Original Video Animation (OVA) - Attack on Titan
Currently the Attack on Titan anime series has released two Original Video Animations (OVA) that provide a side-story to the main plot of the anime series.
Ilse’s Notebook
Ilse's Notebook: Notes from a Scout Regiment Member was the first OVA of the Attack on Titan anime series. It corresponds as Episode 3.5 of the Attack on Titan anime series and was produced by Wit Studio and Production I.G. Although it was originally scheduled to be released on August 9, 2012, bundled with the Volume 11 limited edition, it was postponed and was included with a limited edition of Volume 12 and released on December 9, 2013 instead.
Ilse’s Notebook was included in a subtitled DVD with the English limited edition release of the 17th manga Volume that was released on December 1, 2015. A second OVA titled “The Sudden Visitor: The Torturous Curse of Youth” was also published on April 9, 2014, which was bundled with the 13th Volume of the series. This second OVA focused mostly on the members of the 104th Training Corps.
Summary
In 850, the Survey Corps went on a mission. During this mission, Hange spots a Titan and decides to pursue him to capture it. When Hange was able to get the Titan’s attention, it suddenly retreats to the forest. Hange follows it where she finds it banging its head against a certain tree. The Titan becomes aggressive when Hange tries to get closer to it, but Levi and the others arrive on time to kill it. While investigating that place, they discover the decapitated body of Ilse Langnar, a soldier from the 34th Survey Corps division, inside the tree. Lying on the ground, they also find her notebook, which contains details of how she escaped on foot after her squad was killed. At some point, she was cornered by a Titan, but instead of killing her straight away, the Titan started to speak to her in human language, and it called her “Ymir”.
As she prepares to fight the Titan unarmed she continued to write words in her notebook so as to not to lose hope. In her notebook it states that after escaping from slaughter that her squad wasn’t able to she arrives in a clearing and her path unfortunately crosses that of the same Titan. A fight begins between her and the Titan, she quickly finds herself stuck, back to the tree with her notebook still in hand. Her tears flow but she still continues to write in her notebook. She describes her meeting with the Titan as well as all of her physical details and the fact that the Titan did not devour her right away. She also writes that when she believed her time had come. Filled with frustration, she wishes to see her parents before dying.
Although in the OVA this event is set in the year 850, according to the Attack on Titan Guidebook, these events are placed in the year 849.
The Sudden Visitor: The Torturous Curse of Youth
A Sudden Visitor: The Torturous Curse of Adolescence is the second OVA of the Attack on Titan anime series, which corresponds to episode 3.25 of the Attack on Titan anime. It was also produced by Wit Studio and Production I.G. This episode was released in Japan with the special edition of Volume 13 of the manga. After, an English version was published with the special edition of the English translation of Volume 20.
Summary
In 849, Jean Kirstein comes back home after two years of training. After an argument with Sasha Blouse during a training exercise, a drunk Commander Pyxis suggests they settle things in a cooking contest. During the preparation of this contest, an unexpected visitor arrives to meet Jean.
To everyone’s surprise Jean won, Sasha tells Dot Pixis that she cannot accept the result and asks for an explanation. Pyxis asks what meat is; Sasha only replies that meat is meat, and Pixis explains that meat cannot be anything more than that, and that is the reason why she lost. Sasha cries for her defeat, but Jean offers her a hand to stand up, running out of resentment. To conclude, Jean decides to go home the next day.
Unlike what is usual in Attack on Titan, in this OVA Jean is the main character, with actual main characters Eren Jaeger and Mikasa Ackermann are placed in a secondary role, and Armin Arlelt as a supporting character.
Also, in the scene where Mikasa turns to look at Eren, it is Jean who looks at Mikasa instead, which would be a reference of him having feelings towards Mikasa.
Bonus Information
In addition to the OVA itself, this OVA comes with five of the eight fake volume previews that manga creator Hajime Isayama has drawn. The first one corresponds to Volume 4, where Sasha is cooking. In Volume 7, Jean’s mother is entering his room without knocking. Later, in Volume 8, Armin is hurting his legs on the stairs. In Volume 9, Sasha is slapping and elbowing Reiner. And finally, in Volume 12, some fake Titan forms for Mikasa, Jean, Armin, Historia and Connie appear.
Other additional information that can be seen in this OVA includes Sasha stating that she doesn't like her popular nickname “Potato Girl”. Also, only Mikasa seems to regularly accompany Eren, while Armin seems to be more sociable and interact more with other characters, like Annie and Jean. In addition, another fact that can be observed in this OVA is that, unlike in regular Attack on Titan stories, no human or Titan is killed in this episode.