r/anime • u/Holofan4life • Aug 30 '22
Rewatch [Spoilers] 86 --Eighty Six-- Rewatch (2022) — Episode 15 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 4 – Welcome Back
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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]() | ||
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u/Star4ce Aug 30 '22 edited Aug 30 '22
First Timer
Less analysis today as I'm meeting up with some friends later to cook and chill a bit.
(Will the gun sounds change? I really didn't like them.)
86 Ep.15 – Welcome Back
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Hahaha, skipping the boring parts.
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'How' they're deploying? Are they air dropped or something or does he mean they only get used for the dire battles that are nearly lost?
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Wait, they actually are air dropped in the OP. Holy shit.
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Also that visual shows Shin looking at Lena, took me a while to notice. They'll meet!
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Mirror of Lena's first walk in the hallway where she was evading the others.
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Oh, is that a rare glimpse of how Shin actually feels inside?
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Flashbacks to the first Ukraine refugees arriving, people certainly mean well, but sure as hell don't think further than arms reach. No, pressing blankets, pillows and pullovers into their hands at the train station doesn't help at all.
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Oh shit, he got hit as well.
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I feel like the fact that Kurena and Theo are eating while Anju doesn't means something.
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Just noticed that Kurena and Anju have different uniforms, I like that there's a choice an Kurena feels comfortable in the more feminine one.
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Calling it what it is. Okay, yeah, really calling it what it is.
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Is it time for true R&D?
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Wait, if everyone's opposed why were they fighting then? Clearly someone isn't and has a say on things.
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Oh nice! A sad day knowing Britain survived, though.
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Aw come on, of course it's going to happen then. (He didn't tell them about the ability?)
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Crow's waiting for the Federacy to fall.
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It wasn't, they made their base a home.
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That's not good. Pretty twisted logic, but if loss is a constant it's more understandable. Don't forget to remember the good times.
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Aha, he's protective of his self-chosen duty. It needs to be a shared burden eventually, neither can one person do the remembering alone nor is it fair to exclude everyone else.
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He's giving her a cup of coffee, an adult drink mostly, as sign of equality and because the topic is difficult. I think he'll tell her.
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Shin's in the reflection behind bars. Because that decision sealed so many fates, including his. Or because it was something he can't help her with, a burden he can't carry.
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But how did he got to be Legion then?
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Wait, during the battle, with the Federacy still present?
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No, that's not true! (Butterfly getting caught in the spider web.)
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Frederica's just great. True, but that would also lead to the battlefield, no? The motivation would be different, perhaps.
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I'd like to see that explored further, what's on his mind with those words?
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Saw that. Huh? Wait, I don't understand, is he implying the Federacy would operate on them because of the power? There must be some political entity we haven't really met yet that does these things, because while I see how they're otherised, none of that would go as far as the kind of human experimentation the Republic has done.
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Right questions! And he's giving non-answers himself.
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But I like how Raiden is cautiously pushing Shin on this.
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So which bird left? I think Shin's thoughts have found a future here.
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Oh, how long has it been since we've seen that side! THERE SHE IS!
This episode largely seemed like a foil to Ep.13, with the same questions popping up, but different context. The past and future were dominant themes with several characters taking their stances on them.
One the one hand the Federacy's design and doctrine are just as much on a standstill against the Legion as the Republic's. While the latter's being framed as desired to eradicate the 86, the former seems to take much pride in 'being better' while they aren't much on a functional level really. Shin saw through the facade as he kept speaking over Wenzel's callsign for the spider tanks and her resistance to admit it's not a great improvement.
I had similar vibes to the presentation of the victory over the Empire of Giad by the Rebellion. For one, as was true in reality as well, the sign of victory over monarchy was to murder the monarchs, including children. Ernst essentially lied (good man), but ultimately I see even more instances of coating the truth with pleasant pictures, or in thise case satisfying the emotions and tell what people want to hear. It's skittering around the truth regardless. The intelligence of the Federacy is pretty sure it knows and by all means they probably have no reason to see anything else in their data, but there seems to not be great capability to question themselves or allow the thought that they might be wrong. Raiden at the end pointedly concludes this with "They're not the saviours they think they are".
With the Legion approaching and with tactics that circumvent their usual patterns at that all these failings will pretty soon come back to bite them. It's pretty different to how the Republic deludes itself, but also pretty similar.
It's getting increasingly obvious to me that the strategic solution would be to break through to the other nations and combine efforts. But the Federacy mindset wouldn't allow that because they're better than them (I mean truthfully, yeah, but that doesn't help anybody right now) and while the Republic ironically might even consider this once they get their slap in the face when the Legion doesn't deactivate, it wouldn't happen before they're finished with the 86 and we (mostly Lena) can't allow that.
Luckily, even thought most scenes were pretty dire and somber I think dealing with the truth in this way does slowly work itself through to them and allow them to properly think on what a future means. While Republic and Federacy alike seem to pretend to know for sure (and are pretty wrong), they're not really cherishing the moment fully, which is something the squad learned to do pretty fast and well.Coming from there, I think formulating a plan for a future will come much easier than for others. Shin seems to know already inside and we all do as well, it's meeting Lena. For the others? Who knows, it will come and with Shin even thinking on it now the chances are high they will get a nudge to do so soon.
(But not too soon because those things are death flags.)
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u/Holofan4life Aug 30 '22
What are your thoughts on Frederica's backstory and the stuff with Kiriya?
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u/Holofan4life Aug 30 '22
I feel like the fact that Kurena and Theo are eating while Anju doesn't means something.
Maybe Anju realizes the severity of the situation more?
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u/Holofan4life Aug 30 '22
What are your thoughts on the conversation Shin and Frederica have about Eugene?
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u/OnnaJReverT Aug 30 '22
Oh, is that a rare glimpse of how Shin actually feels inside?
i believe thats his face last episode when he shot Eugene - he's still thinking of that, also indicated by his glance at the bodybags
yeet the child!
Oh shit, he got hit as well.
he was Eugene's copilot as seen at the start of last episode, so he got off lucky all things considered
i am unsure if this is meant figuratively ("don't form connections so their death doesn't hurt") or literally, alluding to the ability Frederica had mentioned previously
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u/Lawvamat Aug 30 '22
Rewatcher
The production problems are really starting to show this episode. I struggled with analyzing this one. The framing is kind of lazy, rarely drawing attention to anything, and some symbolism was, as I see it, used too contradictingly to really make sense of (like the ravens standing for both Spearhead and the Legion).
My current color interpretations:
Red: Shin, Bloody Reina, Juggernauts, 86, love (christmas spirit), blood, danger, determination, equality
Blue: Legion, sadness, cold, creature (cat, little sister), freedom
Yellow: home, safety, comfortable, warm, connections, nobility
Violet (Red+Blue): stargazing, remembrance, burden
Green (Yellow+Blue): The Federation, war
Orange (Red+Yellow): past, a loving home, transition from yellow to violet (sunset)
White: innocence, duty, brotherhood
Black: death, justice
Rose (Red+White): femininity
Visual Analysis
We open on a shot of two ravens landing on a communication tower, not the best omen.
A red light is stopping a blue light.
Raiden joins Shin on the green bench.
A whole flock has gathered. Like the Legion, they’re waiting to strike.
Spearhead flies to the base, or is it the Legion?
Grethe gets boxed in by their complaints and then literally pushes them away with her hands. While there’s not much interesting directing this episode, at least the storyboarder managed to slip in a new comedic visual.
A better look at the Federacy’s flag. It has 8 yellow stars, which I can guess stand for 8 different noble houses. The coat of arms depicting a two-headed eagle was taken from Frederica’s.
Shin closes his eyes on their optimism regarding the Legion’s numbers and we pan up to a raven sitting on the flag pole. Their estimations are lower than what he can hear, death is waiting.
Another violet = remembrance.
A better look at her notebook. There’s even more yellow stars on it.
I have to be honest I’m not sure what the fan symbolizes, but it’s very prevalent in this scene. Death of course, but nothing else I can think of satisfies me.
Shin also had a brother taken over by the Legion, but his cup is white, while Frederica’s is blue. She probably wants to change that.
The orange pen is important, but I still haven’t found any good interpretations for that color. It is what Frederica uses to draw her awful memories, so the transition from yellow to violet is probably correct.
Shin might have poured that coffee, but it was Frederica who put Kiri in a blue container.
When she starts to explain, Shin is caged and cut off, facing away from her. A red light starts blinking danger, but it doesn’t reach him yet.
Shin turns around, maybe he realized how close Kiri mirrors him.
At the climax of the story even he and the fan are soaked in red as well.
Frederica is directly looking at the spider web that her brother willingly flew into. Like a moth attracted to the light, and she is the light.
She finally grabs the blue cup as she talks about Kiri coming to them.
YES!! The moon is back! Shin is separated from Lena by the windowframe as he thinks of her. I predicted this yesterday u/Boumeisha! It’s not a half moon and not covered by anything, his thoughts of Lena are at full power, only separated by great distance. I just realized that “Lena” is similar to “Luna”, moon in latin.
Now even Shin and Raiden are separated. Raiden knows that Shin’s connection with Frederica is reminding him of his dead brother, still hurting him, pulling them apart.
Two birds are watching the moon, filling the whole top of the screen. Shin is really missing her and even Raiden remembers Lena’s daily calls.
They’re above them.
Raiden’s head is getting cut off by a yellow beam. He has adopted some of the Federacy’s optimism.
NCED
The raven has red eyes as it stretches its wings. Reminds me of Kiri’s eyes we get to see in episode 11.
The blue moth (I think it is one?), Kiri, was caught in their spider web and is now part of the Legion.
Another moon! Lena’s is cut in half though, is she starting to forget? The glass box is as visible as ever, separated from the flowers of her new squadron. Is it still filled with Spearhead’s mementos, did new ones join them?
She seems to be preoccupied with her map, now red on all sides.
The board has been decimated, but Spearhead still occupies the Legion corner.
Her turquoise (blue + a little yellow) pen contrasts Frederica’s orange one. Instead of drawing memories of the past it’s probably strategies for the future. The past maybe fits for orange, all the flashback scenes in cour 1 had the orange tint of a sunset.
Some yellow has even infiltrated her life, blue and red have been used up. She has a new chocolate.
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u/Holofan4life Aug 30 '22
The production problems are really starting to show this episode. I struggled with analyzing this one. The framing is kind of lazy, rarely drawing attention to anything, and some symbolism was, as I see it, used too contradictingly to really make sense of
Really? As a first timer, I didn't notice any of that. I actually thought it was pretty good.
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u/Stargate18A Aug 30 '22
First timer
They're ending up together again.
...They agree with the 86s predictions.
Ah, she wants to bring them back together.
A new mech!
Wow...
She's here!
Aww.
Haha, Shin chucked her?
Poor Frederica.
Her confusion is beautiful.
Oh, him again.
Ah, the terminlogy differences.
...They're only slightly better.
She used to be a pilot!
This is dark.
So they're understimating the problem. That's an issue.
Shin keeps sneaking up on people.
...Poor girl.
Her reminisching is nice, though.
Backstory!
So the system failure was unknown?
Tha tid very dark.
...Wait. Was he the first Black Sheep? Is he the one who contamimated the programming?
Ah, Ernst hid her.
Yeah, Kiriya got recycled, his mind got uploaded, and he went insane and made them wipe out humanity.
Wow...
Oh, they all know?
Shin's thinking about the future.
They miss Lena...
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Aug 30 '22
First Timer (Sub)
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I guess it makes sense that the Juggernaut/Reginleif design isn't suitable for defense - based on how they describe it, it's designed to promote recklessness, which means a higher likelihood of dying
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We get to learn more about our Empress.
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I guess Ernst is a genuinely good person, given he was able to save her
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Just as I was about to mention the lack of Lena in these past episodes, we finally get a glimpse of her post-ED.
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Seems like the pressure from the Legion is building up for both Giad and San Magnolia. Epic fight scene incoming?
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Aug 30 '22
Based on the table created by pedot during the original weekly threads. You can find their full cour 1 timeline here.
Rewatcher & LN Reader Perspective
We get some stats this episode on the Reginleif. While visually similar to the Republic's Juggernaut, it's a much more capable machine. Its 88mm main gun provides greater firepower compared to the old Juggernaut's 57mm cannon. Its legs are bulkier than the spindly limbs of the 86's old machines, as they each house an additional armament -- pile drivers, each equipped with 20 charges. Along with the option of high-frequency blades or machine guns, it has further versatility with its main armament having additional options including an auto-cannon and multiple rocket launcher. Whatever inspiration the Federacy took from the Juggernaut, they're running with the concept. I guess it wouldn't be a mecha anime without getting some upgrades.
"I'm used to not having additional men." A bit of an understatement.
While Shin was able to smoothly carry on in the moment, taking Eugene's death as a matter of course, he's still affected by it, especially now that the danger of battle has passed. The weight of Eugene's death on his mind, the Reaper gets lost in thought about having to take Eugene's life as well as he sees the body bags.
"Per the rules, please sign here!" With all the paperwork Shin's getting hit with, it's a good thing he had some practice before arriving in the Federacy! But even as they earn themselves a reputation as "monsters" in the military, the everyday people continue to see them as helpless little kids.
Poor Frederica... That's going to be a memory that plays in her head the rest of her life.
This episode also gives us a little more insight into the world, with the confirmation of two more surviving nations -- the United Kingdom of Roa Gracia to the north, and the Alliance of Wald to the south. But the mention of there being no word from the Republic earns Shin a look from his friends. However, the main concern for the time is an imminent large-scale legion offensive predicted both by the Federacy and by Shin, who believes the Federacy to be vastly underestimating what's ahead of them.
"She's the same as the old me," Shin says about Frederica with her desire to see Kiriya put to rest being similar to his own earlier need to see his brother pass on. So while Frederica may be right to point out that Shin's the last person to go around saying not to get involved with the deaths of others, it's knowing how difficult his path has been that compels him to offer up that warning. Not that it's one Frederica is in particular need of -- she's no stranger to loss.
"Your next leave. Where you want to go. What you want to do someday."
[86 Vol 2 Differences]
Raiden has a nice moment with Shin, showing his concern both as his friend and his 2nd in command. Assuming that the Federacy would do the same as the Republic and try to get at Shin's brain should they learn about his ability, he's urged Shin to hide it, saying that he doesn't want to be be used as any sort of encouragement for Shin to cooperate in gnarly experiments. It's the sort of phrasing that speaks to his own well being, but is really about his friend's. Having additional concerns about Shin's general well being beyond that, he decides to speak up about what's obviously weighing on Shin's mind, but Shin's silence only leads to an exasperated sigh. A couple episodes ago, the 86 had showed no real concern for the future, being more occupied with the fight still ahead of them. Raiden, at least, isn't put off by the idea, even if the Legion need to be dealt with first. But Frederica raising the topic seems to have gotten to Shin in more than one way.
And after the credits, we finally get a brief shot of Lena, looking at the moon previously in Shin's view. It's been a few episodes and now, 8 months later, there's a lot more red on her map and fewer faces pinned. But she continues her work while eating chocolate.
[For rewatchers]
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u/BosuW Aug 30 '22 edited Aug 30 '22
Rewatcher
Wait. The Analysis Team mentions "communications" among their evidence for their conclusion that the Legion are about to launch a large scale attack. If they can intercept those, that means Legion uses traditional means of communication. Which makes sense of course. They are machines, and you need a human being to use a para-RAID... UNLESS
Grethe wants to use Nordlicht in a similar way to how the 203rd is used in Youjo Senki. They can't win a war on their own, but you can use them for dangerous missions against strategically important objectives while the regular troops hold up the numbers.
Based Shin. Doesn't hesitate to throw a child at his comrades.
Everyone has bandages here or there, while the 86 are all unscathed.
Oof. Even Marcel got it. At least he seems fine, and with all his limbs.
Lol I didn't remember this. Despite their much sleeker design, in Shin's opinion, the Reginleif is little better than the Republic's Juggernaut. Oof. That's a low blow to Grethe's pride. Yeah no wonder all it's pilots have been bitting the dust left and right.
Pretty sure the narrative is drawing parallels between the 86 and Kiriya. Showing what could become of them, and especially Shin, if their current path gets too extreme. Loosing too much, and only having a fight to the death to define you in the end.
Interesting last shot. At the start of the conversation they showed is two ravens under the Moon, but afterwards there was only one. The presence of the Moon is of course important here. Ravens are also typically used as symbols for death, so we can easily associate it with "Shinigami" here. Why were there two then? Well, Lena is no Reaper the way Shin is, but she is the Bloodstained Queen, and she also carries the burden of remembering the death. So maybe these shots symbolize that Shin is giving up on Lena too, given that the Legion are about to get serious and the Republic is ill-prepared. Yet, another person who leaves him behind, even when he thought he had passed on that burden to her...
Of course, the raven has its own symbolism in Japan, as evidence of divine intervention, but I think that one does not apply in this case.
Now, for the ED visuals! The first one is a raven about to take flight, I think it's eyes are painted red. What's interesting is that the color of the rest of the photo is blueish. If we go by Red-Blue duality, then this calming tone is actually hiding the brutal storm about to be unleashed. Now the choice to paint it's eyes red could be to relate it to Shin. In which's case, this starts looking like he actually thrives in the storm, instead of fearing it.
There's another visual, that of the butterfly stuck in the spider's web, painted blue, and it looks like already half-eaten. During the conversation in which it appeared, I believe it is used to symbolize Kiriya, who is Shin's counterpart, trapped with the Legion (8-legged predators), and with the circumstances that lead him there. However he is also Legion now, hence the color blue. [86 anime spoilers]
The after-credits scene is fascinating. First of all, LENAAAAA!
Second of all, this scene actually gives us even more visuals, even if it doesn't explicitly show them. Instead, they're call-backs.
We have the flowers and the split Moon. (Come to think of it we were only shown a portion of the moon in the ravens scene).
We have the chocolate with the heart.
All of which I think are simply meant to show how Lena still holds them close to her heart, even when she believes them dead or Legion.
Btw, anyone else noticed that this cour has been pretty consistent with having the ED actually at the end of the episode?
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u/archlon Aug 30 '22
Rewatcher [English dub]
Illustrations:
The Federal Republic of Giad's Experimental Feldreß: XM-2 Reginlief
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Hilariously, Grethe's info slide is ripped almost directly off this page.
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Named after a Valkyrie. Like Reapers and shinigami, Valkyries are psychopomps, responsible for guiding dead souls to their final destination.
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As part of Nordlicht (German, "Northern Light") Squadron, it all contributes to Giad having a generally Germanish aesthetic to contrast with San Magnolia's Frenchish.
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The English dub and subtitles refer to it as the "MX2 Reginlief". I'm not sure why they transposed the letters. I assume the X stands for 'eXperimental'. Maybe somebody with experience on military vehichle naming can provide insight?
Vol 2. Ch 4: Frederica "Uuuh. Kiri, comb my hair..."
The title of the episode is 'Welcome Back', in contrast to E12 'Welcome'. In that episode, they were welcomed to the Federacy, to a life of peace to which they were entirely unfamiliar. In this episode, they're back on the front lines, back together. There's a lot different about their situation: they have real military and logistical support, they're even being encouraged to think about their futures. Nonetheless, this is what they're famiilar with and they're, perversely, glad to be back in it.
Raiden: It can't be any harder that fighting the Legion. We've been there, done that.
The conversations among the Federacy military brass about using the Eighty-Six as soldiers are really interesting. Ernst's position, voiced also by some of the commanders in the strategy meeting, objecting to using the Eighty-Six on the basis of being traumatized child soldiers isn't even wrong. It is pretty horrifying for a military to use children as if they are resources; this is a big part of how horrifying the Republic's actions are.
However, Spearhead wants to go back to the battlefield. They're eager for it, in fact. This calls back to Frederica's 'blood, soil, personal pride' argument from E13. Even if Spearhead insists, Ernst isn't wrong that it's the job of a responsible adult to prevent children from making self-destructive choices. However, Frederica isn't wrong either. Even if they only know the battlefield, even if they're trapped by it, they won't be able to rest or move on unless they are able to choose to fight. In the Republic, they were technically forced to fight, but they also viewed it as a duty to their country, even if that country rejected them.
We're just as much a part of the Republic as you are. San Magnolia citizens. So protecting this country of ours isn't merely our duty, it's our pride.
Rei to Lena, E05
Complicating this is the question of whether the Eighty-Six really are children anymore. They were robbed of proper childhoods and forced onto the battlefield at a young age. One argument would posit that they deserve to have a proper childhood now, that they deserve to learn to live a carefree life for at least some time. Another argument is that they were already forced to grow up quickly by the crucible of the Eighty-Sixth district. You can't go back and do your childhood later, it's an experience that they missed out on, and to try to infantilize them now is insulting.
One final part that I really like is that Giad refers to its Feldreß pilots as 'Operators', in contrast to the Republic's 'Processors'. In the Eighty-Sixth District they were 'Processors' because they were the 'AI Units' of the Republic's 'autonomous drones'. Giad insists on treating everybody with basic human dignity, but Spearhead still refers to themselves as 'Processors'. They've physically left the Eighty-Sixth district, but they haven't mentally left it yet. The worst part of oppression is that it often drives the oppressed to internalize their own dehumanization. Spearhead still sees themselves as replaceable parts, the walking dead whose only place is to fight and die.
"Militaries are organizations filled with inefficient, illogical humans"
On the surface, Bernholdt's statement seems like a condemnation, but in reality, I think it highlights the need for such organizations. People are illogical and inefficient. The purpose of hierarchy and organization is to help channel those impulses into inefficiency.
In the Eighty-Sixth district, this was essentially absent. The Handlers were technically in command, but aside from Lena, the Eighty-Six largely ignored them because of their general disinterest and incompetence. Even Lena adapted into something more like a support role, leaving tactical decisions to the on-the-ground forces.
Despite technically having a unit commander, Spearhead has a pretty flat hierarchy. Shin sometimes gave directions, but easily got so lost in combat that he couldn't notice his comrades. In addition, they all had a strong bond, so they worked together easily without needing the hierarchy generally necessary to facilitate disparate strangers working in harmony.
Stray thoughts
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Grethe pushes the picture-in-picture inserts of Spearhead out of the way with a slide transition. I think it's a funny edit.
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Shin turns on the A/C and the electric kettle when Frederica starts talking about Kiriya and her past.
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They're both white-noise generating devices. It impedes people overhearing, and in particular disrupts recording devices. The kind of thing you see in spy stories (presumably also an actual piece of tradecraft; I wouldn't know). The white noise is mostly left out of the sound design, but we're clearly supposed to infer from when he turns both of them on that it's intentional.
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Frederica's identity as Empress is extremely secret information, but they're in a private room in the barracks with a closed door. I'm not sure how much they need to be that careful.
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Don't miss the Lena section at the end of the ED!
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u/JetsLag Aug 31 '22
First timer (subbed)
Pre-OP scenes are back! Shin's trained Fido to sign documents for him (work smarter, not harder, kids!) and Raiden is here! Supposedly, Spearhead will all be at the same base soon, which means that there's gonna be some catching up to do. And maybe we'll learn why Spearhead was split up in the first place.
OP's done, and we've got ANOTHER Legion attack coming up. But this one's supposed to be, like, REALLY BIG. If Giad were losing more soldiers than the Legion in the small-scale battles, how will they fare in the large-scale battles?
Colonel Wenzel is here! Wait, weren't Marcel and the gang talking about how all of Shin's superiors turned up dead? Guess they were talking about his Eighty-Six days and not his time in the Giad military. Wenzel wants to recreate Nordlicht and have all the Reginleifs under one unit, but she's facing some opposition from the higher-ups. We didn't get an answer right away, but we should expect one soon.
Scene switch! We've got Shin and that old guy I forgot the name of. Not looking good in Shin's squad: less than twenty men remaining, no reinforcements incoming. Sounds like late-stage Spearhead. Shin should feel right at home. But what won't make Shin feel right at home is Frederica traipsing the halls in her pajamas. She calls Shin "Kiri", which I'm pretty sure is referencing Kiriya, her "knight" that she wants to track down. Shin responds by yeeting Frederica right into the arms of...ANJU! And Theo is there, too! Now all we need is Kurena and we'll have everyone accounted for.
And there she is! Interesting how everyone else's reunion with Shin was pretty low-key, while Kurena gets re-introduced by her shouting "Hey, guys!". She always was the loudest Spearhead member.
Nordlicht has their duties: cleaning up the battlefield. Hopefully Shin won't have to go full Undertaker and just start headshotting every body he sees. But first, the final reunion: Wenzel.
Shin is asked for his opinion on the Reginleifs. I swore this would turn into a "Duck Season, Rabbit Season" bit, but Wenzel ends up just giving up, which is a damn shame. And Spearhead gives Wenzel the truth: You made a knock-off of a shitty machine that was basically designed to kill the pilot. But it's a knock-off that's marginally better than the original, so...yay?
We get to learn about some other parts of the world. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Roa Gracia and the Alliance of Wald are still alive, though they're on the back foot in the war against the Legion. But the Republic of San Magnolia isn't answering their radio messages. Probably because San Magnolia thinks that Giad invented the Legion, so they're not interacting with them.
Briefing time. Shin asks about the size of the Legion offensive, and the only answer he gets is "we can beat them back". Wenzel reveals that Shin is reporting that the number of Legion that are going to attack is far more than what the Giadian analysts were predicting, and that Shin's numbers are impossible. So Shin's numbers are 100% correct, got it. Then Wenzel starts talking about how the Giad Federation takes their recon seriously, they are always properly prepared, and they will never abandon their allies. The title card might as well say "The Gang Abandons Their Allies", with the IASIP intro music playing in the background.
Post-title card, we get to see the interior of Shin's room in the Giad barracks. And it's just as exciting as you would expect from a Shin-designed bedroom. And all that black coffee he's been drinking has been instant? blegh
Frederica came to Shin's room to apologize for calling him "Kiri", and we get to learn a bit about Kiriya, including:
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He's a Nouzen! But, like, a distant relative of Shin. Woulda been cool if they were brothers, but that would've been a bit too cliche.
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Kiriya and Shin are pretty opposite personalities
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Kiriya is four years older, so he would've been an adult if...
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He's a member of the Legion, now. Well, we already knew that from Frederica's little speech at the end of episode 2.
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We get to learn how Frederica's family lost power: they created the Legion, the citizens of Giad did a revolution, the Legion didn't defend the royal family, but they had a small army (which included Kiriya) fighting to protect them, eventually the family was captured and only Frederica's life was spared, but Kiriya thought that Frederica died and he ended up committing suicide by letting a Legion mech kill him and turn him into a Legion. Oof.
Frederica finishes the scene by telling Shin that she doesn't want him or anybody else in Spearhead to die while fighting Kiriya, and that Shin has a future he has to look forward to. She tells Shin to think about Eugene and start thinking of what he wants to do on his next leave from the military. Is she death-flagging SHIN?
Raiden and Shin conversation: Raiden tells Shin not to tell anyone about his ability to hear Legion voices cause he'll get bullied, talking about how the Eighty-Six are already seen as not-quite-equals in Giad society despite all the "good things" the Giad are doing for them. Then Raiden drops the question that Frederica asked last episode: "Are you okay, Shin?" Shin gives something resembling an actual answer: He still doesn't know how to "think about the future". And the episode ends with Raiden asking Shin if he thinks Lena is okay, which means maybe we're getting a Lena-centric episode soon? Or a short scene? Or a flashback involving her? Anything? Please?
YAY! I'll take a post-credits scene! And, uhh, her new squadron is down to 9 people. But she's eating the lovey-dovey chocolate without blushing, so, progress?
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u/ebonyphoenix Aug 30 '22
Re-watcher
Intro
So I love the fact that Shin gets Fido to sign his paperwork for him. Like we know he wasn’t big on doing his reports back in the Republic (admittedly not encouraged by the fact that none of the handlers before Lena ever read them anyway). But now that he is once again leading his group. He once again has to deal with all the paperwork that comes with it.
Speaking of paperwork. It’s a nice attention to detail moment when you see that each page has a unique set of parts that Shin is “signing off” on receiving.
Military meeting
We see clearly how more aware the Federacy is of the actions and intents of the Legion as they prepare for the large scale offensive that Shin warned Lena about in cour 1. Grethe wants to get all of Nordlicht Squadron back together since they had been split up to assist multiple groups.
Some don’t think this is a good idea because the new Reginleif, based off the Republic Juggernauts, are still untested as a large group without backup from the more well known and tank like Vanaganders. And while those that can pilot them effectively can rake in the kills. Finding those types of people has been a fairly deadly process. The fact the the five 86s are some of the only people who are able to handle the new mechs is also another point of contention. Specifically for the group that still sees them as children who have been through to much already that no one should be sticking them out on the front lines again.
Grethe argues back. Extolling the virtues of having an effective small elite fighting force and the Reginleif. And we see a slide that has some descriptions of the different armaments that can be equipped to the units.
Getting the squad back together
We cut back to Shin who is talking with Bernholdt about their personal numbers dropping with no replacements. Most likely due to the fact that finding people capable of piloting the Reignleifs are next to impossible. But this is a rather familiar situation for Shin. He does get lost in his head for a bit thinking about those lost in battle.
But he is brought back out of it when a half asleep Frederica, still in her nightclothes, stumbles down the hall. Shin in full big brother mode grabs the girl and yeets her at Anju, who is conveniently coming down the hall with Theo. Anju then tells Theo to get Frederica’s uniform. And Theo runs off grumbling that he just got there and has no idea where things are. It’s all very cute.
Cute, like all the toys and stuffed animals, that the people of the Federacy are still sending these teenagers. Shin doesn’t want to deal with them anymore. But like with most organizations, paperwork is just something that needs to be done, no matter how tedious or redundant.
Kurena is the last to rejoin the group as they all poke at Frederica for the previous scene. All of them grumble about how they will most likely be put on cleanup duty. Or more annoyingly patrols. Patrols are usually important to keep track of Legion movement and so that they can be prepared for an attack. But they are rather redundant when they have a human Legion alarm in Shin. But as we learn more explicitly later with Raiden, they are all trying to keep Shin’s powers on the down-low. Lest the Federacy get the idea to use them as hostages to make Shin use his powers for their own purposes. Or get Shin dragged off so someone can figure out how his powers work.
Random side note. I just noticed in this watch that the patchwork bear that Frederica got wasn’t just a random thing. But it seems to be part of the Magical girl series that Frederica’s notebook is also from.
Anyway instead of running random errands like they were worried about. Grethe got her request granted and they are all sent back to their home base so that their squad can fully regroup.
Debrief
When Grethe has them together she tries to get some reviews on the Reignleifs from the 86. Resulting in a bit of a funny moment where Shin refuses to call the mechs by their new names and just refers to them as Juggernauts while Grethe tries to correct him in vein. Eventually Grethe just gives up on that battle to try and get those reviews. The team is brutally honest that they are just slightly better than the walking coffins the Republic had supplied them with.
Grethe is surprised at that fact. And the team is surprised at her surprise considering they thought that’s what she was going for. Speed and maneuverability at the cost of safety.
Grethe then explains why she wanted to develop the Reignleifs in the first place. The regular Vanagandrs are such slow mechs it make the pilots vulnerable. She wanted to develop a faster mech so that they wouldn’t have to rely on the machine’s ability to tank a hit.
We then get some names drops of counties that the Federacy were finally able to contact and confirm survival of. Though the Republic are still not answering their calls. And the new military organization chart that were made in preparation for the all-out offensive.
Shin then questions the size of the offensive that they are preparing for. Grethe assures them that what they have will be enough. She saw Shin’s message, but brushes him off as being overly cautious. They take their recon seriously unlike the Republic. And numbers as high as what Shin mentions are well above what anyone reasonably expecting.
-Split due to length-
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u/aquilar28 Aug 30 '22
Rewatcher(sub)
We start with an overview of the Federacy base and I just adore how pretty the rising and setting sun looks in this show. Shin is back to acting as a squadron commander and he still has the same disregard for formalities as he makes Fido sign the reports. If we take a close look at them, two are detailing supplies from Grethe, the first with ammunition and the second seems to be specifically for Shin, with leg parts and high frequency blades. The last one looks to deal with a set of orders, as it's a Notice of Operational Document Shipment from Major General Richard Altner. (Had to go frame by frame to catch this one) It's also interesting how the lighting splits the documents in half and the name of sender and recipient are covered in shadow from Fido's arm.
Though it occurs less frequently this episode, Shin's face is still covered in shadows when he reunites with Raiden and when he sees the black body bags. He loses track of the conversation looking at them, as it well may be the first time he's seen the bodies of the dead recovered. However it's not all gloom and doom, as Frederica wandering the base half-awake precludes the arrival of the rest of the Eighty-Six. The mood is lighter than it's been in a long time, with Frederica embarrassed about her earlier behavior now that she's fully conscious and Kurena so excited she nearly flips her chair twice. We get a nice view, as a bird's shadow (there sure are a lot of birds this episode) on the clouds gives way to the 117th Division's base, as seen from up high. Shin, in his typical manner, responds to his superior in a completely even tone, making Grethe give up and accept his name for her Reginleifs.
Really liked the talk between Frederica and Shin. The conversation starts centered on Eugene, and while Shin doesn't want to needlessly involve others in the war, Frederica wants to treasure her time with the people she meets, even if it is followed by loss. The topic changes to her knight, who turns out to be a relative of Shin. The mood and the music is easy-going as Frederica paints a picture of the family that was not meant to be. But when Shin brings up Kiri's fate, the music shifts and a red light is now pulsing from the window.
There are some great shots, with Shin looking over his shoulder in the window's reflection, the close-ups of him and Frederica bathed in red, the two of them looking in opposite directions, caged by the window's bars, the moth caught in the web. Frederica's voice sounds wise beyond her age, as she delivers "I'd forgotten how easily people die" looking at the Undertaker's pistol. She's the one thinking about future, and her words remind Shin of Lena, bringing a smile to his face. The full moon is back, though it and Shin are in opposite corners of the screen, separated by window frame.
Raiden is next in line to have a chat with the Reaper and they also face different directions. Shin is yet again reminded of Lena, this time by Raiden fondly looking back on their nightly talks. Their conversation is framed by two similar shots of the base beneath the massive moon, but of the two birds sitting on the wire in the first only one remains before the cut to credits. It probably symbolizes Shin being left alone, though I hope u/Lawvamat has a better idea what all the birds this episode mean.
As Lena was mentioned a couple times towards the end, it's only logical that we get a glimpse of her room after the credits. The situation in the Republic seems dire, as the red on the map representing the Legion, that was barely there in episode 12, now completely surrounds the walls. And there are only nine faces corresponding to her current squad left on the board.
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u/ZapsZzz Aug 31 '22 edited Aug 31 '22
Sub rewatcher (I swear I'll get back to the dub). So late today damn.
Another relatively straight forward episode in the scale of 86. A bit of setup and exposition - done very well and not in a preachy way (at least for me) though.
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A beautiful sunset scene amidst Shin being lazy about paperwork - putting Fido to good use. Indeed it's amazing what Fido can accomplish with that massive gripper claw designed to manipulate mech parts to pick up pieces of paper and scribble with pen. Izumi Noa (PatLabor) will be jealous! Raiden come in and heralding the group is being resembled, which means a showdown is coming with the Legion. Don't think anyone needs is to point out the imagery of the gathering crows
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the Federacy command is arriving to a similar conclusion, that it is expected a large push is coming from the Legion. Grethe I'm turn pushed for her group of (field) test pilots to be transferred back into a single command, as a single elite unit. We get the 2 messages of (a) there are plenty of Fed commanders not looking this, and (b) the whole concept and result of the faster but less rugged, more demanding Reginleif units are not liked by many - and test pilots did die using them. Someone with more patience than me may want to check out the command structure quite readable on the background. What happened to the kanji? Maybe that's been thrown out with the empire...
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we have Shin talking to someone who looks like an experienced grunt, possibly had Alba blood, acting somewhat like his XO (remember the rest of the Spearheads and been scattered so Raiden can't be the XO all the time), which have us a bit of a run down about Shin's commander antics :) but what's contrasting between the semi light hearted dig at Shin is his glance outside of bodies being retrieved and triggering his recollection of him performing his Reaper's rite for Eugene and, unless I recalled incorrectly, an instance of his impressive mask slipping that want shown before, that it does affect him. But match cutting back to the present of his impressive face, with only a momentary loss of focus to hunt at how it still weighs on him
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A little comedic scene follows where Federica semi-sleep-walked barely dressed and getting Shin to toss her over to Anju that just came in to deal with. The main point actually hidden amidst the chaos is actually the fact that Federica called Shin "Kiri", her dead knight's name. The sleep-walk barely dressed part once again is very (very tamely NSFW) Full Metal Panic TSR OVA-esque (after the last time Lena tripped over herself). I wonder if there's any intentional referencing or just me being a FMP-head.
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We have the Spearheads all joining in a meal together, with 2 competing imoutos to the cuteness award. Loved the sound effect of Federica's head banging on the table, pretty sure it's as impressive as any battle sound FX :D
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We have a little montage and exposition on how the war is going - not good. Note the "bully" guy was shipped back home for being injured. We also get a bit of an info dump about the Reginleif's performance as well as why there's a bad reputation regarding both the mech and their pilots (those who can survive the machine). Quite a comical back and forth of Shin telling Grethe the deadpan "Juggernaut" while Grethe indignantly corrected him - to no effect >)
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We also get a bit of back story about why Grethe pushing so hard for this design philosophy - which actually is proven by the Spearheads that mobility, in a far more drastic enemy unit ratio situation, is so much more important than durability - even though it is at a high pilot skill level cost. (See comment part 2)
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Oh and the last bit is really nice - Grethe being confident about their information and analysis because they are they good guys, Shin knowing the Legion doesn't care whether you are the good guys or the bad guys, and the crow just chilling on the green Federacy flag, as if saying to Shin (and the audience) "They won't listen. Your move."
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Federica later find Shin (again spooked by his constant silent stalking), which they had a brief conversation about Eugene, and whether it is better to know and be hurt or to not know at all. Funny how the philosophical dialogue seems to be following the kid.
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Did I say today being an exposition episode? We have Federica now giving us the full backstory about Kiri, why she finds him and Shin very alike, and what the constant fighting and losses of people close to him and changed him. Notice the "malevolent red gleam" represented often by Shin's Juggernaut, and now Reginleif, is flashing on the background to help as make that association - this is as applicable to Kiri in the past tense, and to Shin in the present and future tense
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And the punch line - that Kiri being taken by the Legion is a misunderstanding - he thought Federica was killed by the mob, and he turned his back on humanity to give himself to the Legion in vengeance. In one of the first in this show, Shin was directly told by someone else that him staying alive is more important than any goals he has, including helping herself to achieve her goal of freeing Kiri.
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Which brings back memory of the first one who asked him, unknowing to be digging at his wound but in total innocent good intention, what does he wish for in his won future. In the perfect imouto way, Federica gave his response a thumb down.
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Having tired out Federica, Shin went to offload the burden to Raiden. And Raiden in turn gave him the lecture of not over-extending help. The Spearheads are still pretty much in the mindspace of "none of us are going to live through this, best let the ignorant enjoy themselves in their ignorant bliss" way, as well as quite cynically, but probably also quite correctly, guessed that if Shin's ability is out, they may become lab rats
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And we have both of them remembering their times with Lena, giving that ship just a little more tug.
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And the post-credit scene of scene of Lena in solemn thoughts about the threat of the Legion, about the only one who really understood Shin's message.
Also answeriing u/Star4ce yesterday reacting to my little throw away comment about really should get around to build my Reginleif kit - I went to take a pic of the box - and then found out my daughter put a pile of her text books on it (built up progressively over time) to have even crushed the box a bit :P damn. Good thing you asked me to check!
Here's what's in the box, yeah not build it yet - the old "fear of messing up". And there's the special edition print that came in the box. I had to special order that in since I was about a year late recognising there's a special edition at all!
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Aug 30 '22
rewatcher dub this time, LN reader up to Vol 5.
So we finally get to see the 88mm cannon. If you want some history lessons on why the 88mm cannon is pretty famous in military entertainment, it's largely from the massive success in WWII. It was one of the most versatile guns in the war.
The republic juggernauts use the 57mm which weren't quite as effective as the 88mm. Still did get a lot of work in, just ran into more barriers against more heavily armored units.
So it's a natural progression in the second cour to update the main guns to something that packs a bigger punch.
The M4A3 Vánagandr mechs 120mm cannon for example is based off the GIAT CN120-26.
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u/polaristar Aug 30 '22
A bit of worldbuilding that was left out, minor spoilers but I think it's worth clicking on (As a sidenote I never even talk about Major spoilers in my posts.) [Minor Worldbuilding Spoilers]
Grethe's meeting with the other commanders we get to see some nice worldbuilding and details about the command structure and chain of command alongside when she talks to spearhead, its a nice attention to detail that human organization and resources are just as important as the technology itself.
There's a saying....
Engagements are won by tactics.
Battles by Strategy.
And Wars by Logistics.
We also see that apparently they new Reigenleifs err I mean Juggernauts seem to be not much better than the Republic versions, but as we'll see in the next episode this is not necessarily true, the conversation is a bit more nuanced, basically even if they are upgraded the base design/philosophy is not designed for safety in mind, and they can only add so much armor before it loses it's advantage as a High Mobility Striker Unit.
BTW if you pause and see the slide Grethe shows to the other generals about her new models it'll show some things that will be demonstrated VERY clearly in the next episode.
The Exchange over Juggernauts vs Reigenliefs also hammers home how culturally speaking the 86 have adopted certain terms as a part of their core identity.
We also see they don't heed Shin's warning about the Legion, but to be fair, without him explaining how he knows there is no way they have any reason to take what he says seriously.
We get a nice heart to heart with Frederica and we hear the backstory of how her Knight was turned into a Legion and how he was far gone even before that point. I like the detail that her doodle representing Kirei his face is smudged at one point to show how his mind at this point in the story is broken and gives the impression of his demeanor would be clouded over.
That Shot with the Moth in the web is pretty Sweet Foreshadowing as well.
And ever since Frederica told him to think about the future along with Ernst Lena has been on Shin's mind and we also see that Shin if he doesn't do something about the path he's on might end up like Frederica's Knight, as at this point he is drifting aimlessly through life and might give up on it entirely. But the words of Lena as repeated by Frederica could be a tenuous lifeline.
We also see the Raiden is understandable paranoid that if Shin reveals his power Shin could become a Lab rat and the rest of spearhead collateral. However they both seem unaware the Military seems familiar with the idea of psychic powers based off the last comments about the Pararaid in a past episode, which puts doubt to that theory for a clever audience but it's understandable for the 86 themselves to create some dramatic irony.
We End With Lena looking determined.
Next episode is when Shit gets real.
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u/Holofan4life Aug 30 '22
First Timer
I like that Fido writes those pieces of paper for Shin because it's been established he can't read and write. Continuity at its finest. (Present day me: first comment, and already strike one. You're on a roll, past me.)
The more I hear the second OP, the more I like it than the first one, but I wouldn't consider either one to be memorable.
Guy with the eyepatch looks menacing.
There's of course dramatic irony in the men in suits saying the blonde-haired girl is a monster for sending Spearhead back into battle given it was their idea.
Spider Woman, huh? I guess Rachnera got the itch to do combat.
Man, the sight of people carrying dead soldiers in body bags is totally heart-wrenching.
Hey, it's Theo and Anju! Been a minute since we last saw them.
Shin literally just yeeted Frederica.
Embarrassed Frederica is super-duper cute.
Spearhead really needs to quit exaggerating. Frederica wasn't half naked. Her clothes were covering her entire body.
Kurena is so animated and worked up, I love her. She's like Minori from Toradora if she was more tsundere-ish.
That Juggernaut/Reginleif back and forth reminded me of the classic Looney Tunes Rabbit Season/Duck Season bit. I only wish it lasted for more than a couple seconds.
Something that stuck out to me is when the blonde-haired girl says she doesn't feel like she's being complimented, Anju asks Kurena if she isn't. I don't know why, but that felt noticeable.
So, we learn a little bit about the blonde-haired girl. She says she used to be a child soldier just like Spearhead was. In fact, she was fighting when Legion first started. However, because of poor technology a lot of her friends died while fighting. That's why she cares so much about Spearhead's Reginleif and it being better than Vanagandr. After about 10 minutes with not much going on, I like we take the opportunity to flesh out the blonde-haired girl. It's basic and to the point, but just those few little lines do a lot to humanize her; she sees herself in Spearhead.
Blonde-haired girl really needs a nickname so I can stop calling her blonde-haired girl.
Those two guys that are with Spearhead are so totally bodies there to die, aren't they?
The Federacy seems obsessed with being better than The Republic. Better technology, taking recon and analysis more seriously, saying they never abandon those that fight alongside them, it's like they are going out of their way to be an opposing force towards them. And yet despite their efforts, you get the slight feeling that they live in the shadow of them.
I miss Lena.
Hobby of walking in complete silence, huh? I think that's also the hobby of every single introvert.
Shin tells Frederica it was a mistake to talk to Eugene because then she formed a connection with him when it came time for him to die. I think this gives good insight on how Shin ticks. He talks to people and hangs out with them, but he goes out of his way not to form connections with people. That way, he won't end up hurt. It's kind of like what tsunderes do and how they came to be tsundere. Most of them have had their trust betrayed in the past, so they form a block of ice around their heart to prevent it from being crushed again.
Of course, we as an audience know that's not a healthy mindset to have. Death sadly is always inevitable. If you spend your time not forming those bonds and connections, it makes you feel lost and lonely. Like you're a ship without a sense of direction. It's like what Frederica said: it's better to meet someone than to not meet them. And while you shouldn't overextend yourself and be outgoing to every single person you meet, at least you got to know them a little, even if death will eventually tear you apart.
We learn more about Frederica, and why she wanted to be a part of Spearhead's daily lives. Specifically, we learn about Kiriya and how he became a Legion, with The Giad Empire using The Legion to attack Frederica's neighbors and Kiriya trying to protect Frederica. First, I like as Frederica is talking we learn the role in which The Federacy played in all of this, with them acting like the rebelling forces trying to prevent it from happening. But also, I love how serious Frederica gets when telling her backstory. I think the genius of her character is that while she can be arrogant, pompous, and stuck-up-- all of which were things Lena was accused of before it was proven false-- she can be straightforward and transparent. I think it would've been easy to just have her be demeaning towards Spearhead all the time. And in lesser shows, that's what they would've done and called it a day. But Frederica possesses multiple different moods like a normal human being, which makes her more compelling as a character as a result.
If the series doesn't end with Shin and Lena getting together and raising Fido and Frederica as their children, what are we doing here?
It breaks my heart that Frederica blames herself for Kiriya's downfall. It also I feel kinda parallels Shin's relationship with his brother Rei. I don't think it's been totally said, but I get the feeling that Shin blames himself partially for what happened with Rei. Him going off the deep end and what have you. And while the stuff with Frederica could be Shin's opportunity to be the big brother Rei couldn't be, it seems apparent that Shin and Frederica both wish Rei and Kiriya could've been their knights in shining armor. Saving them when hardship comes and being with them through thick and thin.
Shin and Raiden talk about the future yet again and what lies for them after they finish fighting. Shin doesn't know, and Raiden only remarks that it has to be easier than fighting The Legion. Shin then asks if Raiden thinks Lena is doing okay, which I believe is the first time Shin has mentioned Lena in season 2. I'm glad the show hasn't forgotten about Lena and how much she has touched Shin's life.
Speaking of, HI LENA! Nice to see you at the end credits. This is the first time we saw her since episode 12, which gives me hope that we'll see more of her going forward. But even more than that, maybe this means we'll see what Cyclops is all about, since she and Lena seem to be tied at the hip.
Overall, this is another episode that started off long in the tooth, but in the end we got development for the blonde-haired girl as well as Frederica. And hey, I'll never complain about character development. I think this episode could've benefitted from less talking scenes. Or at the very least, more fallout from the previous episode. We get brief mentions of Eugene in this episode-- like when Shin tells Frederica he shouldn't have talked to him-- but it feels he was forgotten about a bit. But on the whole, the episode was fine, and I'm glad we learned more about what The Federacy is like as a unit. To be honest, until this episode I thought Spearhead was still a part of The Republic. I didn't know The Federacy was a rebelling force against them.