86 (2021-2022)

[86-エイティシックス-]

Director: Toshimasa Ishii
Studio: A-1 Pictures
Starring: Shoya Chiba, Ikumi Hasegawa, Seiichiro Yamashita
Episodes: 23

Synopsis:
An idealistic young officer is assigned to serve as the handler of a frontline unit of conscripted mech operators.

Impressions:
The premise of this series reminded me a lot of Code Geass: Akito the Exiled, but it quickly grew into something much better realized and more satisfying. You have the well-meaning and naive Lena who tries to do what's right amid a decadent society where the average person is blissfully ignorant of the atrocities their government is committing and the few good people have succumbed to disillusioned nihilism. And that's the best I can say about San Magnolia. It's an interesting concept with the public being sold on the idea that unmanned drones are fighting the war for them when it's actually the minority population stuffed into metal caskets to fight to the death. I was taken out a bit when Lena was trying to reveal the truth in a lecture to military cadets and nothing happened to her. I realize she has some powerful connections, but even so, Göring's niece wouldn't have been spared a visit from the Gestapo if she decided expound on the plight of the Jews at the Kriegsschule. Then we have the eponymous 86, a ragtag gang of dead-enders who continue to fight for their oppressors because going down fighting is marginally better than being summarily executed. Leading the gang is Shin, a cold and antisocial ace who personally takes it upon himself to finish off his wounded comrades to keep them from falling into the hands of the enemy. That's our starting point and we see these two main characters grow significantly over the course of the series, with Lena learning the real difference between meaning well and doing well and Shin learning to overcome the ghosts of his past. We get quite the ending for the first cour and both the tone and setting change quite a bit for the second half. I won't go into the details too much so as not to spoil the plot, but I will say that it almost feels like a different series. In fact, I would've covered the two separately—and there are some sources that regard the two cours as separate seasons—, but I look to the Japanese side when making my divisions for review purposes. There were production issues and other problems with scheduling that resulted in a number interstitial recap episodes (which are not included in the episode count above) and a long delay for the final two episodes to be released, but with the production values being so high, those delays were well worth it. I would rather have delays than a substandard product and I'm glad the necessary time was taken. I haven't read the original light novels, but I have heard from readers that this adaption was quite well done, which should be some encouragement (and incentive to pick up the light novels, I'd say). Hiroyuki Sawano of Attack on Titan fame is one of the composers, so that should also count as a feather in the cap. (The score is good, but there's nothing quite as bombastic as what Sawano has done in AoT or Aldnoah.Zero in case you were wondering.) I highly recommend this series, not just for a watch but also a spot in your collection.

Rating:
Own It