Attack on Titan: Before the Fall, Vol. 3

進撃の巨人 Before the Fall [Shingeki no Kyojin: Before the Fall] #3

by Hajime Isayama

Kyukuro ha pasado toda su vida en jaulas, temido y odiado por ser “el hijo del Titán”. Pero conoció a Sharle Inocencio, una joven que cuidó y educó en secreto al niño abusado, y colaboró con su escape de la mazmorra. Sin embargo el porvenir que han soñado tiene destinado nuevos horrores…

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Horror, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Comics, Dystopia

192 pages, Paperback

First published August 8, 2014

About the author

Japanese name: 諫山創

Hajime Isayama (諫山 創 Isayama Hajime, born 1986) is a Japanese manga artist from Ōyama, Ōita. His first and currently ongoing serial, Attack on Titan, has sold over 22 million copies as of July 2013. He has mentioned Tsutomu Nihei, Ryōji Minagawa, Kentaro Miura, Hideki Arai and Tōru Mitsumine as artists he respects, but stated that the manga that had the biggest influence on him was ARMS.

Reviews

[Mario · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of fighting, but nothing really happens. The plot is still slow as hell. And the art style isn't helping at all.

I think I'll take a break from reading these. Maybe when the whole series is done I'll read them all at once.

[Nocturnalux]

Shingeki no Kyojin being nothing short of a cultural phenomenon, it is not surprising that it should span ancillary cultural products of all kinds. Case in point, Before the Fall is one such product, namely, a prequel to the events of the original manga. Cleverly, we are told that these events have been lost to history because the Monarchy deliberately wiped out any traces of it from any records so it makes perfect sense that not even Armin would have as much as inkling as to any of this. It is indeed a clever way of getting around the fact that this prequel adds characters and developments that were made up after (or while) SnK was written. Prequels present interesting problems from a narrative point of view and the limitations attendant to writing about such an enclosed, small world, make them all the more pressing. While a franchise like Star Wars that takes place in such a vast universe, complete with borderline unlimited planets, can pump out prequels and parallel stories all across the board, SnK is predicated on our characters all being trapped in the cage that are the three walls.

So while it is possible to weave a tale in the fictional past that just not happens to touch upon the original manga's timeline- or only circuitously so- it is borderline impossible to do so without its being very bland. After all, without Titans, you are straying so far from the premise that readers may just tune out- which they would already be already inclined to do upon learning there is no Levi.
The manga gives itself an out that makes perfect sense.In fact, it makes even more sense the more one is familiar with SnK and the way in which the Monarchy manipulated information and even virtually everyone's memories. That a creepy cultish group opened the gate to let a Titan in, leading to the death of 5 thousand people, is the kind of thing that the Monarchy would most definitely work to suppress.

It is something of a stroke of genius, turning what could be crippling flaw in the premise into an element that blends Before into the wider context of SnK.

With all this said, there are choices in the writing that are nothing short of baffling that must needs be addressed.

Taking place roughly 70 years prior to the original manga, the two prior volumes have followed Kuklo, the very unfortunate lead whose pregnant mother was swallowed by a Titan, causing him to be born from her corpse once it was expelled. Not an auspicious start to anyone's life, to put it mildly. Guts would have sympathized.

It is an interesting starting point and one that builds on the craziness we already are familiar with in the shape of the Wallists, except ramped up to a thousand. In these days, there was a crazy cult that revered the Titans and wanted to open the gates. Which they actually managed to do with the expected disastrous consequences.

Kuklo gets branded as "the Titan's child" and is sold into slavery. Yes, Guts would most definitely have sympathized. At any rate, after being kept in a cage and used as a punching bag, he manages to escape with a would-be love interest who taught him how to read. As the Survey Corps are going out of the walls for the first time in 15 years, Kuklo sneaks into a wagon because, well, he wants to see a Titan and prove to himself he is, indeed, human. It is a motivation as good as any other, I guess, but seriously, the way he goes about it is less than rational. For as our hero is getting impatient at the entourage not finding any Titan, he up and shoots a flare and lo and behold, he gets his wish fulfilled as a ten meter class Titan up and appears.

All this is covered in the previous volumes, that already showed problems that culminate in this one.

The main problem here is that the Survey Corps, at this point, have no means of killing a Titan. Yes, you read that correctly. There is no 3D gear so they cannot get off the ground. They have blades which do cut a Titan but the amazing self-regeneration ability make these almost entirely null and void.

So even if we dismiss Kuklo's stunt, we still have an entire expedition venturing onto Titan territory with no way of actually killing a single Titan. The commander in charge, Carlo, is not an idiot- he comes up with quite a few very interesting tactics along the way- but why did he think this could possibly be a good idea? Granted, the Survey Corps have been on a hiatus for over a decade so I understand an expedition is required at some point...but I cannot possibly see the point of sending out anyone outside the walls if they have no chance of defeating a Titan.

Carlo explains that the main goals were "inspection" and "training". How these can be possibly achieved is beyond me.

Things get even stranger. These soldiers keep charging this one Titan. Over and over again. Even after being told to retreat, too. At one point, a guy even stops to cheer because he managed to lop off a couple of toes. Guess what happened to him. Yeah.

It would make a lot more sense if they either knew a lot more- as in, if they had the gear and weapons necessary to take down a Titan- or if they knew even less- as in, if they were not even aware that a Titan regenerates. With some tweaking of the material, it could possible to frame a scenario in which the knowledge of how a Titan self-heals could have been lost and thus the guy mentioning above would not come across as a Darwin Award winner.

At this comparisons with Erwin become impossible to skirt around. Erwin is known for his very sacrifice heavy tactics. His subordinates die and die and keep on dying. But there is a goal in mind. Granted, one may find the goal not worth it- one has to question how many people should die to retrieve Eren yet again- but one can see the reasoning behind it.

Here, it is baffling. Once again, they have no gear that can actually kill a Titan.

They seem to just launch out of the Walls in the hopes of finding no Titans. Needless to say, they do find a Titan...if there had been more than one, they would all be dead.

Maybe there are fewer Titans at this point in history and there is a chance they won't actually meet a Titan? Still...I simply cannot wrap my head around this.

Other than that, I like the artwork- it is cool to see another artist have a shot at building upon the visuals of SnK- but the plot needs some serious rethinking. I am sure the mangaka must be a huge fan of the original manga, otherwise there is no way he would have even thought this prequel up but why, oh why, is any of this happening.

I see why the Survey Corps nearly got disbanded.

[Rob · Rating 2 out of 5]

Story
I'm done with this series. It's not as interesting as the main series or the quite excellent Attack on Titan: No Regrets, Vol. 1.

The story is moving along far too slow, and it has none of the characters I love for the original series. I found myself just eager to be done with this volume.

Time to move on.

Artwork
This book is more art than story. Lots of actions scenes I found hard to follow. This stills are fine, but like the main series, this seems to suffer when it comes to depicting all the action that takes place.

[James DeSantis · Rating 2 out of 5]

So this entire volume is basically just fight to survive. Which in theory sounds cool. However, you again, don't get any time with this cast to care if they live or die. The only two semi-interesting characters are not in harms way because...plot protection? So that leaves with a very safe ending to the battle and the events that follow aren't much better.

What I liked: Seeing a gigantic titan in flames was awesome. Some of the deaths were fucked up and worthy of the AoT name. I also liked the fact the leader of the corps isn't a moron.

What I didn't like: The fights are still hard to follow, the plot seems to be going around in circles, the main two leads are in need of some more dialog to make them interesting and the story itself needs some help.

This is another less than good title from this series. I borrowed up to volume 6 so let's hope it gets better...it has to right? Come on.

[Ray M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

rtc

[Yuiko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

[Allie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm reading this because my 12 year old son recommended it. I like it, but this is my first AoT, so I can't compare it to the other ones. It's entertaining enough to me.

[Cuppiesaur · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was questioning how Kuklo learned all those stealth and combat-ish skills - but I think they will dig more in that merit as the manga goes on - so besides that, this manga series is a new delight look into the past before the main series. The end of this issue specially!

[kim song ng · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

[Michael Schmid · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mir passiert leider immer noch viiiiel zu wenig in den einzelnen Kapiteln und auch Panels werden wirklich verschwendet... Schade. Story wird aber langsam...

[Radwa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Huh. Where is the vertical maneuvering kit?

[Anna Quilter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kuklo gets his wish to face a Titan and work out if he is a Titan.
Bloodshed ensues.
Plus the welcome awaiting him...when he returns.

Totally different from the original AOT but more of a personal journey

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Jenny Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is starting to pick up now. I'm definitely interested in seeing it play out. The characters are starting to grow on me, though I'm still not as a big a fan as I am of the original.

[Charon Lloyd-Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting to see Carlo Pikale regret his actions from Volume 1, seems giving Kuklo the monica of the 'Titan's son' wasn't so good now was it, oh and Xavi can step on lego because the fucker continues to make things worse for Kuklo.

[gabi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes!!! EPIC FIGHT SCENES!!!

[Judyth · Rating 3 out of 5]

~3.5/5

There is a lot of titan fighting in this volume. Like, half of the volume is Kuklo on the field, fighting the titan, and figuring out a clever way to get back to safety.

It’s intense. And I did not necessarily love it. But it was all right. Some parts of the fighting were a little hard to follow, though.

Then we get back to town, and Sharle deals with some political drama. Kuklo is taken in again, badly, and Sharle is a little helpless as what to do about it. Things are not looking good for them.

This was not my favorite volume, I will say that, but I’m still sticking with it. I’m interested to see where it goes, and I’m definitely frustrated with the politics and the higher ups. They never even try to understand. Annoying, though not surprising.

Hoping the next volume pulls me back in.

[Read more at my blog, Geeky Reading!]

[DonutKnow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whoo! I felt engaged from the beginning. A quick read- but I did skip a bit of the dialogue. Still, great action scenes. The way that they treat Kuklo is atrocious but hopefully he finds a friend in Captain Carlo *fingers-crossed.

[Mahdiye HajiHosseini · Rating 3 out of 5]

اپدیت ۱۸ آبان ۴۰۰ -
فایت بی نتیجه زیبایی داشت این جلد و این استیصال در برابر تایتان‌ها تنها چیزیه که باعث میشه ادامه بدم. در کلیت پلات اما meh.
فعلا شخصیت زیبایی هم معرفی نکرده.

[Michael Sorbello · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a review of the entire series.

Cut from a titan's stomach after his cultist mother was eaten alive when he was still growing inside her womb, Kuklo bore the cursed reputation of being the son of a titan. He was locked in a cage as a toddler and treated as a circus freak to be paraded around. After years of abuse on the streets he was sold to the Inocencio royal family to become the plaything of their cruel son Xavi. Never taught how to speak or shown the love of another human being, Kuklo's life seemed destined to meet a gloomy end. That was until Sharle, the daughter of the Inocencio family visits him in his cell one fateful night and teaches him the warmth of another person.

Before the Fall takes a very different approach to storytelling than the main series. The high stakes action, intricate world-building, thrilling political undertones, masterful use of mystery and foreshadowing aren't really anywhere to be seen here. That's not to say the prequel is bad, it just tells a much more personal and self-contained narrative that serves to flesh out the lesser explored elements of the main series such as who was the first person to ever kill a titan, how the survey corps were formed and how the three dimensional odm gear they use to kill titans was invented.

The star of the manga in my opinion was Sharle. She threw away a life of luxury and safety to save Kuklo and rebel against the cruelty of her own royal family. She constantly puts herself in danger to confront the horrors of the titans, corrupt royals and rogue criminals. She uses her well-educated background to enlist herself in the service of a group of underground blacksmiths in order to improve their methods and create the technological foundation of the military gear that would go on to give humans a fighting chance against the titans. She was the backbone of the whole narrative and her influence had the biggest impact on the events of the main series. If not for her efforts, none of the characters in the main series would've ever had the means to survive. I also just really enjoyed her personality, the way she never discriminates against the lesser class and how she breaks free from the chains of her royal upbringing.

Kuklo was a decent character, but after he meets Sharle he mostly just feels like a generic Shounen protagonist. He's not bad, just mundane and doesn't really fit in with the overall complex cast, especially next to the secondary protagonist Sharle who ended up accomplishing so much. Some of the world-building doesn't line up with the main series such as titans being able to walk at night and them disappearing the second they're killed, but most of the inconsistencies were minor things that weren't enough to completely destroy the immersion. The limited scope of the plot and setting also made the pacing feel somewhat tedious at times because most of the drama is never taken beyond the walls of the cities, but it also made room for more personal time between the characters living out their daily lives together and really learning to put their heads together to help form a better world for humanity's last survivors.

Not nearly as good as the main series and it doesn't add that much to the world or overall story, but it's an enjoyable side story that gives you a better understanding of the basics regarding daily life in the walled cities and how the foundations of military power and titan-fighting capabilities came to be. It probably won't appeal to casual readers of the series, but it might be worth checking out if you're already a diehard fan of Attack on Titan.

***

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[Ale Robles · Rating 5 out of 5]

La serie en si es buena. Pero si buscan la misma trama/acción/desarrollo de personajes que en AOT no lo van a encontrar. Como historia extra es muy buena, te hace a la idea de cómo el grupo de exploración ha sufrido y ha sido señalado desde mucho tiempo antes de que Erwin y los demás se enfrentaran a las críticas de la sociedad en las murallas. Estoy disfrutando mucho la historia y pienso comprar todos los tomos, que panini ya los tiene publicados. Así que si te gusta el mundo de AOT, toda la historia y el trasfondo de la vida en las murallas lo vas a disfrutar. Pero siempre hay que tener en cuenta que son cosas separadas y no hay que esperar lo mismo🤌🏼✨

[B0R3D · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's really devastating that before the Invention of ODM or any other equipment and without any knowledge about titans, they all just fought to Buy time for others to return home. Like if you take a look at the bigger picture, no one could defeat that titan (that titan too was too scary and difficult to slaughter). So, they all just bought time by sacrificing their lives to help the remaining Corps to return back home. Hopelessly, dreaming of a better world. That was disturbing.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story continues as Kuklo and the Survey Corps are being massacred by the Buff Titan. It’s a quick read and aside from the bloody scenes, there’s nothing new happening here.

At the last chapter, new characters are introduced and Kuklo was once again been captured because of his unknown origin.

ART
I’m still trying to get used to it. The drawing is a bit dark so it’s difficult to get a feel of the story/scene. Plus, the Buff Titan still irritates me

[Cel Red · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es un volumen con mucha acción y en realidad casi no hay avance en la historia si no hasta el final.

El estilo de dibujo hace que los titanes me den entre asco y miedo. De hecho, después de tantas cosas, los titanes de esta historia son los únicos que pueden darme un poquito de terrores nocturnos, porque los de Isayama hace mucho perdieron ese efecto.

[Natalia Hincapié · Rating 3 out of 5]

Este tomo tiene mucha acción y pelea contra un titán, sin avanzar mucho en la historia.
Está chevere y desde ya se pueden intuir quienes son los villanos.
Tengo algunas confusiones, pero lo que me pone a pensar es que aquí todavía no saben cómo matar titanes, y creo que el personaje principal ayudará a eso.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoying this so far. This is definitely a compulsive read...immediately makes me want to read the next volume without taking a break. So far, I am not invested in the characters like I was with the original series...but I'll give it some more time because the potential is there. Glad I am finally getting to read this series.

[alix flora 🌙 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m sorry but it just makes zero sense to go run around on a horse outside the walls KNOWING if you see one Titan, you’re fucked bc you can’t kill them… 🥴 also I love AOT but I am not a fan of action manga precisely bc I can never tell wtf is happening half the time!! I just see clouds and arms, occasional leg

[Serena · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel really sorry for Kuklo in this volume. All he wanted was to see a titan and as a result, so many soldiers lost their lives and he got found out by the military police and re-captured all over again. Not to mention Xavi's allegations were more self-defense and Kuklo had no control of the worshippers at all.

[sophia · Rating 3 out of 5]

if i had a nickle for every time the words “the titan’s son” have been repeated in just these three volumes, i think i would be rich. i’m still not really into this series, but i’ll keep reading until i finish the 5th volume. really hope that it gets better soon.

actually, on second thought, i’m just gonna drop it now. it probably isn’t worth it.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of action. Kuklo comes up with a way for the survey corps to minimize their losses and make it back within the wall to safety in Shiganshina. But once there, Kuklo finds himself victim to false imprisonment.