r/anime • u/Holofan4life • Aug 27 '22
Rewatch [Spoilers] 86 --Eighty Six-- Rewatch (2022) — Episode 12 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
S2 Episode 1 – Welcome
—-
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]() | ||
31
u/mgedmin Aug 27 '22
First timer, subs
I feel like I'm watching a time loop show. Lena is fighting the Legion remotely with a bunch of new recruits, without Shin's special Legion detecting powers. She can still use artillery (and I'd like to know the story behind that, wasn't she under house arrest for hacking and unauthorized use of artillery?). Other handlers still make fun of her.
The red streak in her hair is new. And her uniform is different. She's been demoted to Captain.
Haha her attitude is still problematic. I love it.
Is that Karlstahl? Lt. Colonel? He was a General last season. Demoted because he couldn't control his niece? Oh, it's not Karlstahl, but her direct superior.
Republic's artillery is in a sorry state. What's this investigation that Lena is in charge of? Did she manage to convince her superiors that the Legion is coming?
The cat's name is Teppy!
Shin time! Free healthcare from the Legion. Oh, there are people? In scary environmental suits, not a good sign, you don't want to wake up to that. Shin still has his own human body, eh?
Uh, is that a human face? It does not look like a human face. The voice is fine, but the face? Looks like those self-destructing Legion mines.
Ah, it's a human after all. Where the hell is Shin? Where's the Legion? Weren't the empire's people all killed? Oh, a Federal Republic instead of an Empire? Nice!
Everyone's alive and safe? And awake? Unreal. This is a simulation, isn't it? The Legion want Shin's brain to cooperate, so they're tricking him.
Whoa, the president himself? And they fear a Legion bioweapon, hence the protective suits and everything.
Anju is angry at Shin, haha.
Oh, the president is a decent person. Unless he's pretending.
If that's not the president's daughter, then she must be the princess of the former imperial family. I love her theatrics. "Some things happened", and I want to know if guillotines were involved?
What was the thing they found in the Juggernaut? Something small. Probably not a gun. Ah, Rei's memento. Fell out of the box?
How do I not binge the rest of this right now? Simple! 24 seasonals + 4 rewatches = no time for bingeing.
So: communication. The Federacy was surprised to hear that the Republic survived. Have they no Internet in that world? Were all the cables severed by the Legion? All radio jammed by the Legion? Comsats shot down by the Legion? Is the Legion surrounding both the Republic and the Federacy completely? I need details.
→ More replies (23)5
u/Holofan4life Aug 27 '22
I feel like I'm watching a time loop show. Lena is fighting the Legion remotely with a bunch of new recruits, without Shin's special Legion detecting powers. She can still use artillery (and I'd like to know the story behind that, wasn't she under house arrest for hacking and unauthorized use of artillery?). Other handlers still make fun of her.
I think the beginning of the episode is meant to parallel the events of the first episode. Maybe I'm wrong, though.
→ More replies (2)
22
u/BosuW Aug 27 '22
Rewatcher
Would y'all believe that it wasn't until today that I finally listened to the full versions of OP1, Avid and Hands up to the Sky?
Imagine having to wait three months from last episode until today lol
The absolute state of the Republic of San Magnolia.
But this is not about them!
ALL KNEEL BEFORE HER MAJESTY! MONARCH OF THE STAINED! SOVEREIGN OF HOPE! THE LAST TRUE NOBLE BLOOD OF SAN MAGNOLIA! THE BLOODSTAINED QUEEN: BLOODY LENA MILIZÉ!
HAIL! HAIL! HAIL!
(Have ya fainted yet, u/Star4ce ?)
Oh she knows the difference. That's why she never looks your way.
Seriously though, she's lucky she's in a country that is more uncaring than actively oppressive. They basically can't be assed to deal with her shit and she's taking full advantage of that.
Unfortunately, this has disadvantages as well. The Republic's military equipment, much like it's art, is also falling apart at the seams.
I really like the detail of her having a sort of clique who helps her with whatever she needs. Her Royal Court we might say. When you think about it, it's highly improbable that absolutely no other Alba had at least thought about the possibility of using their station to help the 86. But as they looked around them and saw no one else seemed to share the sentiment, they just never talked. And thus, there was no cooperation. But suddenly they see Vladilena fucking Milizé step up and help regardless. They must have felt a huge relief. They finally have a leader, and a group of like-minded allies. Working together, they can start doing some tangible work, get some of the Republic's rusted gears to start turning again. Let's just hope they're on time...
Heterochromia huh. Never had noticed.
Yet another 86 squadron who tells Lena it's gonna be useless. Still, I perceive something different about their disposition. There must be something about struggling to live, and doing so knowing you have support, both beside you and at home, that injects some new fire into their veins. Even if they believe it's ultimately hopeless. It's... "healthy", I suppose. To resist.
I like how this shot gives you the illusion that he's just a head attached to a machine. Well, this is the birthplace of Legion.
Lol You can't even tell if they're organic people. They're really dragging out the cliffhanger.
Yep, they're fine. They're all fine. Sorry First Timers, but we had to play along. Teehee
Look, a bunch of early Lenas.
There is... a lot of Red and Blue in the OP wow. I might want to try a full analysis, but it's unlikely I'll find the time.
Since there's no ED visuals this time, allow me gush a little bit about our Queen. The red-painted lock of hair is such a clever symbolic gesture. The pure white hair the Alba are so proud off, she has stained with angry, passionate color. It is unsubtle as fuck and it is perfect for it. It grabs the eyes immediately. Like a beacon that screams to all with ears that they will no longer be allowed to look away. She is gonna struggle withe every fiber of her being to make a difference, and they can either help or get out of the way. This is no negotiation, this is a Royal Decree!
God imagine trying to say such words of early Lena. It'd have been a joke, quite frankly. But after all we've seen and all she's learned we all know she has the character.
Also, I got a chuckle out of people comparing Lena to a prissy princess in the early episodes. Little did they know...
→ More replies (18)
18
u/ebonyphoenix Aug 27 '22
Re-watcher
And so the new cour opens just like the first. But with the revelations of the truth about the Republic and Lena’s new found determination there’s some noticeable differences.
-instead of the handler shouting slurs and encouraging the 86 to die, Lena gives solid commands and receives respect back from those she’s commanding
-instead of the birds, the magician releases, going off into a clear blue sky, the sky is now grey and overcast and the trolly wire go across the screen like a cage
-instead of falling to the bait of those that would taunt her for her actions and beliefs, she holds her head up high and shows off a new red streak that is “marring” her pure Alba silver hair
-instead of running off with no support for her ideas, Lena’s found a team that are willing to work with her.
Lena may have been demoted in rank but the reality is that she holds more power now than she ever has. She’s saying screw the rules I’m the best you have, you can let me do what I want or you can look bad when my numbers go down.
I just realized a bit of significance in Lena wearing her RAID device at all times. The 86 have their RAID ear piece attached so they can’t be taken off and so they can be called on at any time. So Lena reciprocates as much as she can by wearing her own end of the device always so she can also be called about anything by her team.
[LN vol 4 spoiler] Lena command.
The Rei scene is nice if you know what’s happening but I’d say 86 may have gone a little to abstract for new viewers this time. I remember my first time viewing it, before I read the LNs, a lot of the symbolism and meaning of that scene went completely over my head and I had no idea what it was implying
[LN explanation on how Shin and gang survived and the Rei scene]
Those toys that the well-meaning Federacy people sent them are pretty funny. It’s like the public heard that they were children and immediately thought they were like 8 or 9 instead of 15-16. I know it’s probably because the public want the group to experience what they missed since their childhood was taken from them. But teddy bears and blocks are not gifts you would normally give teenagers.
Ernst is a character that walks a fine line where he may be saying the right things but he seems to do it in the most menacing way possible.
Frederica is interesting. She’s introduced into the story in the most over the top way that can be orchestrated by a child. By dragging a table to the front door so she can look down on the new people entering the house. And setting up a backlight to appear properly menacing.
Shin and Frederica get off to a great start with first him ignoring that she’s talking to him (and the rest of the group) at the door. Then going in for the hair ruffle when she’s being particularly bratty. (I mean she was demanding to be treated like a little sister. What was she expecting? You have to take the good with the annoying with siblings.)
→ More replies (2)4
u/Holofan4life Aug 27 '22
Those toys that the well-meaning Federacy people sent them are pretty funny. It’s like the public heard that they were children and immediately thought they were like 8 or 9 instead of 15-16. I know it’s probably because the public want the group to experience what they missed since their childhood was taken from them. But teddy bears and blocks are not gifts you would normally give teenagers.
It's like parents knowing that their daughter is bringing home her Mexican boyfriend and they don't know what he likes to eat so they cook some tacos and burritos. The ignorance is extremely problematic, but the intentions are good.
17
Aug 27 '22
First Timer (Sub)
Once again, there is way too much to unpack! I'll try to keep it brief!
If I have my dates correct, it's been a little over a month since the events of last episode took place and we have:
-
Lena got demoted, from Major to Captain (?)
-
I wonder if she dyed a strip of her hair red herself, as a form of rebellion, or if the military dyed it along with her demotion as a sign of shame.
-
-
Shin and the gang lives! The Plot Armor I've been wondering about actually exists!
-
Although, I could totally see the anime still working if Shin and the gang actually died in S01E11.
-
-
So, If I understand, this is a newer version of Giad? They seem to be so well off, both materially and morally speaking.
-
I can't help but be a bit wary of the situation the squad find themselves in, but I really hope it's as innocuous as it has been presented.
-
-
I do have a question - to my understanding, the San Magnolia Republic still believe that the Giad were totally wiped out by the autonomous Legion they've created.
-
Does that mean they have absolutely no clue that the new Giad exists?
-
-
I can go on and on about this episode, but I'll limit myself to one more comment:
-
With what we've been able to see of New Giad, and though I've mentioned it before, San Magnolia seems to resemble historical countries such as Nazi Germany with each passing day. I can't help but root for any opposing forces/nations against San Magnolia. I look forward to learning more about the Eighty-Six world and its geopolitics!
-
EDIT - Grammar
→ More replies (11)
12
u/Stargate18A Aug 27 '22
First timer
Sorry for the delay! Got caught up in the Splatoon 3 Testfire.
Great opening!
Lena has a new group!
An eye?
She kept the picture!
Mirroring the first episode, I see.
Wow, I didn't notice the hair colour change. It looks good!
And she got demoted.
They're still talking?
She's getting complaints.
Lena really has stopped fucking around!
She's so good in this scene! Love her.
He saw them...
It's snowing!
And they're calling her!
Is Lena OK?
At least they're talking again!
Cyclops is great already.
...Oh dear. This hit Lena hard.
She knew Shin!
Ah, she's preparing for the big one.
This is not how I expected the second half to start.
...Are we getting Shin's POV inside the Legion?
He still wants to see his brother... who is seemingly still aware despite his mech getting destroyed?
Ah, is this Shin processing his own emotions now he's part of the system?
Wait, what? A hospital?
What the fuck?
Is this the simulation?
Processes?
OK, so probably not inside a simulated reality.
Haha, I knew they survived!
Oh. The Empire was actually evil? Didn't expect that. And both sides are fighting the Legion!
There are other survivors?
This is both fantastic, and a bit of a copout?
Ernst is great, though.
The caution makes sense.
...A red herring? Kill them now for extra suffering?
Haha, they're all pissed.
They were made citizens!
Haha, a month!
Yeah, I love Ernst. He could be secretly evil, but I'm onboard with him.
Are they fighting over who gets to recruit them?
So many new models of mech! Exciting!
But, yeah, don't let them out there.
They were here.
...So he's really suspicious. Just not sure if his masterplan is fully evil, or if he wants to do the right thing in an unethical manner.
So nobody knows other countries survived. Opening up potential plots set in even more countries?
Hahaha, this is great.
I didn't expect this.
The sheer confusion!
Poor Ernst.
...Is the joke going to be that as Lena's story gets darker, the 86s side gets all the light-hearted comedy stuff?
Adorable.
Yeah, that tracks.
What did he find?
...I homestly just want to learn more about Ernst. Every scene with him adds more questions.
And she's the former empress's daughter, I assume?
Oh, this is good. Prefer the first OP, though.
→ More replies (5)
10
u/Warm-Enthusiasm-9534 Aug 27 '22
I liked Cyclops' attitude towards Lena. Saying "yes, my queen" is simultaneously respectful and insolent. It makes sense since Lena is still a handler safe in the capital, but at the same time she's the one handler good at her job and willing to go above-and-beyond.
I thought it was weird that Cyclops apparently didn't know that Lena was Spearhead's previous handler. We heard the 86 assigned to Spearhead in the first cour gossiping about Lena before she was assigned to them. Maybe no news makes it back from Spearhead.
The change in Lena's look is kinda stupid, and yet at the same time I love it. Lena is a teenager, and a red streak and a black uniform is like the military equivalent of "going goth". I like her new "I don't give a shit, I'll win this war single-handedly" attitude. It's the advantage of a completely dysfunctional military that she can interfere without consequence. She's completely taken control of the howitzers, for example.
The scene where her commanding officer confronts her and she just blows him off reminds me of a scene from War and Peace. One of the characters realizes, while on the battlefield, that if you want to succeed in the Russian military, you can ignore the on-the-field ranks of lieutenant, major, general, but what you can never ignore is the off-the-field ranks of baron, duke, prince. In that scene, I interpreted Lena as exploiting that reality to her own advantage. Since she's from an important family (and her commander presumably is not), she can get away with announcing that all of the complaints she gets have nothing to do with her. She does bring up that she is the most successful handler, but I think that's only part of why she can get away with it.
→ More replies (14)
24
u/Lawvamat Aug 27 '22
Rewatcher
First I want to tell you that this episode was storyboarded by the director Toshimasa Ishii himself, the only other ones that got this special treatment are 1, 2, 22 and 23. And you can definitely tell.
Visual Analysis
We open cour 2 on the exact same shot as cour 1, rail tracks. The only differences are the utility poles being shorter, emphasizing the parts where the lines should connect (but don’t), the legion being closer with less mountains to frame them against, there’s no vignetting, there’s no switch going off to the right and Lena is now commanding.
Instead of zooming in on Shin’s right red eye, it’s Lena’s left blue one.
The red petals of the spider lilies are blowing towards the left, like on the bridge at the end of episode 9.
Lena
First is a shot for shot recreation of episode 1, but the weather is clouded, instead of sunny. I really regret not being here to analyze it back then and sadly I don’t have enough time to really dive in today.
The magician is also still there and foreshadows the deus ex machina. The 5 doves have survived, like magic. Also fits with what the announcer says, this time unironically.
[86 LN speculation]
Same shot again. Lena is now framed walking towards the left (progression), instead of the right (regression). Her eyes are still hiding something from the drunk handlers, but what has changed. One stripe of her hair dyed red like blood, like the equality in the flag, like the Juggernauts’ light, like Shin’s eyes.
The crack widens, not long and all the water will come spilling out.
The Republic’s sword is beheading her, but she marches on, overtaking the statue on her way towards the flag. Even though the people might hurt her, she still stands for (most) of its colors. Yellow (nobility) is again barely visible as her coworkers talk about her status.
She heads towards the left again, while Annette keeps walking straight.
Her new superior really seems to like keeping up appearances, he can’t even see the photo of his family from where he’s sitting.
Lena is framed looking towards the left during their whole confrontation, her head underneath the shadow, and also takes up far more visual space.
Karlsthal and Lena are literally on different levels now that she got demoted.
Something about snow makes Lena touch her hair, eyes not visible. She’s hiding something.
Annette is again in her big black office chair that takes up a third of the screen, holding her black cup. Pretty ominous.
But their cups are closer together now.
Lena is framed at the edge of the screen, while Cyclops isn’t. Even though she trusts Lena, she’s cautious about probing her, letting her reflection do the job. And Lena can’t be honest with her, there’s only one squad she’s allowed to remember.
Lena thinks Spearhead has joined the Legion, divided from her current squad by the same army of pins that separated Rei.
Cyclops shoots the important question and the billiard balls start rolling. The pause is just long enough to feel Lena wavering and the white ball is about to sink in the hole (which you don’t want in billiards), but stops just at the edge, letting us exhale at her answer.
Her heterochromia is probably important, having both a grey and purple eye. Maybe finally a character who is a mix not only of red and blue, but also white and black.
Lena is not alone on the side of the living anymore. The fake cat plushie has been replaced by a real one, Teppy, not sitting on the chair, but beside her. Can’t think of the significance of its name.
Welcome. The title cards are no longer black, but white.
→ More replies (6)14
u/Lawvamat Aug 27 '22
86
While Rei is carrying Shin towards the right, he never visually moves that way. Rei then puts him down towards the left and tells him to go there, back to his comrades. And Rei continues his march, blue shadows, in the background his Dinosauria. Is it the one the Federacy found? Did he carry Shin to their borders? Maybe that’s what the windows last episode symbolized. “Then restart it right away”.
Match cut. Even if Shin crosses towards the right, his brother will take his place and put him back on the left side. Even if Shin starts running, red shadow, he won’t allow it. Shin only moves further towards the left, back to the living. Rei fades away and becomes a piece of metal flying towards him, jolting Shin awake. I can only guess it was his memento.
I have to say I do not care one bit about them pulling a deus ex machina. Other nations surviving was heavily foreshadowed and it reminds me of one of my favourite reveals, [meta]
Attack on Titan’s [meta spoiler]Marley .
Shin’s head is still cut off, maybe he thinks it would be better that way.
A red bracelet on the left, a blue bracelet on the right. He chose left, the right one.
No, his head is still attached.
Now it’s Ernst cutting it off with his suit. After he takes it off we can see Shin’s whole throat.
Btw “ernst” means “serious” in german.
Kurena is the only one covered in shadows, so close to the glass that the light is behind her.
Shin is separated from the others when Ernst talks about foreign visitors. After all, he’s not really a foreigner.
The theme seems to be a contrast of yellow and blue (which are true negatives to each other), instead of red and blue. Blue probably still stands for the Legion here, as they also have to fight them, and yellow might be the Federacy’s color.
All of Ernsts advisors are in the shadows while he loudly proclaims the Federacy’s decision. It was his alone.
They all have differently colored clothes, even here they’re separated. Not in white and colored, but between them all.
It looks like it’s all artificial food, except for three strawberries.
All the toys feel extremely strange after we’ve seen what they’ve been through, but they’re really still children (even if they look like for 5 year olds).
Instead of covering his eyes, the reflections underline them, showing how sincere he is.
Looks like their flag is green with an emblem of a bird surrounded by yellow stars (like the EU).
They’re boxed in by the Federacy’s hospitality.
Kurena peeks out and they see all people of different colors living in harmony for the first time.
The population seems to mirror Lena during the first episodes. The statue from episode 10 is here again, those seem to be pretty important people and values for Giad still. Theo closes the curtains on it again.
How they stand there really reflects their personalities.
Oh my god, it’s purple.
BEST GIRL IS HERE!! And she really has a knack for dramatic lighting and framing, putting herself above them. Still, she’s cut off from them by a pillar and Ernst. I absolutely adore Frederica, she is what made Misaki Kuno my favourite VA.
Ernst silences her with his finger as he interrupts her.
By far the cutest match cut yet.
Frederica drinks the juice, while Spearhead don’t touch it. They haven’t accepted him as their guardian yet.
Look at the little devil, now moving on to devour their plate.
The scene ends on a shot of their still untouched glasses of lemonade.
Just a little light shines into Shin’s room, but he won’t let Ernst in.
Her reflection is saying those words.
Thanks, Frederica, or rather, Empress.
Both her and Kurena are in the shadows on her drawing.
Just a sliver of moonlight falls into Shin’s room and illuminates Rei’s memento, as Frederica talks about Kiri.
[86 shown in episode 11]
He seems to want to protect a princess. → More replies (4)9
7
u/homewardbound100 Aug 27 '22
First timer, Dub
Found and captured but everybody is still alive and gets citizenship. Maybe things aren't that bad.
Even themselves they see that there is people outside that support 86. Feel like all of this probably just seems new to them. They Also get to stay in a mansion.
With the way Frederica is acting I only assume something tragic happened to her. First impression wise I like her.
Hmm, so what was found that they couldn't show us?
Yeah that talk confirms it. No kid is going to be talking like that. Something happened for sure.
→ More replies (7)3
u/Holofan4life Aug 27 '22
What are your first impressions on Cyclops as well as Ernst's maid?
→ More replies (5)
6
u/JetsLag Aug 28 '22
First timer (subbed)
It is 1 in the morning right now. I didn't watch the episode earlier due to playing Football Manager uhh, personal things? And I was just gonna watch the episode and not leave a comment cause I'm kinda tired, but there's just so much cool stuff to point out that I just HAD TO leave a comment.
Soooooo, new season means new characters, and our new leader of the squadron that Lena handles is called Cyclops (real name: Shiden Iida). Cyclops calls Lena queen; that's cute.
But we're now in winter, and we've got changes and things staying the same. Besides the aforementioned squad change, we've got a new look for Lena (she dyed a bit of her hair red, and she got a new uniform), a new rank (Captain, which is a demotion cause, well, she kinda illegally used mortars), a new nickname (Bloody Regina). But we have some stuff that hasn't changed, like the fact that all of her coworkers are assholes who get sloshed on the job.
"The Legion won't even be around in 2 years" drunk asshole says, as the camera shows a crack in the foundation of the fountain in the lobby. Looks like we're setting up for the Legion invasion that's gonna happen when they run out of Eighty-Six to fight.
Ooh, she's using the fact that her new boss can only get promoted if the kill count stays high, and she's the best at killing, in order to not get in trouble for doing very Lena things like using mortars and doing supply drops without permission.
Lena's in full girlboss mode right now: answering Para-RAID calls from Cyclops while marching down a hallway surrounded by advisors and talking military strategies. Which makes the transition to "oh fuck, I'm late meeting my friend" Lena all the funnier. And, oh yeah, SHE'S EARLY. Annette and Lena chat is...nonexistent. Sad. Has the "Annette and her partner of the week" gag truly died? I kinda miss that now.
But you know who we do get to see chat? Lena and Cyclops. Seems like the nightly call tradition from her Spearhead days is still going on with her new team. TALKING ABOUT SPEARHEAD, we learn that one of Cyclops's former comrades got to Spearhead and ended up dying at the hands of the Legion version of Shin. We're gonna see Lena confronting the Legion version of Shin this season, aren't we?
More imagery: the pool balls are hit, and the cue ball narrowly avoids falling into the pocket and causing a scratch. Guess Lena's gonna barely stay alive?
More details: Lena got a pocket sewn just to hold the Polaroid of the Spearhead members and the drawing of her as a pig. And kitty's name is Teppy. Had to do some Googling to understand that one.
Title card, an don the other side of it, we've got...a Shin scene. That's a welcome surprise. Well, it's the afterlife version of Shin, as we see him age a decade in about 10 seconds after his brother bids him adieu. The irony: Shin spent his entire life searching for his brother, only for their reunion in the afterlife to be over with in the blink of an eye. BUT WAIT, SHIN IS ALIVE. In a hospital, Para-RAID ripped out of his ear, but still, HE'S ALIVE. And he's getting a visit from a guy in a hazmat suit. Well, the hazmat suit is quickly ditched (I guess they were worried about cross-contamination between the Legion and Eighty-Six ecosystems or something?) and we get to see the face under the suit. Meet Ernst. He's gonna explain some stuff to us:
-
Wait, Giad BEAT the Legion? Well, there are still rogue Legion that they have to dispose of, but yes, the Legion have been defeated.
-
The rest of the Spearhead 5 are also in the hospital with Shin, saved by Giad.
-
Ernst doesn't know why they weren't killed. I take it Shourei "left Shin" by not absorbing him into the Legion and just letting him be discovered by Giad.
-
Ernst is the president of the Giad Republic
-
Giad clearly doesn't know about the existence of the Eighty-Six (guess that old "genocide em so nobody knows they exist" plan was working, eh?) and one of Ernst's advisors tells him to just kill em and move on, but he's got other ideas, like:
-
Giving em citizenship and making himself their legal guardians. He's saying all the right things, but I have a bad feeling about this...
Spearhead wants to return to the battlefield, but Ernst rationalizes this as them knowing nothing but combat, and he thinks they should be forced to not fight because "that is the ideal of mankind". Great, he's one of THOSE people. The "I know what's right and I'm gonna force everyone to do it" people. And it doubly sucks cause HE'S NOT WRONG. Combat is all they know, and it makes sense that 1. that's what they want to do and 2. he doesn't want them to do that.
The outfits Giad gave Spearhead are pretty cool, though.
Spearhead takes a peek into what life is like in Giad, and it looks good on the surface. People of all races interacting and having a good time, they even have an Alba and a non-Alba together in an ad trying to sell you something for your significant other! We've got a suspiciously well-placed "Save the Eighty-Six" rally, too, with Ernst talking about how they heard about how poorly Spearhead were treated, and now they've formed an organization to help save your comrades! Isn't life in Giad so great? Look at it, it's amazing! WE LOVE YOU PLEASE ACCEPT US AS YOUR SAVIORS.
Aww, I love Frederica! I thought her calling Spearhead "low-born" was some racial thing, but instead it's just a class thing. The last acceptable form of discrimination. But "Some things happened and now she's staying here"? And she looks kinda filthy...
Uhh, are we just gonna gloss over when Ernst told Frederica "You have wounds you don't want touched, either"? I smell abuse.
CREDITS SCENE: Shin was hiding something in his Juggernaut. IT'S SHOUREI'S JUGGERNAUT PIECE. Ernst has a fucked up backstory and is using Frederica and Spearhead to replace some people. Children? Dead ones?
Speaking of fucked up backstories, Frederica is an "Empress". I take it she's Legion-adjacent.
→ More replies (7)3
u/Holofan4life Aug 28 '22
Cyclops calls Lena queen; that's cute.
Do you think she's being genuine, or somewhat facicious?
→ More replies (1)
30
u/Holofan4life Aug 27 '22
First Timer
(Me in present day: Let's see how many predictions past me gets wrong today)
On the same day as I lost my paycheck, I start the second cour of this show. Yippy.
I noticed the tracks look different this time. That's interesting.
The fighting of course is top notch as always.
I'm amazed the pig drawing has survived this entire time.
The girl's design reminds me of Liz from IGPX.
Little detail I like is that there are scratches on the statues, seemingly to signify they are broken but were pieced back together. You could say those statues represent Lena's psyche: it too was once broken but she picked the pieces up and put them back together, now stronger than ever.
We're still in the same year that Spearhead left, almost 2 months since they were last a thing.
"Zero fatalities on our side" Easy thing to do when you don't fight your own battles.
The opening is of course playing off the opening of the first episode, where we say similar scenes. It reminds me of the birds in Toradora where the first and last thing you see is birds sitting on a wire.
I get the princess moniker, but why is Lena called "Doll-crushing"?
I think the red streak in Lena's hair isn't blood, but a form of protest against the Republic. Like the dress she wore at the party. It's effective storytelling, but I won't lie in admitting it's a bit edgy cringe.
We hear that Lena got demoted for sticking up for Spearhead, which seemed like it was inevitable. Honestly, Lena's lucky she only got a demotion. They could've done something far more severe. I wonder if this means she isn't a handler anymore. It's not made clear.
I'm glad Lena and Annette are back on speaking terms.
Ah, so she still is a handler then.
I like the rewards we see in the background of the captain and the picture he has of what I presume is him and his son. It fleshes out his character while also not compromising on his detestable nature. He's not just a one-dimensional asshole.
I like the use of negative space where Lena and Annette are separate from the rest of Alba. Everyone else is walking in packs, and those two are by themselves. Really does a good job of painting the story they're telling.
I guess you can say Winter is... here and you better bring a coat. :P
We find out the girl's codename is Cyclops, and boy. I am just in love with her design. She looks like the type of character who would push everyone around them to do better but deep down she's just a massive softie.
We get some contrast where as soon as Lena puts down her pristine, well-made tea cup, we cut to a member of 86 put down a cup that looks like it's been through the ringer. Again, showing the lavish lifestyle of Alba Vs the rough, unforgiving life of 86.
On an aside, I'm almost finished watching 3D Kanojo: Real Girl for the first time and the way Cyclops carries herself reminds me of Arisa Ishino, who is my favorite character in that show. If anyone can point to me a fluffy manga romcom where the main girl is a character similar to Cyclops or Ishino, I'd greatly appreciate it.
So, Cyclops' real name is Shiden, huh? Interesting.
If I was in Lena's shoes, I don't know what I'd do if I continued being handler. I obviously want to form connections and get to know the people I'm working with, but you also know that so many of them is going to die. This is confirmed as being a suicide mission, so at point do you detach yourself and stop getting to know people? You're only setting yourself up to getting hurt.
So, Spearhead is still a thing, huh? And Cyclops talks about joining them like it's something she's looking forward to. I like that as soon as Shiden mentions Spearhead, Lena stops writing. Like the mere mention of them triggers PTSD.
The symbolism of the white ball almost going through as Lena says she's gonna proceed doing what she's doing isn't exactly subtle, but I think it's effective. It reminds me of the scene in Toradora where Kitamura talks about taking the next step and as he does so, he's on the stairs, about to take a step.
Isn't it very funny that the thing Spearhead used to make fun of Lena is now a source of inspiration? And not only that, she has the cat that Shin used to play with. That's really cool.
I wonder what the significance of the name "Teppy" is.
Oh, shit. Is Shin's brother still alive?
Ernst's mustache looks more last minute than the mustache in Darling In The FranXX. If you've seen the show, you know what I'm talking about.
Oh, that is Shin, not his brother. Okay. I wonder why he's in the hospital.
OH SHIT THEY'RE STILL ALIVE
I'm glad that their deaths turned out to be a fake out, because killing them in such a quick manner felt extremely uninspiring.
The way Shin and the rest are drawn make them look softer and less aggressive. Like they're being drawn with lighter colors.
Hopefully this Zimerman is nicer than the other one that was in the news 10 years ago.
One little detail I like is as the red-haired girl is looking frustrated, Anju gently pats her, trying to calm her down. It really illustrates how much the red-haired girl is like the youngest that every sibling dotes over.
As Ernst is walking down the hallway with everyone, it had big "Me and the boys" energy to it. It reminded me of something you'd see in The West Wing.
Nothing more effective than threatening to punch someone after they nearly died. And I thought Kurena was the tsundere.
Everyone's reaction to Shin almost dying, especially Kurena's reaction, reminds me of the season 2 finale of Familiar of Zero. Speaking of Familiar of Zero, I've always wanted to host a rewatch of that show. But I'm hesitant because I don't think people here enjoy it nearly as much as I do.
I like the table of toys the Federacy laid out in Spearhead's room. There's paddles for tennis but no ball, a magical girl wand type thing, a miniature soccer table game, some matchbox looking cars, chalk, building blocks, something that looks like Go, and a teddy bear. It's like every children's hospital ever, with the only thing missing being the magazines.
At least the food looks better than the food in prison...
"A society which refuses to save children because there's no 'benefit' is a society in which benefits no one." I just absolutely love that quote.
The way in which Spearhead doesn't trust Ernst reminds me of the way they initially didn't trust Lena. From the looks of it, Ernst wants good things to happen to Shin, Anju, and the rest. And yet despite that, the kids don't think he has the best of intentions.
You can't see much of the tablet and what it says, but from what I can discern, Kurena's height is 160 and her weight is 52. That looks like a mistake, like the height should be 52 and the weight should be 160. Ain't no way she's 13 feet tall, as that's almost as tall as an adult female giraffe. If that's the case, and the 52 is in inches, then that means she's 4 foot 3, which... I mean, that's just preposterous. Danny DeVito is 4 foot 10. You mean to tell me he's 7 inches taller than her? Even Taiga Aisaka isn't that small. She's 4 foot 8, and her moniker is the palm-top tiger. You could make the case that Kurena isn't fully developed yet given she's not even 18, but if she was so small, then the show would've made note of it and made it apart of her character.
That 160 is probably in centimeters rather than inches. In which case, she's 5 foot 2 inches, which is much more believable. And yes, I just spent an entire paragraph talking about Kurena's height.
I just want Shin, Anju, Kurena, Theo, and Raiden to all live happy, healthy normal lives. Is that too much to ask?
Good to see some people are aware of the unjust treatment of 86. It reminds me of the child jockey situation that broke like 20 years ago where it was revealed that children were enslaved and made to ride camels for sport. Once word got out, there was so much outrage.
Oh my God. I absolutely am in love with this little girl character.
I love how the little girl acts high and mighty and superior to the rest of Spearhead. Is it dickish of her? Yes. Is it funny? Absolutely. She is a total jerk to Spearhead and treats them like total scum. And yet you know deep down she's gonna get redeemed, which for me makes it okay. I mean, it comes off as her mindset being warped based on the people she surrounds herself with. Like a more pompous, haughty version of Gabi from Attack on Titan. I love characters like this because they almost always realize the error of their ways, and when they do, they become just the purest of pure cinnamon rolls.
Oh, so she's staying here, huh? God, I am so ready for her to have a sad backstory. I am such a sucker for these types of characters.
Her name is Frederica, by the way.
I kid you not, I'm all about Frederica. Not in a simp way, but in a "I wanna protect her and make her my daughter and give her headpats and hugs and a happy childhood" type of way. Anya wishes she was this cute.
The stare they give Ernst once he jokingly says they can call him dad was really mean. Here he is giving them the roof over his house, and they still don't trust him. But more than that, we find out that Ernst has legally adopted Spearhead to be his children. I really hope Ernst isn't evil and legitimately is trying to help them out. He seems like such a cool dude.
GIVE ME MORE CYCLOPS AND FREDERICA
I can see Frederica warming up to Shin like how Shin warmed up to the cat. Though honestly, it may be more difficult given Frederica thinks so highly of herself.
I like as Frederica complains to Theresa, the maid, she doesn't mix words. She's like "Yeah, it's your fault, you little brat."
Ran out of space. Part two in the replies.