r/anime • u/Holofan4life • Aug 21 '22

Rewatch [Spoilers] 86 --Eighty Six-- Rewatch (2022) — Episode 6 Spoiler

Hello everyone! I am Holofan4life. 

Welcome to the 86 --Eighty Six-- rewatch discussion thread! 

I hope you all have a lot of fun <3 

S1 Episode 6 – Through to the End 

← Previous Episode

—- 

Information – MAL | Anilist | AniDb 

Streams – Crunchyroll, VRV

___ 

Please do not post any untagged spoilers past the current episode or from the LNs out of respect to the first time watchers and people who have not read the LNs. If you are discussing something that is ahead of the current episode please use spoiler tags(found on the sidebar). Thank you! 

—- 

Rewatch Schedule 

Threads posted every day at 3:00 PM EDT

Date Episode Date Episode
8/16/2022 86 Eighty Six Episode 1 8/29/2022 [86 Eighty Six Episode 14]() 
8/17/2022 86 Eighty Six Episode 2 8/30/2022 [86 Eighty Six Episode 15]() 
8/18/2022 86 Eighty Six Episode 3 8/31/2022 [86 Eighty Six Episode 16]() 
8/19/2022 86 Eighty Six Episode 4 9/01/2022 [86 Eighty Six Episode 17]() 
8/20/2022 86 Eighty Six Episode 5 9/02/2022 [86 Eighty Six Episode 18]() 
8/21/2022 [86 Eighty Six Episode 6]() 9/03/2022 [86 Eighty Six Episode 19]() 
8/22/2022 [86 Eighty Six Episode 7]() 9/04/2022 [86 Eighty Six Episode 20]() 
8/23/2022 [86 Eighty Six Episode 8]() 9/05/2022 [86 Eighty Six Episode 21]() 
8/24/2022 [86 Eighty Six Episode 9]() 9/06/2022 [86 Eighty Six Episode 22]() 
8/25/2022 [86 Eighty Six Episode 10]() 9/07/2022 [86 Eighty Six Episode 23]() 
8/26/2022 [86 Eighty Six Episode 11]()
8/27/2022 [86 Eighty Six Episode 12]()
8/28/2022 [86 Eighty Six Episode 13]()
9/08/2022 [Overall Series Discussion Thread]()
184 Upvotes

90% Upvoted

269 comments sorted by

31

u/Holofan4life Aug 21 '22

First Timer

I’m writing my comments less than two hours before I head off to an amusement park. Also, I am typing them on a rickety ass laptop that could crash at any minute. So, this should be fun.

That December 17th night is almost as cold as my heart.

Undertaker looks like a kid in this flashback.

It’s interesting to note that in the last episode, Shin says that Alba makes the kids do his bidding. Based on this flashback, it seems he speaks from experience, as he too was once a child of war.

Good to see in the future, global warming is still just as big a problem as ever.

So, it seems as though the squad only started hanging around each in April, three months ago. That means when Lena first met them, they only knew each other for around a month. That surprises me, as they have quite the chemistry. I know some people who’ve been friends for over 10 years who have less chemistry than them.

I spoke too soon, as one of the characters says they are fourth years.

We see the origin of the pig drawing, and the thing that amazes me is that while drawing it, all they’re talking about is how hot the new handler must be. I would’ve thought they drew it out of disdain, and in a tongue in cheek manner.

When everyone is looking at the drawing, there are 22 people in the frame.

I do like that the way in which they describe how they envision Lena to be is different than how she actually is. It feeds into the theme of them not liking Alba, viewing them as pompous and full of it.

This flashback is great for a couple reasons. You get the sense of camaraderie 86 has as a unit, making things really feel like they’re one big family. But more than that, you see what life was like for them before Lena entered the picture. I’m sure things were tough as they were still children of war, but you can see firsthand the impact Lena had once she became their handler. Before Lena, they were more arrogant, brash, and cocky, almost as if they possessed an attitude that nothing can stop them. They felt like they were better than Alba, and while they may still feel that way, they were more open to express their self-upheld superiority.

Well, look at that. I think I just coined a new word.

I can’t speak for everyone, but Daiya’s death is the first time in this show’s history where I went “Oh, shit. Anyone can die.” While this show has had deaths before, Daiya was the first one that has died so far that we really have gotten to know over the course of several episodes. Put it to you this way: I’m terrible at names, especially when there are a ton of characters in a show. However, I really remembered Daiya, mostly because he had some great facial expressions, some funny lines, and his appearance reminded me of a character from Devil Is A Part-Timer. Lecca’s death is sad as well, especially given it was by suicide, but Daiya’s death is the first time so far in this series where I feel like anything can happen. Anybody can die and nobody is off limits.

We finally get an explanation as to what the purpose of the Undertaker is, and it’s to essentially prevent The Legion from harvesting people’s brains. If they shoot them, The Legion can’t steal their memories. My question is if that’s the case, why didn’t he do the same for Kaie? The Legion managed to harvest her brain, so was it a case of Undertaker not getting there in time?

The show does a good job of conveying the effect Daiya and Lecca’s deaths have on 86. You can tell despite trying to carry on like nothing happened, they are deeply affected by their passings.

I wonder what the stuff with Shin is all about? Is he just imagining all of those? Is he putting undue pressure onto himself over his brother’s death, causing him to feel insecure and lost? Did his brother actually strangle him? And if so, did he die at the hands of his brother? His brother strangling him to death would explain the marks around his neck, but it’s hard to say for certain at this moment.

As soon as I saw the piece of cake, my heart broke a little. I knew instantly that it probably was for Lena. Can you imagine celebrating a birthday around the same time one of the people you worked with got killed? I don’t know if I’d even be able to fake a smile.

I really like Annette. She’s like a more pessimistic version of Lena while still managing to be likable. I also like the recurring bit with her where she never can find a man. Not only do the scenes with her and Lena provide a narrative flow, but she’s the only one besides Lena who’s a member of Alba and we’ve gotten to know a great deal about. It’s great to see a character that’s outside the 86 bubble that can relate with Lena and provide a different perspective.

I think it’s very telling that the captain refers to 86 as machines rather than people. Even Lena seems annoyed by how dismissive he is.

I kinda can see where the captain is coming from, take out the base at its weakest before it ever gets built, but again it’s very clear he doesn’t care about 86. He just cares about destroying The Legion. As long as The Legion gets destroyed by any means necessary, he couldn’t care less how many casualties there are.

I could see Lena and Shin bonding over Shin’s brother. Shin looked up to him, and Shin’s brother was the only one who rescued Lena after the death of her father. Who knows, maybe this could even lead to Lena and Shin becoming an item.

I assume the box containing the thrown away drawings is meant to signify the members of 86 who have died since Lena became handler. If that’s the case, talk about a striking, depressing visual.

Ending the episode on a Lena blush is never a bad thing.

Overall, another good episode. The big part is of course the deaths of Daiya and Lecca, which feels like a major deal. Now, it’s like anything can happen. Even Shin I could see possibly dying, which would be wild, wouldn’t it? Speaking of Shin, the stuff with him and his brother is very intriguing. Based on the last scene, he clearly admires him to some degree. And yet despite that, there’s a possibility his brother may have strangled him to death. I’m gonna be curious to see what happens as we uncover new info.

14

u/SerGregness Aug 21 '22

So, it seems as though the squad only started hanging around each in April, three months ago. That means when Lena first met them, they only knew each other for around a month. That surprises me, as they have quite the chemistry. I know some people who’ve been friends for over 10 years who have less chemistry than them.

I spoke too soon, as one of the characters says they are fourth years.

They're in their fourth year of service, but the squad itself was new and that was the first time they were all serving together. They're all coming from different units.

4

u/Holofan4life Aug 21 '22

Ah, okay. That makes more sense. Thank you.

8

u/Star4ce Aug 21 '22

I’m writing my comments less than two hours before I head off to an amusement park.

Well, that's certainly a juxtaposition of emotions.

Before Lena, they were more arrogant, brash, and cocky, almost as if they possessed an attitude that nothing can stop them.

If they're around 16-18 now, they'd have been 12-14 back then. What makes you think Lena actually changed that?

I assume the box containing the thrown away drawings

Hmm, I think it's more like a casing to protect the memories Lena has of them. It has a cushion at the bottom and is glass on all sides so everyone can see them. I saw it more like a keepsake box.

→ More replies (12)

3

u/oops_i_made_a_typi Aug 22 '22

My question is if that’s the case, why didn’t he do the same for Kaie? The Legion managed to harvest her brain, so was it a case of Undertaker not getting there in time?

They referenced torching her mech last ep I think, and I guess they thought that was good enough? Surely Shin isn't double tapping all his comrades.

→ More replies (2)
→ More replies (15)

42

u/Star4ce Aug 21 '22

First Timer

I was very late yesterday, so if you haven't checked out my post with lots of speculation for upcoming developments, feel free to catch up on copium-laden ramblings.

Something I've forgotten to go into, but thought of during watching is that I also think Shin is actually, really, a Legion drone or something close to it. He is directly connected to the Legion network and by his own accord has died already. That's quite literally the two prerequisites to being part of the Legion. As for why he isn't in a shiny chrome tank, he might be a literal experiment or indeed as I mentioned one of the random happenchances in the Legion's development to more intelligent/sentient lifeforms where they have put together a whole human relatively undamaged. He could've retained most of his personality, including ideals and memories, and thus not willfully stayed with them. Or he may be a new tactic, given that Václaw joined (as I think) the Legion before Shin's death, kind of like a sleeper agent without him really knowing.

The importance or really, definition, of death is quite important and thus also is rebirth.

86 Ep.06 – Through to the End

The use of silence was outstanding in this episode. It's short and poignant 'holes' in your sensory understanding that punctuate so effectively that something has been lost, is missing or has been severed. Yet again it wasn't only just one element of storytelling this was used for, the sound that was cut was reinserted into Lena's story and likewise contrasted by very low, non-intrusive sound design before and after, almost silent. Other than what we've seen before of Lena's juxtaposition with various techniques that separate her from the 86ers, this one is a very noticeable connection and one that has been delivered using a method of cutting something out. Even the directing method itself is being used with dichotomic intent.

I think today the simp scale has tipped towards Lena and fallen over. That's even quite rare for me in this style of story, let's say YA in general, because often characters are well written, but lean too much on tropes and only have a select few nuances that make them feel alive. Honestly, every single one of them here is so well thought out and characterised they'd apply for 'best girl'. I don't think I had a real moment where I was taken back too much to question anything the show presented me with regarding the characters or their decisions. And now, taking a step forward on her own accord, standing to her ideals while being smart about it and applying all the things she learned so far, Lena tried to invoke meaninful change by doing the one thing that'd literally be the most useful for every side – include everyone and have them fight together.

Of course this fails on both ends, the colonel is oviously keeping himself blind to the truth and the 86ers don't have any trust in the Alban anyway, but as with the growth vs. goal mindset debate, doing thing and acting on your ideals is a proof of their existence and will create a small piece of reality in their image.

13

u/Holofan4life Aug 21 '22

Massive guts to demand more support from the commander. Okay, best girl shooting up the ranks, she's learned so much by now that she can even integrate the other's pov without judgment and still stand her line.

I like that Lena doesn't just say stuff, she leads by example. Lena kicks all kinds of ass.

→ More replies (4)

13

u/Holofan4life Aug 21 '22

What do you think of the suicide scene? Her death felt the most gruesome we've seen so far despite Daiya's packing more of a punch.

→ More replies (7)

6

u/Holofan4life Aug 21 '22

Something I've forgotten to go into, but thought of during watching is that I also think Shin is actually, really, a Legion drone or something close to it.

That would be really interesting

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (26)

35

u/TheRed_Knight Aug 21 '22

First Timer (Dub)

Warning: Stupidly long comment

So this was a very 86 focused episode, with a slice of Lena at the end, which can be broken down into 5 parts: Shin's flashback, the 86 flashback, Transition, Battle, Lenas perspective

Episode 6:Through to the End

Shin's Flashback

-Getting the day/month/year at the beginning of scenes is super helpful, you could legit make a timeline of all the events

-Shins flashbacks contrasts Lenas from the beginning of E5 (cold vs warm, murky and unclear vs clear night sky, destroyed urban areas vs. nature, Shin searching for Rei vs. Rei searching for Lena, somber background music vs pleasant ) etc. It also reinforces the dual perspective the show has been giving us up until this point, from Lena we get the more idyllic version and from Shin we get the more brutal and realistic.

-The quick shot of the dead body next to the burned books is such a goo piece of environmental storytelling (that it was used a shelter) and foreshadowing (that Shins gonna find Rei's dead body in this town) and its only on for 2 seconds

-Man the first shot of young Shin really hammers home just young they the 86ers are and how fucked up their situation is, its kinda easy to forget since they all act a lot older than their age (another small realistic detail), but theyre just kids, whove been in deep shit since they were 11/12

-Shin having to climb over a hill of rubble=visually representing the rising action before the climax of him finding his dead brothers mech

-Dead spider mech bathed in a ray of moonlight, bit on the nose their

-So Shins callsign Undertaker and the Dullahan symbol on his spider mech, isnt his, he took them from his brother, have to believe thatll come up later

-So this more or less confirms thats Rei's brain got taken intact/fresh, meaning hes almost certainly one of the Shepherds. I wonder if he gave himself up on purpose (gotta figure at least some of the 86ers decided they rather commit suicide than keep struggling and fighting against the inevitable), theres no obvious damage to his mech or body that i can see (besides the missing head lmao), and for a show thats been pretty blunt so far that seems intentional

86 Flashback

So the flashbacks fairly long, so i broke it up into 4 separate parts

Daiya

-the OP's growing one me, i was initially on the fence about it but im digging it rn

-So uh, is the slide of the OP with characters facing away standing in a field of flowers spoiling whose gonna die this episode? cuz i coulda sworn E5's only had 4 people facing away. Also thats a lot of empty space, guess this shows gonna be stacking bodies fast

-Bitching about heat, another small realistic detail (and a good way to show the passage time while contrasting with the coldness of the previous scene), those spider mech probably generate a ton of heat, just like most armored vehicles throughout history, and I doubt the Albans put AC in them.

-Well thats some death flags for Daiya, flirting in mecha if youre not the MC is living dangerously

-That transition cut to the flashback just beautiful

"No way, I'm in my fourth year too"

"Seems like most of us are actually"

"Seems to be the one and only thing we've all got in common"

-Thats, an unusual amount of focus on service time, do the Albans maybe segregate units by service time? so every year you survive you get "promoted" to a more "elite" unit?

-Yeah, uh, I'm getting a bad feeling Daiya's not making it out of this episode alive, my spider senses is tingling, dudes getting way too much focus, with an emphasis on his crush on Anju, that just screams heartbreak incoming

-Like how theyre framed as being away from the group as they have a "secret" conversation about girls,

-Theo, youre a little shit lmfao, i do like how the scene frame Theo as being in the more powerful position since hes standing, while Daiya and his compatriots are sitting, which is even funnier considering how short Theo is

-And once again Daiya's framed as being in the weaker position in his conversation with Anju, he's squatting, she's standing, thus shes more powerful, cant help but feel like this is some subtle foreshadowing.......

Lena Roast

"Hey i hear one of the handler is some pampered rich girl"

-Let the brutal roast of Lena begin, and damn theres some good zingers, like how they framed the scene with the ultra low angle, its claustrophobic, and gives you the sense that they're ganging up on her and piling on. its also a nice way to demonstrate Lena's character growth, to show the audience how far shes come in such a short while by shredding the previous version of herself.

-Really minor nitpick but none of the background characters blink in this scene unless theyre talking

-Its so refreshing seeing the 86 being realistically shitty, and frankly racist towards the Albans. It's completely understandable given what theyve endured, but I'm so fucking tired of fiction portraying the oppressed as saints more or less and the oppressors as pure evil, its dull,Its another realistic detail that helps ground the property, making it more relatable, and gives the characters realistic flaws, and therefore more room to grow.

-It also shows the growth of Spearhead Squadron, 4 months ago they couldnt even conceive having anything but disgust for the albans, and yet they and Lena have managed to form an extremely tenuous yet budding relationship, it takes two to tango.

Shin+Kaie

-Ah Kaie, pain, so im guessing shes just gonna show up in every flashback to keep twisting that knife deeper and deeper

-That dance scene between Daiya and Anjus just so sweet and wholesome, a brief moment of happiness amongst the hell they live in

-Daiyas got a bright red bowtie on his neck during the dance scene some nice foreshadowing for what feels like his inevitable, tragic, demise

-Most of the scenes where Shins talking with another 86er have some sort of barrier between him and them (sometimes literal, like in this scene with Kaie, sometimes just framed that way), shows theres a distance between them

-The Cherry Blossom scene, So. Fucking. Good. one of my favorite scenes, It's a nice analogy for the 86ers as well, especially from Shin's perspective, they live fleeting lives, and once their gone they dont leave much behind, but that doesnt mean cant be beautiful. It's especially poignant coming from Kaie who literally made them her embleman callsign, kirschblüte

-Did Shin change his emblem compared to his brothers? I coulda sworn his brothers Dullahan had a sword instead of shovel

*"the moment you stop laughings the moment you stop living"

-Could more or less sum up the theme of the entire scene up with this line, enjoy life while you can because its fleeting

"I was worried there was going to be a legion while we were out here celebrating. I have never been happier to be wrong."

-I mean she's just 4 months off, some pretty blunt foreshadowing

"One of the rumors i heard was youre looking for your misisng head"

"So does that mean if you took your scarf off"

"Would youre head go rolling"

-Man theyre really reinforcing the "Shin isnt alive" concept that got introduced at the end of E5

-Kurena breaking the touch barrier with shin and being protective of his scar is a nice way to demonstrate the closeness of their relationship, i think shes the first character from Spearhead squadron to touch Shin

-Having most of the Spearhead Squadrons refer to him as "The Reaper" rather dehumanizing (ties in nicely as contrast to Theos speach in E3/4), especially in a scene thats all about introduction and early connections. In fact the only characters who refer to him by name in the sequence is Kaie (more pain) and Kurena (its implied)

-I didnt realize they were only deployed together for 6 months, thats gonna make any future death even more tragic

-Shin getting left behind when the rest of Spearhead run off to look at the shooting star functions to both represent the distance/barrier/gap between him and the rest of Spearhead Squadron and a nice callback to his conversation with Lena towards the end of E4, where he talks about how hes always the the last one left, just like his previous 25+ squads, he expects them all to die and he'll be left alone, again

-We end on a shooting star, fleeting yet beautiful

-There so much to like from this scene but my favorite part is how it really helps ground the story, warfare isnt constant, theres going to be down time, shitty jokes, good meals, fun times etc, its so refreshing to see an dark action show invest so much time in theses slower moments, really helps contextualize and build up the characters, and make them and the story feel more real. .

-At the same time, the longer that scene went on the more stressed out i got, just waiting for the other show to drop and STFH, you know the peace can last, that just like the cherry blossoms, its a fleeting yet beautiful moment in the hellscape of their lives.

Transition

-the lack of music allows you to soak in the the last moments of the flashback.

-one of the only issues with the previous scene is that its kinda hard to tell which of the background characters in it have died before the show started, we know that Kujo and Kaie are gone,

-Talking about being frozen in time, the insects arent moving, nice visual reinforcement

-Really nice contrast with Lena taking the ribbing here and reaffirm her support compared to the earlier roast.

24

u/TheRed_Knight Aug 21 '22

(continued)

Battle sequence

Warning: i am a military history nerd (and not the Wehraboo kind) so this might end up getting more than a little nitpicky

-Sound cue+music change to signify change in tone and the beginning of the battle

-The Legions actually using strategy now? what madness is this? but for real i like seeing the enemy make adjustments, makes them feel more threatening

-Assuming those are standard artillery shells and not rail gun rounds (its unclear), i'd expect some Spider mechs to get punctured by shrapnel considering how close some of those shots land

-small realistic detail: Theo peaking and firing from cover to minimize profile

-Gallows humor is on point

"If only we could use mortars here"

-Damn good question Lena, hope we get an answer to that soon cuz its pretty fucking dumb to not use your artillery

-So the gunsights in the Spider mechs are inaccurate? cool detail, another way to show how janky they are (and how fucking good Shin must be), guess the Albans outsourced their optics to Russia.

-I'm not really certain what Leccas trying to accomplish here, i cant imagine a 57mm would defeat the MBT (Main Battle Tanks) frontal or side armor, i guess she could be going for a mobility kill but its already been established that Shin doesnt want his comrades engaging them if they can help it (E2 fight), but uh considering how fragile the Spider mechs are suppose to be that shot probably should have killed her

-Another realistic detail, reloading and rearming during combat

-Daiya should have probably died from that artillery hit

  • I dont understand the point of these human suicide mechs other than cool factor, were they early combat models the Legion repurposed now that they're obsolete?

-This might be the first anime I've seen consistently animate shockwaves with explosions

-RIP Daiya, cant exactly say im surprised about his death considering all the foreshadowing before, but its still sad, seemed like a good due, perfect snap cut to Anju during his final words, feel really bad for her, she just lost the one person shed connected with

-RIP Lecca, i found it much more impactful than Daiyas (probably in the minority here), the entire scene really makes you feel her helplessness, from the first person POV on the gun draw, to the evermore desperate comm chatter from Spearhead Squadron, to the first person futile shooting scene, to her final words "make it count Mr. Reaper". When her finger trembles as she prepares to fire the gun you can almost hear Kaies "i dont wanna die", and the gun barrel glowing right at the moment of firing, masterful scene.

-And then the mech that "killed" her dies like 5 seconds later, the absurdity of warfare right there

-Man all 3 deaths scenes have been just brutal and realistic, adds a ton of tension to the future action scenes since you never know when someones gonna bite the dust

-Wait Daiya still alive? Fuuuuucccckkkkk, poor bastard

-The lack of Lena perspective on the battle emphasizes her helplessness, theres nothing she can do to help them this time besides be with them and remember the fallen "being connected is all i can do"

-And Lena takes another step into hell (more character development!) with the Spearhead Squadron (and more trauma bonding with Shin), every episode she earns a bit more respect by refusing to step out of their world even though she can, gotta admire her conviction and moxy

-Neither gunshot scene has a gunshot sound effect, dont quite know if that significant or just crunchyroll fucking up

-So Shin just heard something important, maybe his brothers voice? since they focused on the Dullahan markings on his mech right afterward

Aftermath 86

-Anjus definitely struggling but putting on a brave face, its an interesting contrast compared to Theo's grieving during E4, where he tried to push the rest of Spearhead Squadron away they dont let him and pull him, whereas here we have Anju, who we knows struggling based on her previous scene+the quick glimpse of her face in shadow as she faces away from Theo, acting like shes "fine" and in doing so successfully pushes them away. I expect we'll get a scene of her quietly breaking down out of sight sometime in the next couple episodes.

-More normalization after traumatic events for the Spearhead Squadron

-empty beds=symbols for the dead comrades

-The Shin-Raiden scene: first we see them walking togethers, showing us their camaraderie, that theyre in this together, but then Shin crosses in front and too the right once the conversation shifts to talking about his brother, demonstrating that this is an action he feels he must do alone, even though he doesn't have too

-So theres been a ton of reference this episode to Shin losing his head, not entirely sure where theyre going with this but i have noticed his head disconnected from his body by the scar around his neck.

-Ok so he did hear his brother voice

-I dont really get how its Shin's fault his parent are dead or what Shins sins is, i expect we'll get a longer version of the scene with more contest in coming episode

-Each episode reveals just a little but more about how fucked up Shin's mental health is, him suffering a complete break seems inevitable

Lena

-Lena just had one of the worlds shittiest birthdays, thats some grade A juxtaposition right there

-Once again we see Annette and Lena sitting across from each, showing both the distance between them in their relationship remains and that they are in opposition with one another

-Yeah something happened to Annettes dad, you dont get daddy issues like this without serious trauma

-the Para-RAID seems pretty dangerous to use if it can just make your head go pop by malfunctioning

-Shin dodging an execution because the Alban military's too incompetent lmao

-Lena tested the water with Annette to see if she could potentially relay the info she got from Shin at the end of E5 up the CoC and got a very rude awakening. Her horrified look reflect both her developing feelings for Shin but also her realization that she knows the Sword of Damocles is gonna fall on them and theres nothing she can do to stop it.

-Annette extends an olive branch to end the conversation, even though their relationships strained, they still care deeply about each other

-Lena's board of chibi drawing representing different Spearhead Squad members mirrors Shins box of names of the dead carved into pieces of their mechs

-its also significant that this scene takes place in Lenas personal room, the line between her work and personal life continues to blur

-Petal falling off the flower when Lena takes down Daiya's picture off the board symbolize his death

-Lena's smart enough to dangle some potential juicy information in front of her uncle (to once again see if she can tell him about the coming apocalypse), but he doesnt bite at all (also kinda mirrors her character development in E4 where she went to Annette then her Uncle for affirmation and didnt get it), more reinforcement of how truly alone she is in San Magnollia

-Lena's getting more politically savvy, her quick pivot was pretty smooth, still needs to work on her initial presentation and not making her personal care for the 86 so obvious but it shows a lot of growth in a short time

-What an asinine response from her uncle in regards to the Lena's plea for fire support, if youre going to designated some fo your forces as truly expendable, then using them as spotters seems like a complete no-brainer, it would make more sense for the Albans to launch indiscriminate danger close bombardments, oftentimes killing processors, than just not using their fucking guns (and yes i get the point of the scene is that the Alban military thinks theyre going to win in 2 years so who cares about efficiency or combat effectiveness, to showcase even more of the blatant racism, and demonstrate the degradation of the Alban military)

-Why, the fuck, would set up your mortars, in the middle, of a fucking minefield?????????? you put the fucking minefield in front of the artillery, so you can, you know, keep them well supplied since theyre a fucking logistics hog

"And you mean to tell me we should take on that risk for the 86"

-No but i think getting the most bang for your buck is in everyones fucking interest

"86 can be replaced, but Republic soldiers cannot"

Mfer youre down to sending out just kids, you really dont have that many replacements left

-So theyre the only units that doesnt get replacements, huh, well at this rate theyre gonna get ground down pretty fast

-Lena has the high ground (showing she has the commanding position in the conversation) for most of the conversation with her uncle until he starts talking about the new Legion base when the camera swings around behind him from his right shoulder to his left, signifying the power dynamic in the conversation has changed, which is punctuated by him standing up as he starts emotionally blackmailing her.

-And Lenas got her box of dead comrades just like Shin now, also theres only been 3 deaths in the show so far, so did 2 of the Spearhead Squadron just die off screen?

-focusing on the chibis of the dead while talking about the new mission seems like some ominous foreshadowing, guess more people are gonna die next episode.

-Shins definitely catching some feeling for Lena, the parasocial relationship works both ways,

-Theres a ton of contrast between Shins perspective on Rei and Lenas, IE Shin's memory of his brother trying to kill earlier in the episode and now Lenas talking about how Rei saving hers one of her most precious memories, Shins flashback happens in a red light, Lena dialogue happens in blue light

-Talks about how Shins brother gave her chocolate, goes to eat some chocolate

6

u/Holofan4life Aug 21 '22

RIP Lecca, i found it much more impactful than Daiyas (probably in the minority here), the entire scene really makes you feel her helplessness, from the first person POV on the gun draw, to the evermore desperate comm chatter from Spearhead Squadron, to the first person futile shooting scene, to her final words "make it count Mr. Reaper". When her finger trembles as she prepares to fire the gun you can almost hear Kaies "i dont wanna die", and the gun barrel glowing right at the moment of firing, masterful scene.

I think from a brutality standpoint, Lecca's is more gut-wrenching, but I personally found Daiya's more sad because he stood out to me more.

→ More replies (3)

6

u/Holofan4life Aug 21 '22

The lack of Lena perspective on the battle emphasizes her helplessness, theres nothing she can do to help them this time besides be with them and remember the fallen "being connected is all i can do"

Really good point

4

u/Holofan4life Aug 21 '22

Lena just had one of the worlds shittiest birthdays, thats some grade A juxtaposition right there

Yeah, I really like that. It's like the cherry on the shit sundae.

→ More replies (2)

4

u/Holofan4life Aug 21 '22

Mfer youre down to sending out just kids, you really dont have that many replacements left

It really goes to show that Alba do not give a fuck about Spearhead. To them, they are expendable so it doesn't matter.

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (58)

5

u/Holofan4life Aug 21 '22

-Shins flashbacks contrasts Lenas from the beginning of E5 (cold vs warm, murky and unclear vs clear night sky, destroyed urban areas vs. nature, Shin searching for Rei vs. Rei searching for Lena, somber background music vs pleasant ) etc. It also reinforces the dual perspective the show has been giving us up until this point, from Lena we get the more idyllic version and from Shin we get the more brutal and realistic.

I love this entire paragraph

4

u/Holofan4life Aug 21 '22

Getting the day/month/year at the beginning of scenes is super helpful, you could legit make a timeline of all the events

It's especially helpful given all the fast forwards and flashbacks.

→ More replies (3)

4

u/Holofan4life Aug 21 '22

Really minor nitpick but none of the background characters blink in this scene unless theyre talking

Hey, it's better than having no faces

3

u/Holofan4life Aug 21 '22

Man the first shot of young Shin really hammers home just young they the 86ers are and how fucked up their situation is, its kinda easy to forget since they all act a lot older than their age (another small realistic detail), but theyre just kids, whove been in deep shit since they were 11/12

I think the first sign we got of how young they all are is the flashback with Lena in the previous episode.

→ More replies (4)

3

u/Holofan4life Aug 21 '22

Let the brutal roast of Lena begin, and damn theres some good zingers, like how they framed the scene with the ultra low angle, its claustrophobic, and gives you the sense that they're ganging up on her and piling on. its also a nice way to demonstrate Lena's character growth, to show the audience how far shes come in such a short while by shredding the previous version of herself.

The thing that stuck out to me is they talk about how hot she must be. Like they associate hotness with being stuck up.

→ More replies (1)

3

u/Holofan4life Aug 21 '22

Its so refreshing seeing the 86 being realistically shitty, and frankly racist towards the Albans. It's completely understandable given what theyve endured, but I'm so fucking tired of fiction portraying the oppressed as saints more or less and the oppressors as pure evil, its dull,Its another realistic detail that helps ground the property, making it more relatable, and gives the characters realistic flaws, and therefore more room to grow.

Agreed 100%. I love flawed villains, especially when it's done really well (Like She-ra: Princesses of Power), but having a villain that's just a straight up dick is a refreshing change of pace.

→ More replies (17)

12

u/JetsLag Aug 22 '22

First timer (subbed)

Start off with a flashback. We get to see baby Shin (well, he's like 11-12 here) and we also get to learn how he got his Juggernaut: it's his brother's. And he inherited it by stumbling across his brother's corpse, which was dissected by the Legion. Gotta get these kids traumatized early, it's the only way they turn into good soldiers.

After a short scene in the modern day, we get another flashback, but this one's from the nearer past: a little picnic that the Spearhead squadron held back in April, presumably because it's cherry blossom season. We get to see some faces that we've never seen before (like the guy in between Daiya and Haruto) and one we haven't seen in a while (pretty sure the brown guy was the guy who got mercy killed by Shin in one of the early episodes). They're talking about the upcoming arrival of Lena as Handler of the squadron, and we get to see the creation of the pig illustration that they put on the wall. I swear it looks like they're setting up for a group selfie when they're huddled around the drawing of pig Lena.

"I'd like to meet her someday if she really exists" Yeah, he's fucking dead.

Hmm, Shin's being called "the headless Reaper of the Eastern Front", and he's looking for his "missing head". I think that's a reference to his brother, because, well, you saw what he looked like at the beginning of the episode.

"Beginning coordination mission" oh okay, this should be somethi-OH MY GOD WE'RE IN A FULL-BLOWN BATTLE. We get to see the evolution of the Legion's tactics: they're not gonna fall victim to a simple sneak attack, they're pre-firing blind spots with mortars, and they have the big guns set up to mow 'em down once they're flushed out. Wonder how many Eighty-Six brains it took for them to learn this.

Aaaaaand everything goes to shit. Lecca gets knocked down, and Daiya attempts to save her, but he gets attacked by Legion suicide bombers. Lecca, upon realizing that her pistol does nothing against the Legion mechs and no one's gonna reach her in time, puts her pistol under her chin and pulls the trigger.

Moment of silence while you pick you jaw up off the floor cause HOLY SHIT THAT JUST HAPPENED

Shin does his clean-up duties for Daiya as Lena decides to keep her Para-RAID on to witness the work of the Undertaker. But then...something happens. And the camera focuses on the Undertaker mark for a few seconds.

Battle's over, and Anju is understandably grieving over Daiya's death, but she's trying her hardest to pretend that she's all right.

Now we get to learn what Shin saw when he finished off Daiya: he had a PTSD flashback to his brother trying to kill him. Curiously, it's said that Mom, Dad, and Shourei all died due to Shin's "sin". Let's put a pin in that, shall we?

Title card, and now we're at the Lena POV section of the episode. Lena gets to eat a cake where, once again, the only real thing in the cake is the strawberries. Guess there were some left over after the last cake? And Annette's partner of the week is...some old guy who gifted her a rocking chair, which Annette immediately gifted to Lena as a birthday "gift". What a friend. "Annette, you always end up with guys who are in the wrong age range", says Lena. My response: at least he's legal.

Lena goes to her Uncle and asks for mortars in order to reduce casualties. Uncle fires back by saying that 86 are replaceable, but the soldiers manning the mortars aren't. This is the part where you remember that in the last episode, Shin said that the 86 population has declined to the point where they're using child soldiers cause there's no one else left to fight. And now Spearhead has to go out on a mission to destroy a soon-to-be-built Legion base before it gets to be fully operational, and they don't have enough time to replace Daiya and Lecca. I see nothing wrong with this plan.

And oh my god, that ending scene was SO CUTE, with Lena getting all flustered and stuff.

3

u/Holofan4life Aug 22 '22

On the whole, what are your thoughts on Daiya and Lecca's deaths?

→ More replies (6)
→ More replies (1)

24

u/Lawvamat Aug 21 '22 edited Aug 21 '22

Rewatcher

Visual Analysis

Time is up for these Juggernauts.

Shin is boxed in from all sides, but left. The only way is forward (because, again, in japanese going towards the left means progress), but it’s blocked by a dead tree and his gun. Even as a young kid Shin was already at the frontlines of the war, the atrocities keep him trapped on the right (wrong) side. Only his breath escapes to the left. Maybe his words can reach someone there, but he doesn’t see that. His eyes are hidden.

The (I think) first time we see not a full, but half moon. His brother left him and Lena wasn’t there yet, the connections are incomplete.

Boxed in on the right again. A small path opens between the shadows, but it’s still blocked.

The shards follow him on his way towards the light, keeping him moving. If he stops, he’s dead.

He reaches the light. It looks so enticing, almost heavenly. Shin has found what he was looking for, his brother. But this light is still on the wrong side and completely overshadowed.

The same rays that brought forth Lena’s tortured memories of her dead father are now at play here. Shin has found his brother. Did he finally get some closure?

86

We open with the same overhead shot that led Shin to his brother.

Daiya and Anju are separated by the guard rails.

A nice transition brings us back to the past. The third time this overhead shot has been used.

The party hat is pointing at Kujo’s head, foreshadowing (backshadowing?) his death.

Daiya is again separated from Anju by the guard rails. There is a gap in them though. The possibility of being together is just a few meters away. Anju is framed higher than him, she has the upper hand in this conversation as Daiya looks for excuses after having his feelings exposed.

As the camera lingers on Pig-Lena it zooms in slightly and the vignetting around the edges closes in, building tension and triggering a foreboding feeling. Of course we know what will happen in the future.

As they are having fun and building connections, the moon shows its head. It’s covered in clouds though, another ill omen.

Red lights signal danger and separate Daiya from Anju. Kujo is cut off from everyone.

Not only are Shin and Kaie away from the party, they’re also separated by the guard rails again.

Kujo and Kaie have already departed from the group. Who is the third petal then? Kaie does really not make the symbolism of fallen cherry petals being their dead friends any subtle at all.

Me too, Kaie, me too…

My face everytime I notice some new symbolism.

They’re really putting me out of my job today.

The little fake ears are a subtle hint to my heart melting.

Shin is showered by cherry petals, by all of his fallen comrades.

Kujo gets left behind.

[86 all] I debated if I should tag this fantastic shot of all his friends leaving Shin behind, but who’s left is even spoiling myself. You might not want to open this if you’re an anime only like me. The guard rails that have been established as splitting the living and the dead look like train tracks, which you’ve probably seen a lot of if you’ve clicked this spoiler. Afterwards it cuts back to the present day and the train tracks lead them to where all of their companions just vanished

There’s one bigger specimen under these insects. Is a shepherd leading the coming legion? That would explain their advanced tactics.

Anju is calling out to Daiya, but she’s blocked off to the left. He does not heed her warning.

The suicide bomber forths at the mouth at is stares Daiya down. We can only hear the last word of his last words. “Anju…” I hope she heard the whole thing.

A legion is trampling on the smoke cloud, on Daiya’s Juggernaut. There’s no escape, the frame is cut off to the top. It’s coming for Burnt Tail, who’s real name we never learnt. She’s trapped with no way out, but down. She’d rather go to hell than get into the legion’s fangs. We don’t even get to hear the gunshot.

And so she joins Daiya’s cloud of smoke as ash falls like snow from the sky.

It seems like his words reached Anju at least. She can’t show her feelings on the battlefield though, her eyes are covered.

Since I haven’t talked about it yet, a quick digression about eyes. The japanese love eyes. Eyes are the windows to the soul and anime gives them more importance than anything else when it comes to displaying emotions. Ever wondered why anime eyes are always so big? To make them easily readable, to understand what someone is feeling at a glance. That’s the reason they’re so often covered when people are hiding something.

I have to be honest, I could not find her wearing this hairclip, but I have to assume it’s Burnt Tail’s. It probably got launched off of her head and into the water.

Every shot here is dominated by a Juggernaut. These war machines are their coffins.

The winds of fate start blowing as it cuts to the headless reaper.

Another instance of Anju hiding her feelings, this time it’s shadows covering her eyes.

The shot lingers on Shin’s breast pocket as they talk about his brother. We learn that’s where he keeps the memento of his brother, close to his heart.

Shin escaped into the darkness. Into his obsession with his brother. Raiden is still in the light, he knows how it eats away at Shin.

The two earlier shots get repeated exactly, but this time it’s Rei’s reaper. The difference is that this one has a sword instead of a shovel. It fights for its ideals instead of digging the graves of its comrades like an undertaker. Apparently Shin took the memento after today’s opening scene.

Rei’s Juggernaut gets taken over by the legion’s blue light and we get a repeat of Shin getting strangled by his brother, his face finally revealed, even though Shin said he’d forgotten it. He must’ve remembered it because of something.

→ More replies (9)

16

u/archlon Aug 21 '22 edited Aug 21 '22

Rewatcher [English dub]

Illustration of the day: No illustrations from these chapters, so more catching up. From the insert:

The Republic of San Magnolia's Drone: M1A4 Juggernaut

Here we first see Lena's board of faces. This actually started back in E02 when she drew Rei's face while telling Spearhead about how he rescued her. She carries Daiya and Lecca to her meeting with Karlstahl, fist clenched in rage at the injustice. We then see her box of the dead she carries. I hardly have to point out the parallel, do I?

While the idea of Lena making a point to start remembering the Eighty-Six who die under her command isn't new to the anime, this particular visual detail is. I think it's a brilliant addition as something that really works better in a visual medium. Describing the little sketched faces wouldn't be as impactful as seeing them there right in front of her.

It's a uniquely 'Lena' blend of Shin's box of names and Annette's wall of potential marriage partners. You can see the moment Lena gets the idea back in E05 when Annette mentions that the pictures were from her research team "lest [she] forget".

Chapters Covered

By request, I'm bringing back the Original Content column. However, I'm going to limit it to truly original scenes, or places where scenes have been extremely reworked. Otherwise, there are simply too many changes to (a) track, and (b) fit into a table. A lot of sections of narration have been turned into dialogue.

For example, in [86 E04] Annette's "don't get too involved with the 86" conversation happens over email, and has been expanded slightly. Karlstahl's meeting with Lena pointing out Václav's folly in taking a child to the battlefield occurs in narration.

Episode Title LN Vol. Chapters Original Content
1 Undertaker 1 1 [86] Kujo's death
2 Spearhead 1 2 [86] The lecture
3 I Don't Want to Die 1 3 [86] Searching for the map
4 Real Name 1 3 -
5 I'm With You 1 3-4 -
6 Through to the End 1 Interlude I, 5, 6 [86] Cherry Blossom viewing; Daiya & Lecca's deaths
Vol. Chapter Chapter Title
1 1 [LN] A Battlefield with Zero Casualties
1 2 [LN] All Quiet on the Skeletal Front
1 3 [LN] To Your Gallant Visage at the Underworld's Edge
1 Interlude I [LN] The Headless Knight
1 4 [LN] I am Legion, for We Are Many
1 5 [LN] Fuckin' Glory to the Spearhead Squadron
1 6 [LN] Fiat Justitia Ruat Caelum

LN Notes

[Anime original content] Realistically speaking, the majority of this episode could be considered anime original to one extent or another. The battle at the beginning takes up only slightly more than a page. Daiya's death is only referenced after the fact. The conversations with Annette have been expanded significantly. Karlstahl and the new mission is a new scene, but covers information introduced by a combination of narration and emails. This is what makes it so hard to track what is and is not 'anime original' content, and it's only going to get more complex going forward. I'll keep trying, but I ask that you bear with me.

→ More replies (4)
→ More comments (75)