86

Im struggling to think what about this anime isnt a 10 after seeing the review options while writing this. This is an outstanding anime, an absolute masterpiece. Some episodes are amazing while most episodes are legendary. Every episode is for the most part is movie quality. The graphics, the fights, the characters, THE FUCKING MUSIC. This anime is more story driven than fight driven. There is fighting in this but a lot more story however in this scenario it fits perfectly fine. The story is so well written with the smallest of details giving insight to things. Every little thing in this anime, every little detail is all thought out and purposefully added. The story is slightly on the sad side and thats good since overly happy animes are just childish. There is no childish goofy autistic shit in this anime making it a perfect anime for people who are starting out/dont like anime. IF YOU ARE PLANNING TO WATCH THIS --> Watch it episode by episode. Its far too much of a masterpiece to watch it in one go in 4 hours. The beauty wont present itself that way. You need to over hype it in your thoughts as you wait for the next episode even if its just a day. I really cant wait for part 2. You can always trust aniplex to make an outstanding anime. Edit: Finally After almost a year it's finished. With the release of the final 2 episodes season 2 has finally gained the same depth and quality of the first. It was just as amazing and heavy as season 1. I ended up losing my passion for it slightly at the end there but I'm glad i watched it again. It reminded me the reason why this is my 2nd favourite while also being vastly superior than my actual favourite. My point still stands a year later with what I said in the above. It's just as good in what I mentioned and I still feel the need to tell you "DO NOT WATCH THIS IN ONE GO". The weight and depth of the anime are only truly felt when watched seperately due to the mostly discontinued nature of episodes, it's something you will only aprreciate and love when taking the time to watch it with care and rewatching it many times. 4th time watching it and i'm still discovering new extra details and hints that I didn't before. I would read the manga but A-1 pictures did an outstanding job with the graphics and animation as well as of course the legend sawano hiroyuki did a flawless job with all the music. Without his perfect OSTs 86 or pretty much any other anime he worked on would not be the same. For that reason I simply can't look at the story, it'd be like a skeleton. I strong but bare foundation without the things that make it itself.

Review in French at the end !! Review en français à la fin ! Eighty Six. 86 is in a rare category of anime, which I have named anime created with "a vision". The staff at A-1 Pictures wanted to go further, rather than just adapting the lines of text to the screen, nah, they wanted to bring this history, this military drama to life. Have they succeeded? Yes. Despite these 11 episodes, 86 is dense in detail and plot, but above all continually tries to make its starting subject more complex. Indeed, 86 speaks of war, racism, violence, and discrimination, but speaks above all of utopia, which is the fact of wanting an absolutely perfect society, without any overflow, without problem, without violence. A utopia, where war, the ultimate symbol of violence, will take place without any victim to be deplored. And this is for me, the only real fault of 86; we have the impression (at the beginning), that this complexity does not exist, that we are going to have the right to the usual clichés, whereas it is present from the beginning, but in a more subtle way, which implies that the viewer must be focused, and looking for something other than simple entertainment (not that 86 is not entertaining, far from it) When he begins to talk about his problems, to show the ambivalence of characters who we thought were led by a single conviction, this is where Eighty Six excels! At the end of each episode, I spent hours discussing the plot and the endless possibilities of the anime, it's a pleasure you can't find everywhere! Some come and go immediately, 86 The characters are the perfect reflection of what I want to tell you about; Vladilena is the very archetype of privilege; daughter of high-ranking army officers, beautiful, rich, and intelligent, she has a mapped out life that awaits her. However, it is she who will want to come to the aid of the Eighty-Six, this group of people persecuted by the Republic, her own country! On the other side we have the Spearhead Squadron, led by Shinei Nouzen, the emblematic leader, who suddenly sees Lena arrive, how will they react? Afterwards, while they risk their lives, she is warm and safe behind! What is the proof that his desire to help is really sincere? These are as many questions as there are possible answers, but for me, the most important question remains this: Will there be a happy ending for the Eighty Six and for Lena? Could the second part come faster? Please ? Eighty Six. 86 fait partie d'une catégorie rare d'animes, que j'ai nommé les animes crées avec "une vision". Le staff a A-1 Pictures avait l'envie d'aller plus loin, plutôt que de simplement adapté les lignes de textes à l'écran, nan, ils voulaient donné vie à cette historie, à ce drame militaire. Ont-ils réussi ? Oui. Malgré ces 11 épisodes, 86 est dense en détails et en intrigue, mais surtout tente continuellement de complexifié son sujet de départ. En effet, 86 parle de guerre, de racisme, de violence, et de discrimination, mais parle surtout de l'utopie, qu'est le fait de vouloir une société absolument parfaite, sans aucun débordement, sans problème, sans violence. Une utopie, où la guerre, le symbole ultime de la violence, se déroulerai sans qu'aucune victime ne soit a déplorer. Et c'est là pour moi, le seul vrai défaut de 86 ; on a l'impression (au début), que cette complexité n'existe pas, que l'on va avoir droit aux clichés habituelles, alors qu'elle est présente dès le début, mais de manière plus subtil, ce qui implique que le viewer se doit être concentré, et à la recherche d'autre chose que le simple divertissement (pas que 86 ne soit pas divertissant, loin de là) Quand il se met à parler de ses problématiques, à montrer l'ambivalence de personnages que l'on croyait mené par une seule conviction, c'est là où Eighty Six excelle ! À la fin de chaque épisode, j'ai passé des heures à discuter de l'intrigue et des possibilités infinis de l'anime, c'est un plaisir que l'on ne trouve pas partout ! Certains viennent et disparaissent aussitôt, ce n'est pas le cas d'86 Les personnages sont le reflet parfait de ce dont je veux vous parler ; Vladiléna est l'archétype même du privilège ; fille de grands gradés de l'armée, belle, riche, et intelligente, elle a une vie toute tracée qui l'attends. Pourtant, c'est elle qui va vouloir venir en aide au Eighty-Six, ce groupe de personnes persécutés par la République, son propre pays ! De l'autre côté nous avons les Spearhead Squadron, mené par Shinei Nouzen, le leader emblématique, qui voit d'un coup arriver Lena, comment vont-ils réagir ? Après, pendant que eux risquent leurs vies, elle est au chaud et bien à l'abri derrière ! Qu'est ce qui prouve que son envie d'aider est bien sincère ? C'est autant de questions qu'il y'a de réponses possibles, mais pour moi, la plus importante des questions reste celle-là : Y'aura t-il une fin heureuse pour les Eighty Six et pour Lena ? La deuxième partie pourrait-elle arrivé plus vite ? S'il vous plait ?

'It's not about how you start a race, it's about how you finish it.' is a quote that I believe suits this show very well. Story: Right from the start, one could tell that this show was clearly geared towards character development as opposed to fighting scenes. It may be slightly boring at the start as each episode involves lots of dialogue, but trust me, it gets better towards the end. This is when the quote I mentioned comes in, as the dialogue accumulated across the episodes makes the last 2-3 episodes much more meaningful as one is able to resonate with the character's feeling much more. Art: Consistent high-quality art throughout. Could do better with the fight scenes though as some of the CGI is obvious. Sound: Not many soundtracks but the timing of when to play the OSTs was key. Beautiful OP and ED too. Character: 10/10. Watch the show urself as its hard to express it in words without spoilers. Enjoyment: 8/10 as I felt sometimes there was unnecessary dialogue and whenever there was a fight scene I was wanted to get it over with quickly because it was quite repetitive in terms of action. Overall: TLDR: If u r looking for action, don't watch this. But if you enjoy character development, then watch this as it makes this show a solid 8/10

This will be a spoiler-free review. From the outset 86 has a very somber tragic setup for a story. One that could very easily become like the movie Avatar in which the main protagonist behaves like a 'white knight' to save the downtrodden in society. The story does feature a very compelling world in which a nation is constantly at war with a mechanized army known as the 'legion' the race in this nation the Alba use 'unmanned drones' to fight this war. Except those unmanned drones are actually run by people: the people in district 86 who fight and die and their casualties are not even reported as casualties as their humanity has been removed in the eyes of the alba. The 86 are given orders by their commanders whom are always alba. The main protagonist, Vladilena Milize feels sorry for their plight and wants to save but due to her presence within the system that the alba have created she remains powerless. Watching Milize struggle with her helplessness as well as learn the ways in which she, even in her sympathy, contributes to the dehumanization of the 86. I also appreciated that the relationship between the 86 and Milize is not one of universal love but even some level of annoyance/curiosity which adds an element of realism. The human tragedy of war is portrayed in a nuanced way dare I say similar to attack on titan. Overall I thought that the anime also managed to deal with an ensemble cast well and made the tragedy of characters dying impact others in subtle ways. This anime also 'shows and doesn't tell' which I highly appreciated. The character of Shin is, while less interesting than Vladilena still manages to capture some of my interest. While I had seen similar archetypes, dark and reserved leader like Levi or Aizawa, to him in other anime his character still manages to be unique due to the sense of vulnerability he exudes throughout the story. The anime does a decent job with the entire ensemble cast creating at least some unique impressions within 11 episodes. Overall this anime richly deserves an 8/10.

86: Eight Six - FINAL NOTE: [8.6] ONE OF THE BEST OF THE SEASON!? The great production of A-1 this season can't let me surprise every EPISODE, even though it's full of troublesome things, such that if you're not a boring or excused guy, you end up leaving them aside for how well the anime manages. do so well the basic premise of all entertainment, namely, to entertain. 86 talks about a world with a clear racial division, where the Albas (which would be the pure Aryan race) enslave and create a dehumanization against the people of the 86 territory, which is a secret military territory where there are only people who are different, or that is, they do not follow the pure Alba pattern. The dehumanization is so great that the Republic of San Magnolia put them to fight against the Giadiano Empire, who are waging a terrible war at a certain time. The empire insists that there are no casualties in its political propaganda, which is accepted as true by the people. On the Albas side, we have General Milizé, who is against this dehumanization of the 86. Throughout the plot she tries to look for some right for them, but it is basically impossible. The indoctrination is strong, strong enough for even military personnel from other districts to make fun of their deaths. Our general is the Alba that we will be most familiar with in this first season. The group of 86 we'll be in touch with this season is large, but there's a standout in there called Nouzen Shinei, an 86 who has survived for several years always onward without dying, carrying improvised dogtags from his dead allies in a box, so he's also known as Reaper. For his feats, he is called the field commander of the Spearhead Squadron, piloting his Handler (the attacking mechas provided by the Republic) under the codename "Undertake". The anime kicks off when Milizé is designated as the Spearheads Operator. - What did I think of? It's not perfect, but it's extremely good to keep track of! A lot of the premise of 86 is about this racial clash and class division, but the truth is that the anime forgot about that throughout the episodes, of course, never leaving it totally aside. The lack of depth is notorious, as there are never deep situations or quotes on the subject, and I believe this comes directly from the adaptation of the A-1 and the way they took the project. See, 11 episodes, as far as I know, were just to adapt ONE SINGLE VOLUME, which of the feeling of being dragged or even... weak at its main point. The racial issue doesn't evolve, in my point of view, because the anime stuck A LOT to volume 1... and these are questions that normally only volume 1 will not answer, but rather with the harmonic progression of the story. It's like they took Sword Art Online: Alicization and did an entire season on top of Volume 7 of the light novel... it was going to get tiring, awkward and unfocused, and of course, an entire season that would have no response or no sense of progress. This super volume extension for me is cool (since I love games like Red Dead Redemption II, which extends the epilogue and prologue as much as possible), but I completely understand and agree that this is very 8 or 86... (sorry for bad joke). The sense of resolution and progression has to be noticeable in every episode, of course, not to leave the story weak and monotonous. This even resulted in non-symbolic and non-impact deaths. It all felt... empty, you know? - So why the grade 8.6? Simple, as this is secondary due to the AMAZING work of the production of this anime. I can't get to those points after thinking about it a bit, because honestly, watching the anime I didn't even care about, and I say more, it was one of the most amazing experiences with anime this year. Every week wait and see that something amazing was about to happen, full of visual message, charisma and a lot of emotion! Sawano's songs really highlight all the climaxes and key situations right here! The calm parts of everyday life give you that feeling that that moment could be eternal... anyway, it's GOOD! VERY GOOD to watch. These mistakes I pointed out you'll only notice because you've read them here, but I DOUBT if you saw it blindly you would care about it (and if you did, I would highly recommend you look for something to do). I would not say that 86 is a work carried by production, but rather that it is more acceptable because of it. This of course, taking into account that if another random studio that in our imagination decided to adapt, it would make the same effort to extend a volume to 11 episodes. In the end, look! It's a great piece that has its problems with, I believe, choosing to overextend, but it's still pretty cool.

86 (2021) All things considered of the various shows I have watched this season and I only count my opinion based on the ones I have seen since there are so many, this is a pretty damn dark storyline. Forcing a certain set of people to fight so that others may live in peace, make them less than human to make yourself feel better. Yeah, it is that sort of show but not every seed is bad in this since some good people exist, just not that many on a certain side it seems. You even get some pretty dark changes to the main characters such as Handler One Lena who becomes a very strong leader that doesn't take any bad attitudes from her own people. The art is crisp and suitable with some CGI especially for the mechs and the enemy is entirely mechs for the most part. The art is a nice eerie sort of style that I think if it was too good would ruin it. At the same time sometimes faces disappearing when someone is stood back away and such. It has its flaws. The OP and ED are both pretty great. The song at the end can be pretty powerful especially in episode 11. Characters, as I say, are essentially a few sets of people. The Alba with white hair the perfect race as they think they are. The 86 those who don't meet the expectations of flawless Alba and the Legion the enemy. There are other nations in the world we just haven't met any of them. The characters are pretty deep in many ways for example Henrietta takes some pretty dark turns. Overall, it is a solid 8/10 for me. Whilst it is not perfect I will definitely continue watching it when the second cour comes out and I will absolutely hope for more. I'd love this sort of show to get fully adapted.

86 is very unique for me in the overall nowadays mass of typical anime out there. And I mean it in a good way! At first I wanted to rate it with a 7 which is for me a mediocre / good rating which implies that it's watch- and enjoyable in some way (but not for everyone). But the last three episodes changed my mind and gave me hope that there are still anime out there that'll catch you off guard, especially because it had a different ending as most anime which tend to revive even dead person (for example) and present you a happy ending regardless of the situation the characters are in which again is the standard trope in anime nowadays. What stroke me the most was the timing when they started to play the ending scene /song which gave the anime a tremendous boost in atmosphere. Only a handful of anime tend to use this style to bring out the most of potential, especially when the music hits you in your feelings. So that was pretty awesome! The characters are all over the place, nothing too special about them. But the caring side of the female protagonist gave it the glimpse of empathy while at the same time it didn't become too shallow / unreasonable. The male protagonist had a good motive for his action and supported the story fairly through his own reasoning which btw was explained thoroughly through the story. Overall I was enjoyed watching it because of the points I mentioned earlier, without them I'd say this anime would've vanished in the masses of mediocre shows I've seen over the years. But to be fair, it didn't entertain me on a level where I'd get big eyes and would gaze on it for all eternity. So therefore I'll give it a weak 8 out of 10, since it catched me emotionally.

86 presents itself as a show that tackles interesting subject matter such as: racism, xenophobia, genocide, consciousness, propaganda, and trauma. In reality, it is a thematically confused piece with some of the poorest storytelling, writing, and plot that I've ever had the misfortune to subject myself to. When it comes to digesting media, I always try my best to approach it in good faith, with an appreciation for the constraints and conventions of the medium, and a genuine attempt to understand what is trying to be conveyed. Even when I apply my best-faith effort to engaging with 86, I come away in a state of utter shock that this series was ever cleared to air; the writing and thematic execution of this series reads like an eighth-grader who just found out about the misuse of political power and decided to peck out a first draft overnight.

An anime about mecha and politics, that can't seem to do either of them right. Story 6/10 Endless talking with a minuscule amount of story sprinkled in between. The only purpose this endless talk seems to have is to introduce us to the characters, but this could be done in a lot less time with how little personality the characters have. World building works surprisingly well and is somewhat interesting. Once we're done with the basic world building, the story tries to get deep, but instead takes a route so generic I didn't even know it could be done. Characters 5/10 Most have a nonexistent personality, others are generic. Our main girl Lena is okayish but still not well enough written to praise. Art 8/10 Usually quite good. In a few scenes, characters were visibly worse animated. The scenery and background often great. Sound 8/10 Good voice acting and environmental sounds and great music. Enjoyment 7/10 Even with how much there is pointless talking scenes, and not so good drama, I couldn't find myself getting bored even in the slightest. I also must say that if I'd watched this a couple years back I would've most likely loved this. Overall 6/10 A totally fine watch. I most likely just grew out of liking this kind of series.

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

What I will say is strictly my opinion! Oo yes you have reached 86 season 1, very well you chose an extraordinary anime full of action and drama, a very well constructed anime, very well laid out looks, their personality suits them, a very good story keeps you in suspense but it also gives you hope. The story: The story so as not to give you any spoilers is a combination of action and war with quite a bit of drama. It's very good, it gives you from the first minutes or at most 1 2 episodes to fully understand the situation of the characters. Let's talk a little about art, or animation: The animation itself is excellent, very dynamic, well done, it's perfect for this kind of anime, I have no comment, the people who made the animation are great. Now the art itself, the appearance of the characters are matched with their right personality. The sound, the sound is pretty good, especially the special sounds used in anime machines, since it has a Mecha theme, they use this thing in anime, and the sounds are very good, nothing to comment on, and the voice acting is great, fits perfectly. The personalities of the characters are very well defined, especially the main ones, they are dynamic and sometimes you don't know what choice they will make. Enjoyment is aaa how I can tell you, once you have seen the anime and you know what is happening 100% you will want to finish it, here I have nothing to say except: if you watch the first episode or 2 you will not stop only at the last one. Overall it is an action anime combined with drama that captivates you, very well constructed and with very good animations, and maybe a little mysterious that you don't know what will follow.

What an amazing anime...when people ask you what anime they should watch that isn't mainstream, this is one that you can recommend to the fullest. Okay, provided they can handle a little bit of dark. I started watching this anime with leveled expectations because the score on here was so high I didn't want to be disappointed. Turns out- I had nothing to fear. It really is THAT good. I'll keep it short and sweet. Story: I gave an 8/10. Nothing too special, but it's good. The plot is kind of glossed over. A lot of things happen, but you won't understand why and how- the show kind of tells you, but a lot of things are left out as well, which is why it got knocked some points. But still- WHAT I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IS HOW MUCH STORY THEY FIT INTO 11 EPISODES. No freaking fillers, that's for sure. Every moment matters. This is what I'm talking about! Wish more animes would follow this footstep. Art/Story/Sound: All 10/10. The art is so damn good. You can see how much the studio cares. A lot of tiny details went into certain movements. The characters look pretty and handsome of course. Characters: AND HERE WE GO. This is what sets this show apart from soooo many others. The characters are fant-fucking-tastic. Each one has their own personality. Each one is unique. What's crazy is that there's really only 2 MC, but the side characters are so strong that you love them all. Easily the best character is Shin aka Undertaker. You just get to see how progress and grow. You see how much he's gone through. Just a unique character. As for the other MC- Lena? She's alright....honestly, I think she was one of the weaker characters. Reason I say that is she is a cardboard cut out of all them other wanna-be saint, holier than thou type of character. Like, she is just SOOOO pure hearted. But she's also a complete idiot who is too naive. I like her she looks though. I will say- she does have decent character growth, so stick with it. You might come around to like her a bit more like I did. The character that steals the show is Laughing Fox. His VA is amazing. Seriously. Some of his line delivers hit hard. How about some negatives? I mean there are some, which is why I didn't give it a perfect 10/10. A lot of how the machine battles aren't explained- specifically the ones 86 pilots. Like, how can they move so fast and are so much stronger than the enemies? There's a lot supernatural stuff that happens and isn't explained well. But the action itself is good. Just, the explanations for how and why things work was never done. So should you watch this anime? Ummm, YES. You will have no regrets. After I'm done writing this review, I'm off to watch season 2!

If you liked Code Geass then you will definitely like this one. This is basically Code Geass but better story wise and character wise. 86 is a gem and will definitely go down as one of the best mecha anime right now. As much as the plot is simple, the pacing is really well done. But where 86 completely excel is to make us, the watchers, feel for the characters. They did a great job to make us empathize to them and see the struggles that they go through not only in the battlefield but mainly outside of it. In conclusion, go watch the anime if you are not only action driven (otherwise you are gonna be deceived) you will absolutely love it.

I don't think i'll ever forget 86. I've been around long enough to remember when "A-1 Pictures Light Novel Adaptation" was a joke's set up and punch line. Remove all your expectations when watching this show. 86 is a brutal tour of harrowing emotion that does not hesitate to explore the horrors of war and fascism, and not just these topics alone but the psychology of the people on both sides of them. This is definitely a show for folks who might be bored of lighter far in anime. Yet there's a heart in 86, a reason to trudge through tragedy and horror. You will cry if you watch this show, but you will also root for well crafted heroes of a story that almost feels like it needs no season two (though said season two does not disappoint.) Snappy directing rivets the eye to the screen and makes a large plot easy to follow while Hiroyuki Sawano's music turns the battles into heroic struggles and the defeats into heart breaking dirges. Well paced, beautifully scored, with writing and shot composition that provoke the mind, this show is the complete package. Don't sleep on it. 9/10

For me, this is the only masterpiece anime of 2021. The emotions, the details in the story are incredible. And the animation, world building, character development are mazing too. Definitely one of my top 5 anime of all time. And I'm looking forward for the next episodes and I know I will never be disappointed with this anime, because not one episode wasn't good enough until now and they all were AMAZING! I wish more people would watch it because they're missing out on a masterpiece like this and I really want the author and the team producing this masterpiece to be more appreciated.

Taking place in a world where an empire lost control of its AI-controlled war machines and now they’re trying to conquer the other nations. We follow the deeds of the ‘Handler’ Vladilena Milize, an officer of the Republic of San Magnolia whose job is to oversee the advance and defense of the Republic’s AI-controlled military machines and see that the Giadian Empire machines don’t invade their territory. Since the war against the empire commenced there haven’t been any casualties in the Republic because their AI-controlled combat units are in fact human-controlled, they are controlled by people from the 86th district and they aren’t considered human anymore. From the first episode the basis for the entire series is set, it has a well done and easy to follow discussion about race and class that will remember you about other works like Iron-Blooded Orphans or Legend of the Galactic Heroes, since it has a more teenage appeal to it, its themes don’t go all the way down to be too political or maybe too complex, nevertheless, they are greatly executed. At first, I was somewhat doubtful about the show but as the story progressed it just kept getting more interesting and intense with each episode, so by the third episode I was entirely hooked by it. It also has a somewhat non-linear narrative with two perspectives (one with Vladilena and the 86 squadron that she commands, in that perspective, we mostly follow Shin A.K.A. The Undertaker, their captain) that has an amazing edition to it, sometimes we start following the 86 squad till we get to some kind of climax to instantly backtrack a little and follow Vladilena, now with more insight of what’s to come it is also possible to unravel some of its twists beforehand. This two-sided narrative it’s excellently done and it speaks of the amazing editing skills of the team. Along with the two-sided narrative, the anime plays a lot with the episode title screen and makes it part of the narrative in some dramatic way, sometimes a character will say a motivational speech that will end in a climactic quote, just for the title screen appearing and show the final phrase to accent it more, it's pretty effective. The same goes for the ending theme, it is used to accent certain scenes and it even appears way before the episode really ends, it even changes the ending song depending on what is going on. I like these two narrative details a lot. It is one of those shows where characters die a lot with each episode, and they die at such a fast pace that sometimes it is hard to feel anything for them, but the story tries to balance that out with some backstory and making that episode focus more on them. This strategy sometimes works, sometimes doesn’t, since it could hint to you who’s going to die next. The cast is likable for the most part, they are on the tropey side and can be dull at first, but, they also will grow to you gradually. Animation’s very pretty, as it has some fluidity and it is well drawn for most of the part, it goes back to back between 2D and CG but they’re so well integrated that you won’t feel those transitions. The CG is only applied to the mecha battles which are intense, well-choreographed, and intense scenes, so they help a lot to maintain good tension and the stakes high. I was somewhat reluctant to watch 86, as the characters looked more SAO than I would like to (there is nothing wrong with that mind you, but I don’t prefer that kind of design anymore), and it took some time for the thing to get really good, but once you’re fully committed it goes from good to great and it even has one of the best episodes I’ve seen in recent memory (episode 10). It doesn’t go full speed with its denser themes but it is a good approach nonetheless, if this sort of escalating keeps going on I can’t wait to see what it is in store for the next season.

Spoiler free article: A short description that's just a bit longer than normal synopsis to give you rough idea what to expect from this anime. Conclusion for TL;DR at the end of the articles. Review: The story might seem to start slow, but it's within reason, since there's so many information needed explanation, it will be just another information dump if it's paced like normal action anime. So some people might find it too slow and boring and just quit right there. This show burns slowly, and have a decent story, not flawless, but the flaws it have, it's negligible. For example, the problem with the race discrimination, it's only there for the premise of the story, they don't dive too deep into the problem, so some people might dislike it to be "too shallow" and "not enough research" with said topic. My stance about it would be, it's for the best, this anime is already "heavy" on the story, it's won't be good if it's too heavy on one aspect (story in this case), since it will overweight the other aspect like graphic and sounds, etc. The arts mixing of both 2D and 3D now feels so natural not like before, proved by this anime, with the mecha and the city with 3D and the rest with 2D. The vivid color palette and sharp lines for the mecha, while some soft line for the other, all in all a pleasant experiences for the eyes. The character designs are unique and easily memorized with their own distinct features. The mech designs are welcomed, since it's rare for some mecha anime to not feature a humanoid mecha. The landscape of the cities and ruins are great at first, but then later I found some to be reused again and again, which irked me tad bit. The battle however, is the meat of this department. It's so fluid, with some great effects employed, such as dust flying, rolling of rubbles, clash of metals, and many more, each have a same count of frame rates, so that it's not "stiff" in the movement aspects. The angles taken for the battles are much more dynamic compared to average mecha anime battles that might make some people dizzy looking at it though. Do I need to start with the music? It's made by Sawano Hiroyuki, it's the best composer for this kind genre of anime, it will help to reinforce the grim feeling of the death one, the adrenaline rush during the battle, and the epic moment of victory, the music made us viewer as if we're one of the 86. The music truly play an integral part to make this anime unforgettable. The VAs made of both big and small names, but their performance are top notches, you'll get the feel for each character right away. The joy and sadness you can discover right away through their voices, no complain here. Reasons to watch: -A different take to mecha anime with a lot more emphasis to the story -Great battle animation -Sawano Hiroyuki's music to accompany the whole watching experience -Great VA's acting Reasons NOT to watch: -Slow burn anime -Few "gun blazing" scene, a lot more story focus than action scenes

This show is a breath of fresh air in otherwise fart saturated room that is 2021 anime. Story is not too clever but it doesn't try to be. It's simple and well thought out but presented in really good way with perfect pacing. There are no plot conveniences, there are no made up rules to justify illogical actions by main characters. Am not going to describe what's it about because I initially dropped it after reading the description and watching first episode. Now am glad I had my doubts and watched few more. It's a show worth watching for sure but give it good 4-5 episodes for story to start developing properly. They are doing things the right way and developing characters properly so it takes a while.

So I admit that I have slept on this anime through the Spring 2021 season while I was doing my final year in university and aw man, it gave me the feels throughout because you don’t know who was going to die in each episode man. It was interesting to see a female lead finally being in control of comrades who are out at war and trying her best to tackle the inequality remarks she faces for being different to her comrades. At first I thought she was acting like a typical “damsel in distress” type of character but she grew on me to becoming more thoughtful of her comrades despite what they thought of her. Put it this way, she turned out to be a tough cookie and I admire her for that! Shin was also an interesting male lead like you would feel really sorry for him that he was nearly choked his dead by his scummy older brother. I’m not gonna spoil what happened but you should watch this anime to find out! Also Fido is such a cute robot, I want a robot like Fido! 😩🥰 I’m really looking forward to Season 2 happening right now so let’s go!

This probably the smartest anime for 2021 in terms of high concept. This series is a prime example of taking a complex and difficult topic and writing in a way that it is digestible without minimizing the complexities. Racism is difficult to portray in fiction, more so systemic pervasive racism without going too far into the realm of just being unpleasant or oversimplifying the problem. The worldbuilding is fantastic to put it shortly. I was pleasantly surprised to see this was an A-1 Pictures title with this level of CG integration; their relatively new compositing team is really helping. The show looks good, they don't really cheat in moments without the mechs from what I could see. The mechs look great for CG models and are integrated well; didn't break immersion or anything. Sound was good, I must shame myself for not paying attention to the Sawano soundtrack first time through, it is definitely one of his listening to the tracks by themselves. The ending songs are great too since he composed those too. The voice cast is great in Japanese, the dub is more than acceptable to watch; Crunchyroll is definitely upping it's dub game, at least in English, I can't say for other language options. Character writing is definitely a high point for the series. The characters are complex and have their own feelings and motivations for the choices they make. It hurts when characters get killed off because you want them to make it and be okay. Even our idealistic lead has the resolve actually try to do things to fight for her ideals. I very much enjoyed season 1 as a whole. It is rare that a series grabs me so much that I binge the whole season in one day. The worldbuilding and character writing are phenomenal. I tip my hat to Asato Asato and her debut series being as strong a showing as it is. A-1 Pictures also made a strong showing with this project; certainly helps when the source material is currently well written. If this series piques your interest in any way, I strongly recommend it.