mikasa, the popular "goddess with defined abs," had sold more than 100,000 units across the world in just half a month after release.

The famous mobile game Genshin, hugely popular throughout the archipelago, announced a collaboration with Attack on Titan, releasing cosmetic items inspired by the Survey Corps uniform in its in-game store.

Yume Animation had also invested a staggering sum - 89 billion yen - to acquire the renowned foreign game developer Black Strawberry. According to rumors, after the acquisition, the company would immediately begin developing several games based on Attack on Titan and Battle of Two Cities, including both mobile and PC versions, aiming to satisfy different types of players.

It had also been confirmed that a game adaptation of Re:Zero was already in development.

Steins;Gate would be adapted into a live-action drama series by Southern Union Television in January of the following year, with its official premiere scheduled for winter Sundays at nine o'clock at night.

Negotiations over the live-action film rights for 5 Centimeters per Second had reached a deadlock, with three film production companies fiercely competing for the license.

Sora appeared at the Tokyo Comic Convention and was quickly surrounded by fans who had followed news of his attendance online. The avenue near the venue was blocked by admirers who rushed over after hearing the news and remained there for three full hours.

In an interview held in Kōchi, Sumire, Kantoku and close partner of Sora, declared that Battle of Two Cities was an animated masterpiece that did not fall behind Attack on Titan - and might even surpass it in post-release reception and global influence. According to her, Yume Animation was not aiming only for the Best Animation Award at the Tokyo industry festival the following year; the company also intended to compete for major international animation awards.

Since the beginning of that year, Yume Animation seemed to have entered a period of absolute brilliance. News about its projects appeared nonstop.

There was no need to even mention Attack on Titan, which was still airing. Even the adaptation rights to Sora's earlier works were being fiercely fought over by film, television, and game companies from all across Japan.

One only had to look at the film adaptation rights for 5 Centimeters per Second. With Sora's current reputation, it was almost impossible to imagine an adaptation of that title losing money. Several companies were competing, and the prices being offered had already exceeded every initial expectation.

After all, a film with a high chance of success could turn several actors into stars. And in the audiovisual industry, that was worth far more than immediate box office profit.

Kaiba's eyes grew brighter and brighter as she read through the news.

"If things continue like this for a few more years, Sora is going to dominate film, animation, and games throughout Shikoku… maybe even all of Japan."

While Kaiba was lost in thought, the clock reached eight o'clock.

The sixth episode of Attack on Titan aired right on schedule.

After the intense opening ended, the scene finally returned to Eren.

The rescue of Krista and Reiner, Ymir gravely injured and unconscious, the Survey Corps' distrust after discovering Ymir's Titan identity… all of it gathered into a heavy atmosphere.

On top of the towering wall, wounded Survey Corps soldiers were being carried away.

Krista was speaking with Vice Commander Hange, trying to defend Ymir despite the revelation that she was a Titan.

In the animation, dark clouds covered the sky, thick and oppressive. Without realizing it, Kaiba felt unease spreading through her chest.

The atmosphere of this episode felt different.

Too serious.

Too suffocating.

"Are you all right, Reiner?" Eren asked gently, looking at Reiner as he helped support his arm.

But there was something strange about the scene.

Whether it was Eren or the other members of the Survey Corps around them, everyone seemed wrapped in a tension that was difficult to explain. Reiner's expression, in particular, felt out of place, as if something inside him was on the verge of breaking.

Kaiba blinked.

"Am I imagining things?"

That was one of the fundamental differences between animation and novels.

In a novel, inner thoughts could be narrated directly, allowing readers to understand what was happening inside the protagonist's mind. In anime, however, everything had to be conveyed through expression, posture, silence, and body language.

And at that moment, Attack on Titan gave Kaiba the unmistakable feeling that something enormous was being prepared.

Reiner began complaining to Eren about how he had nearly died twice. First at the hands of the Female Titan. Then inside that tower, surrounded by Titans. After that, he spoke about his plans and strategies for the future.

Eren answered in a similar tone.

Right. Otherwise, your homeland would drift farther and farther away.

Those words seemed to strike Reiner directly. His face changed in an instant, turning dark, almost frightening.

"All right, Reiner. Let's go back to our homeland together!" Bertholdt said beside him, unable to fully hide the anxiety in his voice.

"We're almost there, aren't we?"

"Yes. Just a few more steps." Reiner smiled, and his eyes carried a strange expectation.

Kaiba frowned.

What was wrong with Reiner?

Go back to their homeland?

What homeland?

Their hometown was beyond Wall Maria, still occupied by Titans. How could they possibly return?

"What are you talking about?" Eren asked, confused.

Mikasa stood behind him, watching Reiner and Bertholdt with a sharp, serious expression, as though she had already sensed something no one else dared to admit.

Even so, no one voiced those doubts. The group continued moving along the wall, preparing to return to the Survey Corps headquarters.

That was when Reiner and Bertholdt, who had fallen behind the others, called out to Eren.

"What is it?" Eren asked calmly.

Kaiba had the same thought.

Those two were clearly acting strangely. What had happened to them?

Had the battle at the tower shaken them that badly?

But Reiner's next sentence left every Attack on Titan fan watching the episode on television completely frozen.

"Five years ago, we broke through the wall and began the attack on humanity," Reiner said, his voice so calm it sounded empty.

Kaiba spat out the water she had not even managed to swallow.

What the hell?

Was the subtitle wrong?

No. The voice actor had said exactly the same thing.

"I am the Armored Titan. And he is the Colossal Titan," Reiner continued, pointing at Bertholdt.

Kaiba's mouth fell open.

For several seconds, his brain simply refused to process what he had just seen.

What kind of plot twist was this?

Reiner, do you understand what you just said?

You were like an older brother to Eren. You joined the military because, five years ago, the Colossal Titan and the Armored Titan destroyed Wall Maria, ruined your hometown, and took everything from you. You were the young man who wanted to go home. The man who, at the top of the tower, pushed his comrades out of danger, blocked the attack of a five-meter Titan with his own arm, carried that creature on his back, and threw it away.

And now you are saying you are the Armored Titan?

And that Bertholdt, your quiet companion, is the Colossal Titan?

What kind of international joke was this?

Above the wall, dark clouds hung heavily in the sky, and the wind howled violently. The pressure of the scene climbed to its absolute limit, so dense it seemed to crush the air itself.

Kaiba swallowed hard, unable to control his own body.

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