The second cour of 86: Eighty Six.
Having bid Lena farewell, Shin and the surviving members of the Spearhead squadron continue into the
heart of Legion territory. There, they endure countless hardships until they're rescued by the Federal
Republic of Giad, a reformed nation that offers them a second chance at a peaceful life. But it isn't
long before a sense of duty calls the Eighty-Six back to the battlefield. Choosing to enlist in the
military, they willingly walk back through the gates of hell, this time joined by a peculiar new
ally-Frederica Rosenfort: a haughty young girl with a rare ability and wisdom far beyond her
years.
(Source: Yen Press)
Note: The last two episodes were originally set to air in the first two weeks of January 2022, but
were postponed to the second and third week of March due to production issues.
Many of times, shows that get derailed by production and scheduling issues end up having poor or rushed endings. We’ve seen this with Wonder Egg Priority, and The Promised Neverland Season 2, both of which got massively rushed due to poor production. I’m glad that this second cour of 86 did not fall into that hell, despite the huge delay before the last two episodes. The high quality did not falter throughout, and we as fans can all appreciate such a thing. My grading criteria: Story: /25 Art: /10 Music: /10 Characters: /20 Enjoyment /15 Thematic Execution /20 STORY: 21.5/25 This takes all the good war themes from Part 1 and expands upon them. This time, there are in fact, scenes outside just simple fighting, as our characters attempt to reintegrate themselves into society. A lot of the narrative is realistic, as the characters struggle with war memories, the rush of fighting, and the feeling of not being on the battlefield. There isn’t much to be said here, the narrative continues to be as solid as ever, and while there are spots that were a little boring for me personally, the story is able to suck you into a world of war and many other things as well, and of course, what I can say about the emotional reunion of Spearhead and Handler One? ART: 9.4/10 An improvement to part 1. Fight scenes are spectacular, background shots are spectacular, just great. MUSIC: 9.3/10 Sawano’s soundtrack continues to impress, even if it’s much of the same. Opening and ending themes really set the stage and ended episodes on an emotional note. CHARACTERS: 16.0/20 With a smaller cast of characters this cour, it felt easier to keep up and allow the characters to leave a stronger impression on me. Shin continues to struggle with being “The Undertaker”, breaking as many of his companions have left him behind, which is a very gripping thing to watch, and it’s great to see the development. We also have a new addition to the cast, Frederica, and she compliments the cast pretty well. She’s lightens the mood a bit, keeps Shin in check, and has her own set of problems that plague her. The other characters have their moments, but give off much of the same vibe we have seen throughout the series, and continue to be enjoyable to watch. ENJOYMENT: 12/15 Despite the delay in between, my immersion was not broken severely, and I found myself right back to enjoying the show after the long break. THEMATIC EXECUTION: 17/20 The wartime theme is executed in a brilliant manner, on and off the battlefield. It’s gripping, realistic, painful to watch, and emotional. The dialogue is great, and the world of 86 is great. OVERALL: 85.2/100 It was definitely a shame that there were many interruptions in between the show, but the quality remained very good throughout. As was the same with Part 1 for me, some spots did feel a bit repeated or long-winded, especially as Shin’s struggles are portrayed to us, but regardless of that, there is simply a lot of good in this show, and if you enjoyed Part 1, chances are Part 2 will be even more immersive!
For almost a year I followed 86, looking for something better in this new decadent age of anime. Still, anyone who's followed my content, the tiny amount who are out there, know that I have been on the frontlines as a critic of it. Not for the sake of it, but the reasons that follow: Season 1 showed me, as painful as it was to see, one of the worst first episodes I ever saw. The legion are an ocean of copy paste, hideous CGI robots that lack any kind of originality in how lazy they are designed. They are hollow with no depth besides being evil in an aimless manner. I still have so many questions. If the robot designs had any creativity behind them, I would not get constantly confused between who is on which side. All this copy paste ruined any chance the CGI had to be decent. The first half of this first season was so painfully boring. Yes, it did "get better" halfway. Regardless, the terrible start ruined it. It reminds me that every series I ever came to really enjoy had a strong first episode. I can only take so many slide show, flapping mouth infested still frames scenes, and fake out deaths that felt annoying in how often they happened. Not even Sawano's brilliant music can salvage it, not to mention he oftentimes lacks creativity and sounds the same too much of the time. A simple example is the similarity between "Ego" from Gundam Unicorn and "Avid" from this series. The politics in this so called political series is laughable compared to those that did it right like Legend of the Galactic Heroes and Mobile Suit Gundam. Even the elementary politics of Code Geass is better than this. Milize is so painfully politically naïve and still has not grown much at all. Considering she was rebelling in class and trying to radicalize her peers, why didn't the government try to assassinate her? It only makes sense to weed out her type. No, girls doing cute things isn't enough in an anime to sway me if they lack good writing. Season 2 failed and did worse were season 1 fell apart. I get it. The 86 are broken individuals used to only war and the misery that maybe one day me and you will come to experience. I didn't need this force fed into me time and time again. Amongst this depressive tone, boring slice of life episodes made their way in. The problem with the 86 is that Shin is the only one that really matters and who has any kind of real development. The rest have been reduced to background characters. They are just there. One of the biggest problems with season 2 is that Milize, the best character in my opinion, was nearly absent the entire time. The 86 could not hold the anime without her, Shin lost all his development from the last season for a long time, and it continued with boring slide show execution. I thought a series like this would have better production values. I could tell the delay was coming far before it got announced because it was obvious the production was already struggling beforehand. Yet, if there is some hope that laid anywhere in this second season, it's the last two episodes. No, I did not forget how bad this second season had been after the long absence to know that I wouldn't be deceived by one good episode. The payoff here is deceiving. The last episode also did well. Out of two seasons, at least this series had two strong episodes. Why couldn't this level of quality be had throughout every episode? They were emotional, and yet I felt nothing really meaningful behind it. Just because you cried doesn't make an anime good if there is no real meaning and good writing behind it. Maybe the cast has grown on me, and yet I feel as if they have grown on me on a hollow and not so meaningful way. They lack any depth and feel as if they are just something I got used to that feels familiar. To make matters worse, an annoying little girl was introduced, who's screeching and obnoxious voice ruined any hope I had left at the time. As I witnessed the constant decline this series took among the viewers, at least it ended strong. That won't be enough to salvage it, and though I tried to be nice, I cant deny that 90% of these two seasons were trash, to put it as nicely as I can.
~~~ ##__86 EIGHTY-SIX Season 2__ img(https://files.catbox.moe/wfka8t.gif) . _I Won’t let you die_ . There are a lot of things I want to say about this series, but I’ll try to keep it as concise as possible. Every part of this show left me speechless. I couldn't believe I could feel this passionate about a show ever since Made In Abyss, but here we are now. 86 was a show that had a lot to offer, whether it be its in-depth story telling, the significant growth of each and every character through their trials and tribulations, the relationships shared between each of the cast and heck, even the more materialistic stuff such as animations, soundtrack, etc. Now, I haven’t watched my fair share of mecha, regardless of which I can confidently say that this is a competitor for being considered one of the best in the genre. This show genuinely gave me the feeling that everyone working on it had nothing but love and passion for this series, and that’s what made this a masterpiece in my eyes. Eighty Six has achieved heights most adaptations could only ever dream of achieving and set the bar for future light novel adaptations. Taking inspiration from World War II Germany, 86 is a show that gives you an insight into a future where war dominates the world. A world where death on the battlefield is most significant. A world where racism & segregation is the norm, a tragic tale of being forced onto the battlefield even before getting a proper grasp on life. This show leaves you thinking a lot about such events that occur throughout, and for me personally, it has left a very lasting impression that won't falter for a very long time to come. . _Don’t leave me_ . The very first thing I’m gonna get into is the animations in 86. As expected from A-1 Pictures, they did not miss in the slightest with the animations, especially in episode 11 (which I will go more into later). As for the CGI, while I was initially concerned about the use of CGI for the legion troops before I started watching the show, this easily turned out to be some of the best CGI i’ve ever seen, with amazing attention to details and fluid movement, which makes it almost impossible for me to imagine 86 without the CGI legions, which would feel worse. That is something that I would usually never say about CGI. Besides that, the show had really beautiful sceneries and many wallpaper worthy shots throughout the show. . _I won’t forget.._ . The second season of 86 (or part 2 at this point I don't know anymore) gave more significance to Shin and his gang in contrast to season 1, which gave almost equal significance to both Lena and the spearhead squadron. While I was initially slightly disappointed to see the lack of Lena, that disappointment soon faded to nothing as the plot began picking up its pace and I got heavily invested in the spearhead squadrons life beyond the republic. Though with that being said, the true star of the show was Shin. Throughout the show, we get to see Shin grow substantially as an individual, to find the meaning of life beyond killing his brother and to go from an emotionless battle machine to becoming someone that does not have to be dependent on his brother in order to keep moving forward in life, coming to appreciate several other things which he otherwise would not have before. Now we know that even though he wouldn't stop being as reckless as he is, he would atleast stop putting himself into suicidal situations, and the person mainly responsible for bringing such a change in him is none other than our queen Lena When we talk about character development, we most certainly cannot forget about Lena. We get to observe in both seasons just how much Lena has grown. From learning how simply compassion is not enough to bring a change and realizing her own limitations in the process, refusing to let the fact that she is a minority amongst the alba stop her. Over the course of the two seasons she has time and time again proven to us how she went from a person who we could respect to a person we could truly respect AND look up to. . _I won’t forget..._ . img(https://c.tenor.com/vjrzw8o_3rYAAAAC/86anime-shin.gif) I feel like I need to dedicate one section to just episode 11, simply because of the piece of art it was. Going into a 3 month hiatus was considered to be critical damage to 86 as a show, but with its return 3 months later, it transcended all expectations and silenced all critics. The beginning parts of the episode gave us an insight into Shins mentality, using several unorthodox means particularly such as the aspect ratio (black bars) and more throughout the episode. Now, I won't be going too deep into every bit of information from the episode as that would take too long, but the episode was filled to the brim with symbolism, and i'm sure even now I still haven't found most of the things that Ishii tried to convey with this episode regardless of the countless amounts of times I rewatched this episode. As someone who's read the light novel, I can confidently say that the anime and especially this episode were way better than the light novel version of events. Though the LN is amazing, the anime took things one step further. Another thing worth mentioning was the soundtrack used in one particular scene. The usage of the OST "Voices Of The Chord" was simply perfect for the moment and genuinely left me with tears in my eyes when the scene happened. That scene had so much impact mainly because you could tell something changed within Shin once he found out Lena was still alive and when she told him he should still be proud of himself for fighting and surviving till the end. . _I won’t forget..._ . Since we are on the topic of soundtracks, I might as well give credits to the man behind the musical masterpiece himself, Hiroyuki Sawano. Those who keep up with the anime industry on a regular basis surely have heard of this name. That is because he has made the soundtrack for many popular shows such as Attack on Titan which were incredible good, and yet again he delivered in full force with his soundtrack for 86. His soundtrack added so much impact in several moments, particularly one I mentioned above and elevated my enjoyment even further, not to mention even composing the two EDs in season 1 which too were amazing. Along with that, I should give credit to Kohta Yamamoto who's also composed for popular shows such as AOT and who composed around half of the soundtracks for 86 alongside Sawano. Both of them did an incredible job. Some of my favorite 86 tracks by them are "Voices Of The Chord", "The Answer", "8SIX" and "Region". . _I won’t forget...._ . In conclusion, no matter which direction you look at this show from, whether it be its story, animations or soundtrack, this show is the true definition of a masterpiece, easily the best light novel adaptation I have ever seen and a show I can confidently call the undisputed goat of 2021. I am really grateful to the original author Asato sensei, the director Ishii Toshimasa and everyone else that was involved in creating this masterpiece, and I look forward to seeing more from them in the near future. Since the anime had a perfect conclusion, I wouldn't complain a lot if we never get a sequel but even so I really hope that one day we can see another masterpiece of a season, and I will be eagerly waiting for that day no matter how long it takes, be it 2 years or even 4. . _.....I won’t forget.._ ~~~
~~~
#__WHY YOU SHOULD WATCH 86__
Here are 5 major reasons why you should watch 86. This is relatively spoiler-free since I don't really
discuss plot points but don't quote me on that.
img400(https://preview.redd.it/k57o43u6u7v71.jpg?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=31da1a81aab5a1bf3b4cf693b578f29725784892)
#__No. 1: Part 2/ Season 2's OP__
#__・…━━━━━━━━━━☆☆━━━━━━━━━━…・__
Honestly, I only decided to watch/read this series after putting it on hold for so long because of
s2's op. I had heard that there were so many hidden spoilers in it and the song seemed pretty cool, so
I decided to read the LN and I'm really glad I read the LN before actually watching the show. S2's OP
is so good omg. I honestly tear up just from watching the OP. The song and the visuals themselves very
accurately capture and represent a majority of the emotions and concepts this current arc is trying to
portray. LN readers know what I'm talking about. Even if you haven't read the LN, as the show
progresses you'll notice things about the OP with each episode so it's low-key like a present with
many layers that keeps unwrapping itself and I love that sm.
youtube(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tA0EEJj4hU0)
#__No. 2: THE ANIMATION/VISUALS/VISUAL SYMBOLISM/ DIRECTING__
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With each episode, A-1 Pictures studio really manages to impress me with the crazy amount of
foreshadowing and detailing that goes into the scenes of the anime. MY GOD THE LEVEL OF DETAIL! They
really pay so much attention to detail and I think that shows how much effort they really put into
this adaptation. That's really impressive. There are a lot of examples but I'll give a few:
__The stop on the tracks __
at this point in the anime, shin can't see a reason to live and he becomes more and more suicidal with
every mission. The stop on the tracks symbolizes how he cant see a way forward in his life.
img(https://i.imgur.com/NwxiGdj.png)
__The parallels with lena's glass box and the memorial:__
img(https://preview.redd.it/t36bkuoxzzt71.jpg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=952842fb8a38746f217171b7a0801a68bfb14378)
img(https://preview.redd.it/50l2uzwxzzt71.jpg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=df71d7c0ac3f899def3bcd6c75e3d697de7813ea)
__The parallels of lena's environment here (in s1ep1 and s1ep4):__
I think it represents the change in her state of mind after what happened in s1 ep4.In the first,
she's this idealistic and naive young woman who still has faith in her efforts to right wrongs. In the
second, she has seen her illusions crumble and faced the stark reality of the 86 situation. This is
the end of old Lena, a new one was born when she faced Spearhead squadron and apologized.
img(https://preview.redd.it/fmtak8ivzmw61.png?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=34d0d732b98404a158357412861b3cfad4f05eb1)
__Kiriya/Morpho__
in this shot when they were talking about Kiriya becoming a legion. the name of the unit kiriya became
is called a morpho and they showed a morpho butterfly here. It's crazy foreshadowing.
img(https://preview.redd.it/e3hwlzuva9v71.png?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=f4069d81afe100118983f65dbdf164ee177ba123)
__Lena's military sketches__
A-1 Pictures went above and beyond when they showed Lena's notebook sketches around the 10:55
timestamp of s1 ep5. Those sketches use NATO Joint Military Symbology. And it's not just some random
picture they copied off the internet. The sketch depicts 1st Squadron, a mechanized anti-tank unit,
attacking an enemy mechanized anti-tank regiment; two enemy squadrons are contained (restricted from
maneuvering) because the bridges in front of them are impassable; and 2nd and 3rd Platoon maneuver
across the far-right bridge and attack their flank.
img(https://preview.redd.it/pfozph1xamy61.png?width=1809&format=png&auto=webp&s=05150e52ee5a21f7942e21c7fb90863ab34cd146)
Besides detailing and foreshadowing, the way some episodes are structured are just so well done. This
adaptation used so many film elements and tools to really bring the light novel to life. This is
especially noticeable in episode 11 of part 2 with the brilliant use of aspect ratios (the black/white
bars). [This twitter thread goes more into detail on
it](https://twitter.com/exaenae/status/1502787578986209281) It was very creative.
img400(https://i.imgur.com/YZ19eiH.png)
#__No. 3: DIVERSE THEMES__
#__・…━━━━━━━━━━☆☆━━━━━━━━━━…・__
Lmao honestly it's almost like I'm writing a paper on why I love 86 at this point but imma still
continue. Honestly guys I'm still reeling from ep5 of part 2. [(check out this twitter thread that
expands more on this)](https://twitter.com/Jaereku/status/1454531915927728135) That episode really
highlighted all the things I love about 86. As an LN reader, 86 is one of the few stories that
attracts a wide audience since it has military action, compelling characters, themes on racism, and
the effects on its victims (Shin and the 86 lacking a future to live for), and lastly a decently
well-developed romance. All these elements and somewhat heavy themes mixed together make for a really
great story. I especially love how realistic this show portrays the effects of war PTSD on its victims
(check out this [reddit
post](https://www.reddit.com/r/EightySix/comments/q6nk29/86_through_the_eyes_of_a_combat_vet/) that
goes more into detail on that). No other anime comes close to this level of detail and realism besides
maybe Violet Evergarden.
#__No. 4: THE CHARACTERS__
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This show has such fun and engaging characters that are really well written and fleshed out. They get
you so emotionally invested in this show. They're all going through such different things. AND IT GETS
BETTER IN THE LIGHT NOVEL. THESE CHARACTERS ARE ALWAYS ALWAYS GROWING and we grow along side them as
well.
My favorite character is Shin. I just love his development the most. It's absolutely stunning. Here
are some shots of his development over time.
img400(https://i.imgur.com/vRtcfNq.png)
img400(https://i.imgur.com/qWuZ1jH.png)
img400(https://i.imgur.com/vDPngEo.png)
IMG400(https://i.imgur.com/I2lwW1t.png)
img400(https://i.imgur.com/S82SbL8.png)
img400(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/a1/f6/c6/a1f6c668ac3a98a4a4c683818ec53f76.jpg)
this particular shot of shin x kiri really makes me tear up every time I think deeply about it.
there's just so much going on in this shot T.T
img400(https://i.imgur.com/dvR8844.png)
img400(https://i.imgur.com/z5VhwCs.png)
img400(https://i.imgur.com/I827P4m.png)
img400(https://i.imgur.com/34L7Orz.png)
#__No. 5: THE MUSIC__
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Not really much to say here but the OST for this show is fucking amazing. EVERY SINGLE SONG FITS THE
DIFFERENT ASPECTS AND EMOTIONS OF THIS SHOW PERFECTLY, ITS KINDA INSANE. Here are some of my favs
youtube(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0CqY27IFyo)
youtube(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfOsUNxc2Xg)
youtube(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0FeEmfx71c&t=1094s)
#__・…━━━━☆☆━━━━…・__
https://twitter.com/hourly86/status/1505275211175899140
literally holding you at gunpoint at this point, go watch this anime or read the fucking LN.
img(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/5a/93/23/5a93232c21ffc701f98cef25d5cd20bb.jpg)
#__・…━━━━☆☆━━━━…・__
~~~
__~~~This might just be the most complete 24 episodes of Anime you can find. ~~~__ I am writing this having just finished the final episode, and I seriously can't believe I ugly cried to a fucking mecha anime. There is no sane world in which this anime is anything below a 10. The sheer passion put into this craft is nothing short of awe-inspiring. Being Toshimasa Ishii's first directorial debut, in just 24 episodes, he cemented himself as one of my favorite anime directors. His vision and passion he put oozes out of the frame. You can tell the team behind this adaptation really put their heart and soul into this series. I'm sure Asato is elated to have such a wonderful adaptation of her work. These are the heights at which anime adaptations should strive to achieve. You aren't just here to redraw panels and rerepeat dialogue, you are here to breathe life into the source material, taking it above and beyond its original medium, into something that exudes vibrance and buoyancy. ~~~__From now on, I will get into spoilers regarding the series, I will be discussing both Part 1 and 2 (All 23 episodes), so be warned. __~~~ This series is a prime example of "Show, not tell", plenty of anime treat their viewers like short-spanned idiots, constantly having to flashback or exposition drop, but in this series, lore is scattered around here and there, it's almost like an Easter egg hunt trying to find little details in the background, piecing things together using just crumbs of evidence. My favorite being the quick frames that play as Fido dies in episode 10, showing that he was actually the dog shin had when he was a child. Knowing that Shin's father worked in the AI program, you can come to the conclusion that the dog's brain was used as the prototype. The character dynamics are a stand out in the series, the show isn't afraid to dedicate episodes purely for dialogue and still make it so incredibly captivating. This is due to the incredibly efficient scriptwriting this show has to offer. It's so concise, so powerful with such deep levels of nuance. To that front, Ernst has some of my favorite quotes in the series: "If humanity can't survive except by killing children because they're 'strange', humanity would be better off dead" is one of many fantastic lines he has. Speaking of the characters, character progression in the series is an absolute triumph. Lena's development from an amateur, hot-headed and shallow handler to Bloody Regina is so great and natural. Shin's traumatic adventure from solely being motivated to avenge his brother, to losing direction in life once he finished his objective, to finding hope in Lena is a path so remarkable. His suicidal tendencies fall in line with his hopelessness, the series never shying away from being dark. Hell, handing Frederica, a LITTLE CHILD, a GUN to shoot herself because the other outcome is a far worse fate is so fucking grim. In a series of well-executed deaths, Eugene's was a stand-out for me. It was clear from his talk with Shin that his death flag had been set up but to switch so suddenly to his dying breath is such a clever way to impact the audience. The director knows it wouldn't have as much of an impression had they played out the scenario leading to his death. So to make such a sudden cut is all the more effective. Throughout the series, you see as each and every one of the 86 dies brutally, each death constantly making you edge towards hopelessness and despair, it never once loses its meaning. The visuals this series has to provide are spectacular. Featuring some of, if not, the best CGI I have had the pleasure of watching. The Juggernaut sequences are an absolute joy to watch. So vibrant and full of life, I honestly couldn't imagine it being hand-drawn. The textures and lightning continue to be unparalleled, with some beautiful after-effects work as well. Strangely, the small spider-like machines somehow invoke a sense of realism far more than a human-shaped robot. Sound design is another underrated element of anime that A1 have absolutely nailed here as well, sound reverberates in the elevators and the empty warehouses, voices echo in the shafts, truly makes you feel like you are actually there next to them, hearing things as how they would normally hear, instead of just purely listening to a voice actor in a soundproofed room. Not to mention that this series has been blessed with the wonderful tracks of Sawano and Yamamoto, who have created some of the most memorable anime music I have had the pleasure of listening to. 'Avid' was my number one most played song of 2021. It evokes such profound levels of emotion every time I listen to it. The sense of realism this series has displayed is corroborated by plenty of army veterans ([example](https://www.reddit.com/r/EightySix/comments/q6nk29/86_through_the_eyes_of_a_combat_vet/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)) who have discussed how relatable the slice-of-life episode was with the 86 acclimating to civilian life and losing meaning in life without being given an objective or command. The production team going out of their way to hire an actual military advisor to guide the staff on certain weaponry symbols and medical terms is proof that they went all out for this adaptation. But perhaps the most captivating part of 86, is its Cinematography. This is, without a shadow of a doubt, the best use of the medium of animation I have ever seen. The way Shin's mental conflicts were portrayed in P2EP11 is the most innovative way I've seen mental instability expressed. The series is constantly able to exhibit such nuanced storytelling through pictures alone, relying on such beautiful metaphorical imagery to tell a thousand words in none. The final episode had induced one of the most cathartic feelings I have ever experienced. I don't usually cry, but seeing them finally meet face-to-face brought about tears of joy. I haven't even touched upon the themes of racism that this show explores, nor the parallels between Shin / Rei and Shin / Frederica, who was also such a welcome addition to the series. Frederica showed levels of maturity far bigger than her looks. She bounced so well with Shin and the rest of the cast. I could go on and on about each and every aspect of the show I enjoyed. Only recently have I started to voice my opinions on anime, I am not usually so outspoken about things I am passionate about, but this series has had such a profound effect on me, I had to voice it here. I look forward to more 86, and I can't wait to see what else Toshimasa Ishii has to offer. ~~~__Fuckin glory to the spearhead squadron.__~~~~~~~~~
__***This review contains the 1st season of 86 and a few spoilers***__ I remember the day when I watched the first part of 86. I thought it was just a rip-off version of SukaSuka, which is a war drama anime that I love. I had a high expectation for the series but honestly, the first part didn’t exceed it. I didn’t know why this show is loved by anyone, especially the second part, so I tried to rewatch it again. It was great, but it didn’t reach the “WOW FACTOR” when I watched SukaSuka. 86 is a war political drama about discrimination, racism, and finding the purpose in life. It seems this serves as the comeback of A1 Pictures, after their horrible original war anime Shiguguri. This is the kind of anime we, anime fans, rarely receive. A solid story with a meaningful message. Animes nowadays are just a marketing strategy for the studio or the source material, but this anime is an exception. Despite the criticisms from A1 Pictures and the pandemic, I’m glad they pulled it off with their hearts. The first part was meh but the latter half was great. Does this anime worth watching? Let’s see… __Story:__ The first part of the show was merely an introduction to the story and the characters. It’s about a republic of white-haired people, living in a luxury place while the military forces are there, commanding a group of outsiders called, 86. They are not born from the republic nor white-haired people, so they are using them as weapons to fight the machines called, Legions. The first part introduced us to the main protagonists, Captain Lena, the new commander of the spearhead squad, and Shin, the leader of the squad, as well as the rest of the squad. While the second part was about the progression of the prologue. The first part told us about the natural intentions of the characters and the relationship between the captain and her team. Their buildup of the story and their relationships was decent and some few parts were honestly plain. I’m glad they added the deaths of the squad, one by one because it’s a war. If there’s no sacrifice, no victory. We saw how they fight, knowing their purpose, and how they live their life to the fullest. In their case, they are not afraid to die because they think they are just weapons. They had a concept of if they live, they live. If they die, they die, in their mind. The last scene from the first part was good because it told Shin’s past. He was in shackles that his brother chained him so that he couldn’t escape it. At the end of the first half, Shin still didn’t know what his purpose in life and his friends were cared for him, which is a good thing that they didn’t rush his character development. The concept and the strategies were good, and the execution of the story from the first part was slow. But I’m glad they changed it at the latter half. What can I say about the latter half? It’s quite great. They introduce a whole bunch of characters and a new world. The squad became independent in their fights and the absence of Lena for most of the story was good. It helped make the story progress for the characters of the squad and her. This was fast-paced, like when the machines and the legions run while fighting against each other. While the first part was a drag, I’m glad the second half pulled it off. It’s great but it could have been better. One of the emotional scenes in animes was Shin’s and Lena’s resolve and their foreshadowed reunion. We saw their initial purpose and resolve to fight for each other and their friends. The last scenes didn’t reach my expectations for its drama, but it was still solid. And now, they reunited face to face, I finally can say the prologue reached its final destination and their fight is still just begun. __Animation:__ The production value was good, as expected from A1 pictures. They were evolved in producing animes like this. The character designs were solid, even it seemed they were familiar with the character designs of Shiguguri and SAO. I got a bit turned off at the CGI in fight scenes because it looked like a fight between mechanical praying mantis. It would be better if they mix it with 2D so that it will not look creepy. The effects were good and the atmosphere of the setting was nice. __Characters:__ I know Lena is the main protagonist of the series but Shin is the real protagonist. They focused the character background of Shin and his resolve on what’s his fighting for. Shin in the first half was an emotionless man but his character progressed when he realized everyone got his back. While Lena’s affection for her squad, not only because they are her team, but she treated them as humans were great. The characters’ traits were good and their eccentric values. Their character developments, especially Shin and Lena were executed perfectly. Everyone has their mind, body, and soul. __Sound:__ The sound was good and it is suitable for the story. The sound effects were the same in previous animes that A1 Pictures produced, but it works great. They should make a new bunch of sound effects for 86 that is not similar to other animes that I’ve mentioned. I don’t know if that’s their forte but I could have been better. I’m not a fan of the Ops’ and EDs’ singers, but I think it’s pretty good. Hirayuki Sawano did a great job in composing the music for the show. __Overall and Enjoyment:__ Well… The answer to my question earlier is 86 is a decent experience. If you want a refreshing story and if you’re tired of a repetitive mainstream storyline, this show is for you. It’s different from action animes that people mostly watch. But this show is an example of a rollercoaster ride of emotions. If you will watch it because of the action, you might not understand the whole message of the show. It’s more of a character-driven drama than an action-packed story. An epitome of human emotions, rather. Within its strengths and flaws, I still enjoyed this anime. It’s better to watch this from a different perspective because you will surely understand its message. I’m glad I rewatched the whole season again and I think the journey is just the beginning.
#THIS REVIEW WILL INCLUDE BOTH COUR 1 AND COUR 2 Adapting a novel to a visual form such as an anime is not just about presenting events as they happen in the story, its also about altering, removing and adding certain elements which enhance the viewing experience and make the story appropriate for the TV screen. The way a novel and a show are experienced are drastically different, and so its only natural that the way they're written and directed have to be different. A-1 have masterfully proved this in their latest project. Not only does 86 manage to add certain scenes that increase the emotional impact of future scenes, aided by masterful direction and symbolism, beautiful animation and an amazing soundtrack, it manages to do so without straying from the source material. Toshimasa Ishii, along with the author Asato Asato (who, by the way, was [present at every script meeting](https://twitter.com/pruvd_/status/1502989158058532865)), and of course, Kohta Yamamato and Hiroyuki Sawano with their ungodly soundtrack have made this anime what I feel is the best light novel adaptation of all time and an industry standard that future light novel adaptations should strive to achieve. I've read and watched Mushoku Tensei, Spice and Wolf - and IMO, none of them come close to the absolute monster 86 is at adapting the source material. It's simple - taking time with the story (cour 1 only adapts 1 volume) and having the author present at every step of the way is instrumental to making a good adaptation. Onto the show itself, 86 is what I feel a misunderstood story. While it does deal with racism, oppression and the irony of a nation that preaches the ideals of equality and justice, at its core, 86 is an anti-war story. It moreso deals with how war can utterly and completely destroy a person and any sense of individuality they have. Survivor's guilt, PTSD and having no hopes for the future are the main things many of the main cast deals with. In episode 2 of cour 2, this was shown perfectly - the 86 are presented with an opportunity to finally live a normal life in the rear, doing things that normal teenagers do; having friends, pursuing their hobbies, working a job - but its shown that they constantly feel in the back of their mind that something's *off*. They never truly left the battlefield. They can't even envision what a future without war would look like. They don't have anything to look forward to or anything to fight for, but their pride as 86, the warriors of the battlefield, won't allow them to rest easily. And that's why they fight, to uphold their pride, the only thing the Republic left them with. A lot of criticism also comes from people who believe 86 is too overly preachy with its message of "racism bad" - but that's not the point - at all. Yes, Lena does indeed keep spouting her naive ideals over and over without actually doing anything substantial to help the 86 she cares so much about - but that's the point; she's naive person with a white saviour complex. She doesn't *truly* understand what it what it means to actually hold those ideals and carry them out to make a change in society; and this hypocrisy of hers is pointed out, multiple times, by different characters. Annette repeatedly points out that nothing she's doing is actually helping the 86, and nothing she does will ever actually make any change in the 86's lives. Jerome, her uncle, points out the same flaw in her, and snaps at her to make her realize that the Republic is truly well beyond saving and is headed on an unstoppable course to its own destruction. Theo after the credits of episode 3 *digs into her* and exposes her naivete to her without filter. And for this, I'd like to add some choice dialogue from the him in the novels that were cut or changed in the anime; ***“I mean, sure, when we have nothing better to do, maybe we can play along with your little game of pretend. You get to say you never discriminate, never treat us like pigs, that you’re a pure, noble, virtuous person, that it’s all a misunderstanding, and you’re a goddamn saint. Sure, when nothing’s going on, we can stroke your stupid ego, but read the fucking mood! One of our friends just fucking died. We don’t have the time to indulge your bullshit right now, so get a goddamn clue already, you hypocrite.”*** and ***"You’re the one safe and sound inside the walls, kicking back while you watch us do all the fighting after your people threw us into this hellhole! You’re blatantly accepting what’s being done to us by sitting there like you’re entitled to comfort! If that’s not treating us like pigs, then what would you call it?!”*** and ***"You never called us Eighty-Six? Not calling us that was the only thing you did do! Protecting the state is a citizen’s duty? Answering those feelings? Screw that! Do you think we're fighting out here because we want to?! You're the ones who trapped us here! You forced us to fight! You’ve let millions of us die these past nine years, haven’t you?! And you do nothing to stop that and think that if you talk to us all Goody Two-shoes every night it'll make it all better?!"*** 86 realizes the big flaw with Lena, and its not afraid to comment on it. The entire point of her character development is going from a naive girl who does nothing but preach about equality and humanity while never actually doing anything for those ideals to a woman who faces reality head on and fights for herself and the 86 without being affected by nay-sayers or depending on others for validation. Honestly, after's Theo's rant in episode 3 I have zero clue how anyone could say that 86 is too preachy about its message. Its not. Shin is one of the best main characters to come out of the light novel medium, and it shows. Cour 2 was a perfect display of 86's overall themes, and an amazing character analysis for Shin. It showed how discrimination, not just from the Alba but his fellow 86 as well, him being the last person to stay alive in all of his squadrons, the war, losing his mother, father at such a young age and even his own *brother* nearly choking him to death completely destroyed him as an individual and stripped down his mind to its core - him having no hopes and no dreams for the future, even when presented with the opportunity to escape the battlefield, him convincing himself he was all alone because he'll always be the last one left behind, even with Raiden present, who had managed to stick with him for 4 years; and his survivor guilt, his belief that he's a stain in other people's lives, that it would be better if he was dead, everything destroyed this *sixteen* year old boy (even if he does turn 17 or 18 when he joins back the army, that doesn't matter) to his bare minimum. And this is one of the strongest parts of 86; Shin's story, shared by all of the 86 - broken kids with nothing to define them; nation, ancestry or family, except their pride, the pride to fight to their last breaths as inhabitants of the Eighty-Sixth sector. The rest of the cast who were just as great although had less focus and exposure than Shin and Lena – firstly, the survivors of Spearhead; Raiden, Shin’s right hand man and his brother in arms who’s been with him the longest (apart from Fido) and wasn’t afraid to give him a wake-up call to his face; Theo, the budding artist and a character who realized that he’d never truly left the Republic at all; Anju, the cool beauty who may in fact be the most emotionally vulnerable out of all of them, never truly moving beyond the death of someone she loved; and Kurena, the cute little sister who’s very obviously frustrated she can’t do more for Shin. Apart from them, Frederica, who served as an excellent parallel to Shin and an amazing character on her own alike, struggling to come to terms with her past and letting go of her knight, who really was more like an elder brother to her. Fido, the extremely precious dog, best boi, and Shin’s best friend who’d been there since the very beginning, even before the 86th sector existed, and last but not least, Annette. She’s a character I feel is greatly overlooked by both the readers and the viewers alike, and as a big fan of her, I really appreciate her presence and what it means for the story. In cour 1, she played a big role, showing that racism in San Magnolia went beyond just “86 bad lol” – she presented the second group of opinions; people who knew what was going on was wrong, but chose to quietly stand by and do nothing as they felt nothing they would do would change anything. The reason for her outburst at Lena was because of this; she’d spent her entire life convincing herself she couldn’t do anything, and when her very own best friend unintentionally proved her wrong, she couldn’t help but get angry and lash out at her. 86’s strength undoubtedly lies in its characters and the themes they represent, more than its plot. And thankfully, it does an amazing job at that. None of these characters feel like colorless, background characters; they're all their own individuals, each one equally complex with their own stories, their own struggles, just waiting to be discovered. As someone who holds the novels very close to their heart, I really couldn’t have asked for anything more than what A-1 has done for this story. Every single part of this anime, from the added anime-only content to the genius symbolism littered in every single frame and the amazing voice acting done both by the Japanese and English VAs is beautiful, and I really want to thank Asato Asato, Shirabii for his amazing art and character designs, Toshimasa Ishii, Sawano and Yamamato and of course, the amazing animators, Shirogumi for their beautiful CGI scenes and everyone else involved with the production for giving us this anime. Wrapping this up, all I want to say is, 86 is an anime everyone must give a try at least once. It won’t disappoint, ever. 10/10, please give me more.
~~~ __86: EIGHTY-SIX__ ~~~
After wandering into Legion-controlled territory for days, they encounter a large group of Legion which they engage but are overwhelmed by. ~! The anime does not show how they survived but in the light novel, a Dinosauria type Legion ([Shourei Nouzen](https://anilist.co/character/224075/Shourei-Nouzen)) saves them as he bids his final farewell to his brother [Shinei Nouzen](https://anilist.co/character/141060/Shinei-Nouzen) !~ ~~~ ~~~
The five surviving members of the decimated Spearhead squadron find themselves within the territory of the Federal Republic of Giad where they wake up detained in a secure medical facility for precautionary measures. ~~~ ~~~
A few days after, they are welcomed as citizens of the Federacy and are legally adopted by the President of the Federacy himself. While trying to live normal lives pursuing their hobbies and interests as people of their age would, they would soon feel the urge to return to the battlefield as this was the only way they knew how to live their lives after being subjected to forced conscription due being people of "colour" who do not have Alba blood to fight the war against the Legion in place of the Alba's of the Republic of San Magnolia. ~~~ ~~~
Upon becoming officers in the Federacy's military, they get stationed in the Western Front and immediately get into combat as the Legion launched its large scale offensive on several areas targeting different nations. They would later see themselves face against a stronger and different type of Legion called the Morpho which is a Railgun-type Legion. ~~~
The plot faithfully follows and covers Volumes 1 to 3 and ends with some parts of Volume 4 from the light novel by [Asato Asato](https://anilist.co/staff/121140/Asato-Asato). The series sees the events arranged in chronological order with some added anime-only scenes, which was definitely a good decision by [Toshimasa Ishii](https://anilist.co/staff/136625/Toshimasa-Ishii) (Director) and [Toshiya Oono](https://anilist.co/staff/110745/Toshiya-Oono) (Series Composition) as it was able avoid and/or lessen confusion while properly telling the story in an episodic way. ~~~ ~~~
Adapting a story full of lore from purely text with heavy dialogues and adding effects like that of character parallelism, symbolism and story foreshadowing should be a treat for the audience. ~~~
While the story revolves more around [Shinei Nouzen](https://anilist.co/character/141060/Shinei-Nouzen) in the 2nd cour, the occasional and later involvement of [Vladilena Milize](https://anilist.co/character/141061/Vladilena-Miliz) is something worth waiting for. The parallelism between the two main characters from events occurring in both cours is something to keep and eye on as they would eventually cross paths, something that should be very much anticipated. ~~~ ~~~
The involvement of the supporting characters such as the members of the former spearhead squadron and the introduction of new characters from the Federacy and a new set of Eighty-Six processors from the Republic will continue to play a bigger role going forward and will be shownprovided the series gets a 2nd season. ~~~ ~~~ img(https://files.catbox.moe/fytvnm.png) ~~~
A-1 Pictures deserves so much credit for having done an amazing job with the series overall. The animation in the 2nd cour looked much better with the CGI having a noticeable improvement compared to the 1st cour. The character and mechanical designs stayed true to the illustrations from the light novel done by [Shirabii](https://anilist.co/staff/113819/Shirabi) (Characters) and [I-IV](https://anilist.co/staff/185349/IIV) (Mechanicals). ~~~ ~~~
The environment design was spot on as it was able to portray what an apocalyptic continent would look like before and during all the chaos caused by political decisions, unending military operations and geopolitical influences. ~~~ ~~~
Various scenes and events were also done really well such as the battles against the Legion, the conversations over the Para-RAID Device and the eventual meeting of the characters at the end of series as I got to fully realise and see how my imaginations would look like animated. ~~~ ~~~ img(https://files.catbox.moe/w85fnz.png) ~~~
With [Hiroyuki Sawano](https://anilist.co/staff/103509/Hiroyuki-Sawano) and [Kohta Yamamoto](https://anilist.co/staff/121746/Kouta-Yamamoto) in charge of the soundtrack of the series overall, the audience should be in for a musical masterclass. The opening and numerous ending songs fit so well into the story and the way several episodes transition out of the ending scene into the ED in was a wonderful way to play with our emotions. ~~~ ~~~
The choice of songs for certain events throughout the series made certain scenes very memorable and the use of sound effects and the science behind it (just like when the sound of the explosion came after the physical explosion of a bridge in episode 5) is proper attention to detail. ~~~ ~~~ [img(https://files.catbox.moe/1dv2tz.png) ](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lE3St2ajPifN7UJIiSfFeZ31m5YDl1OMw) ~~~
This is a story that involves aspects of socio-political issues, military, war, geopolitics, drama and romance, a unique story compared to most light novels around. This is definitely a modern masterpiece of literary art carefully adapted into a series that would get the audience immersed with an interesting story, beautiful visuals and an amazing soundtrack that will put you through different emotions. As a light novel reader, I couldn't have asked for a better adaptation so I highly recommend reading the [light novel ](https://anilist.co/manga/98610/86-Eighty-Six/) while hopefully waiting for a 2nd season. ~~~ ~~~ img(https://files.catbox.moe/mcazrf.png) ~~~ ~~~ _Run Through The Battlefront_~~~
Any interpretation of the visual medium tells you something. Accordingly so, it's when you can infer a great deal of dedication and insightful vision is laid evident. Eliciting emotional feedback, appreciation for the source material. Owing to a productive and well-rounded staff, helmed by Toshimasa Ishii and you have the potential to enhance certain aspects not deemed possible in the limited production cycle other contemporaries are forced upon. Ahead of the curve, so to speak, as passion made itself known. Surpassing what would be considered the norm of light novel adaptations. Making this series stand out all the more. Innovative and prominent against the backdrop of lesser ones. Expansion towards already great content in order to uplift the the original's utmost potentiality. This story touches upon various topics, such as racial segregation/discrimination. The most importantly brought about trait being the lives of soldiers and the stress that comes with it, mindsets inherently stuck in the battlefield. No hopes of seeing a better tomorrow. Not even a cage of pity can deter what is rightfully their birthright. Inconceivable to withhold them from what they truly desire, for the war-front is all they've ever known. There are beauties to acknowledge in contemplation, yet that is not their way. A fruitless endeavor. Restricting movements, no chance to flock freely as they have been so doing their entire existence. Death becomes a daily occurrence, protecting the things they cherished while confronted with inevitability. Only recompense to rejoin the fray, as it determines their well-being. While the 86ers' plights as individuals forsaken not only by the Republic but also Federacy of Giad is evidently the focus, as of now, this is a story of Lena and Shin, two polar opposites. Parallel to each other on the way to their own trajectories of self-identities. Forced to acknowledge, hit with a dose of reality. Her complicit participation in hypocrisy greatly characterized her further from before. Delivered with excellent precision in small, but insightful dialogues that speaks of her desire for change.Themes of admonishment, sacrificial traits made manifest, impinged upon. Evolving from naive and pure, to a resolute, hardhearted Queen. Her leadership eliciting a sense of unity and awe. No longer idealistic for Albania change, but a focused mindset to save those she can. Shin the exacting force, his regression into suicidal actions, his true nature as one forsaken and gazed at with looks of envy and contempt. One of the most complex in comparison to others, as he has a saddening outlook on life itself. Heavy burdens, carrying the moniker Reaper. Even chances of salvation quickly dashed, title of savior remaining a prison, adding fuel to the fire. What he once considered irreplaceable became a twisted sense of alienation. Only then do you get a sense he's suffered a great deal that input becomes tantalizingly relatable. Always and forever the one left behind that the traumatic stress builds up over time, before culminating into lashing out, breakdowns over his own agency. Everyone dying left and right, hesitance to reveal these deeply rooted insecurities. No guiding light to show him the way. Conclusion is a breadth of clarity, a confrontational exchange. Continuing to reflect, his worries over being alone in this blood-soaked world with no escape. Face to face with a relief of joyful sorrow, existence and journey so far affirmed as a beautiful thing in and of itself. Shin's character is handled and developed over the majority of the series' length with extraordinary depth, without any rush and well-paced with deftly-handled direction. One of the best written and psychologically driven with great finesse as an uplifting piece of analysis. Even side characters Ernst, Frederica, and the remainder of Spearhead are given time to grow, their own personalities providing a nice shift. Backstories or traits more detailed enough to care for their philosophies, perils with societal beliefs going against normalized schisms. 86’s strength indubitably the interactions and the subject matter they're represented for. Each with their own inadequacies and even more to glean in retrospect. POV is irrevocably switched at times that are enticingly intriguing to see play out, future endeavors on the horizon. Author Asato Asato being behind every script meeting allowed her to provide input and relay her intentions to the staff in a mutual and beneficial arrangement. Having her proved to be a boon to the proceedings in every single step of the way. No one better but someone more calibrated to what is more than applicable to the television format. A-1 Pictures and Ishii's entire personnel assigned to the task did exceptional work with the limited time frame they were given that it's a sight to behold in memoriam. Action choreography/CG material were well integrated into the backgrounds. Something you wouldn't expect from a mecha series. How they found ways to magnificently make them feel as a part of the world and impending surroundings became a huge departure in overwhelming spectacle. Capturing the essential thematic moments from previous prose, translating them to a format well-versed in bewildering the audience's imagination. Not to mention the breathtaking OST and composition from duo Sawano/Yamamoto, who'd infused this series with sentimental drawbacks. Injecting life into the proceedings instead of a by the numbers, predictably coherent template most are prone to do at length. Creatives pooling together to craft a perfection on all counts, their shared alignment being to have a fulfilling experience with divergent interpretations. Light novel adaptations exist to supplement the author's initial intentions to the reader with elements not available in the written form. All in all a beloved series as inspired and impactful as 86 has been received the best one could ask for, with a caring and respectful team.
~~~img(https://starcrossedanime.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Eighty-Six-S2-poster.png)~~~ Sequels are always difficult to write reviews about. Usually, barring any major production or authorial changes, you can tell if you will like it just by your reaction to the first season. With minor shifts up or down for whatever the current content is about. My recent *[Kimetsu no Yaiba: Yuukaku-hen](https://anilist.co/review/15418)* review is evidence enough of that. But sometimes... sometimes you have the unfortunate case where a sequel falls short. Where for whatever reason, be it changes in production, writing staff or simply going on longer than it should, the series falls off. Animated at [A-1 Pictures](https://anilist.co/studio/561/A1-Pictures), directed by [Toshimasa Ishii](https://anilist.co/staff/136625/Toshimasa-Ishii) and originally created by [Asato Asato](https://anilist.co/staff/121140/Asato-Asato), *86: Eighty Six Season 2* is, sadly, one such case. Why is that the case? What could have happened between season 1, something I enjoyed, and this to fall off as hard as it did? Well, lets jump in and talk about that. **Be warned, this review contains minor unmarked spoilers for *Eighty Six Season 2*. It also contains major spoilers in some sections however these will be heavily marked to avoid accidents**. ~~~webm(https://www.sakugabooru.com/data/7483c88ec071ed7cee2cf1e4e1445a9d.mp4)~~~ # __~~~Visuals~~~__ Before we get to deep into the weeds, how about we instead start with a positive? That's right, I want to talk about *Eighty Six's* production. This is one of the few areas where I think *Eighty Six* continues to hold strong. Toshimasa Ishii is making waves with his TV directorial debut. When this man has the time to plan and properly storyboard, to enact his vision, *Eighty Six* looks incredible. It's really hard for me to go into detail here, as most of the best scenes of the season are filled with spoilers. So you're just going to have to take me at my word, and the example of the first season, when I say all of this: Whether it be depicting the day-to-day mundanity of civilian life or the burden of those left behind, the bombastic action or the spine-chilling 2-episode finale, the man and his team do incredible work! But that's the kicker. When they have the time. And if I'm being honest? It doesn't feel like they often did. Instead, what we often got this season was something much more... well, basic. Rather standard, unimaginative direction and shot composition such as in episodes 4, 7 and 8. Nothing like the well-paced, well-framed, and well-blocked out stuff we are used to. I can only surmise that this has to do with time constraints on their part. From the multiple skipped weeks to an entire 3 months delay for the finale, whatever the reason, the production schedule definitely seems to have suffered. To be clear: I have no proof of this. The closest I have are a few tweets citing production problems and scheduling delays, nothing concrete. If I'm being honest, however, the "why" is sort of irrelevant regardless of the reason. Because at the end of the day, *Eighty Six* only looked good about half the time. And the other half? Well... we will get there. That said, I do want to praise *Eighty Six* for one major improvement before we move on: The CGI mecha. In season one, lets be honest, the mechs didn't look very good. Their poor compositing made them stick out like sore thumbs and their movements were floaty and weightless. It was, to put it simply, not very good. So imagine my surprise and elation to see just how much *Eighty Six* has improved on it. I have no idea what Toshimasa and A-1 changed between seasons, but keep doing it. Because it actually looks good now. These mechs feel like they have weight, like they actually belong in a scene, and, most important of all, actually move in a consistent manner. For once I was able to sit back and enjoy a fight between giant robots. And that's great! Because I love me some giant robots. So with both the CGI improvements and inconsistent storyboarding in mind, I can confidently say that this season of *Eighty Six* was a lateral move visually. A downgrade in some areas due to time constraints, an improvement in pipeline for others. All around I was pretty satisfied with this aspect of *Eighty Six*. But you know what I *wasn't* satisfied with? Everything else. That's right people, it's time to get into the negative part of the review. All I can ask is that you read it through to the end before you start yelling at me, and that if you do disagree you leave me a comment so we can talk about. So without further ado... Lets talk narrative. ~~~img(https://starcrossedanime.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Eighty-Six-S2-6.4.jpg)~~~ #~~~__Narrative__~~~ I'm just going to come out and say it: Season 2 of *Eighty Six* is just a rehash of Season 1. There's a new brain in a jar that's vaguely associated with Shin. The child soldiers are once again the only people who can stop it via a suicide mission. We have a new female officer who doesn't like that they have to do this, but her name isn't Lena because she got written out of the season. But you know what? Maybe that's a little unfair, because *Eighty Six* did indeed introduce one new thing into the season: A war-torn loli with magical eye powers who likes to wax philosophical and wander around in shirts many sizes to big for her. Does it sound like I don't like her? Good, because I don't. But we will get to Frederica in her own time. For now, just know this: I think this season of *Eighty Six*, despite having a few legitimately new and good ideas such as characters thinking about their future post-war and Shin moving on, is a poorly written mess. And if I want to talk about it with any degree of coherency, I need to go into spoiler territory. You have been warned. ~!So, why is this season a retread of the first? Well, it's simple: This season of *Eighty Six* feels like it is taking all of the same plot beats, the same story structure, the same character archetypes, and just giving them a fresh coat of paint. The 86ers, for all their newfound freedom, are still looked down on and despised by those around them. Are still forced to fight. We still have a female commanding officer who wants the best for them and is grappling with the unfairness of her military's treatment towards the 86ers, only now her name is Grethe. There's still a head-in-a-jar villain loosely associated with Shin who we have to go out and kill to save everyone. And the worst? *Eighty Six* can't even kill any of the characters to build tension, because the only ones left we care about have plot armor after all those cliffhangers. What do I mean by plot armor? For anyone reading this who has watched the season, the reason should be obvious. The amount of times these people "die" on a cliffhanger ending just to survive for no reason is ridiculous. The end of last season was bad enough; anyone who put in an ounce of thought knew they weren't dead. But now that we have everyone making big sacrifice plays throughout the season? Taking big hits, falling down canyons, being shown on screen to be "dead" and bleeding from head wounds? Just to show up after a 3-month cliffhanger, alive and well. There comes a point where the threat of death loses all meaning in your story. For me, at least, *Eighty Six* has hit that point. And that's not a good place for your racial war-drama to be. They even bring back Fido, of all things, ruining its fantastic "death". This isn't to say that this season of *Eighty Six* doesn't have new ideas. It very clearly does, as we can see in Frederica, and her relationship to Kiriya as well as in it's exploration of Shin's mental state. The problem, however, is that most of these ideas *suck*. It turns out that the Nouzen clan, to which Kiriya, and Shin belong, have more than just telepathy! It's also the reason for their combat prowess, as apparently all members are just badasses. We can't have our lead jut be a regular person forced into this; after all, it always comes back to bloodlines. Speaking of bloodlines, we also have Frederica, who apparently can see the past of anyone around her. *Eighty six* has now become *Naruto*, with eye powers and Kekkei Genkai. What happened to *Eighty Six* between the 1st and 2nd novels? Well, if you ask me, I think I know what happened. The editor/author saw the success of the first book and decided "We need to do that again, but bigger". And how do you go bigger than that? Another giant robot with a gun that can wipe out an entire military base? A low-flying plane the size of an aircraft carrier? How about a 10 year old loli waxing philosophical about war and the sanctity of life despite barely knowing how to tie her shoes? This season could have been something great. It could have left the cliffhanger of Season 1 alive and focused instead on Lena and her desperate attempts to salvage a collapsing nation. To bridge their racial divide and past wrongs in the name of survival. Only to have those we thought lost appear at the end, with their own little story. Instead, I got a loli.!~ To be fair, *Eighty Six* started and ended well. The opening segments in Giad were alright, and the ending did the best it possibly could with what it had been given. And that's great! I think endings are very important, they are the last taste you have of a show and influence how you remember the show looking back at it in like... 3 months. But the ending wasn't good enough for me to forget the mediocre story I was put through leading up to it. It feels to me like *Eighty Six* caught lightning in a bottle with its first book and tried to replicate that. Only this time it jumped the shark in action and, in an effort to appeal to an even broader audience, added a loli so Otaku's had another waifu to fawn over. And that's just not my style. ~~~img(https://starcrossedanime.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Eighty-Six-S2-2.3.jpg)~~~ #~~~__Characters__~~~ Moving on to the characters, it is with great remorse that I must say I will be repeating myself here. A lot. Mostly about Frederica. Everyone else? They're fine, mostly. Shin has some good stuff, and I will give some praise for that later on. After him the rest of the cast very quickly falls off into irrelevance, though. Basically just floating around for the Shin and Frederica show, with a light sprinkling of Lena thrown in there at the beginning and end. If all you care about is Shin and Lena, or you don't want to hear me rant about a smug loli again, then feel free to skip the next paragraph and go right to the good stuff. I promise, this will be the last time I mention her. At least until the end. So Frederica... I've already made my feelings about her clear, so I'm just going to say it, she's terrible. *Eighty Six* tried to add her in as a replacement for Lena while Lena got written out of the season, but it just doesn't work. Where Lena was a compelling character battling with her love for her country and with the wrongs said country had committed against the 86ers, Frederica is just a whinny brat inserted in to have a leading female follow Shin around. From her "uwu, I'm a wittle woli" voice to the way she is ham-fisted into the groups dynamic. I cannot think of a single positive thing she brings to *Eighty Six*. Which is a shame because she's probably the 2nd most important character in the season. She, in my opinion, single-handedly brings down the entire show. And not even Shin can save that. That's right, Shin, the sad man with one emotion, has the only decent character arc of the entire season. His whole bit about finding something to live for post-war, about survivors guilt and learning its ok to be happy, is some good stuff. Augment this with some incredibly evocative direction and imagery courtesy of Toshimasa Ishii and his team and you have a legitimately good story here. It's just a shame its saddled to Frederica and Kiriya, two absolute wastes of space. And you wanna know the worst part of all of this? It's not Frederica's existence, or the way she brings down what is otherwise a decent narrative arc. It's that we got this at the cost of Lena. I've made no attempt to hide the fact that my favorite part of Season 1 was Vladilena. I find her struggle to reconcile her love for her nation with the wrongs said nation has committed, to do the right thing in a system built around only doing wrong, to be the best part of *Eighty Six*. Which is why it was incredibly disappointing when she was all but written out of this season. Aside from 2 half-episode segments, one to setup her story and one to end it in the final episode, she gets nothing. We don't see her struggles or how she had to unite and defend her nation. How she convinces the 86ers and San Magnolians to work together. We only see the aftermath, with scenes from her journey that are more evocative than 75% of what we got from Frederica. And for me? That's the real disappointment. And a disappointment is what I would call *Eighty Six's* character arcs. It had a lot of potential here, a lot of good ideas. But they were either squandered, ignored, or brought down by supporting characters that actively sucked the life and drama out of the story. ~~~img(https://starcrossedanime.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Eighty-Six-S2-5.8.jpg)~~~ #~~~__OST/Sound Design__~~~ This brings me to the Original Sound Track (OST) and Sound Design, a part of the review I can finally start being positive again. Sadly though, as of writing this, the OST for Season 2 of *Eighty Six* is not yet fully released. So that means I'm going to have to be a bit sparse on the examples. Still, the show must go on! Cutting to the chase, the music, how is it? Well I would have to call it... Sawano. Now I know that isn't helpful whatsoever, especially since Hiroyuki Sawano is the name of the guy who composed it. But allow me to explain my unique relationship with Sawano's music: The man keeps making the same sounds, the same patterns, progressions and styles, across all of his OSTs. *Attack on Titan*, *Thunderbolt Fantasy*, *Promare*. This man has one style and he does very, very well. If you like that style, then great! You're in for a treat and you will get what you want. If you are like me, however, and you want him to try something new though then you may find yourself disappointed. However same-y his music always ends up being though, the man never fails to evoke the emotion he is going for. In that sense I think Sawano has actually created a decent OST for *Eighty Six*. The hype moments sound hype, the sad ones sad and everything in between. It's only as music in a vacuum, separated from the show and the scenery it plays over, that I start to get tired of it. I wouldn't want to listen to any of this OST while say... driving to work, or relaxing at home, for instance. I need the show, for the scenes this music was written for, to be playing along side it. The *Eighty Six* OST just doesn't work on it's own. I get that this may sound like a ridiculous criticism, and it is in a lot of ways! But I want to make this clear: I think *Eighty Six* has a decent OST. Just not a memorable one, among all of Sawano's others. **EDIT:** It has come to my attention that I have completely failed to credit another composer for this series, [Kouta Yamamoto](https://anilist.co/staff/121746/Kouta-Yamamoto). This was a big mistake on my part and clearly shows that I didn't take the care I should have with this particular section. I apologize. ~~~img(https://starcrossedanime.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Eighty-Six-S2-9.4.jpg)~~~ #~~~__A Tale of Two Roads__~~~ This brings me to the personal section of the review. This section exists so that I can talk to you about *Eighty Six* one-on-one. No review format, no specific topic, none of this trying to "judge" any particular part of the show. It's all about giving you, the reader, a window into my experience with *Eighty Six* in the hopes that you can see where I am coming before you see the score. If you don't care about that, if you just want a number, than feel free to skip. Otherwise? Read on. Oh, also, a warning: **There will be a bunch of spoilers in this section, no holds barred**. Cool? Cool. ~!In my mind *Eighty Six* had two roads it could go down. The exciting, dangerous road where it actually makes you think it killed off half the cast and focuses on survival against the odds. This would involve following Lena as she is moved to a new squad and must actively organize the defense of her nation, fighting against the systems and commanders arrayed against her. All the while we, the audience, believe Shin and Co dead until their inevitable return at the final hour before we learn what happened to them in the 2nd half of the season. Or we could go the standard, unsurprising road where everyone is revealed to survive in the first episode and we continue just like we were before. In case it wasn't obvious, *Eighty Six* chose the latter. And this choice of the "safe" option was where it first started to lose me. From here *Eighty Six* proceeded to make the safe, standard decision every chance it got. Need to remind us of the dangers of war and how fragile everyone is? Lets introduce a new character with a million death flags that dies almost immediately instead of even *touching* any of our core cast. What about our lead girl off in another country? We can't go a season without her and we can't follow her story simultaneously apparently so how do we fill the gap? Oh just introduce a Loli. She can wax philosophical just like Lena but can also wear shirts 3 sizes to big for her. The Otaku will love that! And what about the villain? Or the President? Or this, or that, or etc etc, you get the point. *Eighty Six* never truly *risked* anything this season. It didn't try anything new. And so my interest continued to wane. At this point *Eighty Six* began to lose me more and more with every episode. A pretty standard battle to remind us that the 86ers are the only ones who can fight the Legion here, a jump-the-shark massive aircraft rather than a clever strategy there. It had some good stuff in there. Some pearls among the rough, like with Shin realizing things were the same in both nations in episode 6, etc. But we always quickly returned to the mediocrity of Frederica and Kiriya. Episodes of backstory, 4 episodes of fighting a giant robot with a big gun, you know the drill. Had there been even a shred of doubt that everyone would survive, I might have bought into these threats. But as you can guess, *Eighty Six* had completely lost everything that made me interested in it from the 1st season by this point. I suppose what I'm trying to say is that with its first season, *Eighty Six* gave me hope. Hope that it was more than your standard Light Novel shlock. Something like *Twelve Kingdoms*, which some people call a Light Novel but I think has earned the right to just be called a Novel at this point. It's the same with the *Monogatari* series or *Spice and Wolf*. As far as I know, these are all classified as Light Novels. And yet they carry little of stigmatism that surrounds the medium. They have, for all intents and purposes, transcended their origin to simply become *good stories*. And I hope that *Eighty Six* could maybe do the same. It's a damn shame that doesn't appear to be the case.!~ ~~~img(https://starcrossedanime.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Eighty-Six-S2-9.5.jpg)~~~ #~~~__Conclusion__~~~ So all in all, 3300+ words later, how do I feel about *Eighty Six Season 2*? The answer is a flat: Disappointed. There were only 3 good, engaging episodes across this entire season. And 2 of those came after 3 months of delay and production issues. No matter how good those episodes are, no matter how good a final impression I am left with, they cannot make up for the mediocre journey to get there. If you really liked Season 1 of *Eighty Six*, I'm talking one of your favorite series ever, then you will probably still enjoy Season 2. It's a very safe, very standard follow up. But if you were on the fence like I was? Then you won't find what you are looking for here. Only a lot of wasted time and admittedly pretty pictures. Lets hope this is just a misstep as we head into the inevitable future seasons huh? I've heard some good things about volumes 4-6. Maybe those can pull me back in, should they ever get animated. And if you disagree? Shoot me a comment! I want to know why this worked for you where it didn't for me. I'm always down for a conversation.
The best Light Novel adaptation in history. And it is still an understatement for this adaptation. A true masterpiece. Taken the source from the Light Novel, 86, which already won the grand prize of Dengeki Novel Prize, the anime production team has completed a wonderful job. Not only do they adapt all the content of the novels (the first 3 volumes), but they also add original moments to the anime, and not just once but many times. The novel on its own is already a masterpiece of the medium, this anime takes it further beyond. While other LN adaptations usually got the treatment of 3-4 volumes of the light novel for 11-13 episodes, 86 got a whole 11 episodes for its first volume, which is the first time in the industry, and another 12 episodes for the second and third volumes. Normally, people (including myself) will finish an anime first, then go to read the light novels to see what the anime has left out. Or the light novel readers will find the differences in the anime compared to the source, and evaluate whether these changes are good or bad. But for this adaptation of 86, all readers agree that the anime has fully adapted the light novels, and when a new episode comes out, they will find the original scenes that are added to the anime instead of what they took out. What makes these original scenes more special is that they are not just fillers, they actually have meanings behind them, whether they are about world-building, combat, or character development and emotions, all of these scenes are handled beautifully with the participation of the author, Asato Asato and the director, Toshimasa Ishii. They adapt faithfully to the source, elevate it with great animations, voice acting, and especially music, directing, and original scenes. The directing of this anime is so good that it is equal to cinema level. Small details are taken into consideration, the symbolisms are put in masterfully and the OST is exceptional. Avid and Voices of the Chord, the main theme songs of 86, are pure masterpieces of music, which creates a resonance with the emotional scenes for the viewers. There is nothing short of quality from the values this series brings to the viewers. While it suffers from a 3 months delay, the waiting time makes the final two episodes even better. It is worth waiting 86 days for the return of 86. Episode 22 and 23 of this series are two of the best episodes in the anime industry. Reading this part in the light novel was already an exceptional experience with a mix of joy, sadness, and happiness at the same time. But the anime carries it further beyond with the additional scenes and beautiful soundtracks like Avid and Voices of the Chord, and a new song written just for the ending, LilaS that fit perfectly with the sceneries of the grand finale. Being able to witness the finale of this masterpiece is a privilege of my life that I could never forget all the feelings it raised inside me.
__SPOILER ALERT! DON'T READ IT IF U HAVEN'T SEE THE 2ND SEASON__
Here is my first review, let's talk about 86. I have to say that at first I didn't expect this series
to improve that much, in fact I thought it was a classic sci-fi shonen with very cool war themes. But
I was wrong: after finishing the first season and being quite satisfied with it, while watching the
second everything changed: quality of the animations, colorful and well-detailed landscapes, the
characters had a better insight, all the fighting scenes were perfect and really well detailed with a
great design to depict the Reginleif and the Dinosaurias and also the Morpho. Then not to mention the
emotions I felt: during the last episode I was shocked, especially when Lena and Shinei's hands
twisted forming an 86 !!
Even when the team and the Colonel first met and Lena realized it was them, wow, my heart literally
went crazy.
Another strong point of this anime is the cast: in the first season they all lost many companions, but
then when only Anju, Shinei, Theoto, Kurena and Raiden remained, you did nothing but fall in love with
all the characters more and more: you created a kind of love for them.
I loved Lena as a character, because behind all her insecurities there was some motivation that led
her to be very cold at the beginning, as for the death of her father, but then she managed to
understand that thanks to the 86 she had changed the vision of his life.
Shinei is also a very complex character: he fights for a living, if he doesn't fight he feels dead
inside and would always like to fight alone.
86’s strength undoubtedly lies in its characters and the themes they represent, more than its plot.
And thankfully, it does an amazing job at that. None of these characters feel like colorless,
background characters; they're all their own individuals, each one equally complex with their own
stories, their own struggles, just waiting to be discovered.
If you've seen Attack on Titan you've surely heard that it has some great OSTs. Yes, out of 86 we have
the same composer: Sawano Hiroyuki.
The OSTs are just perfect, both the final one and the fights ones.
The last OST is definitely my favorite because they chose to make an original and new one only for the
ending and I appreciated this choice a lot, because as you can also see despite the production
problems A-1 pictures made a masterpiece .
What can I say, a truly fantastic anime from every point of view, I recommend watching. I hope a
second season comes out soon because I want to see the team on the battlefield for a second time.
For me it is a 100/100 without a shadow of a doubt.
I love this anime!
I'll start off with a few thoughts on 86 part 1, and then move into why I overall ended up giving it a 4. There are positives, but I don't care about this anime enough to make a huge detailed review. Part 1 for me was a decent opener for the series, gave us quite a few interesting storylines, and definitely had me hooked to continue watching for part 2. The animation is great, the world itself is quite interesting although at points a little confusing how things ended up the way they did. They have some characters that are worth watching develop and you build an attention around seeing if they survive, but all of that kind of dies in part 2. So, here's why. When they arrive in Giad, it begins what I'd call the character development episodes. They are all built for you to see the real people outside of the conflict that kept them going through part 1. I enjoyed this quite a bit, but I have no idea in this world why they made them just do a U-Turn and end up going back to the frontlines. The entirety of part 1 is about escaping their slavery. If they will manage to fight in this war, and come out of it all alive. They did. But they're going back in. What?! I would totally understand this if one of them like Reaper went back in, because of a feeling of not fitting in with "normal" people. The fact that all of them went back just makes me ask the question, what was the point of part 1 then if they were just going to stay out there? Only a minor thing, but I also disliked the character of Frederica, this is a trope at this point in anime. To have a bossy, rude, annoying little child that everyone still likes for some reason, randomly sounding like a 60 year old wise granny every now and then when they talk with complete and utter maturity using the knowledge of someone far older. Just to then revert 5 seconds later back into an annoying little kid. I haven't met a lot of 10 year olds, but not once have any of them suddenly changed their expression and started talking about morbid pragmatism and/or interpersonal philosophy. As for my next biggest gripe, what is going on in San Magnolia? Either I'm dumb as all hell, or they purposely made everything nebulous when it comes to the ins and outs of that country. Who the hell runs it? Why is everyone seemingly so lazy, shitty, and apathetic? How the hell did they make this huge nation with these attitudes? Why is the future of their entire country built around one 16 girl old girl that does everything solo for the most part? Have you seen real life governments? There are people surrounded by people making decisions also in groups surrounded by other people who answer to hundreds of other people that then set up groups to look after those hundred as well as others. They made it seem like there's five people running the entire country, and they don't even know that they're about to be overran? Huh? Compare this to Gian where it's somewhat defined who runs the country, how he does it, and who works with him. Add that into the ambiguity of the history of this country, where they're at and how they got there, it's quite hard to understand why a lot of this is even happening. Maybe the same point as last, or a new one. But holy damn did they blue ball us with the Legion. So much of part 1 was focused around how much ground they're gaining against the 86, and in turn, the Alba. It was told well enough that they built up our expectations to see either a clash, or a complete massacre in San Magnolia. Nope. It all happened off-screen. Jesus Christ. Really? We go from San Magnolia, to Gian, back to San Magnolia and it has all happened. We now just get to watch the aftermath of the initial invasion. I feel there isn't much point in me weighting in on what many others have already critiqued when it comes to Lena, and the politics touched on in this anime. @SingleH does a really good job of expressing that it's all such surface level stuff, I'd recommend checking out their review. What 86 says with their story is essentially "war bad, racism bad, discrimination bad, bad people bad". Like yeah, we're not fucking 5 years old, we all know this shit, so reach in a bit deeper than that and go beyond the basic. Either way, I felt part 1 was a really good intro to the series and had me excited to see part 2, but this has made me feel like I wasted all my time on this anime.
SPOILERS AHEAD. This review expects you to have watched the show. [Toshimasa Ishii](https://anilist.co/staff/136625/Ishii-Toshimasa) is not a name which I was aware of before watching 86 – Back then when I watched Erased, I didn’t have a strong focus on visuals and execution. But when it comes to 86, it’s a name which has to be mentioned, because he defined the whole style of this adaptation as a whole. img(https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fanimenewsandfacts.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F04%2F86-EIGHTY-SIX-Episode-2.jpg) 86 was, frankly, much better than I expected. The problem with war stories is that they’re are stories which have been told very often. You have to pull them off well to engage the viewer, and if the story chooses to ignore to tackle themes which naturally come with a war setting, it feels very artificial and subpar. 86 however is very ambitious in its approach to its themes by having two POV, and it plays very strongly with the contrast between Lena and Shin and the situation both live in. And that’s where the anime excelled as an adaptation, because a lot of the core aspects of the themes are told per visuals, clever usage of sound effects and contrast in the composition and imagery. Especially mention-worthy are the transitions between different scenes, here an example: webm(https://blog.sakugabooru.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/love-me-some-thematic-cream-puffs.mp4) And we’re not talking about highlights here: 86 was strong from start to finish. It had issues, especially so in the second half, but already in the first episodes the direction played in the show’s favour. Even someone like me, who doesn’t pick up on details immediately, already [noticed that the direction was one of this show’s strong points very early on](https://i.imgur.com/FPbtRvO.png). That’s how prevalent Toshimasa Ishii’s style in this series is, and it stayed consistent throughout the show, making it sound very unbelievable that 86 is his first project as a series director. Of course, it wasn’t only Ishii. It’s next to impossible to direct even a large quantity of episodes in one show, especially so as series director, but in this case, Ishii was blessed to have a team of episode directors who understood his style and were more than capable enough to adapt it into their own work as well. But a show has more offer than simply themes and good direction, right? If the plot and the characters are not good, the whole package isn’t great either, right? Well…__ yes and no__. I think it’s generally difficult to separate these things that strongly – That’s why I also don’t structure my reviews in story-characters-execution sections (no intention to ridicule anyone who does, it’s just not my preferred style), because all of these things overlap in a complete package, and if one thing is good the other is bound to be strong as well. 86 doesn’t offer an incredible, mind-twisting or original story. However, given how effective the themes in the show are presented even simple moments gain meaning. When Rikka confronted Lena with her hypocrisy in episode 3 it was especially impactful because we saw before the difference in their daily lives. Because the contrast (also enhanced by the direction) is so strong that we can see both sides. That even if Lena has good intentions, she doesn’t understand at all the circumstances the 86 are forced into. Without a successful establishment of its themes, this simple plot event wouldn’t nearly be as gut-wrenching was it actually turned out to be in the final product. webm(https://www.sakugabooru.com/data/983b2d4f89688df056a30b0dd9a44125.mp4) This also applies to characters. Anime is much more than just two people talking: It’s important how you present it. How characters move, speak and act. Visual character acting can often be much more telling for the personality of a character than what comes out of his mouth. And here again, 86 did such a great job translating the emotions and character traits of the main characters onto the screen. While I wouldn’t call any of the characters extraordinary or exquisite in terms of writing, I cared about them, and that’s all the show needed to make me emotional when it wanted me to. Of course, the music has to be mentioned as well – Hiroyuki Sawano did not disappoint with his OSTs, especially “Your Answer” was great and I listened to it many times. But given how great the directing is, the OSTs felt more like candy on top, instead of a core aspect which contributed to making this show into something truly special. _Sawano vibing to his own soundtrack_ img(https://i.imgur.com/6zFDiYq.png) 86 has been blessed with a staff which passion knows no bounds. Even if the circumstances of this show’s production are quite awful, which some of you probably already guessed when they delayed the last two episodes by 3 months. [Here](https://blog.sakugabooru.com/2022/03/31/directors-who-shine-in-spite-of-the-anime-industry-86-eighty-six-and-toshimasa-ishii/) also a more detailed coverage from Kvin, if you’re curious about the production of 86. I don’t want to delve too deep into it, because no one does it as good as Kvin does. I recommend to read it. img(https://i.imgur.com/9nx7vUk.png) __Final Conclusion__: Even with a great source material, translating something into an anime is not always easy. This applies especially to non-manga, which have no panels the anime can make use of to ease the process of creating a convincing storyboard, composition and layout. Despite all that Toshimasa Ishii and his staff delivered this story with a lot of heart, passion and creativity which paid off in the end, because the final product is amazing. 86 was way beyond my expectations, and I hope for a second season, because there is still a lot this story is able to tell.
______ ______ ~~~img(https://c.tenor.com/I-PvHtacYGsAAAAC/shinei-nouzen-86.gif)~~~ __~~~Eighty Six Season 2~~~__ ~~~(we spoilin!)~~~ ______ ______ ~~~img(https://c.tenor.com/fBIfi6METyAAAAAd/86anime-eighty-six.gif)~~~ This anime has exceeded my expectations so many times I would be remiss to not talk about it some more. I honestly blew my load with how much I gushed about this story in my season1 review, so Imma make a concerted effort not to repeat myself. I don't wanna talk much plot, you all saw the story, but I do wanna talk about what I liked so much. ______ ~~~img(https://64.media.tumblr.com/d5348e4ac4e6b3d77fc68c7633689960/eebed9eaad20c013-8f/s500x750/2dc1600ada2e647a260b5ed7dcdd72ace46013da.gifv)~~~ If Season1 was Lena's season, this was certainly Shin's. Without a goal to push his life forward, Shin's journey to find purpose post laying to rest of his brother, his problem of reinventing himself while never loosing his past, and his fears and choices concerning how his new country will use him, was the most compelling plot I saw this year. The way Shin is reborn into a person who uses the skills of the reaper to protect all he cares about ...in about 10 episodes of this quality is incredible. I love how the audience is just left to pray for Lena's survival while we forsake the Republic narratively. With only a few moments checking in with her, its was a smart way to keep her in mind while building up a lot of tension for the ending reveals. The pay-offs from the last few episodes are some of the best I've ever gotten in anime, and seems like we have even more story to go. ~~~img220(https://64.media.tumblr.com/0320d3f8b382bf1ed81c5ad482a2b7c3/959d85540565d0ec-7d/s400x600/ec2c6dd496ff4b1ae1925dd8cf8cb8509d9cc308.gifv) img220(https://64.media.tumblr.com/2c8a024d7159693236d3159a90e15d7e/959d85540565d0ec-14/s400x600/a4d4c0ac8ed3ff8787b3a62f92d36dbb9f122460.gifv)~~~ ______ ~~~img(https://c.tenor.com/du-RzfxetEIAAAAC/86anime-frederica.gif)~~~ It took me a while to warm up to Fredrika, she felt way too smart for her age. But her "hypocrite speak" with Shin really sealed her place in the cast for me. Also figuring out that she was the "Anastasia" of the previous ruling class made it clear what she was doing in the story. I knew I would like Ernst when I realized he was protecting her, not something a revolutionary would normally do for the previous regime for obvious reasons. I thought it was very important how Ernst decided that post revolution he would never abandon the ideals that he held before he came into power, playing as a counter to the republic and their ideals lost. And I love Lena and her uncle's last convo, their relationship is really thematic mirroring what the republic is going through. ~~~img(https://c.tenor.com/3Do_M6ytrEEAAAAd/eighty-six-lena.gif)~~~ ______ ~~~img(https://c.tenor.com/EOTKVT5-7OgAAAAd/86-eighty.gif)~~~ Every 3 to 5 epis this show somehow reinvents itself completely and consistently without shark jumping. There are 23 epis total in this anime so far and the story has subverted it's audience and expanded the mystery more than other stories can do with a hundred. The director sneaks all of the character development in quickly, so that he can instead spend screen time world building and pushing plot. Every info drop is subtle, buried in dialogue but when people start talking like that, its like rehooking me again into the story, getting me invested in the mystery of the world all over again as they open up more and more. I wish more anime story telling leaned this way, you can have emotional moment without sacrificing plot progression or world building. Maybe I'm just getting burnt out on a certain kind of pathos... ______ ~~~img(https://64.media.tumblr.com/809abf1a90379816723613277494f570/d3566e047bc946ab-af/s540x810/07b57afa538e652ffcb9fcb64ecf688dde3ab27a.gifv)~~~ Unquestionably, the best anime I watched this season. The VAs are top tier like, Lena and Raiden are perfect, Shin' VA is really good too. Pacing is fast and steady. The music makes me ugly cry. Every single fight is eye candy. The writing is so fucking smart I never see anything coming before its revealed, the mystery is handled as well as the best of them. The direction is something to be studied. The cinematography is better than anything else I was watching. I haven't talked about sound design since fire force but its remarkable. ______ ~~~img(https://64.media.tumblr.com/015bcb870ec91634e16d32ef6fb64487/435a602d6b9c1b8d-fe/s400x600/4ab42a7bb3e8789e34a71eb6bc017ed890098ddd.gifv)~~~ I could go on and on and on. This was everything AoT should have gotten for it's finale. This season has brought this story into my top 25 of all time. I'm at a complete loss at why this anime is so underrated, and I'm honestly shocked and confused at how many people I see online that are openly dunking on it. I guess I would say don't hold your breathe and believe the hype if season1 isn't for you. If you don't like war or politics, that stuff doesn't go away in S2 and this anime probs wont change your feelings on the genre. But if you do like that stuff, I think the quality of both the author's writing and the studio's adaptation are exceptionally high for both seasons. Ill just finish with a message to other stories that still need to be adapted; be like eighty six, its a model to be mimicked. it really was that good. ______ ________
86 S1 was a stellar exploration of ethnic nationalism and fascism - how as the worthless scourge it is, it creates conspirators out of an entire society living within a state's borders, with the citizenry either accepting the new status quo and wrestling with revisionism on display, or by rejecting it (as Lena does and did) and choosing ostracization and alienation by both society and the state at large, effectively choosing a path of rebellion. S1 makes clear the point that while the ethnic Alba are largely racist and revisionist, it's due to factors outside of their control and in many ways are themselves victims of an increasingly homogenous society, pushing those who disagree with the state to the side and offering no real room for a counter-narrative (let alone liberating the 86 from the Republic's tyrannical rule). It compliments all this with a deeply personal narrative about memory politics and civic nationalism, about how difficult it becomes reconciling memories of a home stripped away from people who have lost absolutely everything while also saying that well, home is where you find home to be, and not something dictated by something as flimsy as lineage or ethnic background. 86's second cour (or season 2, I'll just refer to it as season 2 from this point on as I do feel there's enough to discuss that distinguishes this part of the narrative from the prologue) is a wildly different beast. Our central cast are no longer forced into conflict against their will and have to make the choice themselves to return to the battlefield - with the option of having a normal life given to them. What this turns into is an entire theme (complimenting the lack of agency the Alba in S1 had) about positive and negative freedom, where while the inhabitants of the Federacy have the relative freedom to find their own paths in life, the Spearhead Squadron neither have the ability to rationally do after everything that happened to them in S1 and before that nor the ability to even imagine such a thing. Much of the season is these characters desperately trying to repick the pieces back up, and recontextualizing what their lives even mean once the fighting ends - if there is such a purpose to even be found beyond that. The alienation the central cast feel from wider society doesn't end with the prologue, however; they're treated with a contemptuous level of pity by the Federacy's society at best, being pitied for being raised as child soldiers and told to stay off the battlefield despite the lack of agency involved in their decisions after everything they had gone through, and at worst implicitly discriminated against due to their experiences not lining up with what much of their ethnic kin in Giad have experienced in their own lives as well (which is a welcome and more interesting contrast to the more explicit discrimination present in the Republic). The presence of pity or sympathy at best and not empathy is the distinction to be made here; there's a clear message here about how wider society - for all the talk about not letting the more underprivileged fall to the way side - has no problem whatsoever keeping a distance from people whose culture and experiences are deemed too heavy. This is exemplified over and over again by everyone and their dog telling Shin to just quit the military and be happy - which while a valid thing to say, is clearly alienating to someone who by that point has been defined by his experiences putting his comrades out of their misery and being driven by fighting nonstop as a distraction from his trauma. Happiness is an interesting beast to tackle involving 86 S2. The series doesn't glorify the Federacy's non-combatant citizenry, but neither does it take a militaristic stance involving pushing them to fight. In fact, quite the opposite; the happiness found in a normal, down to earth life where a place to call home is taken for granted is something the series outright romanticizes, but with the nuance that such a thing isn't presently possible for those that have had so much stolen from them by the current conflict - the Spearhead Squadron among them. This extends to another aspect that is relevant to everything 86 is as a story; meaning. S2 for the first time puts the Spearhead Squadron in a position where they no longer can live lives - even if they returned to the battlefield - strictly defined by nonstop fighting. Anju's interest in cooking, Kurena's in fashion, Raiden in just doing rough labor (he pretty openly says he hasn't found anything in particular he's interested in) and Theo's (which is more relevant later in the narrative) in drawing but with the catch of not trying to socialize with anyone when doing art are all things that they can turn to involving normalcy. They reject that ultimately, but the catch here and something the series harps on is that they have to find something to love and enjoy beyond the fighting - the last episode of the series dedicating time to revisiting all of these interests is emphasizing the fact that it's not normalcy in itself that's being rejected, normalcy with the pretense of rejecting past experiences is. This is tied insanely well with the series's already strong emphasis on memory politics and trauma, and perhaps it's about time to mention the elephant in the room tied to everything in S2; Shin. Shin, in the truest sense, is a child soldier with no purpose on the battlefield beyond more fighting. He's detached from any moral compass and is in many ways a weapon taken human form, one whose experiences have been completely shunned (which ironically contrasts him with the normal citizens of the Republic, who similarly also shun the past in favor of a temporary present) in favor of constantly focusing on the lives in front of him that he either has to save or put out of their misery for. This kind of existence is traumatic and leaves him in a position where the longer he kept doing it, the heavier the burden on his shoulders - something the rest of the cast point out constantly is that Shin is unique in how the burden couldn't possibly have been shared with him and yet there's a clear desire by the cast to remove it from him entirely. The mark on his unit being the same as his brother's and kept even beyond S2's ending is noteworthy in that respect; Shin desperately tries to avoid the past while being, like all people, defined by it, and his character resolution comes in accepting his trauma as a part of him, that it's OK to be hopeful instead of slip into the same mindless nihilism as the Legion (exemplified by his guardian angel Lena, who inadvertently is the catalyst that drags him out of that headspace), that it's fine to live up to the past legacies and more than anything, that it's OK to be happy and move beyond trauma that has until this point defined your life and hope for something better. Frederica is similarly noteworthy to mention as she is someone who is defined by a past she can't escape yet is forced to escape from anyway (her being nobility in a former kingdom whose last name has been changed), having seen exactly where the worst of Shin's behavior can go in Kiriya and being a voice of sanity in the entire narrative telling him that it's OK to personalize himself instead of remain detached from the world around him in this nihilistic, self-hating frenzy - two scenes that best exemplify this is one where Frederica warns him about not following Kiriya's path and explains everything that happened to her, but also explaining that he should stop perceiving the world in such a hyper-militaristic manner by refusing to personalize and decorate his room. Similarly, another scene is where the two have a conversation about what it means to even be alive, how Shin perceives himself (which ties into S1's ending oh so perfectly) as a dead man walking - Frederica tells Shin that as bleak as their lives can and are, that it's fine having dreams of something to hope for, and that he's ingrained his own misery onto himself so far that he can't even imagine a world where he can do that. Frederica is just a fantastic character period, her childishness contrasting wonderfully with the rest of the cast but being a pretty great example of what the series as an ethic is promoting - she doesn't hesitate in confronting her past trauma, and interacts normally with Shin (albeit with the nuance of not calling him by a nickname). She struggles desperately with all of Shin's actions mirroring Kiriya's, but never stops being a supporter of Shin climbing out of the mental anguish and trauma he's presently in, offering him real empathy. Many, many characters receive a truckload of characterization in S2. Raiden's bromance with Shin is a joy, but there's also wonderful scenes of him hanging out with his workmates and Frederica - the scene of him cooking something for her is one of my favorite in the whole season because there's something down to Earth and humane about this guy just chilling with a child while badmouthing his best friend. The scene on the bridge is fantastic emotional drama and something built up all the way from S1's finale, and his optimism despite also not having something to clearly work towards like Shin does is refreshing and infinitely likable. Anju struggling to move past Daiya kickstarts the core of her own character arc, but the fact she desperately tries to continue fighting instead of give in and kick the bucket says it all; despite all her pain, she'll keep fighting. Kurena is juvenile and doesn't remotely understand Shin, but her desperation in understanding him at all is key. And most notably, Theo trying to desperately live up to his old colonel's legacy implicitly (though this won't be openly expanded on until later) is indicative of how perhaps the most important things about those who pass away that people hold dear is living up to the best of them rather than drown in self-depreciating self-pity. Frederica is not the only character introduced in S2 who's noteworthy to mention. Ernst is as likable as he is terrifying, being a perfect foil to Lena's own utopian idealism in how he stands for admirable ideals but also copes poorly with the odds of them failing at any point, with his character relationships both with Frederica and the Spearhead Squadron being both amusing and interesting to watch - he embodies his own ideals in many ways about a nation being a place where people of any background can call home, but ironically segregates himself from his own family in Frederica, his maid and the central cast knowing full well that he might consider himself replacing his old family by doing so, making him a warped if tragic and insanely humane hypocrite. Willem is a messy, ugly person who is driven purely by his own selfish desire to not see the woman he loves break down entirely rather than a better defined clear moral compass - Grethe is fun and endlessly charismatic while also projecting her own experiences as a veteran on the Squadron, offering them limited but not full empathy. This season also features the beginning of Anette slowly defrosting from her more jaded and guilt-driven cynicism in S1, driven by perhaps the most important of the side cast - Lena. Lena's role in S2 has been confused by many a LN reader and anime watcher alike, as this is the arc where she gets permanently relegated as the central main character of the story in favor of Shin, as well as (unlike the rest of the story) doesn't even take up the deuteragonist role, showing up less than a handful of times in the arc in the LNs even. However, this is also the part of the story where much of her petty conversations with Shin reach full circle - she means the world to Shin, figuratively and literally, and much of his descent into full-on nihilism is driven by his belief in her no longer being there. Her idealism is present, but tempered by the reality of the setting she lives in at this point (not unlike Ernst) - however, her drive to fight on remains and is perhaps the most evocative part of 86's broader message about living on persistently, despite all the pain and suffering one might endure, hoping for a better tomorrow. Lena loses almost everything a human being can possibly lose over the course of S2, yet she continued fighting on. She saves Shin by merely existing, and (with the anime beautifully presenting it as her stepping out of his narrow frame and into his world) offers Shin a layer of potential normalcy and the promise of a happier future, tying together their conversations in S1 to something deeper and more substantial. On a side tangent, I've seen my fair share of bad faith criticism by 86 detractors on how she should've formally joined the 86 instead of persist on within the Republic; I don't know if these people and myself watched the same show, but Lena's hands were tied the literal second she heard about the Legion offensive, and she wouldn't have achieved much by joining the 86 on her own in a potential suicide run. She wouldn't have saved as many people fighting for the 86 as she did by rebuffing the Legion offensive, and people who make this criticism come off as simply assuming 86 is a story about racism and corrupt governance and stopping there. Perhaps - to tie things back to discussing memory politics - the strongest indication what 86 desires to communicate as a story as mentioned earlier is Shin wanting to maintain his ties to his powers, continue the fight while also reconciling his memories of his late brother and memories of himself in the Republic clearly with who he is instead of shaft them and deeming them unnecessary. The segment with flashing images in the last stretch of the season, showing montages of the central cast and what made them, well, them up until this point is key, that the past may define you evermore, but you can define yourself and how to contextualize it here and now. 86 S2 is a less visually impressive cour than S1, but this ironically works to its benefit with stronger direction, more evocative imagery and more flair. The series is Ishii's debut as director and if this is how impressive his work is with something like 86, I can't imagine what he would contribute in future works. The use of visual motifs - like the rails, aspect ratio, ants and photos/video footage - is applied fantastically. The voiceacting is amazing - I have nothing to say on this front that I didn't say in my S1 review - and the OST is even more stellar than S1, being among Sawano's finest work yet. LilaS is a particular favorite of mine, the context definitely helping solidify that as one of my favorite insert songs in all of anime, but another favorite is Voices of the Chord, a track that uses Avid as a leitmotif but with stronger vocals and lyrics. 86 S2 heralds something more for the future of the wider narrative for 86, taking what made S1 so stellar and expanding on it, having a more emotional and personalized story. I cannot recommend this highly enough. Thank you for reading, any and all feedback would be appreciated.
~~~img220(https://i0.wp.com/anitrendz.net/news/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/86-ep12-e1648255497239.png?resize=1080x1920%2C385&ssl=1) ~~~ # __This cour of 86 surpassed all of my expectations and blew me away.__ The first cour of 86 was phenomenal but this part was something beyond even that. The characters got expanded upon, the world got opened up, and the directing became godly. This cour starts off as a slow-burning slice of life but slowly and surely evolves into a profound emotional rollercoaster ride that makes for a truly unforgettable experience. ~~~img220(https://areajugones.sport.es/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/86-3-1080x609.jpeg) img220(https://www.theanimedaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Tracks-Lena-2-1-1024x576-1.png) ~~~ The directing in this anime showcases the advantages of audio-visual story telling in an animated medium; directing like is shown in 86 part 2 simply cannot be achieved in a live action format, it makes for a beyond-cinematic experience even from within the comfort of your own home, that's just how profusely powerful the directing is in some of the episodes. The scenery is also outstanding and the symbolisms hidden within the anime are the cherry on top of the cake and make for an excellent rewatching experience. ~~~img220(https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/c30b97596647b6f7e7753b31616ceca208b4b5bf8165932b00c4a96ea5f784e1.gif)~~~ One of the most beautiful scenes in the anime is when Lena and Shin meet on the battlefield for the first time and Shin, believing he had nothing left to live for, finally finds something that can allow him to keep on living; He discovers Lena is still alive and she gives encouraging words and shows how she never stopped trying to catch up to him and the rest of spearhead squadron, the cinematic black bars on the screen slowly transition to transparent white in colour and then fade away as the music swelling up within the background reaches the chorus, shin starts crying tears of joy, finally having something worth living for. ~~~img220(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNjEwMDgxMjgtZTE4Ny00YzkwLThkMDktMTFlMzg0ZmE5MmNhXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyOTc4OTAwMjU@._V1_.jpg) ~~~ The ending sequence to this cour is masterful and one of the best moments in the entire series thus far, so many emotions, every time I watch the scene I get teary eyed, it is a near-flawless conclusion to this series, and one of the greatest finales to a season I have ever witnessed within fiction. Overall this anime is a near-masterpiece for me, it comes so close, but some things just didn't tick for me, but it has cemented itself in my top 5 anime series of all time, with just 1 season of hopefully many more to come alone! # ~~~ "I WON'T FORGET!"~~~
86 tells the story of discrimination, human rights, and the moral values that are built on the societal structures that were put in place. 86 as a series is the byproduct of a liberally indoctrinated ideal society. In liberalism, one of the fundamental values it believes in is the rights of human beings and the unquestionable equal treatment of all people. But of course, that is impossible to achieve because discrimination will always be present. 86 demonstrates these aspects clearly through the first cour and a bit more in the second cour. This is why 86 is very typical. We have seen these types of stories from other entertainment mediums: be it books, live-action TV series, films, and most importantly, history. The series as a whole offers nothing more insightful that goes beyond the usual tragic tales of the oppressed. As I progressed through this series, I began to form an overall arching question: What’s the point? The series incorporates the element of contrast between the Federal Republic of Giad and the Republic on the treatment of human rights. Yet, the hypocrisy is still there. On the one hand, the newly formed country of Giad proudly claims that they’re different from the Republic. They claim that they treat everyone, even the foreigners which are the Spearhead Squadron, the same. But the soldiers alongside the members of the squadron and some of its citizens despise them by blaming and ill shaming. This is all true in the real world, but what are the changes that are needed to be made to alter this type of behavior in a rigidly constructed society? I feel that for a series that has delved into this aspect needs to continue exploring it. Because as of currently, 86 as a entertainment is utilizing these elements in its narrative to victimize and only victimize. 86 is manipulating the viewers by giving in to the never-ending victimization, to squeeze out the emotions of the viewers because the series has no affirmative values to offer other than the surface-level presentation. The victim-playing aspect becomes even more apparent during the turning point of the second half of 86 Part 2. During the turning point, 86 chose to shift the focus away from it. By shifting the focus away from continuing exploring for possible solutions to the problems at hand, the series is telling us that it doesn’t have affirmative answers. To which, in my eyes, this is no different than any other liberal media that have presented the same stories that contained the same themes as 86. This is where my problem lies with 86 as a series. I understand what the series is trying to portray, but I can’t help to feel that I’ve seen these types of shows before. I can’t help but feel that the same old themes and message that the series is trying to convey are not offering any distinctive answers; or in any profound way in its presentation. And over time, I can only predict that it’ll lose its meaning. In a world where these types of stories are saturated into our everyday lives, I can only see 86 as something that’s nonunique and nonrevolutionary when it had the potential to do so. I’m not saying 86 is downright terrible or utterly bad, but what I’m saying is that the series as a whole feels redundant given the field that 86 is playing in. To me, it’s upholding the same old status quo regarding the executions of its narrative and themes while not offering anything new for me to ponder over. 1. In consideration of its characters, 86 is at times feels more worth the investment when the series has little moments that are dedicated to the characters--specifically, the Spearhead Squadrons. When the series spends an episode or two on the character study of someone like Anju Emma, Shinei, or Raiden Shuga, it gives more insight into the minds of these characters. We get to learn more about their personas beyond being soldiers and apathetic war machines. I find that when the series utilizes their past to develop the people they are today is more interesting to watch because there’s a huge potential for explorations and again, character study. One of my major problems with the first installment of 86 was that I found Lena to be distracting and uninteresting. But by taking Lena away and focusing the narrative around someone like Emma—who’s not privileged and ignorant like Lena—it creates more compelling reasons for me to care and give a damn. However, I lament that part 2 doesn’t present enough of it. And that the increase in character dynamics between the rest of the cast and Lena will further decrease my liking of the series as a whole. Overall, 86 is still a solid series that has a decent amount of attractive elements in its narrative and characterizations. But at the same time, it has nothing that innovates this media as others would claim it does. I find it very typical of how series like 86 in presenting themselves. I guess what I’m saying here is that 86 could’ve been a series that offers a more unique way for us to think about its presentation of its message and themes. If only 86 could be that unique.
86 is a piece of work that does not cut any corners in terms of its quality. Clean animations, emotional music, strong writing and an experienced [director](https://anilist.co/staff/136625/Toshimasa-Ishii). This series follow best girl [Vladilena Milizé](https://anilist.co/character/141061/Vladilena-Miliz) doing everything within her power to care and give the best to the people that are suffering under the oppression of her own country. Part 1 of the series focuses on her internalized guilt on the sins of her own people while forming genuine long distance relations with the oppressed people that she desperately wants to help. Part 2 of the series focuses on [Shinei Nouzen](https://anilist.co/character/141060/Shinei-Nouzen) dealing with his own skeletons in his closet and his struggles to remain sane throughout all he has been through. A really clean and logical progression of the story, giving solid characterization for the main leads and subtle clues for the cause of the war and the overarching story. Visually impressive, [A-1 pictures](https://anilist.co/studio/561/A1-Pictures) yet again delivers a great Anime that is fashioned in its pristine clean aesthetic. It's vibrant appearance can be argued to be a detriment to the series because although settings of royalty and comfort from the upper class was beautifully rendered they sometimes fail to capture the pitiful and miserable conditions of the ones that are oppressed and in addition and the atmosphere of their grim and morbid fates. The visual attention for the world building nonetheless was detailed and immersive. Characters and factions reflect their place in the story. Speaking of characters, definitely strong visual design for each and every character regardless of their importance to the story or if they are just going to appear in a few episodes. The music is pretty good and what was memorable to me was how it elevates the cinematic scenes of really key moments in the series. The ED OST for part 1 definitely fits the mood of hope in despair and the ED OST for part 2 definitely fits the mood of looking forward to a brighter future. The series transition to each and every ED OST via its excellent directing felt really smooth and despite having a static ED with no animation, I always find myself reluctant to skip it because it feels the music is part of the episode. This was especially amazing in how they utilized the ED for the final episode for part 2. It was such a masterful build up towards a long awaited reunion. Lastly I talk about the writing where this is the part where most people seems to really nitpick about. First of all yes this is definitely an [Attack on Titan](https://anilist.co/anime/16498/Attack-on-Titan/) inspired series but it is not a rip-off. The setting is basically replacing titans with robot spiders. But just because they copy the setting does not mean they copied the story, the characters and plot is entirely different. It would be just as insane as calling [Legend of the Galactic Heroes](https://anilist.co/anime/820/Legend-of-the-Galactic-Heroes/) a rip-off of __Star Wars__. What I like about the flow of the writing and direction is the patience the team have with this series. They do no try to shove in too many plot elements at once like most series. We focus on characters and plot elements one by one. This is one of the few Animes where I always understood and was aware of what is going on as each exposition is given ample time to sink in. One final thing... A common criticism that I hear about the writing is that it is really basic and does not say much about the subject matter it portrays which is mainly segregation and racism; basically saying _RACISM BAD_. Which is... yea? Racism... is definitely bad... what is so complicated about it? I just really do not understand this strange animosity towards being reminded in an unnuanced manner that _Racism is bad_. Like... do you disagree? It almost feels like anyone that make this criticism is being defensive like ~!I AM NOT RACIST YOU DON'T HAVE TO TELL ME THAT!~ Regardless I do think the series does have a more nuanced take on racism and it was not as basic as most people put it to be as presented via the conversations between Lena and her uncle. Even if you still insist it was on the nose, I really think they did the best they can on such a straightforward issue because at the end of the day. __Yes Racism is Bad__ its that simple. Overall, textbook good series. Great animation, great music, great direction and great writing. That's about it, see ya.
__I'm assuming you've already watched the first season. Though I don't go into spoiler territory, so it's fine to read this if you haven't watched 86 before.__ ___ If my memory were a bank, it would be a drive-thru with a "Temporarily Closed" sign on the door. Because of this, I often find myself starting an anime, but never making it to the sequel. It's a love-hate relationship, really. On one hand, I'm scared of getting emotionally invested in a show only to be left hanging with a cliffhanger and no sequel. On the other hand, sometimes I simply forget how much I enjoyed the first season and my interest wanes. I absolutely detest the latter. Hell, I've got a whole list dedicated to shows like this. Then there are entries like this, a breath of fresh air in a sea of forgettable anime. It's the perfect balance of action, drama, and a dash of tragedy, with animation that's so stunning it should be illegal. It's the type of show that's easy to watch without overworking your brain but still manages to keep you fully immersed in the world. It's the perfect balance of entertainment and a coherent plot. No need to worry about your brain turning into mush, it's the perfect brain-off show. And for those days when you want a more serious, mind-bending story, there are always classics like Attack on Titan. Oh, where do I begin with the improvements this season had over the first? Let me count the ways, but wait, I don't think I have enough fingers. The visual department alone is a feast for the eyes. The first season had its moments of beauty, especially with the art style, but it was marred by its fair share of cheap animation and an overabundance of cringe-worthy CGI shots. But, my dear friend, this season is a far cry from its predecessor. The art style has been elevated to new heights, and the animation is smooth as butter. Even the CGI shots, which can often be a deal breaker for me personally, are used sparingly and with a deft touch. It's clear that the studio has learned from its mistakes and focused on what it does best compared to the last season. When it comes to animation, the term "cinematography" might as well be a synonym for visual storytelling. And let me tell you if visual storytelling was a menu item, then this season would be the 5-star dish. The camera angles, scene composition, lighting, and overall visual direction is so on point, it could give even the grandest of productions like Fate UBW a run for their money. I mean, it's called "Unlimited Budget Works" for a reason, right? It's not often that animation can hold its own against live-action productions in terms of cinematography, but the show proves that it's more than capable. The way the camera moves and frames the characters and actions in the scenes is so well thought out, it's almost like watching a live-action film. The attention to detail and creative use of camera techniques is truly impressive. This season serves up a heavy helping of abstract visual imagery that'll leave you feeling full and satisfied. Rather than spoon-feeding your plotlines and character motivations through tedious long-winded dialogue, the show opts for a more visually stimulating approach. I found myself pondering the power of 'showing' rather than 'telling' as I watch scenes that convey so much without a single word spoken. Let's face it. Listening to characters talking about outright obvious things is boring. Even if it's necessary to understand the bigger picture. The show takes full advantage of the fact that it's an anime, and isn't bound by the constraints of reality. This gives it the freedom to explore deeper themes and emotions in a more abstract and visually striking way. The emotionally charged scenes in the show are particularly noteworthy, packing a punch through its dialogue-free scenes, making for an immersive journey where the destination is clear, but the path is left for you to discover. Sure, let's call a spade a spade, this show may not win a Nobel Prize for its worldbuilding and story strength, but it's still a rollicking good time in a dystopian world. And sure, it may not have the most complex characters, but it's a shonen, what do you expect? There's bound to be a certain level of simplicity. But what it lacks in depth, it more than makes up for in its visuals, memorable characters, and storytelling. Compared to Fate UBW, it's like night and day - Fate may have been pretty to look at, but this is the whole package. 86 is the anime equivalent of a cinematic sugar rush. It's a visual spectacle that will have animation aficionados salivating for more. The artistry and attention to detail in the animation are truly breathtaking and will leave you in awe. The storytelling is equally impressive, with a thrilling plot that will keep you on the edge of your seat. It may not be the most intellectually stimulating anime out there, but it's a blast to watch and will leave you feeling satisfied and entertained. At the end of the day, that's why we're here, aren't we? So grab some popcorn and let yourself be transported to a world where the only thing thicker than the plot is the suspension of disbelief. ~!As they say, all's fair in anime and a world where Daiya isn't there. Even war crimes. _[proceeds to laugh maniacally]_!~ ___ Phew, this one took some time, I think I'm explaining how I felt _accurately_ (hopefully).
# __~~~86: Eighty Six (Part II)~~~__ ~~~_``"O épico arco de Shinei Nouzen!!"``_~~~ ~~~img(https://s4.anilist.co/file/anilistcdn/media/anime/cover/large/bx131586-k0X2kVpUOkqX.jpg)~~~ ~~~_``"Esta review contém spoilers"``_~~~ # __Introdução:__ A história de _86: Eighty Six Part II_ se passa logo após os acontecimentos da primeira parte, onde os protagonistas quase morreram, mas foram salvos pela Federação de Giad, que permite que eles vivam vidas de pessoas normais. Mas o senso de dever dos _Eighty Six_ os fazem voltar para o campo de batalha, para impedir que mais pessoas se tornem fantasmas da _"Legião"._ --- # __Animação/Direção/Trilha Sonora (9.8/10):__ A produção do anime novamente ficou responsável pelo estúdio A1-Pictures, que continua fazendo um excelente trabalho. Mas finalmente aconteceu algo que eu esperava que acontecesse na série, ela me emocionou, isso se deu graças a excelente direção e ao uso magnífico da trilha sonora. E, finalmente, temos um opening boa pra _86: Eighty Six!!_ ~~~youtube(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YnI1h8HNZo)~~~ --- # __Roteiro (9.2/10):__ O roteiro da série continua com uma qualidade excelente, cheio de plot twists, ritmo de adaptação agradável e dinâmicas interessantes. Pena que no primeiro episódio houveram certos acontecimentos que parecem simples ferramentas de roteiro, mas o resto continua com uma excelente qualidade (a morte do _Eugene Rantz_ trouxe de volta o peso da Part I). --- # __Personagens (9.7/10):__ Nessa segunda parte surgiram novos personagens, mas nenhum deles me cativou no nível de escrever apenas sobre eles, já os antigos foram ainda mais desenvolvidos (pena que a Lena aparece pouco nessa parte). Creio que o grande foco de _86: Eighty Six Part II_ seja no _Shin:_ ~~~__Shinei Nouzen _"Shin"___~~~ ~~~img220(https://s4.anilist.co/file/anilistcdn/character/large/b141060-ZJFvHqBBSvhN.png)~~~ ~~~Eu, particularmente, não gostava tanto do _Shin_ como protagonista….até chegar aqueles 2 últimos episódios que simplesmente me fizeram gostar muitos mais dele. Tais acontecimentos tornaram o personagem muito mais denso, não só um protagonista overpower. Finalmente ele tem sentimentosKKK~~~ --- # __Erros do anime:__ - Os 2 primeiros episódios tem um ritmo bem diferente de toda a série, talvez tenham feito isso de propósito, mas eu não gostei; - Após os protagonistas quase morrerem no final da primeira temporada, eles foram levados pela Federação de Giad, a forma a qual eles nos foram apresentados deu uma impressão de: "Uau, nós estamos aqui só para sermos ferramentas de roteiro para impedir que os protagonistas morram!". --- # __Conclusão:__ Finalizando, _86: Eighty Six Part II_ é uma ótima continuação, mas seus episódios iniciais são bem inferiores aos da primeira parte, em contraste a isso, o climax da Part II é superior em quase todos os aspectos ao da Part I. Os dois últimos episódios são simplesmente fenomenais (será que vai ter romance nas próximas partes?? Huehue). #~~~Minha nota final é __95__~~~ ~~~img(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FOOIWdqaUAQCfSB?format=jpg&name=large)~~~
This review may contain spoilers img1000(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/798291340495945752/1085032955073806387/IMG_1849.png) Hello everyone, I think that after some time I stopped to think and let the euphoria pass so I could write about this second cour of 86. It is worth remembering that it will be 1 year since the last epic episode aired. 1 year is a lot, right? Talking about 86 is always something that makes me very happy, I don't say that just because I'm a big fan of the work but I also talk about how important it has become in my life. And also on the question of how other fans of the work were appearing on this journey, not only in relation to the anime and the light novel as well. This 2°cour shows a Republic with a sky full of black clouds, at that moment nothing would be possible to prevent the fall of the Republic. img1000(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/798291340495945752/1085033377268248656/IMG_1856.jpg) The crack in the image shows that everything hangs by a thread, the propaganda still showing that the Republic did not even have any casualties on the battlefield is just a lie so that the citizens do not know about the great catastrophe that awaits them. It's funny to think that they really thought that Spearheaded had gone on a special mission, but in fact the impression that is left is that they really died (only that's not what happened) and all that air of mystery around let everything stay even better. img1000(https://files.catbox.moe/l4midj.jpeg) I just really love the fact that they paid even more attention to the new characters that were introduced and one of them is the case of Shiden Lida who is undoubtedly one of the standouts in this second cour, and no, she had not yet met the Shin until this time of events. She had only heard stories about Shin and how much he was one of the most outstanding among all the other (squads) he went through. img1000(https://files.catbox.moe/wycqvw.png) If some characters changed in terms of personality during this 1°cour, one of them was Lena herself, who had her great peak (screen time) more focused on Partl. And yes, Lena unquestionably changed, that saintly character was no longer there, I mean in the sense of not seeing everything as a sea of flowers. The nickname BloodyRegina suited Lena very well and the strands of red hair are the blood of all those oppressed and killed by the Republic itself. img1000(https://files.catbox.moe/i3d26r.jpeg) As much as they got used to the Republic of Giad, they knew that even with everything that was happening at that moment, it would not satisfy the desire to return to the battlefield once again, having a normal life like that would be the same as being birds trapped in cages, and could be dishonoring all the comrades who lost their lives on the battlefield. Shin already showed signs that it wasn't for them. img1000(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/798291340495945752/1085034996470911016/IMG_1870.jpg) I never imagined that I would cry again because of Fido, and this time they were tears of happiness to see a mecha pet back in action and next to those in which many moments were shared, whether moments of pain or happiness. Fido is very important for the historical context of the characters. (The Death of Eugene) Anime/Light Novel img1000(https://files.catbox.moe/5pt0dj.jpeg) To be honest, this scene of Eugene's death in the anime manages to be as good as the one in the light novel, Eugene may have been a character that was introduced very early in the story, but he managed to make an impression. Undoubtedly one of the few Albas who didn't count on luck and had a tragic ending. Eugene only had one mission, which was nothing more than being able to get money so that his younger sister could have a good education. Yes, Eugene was part of a minor noble clan of the Giadian Empire. After the revolution they lost their social status and tax privileges. As a result, the Rantz family became even poorer than ordinary workers, as they did not have enough assets to support themselves, unlike the higher nobles. Six years ago, Eugene's family had to evacuate their village after the war with the Legion intensified. Painfully, Eugene and Nina had to leave their parents behind, as the evacuation was limited in scale and not everyone could fit. They didn't even have time to take family pictures with them. img1000(https://files.catbox.moe/n97d3g.png) The only photo that Eugene had was precisely the photo that Frederica took of him with Shin. Frederica herself mentions that Eugene's room only had a picture of her sister. •(Frederica and her “two” knights) img1000(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/798291340495945752/1085035618402308136/IMG_1888.jpg) One of Frederica's biggest fears was losing Shin just like she lost Kiri, the only difference between them is that Shin didn't go completely crazy every time he went through bad times on the battlefield, Kiri already was gone the opposite of Shin. According to Frederica herself, Kiri was a serious young man. In contrast to his distant cousin, Shinei Nouzen, who frequently ignores customs and regulations, Kiri was a rule-abiding person and didn't take kindly to violators. He was also stubbornly and fiercely loyal to his princess, Frederica, and continued to fight for her despite the desperate situation of the imperial royalists. img1000(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/798291340495945752/1085036896759058512/IMG_1890.png) However, after losing his family and friends during the war, Kiri began to descend into madness. With Frederica's apparent death, Kiri went insane and couldn't stop himself from being assimilated. He was willing to become a shepherd for the Legion and swore to destroy all of his princess's enemies. During the civil war between the imperial loyalists and the revolutionaries,Kiri was the leader of Augusta Frederica's royal guard. As the revolutionaries hoped to shut down the Legion by capturing the empress, Kiri and other royal guards were often sent to the battlefield. As the war wore on and the Loyalists' situation continued to deteriorate, Kiri began to lose his sanity. He became obsessed with protecting Frederica and increasingly enjoyed killing his enemies. The penultimate episode of 86 was one of the most beautiful things I've seen during all these years that I've been following the anime industry, and without a doubt this one is on the list of those who made the internet go crazy, the direction of this episode is a masterpiece, finding the right words to describe everything that happened in this episode is difficult. The soundtrack made by Sawano and Kohta made everything even more perfect and it was kind of hard not to hold back tears. img1000(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/798291340495945752/1085037550286143488/IMG_1910.jpg) The postponement of episodes 22 and 23 was already expected, since at that moment the staff and the anime schedule were already tight, and despite this delay, we fans were rewarded with it. This episode was just a warm-up for what would come in the last one at the end of this 2nd cour, just this pre-meeting between Shin and Lena was much more than I expected. Anyway, episode 23 came and at that moment I didn't know how to contain the tears again, Lilas fell like a glove in this ending and made everything even more melancholy.. img1000(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/798291340495945752/1085038007549165699/IMG_1535.png) Final thoughts: I will never forget this peak adaptation.
~~~[a __spoiler__ review of __86 Eighty Six Season 2__ by satorublue]~~~ ~~~img(https://i.imgur.com/4by8PNs.jpg)~~~ [a short compilation of my thoughts] ~~~__what I loved about season 2: __~~~ I loved that season 2 was able to take what season 1 built and expanded it further so by the end of the season everything felt earned. The ending was so satisfying to watch, and I loved that the group and Lena got to meet each other for the first time in somewhat better circumstances. The last two episodes in particular were fantastic in my opinion and it was definitely the highlight of the entire season. Episode 11 is hands down my favourite episode of the entire series. It was absolutely perfect from start to finish. The entire time watching episode 11 and 12, I felt like I was holding my breathe until that very last scene and by the end I was just tearing up. And to think that there were many production issues leading up to that incredible finale. It really shows how much the animation team cared for this series. ~~~img220(https://i.imgur.com/0qaoGpR.jpg)~~~ ~~~__Shin__~~~My favourite part of season 2 was Shin's character development. He was definitely the most compelling and thoughtfully written character in this series. Shin is a very complex character and this season did a great job exploring his character motivations following from the events of season 1. It was fascinating yet sad to watch him find something new to live for after he completed his goal of killing his brother in season 1. It was hard to watch him go through so much pain and struggle especially as it all built up to an emotional climax in episode 11, which is rightly titled 'Shin'. ~~~img(https://i.imgur.com/cQEqPen.png) img(https://i.imgur.com/apG5CLt.png) img(https://i.imgur.com/sg7LP38.png)~~~ Shin is definitely my favourite character in this series and I can't wait to read the light novel and see him (and the other characters) develop further as the story continues on. ~~~__Lena: __~~~Although we didn't get to see much of Lena this season, every time she appeared on screen it made me so happy. Lena had grown so much from the 1st season and it was great to see her continue to evolve her and implement what she's learnt through her actions. I know that some people don't like her but I won't lie, I love her character and I really did miss her this season. ~~~__Frederica: __~~~I found Frederica to be very interesting as a character. At first I found her to be quite overwhelming but my goodness as the episodes continued on, I just felt sorry for her. Her personality in particular was fascinating to watch with the context of everything she has gone through. As a 10 year old, it makes sense for her to be childish and almost like the 'annoying-yet-cute younger sister' type but when it switches to moments of maturity, it really hurts because its a reminder of everything she's dealt with. From being the last empress of the former Giadian Empire, losing her family and knight Kiriya, who similar to Shin's brother, has now become a Legion Shepherd. And on top of that, she has the ability to see people's memories which are all quite painful considering they're all in the middle of a war. It was especially heartbreaking to watch her struggle to deal with Shin going to battle when he not only acts as a daily reminder of Kiriya but she also feels that he is leading down a similar path to him. I have seen some people say that they don't like her character because the mix of cute and mature is annoying which is entirely valid to have but personally I feel that her personality is a direct product of her circumstance. *Although, I would like to note that at times her dialogue did sound a lot like an adults rather than a mature child (if that makes sense) which is a little nitpick but something that I did notice* ~~~__some things i found slightly frustrating/disappointing: __~~~ As much as I enjoyed watching this season, there were some things that I was disappointed with. For a second season, I felt that some things could have been written differently or improved upon. One thing in particular that I was looking forward to was further insight into Theo, Raiden, Anju and Kurena as individual characters, especially when you consider the fact that they are the last remaining survivors (alongside Shin) of the Former Spearhead Squadron. So it was disappointing to see that their characters weren't really explored upon outside of a few things like them acclimating to new society and finding their hobbies/interests. I really wanted to seem them get at least a fraction of the focus that Shin got. It's just unfortunate because I felt like there was an opportunity for them to delve a bit deeper into their characters this season but its been missed out on. Although, this did not ruin or devalue my watching experience, its just something that I feel like could've elevated the story further. I also felt that the plot of Frederica and her 'knight/brother' was just a repeat of what we saw in season 1 with Shin and his brother. Although I guess you could say that Shin's situation in season 1 parallels Frederica's current situation in season 2. I personally was just hoping to get something new rather than a repeat of something we already saw. ~~~__Overall: __~~~ I will miss this series a lot. And although I will be continuing with the light novel, it's a shame I won't be able to see the rest of this story in an animated medium. But I'm just going to be thankful anyways that this anime got to have two seasons. A big shoutout to the the author Asato Asato and the animation team at A1 Pictures for creating an incredible series. ~~~img(https://i.imgur.com/HBiFRoe.jpg)~~~
~~~The second season of 86 takes the narrative to new heights and deepens the emotional connections established in the first season. In my opinion it exceeds expectations, delivering a compelling narrative, well-developed characters, and breathtaking visuals. It's a worthy continuation that not only builds upon the foundation of the first season but also stands as a strong installment in its own right. I did not expect for the second season to be just as incredible as season 1, and was surprised with how well the story continued and how well the adaptation was. img500(https://randomc.net/image/86/86%20-%2022%20-%20Large%2021.jpg) Concerning the plot and pacing, The storyline in Season 2 continues to be a compelling mix of action, drama, and political intrigue. The pacing is masterfully executed, keeping you on the edge of your seat while allowing for meaningful character development. I personally could not stop watching and needed to know what happened next after each episode and if you give it a try you will most likely experience the same thing. Each episode contributes significantly to the overall narrative arc, making it a binge-worthy experience. In Season 2 our main group is no longer with Lena and now find themselves in a new city in which they are welcomed and given the option of living normal lives. We get to see as they each try to find themselves outside of war, yet they find themselves back on the battlefield with Shin who continues to struggle with his past, and burdens. We watch as he fights against his past and we dive deeper into what Shin is really fighting against and for, and are able to see how he and his friends fight through this along with the battle at hand. img500(https://media.tenor.com/y8JVdyYsO-8AAAAd/86anime-eighty-six.gif) img500(https://jainituos.files.wordpress.com/2021/11/tumblr_c47168de6a935b620903f61d65e75068_b53716e6_500.gif) One of the strengths of 86 lies in its incredible characters, and the second season further explores the complexities of their personalities. The character development feels organic, and the struggles they face are both relatable and thought-provoking. New additions to the cast seamlessly integrate into the existing dynamic, adding depth to the overall story. One of the things I loved the most was how much more of Shin we were able to get, and how his story was tragic, interesting and had me incredibly emotional. I'll be honest when I say I cried multiple times throughout this incredible season, and really enjoyed seeing how Shin's character developed. Watching Shin break down to then see that he is not alone, and that there are people fighting for him, waiting for him, and who love him was truly an incredible moment in the series. img500(https://media.tenor.com/OsR8ZJP3ZjkAAAAC/86anime-shin.gif) The animation quality once again continues to impress, with stunning visuals that enhance the emotional impact of key moments. Whether it's intense battle sequences or quiet character moments, the animation team succeeds in bringing the world of 86 to life. The use of the colors especially during the last few episodes were stunning and added so much symbolism, and depth that it left me speechless. The transitions, the movements and the frames were all incredible to watch making it an incredible viewing experience that anyone would enjoy. The musical score complements the series beautifully, enhancing the atmosphere and emotional resonance of each scene. The opening and ending themes are not only catchy but also thematically fitting, setting the tone for each episode. img500(https://64.media.tumblr.com/e01bc1311a2d0199a2657da038cb3aa8/2c7abfdb9ee9b401-8f/s540x810/534057f3187cdcbc60cdf89d2eb3084d59cc4590.gif) img500(https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/c30b97596647b6f7e7753b31616ceca208b4b5bf8165932b00c4a96ea5f784e1.gif) ~~~