Conspiratiorist posted:

Both Reiner and Zeke surviving is frustrating merely from the reader's viewpoint of the heroes getting so close but not quite there to killing them.

The consequences of them making their escapes, both plot-wise and what it the experience meant for the characters personally, are being handled very well. Reiner having PTSD was almost a given but it's interesting to explore, while Zeke coming out of it terrified of Levi was refreshing. Levi disassembling Monkey Business and then hounding him all the way out of Shiganshina with his tail between his legs, despite having a titan troop thrown his way, has got to be one of the most satisfying moments in the series, and it's only fitting that Zeke be left traumatized by it.