86: Eighty Six

Magenta

In terms of themes to center a story around, the general conflicts and effects that arise due to a war are ones that need to be treated with a type of care. It has been documented in many brutal periods of history that war is when the worst of humanity can come out. If any war story wants to be honest in its depiction of its subject matter, then it has to be absolutely unadulterated in its representation of it. In this aspect, 86 is definitely trying to get there. There are many aspects that show attempts to portray these horrifying concepts as they should. However, 86 mainly falters in how it hesitates to go all the way with its depictions. It is in these hesitations where flaws emerge that undermine what was accomplished by the attempts to depict a brutal war. While 86 did have potential in its earlier stages, it is eventually squandered by its reluctance to truly take its concepts to the extremes that it needs to. img(https://static1.cbrimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/86-Eighty-Six-Featured-Image.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=960&h=500&dpr=1.5) 86’s two main sections, the ones taking place in District 86 and the Capital of San Magnolia. Both of these sections of the story both fall victim to this problem of reluctance, but they each suffer very different effects because of it. The reluctance to portray war in a more real manner affects District 86 far more obviously and concretely. In the earlier episodes, the sections were the most engaging to watch. Between the major Eighty-Sixers exhibited, there was a type of camaraderie exhibited between them that actually made me care about them at the start. While the slice of life elements weren’t the greatest, I initially forgave them due to what it set up. By emphasizing the brief moments of levity at certain points, that when the story got to its more brutal aspects, then they would be amplified due to the fact that I would actually care about these people. This is a common tactic pulled in most other dark stories of this nature. However, this type of symbiotic relationship crumbles in the face of the botched execution of nearly everything around it. I can’t exactly pinpoint when it happened, but there was a certain point when I realized how misplaced 86’s priorities are involving these scenes. That certain point was when I realized District 86's slice of life moments were becoming way too frequent than what was necessary, and in way too many episodes, started to eclipse the brutal scenes of war. While this is a useful technique that darker stories could leverage, most of the time, they don’t overshadow the actual brutal elements that the series was based around. These are moments of levity because they are supposed to provide breathing room from the sheer brutality of everything else going on. The slight bit of air that you have to breathe gets less meaningful when you have too much of it. img(https://miro.medium.com/max/1200/0*rW5vTJUaqwBOt4zl.png) What compounds the problem even more is the fact that the brutal scenes that they are even trying to serve don’t sell anywhere near the intended effect as they should. There are too many Eighty-Sixers to even keep track of at the beginning, and they end up being killed too quickly so that I can really even care about them. When they die early on, I am still trying to learn their name, but I can’t do that when they are dropping like flies. Yet another problem that makes it even worse is in the aftermath of the battle scenes. After any scene that takes place on the battlefield, there is rarely any grief in the air in the Eighty-Sixers’ headquarters felt over their deaths. It is mostly just the Eighty-Sixers mildly feeling sad over their deaths and being a little bit philosophical over the nature of their fight, and then just moving on. While there was one instance where grief was shown at the end of Episode 3 and beginning of Episode 4, this moment was short lived. With this type of behavior being constant, The Eighty-Sixers end up feeling unsympathetic, due to how it is framed in the show as if they are apathetic over the deaths of the ones closest to them. Even with the justification for this behavior provided late into the series, it feels more like duct tape to a gaping hole. Nearly every one of them except for Shin exhibits some type of emotion of joy during the slice of life scenes, but it is rare to find this type of strong emotion pushed in the other direction. Most of the grief felt over character deaths is mostly from Milize, which should not be the character that is experiencing this type of thing in her position. While it does say a lot about how poorly the Eighty-Sixers are written, it equally says as much about how Milize is implemented into the story. Her character over in the Capital of San Magnolia also gets affected heavily by this series’ persistent reluctance greatly. img(https://i0.wp.com/anitrendz.net/news/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/86_keyvisual-e1608646483661.png) Along with attempting to show a war from the perspective of the battlefront, 86 also shows the war from a more political perspective. Usually war stories only show one of these two perspectives in their story, so I can appreciate the attempt to take on both of them at once, even if I believe that both of them are botched in their own ways. The depiction of a society centered around a singular race is actually done really well. While there is an obvious racism between the Albans and Eighty-Sixers, it isn't explicitly done in a way where it is constantly reinforced by every Alban. There is just a lack of acknowledgment to the horrible atrocities being committed, which is what makes it truly terrifying. The conditioning of most of the people of San Magnolia to turn a blind eye to the hypocrisies of the government is realistic in a type of way that I haven't exactly seen before with a fictional society as its kind. As well as the world building of San Magnolia is, there is one major aspect of these sections that brings down what has been set up here significantly, where nearly all of the nuance setup here completely vanishes. This aspect is the character that we view this section of the story through, Milize. Milize as a character strikes me as odd from nearly every perspective. In the society that she is a part of, she sticks out like a sore thumb. With the pure indifference of nearly every Alban towards the persecution of nearly every other race, Milize is the only one who shows any type of empathy towards those other races. It isn’t even a little bit of empathy too, she has a visibly large heart for the people that she commands. This is her central character trait, and it causes a lot of problems for any part of the story that involves her. While it isn’t really out of the question for there to be Albans that advocate against the actions San Magnolia has taken against non-Albans, what leaves it off putting in the early stages of this season is that she is the only one that is like this. The society of San Magnolia draws a lot of parallels to real ones, and part of the reason why is the subtle type of subconscious assumptions about other races. However, Milize’s beliefs remain unmoved by the society that latently tells her to change them. A society that emphasizes a singular flaw, the people typically carry that flaw, but Millize finds herself free of it. She is already the shining example of a good and pure nature in this world already, which makes her feel completely shallow as a result. Her character is already in a position that she would be in after a character arc had completed, which gives her character little room to grow. As much as I have complained about Milize’s character, the issue of her being naive would be fixed by how the story contextualizes and justifies it. However, its approach to actually doing this is extremely inconsistent. By how Milize got this way, the flashback involving it is incomplete. At this point, I will state that I am anime-only, and I don’t exactly know the full story of this flashback. However, from what has been shown, she doesn’t exhibit a full character arc from it, but just that she got the beliefs that she had from the people around her projecting their ideals onto her. In terms of actually giving her flaws that compensate for her important lack of ones in a certain area, she doesn’t exactly have one persistent enough to make up for it. It would be absolutely untrue to call her a Mary Sue, but she is more so just too much of a good person for a story like this. Maybe it is unrealistic to want a more flawed character, but for a premise like this, it was practically begging for a very flawed character that was in the position that Milize was in. However, this story just didn’t get it. The reluctance to portray aspects in this story as unadulterated as they need to have near opposite ways on the two sections of the story. However for both of them, they always ended up in disappointment because of how they ended up. img(https://otakukart.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Eighty-Six-.jpg) As hard as I have been on the series up to this point, I still liked some aspects of it. Shin’s subplot with his brother was pretty well done compared to everything else. I don’t really have a full blown analysis of it prepared, but I will say that it got me to care at least a little bit about Shin compared to the pieces of cardboard that surrounded him. The general presentation was really great. The visual direction was really stunning even with the CGI Paragons and the editing being a bit awkward at times. The OST was great, mostly due to Hiroyuki Sawano doing Sawano things. However, the first season of 86’s greatest accomplishment is that it leaves me wanting more. Yes, I just complained about how much I didn’t like it for 6 comprehensive paragraphs, and I want to watch more of it. But the series has done a great job at leaving a promise that it would get better. With the direction that the story is going, it is promising to stamp out the major flaws that it already has with the second season. It is weird to end a negative review on a positive and hopeful note, but this series started to show just a slight bit of promise just as its first season ended. While I didn’t have hope for other series that I didn’t enjoy to get better, I am willing to give this another chance when the second cour starts. img(https://i.redd.it/8uu5oyca6rt61.jpg) _Thank you for reading to the end of the review if you did. I really appreciate the willingness some of you have to get to the end of a review that probably disputes your own opinion. If you have any criticisms with how this review was made, you are free to message me to critique what I had to say._

Reeyzinzkr

(This Review may contain spoilers) Finally arrived the time to comment on the anime and the experience that the adaptation of 86 gave me. When I finished reading volume 1 of the novel I was wondering if the "story" could go beyond that, in this case an anime adaptation .. img1000(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/798291340495945752/855558640022847508/20210515_181632.jpg) When they announced the anime I was very euphoric and extremely happy with the announcement, but after some doubts in my mind and if it would be something as incredible as Light Novel. As everyone knows, adaptations on the same level or even better than the original material is a very rare case of whether currently in the industry, I may be mistaken to say that 86 is the best adaptation of recent times. A lot of adaptations usually have between 11-13 episodes and some end up adapting an absurd amount of volumes in just a few episodes. As an example: Re:Zero that suffered some cuts in relation to the novel, but it is still a very good adaptation. Nowadays people have come to be quite critical of Manga/Novel adaptations. Imagine you seeing your favorite work being adapted in a way that does not follow the same tracks as the original material this is sad to see. But everyone dumb knows that the changes always made will be in relation to a Novel/ Manga, the changes that can sometimes be ruined or pleasant. But in the case of 86 it is something that deserves all the praise and I am not saying this just because I am a long-time fan of the work, I say this because we are blessed with a studio that took all possible care for the adaptation from 86 would become what we are seeing this season. img1000(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/798291340495945752/855559719682048040/photoGridMaker_20210612_154051280.jpg) The scenarios presented in this first part were a little different from what I imagined when I read the novel, but I think they hit the nail on virtually everything. In the novel, the base of the Eighty-Six was something that looked like a place totally similar to a concentration camp, but here in the anime it was something totally different. img1000(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/798291340495945752/855567181827670026/photoGridMaker_20210508_185453378.jpg) The CGI was one of my big concerns and not to mention that A-1 pictures had never done anything like that and it turned out they got the CGI and the action parts right. It's amazing how a soundtrack makes such a difference in an anime. I think the only composer who could work on the part of the soundtrack this guy was Sawano. I confess that I was a little worried when they announced that A-1 Pictures would adapt 86 and I think everyone was left with the receipt that a novel would not be so well adapted, when it changed the first promotional image of the anime it was worrying and thankfully that they adjusted it like things like character designs. When I read that the author of [86] supervised all the storyboards for each episode, I was even more relieved and that may have been one of the great factors of the anime being incredible. I wonder if another studio had taken 86 to adapt and I wonder if it would be something at that same level, well .. although I had some doubts when it was announced that A1- Pictures would adapt, but I didn't think it would be something at that absurd level. I saw a lot of people complaining about the original partrs that were implemented in the anime and that they didn't have in the novel. Sometimes implementing new things in works can be good or bad, but as volume 1 of the novel leaves something to be desired, the anime corrected and not to mention that it was really good. img1000(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/798291340495945752/855564669196435496/20210522_144552.jpg) It's really amazing how the anime made me have a greater appreciation for the secondary characters and that's one of the things I don't like very much about the novel, we have Daya's death which in the novel is only mentioned in a few volumes farther ahead. It was fantastic to see that even the very important characters had a bit of prominence and that's something that added a lot to the plot.

ColdRain

__~~~Best anime of spring 2021 that I’ve seen.~~~__ ~~~~~~~~~img300(https://media.tenor.com/images/5c00625c6730cdb4dd6b4e1f144db9c4/tenor.gif)~~~~~~~~~ #__~~~STORY - 9/10~~~__ The story is definitely interesting. Two nations at war, one nation that has separated it’s citizens into two categories - Alba, and Eighty-Six. Alba all have the same colored hair, and are considered to be human, while Eighty-Six have different colors of hair than the Alba, and are no longer considered human. Therefore, whenever Eighty-Six die on the battlefield, they are not counted as casualties, so each day, on the news in The Republic where the Alba live, they say there are “zero casualties” when in reality there are plenty. This anime takes a deep look into racism and war and oppression. The Republic is sitting back, drinking, relaxing, stuffing their faces assuming they’ll win the war in two years instead of getting off their asses and doing something about it, while the Eighty-Six are out here dying for no good reason and being treated like shit by the Alba. And this anime certainly doesn't sugarcoat it's portrayal of racism, it does a very good job of showing us how oppression affects people, and how no matter what, certain types of people will always be considered "lesser" than other due to factors beyond their control. It really makes you take a look at examples of oppression that people still face here in 2021, and it sheds light on how no matter how hard you may try to understand people who are oppressed, until you yourself get oppressed, you'll never understand. The main character, Major Lena is one of the very few people who care about the Eighty-Six and actually consider them to be human. This is very interesting to see the way she acts compassionately when it comes to the Eighty-Six. She is constantly requesting backup to be sent to them, and always checks in with them. She is a true diamond in the rough. A pure person surrounded by all the impure, bloated bastards of the country she lives in. ~~~~~~~~~img300(https://media.tenor.com/images/a1de9ad1fbbc0b08bb652d43f55d6668/tenor.gif)~~~~~~~~~ # ~~~__ANIMATION - 10/10__~~~ The animation is beautiful. It depicts the beauty and the madness of war perfectly. The colors used, the background/environment, the movements of the characters and the machines they pilot into war are very smooth, and the character design is impeccable and incomparable to anything else. ~~~~~~~~~img300(https://media.tenor.com/images/053cc7024e6d2bbddc2bcdc99804eb9c/tenor.gif)~~~~~~~~~ # ~~~__CHARACTERS - 9/10__~~~ The characters are all unique and interesting, albeit most of them end up dead. My favorites are: Lena - Her personality is very amazing and unique, and I find it very commendable that she’s able to stand up for the Eighty-Six, even lecturing an entire classroom on how Eighty-Six are actually humans. Shin - Shin is a very interesting character. He hears the voices of many of his dead comrades who have been turned into members of the Legion army. He’s suffered through so much loss, including that of his own brother, and still manages to be an effective leader and keep his team in high spirits throughout all their hardships. Lena's Friend - I don't remember her name, but the girls whos dad created the Para-RAID is an interesting character. I was shocked to know that the boy she knew in the past, and had been friends with turned out to be Shin. It's also interesting how all of her marriage candidates are out of her age range, likely because of her traumatizing encounter with Shin when she was younger, where she referred to him using a term that was used to insult and oppress people who weren't Alba. Lena's Uncle - I don't remember his name either, but he had some interesting moments, despite the fact that he was always trying to stop Lena from siding with the Eighty-Six Of course there are more interesting characters, but those are my personal favorites. ~~~~~~~~~img300(https://media.tenor.com/images/67bb82d104ee252d4b037c90d2525975/tenor.gif)~~~~~~~~~ # ~~~__OPENINGS AND MUSIC - 8.5/10__~~~ The opening and outro music and the OST that plays throughout the show at various different sad or happy moments always manages to perfectly compliment the events going on in the anime at that moment. It adds emotion to the already emotional scenes that occur throughout this anime. # ~~~__ENDING - 9.5/10__~~~ The ending of this cour was perfect and amazing. Lena goes to visit the camp that Spearhead squadron was staying at. She find their cat, she finds Shin’s room, and she finds notes that they left her. Knowing they were going on that mission to die, they left a final goodbye on the drawing they had used to mock/make fun of her when they first spoke to her. It made my heart ache a little bit if I’m being honest. # ~~~__OVERALL - 9.1/10__~~~ This show is amazingly animated with an interesting story, uniquely designed and animated characters, and so many amazing scenes and moments that keep you on the edge of your chair, ~~~FUCKIN’ GLORY TO THE SPEARHEAD SQUADRON~~~ ~~~~~~~~~img300(https://media.tenor.com/images/83186d7396f45879350e65fcdc48424f/tenor.gif)~~~~~~~~~

nekoama

>Hey nekoama here, and this is my third anime review, please feel free to browse through my other reviews and let me know what you think. Today I'll be review one of the seasonal anime, 86: Eighty-Six. Warning: this review may contain spoilers. img700(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/677679611760345112/854184208037707856/86-Anime-Episode-4.png) Eighty-Six is a mecha sci-fi anime revolving around the war between the Republic of San Magnolia and the Giadian Empire. According to the Republic of San Magnolia, they have, so far, suffered zero casualties. However, that is not the truth. While the silver-haired citizens of the republic live safely within the wall, those of a different appearance is forced to operate juggernauts and against the Empire's autonomous Legion. Vladilena Milize, one of the main characters of the show and the Handler to the Spearhead Squadron, understands that real humans are being forced to operate the juggernauts and she tries everything that she can to prevent any more 86 from dying. img500(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/677679611760345112/854208686926987304/5d5e800bc66aed588a1230f065007f0b.png) To start things off, I'd like to say the animation and art are really good. The anime starts off with a nice fight between the 86 and the legion. The CGI was nicely implemented to give the viewer what's to come in future episodes. Animation and artwork were expected because it was produced by A-1, they are one of my favorite studios after all. They also used contrasting colors to easily differentiate between the Alba and 86 too. Well, you could just look at their hair color too. One of my favorite episodes of the season was definitely episode 7. During the first half of this episode, it is time for the Revolution Festival, and while the Alba gets to frolic around freely, enjoy tasty food, and have as much fun as they can, the 86 still remain fighting for their lives on the battlefield. While Spearhead was preparing their attack on the legion they are suddenly ambushed by ultra-long-range artillery fire, forcing Spearhead to retreat and leaving only a few members alive. We also learn the secret that Spearhead was keeping. Spearhead is a suicide unit meant to kill off every 86 who reaches near the end of their term to ensure that they can never return to the Republic. In addition to showing how expendable the 86 are, more than half of them die and you wouldn't even know how they died. This episode gives a really clear view of the lives of the people living inside the walls and the 86 surviving on the outside. img500(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/677679611760345112/854209658192527370/500.png) With most anime, not every episode is amazing, but there are some exceptions. Sadly enough, 86 was not one of those exceptions. This was a show that I tried to give a higher score on, trying to find ways that would make the show better than what it actually is. I have heard only great praise about this show and lots of people were hyped before the first episode aired. However, it is just not up there for me and I don't think it lived up to its hype. To me, the show was pretty interesting at times and other times, it was just boring. It is average at best and personally, I don't think this is a show that will be memorable for me. img500(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/677679611760345112/854209080896913408/86-EIGHTY-SIX-Release-Date.png)

Bokunomuichiro

The show follows Lena who is of the Celena race and is very privileged. She is an officer in the army with her uncle as the leader and she takes on the position of Handler One of the Spearhead Unit. The series takes many twists and turns as it progresses and is extremely intriguing with how it portrays the "86" who are another race of people who are treated as livestock and sent off to fight in the war against the Legion until they die. Let's just say, in simpler terms, that this anime made me cry A LOT of times so be prepared about that if you are planning to watch it. __Characterisation:__ The characters are all very fun- especially all of the characters in the Spearhead Unit and Lena. The other members of the Celena race are very irritating and I wanted to punch them whenever they spoke about the 86 and called them inhuman and that they deserved to die. Lena is the best girl by far as she fights against her entire race just to try and defend the Spearhead Unit. Another one of my favourite characters is Nouzen aka "The Undertaker" who is the classic badass character. He does show emotions outside that but he is quite a basic character who simply follows the formula of badass guy but that by no means makes him a bad character. Overall, the characters in this show are 9/10. (also did I mention that there is a cute cat? Now you need to watch it just for the cat :p) __Character Dynamics:__ The character dynamics are interesting and I love seeing how the 86 communicate together and how they all treat Lena differently. One of the best dynamic in my opinion is that between Lena and her best friend. It is by no means a good dynamic but it is still portrayed really well. In the first couple of episodes, Lena's best friend seems ok but slowly her true self comes through with how she treats Lena's worry for her unit as unneeded as the "86 aren't people" and their dynamic together is so intriguing and capsizes in a beautiful climax between the two characters as their separate viewpoints clash. There are lots of other great character dynamics but that was the one that stood out to me the most. Overall, the character dynamics are a 9/10. __Visuals:__ The visuals and animation quality in this show are spectacular. How the fight against the Legion and the other lesser scenes are portrayed really pushed this show above other series like it. It doesn't have exactly Fate series level animation but it is still really good. Therefore, the visuals are a 9.5/10. __Voice Acting:__ The voice acting in this series is extremely good and it conveys the emotions it is trying to put across perfectly. I found myself coming to tears at multiple points due to the raw emotion the voice actors managed to put across and it is some of the best voice acting I've heard in anime. Overall, the voice acting is a 9.5/10. __Music/Soundtrack:__ 86 is one of the very lucky shows to have Sawano Hiroyuki composing music for it. The ending is incredible although the visuals in it are quite lacking but I don't mind as I usually don't look at the visuals for the ending too much and just like listening to the music instead. The opening is also really good but it isn't my favourite and I have been tempted to skip it on many occasions. The other soundtrack in the series also helps in emphasising the emotions of the show so overall the music/soundtrack are 9/10. __Fight Choreography/Pacing:__ The fight choreography for this series is very good. Especially with Nouzen's fighting as he flawlessly launches from one Legion enemy to the other and it is always very satisfying to watch. The fighting in the anime follows a military format however it feels slightly unrealistic in some places especially with how easy it is for them to destroy the enemy- mainly with Nouzen easily defeating the enemy but I guess that is used as part of his badass persona. The pacing in this series is a bit strange to me, however. It was fine in the beginning but just after the halfway point, I felt the series fell a bit flat and seemed to be unsure of what it was trying to do as I felt myself get lost. Spoilers below: ~!when Nouzen and the other 4 remaining members of the Spearhead Unit run away from battle I was really confused but then they didn't actually run away and were still fighting and then it cut to them all supposedly dying? The pacing here really confused me as well as the overall story and it made me lower the score by quite a bit than I would've given it.!~ Asides from that the pacing was consistently good so I would give it a 7.5/10. __Genre Mixing:__ This series managed to handle comedy and serious elements very well with how the 86 react to each other being quite funny but with a sad undertone as you know as you watch the show that these funny moments won't last and therefore the comedy elements are almost enhanced by the fact that soon they may no longer have these moments again. Overall, the genre mixing in this is a 9/10. __Conclusion:__ To conclude, this series started off great but began to lose its footing towards the end and ended quite confusingly. I'm hoping that the second series will improve on this somehow but I'm not really sure where the story can go from here. Overall, I give this series an 8.5/10 as it had many amazing parts to it but the ending just fell a bit flat for me.

lknkira

English is not my first language. May contain spelling errors I didn't get to read the Light Novel, but I've always heard a lot about it. And they recommended the reading a lot, but I ended up putting it off and the anime started before I started reading it, but based on the comments I heard, it fulfilled all my expectations. img220(https://www.animeunited.com.br/oomtumtu/2021/04/Kamen-Rider-2.png) I believe 86: Eighty Six manages to work well with the theme, which is a merit of the original work, but I must also praise the way the anime transmitted, as I haven't read the Light Novel, I don't know how well adapted it was, but based on friends Having read it I must say it was an excellent job. The anime managed to show us the difference between the groups and the discrimination against the Eighty Six. Not just for the plot, but some scenes that are very well done that visually emphasize these differences. And as events progress, we understand the Republic more, together with Lena, and how it seems more obscure than at first sight, and how it itself does not follow the principles of the colors of the republic's flag freedom, equality, brotherhood, justice , and nobility. img220(https://preview.redd.it/6e2pbptt39t61.jpg?width=2280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f9746129d304b033c47788832ac9849974502a6d) The way the characters were worked is also very good, especially among the main ones, even the deaths of minor characters who didn't have as much screen time, even though the impact of their deaths was more for the reaction of the companions than for themselves. The main cast was very well worked, with each episode that passes we see a progression, in which they are very well worked, each time becoming more complete. How events change characters, the relationship between Lena and the Eight-Six, and how both sides change little by little. I don't even need to say anything about the soundtrack, which is wonderful, as it fits so well in every moment, they knew how to use them at the right times. Sawano and Yamamoto's songs were undoubtedly perfect for the anime. As well as a wonderful Ending, Opening was one of the things that took me a while to get used to, in the beginning I had a feeling that it didn't fit with the anime, but it started to pass along with the episodes. img220(https://static3.cbrimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/eighty-six-shin-raiden-theo-kurena-anju.jpg) 86 - Eighty Six was an excellent experience, it was already with high expectations due to the praise for the Light Novel, and it didn't disappoint, the anime only adapted the beginning of the story so there's still a lot of interesting to come, and with part two still far away, I must go to LN, I've said this dozens of times, will this be the first time I'll finally start. If you've read this far, I appreciate it. Still trying to improve my writing as well as my English. img220(https://geeksinaction.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/86-EIGHTY-SIX-1-752x382.png)

BeatleJews

~~~img(https://imgur.com/mXpUK8U.jpeg)~~~ __Let me start off this review by stating that SPOILERS WILL BE DISCUSSED so if you haven't seen/plan to watch this show (of which if this review summary you find interesting) then please do.__ 86 is a show that can rightully be named as one of best shows of Spring 2021 if not of the entire year; at face value this show might look like a typical war drama on a futuristic setting with heavy use of CGI Mechas but as you progress into it we come to realize that the nation in which one of our protagonists, Vladilena Milizé (Lena from now on), lives in, is engaged in an almost perpetual war against a faceless enemy known only as the Legion, the robotic army of an empire that went into extinction decades ago but is hardcoded to continue fighting until the anihilation of the Republic of St. Magnolia (Lena's homeland) It doesn't take too long for us to realize that the army the Republic has been deploying in the field against the Legion are none other than actual human beings that in the eyes of the Alba's (the Republic's citizens) are not even considered as such and are treated as mere "Processors" the controllers of some sub-par mechas, these are the namesake of the show, the 86. So every loss of these pilots are not even considered as human casualties but as the loss of equipment, and if you think this is cynical and inhuman it's because it is and trust me it gets worse. Lena being an officer in the St. Magnolia's Military is assigned as the "handler" of one of these "processor" squadrons. Which after suffering a lot of casualties both before and inside the show's timeline, are reduced to; for convencience sake, 5 main 86 characters: Shinei Nouzen, Raiden Shuga, Theoto Rikka, Kurena Kukumila and Emma Anju. But enough talk about proper events that unfold from episode to episode and let's focus ourselves on the crude and gritty themes that this show addresses with brutal honesty, especially later on. As mentioned before the 86s are forcefully conscripted as soldiers to fight an endless war in the name of a country that would rather have them disappear entirely. ~!Turns out that the objective of the Alba's all along is too exterminate the 86 by means of tricking them by saying that they will be serving for a period of time after which they would be allowed to return home, when in reality none of them will return and are destined to die on a "special recon mission" when that period of time I mentioned runs out. It has to be said that the way the Alba's are and have been treating the 86 reminds me of the kind of final solution the Nazi regime could have implemented on the Jews if they had the chance. !~ It's in this kind of society that our Alba protagonist lives in, one in which the citizenry is either forcefully or willingly ignoring the blatantly criminal and inhuman treatment the 86 (which by the way the last ones still standing are all children because of course they are). And this is what I mean with the willingness of people to drive change even for their own selfish purposes. We can see this perfectly exemplified in Lena as she is since the beginning of the show the only Alba that seems to give a shit for the 86 even if her colleagues, her relatives and even the 86 themselves tell her to stop digging too deep in the rabbithole, since all of them know that the more Lena knows of the secret of the 86 the more frustrated and guilty she will feel. Speaking of Lena and the 86, the dynamic between both sides is nothing less than great and morbidly realistic; We get to see that even though Lena is someone that seems caring and actually interested in the survival of the 86, the Spearhead Squadron initially can't believe the kind of handler they have and usually ridicule Lena's seeming self-righteousness and idealism, but as the show goes on this relationship grows warmer and warmer to the point that both parties get to appreciate the other and learn important lessons that will help their character arcs grow. Lena in particular will eventually discover the truth and its up to her whether she will continue living her sheltered existence in spite of knowing the world she lives in or leave behind her old life and get out to the real world and forge her own path. The 86 on the other hand, have another great development and especially in the latter half of the show have grown to be among my favorite characters ever, all of the 86 with the exception of Shinei Nouzen have a rather similar character arc that can be condensed in their resolve to continue fighting, not for the Republic but for the people they consider dear, even if they are Alba's. This is important because it segway's into another issue the show addresses which is that not all people are willing to __not__ look the other way and instead are capable to see the 86 as humans and live in peace. Most of the 86 I mentioned before have had contact with the Alba's way before they get to know Lena and know more than anyone that even though a lot of Alba's don't care or straight up want them dead, the fact that at least some of them aknowledge and appreciate them makes the hell they go through at least bearable. It's this kind of attitude that keeps them away from absolute resentment and despair in the face of the cruel fate all of them are subjugated to. Then we have Shinei Nouzen, the leader of the Spearhead Squadron and arguably the co-protagonist along with Lena. His arc intertwines with those of his fellow 86 but with the twist that he feels obligated to bear the memory of all the 86 that have died under his command, add to this the fact that he feels guilty that his eldest brother had died on the frontlines because of him and needs to come to terms with him in the form of the Shepherd's, that are none other than human consciences that have been extracted from dead 86s to serve as leaders of every swarm of Legion units. It seems I have nothing but praise to say about this show and it kind of is the truth, but I do have some very minor issues that I hope will be addressed in the upcoming season(s), and that is the world-building. Don't get me wrong, this aspect of the show is touched upon a lot either by exposition dumps and/or visual storytelling which for what this season in particular tried to do (establish characters, goals, world) was more than enough. My issue is that it's never really explained _why_ exactly are the Alba's going to such extents of systematically killing off the 86 like they were cattle, what exactly are the Alba, as they clearly have a physical appearance that sets them apart from humans; or, why is the Republic of St. Magnolia at war with the Empire that for the life of me can't remember the name right now. I don't know, and to be honest these are very specific nitpicks on my part but If the show gets to eventually explain them either visually or through dialogue it would elevate it so much more than it already is in my book. Plus I'm aware that 86 is based off a series of Light novels, which I personally haven't read but have gotten really interested to acquire in the near future, so if any of the previously mentioned nitpicks are covered in the books I'm simply not aware. Another issue with the show I had early on and was kind of bugging me is the lack of memorability of some characters, especially among the 86. You see, during most of the first half, Spearhead squadron had a bigger roster than the last 5 that are focused on 100% on that second half, I can see that the writers did this because 1. The character development had to (at least in the beginning) be focused on Lena and Shin, and 2. There were too many of them. This would be detrimental to the rest of the 86, as some character deaths didn't have the expected impact on me as I barely knew them even by name. __BUT, __ All of this is forgiven with the focus that is given to surviving 86 in the second half as it more than makes up for it and got me rooting for these characters like a madman. ~!Kurena and Anju my beloveds!~ So, to wrap this up, 86 is a refreshing, intriguing and emotionally gripping show that is worth a watch if you are a fan of mecha, war dramas and all the themes that can be related to them. It is visually astounding, A-1 pictures has managed to make a mecha show in which the mechas are all CGI work so well and not be distracting to the viewer, The sound design and OST are to die for and if you like Hiroyuki Sawano's work on other anime this one won't dissapoint at all. It elevates the question to us of how __we__ would be able to live with the truth even if it meant that we are responsible for the tragedy of a another person/group of people. Would we be capable to face it and do something about it? or just convince ourselves that any effort to go against the current is futile and continue living in a world of lies. Let's hope we never have to find out. ~~~img(https://imgur.com/KyNX48M.jpeg)~~~

BrunoFr23

Atualmente, nas temporadas de anime que temos ao ano, sempre vemos adaptações de light novel. Contudo a maioria dessas adaptações de light novel, são adaptadas de forma ruim, causando assim o desgosto e frustração do fã em relação ao anime, mas claramente a exceções dentre essas adaptações de light novel como: Re: Zero, dentre outras, que agradam aos fãs dessas determinada obras. E 86, é o anime que eu vinha colocando muita hype e também receoso de como eles iriam adaptar, por já conhecer o original, entretanto isso se dissipou ao longo dos episódios, ele teve uma adaptação excelente de seu original. Vou fazer uma review sobre o anime, falando um pouco sobre cada coisa que me chamou a atenção. Espero que gostem! INTRODUCTION A história de 86, ela é muito interessante, uma guerra que está acontecendo contra máquinas autônomas chamadas Legion( Legião). A República de San Magnolia, acaba evacuando os Albas, para 85 distritos, porém eles acabam separando os seus cidadãos em duas categorias Albas e 86, e os 86 eles não são mais considerados humano. Portanto sempre que a mortes de 86 na guerra contra a Legião, elas não são contadas, por causa dos albas não considerarem eles humanos. A história de 86 explora temas bem pesados, para mim, como: racismo, opressão, dentre outros. E isso é mostrado muito bem no anime( adiantando a parte de quando eu falar sobre a adaptação), mostrando de como os albas não ligam para os 86, porque acreditam que a guerra irá acabar em dois anos. A história de 86, não minimiza, o retrato de racismo que acontece, ele faz um excelente trabalho mostrando de como a opressão afeta as pessoas e como não importa o quê, certos tipos de pessoas sempre serão considerados “menores” do que outros devidos a fatores além de seu controle. E faz realmente, você dar uma olhada em exemplos de opressão que ainda acontecem em 2021. ANIMATION A animação de 86, é linda demais. Além de retratar perfeitamente a beleza e loucura que é a guerra contra a Legion. Tudo é muito bem polido e feito, as cores usadas, cenários, e até o 3D, que era uma das minhas outras preocupações em relação ao anime de 86, ficou muito bem feito no anime mesclando de forma ótima com os cenários. OPENING, ENDING AND OSTS A opening de 86, de começo pode achar muito ruim, mas ao longo dos episódios você vai se acostumando e começa a gostar da música. A ending, Avid e Hands up to the sky, elas são sempre usadas em momentos chaves do anime e servem muito pra complementar a cena, seja ela dramática ou feliz, deixando a cena mais emocionante do que ela já é. DIRECTION A direção de 86, é um dos pontos fortes da obra, e de como ela brilhou no anime, amo de como várias informações que contiam na novel foram passada de forma visual e de quanto essa atenção aos detalhes ajudam na história e principalmente aos personagens e nós faz entende-los melhor. ADAPTATION A adaptação, com certeza, era uma das minhas preocupações principais em relação ao anime, porém isso se dissipou ao passar dos episódios. É nítido o quanto a staff deu atenção aos detalhes da LN, e olha que só adaptaram um volume só. Mas ainda tiveram partes que me incomodaram em relação a adaptação como o ambiente dos 86, ser descrito como um lugar nojento, no anime ficou como um lugar comum. Falando, agora sobre as cenas originais que foram colocadas no anime, no meu ponto de vista, elas agregam muito a história toda as cenas de interação do SS, são excelentes para simpatizarmos mais com os personagens. Essas interações do SS, que senti falta enquanto li a LN, mas o anime corrigiu, conseguindo que eu me apegasse ainda mais aos personagens do SS. Com certeza 86, teve uma adaptação da melhor forma possível. CONCLUSION Apesar de alguns momentos que me incomodaram, para mim o saldo foi bastante positivo e emocional em determinados pontos da série. Em uma premissa onde 86 , aparenta ser deprimente, não deixa de fornecer momentos de leviandade e também momentos de felicidade e divertidos. Elogiar a A-1, por um trabalho estupendo com a adaptação de 86, onde conseguiram adaptar um único volume em 11 episódios, permitiu um respiro para a história, mas também para cenas que foram estendidas e adicionadas que agregaram bastante ao enredo, isso é um ótimo exemplo. Espero que tenham gostado!✌✌

Arikarikita

~~~ Spoiler Free! #Genre and Summary Action, Drama, Mecha, Sci-FI. Welcome to the brilliant world of Eighty Six. I’d like to start off this review with an overview of what we decided to get ourselves into. If you are a fan of mechs, then you're in the right place. If you enjoy a very heavy and futuristic Sci-Fi presence, you’re in the right place. If you enjoy action heavily integrated into a complicated storyline, you’re in the right place. And finally, if you're prepared to BAWL YOUR FUCKING EYES OUT EVERY EPISODE…. I welcome you with open arms! The story of 86 follows a varied cast of characters with the main figureheads, our two protagonists, [Vladilena Milizé](https://anilist.co/character/141061/Vladilena-Miliz) (better known as Major Milizé) and [Shinei Nouzen](https://anilist.co/character/141060/Shinei--Nouzen) (better known as Undertaker), living in an almost hunger games like district system, known as the Republic of San Magnolia, with… you guessed it, 86 districts! img350(https://otakukart.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/86-EIGHTY-SIX-Episode-6-Preview-and-Recap.jpg) #What I loved about the series As someone who had never heard about the entity before, I was surprised to hear so much hype about it before its first episode aired. After watching the first episode on debut day, I WAS HOOKED, like a fish on a fishing line. The story does a phenomenal job capturing you and placing you into the setting. We immediately get to experience one of humanity’s greatest social struggles, the desire for equality for all. 86 dances wholeheartedly into how prejudice and one’s actions can affect the overall dogma of an entire race of people. I tend to find passion for anime that are able to connect and relate to me in some way, shape, or form, and I feel that 86 did it tremendously well. We are sometimes numb to how others live life, as in what they go through. How certain tropes such as “white privilege” exist, and how racial profiling affects the fragile balance of an ecosystem. It's part of the reason why 86 stands above the rest of the shows this season; because of its determination to be gritty and hardcore while speaking nothing but the truth albeit in a roundabout way. The story doesn’t sugarcoat things; it instead projects and brings them toward the light in an effort to highlight them. A friend one day, suddenly turned enemy. A familial bond, instantly turned sour. Unequal representation and treatment of anyone at any given notice. 86 is all about living and experiencing 2 sides of a coin. Img300(https://images.everyeye.it/img-notizie/86-eighty-six-confermati-due-cour-episodi-avra-anime-v3-506675.jpg) __2 sides of a coin__ Isn’t that how most of us live our lives to be honest! When we walk through life, we always somehow manage to compare our situation with another’s. It’s like the saying, “the grass is always greener on the other side." Thats one of the biggest takeaways that I grabbed from this show. When things are going south for you, just remember that there is always someone who is in a more unfavorable place than you, and that it's important to remain positive in all aspects of life. Thanks for attending my philosophical stream of thought, but let's get back to the anime itself. The characters don’t particularly stand out, but thats what makes the show that much better. Don’t get me wrong, Shin and Melizé are very strong spearheads for the show, but the surrounding cast is well integrated to the point that there isn’t a need for an overly strong character presence. I still have criticism with this which will be discussed later however. The show focuses on the relationships of the individuals rather than the individuals themselves. It’s a unique take, that I think was done really well here. The dynamic between the cast is actually really well thought out, on all aspects of conventional psychology, and social stigma. Other characters such as [Raiden](https://anilist.co/character/174872/Raiden-Shuga), and [Anju](https://anilist.co/character/174875/Anju-Emma) provided a stability that's needed for a show with this kind of intensity level. And I daresay that [Kaie](https://anilist.co/character/174878/Kaie-Taniya) has one of the most integral roles in the shows storytelling. It’s a good cast of characters that fill their roles well, and do well to enhance the show experience as a whole! Img350(https://otakukart.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/86-Eighty-Six-Episode-7-Preview-and-Recap.jpg) Oh, and a heartiest of shoutouts to one of the bestest boys a guy could ask for! Our boy Fido! img300(https://64.media.tumblr.com/057e290c976a47dd9c53a56af0f127cd/9d11f4ea66d9b826-b2/s640x960/8a2c0bd42e65b7bd175bb61f5f889a23be9ce8ce.gifv) Moving on to the storytelling. This is the meat and potatoes of what makes this show a complete experience! First off I will preface by saying that anyone who enjoy’s a linear storyboard, this is not for you. I’m just kidding, however the non linearity of the story is absolutely in full effect throughout, and is used to give us glimpses to what’s going on. I absolutely loved the direction they took. It was like we were constantly being teased with bits and pieces of information, until either we were able to piece it together (props if you were able to) or had the rug pulled out from underneath us with a huge reveal! The non-linearity of the show was reminiscent of the age old classic Baccano, but with it’s own modern twists and turns! MY GOD I LOVED THE TWISTS AND TURNS! I have to say the overall story itself is a very unique concept. The way it’s laid out and presented to us as well as the inhabitants of the world is profound. It brings me back to the 2 sides of a coin idea, and how easily visible it becomes throughout. OH and the use of imagery and alliteration was TOP TIER. Lets talk other show logistics. We discuss the art style and animation next. I’ll begin by saying its beautifully crafted. I loved the art style but it wasn’t anything that was particularly groundbreaking. It doesn’t try too much, but it’s enough to be impactful. However I wholeheartedly felt like this was one of the better examples of how CGI can be properly integrated into anime! The movement was fluid, fast paced, and very eye catching. The art style had great mixes of bright and bleak tones, continually helping to establish the mood and set the scenes. It was easy on the eyes and at times a jaw dropping spectacle. Img350(https://64.media.tumblr.com/6f0dde42800868c894c1941351071148/191a24becd5757c3-52/s640x960/bfb9772fefc94931249f884ff4e3abab66eaf238.gifv) I have to give props where they are due! 86 is musically, one of the most appealing shows out there! The combination of the OP/ED/OST are one of the best to be done! [Hiroyuki Sawano]() proved yet again why he is the king of the anime soundtracks. And the transitions out to the ed songs were impeccably well timed and corroborated. The OP was able to catch our attention, the OST our reactions, and the ED our heart! The story teaches us that we take many of life’s pleasures and necessities for granted, and that it's important to try to live life to the best of our ability. And of course, that conforming to societal standards is never the appropriate route. Things in life are worth fighting for, and equality for all remains at the top of that list. img300(https://i.redd.it/8uu5oyca6rt61.jpg) #What I would have liked to have seen The show wasn’t perfect by any means. At times the non linear format of the story almost took measures to confuse us and divert our attention from pressing moments, however it still was done well enough to where it was able to enhance rather than impede. I also would’ve liked to have seen the story continue right away rather than having to wait for season 2, but alas this is how the industry operates at times. MY BIGGEST GRIPE WITH THE SERIES! THE EPISODE TITLES…. I MEAN COME ON, DON’T RUIN IT FOR THOSE OF US ABLE TO PREDICT THINGS! Seriously, they should’ve never titled any of them in the first place. I feel the show would’ve had a greater impact if we were able to get a deeper dive into more of the characters. For some, it was hard to connect with, because of how little we really got to gel with them. For our main stalwarts, we get ample amounts of time, but with more time, for example even simply, an extra 2 episodes, I think we would’ve benefited from a more complete story. There is a certain point where things just blaze forward, and the audience is left gasping for air trying to make sense of what’s going on, thus my impressions that more time would’ve been beneficial. #Recommendations My experience with this was the SUB and personally it felt like the correct choice. The cast was selected very accurately and really played a factor on my overall enjoyment of the show. Do yourself a favor and try to pay attention to all of the dates that are timestamped throughout. Make a mental note or write them down and look back after completing an episode. You’ll be shocked with how much more you can see and unravel! OH AND AVOID THE EPISODE TITLE NAMES. All things considered, it was a very enjoyable experience, and really got me to think about the important aspects of life, as well as how I want to see myself progress as a person. Something like this deserves some recognition for that, and I hope this review has given it justice! __We’re going on ahead!__ img(https://64.media.tumblr.com/00240f55773b8c1973c0fc0ef5fca95f/386732e4bdacf98a-44/s540x810/ed4e8b0cf28b4080c9f69643535770adab5f2078.gifv) ~~~

Lenlo

~~~img(https://starcrossedanime.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Eighty-Six-Banner-723x1024.png)~~~ War stories with giant robots and a dash of racism are pretty common in anime. You have everything from classics like *Code Geass*, *Gundam* and *Gurenn Lagann* (depending on how you define "classic") to the more cult-hit works like *Muv-Luv* and uh... *Gunbuster*? Can you tell I don't watch much mecha? Regardless this year sees a new show try its hand: *86: Eighty Six*. A Light Novel adaptation written by [Asato Asato](https://anilist.co/staff/121140/Asato-Asato), created by [A-1 Pictures](https://anilist.co/studio/561/A1-Pictures) and Directed by [Toshimasa Ishii](https://anilist.co/staff/136625/Toshimasa-Ishii), *Eighty Six* looks to take an existing idea and perfect it. And judging by all the press and the reactions I've seen in the community it appears to have done just that. But does it deserve the praise and accolades it has been receiving? Let's find out! **Be warned, this review contains minor unmarked spoilers for *Eighty Six*. It also contains major spoilers in some sections however these will be heavily marked to avoid accidents**. ~~~img(https://i0.wp.com/starcrossedanime.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Eighty-Six-9.6.jpg)~~~ # __~~~Visuals~~~__ To say that *Eighty Six* is a good looking show would be an understatement. It is, in my humble opinion, the best looking show of the Spring 2021 season. Not in animation or CGI, though we will talk about those later, but in terms of editing, shot composition and overall direction *Eighty Six* is second to none. From raindrops hitting leaves in time with the music to smash cuts of an object breaking to a characters face. Gunshots to scenic views, positioning characters in specific ways, blocking a scene so two characters within 5 feet of each other feel miles apart. These may sound like basic techniques, and some are, yet many anime can't even accomplish shot-reverse-shot. For his TV debut Director Toshimasa Ishii has done something incredible. The way he matches music and movement to emotions, making me care about characters or scenes I otherwise wouldn't... It's *kino* baby. "What about the animation and CGI" you might ask, I did single those out earlier after all. Well the sad truth here is that they just aren't as good as the editing. The drone's look fine in still shots. I'm sure the CG Director [Hiroyuki Yoshida](https://anilist.co/studio/561/A1-Pictures) and the Director of Photography [Masaharu Okazaki](https://anilist.co/staff/129577/Masaharu-Okazaki) worked hard on the composite. When they aren't moving they blend into the environment well! But like many CG Mech's once they get moving the cracks start to show. They don't *move* like they should, they feel floaty and ultimately alien. For Legion, the robotic antagonists, this works! The metallic sheen helps them appear as if from another world and makes them suitably stand out on the field. They are cold and robotic against the natural landscapes. But the machines of the humans... well they stand out just as much, in not so flattering a way. On top of that the actual combat was actually rather dull. *Eighty Six* tries to spice it up a bit as Undertaker darts around the battlefield in close combat and it occasionally looks fine. But by and large the combat of *Eighty Six* is one of long range artillery and it fails to be visually interesting. There are exceptions here and there of course. I can think of at least one scene in episode 9 that works rather well. Simply put however, *Eighty Six* is not a show about movement. If you want large scale mecha battles, wars and combat, *Eighty Six* will not satisfy you. All of its best scenes, best moments, best *visuals*, come from slow moving dramatic scenes. One's where the characters are purposefully placed for maximum effect and extra attention is paid to the backgrounds, lighting and composite. All in all the best way I can describe *Eighty Six*, to steal a word from a thesaurus, is picturesque. You won't see it appearing high on Sakugabooru nor winning any animation awards. In 6 months time no one is going to talk about how the drones moved or the smoke effects in the field. Instead it will be still shots. Backgrounds on peoples computers, Youtube clips so you can listen to the audio as it matches with the visual cuts. *Eighty Six* may not be an incredibly animated show but it is certainly an incredibly *directed* one. And that's arguably more impressive and harder to find. ~~~img(https://i2.wp.com/starcrossedanime.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Eighty-Six-5.1.jpg)~~~ #~~~__Narrative__~~~ This brings me to the narrative where *Eighty Six* starts to fall off. Not because its necessarily bad, if anything it executes an average "Sci-fi proxy war" story. But where it falls short is in the world-building and the way the characters fit *into* said world. Who leads the Alba? How do you get institutionalized racism on a national scale where there was none within 10 years? What does the rest of the world think about this, where are all the objectors, etc etc. *Eighty Six* does attempt to answer some of these questions. We learn about halfway through that our lead, Vladilena Milizé (henceforth called Lena), isn't alone in her objections. Others feel the same way, they simply choose to either not speak or end up dying on the battlefield. It's similar for the state of the world, etc. But it's not enough to feel like a *real* world. This is compounded by the fact that the first 3 episodes are, how do I say this... *not good*. Lena feels like a Starbucks-brand Liberal Arts student dragged out of our world and dropped into a fascist state. Busting into classrooms unannounced, preaching ethics to a bunch of kids and generally running around doing the *Eighty Six* equivalent of #FreeThe86. She doesn't feel like she belongs in the world. Similarly the early episodes also have a number of... odd scenes between the 86ers. Stuff like a beach episode on a lake, or a weird cookout or odd dialogue. *Eighty Six* was clearly trying to ease us into the main story. To give us these Slice of Life moments with the characters so we can understand and connect with them. But they fall flat and typically just make for dull, unsatisfying or downright annoying episodes. *Eighty Six* is also hurt by the eternal curse of "Sequelitis". Now that may sound weird since this is the first season but answer me this: Knowing that there is a second season in the wings, that there are 10 Light Novels already published and looking at the poster, what do you think happens to Lena? Or the core of the 86ers? *Eighty Six* does a fine job of presenting the danger and treating the war like the monster it is. Plenty of characters die off-screen or are given ignoble deaths. But the core cast? With the knowledge of sequels to come I can't say I ever felt they were in danger. All the way up to and including the cliffhanger ending, which having not read the novels, I still don't believe to be true. Am I being a pessimist? Maybe. But only because anime has conditioned me as such. This doesn't mean there isn't anything of value here of course. The editing that I mentioned previously manages to elevate a lot of these scenes. Taking characters and moments that I otherwise don't engage with and, in the moment, making me care about them. For example in episode 10 there is a montage that manages to, single handedly, connect me with and make me care for that character. Similar events happen in throughout the second half! Once the episode is over however I start to see a lot of holes and issues with the narrative. But in the moment? While watching the episode? I was satisfied more often than not. And I think that experience while watching outweighs the bitter aftertaste for me. Just a bit. ~~~img(https://i0.wp.com/starcrossedanime.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Eighty-Six-6.7.jpg)~~~ #~~~__Characters__~~~ Moving on, with how large a place they took in the critique of the narrative how about we talk characters? And by characters I mean 2. Maybe 3 if you're generous. I am of course talking about Major Vladilena Milizé and Shinei Nouzen AKA Undertaker. These two characters basically *are* *Eighty Six*. Every plot point, every scene, every major development, comes from these two. This isn't to say other character's don't exist. Raiden, Theo, Kurena, Anju, Henrietta, etc. *Eighty Six* has a rather large cast in terms of "names on a chalkboard". But I wouldn't call many of them... developed. Of those there is no doubt that Henrietta gets the most attention but I couldn't buy her story. Like many characters, it relied too heavily on the setting and the history of racism in the country. But as I talked about above, that racism is never properly explored or expanded. Getting back to the lead characters, this is where I have to start dipping into spoiler territory. If you haven't seen the show and don't want their journey's spoiled for you then don't click this bit. The tl;dr is that both Lena and Undertaker's story start off rather weak. But as *Eighty Six* begins explore who they are, where they are from and what they will do next they become much more interesting. Sadly, like the rest, they are held back by their lackluster setting. If you are alright with reading spoilers then read on! ~!And where better to begin than our lead woman, Vladilena Milizé. I mentioned it a bit above but Lena does not have the best of starts. In fact my impression of her character in the first few episodes was downright horrible. Not in the "This is a bad person" way, rather the "This character is terribly written" way. At the start of the story Lena doesn't fit in at all. She feels like she hardly belongs in the world, as if she was plucked out of another story and shoved into this one. We can't have a waifu with *gasp* actually terrible beliefs and a complex character arc... can we? The answer is no, we can't. *Eighty Six* takes the easy way out by having Lena start the show already a decent person despite the culture she was raised in. Robbing her of what could be a great character arc. What we get instead isn't to bad though. In fact it's like a soft-core version of what I mentioned above. Instead of coming around and realizing racism is bad, *Eighty Six* has Lena realize that she hasn't actually been fighting all that hard against it. That for all her big words she didn't truly view the 86ers as people. She cried over them, she waxed poetic, she complained about their conditions... but she never bothered to learn their names. To ask who they were. To her they were just statistics so she could keep the moral highroad. While this isn't the arc I would have liked for her I can't deny that I enjoyed what we got. Her growth over the season was good enough that I didn't feel my time was wasted and the direction of the show elevated many of her best moments. Similarly our male lead Shinei Nouzen is in much the same boat. Early on in the series he is your standard brooding bad boy. He existed primarily to be the quiet, stoic love interest. And while he doesn't ever evolve much beyond that, at most giving us a few smiles later in the season, his arc does give us some of the more interesting world building within *Eighty Six*. Teaching us about the Legion, what life as an 86 is like, introducing the Shepherds to us, etc. The family drama between him and his brother was never particularly compelling to me as I never truly connected with either of them. But I can appreciate what their story brings to the world. As far as excuses for our lead to fight the Legion go, it's not a bad one. All in all I would say that *Eighty Six's* characters were *fine*. Lena was perhaps the most compelling, as watered down as her arc is. Meanwhile the rest of the cast ranges from "good enough" to "who are you again?". I've probably said it a few to many times at this point so I promise this is the last but *Eighty Six's* story wouldn't be near as good/acceptable as it is without the great direction that elevated it. Taking decent to downright dull moments and making them engaging. That alone is enough to change how a viewer perceives, how they *remember*, a story. So while the character's aren't great and I doubt I'll care for them much in the future I can at least remember the good moments they gave me.!~ ~~~img(https://i2.wp.com/starcrossedanime.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Eighty-Six-7.4.jpg)~~~ #~~~__OST/Sound Design__~~~ Finally we come to the OST and Sound Design, the last "real" section of this review. Sadly as of writing this *Eighty Six's* OST is not fully released so bear with me on the examples I have use. Disclaimers done with lets go! So in case it wasn't obvious the music of *Eighty Six* was primarily done by [Hiroyuki Sawano](https://anilist.co/staff/103509/Hiroyuki-Sawano). And even if you haven't heard his name before there is zero chance you haven't heard his music. The man has worked on everything from *Attack on Titan* and *Thunderbolt Fantasy* to *Promare* and *Kill la Kill*. Dude's basically everywhere and he clearly does his job well. *Eighty Six* is no exception. The music is well composed, fit the series and the lyrical tracks are stellar. I particularly like ["Hands Up to the Sky"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBUp_QKfyLg&list=PL1M4U1d1zaPgdUrUfAYBDTfZcDlWttyhV&index=8) and ["The Answer"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzaTrnIorb8), both sung by Laco, as well as the insert song "[Two Worlds Apart"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbAxWJCG7Vg&list=PL1M4U1d1zaPgdUrUfAYBDTfZcDlWttyhV&index=13). And while his music can often sound similar to itself, such as how Yuki Kaijura has been repeating the same motif for years now, you can't deny how cleanly it's put together. It's a solid, energetic soundtrack that Sawano is known for. As for the sound design... I can't say I found it that memorable. Don't get me wrong, it's matched well to the scenes. The way *Eighty Six* cuts on sound cues such as gunshots, broken glass or fireworks is great. I don't want to diminish that as the way sounds are used within a series is still very important. However it feels like *Eighty Six* is using the same sounds as everyone else, just *better*. I was never "wowed" by it's choices like I was with *Eizouken's* walking or *Ping Pong the Animation's* ridiculously snappy ball impacts. That said, I don't want to be to harsh on *Eighty Six* here. I'm not a sound engineer, I'm not a professional. All I know is that *Eighty Six's* sound never took me out of a moment or scene and the sounds themselves were used *exceptionally* well. And that's good enough for me. ~~~img(https://i1.wp.com/starcrossedanime.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Eighty-Six-6.5.jpg)~~~ #~~~__Babies First Genocide__~~~ This is the bit where I talk about the ending cliffhanger, the issues of *Eighty Six's* setting and basically have an unformatted, uncontrolled discussion about the show. This section does not effect the final score in any way and can be safely skipped if that's not your thing. But if you want to hear my unfiltered personal thoughts and don't care about *massive* spoilers well... read on. ~!I've talked a lot about how the characters and story suffer because of the setting. But I haven't talked about *why* I feel that way. And the simple answer is: I don't believe it. The racism, the genocide, the justification, the *telepathy*, oh the telepathy. None of it works. For the racism and genocide the issue is actually rather straight forward, it's the timespan. I don't believe that so much could happen, that society could change and people forget so much, in just 10 years. Of course the closest comparison is Nazi Germany which lasted about 12 years yet the results were very different. People didn't just "forget", it was an ongoing event for over a decade. *Eighty Six* attempts to explain this away, to justify it through military politics, the publics willful ignorance and restricting access to the outside world via the Legion. But it wasn't enough for me. This one decision on the timeline, to make this happen within the lifetime of our leads, bleeds through the rest of the story. Affecting characters like Henrietta and really the entire Alba nation. I mentioned that *Eighty Six* attempts to explain these problems, how they are trying to kill off all the 86ers so that the world won't know of their genocide, and in the moment you think "That sounds believable". But the moment you start to think about it the reasoning falls apart. 10 years isn't enough time to forget an entire race existed. That's not how you run a sustainable war effort. If a single squadron can fight off the Legion for months then imagine what they could do with proper artillery and logistical support, you could end the war! But that's not what *Eighty Six* wants. And so it kind of falls apart. This brings me to Shin and his whole "telepathy" bit. And you know what? I'm not actually upset at the "hearing the voices of the dead" stuff. I actually think that's pretty cool. The idea that the Legion are using psychological warfare by projecting the voices of those whose head's they took is freaking metal. It adds a level of menace and intent to the Legion that they didn't have before and explains why previous Handlers couldn't... *handle* Shin. But then *Eighty Six* goes and ruins it by having it be "magic". That it isn't intentional by the Legion, they aren't projecting it over the Para-Raids that were on the heads the stole. No, Shin and his family are just special and able to listen to each others thoughts and emotions, becoming the base for the single greatest technological advancement in the setting. Because... why not? And that's sort of the crux of my issue with Shin. *Eighty Six* just had to make him special. Not just in the "Super soldier" kind of way but a "Chosen One" sort of manner as well. Had *Eighty Six* approached him as just another 86er, if a particularly skilled one, I could connect to him a lot more. I could fear for his safety, I could wonder if he would come back alive, I could feel what Lena feels. As it is now though I don't feel any of that. And the cliffhanger in episode 11? I don't believe it for a moment. Not just because of his "special" status but also because there's 10 Light Novels and another season already announced. Basically my thoughts on *Eighty Six* boil down to this: It tried to do a war story but rushed all the important bits. The setting? In 10 years it went from democracy to totalitarian ethnic state. The war? Somehow held back a self-perpetuating legion of robots with slave soldiers while not providing them adequate support so they die. Our leads? Special by birth, either because of mind-reading powers or being born to the one high ranking bleeding heart in the military. And while the stellar direction helps all of the big moments still land, still connect *in the moment*, there's still that bitter after taste. The knowledge that none of it actually works. I enjoyed the dinner *not* because of the quality of the meat but because the chef simply knows how to cook a bomb ass steak, regardless of what he's given. Imagine if the chef had something better? !~ ~~~img(https://i2.wp.com/starcrossedanime.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Eighty-Six-11.1.jpg)~~~ #~~~__Conclusion__~~~ So 3000+ words later where does that leave us? When all is said and done *I enjoyed Eighty Six*. It's not perfect, it has a lot of problems and it's writing certainly belays its Light Novel origins. But the visual presentation was such that even mediocre writing such as this became engaging. *Eighty Six* stands as a testament to the power of a skilled Director. The power to take dull and uninteresting stories and make them good. Because that *Eighty Six* was for me. I don't care about Raiden or Henrietta, Anju or Fido. I don't care about the Alba or the 86ers, *I would never read this book*. But when the big scenes came I was engaged anyways. Because Toshimasa Ishii is a god damn magician and I'm going to watch his career with great interest. Every show he's on, I will be there. Including *Eighty Six's* second season. Like usual if you have somethin to say, good or bad, hit me up. I'm down to chat, debate and argue about anything I said here. I write these because I enjoy and welcome the conversation.

Akma0Syed5

This mecha-anime tackles severe topics such as racism, war, discrimination, segregation etc. I loved how their was a balance between lighthearted and emotional/tragic moments. The CGI(?) used for the Juggernauts looked fluent. The animation was top notch, just like the voice acting. My fav character: Major Vladilena Milize. Her unrealistic idealism is likeable, such as her caring for selfrighteousness. She was always looking for equality, but she grows to like Spearhead Squad as friends. I loved how Theo, Kurena who initially disapproved of her, started respecting her. Her dynamic with Shin was great. Shin Nouzen aka "Undertaker/Shinigami" was another great character in this anime. His leitmotif was a headless "reaper" (on his Juggernaut), which symbolizes death, as Shin was follwed by death his whole life (their parents being killed throught the human experiments, his brother being killed in the war, his comrades dying all around him). Another interpretation of the headless "reaper" could be that this is a symbol for Shin's older brother, Shourei Nouzen, who is a martyr in the war against Legion, as his head was "abducted" by the Legion after his death to make a strong "Legion" robot called Schäfer. Another aspect which would be in favor of Shourei = headless "reaper", is the fact that in the post-credits scene of Ep. 11, we see Shin as a child playing with his younger brother. Shourei is dressed as a knight, similar to the headless warrior on Shin's juggernaut. My fav moment: Lena crying. A fitting end for Lena's character arc. The surviving members moving, symbolized by birds, as they are free to travel the world. I felt happy, but at the same time there was some sadness. Lena's desperate attempt to not let the surviving members go had an emotional impact on me. The methapors used in this anime were phenomenal, birds symbolizing freedom, when the 5 members of Spearhead Squad left. Another great metaphor was the metaphor of "flower", and how it was used. Kaie said that the flowers bloom for a quick time, but they bloom spendidly. The flowers can be interpreted as the young children of the squad, who have to live every moment of their life to the fullest, as they do not know if they will survive "tomorrow". Another strong aspect of this adaptation was the direction + OST. The Op had fitting visuals, and the Ed, which was occasionally inserted, into the anime was great. However, there were some things here and there which were meh imo. First of all, Haruto was one of the most important of the Squad but there were not enough details about his death. I also felt that the concepts and their explanation were bit clumsy. Another aspect in which this anime lacked was any aspect of world building. There should have been bit of expositionary details about the world and/or the situation in which are. Rating: 8-8.5/10

GleamMaikeru

~~~img310(https://i.imgur.com/qrxVviK.jpg)~~~ # __Introduction__: I’ve been watching seasonal anime since March 2020, that's when I first truly got into anime. My first seasonal was Tower of God(an amazing webtoon adapted into an anime, it's very much worth your time.) Anyway, I was blown away by how great the Tower of God was and from then on, I started watching seasonal anime. Now, in my opinion, Spring 2021 was lacking, big time. While we did have shows like Tokyo Revengers , Higehiro, and So I'm a Spider, so What, the rest of the season was lacking, especially with My Hero Academia s5 being in its first cour, the current arc was a bit uninteresting. What was going to save the season? April 11th, 86 aired, and this show carried this entire spring season of anime. ~~~img(https://i.imgur.com/Faz9dCW.jpg)~~~ # __Story__: 86 is set in a dystopian-like world where there has been an ongoing war with the republic and legion. Robots called “juggernauts' ' are piloted by the eight sixers, people considered to be less than human and are used as tools for the republic's gain. As death is near, Shin, our main protagonist, fights with his comrades against the legion in this death-forsaken war. Lena, our other protagonist, watches over the eighty-sixers and is trying her best to help them all make it through this war. This story tackles many themes and these characters go through many hardships. This theme often reminds me of the holocaust in a sort of way. with friends and neighbors being split apart due to differences as well as similarities to the German Military. It's not skin color or race that separates you from 86, it's your hair color. If you do not have Silver/Ashton hair like the rest of the ever-growing population, you will be sent to the battlegrounds, and at that point, it's an execution field. ~~~img600(https://i.imgur.com/GcuehHJ.jpg)~~~ # __Characters__: While watching 86, you're constantly thinking about the characters, what will happen to them next, as for any show. In this setting, the characters constantly feel like they are real. War is an ever-growing problem in our world's history and still is a problem now. Eighty-six characters face hardships, problems that they can do nothing about. The only thing they can do is fight, fight for their lives and survival. Eighty Sixes side characters are also well represented as well, they’re all very good characters that you will most likely enjoy. ~~~img600(https://i.imgur.com/O35mRlx.png)~~~ # __Art__: A-1 Pictures animated 86 and they did a fantastic job. I believe their most popular animated shows are Kaguya-same: Love is War and Sword Art Online. Eighty Sixes art is nothing to write home about, while I really like it, it's not anything major. Personally, I’m just glad they could mix 2d and CGI art and not make it look terrible. ~~~img600(https://i.imgur.com/Z9DEpaT.jpg)~~~ # __Overall Enjoyment__: 86 is a great show. The Genre for 86 may not be my favorite but it's definitely very interesting. I enjoyed 86 a lot while watching and it definitely kept my attention for those 11 episodes. Considering this was adapted from a light novel, it's very good. If you're debating on whether or not to watch it, I highly recommend it. 86 is by far, in my opinion, the best spring seasonal anime that carried the season. ~~~img600(https://i.imgur.com/Uih78bm.jpg)~~~

NextUniverse

(TLDR Review at the bottom, as usual, thanks for reading)

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~~~__Intro:__~~~ I had hopes coming into 86. I really did. God, what a letdown this was. 86 was ultimately a major disappointment in my eyes, being incredibly ambitious in telling what it must, but missed out on the very basics to make itself work. It would have been so good in my eyes if it didn't act so pompous. I mean, with the themes that are in this story, you can only really praise the idea, but the execution leads to an untimely downfall, as for why? Let's have a look.

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~~~__Narrative:__~~~ I would be a liar if I said I remember the beginning of 86. I don't really want to check Wikipedia or some other place either. But there isn't a need to worry, I don't have to explain the beginning since the synopsis does it for you. All I will say is that 86's beginning (from what I remember) seemed really good, a bunch of things are thrown at you and you have to make do as the anime progresses. Though, getting ahead of yourself is never a good thing. You are not really given enough time to make do, with a full-blown world already in your face not even halfway past the first episode, it makes for some unnecessary struggle in understanding exactly what is happening. Once you do understand though, there are many fundamental problems that make for this anime to be more flawed than meets the eye. Now, I don't want to sound like some kind of astute intelligent oh-so-great anilist.co reviewer. But usually, when I see stories that do not work on the most basic levels, there has to be a shout for problems. Usually, I brush off any kind of side plot superficial illogical mess as something literally no one will care about, because no one will care about it. But when the fundamentals are broken, there is an easy problem to say something about. Which is what I see in 86. The first problem is representations of themes, like racism and the "hell of the outside world". Starting with "racism". There is barely any that made it liable to a theme I even cared about, seriously. The racism here is also slightly ambiguous, with words like "pig" which is used by both parties, so it makes it seem like kids screaming racial slurs after losing a game on CSGO (or smth idk), in other words, something to not take seriously. I don't remember too much on racism in this story, though, it isn't like it doesn't exist, it does show up, but with 86 being ambitious as it was, it didn't really dive into it and it became a side topic to not care about. This also leads me to say how I can only call one actively racist event from this anime. Maybe that is just my memory, but I honestly don't think that is the case. 86 had too much on its plate for me to suggest otherwise. This also leads me to the "oppression" that kinda stems off. It's honestly a joke. One moment the Eighty-Sixers are reincarnating scenes from beach episode #41457 or horsing around having some fun, the next they want to shame the Alba for oppressing them and dehumanising them. Are these people joking? Because it makes it seem like some deranged mess that doesn't even take itself seriously. I am quite lost with how anything in the presentation of "racism" was anything good for its kind. Maybe that is me being too harsh, but I didn't think it was anything to actively tell people is good. With "hell of the outside world", basically what I just said just before, it doesn't take itself seriously, though I need to talk about the Legion and death in this anime. The Legion is a good idea, I will give the anime that, however it isn't as hellish as meets the eyes, I won't complain about plot armour of some characters, hell, if there is any, but the Legion and death work hand in hand for this idea that they are some kind of devilish force only made to enforce to the tragic life of the Eighty-Sixers. Well, that is true to some extent. However, death is an important factor. Considering how most character deaths are irrelevant people who have little development, it suddenly becomes harder to take the Legion as seriously as you should. They are a very harsh force, yet the damage doesn't really hit the viewer, I suppose it does for the actual characters, but they aren't the people watching this anime. It's not like the characters are too fixated on such events too, it is an in-and-out process, I would be surprised if they actually gave a damn. At the end of it, it's just these mad robots killing, well, the wrong people. Look at it as if it were like Attack On Titan or Akame Ga Kill went and annihilated every background/minor character, it suddenly becomes harder to take titans or the empire seriously, as you know what to expect. There is nothing of quality to feed off from. Now, I talked too much about the themes, the story in itself is quite interesting, there isn't a lot to glorify with it, especially with a lacking world-building (that fixes itself later on), but for the most part, the writing was decent, and the story carried itself with sufficient pacing. If they had just stopped with the random people coming and going, it would have made for a more fun anime to watch. As for characters, the only one to praise is Lena. She is someone I can't take seriously though, because one moment she is waifu bait #104039, the next she is a serious general I can actually respect. Not sure why 86 loves these on and off switches, but they do I guess. I do think that her development was pretty good on the whole, but considering how at the end of this season, this is nowhere near finished, it does seem like she has ways to go. Being the only person with a high position actively going against her own country's values can make for some interesting battles and development to invest into. As of now, she is probably the best character this show has to offer. Looking past some of her melodramatic moments, I quite like her and I would imagine most people watching would be the same. Now Shin, at first, this dude is like the star of the show, something about him screams secrets and "that man to change everything". I legit thought he would pull a Tombstone Piledriver or a Death Blossom at one point. Man did I get my hopes too high up. I won't complain and dislike him for not being what I would have liked, but this man doesn't really hold himself up too high and ends up being a little mid. Having a somewhat dramatic background to his name and a very simple inside job. There isn't too much to go on with him, kinda wasted potential. But this is just the beginning and maybe something big will happen. Who knows. Overall, he is fine as he is, but more would be nice. Other characters here are generally something I don't find myself caring about, and I don't have a vivid memory of some of the actions they have committed, hell, I don't even remember their names. Though from what I remember, I will give them the praise that they do have a human feel to them, they aren't completely generic and I do also believe that a few have their own individual backgrounds to show off. Overall, could be way better for sure, though nothing shocking or awful.

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~~~__Audiovisuals:__~~~ For A-1, this is fine stuff, really, not as best as other works they have produced, but fine. I must say, this could be better, especially with the year being 2021 as of this review, this looked like something out of 2015-ish times. I suppose we just need to wait for the generation change in average style though. The CGI was really good, I will give it that. Maybe not as good as something out of some S-tier studio like ufotable. But it isn't anything that would make you dread the action. So good stuff basically. ~~~ img600(https://64.media.tumblr.com/2b1e61c494c6f914bf3f6b5d0e758ad6/6787f966ba68ad24-54/s640x960/2614bad796922711ea7142d250109656f36fa55f.gifv) img600(https://media1.tenor.com/images/c437e2249b02466432aa15af16b8c7f8/tenor.gif) img600(https://static2.cbrimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/86-Eighty-Six-Legion-Battlefield.jpg) I couldn't find a CGI gif. But you can still look at that ^ good image. ~~~ As for audio. Very good, probably the best thing in this series. Quite a bit of great OSTs to remember from though none really stuck to me. As for OP and ED, OP was really good, not so much ED though, it varied as well, so I ended up not caring. Voice acting was really good here and the characters were conveyed well in that fashion. Nothing more to report.

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~~~__Enjoyment:__~~~ I tend to enjoy most things, but 86 was hard to take seriously, I mean, I was told this is a mecha, but why is there only like 3 episodes with actual mecha moments. I was told this was deep, but I really didn't think the themes were handled well. The balance doesn't check out here. There is also the lack of serious moments actually holding through because some prior event would negate that making it look like something you shouldn't take too seriously. But I mean, in a universal sense, there is quite a bit to like about 86, and if I am honest, looking past everything I did, you will probably enjoy this quite a bit. What I have given out seems to be a minority opinion, but I won't say I am right or anything, because there are legitimate things to like about 86. Whilst the balance between genres isn't great. It is there for a more mixed story. I think people will enjoy that.

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~~~__TLDR Review:__~~~ Story - 4: Doesn't handle themes well. So it is hard to appreciate what is going on. The actual writing is fine though. Visuals - 7: Good visuals and CGI is good too. Audio - 8: Great OST and OP. Decent ED. The good voice acting really conveyed. Characters - 5: A little miss with some details behind them that doesn't match up to the world around them. Enjoyment - 5: It is hard to take seriously. Balance isn't so good, but it is generally really good in a universal sense.

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~~~__Final Words:__~~~ Well, I am quite late with uploading this, I spent more time on MAL, and I keep saying I will move here but I never do smh Anyways, I tend not to rate anime low. Because I couldn't possibly imagine myself getting angry at some east asian cartoon that didn't quite meet my oh-so-great standards. However, I don't have a liking for stories that don't hold themselves well on a basic level. Because then it is hard to actually like what is happening because of illogical moments. I was told this was going to be the next Geass. Lol. I really had high hopes for this anime, but then it didn't manage to deliver as it should. *sigh*, the sad reality. I would still recommend this because I understand I am a minority opinion. Though for a "deep" anime that is also serious about itself, idk how I can actively recommend this for people actually looking for a good deep anime. In everything I have said, I still look forward to watching 2nd season since this is basically a prologue according to people I have spoken to. I would imagine it would turn out great. But again, if this disappointed me, idk if I can keep going. ~!Also for anyone wondering about: >What happens when you mix Girls' Last Tour with military and have Dhar Mann direct it. Just think about it. Both have calm moments in a broken world war-torn and stuff, directed by someone who doesn't make the most serious stories. I have nothing against Dhar Mann btw!~ Though you should really do yourself a favour and watch [Shakugan no Shana](https://anilist.co/anime/355/Shakugan-no-Shana/) for a good mixed-genre story. It starts mid but gets better as it goes on. ~~~__Overall - 52.3/100__~~~

imrannasir16

I was browsing through the new releases for the spring anime season, and this show popped up on my radar, so I decided to do more research on it. I found out the show is an adaptation of a light novel of the same name. But it wasn’t just any light novel. It had already received critical acclaim and many of it’s readers had professed their love for this story, as well as their seal of approval for the anime. Once I learned more about what the story was about, I understood how much potential the show had and I knew I had to watch it. A war drama with a compelling story, well-written and complex characters, as well as an intriguing premise seemed right up my alley anyway. My interest turned into excitement, and once I finally got into the show, I knew I was watching something special. Having finished it now, I honestly believe that 86–Eighty-Six is an amazing rarity of a show, and it deserves a place among some of the best anime I’ve ever had the pleasure of watching. __Part 1: Characters__ One of the first few things that struck me was how character-driven the show was. Normally war dramas or mecha shows have a tendency to rely a lot on action to sell a show to its audience, sometimes to the point where it’s a matter of style over substance. This isn’t that kind of show. Here, action is used sparingly. Most of the scenes that take place in the battlefield don’t even last more than 3 minutes, and if I remember correctly, only 3 episodes had prolonged action scenes. Instead, most of the runtime is dedicated to developing the characters and showing their relationships and interactions with each other. The show is not afraid to slow down and show these characters living their lives together and showcase their bond. I could tell that the characters were always the focus when Asato-sensei first wrote the light novel, and that’s something I really admire and am very glad to see. img800(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/d0/1d/b4/d01db489d2245a6770524d2689c1fd20.jpg) _“I was the last one left back then, and that's how it's always been till now. That's why I have to take them with me. I'll take everyone who fought and died alongside me to my final destination.”_ The leader and field commander of Spearhead squadron, __Shinei Nouzen__ is a very stoic and enigmatic character. He generally keeps to himself (and his books) and doesn’t talk much to others. This can be attributed to what he’s experienced over the years. A battle-hardened survivor, he’s seen countless of his comrades die on the battlefield, and often he was the very last man standing. As a result, he takes it upon himself to carry on and honour their memory. We see exactly what that entails in the 1st episode, and we can only imagine how that had an effect on Shin and his mental state. Despite his quiet demeanor, he deeply cares about his squadmates and tries to protect them, often at great personal risk. It’s clear he doesn’t have much regard for his own life. But while it seems foolish and reckless of him to take on waves of Legion by himself, if anyone can come out of it alive, it’s Shin. He may be one of the most skilled Processors alive, but still, it’s heartbreaking to see that someone who has already been through so much is cursed to bear such a heavy burden alone. img800(https://64.media.tumblr.com/8a429eea0ab9243f1b549b10651376fa/35487e1cde812089-fe/s2048x3072/deb2a529ddde88929c894b633c079bb28f63f8fe.jpg) _“Even if we die, our Reaper will take us there. I know he will take me there, but... But then, what about Shin? Who will carry his heart?” ~ Kurena Kukumila_ img800(https://64.media.tumblr.com/c016c0b323d4487dcc50a10346ba86ef/2931fa25534a2b0b-9e/s2048x3072/d40c39c07794d7d1c721e04d72ae9931d1f494d6.jpg) __Vladilena Milizé__, or Lena, is Spearhead’s handler. A Major for the Republic of San Magnolia’s military at only 16, she acts as a commander and tactician for Spearhead. Unlike most of her fellow Albas, Lena actually treats the Eighty-Six with decency. She is disillusioned towards her homeland due to the atrocities they have commited and genuinely wants to help the Eighty-Six survive and regain their freedom and dignity as she believes they should be treated equally as human beings. Lena is steadfast and vocal in her beliefs, but also far too naive and idealistic. She tries her best to make a difference, but doesn’t realise she’s way in over her head. Not to mention, because of her own privilege, she was painfully unaware of her own hypocrisy in the way she treats the Eighty-Six. _“You think that if you just act nice and talk to us every day, that counts as treating us as human, don’t you? You’ve never even asked us for our real names!” ~ Theoto Rikka_ She comes to an important realisation that serves as a wake-up call for her. In that moment, Lena starts to grow as a character. She stops preaching about her beliefs and ideals to others, and takes the first steps to form an actual meaningful bond with Spearhead, one built upon mutual respect and dignity. Her position as handler brings her a lot of grief. Every death under her command, every truth she learns about the real world utterly devastates her. Despite that, her conviction to help Spearhead only grows stronger, to the point where she won’t hesitate to use unconventional methods to achieve her goals. She’ll do anything in her power to keep them alive, even if it means getting herself into trouble. That’s how much she cares. Lena is growing into a competent and formidable commander, but more importantly, she is starting to affirm her beliefs with not just her words, but her actions. Her character development has been phenomenal, and this is only the beginning. img800(https://64.media.tumblr.com/92f049c527f7edaefcae58c9c83f4ba5/459a76a6a48b63f9-1a/s500x750/166047f416b1d909b4f1238f063b1cfc8373368d.png) _“I’ll fight...until the moment when fate finally comes for me.”_ The side characters have their own unique personalities and stories that add to the show, creating a very endearing ensemble of characters. From Raiden, Anju, Kurena, Theo, Daiya and Kaie (to name a few), they each have their own charm and bring something to the table. Even the two main Alba side characters, Henrietta Penrose and Jerome Karlsthal, are intriguing and complex, with a considerable amount of depth to them. They may be Alba, but you can tell they are disgusted by what the Republic had done to the Eighty-Six. Annette is also ridden with guilt and self-hatred, while Jerome laments the Republic’s fall from grace. However, they both feel that it's pointless to side with the Eighty-Six. The side characters definitely don’t receive as much focus and don’t have as much depth as our main duo, but they fulfil their role as the supporting cast very well. If anything, the show does a great job of getting you to particularly care about the Eighty-Six in spite of that, and that’s all thanks to the show’s exceptional writing and focus on the characters. It’s really a joy observing the squad’s dynamic and how the characters interact with each other, because while they are soldiers and comrades to each other, at the end of the day, they are also teenagers, and each other’s friends. The show does an amazing job of getting me to feel for them, to experience their pain, sadness and those rare, precious instances of happiness. It’s been a while since I genuinely cared this much about a cast of characters and was this emotionally invested in their journey. img800(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/798291340495945752/855564669196435496/20210522_144552.jpg) __Part 2: Story__ _“The two fight, each on their own battlefield. She fights against her tears. He fights against his death. They fight on, never seeing each other's faces.” ~ Asato Asato, 86–Eighty-Six Light Novel_ __There are two sides to every story.__ 86–Eighty-Six follows Lena as she gets appointed as the handler of Spearhead squadron, and Shin as he leads his squad through their missions. The story constantly shifts between their perspectives, and we often get to see both Lena and Shin’s point of view on the same events. Their relationship develops over time and their interactions and dynamic are easily some of the best things about the show. The show prominently features themes of racism and discrimination, shown particularly through the atrocities the Republic of San Magnolia commit against the Eighty-Six. Their dynamic is similar to that of Marley and the Eldians in Attack on Titan, but worse, considering that the Republic outright lies to its citizens about there being no casualties in the war against the Legion, let alone the fact that the ‘sub-human’ Eighty-Six are being used to fight that war as pilots for ‘unmanned’ weapons. It serves as a grim reminder of our own ugly history, drawing parallels to Nazi Germany or even more recently, Israel’s occupation of Palestine. But as we progress through the show, we realise that things are not as simple or black and white as they seem. As much as the Republic is painted as oppressors, not all of the Alba are bad. In episode 7, we learn that most of Spearhead have even had a meaningful connection with an Alba. Similarly, not all Eighty-Six are good either. But despite the show telling us this, every revelation in the show has only taught us that the true extent of the Republic’s barbarity is worse than we thought. Perhaps this was always bound to happen. _“It’s a country of fools and villains, who executed Saint Magnolia for their own wealth and greed. What can you expect of them?!_ _Humans were not ready to have freedom and equality, Lena. And I don’t think we’ll ever be.” ~ Jerome Karlsthal_ I really admire the level of complexity and depth given to the story, and this can really be attributed to Asato-sensei's decision to tell this compelling story of war and conflict from the perspective of both the Alba and the Eighty-Six, the oppressors and the oppressed. __“The world is cruel and merciless, but it is also very beautiful.”__ The story of 86–Eighty-Six is one of tragedy and pain, and finding the will to move forward and continue fighting. From the very first episode, we are shown how cruel and unforgiving this world is towards the Eighty-Six. They were discriminated against, had their basic rights as humans stolen away, and were forced to fight a war that was based on a lie until they finally die. But that cruelty only becomes fully apparent when we witness the first casualty on the battlefield. A casualty in a ‘war without casualties’. As more and more of the Eighty-Six die right before our eyes, it becomes clear that it’s not a matter of if, but when these characters will meet their end. Death is not used as a cheap way to shock the audience, but is presented to be part and parcel of war. We see people die left, right and centre. And no one goes out in a blaze of glory or in some sacrificial standoff against the Legion. They might have been caught off guard for a split second against their cunning enemy, or simply overwhelmed to the point of helplessness. In their last moments, they might have thought of someone they deeply cared for, shot themselves in the head to avoid dying at the hands of the Legion, or mustered the courage to admit to themselves: “I don’t want to die.” As the audience, you eventually expect to see more deaths and try to prepare yourself for when the moment comes. But that doesn’t matter. Most of the characters who die aren’t even the ones you are meant to care for. Their deaths won’t make you emotional and burst into tears. But what makes their deaths impactful is their _weight_. Every moment in the battlefield could be your last. Every soldier dies an unfavourable, ugly death. Peace can only be obtained through sacrifice. That is the harsh reality of war. But within all that pain and suffering, there are moments of levity sprinkled between it all. Those simple, beautiful moments where the characters just live their lives together and enjoy each other's company. This contrast makes every moment of joy and grief, beauty and horror, all the more impactful. img800(https://64.media.tumblr.com/316e6d1d9f2822aa04096e2d3f9537aa/a7e635c8e82a2e4a-ec/s2048x3072/a3b24f0d766ca55fcb597e4e94a92a2ae8e87b99.jpg) They’ve been through hell, but I’m glad they at least had each other along the way. The show also poses an important question. “Why do you fight?” Why do you continue to fight when all it brings you is more pain and suffering? Lena fights for her beliefs. As for Spearhead: _“Just because scum treats you like scum, doing the same makes you no better. If the only two paths are to die fighting the Legion, or die giving up, we’ll survive till the last moment and go down fighting. That’s the reason we fight. That’s the source of our __pride__.” ~ Raiden Shuga_ From a technical standpoint, the show’s writing and direction is honestly one of the best I’ve seen in an anime. Some might find the show’s pacing a bit too slow or boring for their liking, and I can understand why they would feel that way. The show is a bit of a slow burn at times. However, it is also purposeful and methodical in its storytelling. It takes the time it deems necessary to develop and tell a compelling story with compelling characters, which I really appreciate. If you expected fast-paced storytelling and constant action, you came to the wrong place. Again, this isn’t that kind of show. Because of this approach, the show excels at building up the story towards great emotional payoffs and climaxes at certain points in the story. In just 11 episodes, the show manages to achieve what most anime require whole seasons or even their entire run to accomplish. The show is able to maintain the quality of storytelling throughout. The initial episodes were already pretty good, but with episode 3, I was convinced I was watching something truly special. And from that point onwards, the show still manages to improve with each passing episode. Every single episode is great in their own right, but even then there are standouts like episodes 7 and 9 (my personal favourites) where the show just elevates itself to a whole new level. The ending doesn’t quite reach the incredible heights of the earlier episodes, but as I’ve learned, that has something more to do with how the light novel was written rather than it being the show’s fault. Speaking of which, the first cour only adapts the first volume of the light novel. In a world where many anime adaptations rush through or entirely skip critical parts of the source material, a show like this is a rarity. From that fact alone, I can tell that the staff at A-1 Pictures are serious about doing the story justice. The meticulousness that goes into crafting this adaptation is evident. It was also a pleasant surprise to learn from light novel readers that the studio even added plenty of anime original scenes into the show to further expand on the story, especially the sections of the story which could have used more development. In fact, episode 10 is almost entirely anime original. The only aspect of the light novel that couldn’t completely be adapted was its detailed and intricate worldbuilding, which is understandable considering the time constraints of the medium. Nonetheless, I do hope we get to explore the world of 86–Eighty-Six more in upcoming seasons, and learn more about how things came to be the way they are in the show. Otherwise, it’s clear the production team are going above and beyond to improve upon the original story, and not just dish out a ‘copy and paste’ adaptation. I can feel their love and passion that went into making this show, and it really is heartwarming to see. Take note, this is how an adaptation should be done. __Part 3: Animation and Sound__ A-1 Pictures really did a fantastic job with the show. The animation itself looks quite true to life. The colours are appropriately saturated and vibrant, while the lighting has moderate contrast with little exaggeration when it comes to the highlights and shadows. This makes the show feel rather grounded in reality. The character designs look great, and the show’s more scenic environmental shots look absolutely stunning. img800(https://64.media.tumblr.com/cd8b5737fdc3047fd30fade2d8d7d068/854b3571fd3222a2-c0/s500x750/31a000bffd5231f57ccdff4210bc3b9cb175e913.png) The CG Juggernauts and Legion look great and blend in seamlessly with the 2D elements. The few action set-pieces are also well done and feel very fluid. After all, the studio has a reputation for making great action. I briefly mentioned the show’s direction in the previous segment, and really, this is one of the rare instances where direction actually stood out to me in an anime because it was just that good. Toshimasa Ishii’s direction really manages to elevate every scene. There is great emphasis on showing and not telling in his directorial style, and with that comes great attention to detail. The characters’ expressions, and even their environment, can help to tell the story together with the already great dialogue. And while the animation itself might seen unremarkable based on how I described it, Ishii and Masaharu Okazaki’s (director of photography) masterful use of cinematic composition has led to the creation of many beautiful and artistic shots, all of which were faithfully brought to life by the animation team. img800(https://64.media.tumblr.com/6f0dde42800868c894c1941351071148/191a24becd5757c3-52/s640x960/bfb9772fefc94931249f884ff4e3abab66eaf238.gifv) Overall, Ishii was able to bring many elements together from the animation, storyboarding, editing, music, voice acting and sound design, and take every single scene to the next level. I’m not that familiar with his past works, but I am aware this is the first time he is in charge of an entire show as a series director. And wow, did he do an amazing job. Of course, I also have to talk about the amazing score by Hiroyuki Sawano and Kohta Yamamoto. At the time of writing, the full album has yet to be released. But I have listened to the preview for the album, so I know which particular tracks were made by which composers. I’m a huge fan of Sawano’s work on Attack on Titan, but personally I felt that most of his tracks in this show weren’t that special, especially the typical Sawano beat drops you hear in action scenes. However, I did love ‘8SIX’ which was featured when Shin takes on an entire group of Legion in episode 2. What did impress me however were his hauntingly beautiful and melancholic piano pieces. The EDs, ‘Avid’ and ‘Hands Up To The Sky’ are also really amazing songs, and I loved hearing the melody for ‘Avid' being given different instrumentations and used in other tracks like ‘pianoVIIIVI-i’ and ‘Voices Of The Chord’. The truth is, from the preview I actually enjoyed Kohta Yamamoto’s tracks more than Sawano’s. Yamamoto’s best tracks lean more towards subtle synths and mellow strings, which give a nice contrast to Sawano’s heavier, more sophisticated orchestration, electronics and percussions. But that is not to say that Yamamoto doesn’t have any tracks which are more bombastic and upbeat like Sawano’s. There is a huge variety in the sound he produced too. Personally, I love the mellow strings in ‘同じ空の黄昏’ (Twilight In The Same Sky according to Google Translate) which also feels very reminiscent of Evan Call’s incredible music for Violet Evergarden. Oh, and if you thought the amazing music used during episode 9’s climactic scene were done by Sawano, you’re dead wrong. (The track names are ‘hear my voice’ and ‘Alive Today’). From my observations online, quite a lot of people thought that some of Yamamoto’s best tracks (such as those) were composed by Sawano. It seems that Sawano’s name tends to overshadow Yamamoto’s whenever they work together, and probably for good reason, considering Sawano’s past works. But after hearing Yamamoto hold his own in Attack on Titan: The Final Season, and his work here in this show, I have to say, Yamamoto absolutely deserves more credit as a composer. Put some respect on this man’s name. Of course, my opinion on the score is so far only based on what I can remember from the show and the album preview, so it can only get better once I listen to the whole album and discover more tracks I love from both composers. But from what I’ve heard so far, the score for the show is already exceptional, and full of emotion. __Conclusion:__ img800(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/5d/5e/80/5d5e800bc66aed588a1230f065007f0b.jpg) It’s been a while since I fell in love this much with a show. A show that is so depressing and melancholic yet within all that, therein lies beauty. A show that is able to do what any good work of art should do: make you _feel_ something. The first cour of 86–Eighty-Six is a masterfully told story. It portrays the struggles of war and themes of racism and discrimination in a way few anime can do, and tells a meaningful story of finding the will to live on and continue fighting through pain and suffering, be it for what you believe in, or simply for your pride. I really cannot recommend this show enough. Should the team at A-1 Pictures go about adapting the rest of Asato-sensei’s story with the same amount of care and respect, the show is bound to only get better from here. I hope that in time, it might even become a true masterpiece. Till we meet again. img800(https://64.media.tumblr.com/f863ca7e32154cff1d7cbdc1f119fae9/a06d37f84f69504d-e9/s2048x3072/ec20fe0bea07c7bfcab20f07c4d1b25e0ae9df04.png)

rebirthx

For something I picked up on a whim, it didn’t take long for 86 to become one of my most anticipated shows of the season and it’s easy to see why at first. When you have Hiroyuki Sawano’s godlike music and Toshimasa Ishii’s superb (debut!) directing on your side, even the most ridiculous plot can shine through like a masterpiece. But while I wouldn’t call the premise behind 86 outright ridiculous, it certainly has its flaws. Set in the futuristic Republic of San Magnolia (aka Anime Nazi-Land), the show follows the contrasting lives of Republican Major Lena Milizé and her squadron, the persecuted Eighty-Sixers. From the get go, the audience is spoonfed the foundational themes of the story, which tackles issues like racism, war crimes and political corruption. The trouble is that it’s a little hard to take such heavy themes seriously when it’s set in a world where hair colour is the only thing that sets you apart and all our main characters are a bunch of teenagers. It also doesn’t help that the way the Republic handles the Eighty-Six in war makes absolutely no sense at all - seriously, what country cares so little about its own safety and future over its inexplicable hatred towards a certain race? Abandoning all moral reasoning, the Republic goes so far as to form an entire racist narrative against the Eighty-Sixers just to forcibly conscript them to fight their wars - only to then do their absolute best to kill them off? Huh? The whole idea is unrealistic and forms a poor argument for the base of the story, which renders the moral themes as very surface-level in the process. (Also, let’s remember that these very attractive, very capable people are treated like shit and ethnically cleansed simply for having COLOURED HAIR lmao). This is ultimately the fault of the source work. Anyways, this much is established within the first few episodes and can be the breaking point for many who are looking for a serious mecha anime with strong underlying messages. Somebody else on here likened 86 to YA dystopias like Divergent or The Hunger Games and rightly so - I can’t pretend that 86 brings anything new to the table in that regard. BUT - if you’re like me and ready to look past that, then get ready to witness some beautiful storytelling, AMV-worthy emotional highs and action scenes, wrapped up in impressive animation from A-1 Pictures. You can feel just how much love was poured into this adaptation from the little details sprinkled throughout, like subtle drawings on the walls foreshadowing/hinting at character information, or the growing body count in the opening song with every episode. Speaking of which, we’re blessed with absolute bangers for the OP and ED, the latter of which features both a melancholic and happier version, depending on the mood the ending takes. For the most part, the dynamic editing paired with the dual POV narrative style works perfectly in engrossing you for the full 23 minutes. I can recall a handful of moments in the earlier episodes that had some jarring pacing issues, but these are made up for as we learn more about the characters (like Shin and his brother) and watch their relationships grow. Although I really do wish we had been given more content to get to know the side characters better; it became hard to keep track of who died or feel sad about it without any emotional attachments. In my opinion, screen time spent on repetitive battle scenes and dialogue (like Lena's same ol’ discussions with Annette and her uncle) would have fared far better on the Eighty-Sixers’ slice of life moments instead. For those that were lucky enough to have extra screen time or entire episodes dedicated to their backstory, boy did dem feels hit! One of the aspects done well here was the realistic depiction of people’s relationships with one another, especially how the various squadron members reacted to Lena becoming their Handler. Seeing their initial disdain slowly blossom into a genuine friendship over time definitely had to be one of the highlights for me personally, with a nice potential for romantic developments in the future (if that’s something you’re into). These moments culminate into a very satisfying emotional payoff by the tenth episode, leaving the show on a promising mark. It may have been frustrating watching our protagonist achieve much of nothing until the last few episodes, but the story deliberately emphasizes her sense of helplessness that many of us probably feel when faced with similar situations. In summary, 86 is a thinly-veiled story about standing up for what’s right in the face of ignorance, a premise that works purely because of its top-notch production value here. Fans of the light novel could not have asked for better and if you’re in need of something “deep but not that deep” to keep you entertained for a couple hours, this is the one for you.

SolidMateus

Eighty Six era o anime no qual muitas pessoas apostaram suas moedas, vindo de uma Light Novel muito bem avaliada esse anime promete nos entregar conflitos políticos, éticos e sociais de alto nível, o que muitos não sabiam era se esses seriam trabalhados de uma forma coesa e não tendenciosa. Dito isso, devo dizer que o anime falha ao nos entregar tal debate, a escritora Asato, talvez por inexperiência ou falta de embasamento, entrega o óbvio que é dito na maioria das obras atuais que carregam esses temas, “hey, facismo é errado e racismo é uma coisa ruim!”, dito isto, não espere diálogos e debates complexos a respeito desses temas, até porque uma das falhas deste é não ter um design que facilite a diferença de etnias, já que os personagens seguem a linha do “generic anime character design” (procurem no Google Imagens caso não tenha entendido), claro que temos as exceções, por exemplo aqueles que vivem na república são todos brancos (quase albinos) e tem a mesma cor de cabelo, um dos personagens que é mostrado no campo de batalha é negro, já o resto tem a mesma cor de pele, sendo assim cabe a nós buscarmos saber quais são suas raças, uma das dicas que dou é ver a origem de seus nomes. Mas por mais que razão, o que foi entregue pelo anime é ruim? De maneira nenhuma, ele trabalha muito bem com o que tem e, por mais simplista que seja, a mensagem é captável. Claro que aqueles que esperavam mais devido a sua proposta podem ficar decepcionados com a entrega, mas devo dizer que em nenhum momento me incomodei com o que o anime discutiu, por mais que não eleve o debate a níveis grandiosos, ele não ofende, e pode colocar os mais leigos para refletir em cima de algo maior. O anime também pode dividir os telespectadores na questão da empatia pelos personagens, ele vai bem ao montar cenas curtas e pequenos momentos para cada um dos personagens secundários para que tenhamos um apreço por eles, porém, o'que pra uns pode ser visto como triste para outros será apenas montagem genérica para nos pegar na parte frágil de nossos sentimentos. Eu particularmente fico dividido em meio a ambas as situações, em alguns momentos fiquei comovido, mas outros pouco me importam. A trilha sonora também é algo a dar destaque, Sawano mais uma vez mandou bem, e ao lado da cantora Laco criou temas marcantes, o mesmo não pode ser dito para o responsável pelo sound design, Jin Aketagawa é ótimo para criar som ambiente (soar da brisa nas árvores, gotas de chuva, madeira queimando), mas o mesmo não pode ser dito em sons de batalha, onde o barulho de caminhões e máquinas além de abafar a trilha sonora atrapalha na concentração dos diálogos. 86 é um bom anime, que entretém e levanta debates que necessitam de cuidado, apesar de seus erros acredito que é melhor do que muito que tivemos recentemente no mercado, vale a pena ser visto e discutido, aguardo ansiosamente pela continuação.

sushiisawesome

The first season of 86 is a scathing critique of ethnic nationalism and its connotations, those being that it lends itself to the mistreatment and othering of groups of people that do not fall under the main (or dominant) ethnicity of the state. It shows the incredible ease at which people not only accept racism against another group, but also are willing to neglect doing the right thing (even when such a thing is readily obvious for huge segments of society) for the sake of wider conformity. This multilayered approach to how racism, discrimination and war is portrayed - complimented by excellent writing, phenomenal direction and fantastic sound design - makes 86 especially compelling. Perhaps more than anything, 86 keeps war drama tropes on the characters it focuses on to a minimum, with characters that possess a more black-and-white perspective on the world portrayed negatively and nuance being something the narrative promotes above all else...but I'm getting ahead of myself. 86 is many things, its nuanced discussions on racism notwithstanding. It's a story that discusses what exactly makes up a nation, whether it's its populace or the values it adheres to, and discusses how the very soul of what a state may stand for may be stripped bare even with the aesthetics of that remaining. The Republic of San Magnolia is the example provided by the narrative in the first season, with everything from its foundation to its flag celebrating its diverse heritage, yet throughout the fridge horror experience that is episode 1, it becomes readily apparent that this is a façade kept alive by a government that was willing to collectively punish a group of its citizens for belonging to the wrong ethnic background, with this disgustingly racialized notion of what it means to belong to the Republic having been normalized and accepted throughout the state - with the persecuted non-Alba citizens, the 86, being regularly dehumanized in all of the Republic's institutions. This extends so far as to have said 86 have their citizenships stripped from them and serving forced conscription in the military with the promise of gaining citizenship back for themselves and their families should they serve their full terms. Like many an oppressive dictatorship, this is a lie propagated with the intent on sending the 86 near the end of their service - all while intentionally undermining their military capacity and underfunding them - on a death march that bears more than a passing resemblance to infamous instances of genocide, ranging from the Trail of Tears to the Armenian Genocide to the Nakba. And yet, 86's nuanced enough to neither portray Alba citizens of the Republic as full monsters nor innocent bystanders, instead showing the painful complicity through which ordinary people might be in the persecution of their fellow man. More than anything, 86 possesses the nuance to show just how easily can the tables turn on the opposite direction - what with 86 themselves often treating the Alba or half-Alba within their ranks (who were often themselves political dissidents of the new order in the Republic) with the same contempt that was showered on them. This understanding of racism as being conditioned rather than simply something people do because they're evil helps paint the series in a more mature light, whereas the author has a clear understanding of the subject matter that she is tackling. There's more to 86 than merely what it has to say about racism. Perhaps just as important is on the sentimentality the series portrays about life in the midst of chaos, and how being conditioned that you might drop dead on any day so radically alters one's life to the point of being unable to imagine much in the way of well, living, beyond what is temporary. Many conversations are had - usually between both main characters Shin and Lena, but also among other members of the cast - on what exactly purpose even means in such a radical situation, and what comes after the fighting ends, if it even ends. That last point is key, because the cast are so used to fighting tooth and nail to survive that they can't visibly imagine a world where the end to their journeys don't come with their brutal deaths on the battlefield. Shin himself is an exemplary example of this, being someone whose purpose in life had become his role as a death reaper carrying his comrades' reminders to whatever final destination he finds as well as his own grudge against his brother, trapped in a Legion who he seeks to both liberate from his suffering as well as take revenge on for his own scars. Perhaps a more symbolic analysis of the Legion in this context - and one complimented by later events in the light novels - is that they are walking, symbolic reminders of trauma and how they can haunt the suffering of those alive now, that the past isn't simply something you can tow away to be forgotten once you're no longer part of it. Much of Shin's purpose in such a context - one that's also complimented by Raiden, Theo, Anju and naturally Lena - is how exactly to take meaning out of people who simply are no longer around, what with someone existing here and now. It's difficult to describe where this goes without spoiling events in future seasons and volumes, but needless to say that many of 86's finest moments are when it rubs home that it's perfectly fine to pursue happiness for its own sake, without perceiving the past as a burden but rather something that can compliment and empower a person, even through all the pain someone had previously undergone. Both the underlying themes exploring racism and sentimentality tie insanely well into what it has to say about memory and what that means to its cast of characters but also its setting at large. Historic revisionism is at the core of why the Republic does what it does, and yet characters struggle with how their own perception of history clashes heavily with that of the state, where instead of the 86 being monsters whose country of origin brought forth the Legion to ransack and torment the world, they're...otherwise ordinary humans who are not responsible for what the Glad government that existed at the time had done. The 86 remember having fellow Alba serve alongside them who similarly are not the xenophobic ghouls that they consider them as, serving heroically in battle alongside their fellow 86 kin against the Legion and in spite of their atrocious government. And more than anything, memories of people who had died, irrespective of who they were in life, are frequently shown via photos contrasting them with the people they are now (or were when they died), in one amazing instance with video footage summarizing the entire journey these characters took together until the end. Shin's own self-perception is also explored, what with him perceiving himself as a dead man walking yet having that thrown into question, and the same applies to Lena's own memories of being saved by an 86 when younger. Memory - both memory politics and insofar as deeply subjective perception of events present and past goes - is at the core of everything in 86's story, and it's this hauntingly fascinating yet human understanding of how perception is flexible to change that makes 86 such an amazing story. The cast of characters are wildly varied in both the screentime they receive and their characterization, but the characters that the narrative focuses on the most are incredibly multilayered and complex. The Spearhead Squadron as a whole are a fun cast whose chemistry is just always a joy whenever they're on screen, Shin being the character who receives the most focus over the course of the series. Raiden, Anju, Kurena and Theo all also receive a lot of characterization, with Lena also receiving a lot of characterization (her internalized racism and self-righteous attitude being viciously criticized by the narrative, with her growing increasingly attached to the Spearhead Squadron heralding in her being outright antagonistic towards the Republic by the end of S1). Annette and Jerome are both cases of characters who act as contradictors both to information Lena believes about the Republic as well as her own memories involving people she holds dear, all while putting her convictions to the test considering their opposition to her ideals. Even minor characters like Daiya, Lev or Kaie get decent amounts of characterization despite their comparatively minor roles in the story, and characters who are merely mentioned in passing or hardly feature at all still have their deaths affect the overall story with lasting impact being felt. The character designs and artwork are a noteworthy but understandable step down from Shirabii's gorgeous illustrations in the light novel volumes. Much of the detail had been sacrificed in favor of simpler character designs, but this actually stood to benefit the series rather than detract from it; the animation is fantastic from start to finish, with facial animation and expressiveness being absolutely amazing and always reflective of the tone of a scene or more importantly, how a character feels in a given moment. They're dynamic and fluid, and it helps set the stage for just about anything the series is trying to do; these are complimented by gorgeous backgrounds, excellent use of CGI for the mechs, phenomenal voiceacting (with relative newcomer Ikumi Hasegawa being worthy of particular praise for her excellent role as Lena, a worthy followup to her also amazing role as Minami in Bottom Tier Tomozaki-kun) and a great soundtrack courtesy of Hiroyuki Sawano, even if not a soundtrack I'd consider among his best (that would go to Gundam Unicorn). The direction - both visual and sound - is fantastic from start to finish, and there's very little to say on this front that wouldn't be self-described by the series itself - episode 1 is a fantastic example of how to perfectly set up a story while keeping exposition to a minimum by contrasting both the 86 and the Alba in the Republic's day to day lives as well as their reaction to something as mundane as dropping food on the floor, with excellent transitions and shots layered throughout. The only reason there somehow isn't more to discuss involving 86 is because, well, volume 1 (which season 1 covers) acts as a sort of prologue to the entire story, with more to discuss in subsequent arcs. I cannot await how future arcs will be explored in future seasons hard enough. 86 is a marvelous story that tackles just about everything exceptionally well, and perhaps more than anything is a reminder after the relative drought the mecha genre suffered during the 2010s that the genre has not run out of fantastic new stories to tell. I cannot recommend this highly enough. Thank you for reading, any and all feedback would be appreciated.

Lownar

______ ______ ~~~___Intro___~~~ ~~~img220(https://i1.wp.com/recommendmeanime.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/86-anime.jpg?w=870&ssl=1)~~~ Ready for my longest review yet? Well, I got a lot to say... and we spoilin my God are we spoilin! So if you haven't seen EIGHTY-SIX yet then you know what to do... GTFO OF HERE! I'm not going to reiterate every single moment that happened this season, but I am gonna talk about any and every one I think is relevant to what I wanna say, which are most of them. I want to point at the greatness I saw and that means specifics. Let's start off by getting one thing straight, I am a casual fan of this series who picked it up like 3 weeks ago. I have not read the light novels, I do not know what is going on in S2 (which is currently airing) and I had missed the original hypetrain when this first released. Point being I have no preconceived notions or concerns about this anime prior to watching it and I am not affected either way by the outcome of this adaptation. Aigh lawyer stuff outta the way, lets talk some EIGHTY-SIX ______ ~~~___Lena and the Republic___~~~ ~~~img220(https://i.imgflip.com/5xgtpu.gif)~~~ Lena is introduced as an extremely caring and sympathizing individual, and she is alienated from the other alba because of her ethics. Even though she could have an extremely easy life (enhanced by high family status) Lena keeps opting to walk a rockier, but more noble life path. She isn't satisfied by virtue signaling; we watch Lena's story as she tries to find ways of turning her desire to aid the 86 into actions that will actively help them. In epi2 she takes over her classroom to explain to the other alba students (and the audience) about the true history behind the government’s classification of the 86. At first Lena seems to be the only alba in her society that is concerned or even aware of the mistreatment of the 86. The 'official' story is that the 86 are processors fighting a robot war with zero human casualties, but Lena lets us know that the Republic has redefined the other human races not have rights and relocated them to the 86th district, where they are conscripted into processors to fight. Now that doesn't make Lena a saint or perfect, that just makes her factually correct. From a more pessimistic perspective, Lena is also portrayed as an innocent, naïve, bleeding heart. Her first big “we are not the same” moment was when she inadvertently asks the members of Spearhead for their pet cat’s name before asking for the soldier’ names. She says, "I wasn't treating the you as humans, and didn't even realize it." Lena comes to understand that her personal prejudice isn't based on malice or superiority or twisted sense of survival; but that she has her own type of bias based off of unconscious innocence and ignorance. Lena’s second epiphany moment is when literally every single person in the story knows that the 86 are on an unredeemable death march, but Lena doesn't recognize all the signs and can't take the hints. Only until she is sat down by the adults in the room who tell her the obvious truth to her face (over the paraRAID w.e) does she finally get it. Lena's optimistic outlook blinds her to the reality that everyone else sees, which is that no help is ever coming for the 86. And lets be real, this was a reveal for me as well as Lena; I was just as innocent as her. After rewatch, it's painfully obvious how cringey her positive words sound to the people who know what empty promises she's making, and I'm embarrassed I was standing in Lena’s shoes at one point... so don't feel bad Lena, I'm just as naïve as you. As Lena tries to assist Spearhead more and more, she mentally starts to consider herself one of them, like a fellow teammate. First she draws a collection of post-its with Spearhead's faces so she can visualize the real people as she talks to them. As episodes pass, Lena starts sacrificing more and more for Spearhead; sneaking into classified areas to steal information to help as their handler, then smuggling them supplies and bribing guards with her own money, eventually disobeying the military authority she is serving under entirely. Both her uncle (and superior officer) Jerome and bestie Annette implore her to stop focusing on the unfair treatment the 86 endure. They tell Lena it is impossible for her to make meaningful change so her efforts will not only end in vain, but are also destructive to herself and harmful to other alba around her. That her actions will only result in her own disappointment, resentment and guilt. Annette's "I hate you" moment was an outburst caused by how Lena's continuous pursuit of helping the 86 was undermining a decision Annette made a long time ago, which was that, "there is nothing I can do to help those people." Annette’ guilt is always brought to the surface whenever Lena is around and she hates Lena for making her constantly re-examine herself and her decision. Lena's confrontation with Jerome during epi8 was the breaking point of her arc. I think they had three confrontations before this one, but their disagreement was always defused by of their respectful familial bonds. This time the gloves were off, and each side went for the killshot. The two were positioned opposing each other with Lena wrapped in sunbeams and her uncle draped in shadows. Jerome reveals that the reason all the 86 have to die is so the government can shed their oppressor status after the war is over, in other words, erase the evidence of their actions. Lena’s final fall is when Shin tells her not to call him anymore. The moment you loose everything is the moment you have nothing left to loose. So what do Lena do? She disobeys direct orders and guilt trips and blackmails Annette to get her to help save the lives of Shin and the final members of Spearhead. This is Lena' arc; finding a way to unbecome someone who just cares and to become someone who acts. Lena at the end of S1 has become an alba that will give it all up for the cause, just like the alba who took care of Raiden and Shin and like OGLaughing Fox and Lev and especially her father. Now things don't end the way Lena expects, but I'll talk about that later. ______ ~~~___Shin and the Legion___~~~ ~~~img220(https://i.imgflip.com/5xh3an.gif)~~~ Our deuteragonist is the mature stoic type and the commander of his squad, Spearhead. He manages to stay focused on his own goals while still being a true leader by mentoring his comrades along his own journey. Shin is the type of guy to focus on his men and their wellbeing, while considering his mission reports to be busywork and sends in the same ones bc he knows the higherups don't read them. Shin also has some sort of supernatural telepathy and can ostensibly hear many types of things mentally. The first important type of thing he can hear is the static processing of the Legion. Shin is able to sense telepathically the location of the Legion and their moments better than the alba technology can, and he prepares his team accordingly. Now the terrifying thing about the Legion is that their CPU are compatible with the neural systems of human brains, and the machines copy human brains to increases their processing power. The 86 call these Legion "Black Sheep" and Shin has taken it upon himself to kill them. He fears when one of the Legion harvests an undamaged brain, calling these Legion "Shepherds." Shen isn't just mercy killing his comrades, he is making sure the Legion aren't running around with a bunch of undamaged human brain. The second important thing Shin can hear telepathically are the dying thoughts of his fellow 86 whose brains have been harvest by the Legion. Shin should be the most psychologically unstable person in the anime, not only because of all the death he has witnessed, but because of all the voices he hears in his head. When the alba around Lena introduce the audience to this guy called Undertaker, they makes it sound as if Shin would “break” handlers verbally or show them visual carnage that an alba couldn't stomach. But what was actually happening was Shin using the paraRAID to sync up and share his sensory experiences with his handler and it would drive them mad. We see Shin do this with Lena once she agreed and the other 86 cut the line; even Lena went bananas. Now I guess Shin's parents were citizens of the Empire that hosts the Legion, but some time they must have came to the Republic, only for Shin and his family to be reclassified as 86. Each member of his family gets conscripted, until it is Rei's turn, who is Shin's brother. Rei is unable to control his pent-up rage at the powerlessness he feels for his situation, and in a moment that Rei will regret for the rest of his life and that will scar Shin for most of his, Rei unleashes a torrent of violent hate onto Shin. While simultaneously internally denouncing his own behavior, Rei chokes Shin out and scars his neck. This scene is the most psychological intense moment of the show and sets the terms for Shin's arc. The third thing Shin can hear telepathically are the thoughts of his brother, who has become a shepherd. While shepherd Rei seeks to repent for his past actions by "saving his brother" using means of assimilating Shin into the Legion, Shin seeks to "save his brother" using means of killing Rei consciousness (or w.e is left of it) so he may rest in peace. With a lil help from his friends, Shin ends up victorious. During the end of epi9 and epi10, you can tell visibly that Shin laying his brother to rest and escaping conscription has brought him an inner peace not seen in the show until this moment. Shin always wears a scarf around his neck to hide the scars, but after his brother is freed from the Legion, Shin now wears it on his arm. With shots of the scribbled out pictures of Rei finally starting to come into view, we feel the closure to Shin's arc. Shin acts much happier now, almost relieved or maybe even removed. Raiden is concerned that Shin has no more purpose, who walks around with little care for his own well being like he has a death wish. When Fido takes a bullet, Shin says goodbye to Fido by leaving his box of dogtags with him. It was like Fido had carried the memories of Shin’s comrades his whole life too and when Fido fell, Shin decided to leave the dogtags with the real holder of those memories. This is the behavior of someone putting his affairs in order before… After that moment, the remaining members of Spearhead face a quick decline of resources, running out of ammo, running out of food, running out of chances to avoid the Legion, running out of mechas that worked or fuel to operate them, running out of time in their borrowed lives. Epi1-9 was like a long movie, with Epis10,11 feeling like an epilogue, or more likely a bridge between the climax of S1 and the events and story of s2. I really hope this isn't the end of Shin's story, but that's where we end for now. ______ ~~~___Love and War___~~~ ~~~img220(https://i.imgflip.com/5xhoj4.jpg)~~~ The official reason the handlers communicate via voice is to make the job easier for alba by distancing themselves from becoming attached to any 86. For most people this would help keep a distance between work and morality, but for Lena the voiceonly communication is doing something else. The late night phone calls every night or at predictable times, always being semi-connected with Shin, enough to share her feelings but from a large enough distance she knows it’s safe and nothing would ever happen buuut… There is something very romantic about having voiceonly communication during war times and this is best exemplified during the changing of perspectives between our two main characters. It's easy for Lena to build up romantic feelings even though she fights her impulses to indulge in thoughts of being two star crossed lovers. My fav romantic moment was when Lena is uncomfortable at her uppity party and Shin calls to check on her. Her excitement to sneak away and talk to him was palpable. Also Idk if this is romantic but I really liked when Lena whispers into Kurena’s ear, “I don't want to him to die either.” Two girls who like the same guy teaming up to save his life, maybe not romantic but they def had to put ego aside or Shin would have died otherwise. But it's obviously more romantic for Lena because of her caste; she has the (at the most, luxury, or at least, opportunity) to feel this way. Shin is ready to die any moment, and lives for a purpose that has nothing to do with Lena. Now you can tell Shin really enjoys talking to Lena and spending his time that way too, and I think it was epi10 that the remaining Spearhead remarks how Lena comforted Shin with their late night chats. But for Shin, I think more than anything he enjoyed having someone to talk to that he knew wasn't going to die tomorrow. Lena was starting to fall for Shin, as well as having strong attached feelings of finally being a part of something and belonging. And when it was time for Spearhead to move on past her, they didn't hesitate to say a kind goodbye and not turn back. In the end, no matter what Lena did for the 86, she wasn't one of them. This was Lena's third virgin moment. ______ ~~~___Hate and Blame___~~~ ~~~img220(https://i.imgflip.com/5xhpmm.jpg)~~~ “So whose fault was all this? Who should we blame? Who should we hate? Who are the bad guys? Well its obvi right, blame and hate the alba, they are the bad guys. They are the ones that subjected the other races to form the 86 in the first place! And each member of the alba society is either willfully ignorant of the atrocities done by their government or they know but turn a blind eye. Even though not personally responsible, ninety nine percent of the alba don’t do anything about the circumstances they were born into to help the 86. Now technically most alba are told convenient truths that they don't question, which might not make them evil, but does make them guilty! …I mean I guess there are a few good apples since we learn that Lena's father was the one who instilled these ideals in her, so those two alba are at least not the worst… But even they are guilty of some complacency! They only pretend to care and they don't try hard enough! Unlike some of the other alba that give up their livelihoods entirely and fight alongside the 86, like Theo’s commander and Lev. Those are the alba that care. They gave everything! ...so I guess a few alba are good after all... And ofc there are some members of the 86 that are half alba like Anju and (I think) Haruto and they aren't bad guys… Actually, now that I think harder about it, a lot of the 86 can be mean and unfair just like the alba. And Anju isn't like those mean alba... OGLaughing Fox wasn't like that.. so wait… who are the bad guys again?" Did you follow my soliloquy? Its easy to hate 'the other' generally, but if we think about things a lil harder, its not so black and white. Blaming all the alba collectively is along the same bigoted thought patterns as the way 86 are being treated *by* the alba. This is one of the biggest morals of the story, and it was most accented during Theo’s moment with Lena (but it is repeated again and again.) How hating the people who have wronged you is the same as to become like them. I love how this anime depicts anger transitioning into regret. When Theo approaches Shin and asks him if he thinks OGLaughing Fox would have verbally abused his handler like he did, Shin says that OGLF would not have, and Shin is sayin so because that is what Theo believes. Later Shin tells Theo that he would regret his choice of words if not their meaning. This is the big moment where the author wants the audience to see how holding a grudge against a whole group of people would be self-defeating for Theo and Spearhead. While Lena is struggling externally to find a way to help Spearhead, Theo and other 86 are struggling internally to accept it. When Shin reminds Theo that he can stand up for his point while still picking better words or tone, Theo tells Lena something close to, 'know that even though you are trying to help, no matter what you do, as long as you are inside the walls that you are not the same as us and never will be, and that it's best to learn this lesson right now.' This moment is foreshadowing Lena’s heartbreak at the end of epi9, but the narrative is also focusing on the 86 not returning the hatred that the alba have for them. This is because it breeds the attitude inside you of feeling better than those other people. And that those feelings will make you act like your oppressor. ______ ~~~___Mystery and Suspense___~~~ ~~~img220(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/50/d4/0f/50d40f39aa5c35beb687f96cea8e26b6.jpg)~~~ My fav part of EIGHTY-SIX is this anime's story telling structure and when choices are made for when to cut back and forth from Lena’s to Shin’s perspective. Not knowing what is going on the other side of the coms until rewatching the same scene from the other person’s perspective is one of the best narrative tricks to create suspense that I have seen in a long time. Quiet often, the audience will get to see from Lena's or Shin’s perspective a specific scene or a moment and be left wondering, “wait, what was really happening over on the other side?!? I'm missing context!” But we have to sit and wait in suspense and deal with the perspective we have, just like in real life. The anime will cut much much later and rewind and the audience gets new feelings on the same scene or moment because we rewatch it with a new perspective. This is done every episode (except the last 2?) to great effect and adds a lot of minor mysteries to the larger ones. The bigger mysteries that are dripped are done so more conventionally, that is via plot reveals. Every couple episodes there is a new reveal that changes the way you look at the past few episodes, for example: how the processors fighting the Legion are actually real people, how Shin ‘somehow’ knows when the Legion are coming before the alba do, how the Legion uses human brains as husks for better fighting, how the 86 formed into unit to never return, Who is Rei and then how Shin almost died from his brother’s assault, how Annette’s friend was Rei all along just before the races were segregated, how Shin is actually trying to kill Rei the whole time. Each time you get a new reveal you feel like the story has really progressed, and when reveals keep coming you stay engaged. Most of this information coulda been told to the audience at any time during the story, but instead its dripped strategically to you in a really steady way. I think this is a very gratifying and honestly an underrated part of storytelling in general, because when and where the author decides to infodrop can dictate pacing. If its too much info all at once or all show and no tell, the audience can get lost. But if it's too slow for plot to be pushed or all tell and no show, then the audience's attention will likely wonder. EIGHTY-SIX succeeds in this aspect most notably and with flying colors. ______ ___~~~Symbolism and References~~~___ ~~~img220(https://64.media.tumblr.com/9e6decbdf0c4a39e071cba778d0c5823/d20e3f2908b25f02-74/s540x810/474a3d987b7fe5d1badb4beac63aaeb87bc991d7.gifv)~~~ So... did you notice all the flowers? Like how when Lena talks about people dying the camera will show dying flowers. Or like when Shin shoots his comrade (I think homies name was … Dayia?) and the audio goes silent, and only when we switch to Lena’s perspective do we hear the gunshot as a flower petal falls. Or petals falling off flowers one at a time, or the wilting flowers in a vase being juxtaposed with fields of wild blooming flowers, or how Lena wraps up her old dead flowers but new ones are always brought to her room to replace them. “Flowers only live for a tiny minute, but they bloom beautifully,” i think one of the girl Spearhead soldiers said something like that. Other symbolic moments I noticed are shots of spiders when the legion is around or being discussed. Pieces of Lena’ uniform slowly falling off as she continues on her journey. How headless knight(Shin) is the one removing everyone else’s heads. How the 86 female soldier who got the old maid in her card game was the next one to die. Still frames of Lena’ food remaining untouched at lunch because she has no appetite, or the wide shot of an empty 86 cafeteria on the morning of the final mission. When Shin takes off his scarf and rei’ figurative hands around Shin’ neck disappear. The coolest one I noticed was that the Republics’ statue girl holds a sword towards the sky and a flag representing their virtues. But in the 86 camp she is fighting to oppress, her flag is inverted, and her sword is pointed downward at them. A point that Annette makes is that alba call the races of the 86 'pigs' because they failed to evolve, but the fact that the paraRAID doesn't work on animals means by definition that 86 must be human (seem to me the race who has telepathy would be more evolved but w.e). Only thing ill say about the redefining of words in this way or how Jerome talks about the redefining of the virtues of the Republic, is 'Squealer from Animal Farm.' Also Rei's story book is titled 'The Skull Knight', which is an obvious reference to Berserk. ______ ~~~___Criticism___~~~ ~~~img220(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/64/b9/f1/64b9f1654add41742e75179c35a68a6c.gif)~~~ Are the Spearhead soldiers killed too fast or is it hard to get emotionally connected to them? Maybe; this was obvi a choice made to keep the focus on our two main characters, so I think it is ok. After the ‘no 86 will return’ reveal I thought that everyone in the 86 was going to die, so I think in the end it actually added to my emotional connection for the characters that survived. Are the Spearhead depicted only mildly gloomy or too happy as they dwindle down to nothing? I would also say maybe; but that also seemed intentional. The 86 attempt to spend each day as if it were their last, and you can tell how close and happy they all are together, they live in the moment. And it's not everyone, all the time. I remember the character Anju had a somber quiet moment that no one saw but Fido, there are a few more like that. Personally, I love that the character who has the hardest time getting over the death of the conscripted soldiers of Spearhead is actually Lena, who keeps their lil post-it notes in a glass box because she doesn't want to throw them out. The Spearhead know from the beginning of the story they are all gonna die eventually, it's only Lena and the dense audience members (like me) who think these people have a chance. Seen a lot of criticism of how this story isn't as deep as it could be, some say the racism themes are too heavy handed, some say they’re too scarce or lame, or that the morality is spoon fed. That's def gonna depend on the person watching, but I'll say that I never felt this way. My nitpick is that some of the flashback moments combined with the changing of perspective between our two main cast was definitely confusing at times. Quickly showing a date to signify a flashback for a second on screen assumes I know what the present date is and whether I'm going forwards or backwards, and this anime takes time jumps weeks and months at a time. I sometimes got lost in the time line, while other times it was not always clear to me what was a flashback or what is a perspective shift (which also act like mini flashbacks). Fido’ death scene was a specific moment where it was hard for me to tell how he died or when he died the first time I saw it happen. I think those moments could have been set up clearer. This anime moves fast so I bet it is pretty normal to miss stuff. ______ ~~~___Conclusion___~~~ ~~~img220(https://c.tenor.com/fvW-yOtoDfsAAAAd/lena-vladilena-milize.gif)~~~ Fam there is nothing left to say. Oh, the reason the music is so damn good is because it's the Attack on Titan guy, makes sense right? Anyways, super impressed. Hope yall got something out of my review. EIGHTY-SIX was really good, diving into S2 ASAP. ______ ______

superp2222

#__SPOILERS FOR THE ANIME __ Would you fight for a country that doesn't even recognize you as human? Would you continue to command your troops even if you know every sound of scratching metal and piercing steel leads to another young life lost? In many restaurants or food industries, the term 86 is referred to as an item that must be pulled from the menu because it is now rendered unavailable. But what happens when that term is applied to humans? Eighty-Six is not just some mecha action anime. It's not some cheesy bonding anime either. Instead, it focuses on a forsaken group of people. Cast out because they Simply. Didn't. Match. Men, Women, Children. Sent to fight a war where they aren't even acknowledge. No, where they aren't even known to be fighting. All to repel an enemy that has capitulated years ago. Humans fighting memories. This wasn't just another one of A1's action animes, this anime told a story. It told many stories. The lives of the individual members of Spearhead. The fun and games they had while living meager, yet cozy lives in their front base. And then, you watch them get killed off. One. By. One. It's not your fault they died. After all, up until that point you've been following the footsteps of Major Vladilena Milizé, who, just like you, lived ignorant to these horrible truths until they slammed her in the face. But. Is it? From the very first episode, you deal with death. This is what Violet Evergarden felt at the first episodes of her show. This is what the pilots of the mechas in Evangelion felt every time they step in their machines. This is _that_ kind of anime. Oh but there's more. As if losing people who you've barely had time to build a connection to is bad enough already there's more. Because the enemy is a cruel and unfeeling machine that will do anything it can to survive, even if it means turning the voices of the dead against their beloved. Now you, the observer, placed in a position where you can do nothing but provide words form hundreds of miles away. Now see what they truly are fighting. What will you do? How will you react? You never knew this was even possible, yet now here it is. The ghosts of the past coming to haunt you despite you having nothing in it. This is the life that an Eighty-Six combatant faces. And we're shown every ugly truth of it, one by one. Not a single one of the 11 episodes aired lacked a moment like this. Every new episode another weight is added to the heart that carries the burden of watching this show. Against something like this, most people would collapse. After all, 5 previous handlers already did. But to an 86, and to Lena, this is something they must face. In this show you see how they have become pretty much resistant to the effects. To fight against an enemy using the voices of your own fallen comrades and having to shed not a single tear, to have your emotions waver not even a single bit. Just imagine that. Eighty-Six is a wonderful anime about telling stories. Stories of the fallen, stories of those to fall, stories of those who won't fall. Every single story holds significance, no matter if you see them for only a glimpse or for half the show. No matter how long their story is. It's the same heartwrenching feeling to see it taken from you in a split second as the last line of human survival kicks in to say: __"I don't want to die."__ Eighty-Six teaches that to live is to carry the stories of those who have left before you. To cherish the memory of those stories being passed down to you. Because one day, those stories will fade, or be ripped from you in the cruel jaws of death. And it is your responsibility to keep those stories alive. And it is also your responsibility to pass down these stories, so that one day, your story is also kept aflame. So that you're not left behind.

CaninnTurtle

My name is Turtle and I have returned with yet another anime review, my last one being....9 months ago.... Well hey, I never claimed to be consistent. Getting a full-time job has really put a wrench in my ability to watch anime honestly, but here goes anyway. I'll be discussing 86, both parts, the details of which I may be a little hazy since I basically watched this over the course of the entire last year due to the split cour and delays, so let's get to it. Visually, 86 does a lot right. From a design perspective, you might get muddled down on character designs blending together and having a tough time remembering who's who at first, as many characters get thrown in your face very quickly, but fear not, that changes very quickly. Everyone who's a main focal point is distinguishable and memorable, while also generally looking like normal people who might be out there fighting. The biggest win for 86 visually, however, is easily in it's animation. It's fluid as they come, the mechs feel weighty and powerful, but most importantly, it's CGI is seamlessly integrated. It really just ticks all the boxes for what animation should be for titles like 86. The action animation is fantastic, but there's no drop-off in quality for the scenes where it's just characters talking. Consistency is the key. For sound, I have nothing but praise. The voice acting is legitimately top notch, especially from Shouya Chiba, who gave an absolutely stellar performance as Shin. The SFX doesn't drop the ball either, especially from all the machinery of 86. The Legion sound like creepy robots, the spider mechs sound perfect, and the gunfire- I absolutely adored how powerful the gunfire sounded. All this praise and I haven't even talked about the music, so I'm just going to tell you it's incredible, as all Sawano soundtracks are. My personal favorite songs: OP2: Kyoukaisen by amazarashi, Insert Song: Voices of the Chord, and ED 1: Avid. Favorite Character: Shinei Nouzen/ Vladilena Milizé ~~~img(https://coolhdwall.com/storage/202105/86---eighty-six-shin-lena-hd-wallpaper-1920x1080-45.jpg)~~~ I don't think it's possible to have one without the other, so I just went with both, because they _are_ 86. This show simply doesn't work without them and their contradictory, yet strangely almost complimentary personalities. Lena is determined, righteous, adorable, and empathetic. She sees the injustice of the Republic and their treatment of the 86 and chooses to fix it. She doesn't get rattled by everyone laughing at her or telling her she's ruining her own life fighting for the 86. We spend nearly the entire first part from her perspective, learning about the 86 and the Spearhead Squadron. We watch her struggle, cry, and slowly break through to them. This is what makes her such a phenomenal character, we watch her through all the struggles. We know she's not the most amazing Handler, but we watch her become one. And by the end of the first season, we've watched her achieve some genuinely incredible feats both in compassion and leadership. The second part is mostly focused on Shin, his internal struggles such as the weight of his gift to hear the Legion's voices, his guilt and subsequent PTSD, and general sunny disposition towards life. Not to mention he thinks he lost his Discord girlfriend after the first part. Shin being the focal character shifts 86 towards a more character focused show, while part one didn't drop the ball in developing characters, it spent far more effort building the world and introducing you to its characters and forces. 86 really comes into it's own in the second part, almost the point where it's characters are Evangelion tier in my mind. 86 baits you into thinking you're going to watch a military mecha show, but instead you get a shoujo romance with trauma sprinkled on top. And it's works perfectly. It balances its own heaviness with the adorable fluff that is Shin and Lena's developing relationship, all while never losing sight of its own narrative. And it's the balance of these moments that make 86 so engaging. Take a show like Re:Zero, a nonstop depression show. It certainly has it's moments to break through the darkness, but I'd go so far as to say 86 does it leagues better. Not once in the show does it feel like 86 dramatically shifts its focus too hard in one direction. There is _always_ the threat of the Legion and the reality of death is never far behind. In fact, all the 86 in the show bring up this loose lease on life constantly. It's why the 86 can be so carefree, living their best lives, so to speak. The first part really shines with this blunt, rough honesty colliding with Lena's uptight, somewhat rigid behavior, as she tries to integrate herself into the squadron as both their Handler and their friend. I couldn't make any comments on anything disappointing with 86, because that would mean that there was something I was disappointed in. The only thing I could say is that it's disappointing more people aren't watching it and talking about it. 86 really deserves to be in the same echelon as industry titans like Attack on Titan, Jujustu Kaisen, and Demon Slayer right now. It probably never will be, but my hope is that a season 2 gets announced and more people give it a shot, opening their eyes to one of the best romance/trauma simulator shows around.

Narutonic

(Spoiler-free) #~~~Premise~~~ To combat a rampant army of robots and preserve their utopian society, the military creates casualty-free weapons - Intelligent, autonomous soldiers that will defend the people without the need for human bloodshed. --- #~~~How is the plot? ~~~ Not amazing. Not awful. Most of the narrative focuses on two groups of characters. One is an idealist female commander that has quickly risen through the ranks at a young age due to her tactical brilliance. The other is a group of societal outcasts who work on the front lines. The female commander is viewed as naive, to say the least. She does everything within her power to prevent the loss of the autonomous soldiers under her command and is shunned for it. Her story is about adhering to convictions under societal pressure and acceptable loss. The outcasts bring the narrative themes of duty and racial segregation into play. because they work the front lines, they are some of the only people in the country whose lives are in real danger as a result of the war. --- #~~~Discussion~~~ As I was watching the show, I was intrigued by the question, "What makes an artificial life less valuable than a natural one?" This was a missed opportunity with the show. I love philosophy, so I wrote a bunch of stuff about the missed opportunity in the About portion of my page. Check it out if you are interested If you want to read my thoughts on the characters, I wrote them below, but be warned. It is blunt. --- #~~~About the Characters!~~~ Not convincing to me. First, let me say that if you liked the characters, then don't read this. I don't want to ruin what you like. Again, please skip this if you liked the cast.

Here is every castmember in the entire show that got at least 4 minutes of meaningful screentime: - Adult = racist, complacent, jerk (abbreviated as RCJ for convenience) (3 acceptions over both seasons) - Teenager = victim of RCJ adults (3 acceptions over both seasons) - Kid = only 1 of these (Actually makes sense) For our 6 acceptions, are one of these: - Idealist leader designed to contrast the RCJ characters - Was an RCJ adult, but does the right thing in the end - Was a good character but turns out to be an RCJ teenager - Introduced so we could kill you off in the same episode (1 of these, but arguably more if we drop the 1-episode condition) This is a problem. Here's why. We just defined the entire cast as being (a) defined by their relation to RCJ or (b) expendable. That is not diverse. The concepts were not original. The execution was poor. Every time the female commander tried to intimodate someone, I cringed. She would threaten and blackmail when forced to, but none of her threats held any water and she was far from imposing. I could say more, but you get the picture. Enought of my deflation. Sorry if you liked them and read this anyway. I said not to.

xDanyul

~~~img350(https://www.slashfilm.com/img/gallery/86-eighty-six-is-one-of-the-best-war-anime-ever-made/intro-1638465386.jpg)~~~ ~~~This Review Contains Spoilers, Obviously~~~ ___ I am attempting to review almost all of the anime I've ever watched, starting at the top. My reviews will consist of critiquing writing quality as the foremost aspect of an anime with art (animation, art style, sound design/music) and entertainment value being secondary with the idea that if one is exceptionally great or terrible, it will be mentioned. In the end, I will add in a random category based on what I believe the anime did best, regardless of if the review is positive or not. ___ The first part of 86 is an anime that I feel a lot of people were divided on, at least from what I've seen. One group (myself included) saw it as anime of the year material while the other viewed it as a steaming pile of garbage. I think a lot of the disdain comes from how hard the anime seems to hammer the idea of "racism bad," into the viewer's skull when, obviously, racism is bad. I feel like this is a very surface-level judgment and will get into that more specifically in Lena's character review. This review won't have anything to do with Part 2, which I'll probably review after this, so don't worry about spoilers for that except for the aftermath of the last episode of this part of the season. I think this anime might be one of my favorite pieces of direction in all of anime, which is crazy considering it's the directorial debut for Toshimasa Ishii (he directed a music video before, but first anime lead directing role), but I'll get into the direction later. ___ # ~~~Characters~~~ ___ For this review, I'll be focusing specifically on Lena and Shin. It's not that the other characters don't matter, but their development is more of a slow burn in comparison to the ones in the spotlight. It also gives me the best chance to explain in detail why this anime actually did a good job when it comes to handling the themes it laid out in this part specifically. __ Lena Going to rip this band-aid off first. As I said, it's very surface level to say the show repeats the idea of "racism bad" too much because that very thing is why Lena is a well-written character. She's extremely naive in her beliefs and how she drives them forward, and the anime makes that clear. It isn't trying to deliver a message about how bad racism is, you can see that simply from watching, it's trying to show how flawed Lena's approach to dealing with it is. The majority of the time she is voicing her complaints to a different person than the previous time, though the main two are Annette and Jerome, her friend and superior officer respectively. They both call out her as naive, though for different reasons. Annette criticizes Lena on the basis that nothing that they do in particular matters in the grand scheme of things, even if she believes the treatment of the 86 is wrong. Lena is very outspoken when it comes to the atrocities being committed, but as Annette eventually points out, that's all she's doing. She isn't going out on the battlefield with the 86, but just commanding them from a safe and secure room while showering them with pity. You could compare Lena to the average Twitter user I suppose. All bark and no bite, she thinks speaking her mind is the way to change the world, even if the world around her refuses to move. Jerome is also of the opinion that nothing can change in regards to the treatment of the 86, and blames it on the country as a whole. His approach is a bit more cynical and he believes that the only way change can truly be brought to the Republic is through its destruction. The people of the Republic don't want war casualties or to participate in war themselves, and so with no other options, the 86 have to fight in their place. It's all to preserve the illusion of a utopia. It takes some time, but once Lena finally realizes that she's going to lose the few remaining soldiers she has left, her character arc finally takes hold of her personality and for the first time, Lena truly takes action. Guilt-tripping Annette into illegally using the mortars to help Shin and Co. take on the army of Legion in their path/defeat Shin's brother finally gives Lena the substance she needed as a character. Someone who not only truly believes in what she preaches, but is willing to go above and beyond to prove that. She might not be able to go to the battlefield, but she can do her best to truly support the ones she cares for. As I've said, Lena was naive, and so it's no wonder it took so long for it to get through to her what she needed to do all along. This was only one novel's worth of character, and so I believe it to be a good starting point for her, even if it annoyed some people. __ Shin Shin is a bit more awkward of a character to analyze in part one, but it at the very least sets the foundation for his growth in part two, so I'll go over how it did that. We get mainly introduced to Shin through the way other people view him. We only get so much insight into his thoughts as most of that is saved more for part 2, so we come to see him in the light that others do as we don't have anything else to go on. I think this is a beautiful setup for what his character becomes down the line. We never even really consider his feeling toward his role, he just does it, but we don't really know what he's thinking behind his cold gaze. He's the Reaper that takes pieces of those who fall by his side with him towards the final destination, the end of the war. The biggest issue shown though is that Shin is a very in-the-moment type of person. He has goals, but they don't span very far out. He's asked about what he wants to do when the war is over, if he has any dreams for the future, and he doesn't have an answer for that. Getting his brother back so that he can properly carry him toward the end is what's most important to him. I think it's only at the end of the first part that we realize what Shin is really after once he accomplished his base goal of getting his brother back. With no dream for the future, he leaves his friends to go be a distraction so they can continue moving forward. He later tells them at the start of part 2 that his intention wasn't to die, but even if he wasn't actively trying to, we all know the situation that he put himself in was a death sentence. The Reaper had no one to carry him forward, and so he wanted to find his stopping place, where there was no need to go anywhere else. Shin is also shrouded by a lot of mystery, mainly due to his ability that led to the creation of the PARA-Raid device used throughout the show, as well as his ability to locate Legion. It's more explored in part 2, so eventually when I review that, I can talk more in detail about this mystery. ___ # ~~~Art~~~ ___ A-1 Pictures is pretty well known as an anime studio and they have done good work on a multitude of titles, and they continued that with 86. The general animation quality was good and the CGI used for the mechs was well incorporated. It would have been near impossible to hand animate the mechs, so it was good that they had quality CGI to help out. There weren't any single scenes that blew me out of the water with animation quality, but it was consistent throughout and that's the most important part. I liked the art style overall. I don't have much to say about it though as it didn't really add or take anything away. The most impressive part of the art side of things to me is for sure the OST for this anime. It was a Sawano OST so you already knew it was going to slap, but this might be some of the best music in all of anime for me, at least from what I've watched. It's not only just the songs but the way that they are incorporated into the anime that makes it so special to me. Avid was probably my ending of the year for 2021 if Nai Nai from Shadow's House didn't exist. Overall, a job well done on the artistic side of things from A-1. ___ # ~~~Entertainment Value~~~ ___ I don't think there was ever a dull moment for me during this anime. Whether it was building up its world or characters, or showing off the mobility of the Juggernaut machines the 86 used in combat, I was glued to the screen the entire time. I find it hard to get bored of anything regardless, but this anime will keep you engaged. ___ # ~~~Direction~~~ ___ For the one thing this anime did best, it was for sure the directing. I mentioned earlier that it was the director's debut and boy did he outdo himself. I mentioned that the music was used to perfection, but I think the reason it all felt so clean was because of how cinematic this anime was. I don't care much for movies themselves, but the feel of certain movies is an attention grab for me. That's a bit vague of an explanation but I don't know how else to put it. It made the war feel real. 86 was an absolute experience. The most impressive thing is that this is a light novel adaptation that actually wanted to adapt instead of advertise. Most adaptations will go through as many novels as possible to reach a certain point, but 86 part 1 was practically just one novel. I believe the end adapted some of Volume 2, but by the time part 2 ends at episode 23, there were only 3 novels used. That's 2 cours of anime that used half as much as most 2 cour do. I'll never get over how this anime was put together, it was one of my favorite experiences in all of the shows I've seen. ___ # ~~~Conclusion~~~ ___ I liked this part more than part 2 by just a small bit as it kept the cinematic feel consistent through the whole part as well as a consistent tone. Part 2 is still great and I'll get into that review eventually, but for now, I'm singing the absolute praises of Part 1. I believe this to be a masterful adaptation of just as quality source material and I'm hoping that this anime one day gets a Season 2. I hope anyone who disliked the anime read through what I wrote down and gave it some thought, and perhaps even changed their view. You're allowed not to like something, but please give it a fair shot. 86 really is great, trust me. ___

Kleinz

~~~⚠️ Spoilers for __86 Cour 1__ ⚠️ If you have not watched the series' first cour, skip to the ___"Would I recommend this?"___ section.~~~ __~~~Hi! This is my 2nd review on AniList, so again, I might make some mistakes.~~~__ ~~~This is part of a 2-part review, with the first review covering the first cour, and the second covering the second cour.~~~ ~~~[Part 1](https://anilist.co/review/17133) | ~~Part 2~~~~~ ~~~img100%(https://i.imgur.com/Gqq6KYv.png)~~~ ~~~__86 Eighty-Six Cour 1__~~~ # __Contents__ - Background - Story - Characters - Visuals - OST - Flaws - Final Thoughts - Would I recommend this? __(Spoiler-free)__ # __Background__ ~~~img100%(https://i.imgur.com/sQFeJhD.png)~~~ ~~~I heard about 86 for the first time a few months ago from one of my classmates, having heard about it, I decided to check out the synopsis and first episode, I wasn't impressed if I'm being honest, and paused it as I was under the impression that it was a generic war mecha anime with elements of racism and discrimination thrown in. Nonetheless, I paused it indefinitely, for a few months. Of course, I wouldn't have a Lena profile picture at the time of writing this if I still had that view of the show. img100%(https://i.imgur.com/7orZSDL.png) After one meeting for school, I decided to scroll around Netflix as I sometimes do, I end up coming across 86. And after rewatching episode 1 and watching episode 2, I saw something more in this anime than just a generic war mecha anime, it is a story that goes much deeper than that.~~~ # __Story__ ~~~img100%(https://i.imgur.com/1ClYcxB.png) The Republic of San Magnolia has been at war with the Empire of Giad's creations, the "Legion", for years. The "Legion" are autonomous drones developed by the Empire of Giad. In response to this, the Republic has developed their own autonomous drones, the "Juggernauts". img100%(https://i.imgur.com/a4Py4j9.png) The Republic boasts to their citizens, their achievements in the battlefield, and the superiority of their autonomous drones. There's one catch, all of this is propaganda. The "Juggernauts" of the Republic that are supposedly autonomous and unmanned aren't actually that. img100%(https://i.imgur.com/ze0MDEw.png) The Republic of San Magnolia is home to a race of people called the "Alba" with their signature silver hair. img100%(https://i.imgur.com/aDEBBta.png) That begs the question, where are the other races? All people who are not of the "Alba" race, are placed into the 86th district of the Republic, essentially an internment camp. They are discriminated by the Alba people as being "pigs who failed to evolve" and they are not considered as human. img100%(https://i.imgur.com/XPwDKVp.png) These people, called the __"Eighty-Six"__ are sent to war with the autonomous "Legion" of the empire, because of their designation as "non-human" by the Alba, and by extension, the Republic, the drones they operate are considered "unmanned". Another part of the lie of the Republic, is their so-called "achievements" against the Legion, in battles against the Legion, the Juggernauts typically lose more "units" than the Legion. The Republic expects the war to end in a few years time due to the hard-coded time limit on the Legion units, although one thing they don't know is that the Legion can use the brains of the deceased to get around that, as the Legion replicated the human brain structure in order to create an autonomous war machine, it was theoretically possible for them to use actual brains. img100%(https://i.imgur.com/xXADHGu.png) Given the usage of the Eighty-Six for war, it begs the question, where is the real army of the Republic? They have none that is functioning, they force the Eighty-Six to do their bidding in the war. Their so-called Republic "soldiers" serve as "Handlers" commanding the Eighty-Six in battles against the Legion, these Republic soldiers however work in the safety of the first district, that is commanding the Eighty-Six remotely. Aside from Handlers, the Eighty-Six in war are split into squadrons, each squadron has a commander. img100%(https://i.imgur.com/56Aq9g4.png) img100%(https://i.imgur.com/xDHILOa.png) That brings us to this story's main characters, __Shinei Nouzen__, and __Vladilena Milizé__~~~ # __Characters__ ~~~img100%(https://i.imgur.com/PoMvRiS.png) __Shinei Nouzen__ Spearhead Squadron's combat commander, nicknamed "Shin", personal name "Undertaker" Arguably my most favorite character, although not due to the first cour of 86, arguably I didn't think he got his character fleshed out much in this cour, so I can't really say much about his character here. He's interesting to say the least, as while being the Spearhead Squadron's combat commander, he has the ability to hear the voices of the Legion, allowing him to know of an attack in advance, as well as hearing the words they speak. img100%(https://i.imgur.com/lbogu98.png) __Vladilena Milizé__ A soldier of the Republic, Spearhead Squadron's Handler, nicknamed "Lena". ~~shin's discord girlfriend~~ Lena is an Alba, as evident by her status in the Republic as a "Soldier", but unlike the Alba populace, she has sympathy for the people of the 86th district, those who aren't of the "Alba" race. Ultimately, she is the most developed character of the first cour, coming to understand the feelings of the Eighty-Six much deeply than before. While there are a lot more characters who I do think deserve some attention, that would make this a review too long, and I'm honestly too lazy. I'll settle with the two main characters, as they are also my favorites in the series. ~~~ # __Visuals__ ~~~Now on the visuals, the visuals are actually excellent, it captures the beauty of the series perfectly. img100%(https://i.imgur.com/W4JmdRk.png) The environment, the movements of the characters, the character designs themselves, when they all fit together, it gives the series an aspect of beauty~~~ #__OST__ ~~~The OST is BEAUTIFUL, it was one of the most impressive aspects of the series for me, lets take the ED "Avid" for example. webm(https://files.catbox.moe/tc7ss9.mp4) _Credits to [Harthlock](https://anilist.co/user/Harthlock) for the audio visualizer for Avid_ Beautiful, right? That's only one. Trust me, the entire OST is beautiful. ~~~ #__Flaws__ ~~~As much as I adore 86 for it's story, it's OST, there is notable flaws. The biggest of flaws was in well, the first episode. I think the show only found its footing in the second episode, the first episode blasted us with terms we didn't understand "Eighty-Six" "Para-RAID", and confusing us with the actual premise. Because of that flaw, I paused/kind of soft-dropped it after the first episode, it was only after I gave it a second chance that I was able to look past that flaw. Another you could say "flaw", is that they kill off way too much people without even making you care about them, their deaths didn't resonate with the watcher as much as they would have had they fleshed out the characters more before killing them off. It makes them seem like a pretext for the story, just a plot device.~~~ #__Final Thoughts__ ~~~86 is the first mecha anime I've watched so I'm not really familiar with the genre, but in terms of anime, the story is fairly unique, in terms of how it presents themes of racism, oppression, and war in the face of a common enemy, sure it has been done before, but 86 did it really well. As for how much I enjoyed the series, quite a lot, in addition to the story, there's also the OST and visuals, which when combined with the story makes the series emotional to the watcher. I wouldn't call the first cour a masterpiece in on itself. The whole series tho? Definitely a masterpiece, to find out why, check out the second cour.~~~ #__Would I recommend this?__ ~~~Yes, very much. My advice, don't get turned off by the first episode, it's an awesome series, the OST, visuals, it's banger dude. __Go watch it!!__ img100%(https://i.imgur.com/nYvAueE.png) img100%(https://i.imgur.com/Y2MbzQU.png)~~~ _P.S: not really proud of this review tbh, i feel like i wasn't able to get out what i feel about 86 to the fullest extent, but this is as much as i can manage. i'll work on my review for the second cour soon, hopefully it's a review i would actually be proud of_

tooborderline

~~~Introduction 86 is an anime that could easily be another bad made mecha anime with terrible cgi and a crapy plot that tries to throw in a really bad life lesson. After watching it I can guarantee its the exact opposite. ____ Story (20/20) 86 has a really unique story that you wouldn't expect. "A war without any victims" is the concept that the aristocracy of the nature of the government in 86 tries to follow. It follows the story of an aristocrat called Vladilena Milizé. img(https://i.imgur.com/N4qHWYE.jpg) Lena, is born between the powerful side of this war. That side, the 85 tribes, are in a war as said before, and they raise the state to live in the illusion that the war goes on with no victims. This anime proves that there is no war like that. The 86th tribe, get their humanism taken away by the powerful ones, and they are forced to fight for the ones who got the power against the enemies. img(https://animecorner.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Screenshot-587-1.jpg.webp) They are guided by choosen people from the other 85th tribes, and guess what one of them is Lena. If you think thats complicated enough then you will be suprised by the mystery and the drama thrown in, the hopeless romance, opening new windows of the plot, making it even bigger. You have the chance to watch the plot from the prespective of both of the side, something that makes you question of whats right and whats wrong, who is the villain and who is the hero. The anime throws in themes such as racism and tyrany, child abuse and the list goes on. Its not your typical millitary anime, it goes deeper into detail, about the real pain and self-sacrifice you have to go through during the war, that the power of friendship isnt enough to go against the monsterous nature of humanity, and finishing this anime you are left with a bunch of life lessons, and a small piece of hope.img(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/61/0a/63/610a635bd98af49a3eef061f3aaafd37.jpg) Now you would think this plot would fit just great into a 24 episode anime. But no, the first part is completed with absolute no plot holes within 11 episodes. You would think that this would be a problem for the anime pacing, but no this anime was anything but rushed. The story telling is beautiful and excellently told. ____ Characters (20/20) The characters are another mesmerising gift given to us by the 86 creators. Each character, develops based on the development of the characters around them, if that makes sense. They are all kids that have to stand the situation they are put in. They all develop as they learn from not only their friends, but their supposed enemies. They realize that their enemy is not the people around them, but themselves as they torture their thoughts and their heart while not being able to be free. They are the ones that can free themselves, thats something that they all realize in the end. img(https://areajugones.sport.es/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/86-eighty-six.jpg) There is no boring character in the anime, they are all different from each other giving the viewers a lot of different characters to like, meaning even the viewer with the weirdest taste will like at least one of them. Also the retionship developed between some characters is admirable, friends to enemies, enemies to friends, strangers to lovers, you never know what to expect from this anime.img(https://starcrossedanime.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Eighty-Six-9.9.jpg) Each and every kind of relationship twists is portrayed on this anime. All the characters hide secrets, as the characters try to find trustworthy allies on their survival journey, the viewers, similarly try to understand who to trust and who to not and even if you can trust anyone at all. ____ Animation (20/20) The animation of this anime is flawless. The beautiful scenes portraying the seconds of peace that could be found during the disaster, it feels like an amazing work of art of a famous artist, that tried to show his depression through hypnotising art. img(https://starcrossedanime.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Eighty-Six-10.9.jpg) After something really overwhelming, scenes like that show up and calm the viewers racing heartbeat while leaving a feeling of full emptiness, if that even makes sense at all. img(https://otakugo.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/86-eighty-six-tap-5-1-1-1024x576-1.jpg) People try to use the cgi robots as a point to make 86's worth lower, but even if there is some cgi, its very little and its done very well. ____ Sound (10/10) The soundtrack as-well as the voice acting is exactly how a perfect sound overall should be like in an anime. The emotions of the characters are portrayed perfectly, a blind person that doesn't know Japanese could understand just as well as a person that can see, the pain and the regret on the character's hopeless screams and rages. The soundtrack is a peaceful melody that shows the calm before the storm. The peacefulness in the disaster. The innocence in the pain. ____ World Building (10/10) The world building is...incredible. Beautiful landscapes here and there that are very aesthetically pleasing and calming to the eye. The battle fields are created excellently, and they really help the battles progress even more smoothly.img(https://lrmonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/86-Anime-5-1024x576.png) The buildings give a different atmosphere to the vibe of the anime, adding to it a nostalgic yet awesome vibe. ____ Enjoyment (20/20) 86:EIGHTY SIX is an anime that i believe everyone will enjoy no matter their taste in anime. Thats because it successfully adds a lot of different kinds of genres here and there through the episodes, such as romance, drama, psychological, action and even horror. But if you ask me, its my favourite anime and thats because the emotions that get created to me by it are multiple. Summed up in my opinion its a must watch. So adding up 20+20+20+10+10+20=100~~~

Hikinnari

# __~~~86: Eighty Six (Part I)~~~__ ~~~_``"Um drama militar emocionante"``_~~~ ~~~img(https://s4.anilist.co/file/anilistcdn/media/anime/cover/large/bx116589-WSpNedJdAH3L.jpg)~~~ ~~~_``"Esta review contém spoilers"``_~~~ # __Introdução:__ A história de _86: Eighty Six_ se passa em um futuro distópico na República de Santa Magnólia, que está em guerra contra o Império de Giad, que contém um exército de drones não tripulados autônomos, _"A Legião"_. Na República, a sociedade está divida entre os _Alba_ (aqueles que tem sangue puro) e os _Eighty Six_ (pessoas de outras etnias). Por conta da discriminação e falta de recursos na República, os _Eighty Six_ foram usados pelos _Alba_ para serem cobaias de experimentos e serem lançados na linha de frente de batalha para morrer, como se fossem animais. --- # __Animação/Direção/Trilha Sonora (9.7/10):__ A produção do anime ficou responsável pelo estúdio A1-Pictures, que fez um excelente trabalho. A animação do anime é consistente, fluida e acima da média (as partes dos robôs em CGI é extremamente bem feita e não atrapalha a experiência do expectador). Portanto, acho importante falar que a animação não é algo do nível dos estúdios _Kyoto Animation_ e _Ufotable_. A direção é um dos __maiores__ diferenciais de _86: Eighty Six_, sendo superior a vários animes de peso, ela empolga, emociona e torna a experiência de assistir o anime simplesmente fenomenal. Isso acontece também por conta de sua trilha sonora, que é sensacional e muito bem utilizada. O design dos personagens são muito bonitos, mas não me deixam maravilhado. --- # __Roteiro (9.8/10):__ O roteiro do anime é muuuito bom, cada episódio tem um plot twist diferente, os diálogos são muito bons, o ritmo de adaptação é excelente e agradável (não comete aquele erro das coisas acontecerem muito devagar ou muito rápido). A dinâmica da série de mostrar a perspectiva dos _Eighty Six_ e depois a da Lena é muito boa. --- # __Personagens (9.4/10):__ Os personagens de _86: Eighty Six_ são bastante carismáticos e funcionam bem na história. O anime tem 2 protagonistas: ~~~__Vladilena Milizé _"Lena"___~~~ ~~~img220(https://s4.anilist.co/file/anilistcdn/character/large/b141061-jqIhB9jmClQ3.png)~~~ ~~~Ela é sensacional, uma excelente protagonista! Não cai naquele clichê de personagem feminina que não faz nada, ela é extremamente ativa na história. Uma das cenas que me fez gostar mais ainda da Lena foi quando ela manipulou a Rita para que ela a ajudasse a salvar o esquadrão Spearhead.~~~ ~~~__Shinei Nouzen _"Shin"___~~~ ~~~img220(https://s4.anilist.co/file/anilistcdn/character/large/b141060-ZJFvHqBBSvhN.png)~~~ ~~~Ele é um protagonista bem daora e que está sendo muito bem desenvolvido, funciona muito bem junto da Lena, mas ainda não se tornou "WOW!!! Meu personagem favorito!" (isso acontece na parte 2). Todo o arco dele com o seu irmão mais velho é bom e serviu para um baita desenvolvimento do personagem.~~~ --- # __Erros do anime:__ - O episódio 1 é bem mediano (nota 6), ele não consegue explicar alguns temas e conceitos da série. Os outros episódios são excelentes (nota 9-10); - Não vejo sentido no tio da Lena colocar ela num esquadrão tão problemático, ele não se importava com ela?; - A cena da morte do Daiya Irma faltou mais impacto (o luto dos personagens depois é o que dá o peso para o acontecimento); - A abertura tem uma música bem zuada e que não combina com o clima do anime: ~~~youtube(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZIMFWAxMxQ)~~~ --- # __Conclusão:__ Finalizando, _86: Eighty Six_ é um ótimo anime, trabalha muito bem seus personagens e empolga, empolga muito!!!! (macho....eu fiquei triste com a morte de um ROBÔ). Se tornou um dos meus animes favoritos! #~~~Minha nota final é __96__~~~