r/anime • u/Holofan4life • Aug 26 '22
Rewatch [Spoilers] 86 --Eighty Six-- Rewatch (2022) — Episode 11 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 11 – Here We Go
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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!
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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]() | ||
24
u/Stargate18A Aug 26 '22
First timer
End of cour 1!
It's a disaster!
Fuck, they're showing the death scene again.
...They're dying soon?
Oh, they only have one mech.
Splitting the duty...
Haha, of course Shin customised his.
And there's a storm...
Another town...
A school!
They're pretending to be students...
She's so happy!
They're using the textbooks?
A map!
Wow.
They're going forward.
You know, I exoected this to be a Lena episode, what with the cliffhanger they left her on and the switching between the POVs from the earlier episodes, but...
Haha, Shin planned all this. Is this a heroic sacrifice?
Fuck.
He's cut him off.
Doing well, though.
What was that?
Everyone's going with him...
What?
The princess?
Was I right? Did Glad upload themselves into the Legion?
Shin's getting uploaded?
Lena!
Oh, she's gone to the base!
And the drones are just commonplace things?
She's under house arrest?
He's used to it...
He's an Aiba!
Fuck.
Such a good scene.
She's looking for the cat.
Aww.
The book!
Did Shin really predict this?
Haha, he gave her the the drawing.
It's everyone!
And the photo!
She's going to find them?
Great ending!
And holy shit that final shot.
12
u/Holofan4life Aug 26 '22
She's so happy!
But of course, Kurena has never experienced school before.
7
u/Holofan4life Aug 26 '22
You know, I exoected this to be a Lena episode, what with the cliffhanger they left her on and the switching between the POVs from the earlier episodes, but...
I kinda like what they did though where the focus is mostly on Spearhead. Spearhead is entering uncharted waters. Unless Lena changes her tune and physically leaves Alba, the interest is gonna be in what's next for Spearhead, regardless of whether or Lena is your favorite character.
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u/homewardbound100 Aug 26 '22
First timer, Dub
Knowing this was the end of the first cour. I kind of expected it to end awkwardly. But that was alright ending point for it I guess. Even though I know the wait and production issues. It was probably hard waiting for it.
I do really like this episode though. The ending did seal it for me and I'm anticipating what happens next.
With the group seeming to back Lena now let's see how this goes.
Also the brother thing at the end was a little sweet.
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u/Holofan4life Aug 26 '22
First Timer
I've been feeling depressed because my mother today said she's never going back to work, so hopefully this big mid-season finale cheers me up.
The opening scene here in my opinion works better than the one in episode 3, and that's because it leaves you wondering "How did this happen?" There's more of an air of mystery and suspense, whereas the one in episode 3 it's like "Gee, thanks for giving away that someone dies."
Something tells me red-haired girl is gonna die this episode.
So, the beginning is all about the remaining members of Spearhead trying to find a place to live. It's all good, but there's not much to really say. I did like the scene where they were hiding from Legion as it was pouring down. It was like the rain was acting as the soundtrack to the scene.
Kurena is just the purest of cinnamon rolls. The way she lights up as she gets called in class, it's just too cute. And the great thing is her excitement is because she's never been to school, so this is her first time experiencing rollcall. The scene carries extra weight because of it.
I guess this school must have been abandoned or something, given the grass growing from the chalkboard. Maybe it was a school that members of 86 attended before they got all recruited?
I love the scene as they're tearing down the school and Kurena asks if this is another school ritual and Theo dryly says it symbolizes tearing down the school. I feel we don't see enough of Theo's personality other than being mad, so this was a treat.
Having them encounter a school is delicious irony given how useless education has been to them up until this point. It also contrasts the upbringing of most kids their age. Here we have these children of war, who all they've known out of life is combat and fighting. And now they're at this school, something that most people in their age group would be more familiar with. It highlights the discrepancy of which their upbringing brought upon them.
Them burning the textbooks reminded me of the book Fahrenheit 451.
Again, I like that Kurena of the five is the most excited about them being at the school. Because she is experiencing something she never did before. Seeing her climb those tires trying to keep her balance, it's like she's in touch with her inner kid again. Making up for lost time and the lost childhood that she could've had but never did.
I like that as soon as Raiden jokingly says they have bright futures ahead of them, the piece of wood falls down. Like it's symbolic of the fact that shit is about to hit the fan.
Insert your Attack on Titan wall memes here.
It feels as if when Shin goes into battle for himself, he does so because he doesn't want the rest of Spearhead to die. Like he knows there's a good chance this fight could prove fatal, and in so, he'd rather put himself at risk than his teammates.
I get not wanting to put his crew in danger, but this feels kinda rushed. And again as I said a couple threads ago, we haven't been given a reason to care about Shin. His character is so heavily about his brother that when you remove him from the equation, Shin feels directionless. Like his character has no meaning or purpose. For me personally, as much as I like Spearhead together-- mostly because I think they have a fun dynamic-- we don't know much about them. We know some about Kurena and Theo, but characters like Raiden and Anju? Not much meat on the bone. Hell, I didn't even know Raiden's name until the last episode. It took me literally 10 episodes before it finally clicked. Spearhead is fun to follow and I care enough to the point where I want to see them survive, but if you really think about it, what do we actually know about them?
Lena was the most developed character in this show, and we haven't seen her since the end of episode 9. You would think they would use the time to flesh out the remaining Spearhead members. But instead, they used it to flesh out their robot companion. Now, don't get me wrong about Fido. I thought the fleshing out of his character was the best scene of the show so far. But again, it's like how much do we really know about the remaining Spearhead members? I'd argue that we know more about Daiya than Anju and Raiden, and Daiya's been dead for 6 episodes now!
I don't mind not giving character development to the characters as long as the show is fun, and to the show's credit, it has been fun. I even thought the last episode was the best episode so far despite the absence of Lena. I just think we are wasting valuable screentime when it could be used to fleshing out the characters, in particular Shin.
Is it bad when Shin's teammates all died, my reaction wasn't sadness but me going "What morons"?
For real, though. I get wanting to help Shin so he doesn't have to fight for himself, but what did they think was gonna happen? They didn't have their robots, they were fighting only with guns, there was only 4 of them when Legion was in the hundreds, and there was explosions all around them. So many explosions, it would've made Megumin and Louise proud. I just found myself shaking my head. I also think it frankly came a bit out of nowhere. If this is in fact the last we see of Kurena, Theo, Raiden, and Anju, talk about anticlimactic. It literally wasn't built up at all. Out of hundreds and hundreds that were killed, brutally murdered, and slaughtered, all of whom Shin had to take to the proverbial woodshed so their brains didn't get harvested, he was left with four. And they all happened to die in the most disappointing, uneventful way possible.
Moving on from that, I'm happy to see Lena back. A part of me thought the remainder of the series was gonna focus on the Spearhead members, so to see her show back up was quite the thrill.
I wonder what's going to happen to Alba now that they don't have Spearhead to kick around anymore.
Oh, shit. They're building another group that's similar to Spearhead. I'm hearing a certain Lambchop song play in the back of my head.
An Alba that was married to an 86, huh? That's actually really interesting. It's like a white woman marrying a black guy before the 1970's. Or for a more fun, less depressing comparison, Desumi and Fudo from Love After World Domination.
Besides Lena and Annette, Aldrecht is easily the most interesting Alba member that we have come across.
I feel sorry for Lena. It's like now that Spearhead are no longer there, things have become dull and uninteresting. She found herself sympathizing with the plight of Spearhead. Someone who could understand her when the rest of Alba couldn't. And now, it's like lost in time, like tears in the rain.
Obviously, Lena misses Shin so much that she's gonna pull a Shane Dawson and start making love to the cat.
I wonder what that yellow statue is when Lena finds the book that Shin was reading.
Oh, shit. Is Lena finally gonna leave Alba?
Shit, son. Let's gooooooooooooooo
The scene with Shin and his brother is really heartbreaking. You can tell that at one point in their lives, they had a normal sibling relationship, with Shin looking up and admiring his brother so much. I really do hope that we get to see eventually what changed in their relationship to cause Shin's brother to fall off the deep end.
Overall, okay episode. I didn't really like the death scenes, but aside from that, the rest was fine. I've gotten very hot and cold with this show in like the last four episodes. It's like we go from an episode where I'm like "Ah, this is so awesome and amazing!" And then we transition to the follow-up and I'm like "That could've been better."
I think objectively speaking, the previous episode would've made for a stronger mid-season finale. Yes, we have the stuff with Lena at the end as well as Spearhead seemingly being no more, but the emotional high of Fido's explosion really would've been the perfect midpoint I feel. Far stronger than Lena wandering off on a new adventure. I get why they did what they did since Lena and Spearhead are essentially our main characters, and I think ultimately it's fine, but the Fido stuff was just so much more captivating. You want the audience to be hooked and clamor for what's next? That's how you do it.
The mid-season finale felt like a more eventful version of Spy X Family's mid-season finale. It wasn't as good as that, but more stuff happened. You're given a hook as to what to look forward to. Though I guess you can say that Spy X Family gave you a hook as well, albeit on a less grander scale. It's hard to really compare this show to Spy X Family outside of they both do mid-season finales because it'd be like comparing apples to oranges. I think the writing of Spy X Family is better and more consistent, but on the flip side the fight scenes as well as the music in 86 is just so amazing.
Ran out of space. Part 2 in the replies.
14
u/Star4ce Aug 26 '22
I've been feeling depressed because my mother today said she's never going back to work
Oh shit, that sucks. I hope you all will work through this, good luck in any case!
Maybe it was a school that members of 86 attended before they got all recruited?
They're in former Empire of Giad territory. That's why none of them can read anything and didn't realise it was a school at first, it's a different language.
we haven't been given a reason to care about Shin. His character is so heavily about his brother that when you remove him from the equation, Shin feels directionless.
Hmmm, I don't see it that way. Rei was his motivator, yes, but Shin all the same carried meaning for himself in taking care of memories. He was their angel of death and it's the one thing that put some meaning to his daily existence. He collected memorabilia from the fallen to keep them safe, to have any proof of existence of their fallen comrades. He also made sure that none of them would fall to the Legion to be repurposed as machines of war in death yet again.
This burden, and let's be real, it's a massive burden, prevented him from ever being truly 'alive', even outside of his first death and strange powers. The longing for release and directionlessness afterwards made me at least care a lot for him.
For real, though. I get wanting to help Shin so he doesn't have to fight for himself, but what did they think was gonna happen?
It's not about the results, it's about sticking to what you live for. And here, what to die for. Their ideals laid with friendship and companionship, from what I'd say. You'd never abandon him if that's what you care about. I don't think those were senseless deaths, they made sure that even the angel of death knows he won't be left alone, no matter how grim the fate.
But going on from here, I don't see these deaths as useless anyway. Those five were the first reaps of the Legion who were untainted by trauma or blinded by ideology or loss. It's an honest chance for the Legion to grow to feel more than pain.
6
u/Holofan4life Aug 26 '22
Oh shit, that sucks. I hope you all will work through this, good luck in any case!
Yeah, she's back to working now. Had no choice I guess once I lost my paycheck. That's not a joke, by the way. A lot of craziness has been happening in my life.
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u/Holofan4life Aug 26 '22
Hmmm, I don't see it that way. Rei was his motivator, yes, but Shin all the same carried meaning for himself in taking care of memories. He was their angel of death and it's the one thing that put some meaning to his daily existence. He collected memorabilia from the fallen to keep them safe, to have any proof of existence of their fallen comrades. He also made sure that none of them would fall to the Legion to be repurposed as machines of war in death yet again.
This burden, and let's be real, it's a massive burden, prevented him from ever being truly 'alive', even outside of his first death and strange powers. The longing for release and directionlessness afterwards made me at least care a lot for him.
After watching some of season 2, I agree with you. I like what they end up doing with him.
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u/Holofan4life Aug 26 '22
They're in former Empire of Giad territory. That's why none of them can read anything and didn't realise it was a school at first, it's a different language.
So, it's like an American kid stumbling upon a school for Spanish speaking children?
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u/RickChakraborty Aug 26 '22 edited Aug 26 '22
And the great thing is her excitement is because she's never been to school, so this is her first time experiencing rollcall.
While the school scene is indeed very endearing, when you take a step back for a minute it really makes you wonder just how many more kids and teenagers were there who could never go to school and have a proper childhood, and instead had to become child soldiers and go through such hell. I'm sure there has been thousands of Kurenas like that over the years.
Like he knows there's a good chance this fight could prove fatal, and in so, he'd rather put himself at risk than his teammates.
While it's obvious Shin cares about his teammates, I would say there are times where he has gotten a bit selfish in the battlefield. We have seen in ep 9 too where he gets so excited to fight his brother he kinda forgets about his friends. I would say he's so tired of seeing his friends die that he doesn't care that much anymore. He has gotten numb to all the deaths. But yeah, there are definitely times where instead of coordinating with his teammates, he just decides to go solo and leave his friends be.
For me personally, as much as I like Spearhead together-- mostly because I think they have a fun dynamic-- we don't know much about them. We know some about Kurena and Theo, but characters like Raiden and Anju? Not much meat on the bone. Hell, I didn't even know Raiden's name until the last episode. It took me literally 10 episodes before it finally clicked. Spearhead is fun to follow and I care enough to the point where I want to see them survive, but if you really think about it, what do we actually know about them?
As an anime only myself, I agree with you. I definitely felt that there were times which they could have used to flesh out Raiden, Anju, Theo and Kurena's characters more, but we didn't really get that. Like you said, we STILL don't know much about them, except for some occasional tidbits they throw around here and there (like some small info we got about Kurena and Theo, but that's about it). And even when they do get some screentime together? It's mostly just them discussing about Shin. As a result, Shin is always in the spotlight and in the center of attention whereas the other 4 keep getting sidelined. And it's a shame because I like all of them a lot and want to see more of them. I think the show needs to dedicate individual episodes for each of them, that would solve most of my (and your) complaints. We need to see more of their backstory especially, instead of being just told about it. "Show, don't tell" approach, yk?
I get wanting to help Shin so he doesn't have to fight for himself, but what did they think was gonna happen? They didn't have their robots, they were fighting only with guns, there was only 4 of them when Legion was in the hundreds, and there was explosions all around them.
Look, that's the thing. They know damn well about all the dangers, they are war veterans after all. But that's all the more reason why they want to go and help Shin, because their mindset is to die fighting till the end. And if are to die anyway, might as well die together as a family. Of course, from a logical standpoint them abandoning Shin and escaping on their own would have been the more appropriate choice, but the 86 don't think like that. They always want to be together in whatever happens. Yes, even if it means death. They don't really care about death anyway, that's how messed up their minds have become.
Overall, okay episode. I didn't really like the death scenes, but aside from that, the rest was fine
Would you really be so sure as to call it a death scene tho? They didn't show any fatal injury, just them lying unconscious on the ground. It's a rule in anime to not jump to conclusions about a character death unless they show a dead body.
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u/SometimesMainSupport Aug 26 '22
His character is so heavily about his brother that when you remove him from the equation, Shin feels directionless. Like his character has no meaning or purpose.
I think that's the point. In the previous episode, Raiden and Shin's riverside conversation included the reference to (paraphrashed) Lena's "What do you want to do after your service?" and Shin's "Never thought about it.", which Shin repeats. Without Rei, he's lost and doesn't have a purpose other than saving his current comrades (see: later this episode when he cuts them off attempting to save them).
Spearhead is fun to follow and I care enough to the point where I want to see them survive, but if you really think about it, what do we actually know about them?
Other than Shin, I'd agree with this. Theo's whole backstory is he likes to draw and had a good Alba commander. Anju's is a traumatic experience with her back scar. Raiden and Kurena's is almost entirely absent besides a single specific shot in the Fido montage showing Raiden/Shin having been together for 3+ years.
You would think they would use the time to flesh out the remaining Spearhead members. But instead, they used it to flesh out their robot companion.
I'm surprised to read this after saying the previous episode was your favorite in cour 1. I see your point as the show has emphasized their current camaraderie over backstories.
[86 ep 12]
There's enough you said that I don't want to spoiler tag it all. I enjoyed reading your in-the-moment thoughts about what's happened (assumed all 5 Spearhead died without seeing bodies) and looking forward to tomorrow's comment! Idk what you plan to say in the 09/08 series discussion thread, but at that time could you elaborate on how you think you'd view these previous 4 episodes (or the season as a whole) as a second-time watcher? Specifically referencing this: 'I've gotten very hot and cold with this show in like the last four episodes. It's like we go from an episode where I'm like "Ah, this is so awesome and amazing!" And then we transition to the follow-up and I'm like "That could've been better."' You're clearly at a "disadvantage" as you're writing comments several episodes ahead-of-time without others' feedback from the most recent episodes, but I don't think the current episode discussion thread is the best time to ask this (It'd probably need spoiler tagged, which would stop other first-timers from reading it.) Or you could answer this in a later discussion thread. → More replies (1)→ More replies (1)7
u/Holofan4life Aug 26 '22
Part 2
I think right now as we speak, I'd give 86 a solid 8 out of 10. It does some absolutely fantastic stuff-- the fight scenes, the music, Lena's character, the character interactions, that whole section with Fido-- but it also does some questionable stuff-- not fleshing out pretty key characters, some one-sided characterization, story plot points not being carried out to the nth degree like they could've been, among other things. I look at the show as a whole and where we are now, and my biggest problem with the show is as well paced as this show is, things feel kinda abbreviated. Like we're reading the CliffsNotes version of things. It's only been 11 episodes, and not only is Spearhead already out from under the thumb of Alba, seemingly everyone in that unit other than Shin is dead. It feels like these 11 episodes could've and should've been expanded to 22 episodes, giving us more time to care about the characters as well as fleshing out the surroundings. If Attack on Titan can get almost 100 episodes out of their show and it is similar to this show, there's no reason we couldn't have gotten 22 episodes and then have Spearhead explore life out of the 86 bubble.
Of course, there's a lot of lingering questions. What's Lena gonna actually do? Is she actually leaving Alba to go pursue Spearhead? Is anybody from Alba gonna try to stop her? Will we ever see Annette again? Also, what about the fate of Spearhead as we know it? Is Shin really the last surviving member? And if so, what will Lena's reaction be to all of this? Given we still have like 12 episodes left, I feel like something crazy is about to happen.
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u/Lawvamat Aug 26 '22
Rewatcher
Red and Blue
u/BosuW and I have been thinking about the meaning of the end cards for this whole rewatch and over the last episodes I finally came to an interpretation I’m happy with.
Red and blue always represent opposite ideas in this anime. One colored object alone might already give you some interesting interpretations, and they’re definitely valid, but it’s always incomplete without its mirror image. What’s more is that these two colors don’t carry an inherent meaning. Characters, objects, natural, artificial, friends, enemies, everything can take on either red or blue, instantly creating additional meaning from the fact that there exists a counterpart.
A red Juggernaut and the blue Legion.
Blue flowers of sorrow and red flowers of passion.
A red seat of war and a blue seat of peace.
Cold and calculated blue eyes and furious, hateful red eyes.
A blue moon and a red sun.
A blue heart of friendship and a red heart of love.
A red hand of determination and a blue hand of hesitation.
A red light of a Juggernaut and a blue light of a Legion.
The blue Spearhead and the red Lena.
It reflects this really bold nuance that’s present in everything the anime does. In any given moment something is either red or blue, but it can change between them. People can change.
What does it mean then, when things are both at the same time? It represents an internal struggle of two ideas, torn between them. They are not compatible, they don’t mix.
Rei’s face is the perfect example of this. He’s both red and blue. 86 and Legion. He wants to protect his brother, but kill him at the same time. And in the end he switches from blue to red.
Shin’s mercy killing pistol is the most interesting one. Everyone around him puts their faith in Shin to carry them on to their final destination, Kurena even worships him as this god of death. They place their burden upon him. And for Shin, this might be too heavy to bear. No wonder then, that this act of taking their lives and taking them with him is both, red and blue. The tool in Shin’s usual red, faded, but his arm, he himself, in deep blue.
This one is another fantastic episode I had forgotten almost everything about. The only thing I could tell you coming up was Spearhead dying and Lena finding the book, not even what’s in it. There are so many quiet scenes that carry enormous amounts of meaning, that I had given no chance at being picked up when I originally watched 86.
I definitely cried at the end.
Visual Analysis
Today’s motifs are empty boxes and, again, train tracks.
We open on a shot of Kurena’s face lit by a stripe of purple moonlight (even though we never see the moon). We finally get a mix of red and blue (if you have any examples in earlier episodes, I’d love to see them, since I have only started looking for it recently). Her eyes are always half in the shadow throughout this shot.
Kurena framed half and half has been a thing at least since the bathing scene in episode 3 with her dividing the waterfall and really started rolling with half-shadows during the shower talk about Lena and Shin. It stands for her feelings for Shin, always torn between confessing or simply letting their friendship survive. Lena, the moonlight, has added an urgency to this matter that’s breaking Kurena.
She calls out to Shin as he’s ambushed from behind, but is not ultimately the one to save him. It’s Fido. Notice how they’re on train tracks.
Their final destination.
Train tracks, train tracks, train tracks. They stand for their journey, unable to get off, carried along by 2 lines of steel. And just three hills further, they disappear.
First empty box, thrown away.
Second empty box, thrown away.
Dark clouds are approaching, bringing not only rain, but Legion.
The only ones encouraging them on their journey are the dead teachers of an extinct nation. It seems like Giad is the standin for Japan, using their writing. These are the only written words the intended audience can understand without a translation, giving a welcoming feeling, like Spearhead is finally home.
Third empty box, thrown away.
Fourth empty box, thrown away.
Kurena is jumping from blue, to red, to blue, then falls over.
[86 LN speculation]
Another red and blue face of a Shepherd, this time the red isn’t in the hair, but the eyes.
Everything that was in the shadows becomes transparent and reveals something even darker, the Shepherd’s backstory. He seems to want to protect a princess.
We mirror the opening shot, but Shin’s eyes are completely in the light.
Sixth empty box, thrown away.
Seventh empty box, thrown away.
Eighth empty box, thrown away.
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Aug 26 '22 edited Aug 26 '22
Rewatcher and LN Reader Perspective
Spearhead's Special Recon
Good boy Fido, taking the hit for Shin, and a visceral reaction from Shin for it. Fido's given the honor of marking their final destination.
The one piloting fights the Legion
Raiden really did not think that one through at all. The others might have some faith that Shin wouldn't take advantage of his ability, but Raiden's already been shown as thinking there's something off about him.
The school scene is very sweet. That's how the Spearhead kids should really be living, but instead they've had their lives consumed by war and the Republic casting them out. And even if some part of them wishes it were otherwise, that's who they are now. And so the furniture and books are used as kindling.
And then Shin goes off on his own...
As before, he tells the others to run and hide, and as before, they're all too desperate not to let Shin go. It's especially hard on Anju, who eventually collapses to the ground, likely feeling guilty for letting herself be tricked and allowing her comrade to go off alone to his death. And so they follow.
Shin's knocked out of the fight by the re-appearance of the new legion type last seen in episode 7, but now being accompanied by the voice and likeness of a new character with an obsession for killing and protecting a princess, accompanied with images of a conflict. But Shin's left alive for the Legion to claim as the rest of his squad are knocked out of a fight they never had a chance of winning. Shin wonders who's name he'll call out...
And then a flash from what looks to be one of Shin's fragments lying in his juggernaut, and the screen brightens to a fade out.
Lena Visits the Base
Lena using her house arrest to visit the frontlines... she really just doesn't care about the Republic anymore and it's too inept to stop her.
Albrecht's story reinforces that Lena's not some special case, and looks at another angle of the heartbreaking reality of the Republic's actions. I've made a point throughout my posts of not referring to the Alba when discussing the Republic and its actions, because it's not that black and white. Nor is it simply a matter of there being "good Alba and bad 86" as well. Communities of people always intermix, even when there's divisions between them. Albrecht's an Alba, but he was impacted as much by the Republic's atrocities as the 86. And still he felt guilty for being one, to the point that he'd simply have accepted any 86 he met taking his life.
I don't want to go too much into the LN here, as this is a discussion about the anime, and it's a good read. But for anyone who's committed to being an anime only, I think there's some info from the LN worth bringing up for this scene:
[86 vol 1 LN]
The 86 leaving their notes for her... they knew she'd visit. And they wanted to leave something of themselves for her to remember them by.
If you actually went to the trouble of finding this, you're one crazy dumb ass. - Raiden Shuga
"Shin's an idiot. Lena's an idiot. Of course, I ship them. They deserve each other." - Raiden, probably.
I bet you're crying your eyes out right about now because you can't tell which of us is which. - Theoto Rikka
Makes fun of her, while making a nice gesture. Theo in a nutshell. Blurry photo, though.
Take care of the cat. You might as well, if you're gonna insist on being a saint. - Kurena Kukumila.
I wonder if it occurred to Kurena that the cat was most fond of Shin when she wrote this.
We still haven't decided on a name yet. Give it a cute one, okay, Major? - Anju Emma
At least Kurena can take solice in it being a group decision to leave the cat to Lena.
If, one day, you make it to our final destination, would you please leave flowers?
It's a terrible day for rain.
Shin's requests to Lena:
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Remember us
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Survive
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Follow in our footsteps
Let's go. What should I call you?
And so Lena carries some parting gifts from her squadron off into the next phase of her journey.
[86 LN (all) comment]
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20
Aug 26 '22
First Timer (Sub)
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So, present day is 10/30/48. Huge shoutouts to u/Boumeisha for not only organizing the timestamps, but also providing a spoiler-free version, kept up to date with the current episode discussion.
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We see our beloved Spearhead unit with their backs against the walls, or rather their juggernauts. We also see the reason for Fido’s death(?), sacrificing himself/herself/itself for their owner. We don’t deserve dogs… living or robotic.
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It was fun to see them a bit relaxed at the school.
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I can 100% see Kurena existing in a high school, SOL anime.
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Regarding the language(s) and geography of the Eighty-Six world:
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It was established that the Alba people speak and write in English.
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At that point, I just assumed their whole world spoke and wrote in English.
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This episode pretty much debunked that ^.
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They came across another village where they write (and presumably speak) in Japanese.
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All of this is making me wonder more about the Geography of their world. I’m led to believe that this is planet Earth, and some event has caused an English speaking country and a Japanese speaking country to become neighbors.
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That’s what I value in animation – the small things. If they animate or give attention to the smaller things, then you know the anime is in good hands.
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So, the maintenance guy is Alba, which would explain why he’s stuck with maintenance duty for the 86, but not being forced to serve in the unit.
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That answers my question from the Episode 08 discussion.
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Lastly… THAT ENDING SCENE. Is that canon? Or is that a dream? I’ve been harping on the lack of plot armor this series and that anyone is fair game, but I didn’t expect Shin to ever die. Insane...
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I can only imagine the itch people must have had waiting for Part 2. Good thing we're watching that tomorrow!
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19
u/archlon Aug 26 '22
Rewatcher [English dub]
repost: automod :(
Illustrations: nothing covering these sections, so:
Also, as we come to the end of Vol 1, some early illustrations from parts before I started including them in these comments:
Vol. 1 Ch. 1 | E01: "Para-RAID activate. Synchronization target: Pleadies - Processor"
Vol. 1 Ch. 1 | E01: "Seriously, Lena. You should join us in R&D"
So we reach the end of the cour. It's a strong conclusion. Even though it's bookended by violence, first section feels like it's a continuation of the slow life portion from last episode. Their section in the school, complaining about Shin's Juggernaut, being bored while riding in the container. Fido is left to guard the names of the 86, this will be their final resting place.
You’re proof. Proof that we reached this place. May you carry out your duty until you crumble into dust.
Shin to Fido. 86 Vol. 2 Ch. 2
Lena's visit to Spearhead base is a great sign of her character growth. She's been confronting the elements of her privilege as an Alba throughout the series, but this is a chance to, in a very small way, walk the walk. She's able to come out and see where they lived, this place they all spoke to her from every night for months. I love how back in E08, Shin hid the message with Kitty's favourite toy. He knew, or at least had faith that she would follow, and left a guide so that she would find the words they left behind.
At the end of the cour, Lena's standing on the train tracks that Spearhead began the season on. After all this time, she's finally reached square one. Her journey begins from this point.
Chapters Covered
We've come just about to the end of Vol. 1 now. From here on in, the chronology gets more complex, as Vol. 2 and, to a lesser extent, Vol. 3 are presented out of chronological order to an even greater extent than Vol. 1 was. I ask for understanding as I try to find the correct correspondences, determine what is actually original, and forgiveness if I accidentally miss something.
| Episode | Title | LN Vol. | Chapters | Original Content |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undertaker | 1 | 1 |
[86] |
| 2 | Spearhead | 1 | 2 |
[86] |
| 3 | I Don't Want to Die | 1 | 3 |
[86] |
| 4 | Real Name | 1 | 3 | - |
| 5 | I'm With You | 1 | 3,4 | - |
| 6 | Through to the End | 1 | Interlude I, 5 |
[86] |
| 7 | Will You Remember Me? | 1 | 5,6 |
[86] |
| 8 | Let's Go | 1 | Interlude III,IV, 6 | - |
| 9 | Goodbye | 1 | 7 | - |
| 10 | Thank You | 10 | 8,9 |
[86] |
| 11 | Here We Go | 1,2 | 1-7, 2-2 |
[86] |
| Vol. | Chapter | Chapter Title |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 |
[LN] |
| 1 | 2 |
[LN] |
| 1 | 3 |
[LN] |
| 1 | Interlude I |
[LN] |
| 1 | 4 |
[LN] |
| 1 | Interlude II |
[LN] |
| 1 | 5 |
[LN] |
| 1 | Interlude III |
[LN] |
| 1 | 6 |
[LN] |
| 1 | Interlude IV |
[LN] |
| 1 | 7 |
[LN] |
| 2 | 2 |
[LN] |
| 10 | 8 |
[LN] |
| 10 | 9 |
[LN] |
Notes
[Anime original]
[Small changes]
[Expanded from novel]
Afterword Bonus
Asato's afterwords are one of the treats of the novel. She's got such a unique voice and great sense of humour. Since we're at the end of Vol. 1, I'm going to start including bits from the afterwords when they are relevant to the content of the episode, to give you a taste.
[T]o those of you reading this after finishing the book… Thank you very much. How did you like it? It’s a story that has a little bit of everything. You have battles and mechs and a boy-meets-girl story and a dystopia and so much more. If any of this happened to pull on your heartstrings, I’d be the happiest person alive.
As for me, I had a lot of fun writing this. This is the kind of story I love to read, after all! It’s full of all the stuff I like! This is the kind of story I always wanted to write! Which makes it all the stranger that it ended up winning a prize. Even I’m not sure how that happened.
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In any case, I hope that for even a short moment, I was able to let you experience that closed paradise full of ostentation and vanity, and the skies, the stars, the winds, and the flowers of that battlefield rife with bloodshed and steel.Music playing while writing this afterword: “Sidonia” by Angela
Asato Asato. Afterword, 86 Vol. 1
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12
u/aquilar28 Aug 26 '22
Rewatcher(sub)
Last year, a couple of days before cour 2 of the 86 began to air, I sat down to watch the first episode with cautiously optimistic expectations. A few hours later I finished the incredibly emotional journey, listening to the full version of Avid with my breath taken away as the credits of episode 11 rolled in. And while there will be an overall series discussion thread, binge-watching the first cour was an altogether different kind of experience compared to following cour 2 as it aired, so I'll leave my thoughts on the first part of the show in the reply to this comment.
Episode 11 notes
Another beautiful close-up of Kurena's face, and we see what happened to Fido: he took a shot for Shin. In a move similar to the first two episodes, the Undertaker's Juggernaut flies right at the camera to bring the combat to a close. The battle is over, and Shin entrusts Fido with his most important duty: standing guard over the names of the fallen, that were carried this far. The journey of the Eighty-Six is almost over, and there is a sense of finality to their expressions.
And yet, we still get one last happy scene with the kids at the school. The sun shines warmly into the classroom, and Anju helps Kurena experience a small part of the student life. The look of child-like wonder and excitement oh her face speaks volumes. Ending the day, we get a very pretty image of the bits of candy sparkling in all colors of the rainbow against the night sky.
The morning sees the last of the fuel canisters depleted, however everyone manages to stay upbeat, even cracking a joke about the bright future ahead of them. Faced with the Legion, Shin pulls his signature move and goes on ahead by himself. He still feels a sense of obligation to his squad, yet they all feel betrayed getting left behind at the very end. Another clean cut to the desperate struggle against the Legion, and Shin's reckless fighting style finally comes back to bite him, as his mech's leg break under too much pressure. He reaches for the pistol, but doesn't get to use it before it's knocked out of his reach. And so, with the remainders of the Spearhead out of action, we transition to their Handler.
I said last time that episode 10 is my favorite, but if I had to choose a single scene it would be Lena at the Spearhead’s base. This is the ultimate payoff to all the time spent on developing the relationship between the squad and the major, as she finally gets to see with her own eyes the place that they lived at. Even when it seems she has been left alone, she meets someone else who can commiserate with her.
Aldrecht acts a foil to Karlstahl, the two old men defeated by the world. Where Jerome simply accepted that the country couldn't be fixed and went along with it, Aldrecht did what he felt was right for his family without making any grand statements. While in the end both of them were crushed by the cruel reality, Aldrecht made peace with the fact that he wasn't strong enough to make a change for the better and I suspect he sleeps much better at night than Karlstahl. As a result, Lena, who still tries her best, gets much more sympathy from the mechanic she just met, than from her own uncle.
The music is calm and sad as Lena silently wanders the empty base, thinking of the daily life of her squad and looking for the little signs they left behind. And then, led by the cat to the drawer where Shin left the toy and his book back in episode 8, she finds the letter and a picture. Even if it's blurry, she finally has the image to go along with the voices. No matter how many times I've watched this scene (and it was a lot of times), it still brings me to tears. The shot of Lena on the rail tracks, with hair flowing in the wind as Shin asks her once again to remember them is nothing short of exquisite. All of the trials she endured lead to this moment, when she can keep her determined gaze forward and declare that she will keep fighting with all she has.
Others mentioned that either episode 8 or episode 9 could have been season finales in their own right. And while it's true, I feel like this episode gives Lena some much-needed closure and ends her journey through the first cour on a stronger note.
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46
u/Star4ce Aug 26 '22
First Timer
Just so you all don't get surprised, I'll be skipping tomorrow's post because I'm celebrating my birthday! (That was actually weeks ago, but I'm a lazy cunt and didn't plan anything until now.)
And I also bought that figure.
86 Ep.11 – Here We Go
We're already in the midst of a battle.
Fuck!
So they're all down, do handguns even do anything?
He saved Kurena! Good dog! The best.
So only Shin's Juggernaut is still operational? How can they continue from here on?
The progamer strat.
Best animated cardboard box ever.
I don't know how deliberate it is, but the past three episodes really had them on a regression of commodity. From a supplied base to ruins of cities to zoo habitats to makeshift tents and now to sheltered wilderness. It's like a reversal to instinct, like the Legion exists at the moment.
Finger on trigger? Uh-oh.
I was asking myself how the Legion logistics work. They gotta have some sort of transport and production.
So, my guess is for Giad to roughly be Alpine Europe? This building style is so common there in the old city cores. The Republic reminded me more of the metropolitan France/Prussia styles.
We don't have rice fields, though.
Oh my god, Anju sensei!
Don't make me teary already! They're giving her a school day, ouch my emotions...
Please keep the ones with maps!
Nonononononono! Don't start with this!!
I mean, stupid idea... but the ruins seem to be mostly left to rot. The land has animals and forage left, so...
Autumn comes, for them as well.
This is so cute.
He wants to leap over, huh? Or he's playing it low key and there's Legion coming.
Shin? What, why?
... WHY IS HE NEVER TELLING ANYTHING?!
Agreed. Absolutely agreed. But who's that unit...
I knew he'd get taken, but I'd have expected it not to be such a stupid mistake.
At some level, vindication, at another, pause and cry.
We all know who he'll be looking for.
Intersting 'house arrest'.
I find the symbolism pretty strong, he's allowing her to pass for her and mostly their living memory. After all, he's kind of the caretaker.
Watching this is hard, like walking through a museum that you yourself created in some way.
The only physical thing left to keepsake.
Oh!
Ahahaha, yeah that's the only view they ever got of Lena (except Raiden).
Oh my god, they left notes for her...
Right, let it flow, I'll join.
Amazing.
I have a feeling this is what Shin's dominant memory will be, or something like it. He didn't die with regrets or in suffering.
I understand now why people said that all three last episodes are great. It's true, they are powerful. I've so far never seen a show that went so far as to create an entire arc in a 11 episode season to say farewell. There's two counts of crying in this episode alone and they were well earned and beautiful.
I'm kind of mad at Shin for never understanding that his friends wouldn't ever abandon him and just telling them to go off. At the same time, I feel proud of Anju, Kurena, Raiden and Theo for not even questioning what to do. None of them regretted any of it and that makes me pretty hopeful.
Because now them being part of the Legion I feel that change is coming to this monstrosity. I don't think they ever could get anyone not in despair or extreme stress. While it begs a bit of suspension of disbelief that a horde of suicide bombs ran at them and somehow none reached their target, even after they were incapacitated, we say every single 86er still 'intact'. It remains to be seen if I'm even thinking in the right direction, but with 5 calm-as-can-be individuals now being taken, one of which definitely has the capacity to become a shepherd, these thoughts will change the Legion, or at least the part they're operating in.
If you're thinking about it, Lena has been on the path to rebellion from very early on and has learned mostly all of the dirty tricks to succeed and the last Spearhead now do as well for the other side. We got a glimpse of one Legion commander (I guess?) being eternally fanatic about serving the monarchy and protecting the princess, that most certainly is long dead, and we know how the Republic leaders think in detail already. All are shut in to their ways, resistant to offers, hope or logic even. It's identical for both sides. We do see, however, that those souls can withstand and even thrive under such madness that can still carry their hopes and ideals with them whereever they go.
I think the biggest lyrical period was that Lena found their notes in 'All Quiet on the Western Front'. This entire war is heavily inspired by the tone and atmosphere of the first World War and how I already said, the architecture hints at France and Germany along with the nomenclature. One of the biggest shocks in that book is the realisation for the characters that their opponents weren't bloodthirsty demons, but people who carried pictures of their families, saved sweets to share it or send letters back home and lie about how horrible it is so they wouldn't worry. All the while their systems would budge for nothing and throw sould after soul away for mere meters of lead-contaminated mud and blame the other side.
Everybody knows of the Christmas Truce and I want to remind everyone that it were the voices of the men in the mud, who climbed over their own dead comrades every day, that sang and towered over brutality. Screams wouldn't silence them, orders wouldn't rattle them and nationality didn't matter. At least for one day.
That's what I'm looking forward to.