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Lost Girls - Attack on Titan

Attack on Titan: Lost Girls is a novel written by Hiroshi Seko, a screenwriter for the Attack on Titan anime and screenwriter for the small screen adaptations of other popular franchises such as Seraph of the End and Ajin: Demi-Human None.

This novel is a compilation of three stories titled "Lost in the Cruel World," "Wall Sina, Goodbye," and "Lost Girls." The first two stories are based on the visual novels of the same name that were released on the Blu-ray copies of the anime. The third story was a new release and was also adapted into a manga by Kodansha None.
Both visual novels were originally included as bonus features in the Japanese Blu-ray releases, while the introduction and eponymous story, "Lost Girls," were unique to the book.

Summary

When Mikasa Ackermann battles Annie Leonhart 's Female Titan in the Stohess District, a flood of memories comes flooding back to Annie. Among these memories, she particularly remembers a moment that occurred in 849, when she and Mikasa spoke during their days in the 104th Training Corps . In this conversation, the two characters shared their opinions, thoughts, and emotions about how they felt inside and outside of battle. These memories end when her Female Titan falls.

“Lost in a cruel world”

This story revolves around Mikasa and Eren when they were still children. At that time, Mikasa still lived with her family, and Eren would visit her at home with his father to take care of Mikasa's mother. Over time, Mikasa and Eren became incredibly close, until his obsession with the Survey Corps and the outside world began to take over.

During a fight where a Titan appears behind Mikasa, she begins to remember the words Eren said to her as he was about to die at the hands of one of his captors. She then promises to fight in his memory. As she prepares for battle, the Titan behind her swings its fist to confront her.

In Lost in a Cruel World , although Eren is present in the story, he is not the driving force behind it. Instead, he explains in detail the feelings of a young Mikasa and how lonely she felt before meeting Eren and how she wishes to protect him from all harm as long as she lives. It shows how Mikasa's mind works, an introverted person, and allows the reader to appreciate her more.

"Sina Wall, goodbye"

The second story focuses on Annie Leonhart, the day before her mission to capture Eren. On that day, Annie wakes up in the Military Police Brigade located in the Stohess District, feeling depressed because she was ordered to infiltrate the 57th Survey Corps' extramural expedition and kidnap Eren. She thinks about the aftermath of the battle that took place in the Trost District a month earlier and how many people died because of her actions.

In this story, we discover Annie's daily life and how she tries to solve the case of a missing girl. Annie is the main character of this story, and it sparks some interest in how she solves the case of the missing girl. This gives Annie a more human perspective, contrasting with the cold and distant side of her that we usually see in the original series.

Lost Girls

This 15-page short story features a brief interaction between Annie and Mikasa, where they give a small glimpse into their feelings for each other. It also serves to connect the two previous stories and give the audience a better understanding of the emotions of two characters known for their introverted and aloof natures.

In this conversation, Mikasa asks Annie why she joined the Training Corps . Annie responds by saying that she simply wants to join the Military Police Brigade , which makes Mikasa think that she wants to do so because she wants to have a luxurious life. At one point, Mikasa takes out a silver ring and shows it to Annie, who recognizes it as her own. This ring is the same one Annie uses to injure herself to transform into the Female Titan. Although Mikasa is unaware of its true purpose, she activates the Hidden Blade within the ring and wonders why someone as skilled as Annie would need something like a Hidden Blade hidden within a ring. Although Annie uses it to transform, she explains to Mikasa that the Hidden Blade is used for self-defense, as she cannot rely on her own skills alone in every situation. Mikasa doesn't seem to entirely believe her, but hopes Annie never has to use the ring—a statement Annie agrees with.

Characters

Although most of the characters that appear in Lost Girls belong to the Attack on Titan universe and are well known to the public, it shows an alternate reality within the series, as some of the characters alive in the original story are dead in this version and vice versa. Other characters are missing or their backgrounds are different from the main story.