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Attack on Titan: No Regrets vol. 2 – Hikaru Suruga and Gun Snark

Attack on Titan: No Regrets ran in Aria magazine in 2013. The first volume was published by Kodansha in North America in June 2014 with the second published in October 2014.

Kodansha USA cover vol. 2

Kodansha USA cover vol. 2





The Gist: Erwin’s political enemies have hired Levi and his crew to take back some incriminating documents. Their reward: the right to live a proud life above ground, in the royal capital. But deep in Titan territory, it’s going to be tough to break formation and steal from a squad leader, and Levi still insists on killing the man who humiliated him after the mission is complete. Of course, beyond the walls anything can happen, and a sudden change in Levi’s fortunes will force him to face the greatest regret in his life.



The Review: **Some spoilers included, which is why I waited to write this. You may want to wait if you haven’t read it yet and plan to. **



Short conclusion to this story. The whole intrigue plot was kind of pointless I thought. I understand that Levi and his comrades wanted to live above ground, but they could have had that life if they just joined the scouting regimen. Instead they’re set on stealing documents and Levi wants to kill Erwin. It just shows the immaturity of their characters at this point in time. For fans of Attack on Titan, Hange Zoe appears in this volume, and is excited to meet Levi, the noob who took down a titan by himself. As I predicted in my first review, the side characters that are Levi’s comrades didn’t last long. It only took one more scouting trip. Levi was the only one of the group left at the end. I knew it was coming, but I still literally cringed when the girl companion, Isabel, was smashed by a Titan.




yea, that was female comrade Isabel - this is why I don't read AoT

yea, that was female comrade Isabel – this is why I don’t read AoT



The only worthwhile scene in this short series was the last encounter between Levi and Erwin. He loses his friends as titan food, and then in his rage he takes down five, FIVE! titans by himself, in the freaking rain! He’s such a badass even at this stage – it’s amazing. When Erwin finds Levi right after that, Erwin lets him in on who he was really working for and how his plan was set up to fail. He makes Levi see a much bigger picture of the world that he’s living in, and to have a larger goal for himself and humanity.




AoT_NR_GoErwin

go Erwin – get your Levi



Honestly, I’m kind of surprised that Levi and Erwin aren’t numb and stoic characters by the time they’re in Attack on Titan. They’ve had to watch so many people die. It speaks a lot for their character and determination. I’m still disappointed with this series, however. It really didn’t add much to the realm of AoT that we didn’t already know. Like I said, the intrigue plot for this series was unsubstantial, a device so that there would be something to write about, and it came across as disingenuous to me. Like the writers just randomly picked something instead of linking into the plot of Attack on Titan. I’m certain that wasn’t their intention, but that’s how it’s perceived by an outsider.



The Art: Hikaru Suruga’s art is very nice, especially when I think of how AoT looks. The characters are detailed and the toning is great. The panels were easier to follow this round, even with the action scenes. The colored art is fantastic as well. Kudos to Kodansha USA for including all the extras. There’s a two-sided colored insert, an interview with Hajime Isayama, commentary from Hikaru Suruga and GunSnark, two short Levi side stories, and some character sketches. The volume wraps up this series nicely.



The Audience:  Attack on Titan: No Regrets is for an older teen audience. This would be appropriate due to the violence and language. It’s not really a typical shoujo target audience either. I’m kind of surprised it’s not seinen. But it ran in a shoujo magazine, so it’s not. That being said, if you like Attack on Titan you’ll probably want to read this short series as well.



The Media: Attack on Titan: No Regrets is available in 2 volumes from Kodansha USA. It was animated and the first DVD was released in Japan with volume 15 of Attack on Titan in December 2014. The second DVD will be released with volume 16 in April 2015. No word on if we’ll see it stateside.

Heart of Manga Rating: ♥♥♥

While it’s entertaining it doesn’t add much to the world of Attack on Titan.





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