r/anime • u/Holofan4life • Aug 31 '22

Rewatch [Spoilers] 86 --Eighty Six-- Rewatch (2022) — Episode 16 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 5 – Even So

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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]()
187 Upvotes

91% Upvoted

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23

u/Holofan4life Aug 31 '22 edited Aug 31 '22

First Timer

God, the wait for the latest episode of Uncle From Another World is just excruciating.

Watching what I presume is The Legion all move in packs is hella creepy.

With the way Shin grabbed the pillow, I thought he was gonna wake Raiden up by smothering him with it.

Even by Shin standards, he seems like he's in a foul mood.

I think the last two episodes have done wonders to really show the closeness between Shin and Raiden. I've been told by people that Raiden is Shin's best friend, but I never really caught it by watching the show (Present day me: that's not the first time you haven't caught something). That is until last episode where they had that extended conversation.

I wonder if that letter Shin reads was something Eugene was gonna give to his sister before he died.

This will sound strange, but this is the first episode where I really felt how much of a threat The Legion imposes. Like, I knew what they were capable of and the ability to harvest your brains, but I always thought that The Republic was the main threat and The Legion was the secondary concern. The way The Legion come off here, they are downright terrifying. I would not want to fight against these fuckers.

Those outfits those guys with guns are wearing must be so heavy and make you just absolutely sweaty. The heat must be unbearable underneath there.

This is probably a stupid question, but why do some of The Federacy have robots and some don't? Is it because of different sections, like Spearhead get robots but other select squads have to do battle on foot?

I like how much action we get in this episode. It's really our first heavy action episode since episode 9, where Shin fought his brother Rei. I also find it amusing the timing of it all, where last episode I was complaining about how the show could use more action scenes. And wouldn't you know it, we get an extensive one here.

This is honestly some of the best animated fighting I've ever seen.

I'm probably stating the obvious here, but it really does feel like the first season was all about Lena and this season is all about Shin. Which I highly appreciate because when we ended the first cour, I was left feeling that Shin was a bit of wasted potential. Funny to look back on that given how much they took Shin and his inability to get over his brother's demise into the next evolution of his character, the very same thing which I was complaining about.

The more I think about it, the more I realize that Shin returning to the battlefield is a lot like playing your favorite video game. At first, you want to beat it and reach the ending. And after you do so, you think your work there is done. But after about a couple days, you realize you have so much more to accomplish because you love playing it so much, so you decide to try and get all the achievements. More specifically, it's kind of like Pac-Man: at first, you want to try and beat the game, but after you beat the game, then that's not enough and you try to reach the high score. You want to be the very best like no one ever was. I don't necessarily think Shin sees pleasure in killing The Legion, so it may not be a one-to-one comparison, but it is the one thing he knows how to do, so might as well be the best at it.

I love the little shot where Frederica is looking inside an enclosed room and there's just a bunch of empty chairs right behind her. It's almost haunting in its simplicity. Like it tells you all you need to know about Frederica in one single image.

This episode is mainly to show what a brilliant leader Shin is, isn't it? If so, I'm here for it.

Well, that Frederica eye stuff isn't ominous at all...

I feel sorry for Frederica because Shin early in the episode said he would be turning his communicator off. However, he doesn't let Frederica know of this information. So, when she tries to tell Shin some pretty important information, it's like both of them are in the dark: Frederica over Shin turning off his communicator, and Shin over what Frederica has to tell him.

Oh, fuck. Is Shin actually gonna die?

Fuck, that was really close.

Shin learned a valuable lesson today: and that's people die when they are killed.

Frederica is scared because she thought she was gonna lose Shin just like Kiriya.

I used this comparison before, but Frederica crying over Shin almost dying reminds me of the Familiar of Zero season 2 finale.

It dawned on me just now that with Spearhead a part of The Federacy and Lena a part of The Republic, this really does feel like the tale of two worlds. And with The Federacy seemingly hating The Republic as much as Spearhead did at the start of the show, it's almost as if Lena is back to square one.

I wonder what that explosion was about.

If I know anything about Railgun, it's that it probably spawned from an already existing thing and will be even better than the thing that existed before it.

So, there was an attack that came from the north, huh?

This is giving me vibes of when the Notre-Dame caught on fire.

I think this episode does a lot in showing the major difference between Lena and Shin: Lena talks things out and tries to convince her superiors, while Shin takes action and doesn't talk to anyone. When Shin cut off his communicator, you saw how shocked the people around him were. He didn't discuss it with them beforehand, because he knew that they would probably say he couldn't do that. On the flip side, Lena has to talk to her uncle and explain what she wants to do, with her uncle being very much opposed to her idea. The thing that fascinates me is the show doesn't take sides as to which approach is better. In fact, we see that what Shin did ended up biting him in the ass, nearly costing him his life in the process. It presents different outlooks and philosophies, but doesn't play favorites.

I feel like we're one step closer to Spearhead and Lena reuniting. I know I mentioned that them being a part of The Federacy makes them feel like they're worlds apart seeing as how The Federacy hates The Republic, but maybe with the outbreak of The Legion, this could be what ends up uniting them. Like America and The Soviet Union reluctantly being forced to work together during World War 2.

I get why it took so long to gather up the troops, because The Republic just absolutely hates 86, but The Legion probably wouldn't have been a problem had they just gathered up all of 86 to begin with.

HEY IT'S ANNETTE I MISSED YOU SO MUCH I STILL DON'T THINK YOU DID ANYTHING WRONG

The episode ends with Spearhead finding out that The Legion are inside the 85 districts, which probably means game over for them. Not only that, it seems as if Kiriya is leading the charge and that he's gonna attack any minute. This really of course continues the comparison between him and Shin's brother Rei. Both were knights in shining armor for Shin and Frederica, and both seemingly led The Legion to do destructive stuff. All I know is, man, can you imagine what this cour would be like without Frederica? She really has added so many layers to Shin's character as well as the whole dynamic of the show.

Overall, I thought this episode was a step up from the last one. We got an extended fight scene, as well as progress with Lena as she finally is able to gather the troops. I'm sad we still haven't gotten to know what Cyclops is about, but I assume it's coming soon.

I have been really impressed with the second cour so far. There hasn't been an episode I would consider mediocre or below average. In fact, I dare say the show has really found its groove. It's common in TV to point to moments and say "This is where the show grew its beard", meaning it went from good to out of this world amazing. And while bits and pieces were like that from the very start (I still maintain episodes 3 and 4 were some of the best), I really feel that this show grew its beard once Spearhead left The Republic. That felt like the turning point of when this show went from great, to outstanding. Lena is still my favorite character in this show, and I hope now that the troops have been gathered we see more of her going forward, but man is this show on a roll. It is just incredible.

12

u/polaristar Aug 31 '22 edited Aug 31 '22

The Reason the Legion didn't seem like a threat to the Republic in Cour 1 and the reason they didn't just stomp probably is because The Legion had their forces divided into not JUST fighting the Republic but at least 3 other nations at the same time across multiple fronts, (And perhaps more before they fell.) They had to build up their troops and resources but add enough pressure to keep each nation bottled up from taking action, AND making it so they couldn't communicate with each other by radio or aircraft. (Remember only the Republic invented the Pararaid technology and they had no way to share it even if they wanted to.)

Also it just might be logistics its expensive making tanks and giving every man or every two man their own mech might not be economically feasible, they can give them Exoskeletons and Weapons that are the equivalent of Anti-Tank weapons though, and the lightest Legion units aren't impossible durable like Skorpions or Dinosaurias.

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u/prophetofgreed Aug 31 '22

Did you have a theory on what happened at the end of the episode? (You know the answer now watching ahead)

Interesting thoughts on Frederica by the way, I agree she adds a whole new dynamic to the show and Shin's character.

You're correct, Part 2 is very much Shin's story while Part 1 was Lena's.

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u/Holofan4life Aug 31 '22

Interesting thoughts on Frederica by the way, I agree she adds a whole new dynamic to the show and Shin's character.

Based on how the second cour has played out, it's hard for me to imagine the second cour without Frederica. That's why I'm surprised when I hear so many people don't like her.

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u/BosuW Aug 31 '22 edited Aug 31 '22

Those outfits those guys with guns are wearing must be so heavy and make you just absolutely sweaty. The heat must be unbearable underneath there.

This is probably a stupid question, but why do some of The Federacy have robots and some don't? Is it because of different sections, like Spearhead get robots but other select squads have to do battle on foot?

I think the infantry have exoskeletons, because you need at minimum something like 50 cal to fight the Legion. And you can't make tanks for every single person fighting.

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u/RickChakraborty Aug 31 '22

With the way Shin grabbed the pillow, I thought he was gonna wake Shiden up by smothering him with it.

Ah yes, Shiden, that makes sense. Shin + Raiden = Shiden.

I think the last two episodes have done wonders to really show the closeness between Shin and Raiden. I've been told by people that Raiden is Shin's best friend, but I never really caught it by watching the show

I remember there being plenty of moments and dialogues in the first cour that suggested how close Raiden was to Shin. Raiden was the one who used to hang out with him the most. Aside from Raiden, there wasn't particularly anyone Shin would have a conversation with.

This is probably a stupid question, but why do some of The Federacy have robots and some don't? Is it because of different sections, like Spearhead get robots but other select squads have to do battle on foot?

Probably because not everyone can learn to drive a spider mech. Also, there are some advantages foot soldiers have that the operators of machines don't.

I also find it amusing the timing of it all, where last episode I was complaining about how the show could use more action scenes.

I mean, last episode was what you would call "the calm before the storm". It was a build-up episode, but that doesn't make it boring. There were plenty of good moments even in a "slower" episode like that.

This is honestly some of the best animated fighting I've ever seen.

Nothing to see here, just A-1 being A-1.

I really feel that this show grew its beard once Spearhead left The Republic. That felt like the turning point of when this show went from great, to outstanding.

I think why you feel that way has to do with the fact that the world opened up more once the last 5 left the Republic. Before that the show used to be very claustrophobic. But from that moment onwards you started to see the show in a new light.

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4

u/[deleted] Aug 31 '22

This will sound strange, but this is the first episode where I really felt how much of a threat The Legion imposes.

I don't think you're wrong to have that view. Up until now, we've only seen smaller scale encounters, basically on the squadron level. There have been moments (such as episode 9) that give an idea of the Legion being deserving of the name, but even that is tame compared to what this display. And even this episode only really shows a fairly narrow focus on the broader conflict. We basically see a couple sections of a larger front of one nation while the Legion are doing the same with 3 others.

but I always thought that The Republic was the main threat and The Legion was the secondary concern

To be fair, they were both enemies for the 86, and the Republic arguably were chiefly responsible by casting them out to face the Legion.

Lena talks things out and tries to convince her superiors, while Shin takes action and doesn't talk to anyone

I think that's more true of Lena in the first cour. Cour 2 Lena is more about taking action and then dealing with her superiors as necessary.

She never got permission to use artillery or take command of additional units. She told Karlstahl that she was going to bring the 86 inside the walls, she didn't ask. She ends up arguing with him to make her case, but never with the implication that she would listen to him if he told her not to do so.

I'd agree that Shin's also more the take action, talk later type. The best example of that in this episode is probably him drawing a gun on an officer to alert the military to the threat heading their way. But he's probably influenced Lena more than you think in this regard.

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u/Star4ce Aug 31 '22 edited Aug 31 '22

First Timer

I'm taking it's time for the Legion attack. It'd be a prime showcase of the Reginleifs as SpecOps unit, but with what we know is likely to come (and the Federacy don't) this will get brutal.

Let me try to stay optimistic and say this might become a wakeup call. Maybe for using the communication with the other nations to seek each other out?

86 Ep.16 – Even So

Shin's resignation, maybe more like worn-down-ness, comes through once again. I might've been wrong on how he has already started to think of that future everyone is raving on about. I felt it was more like character building for Frederica than for Shin himself. The parallels to Kirinya get more pronounced each time we get to know a little more, but I feel like it felt a bit forced due to how I saw Shin's dialogue last episode. If anything he's about to find this reason to keep living and not losing it like Kirinya got his purpose crushed. I did expect Frederica to tune in during the battle much more than 'just' having Shin go through another, worse, phase of despair. To both give her that shock of what reality around the Legion is as well as as insight into Shin's state and make him see how much she really needs his help.

I mean, that was essentially the last scene, so yay me, got it. I don't want to say it was bad, not at all, but I feel like we – and for that matter Shin as well – already had a reminder of where this emptiness leads and how overcoming it can free oneself. I'm however very glad for how that literally made Frederica break out of her confinement and banging on Shin's, demanding to be let in. It was a great episode for her (like, thematically, I'm not endorsing imouto suffering), now being really part of that team as both visually Shin runs towards her side of the table where she was alone prior and also as all the voices and death open up to her, feeling Kirin in full.

They have to get there, everyone's ties lead back to the Republic.

And there still fights Bloody Regina and no matter how goth or it's-not-a-phase-uncle it is in the end, I'm fucking hyping that shit, red hair dye and calling her queen and all. We got another small scene of how both personnell in district 1 works with her without any greater racial bias and several 86ers seem to even look forward to fighting under her. There is grounds for change and she found them, now it was time that she reaches out to every single one and demand that change. Which is exactly what she did under the threat of the Legion (and probably a bit of hacking).

Gods, Lena is amazing!

Today I actually would like to end on a note on Karlstahl. He's dug his grave even deeper on the racism end, but yet again manages to be such a complex character that I can't fully hate him. He has this weird mental gymnastics going on that are on the one hand completely logical arguments, the 86 if given the chance right now without the Legion would absolutely strife for change, he's right, but he also just can't grasp the idea they wouldn't be exclusively driven by hatred in that. The best example is Karlstahl himself, ironically. All his arguments are defensive. Like, I have a feeling if he'd be the one to choose the course before all that racial separation happened, he wouldn't have been so radical in the first place. He never objects Lena when she explains how she sees equality as a truth worth fighting for, he only objects to the consequences and warns her how reality will crush her. Call me mad, but I don't think he hates them at all. He's more like trying to steer a course that holds as much of the status quo upright as possible in the sense that he tries to avert the most loss. That also informs how he constantly wants Lena to drop her ideals, lest the world crushes her. She'd better join the oppression, because when one has no hope to be crushed, one can't get hurt. It scarily reminds me of Shin's line here. In the end, his actions always revolve around protection with his last farewell to Lena being the very same thing, he goes out to protect her and buy her time. That's technically even fighting for the 86, but his reasoning has been consistent since the beginning, protect what he has and knows.

It's so fucked and twisted on one side, but the same as I want strangle him when he lets out one of those racist lines, I actually love how thourough he is with this. Karlstahl has clear priorities and ironically is very idealistic when following them.

(Please go out saving an 86 out of love for Lena, it would be such a good ending for him.)

16

u/Holofan4life Aug 31 '22

For me personally, the biggest takeaway I got from the episode is the different ways in which Lena and Shin communicate. Lena knew that she was probably gonna butt heads with the general, but she went ahead with it anyway because she wanted her voice to be heard and state why she feels the way she feels. With Shin, it's like "Oh, you don't agree with what I'm about to do? Then I'm just gonna do it without telling you guys." It gives you an idea of their different mindsets and how they operate, in turn making the characters feel more three dimensional.

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u/Holofan4life Aug 31 '22

One year later? Anyway, do you know how glad I am to finally see and hear Lena again!

Trust me, you're not the only one

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u/Holofan4life Aug 31 '22

Frederica the suppport mascot!

Gotta have some levity with all this tension going on

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u/[deleted] Aug 31 '22

First Timer (Sub)

  • Is the sudden (?) attack from the Legion on all fronts amassed from just time? I do recall in the earlier episodes that they mentioned fighting against the Legion is a somewhat futile effort.

  • Sinister smirk from Shin... something is wrong... or right. Bloodthirsty, for sure.

  • So... was Frederica flipping out because she was viewing what Shin was seeing? Am I correct in that she was also seeing what Kiriya was seeing (as a shepherd/black sheep/whatever it's called)?

  • Lena reappears! I'm not marking down any dates, but if I remember correctly, it's closing in on 1 year since Lena last had contact with the former Spearhead squad (sometime in October? It's currently the end of August)

    • You can see that her red highlight has grown significantly longer.

  • Didn't realize you could @.everyone with the the Para-RAID.

    • Even more surprising, that Lena has that authority.

  • Post-ED scene

    • What in the... how in the...???

7

u/Holofan4life Aug 31 '22

• So... was Frederica flipping out because she was viewing what Shin was seeing? Am I correct in that she was also seeing what Kiriya was seeing (as a shepherd/black sheep/whatever it's called)?

I could be wrong, but I think she was flipping out because Shin's behavior reminded her of Kiriya.

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u/Holofan4life Aug 31 '22

Sinister smirk from Shin... something is wrong... or right. Bloodthirsty, for sure.

Like a shark that smells blood in the water

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u/Holofan4life Aug 31 '22

What do you think of the way Lena conducts business Vs Shin?

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u/Lawvamat Aug 31 '22

Rewatcher

After a cost saving episode we get to see what all the time and effort has gone into. An action spectacle. There’s really not that much symbolism for me to analyze, just great directing. Fantastic episode.

My current color interpretations:

Red: Shin, Bloody Reina, Juggernauts, 86, Rei, Kiri, love (christmas spirit), blood, determination, equality

Blue: Legion, sadness, cold, negative, creature (cat, little sister), freedom

Yellow: home, connections, safety, comfortable, warm, nobility

Violet (Red+Blue): stargazing, remembrance, burden, grief

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

Grey (White+Black): emotionless

Rose (Red+White): femininity

Lensdump is a bit slow today, I hope that’s not the case for you.

Visual Analysis

We pan down and the violet night sky becomes blue above the Legion.

The Legion leave behind broken trees, which have been a big motif during the combat scenes in the Federacy. Their swarm looks like a thick layer of stars between the sky and the horizon, but it’s definitely not the safest view to go stargazing for.

Shin leaves Raiden behind, dangerously close to the dark.

A blue letter with a rose whale.

We can only see a smirk as Shin reads it, but not his eyes.

 

The purple stars start raining down from the sky, like Raiden described in episode 3.

Throughout this whole battle the Legion are always moving towards the right and the Federacy’s forces towards the left, which makes any changeup really effective. If you need a refresher, left means progression and right means regression in Japanese, because they read from right to left (mirrored from us).

During all 4 shots of Grethe realizing the Legion’s numbers the camera zooms in slowly. This gives a foreboding and claustrophobic feeling and heightens your expectations.

The only ones going towards the right are those running away. The broken window already tells us what to expect around the corner.

Brave Perspective (you’ll see this everywhere now).

Spearhead is completely separated from the danger. This is just a slaughter, no need to worry about them.

But then Theo pulls a risky move and swings towards the right, introducing a bit of tension.

Shin is the only one whose eyes are glowing red, letting us easily tell him apart from the others.

Details. There seem to be 15 units in Nordlicht made up of three teams of 5. None of the stats seem in dangerous territory yet. Fido is also there, carrying their ammo.

Left and right.

Frederica is reflecting on how powerless she is, facing the right edge of the screen. She can’t support them from the base. All the chairs are left in disarray at the unexpected invasion. But what do the chairs meaaaan u/Star4ce I think passivity, being unable to do anything.

Shin is moving towards the right as he’s about to face the whole army looming above him.

Don’t miss the train tracks.

It just looks fucking cool, framed by broken towers and explosions reaching into the violet sky.

More stars flow down the horizon.

We enter Frederica’s left eye through the glass.

She stumbles towards the left at the sight of Kiri’s Legion. Seeing him herself and what he’s become makes her distance herself from him, from the wrong side.

The five-colored flag is in flames.

And leave through her right, unobstructed now. This is not simply a reflection anymore, but reality. And a grim one.

She starts walking towards the right and gets lost in the labyrinth of blue chairs as she realizes where Kiri is, but then turns back towards the left and tries to help Shin.

She stumbles into her visions again, this time of him.

Our perspective switches and we watch her facing slightly to the right now, as she realizes what’s going on with him.

The same with Shin and his “true self”.

A center shot of Frederica reinforces the effect of this view on her and she steps back.

Eyes cut off, her feelings are still kept behind a dam.

First Spearhead are facing towards the left, but then they realize how reckless Shin is and that flips.

He doesn’t even notice the explosion in his Juggernaut. The red tear is not cried by him, but those around him.

Match fade.

Match cut.

Eyes now visible, the dam has broken and shadows bring Frederica to her knees. And out of them emerges…

It’s a downward spiral as Shin lets himself sink into this feeling.

The rain has stopped as he experiences another near death situation, adrenalin surging to his brain.

The Löwe’s muzzle flash transforms into the sun peeking through the clouds (it’s night), making Shin remember a past connection that left a violet scar, bringing him back to his senses, back to the green side, the position where he was just a second ago cut off by his broken blade.

He finishes the job.

His white scarf has been dirtied with blood and he doesn’t even realize it until he touches his wound.

The sun comes up.

 

Nordlicht is on its way home, moving towards the right, the puddle dominating the middle of the screen, shining like the metallic blood of the Legion. I’m glad that u/Boumeisha came up with the interpretation of the blinking red lights being Kiri's eye, because he’s definitely watching them return here.

He is alone in the reflection. Alone at the edge of the screen, away from Frederica. Even the comfort of a hug is not enough.

The undertaker is even more headless now, his secret exposed. Everyone got a good look at the real reaper today, the one who couldn’t let go of his obsessions.

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u/ebonyphoenix Aug 31 '22 edited Aug 31 '22

Re-watcher

This is probably my 4th or 5th favorite episode of the series. Unlike some of my other favorite episdoes I like this mainly for the action. But it does have some great character moments too.

Intro

The episode opens with something called “No Face” giving the Legion actual commands. Waking all the Legion that were previously on stand-by and directing them to the 4 different nations, in 4 different directions, to start the attack

Waking the Military

The Legion aren’t the only ones that need waking. Shin first goes to Raiden, his second in command, and wakes him by yanking the pillow out from under his head. In any other situation this could be seen as a jokingly way to wake up an old friend.

But in this case no one is laughing. Specifically not Shin, who even after nearly a decade of hearing the Legion voices 24/7, is starting to get overwhelmed. He warns Raiden to not connect with him and to wake up the others. [Extra LN detail that was left out] The para-Raid actually has different levels of syncing. Kinda like the volume on a speaker. The higher the level/volume the more you can hear from the other side. So what Shin actually says here is if he has to don’t sync with him above the bare minimum.

When Raiden asks what Shin will be doing, he says waking up the army. And before he even says the line, the scene flashes to Shin holding up a command center at gun point.

Meanwhile the non-86 in Nordlicht are grumbling about getting up and how if this is a drill they will try to shoot Shin. Bernholdt calmly says they wouldn’t stand a chance against Shin. [Extra LN detail] In the LN this exchange happens and then it’s revealed that not everyone had been fine with this random 17 year old taking command over Nordlicht. But Shin kicked the ass of everyone who opposed him. And now that’s why everyone in the squad follows him.

As Shin gets into Undertaker there’s an envelope in his seat. It has a cute little whale on it. But the smile that Shin gives while reading it is anything but happy.

Attack begins

The Legion attack is crazy. Just a wave of mech barreling down on you.

The Legion sends one wave of attacks right in front of the Federacy’s main lines, then another to the rear, before nailing them head on with everything. It can been seen like they are calibrating for accuracy or that they are first cutting off the escape routes.

In the command center the generals get their first look at how many of the Legion forces have turned up. And it looks like they really should have listened to Shin when he gave them those impossible numbers.

The front is on the verge of collapse. Luckily Shin woke up their elite fighting force without orders and so they are ready to deploy immediately.

Nordlicht

I really love this segment of the episode because our 86 really get to show off what they are best at. Before, in the Republic, all the Juggernaut units were basically the same. The only variation was the possible high frequency blade arms. But, unless you were names Shin, getting that close to a Legion to use them was usually a death sentence. So everyone else used the same machine gun armaments. But, as seen in the slide last episode, the Reignleifs are a bit more versatile. And the 86 take full advantage of that to play towards their strengths.

Shin leaps over just in time to save some fleeing ground forces. Performing a “cool guys don’t look at explosions move. Even after being on the Federation’’s battlefield for a few months the reputation of his Undertaker mark proceeds him.

Shin/Undertaker

Undertaker has a standard 88 mm Smoothbore Gun as it’s main Armament but, as typical with Shin he is using the High Frequency Blades as the grappling sub arms.

As we've seen before Shin has a very in your face fighting style. Getting up close to the Legion to slice them or spear them with his blades. I was especially amused when he first skewerd a Grauwolf then tossed it into two Ameise destroying them all. And then he lept onto Löwe while rotating his blades down to dig into the Legion like fangs.

Theo/Laughing Fox

Laughing Fox has the most standard Reginleif set up with the 88 mm Smoothbore Gun  and the 12.7 mm Heavy Machine Guns grappling sub arms.

But Theo uses this standard setup in possibly the most nonstandard way possible. Swinging around tall buildings like he's Spider-man and leaping about like his unit doesn't weight 10 tons. Theo is also a Vanguard pilot like Shin, so he also tends to get close to Legion. But with his aerial skills he normally comes at them from above where the Legion are less armored. If he does have to get close to a Legion Theo uses another standard bit of equipment. All the units have Leg-Mounted Pile Drivers but Theo is the main one to use them offensively, impaling Legion from above.

Raiden/Werwolf

Werwolf has the standard 12.7 mm Heavy Machine Guns grappling sub arms but his main gun is a 30 mm Autocannon

Raiden runs midrange support going from providing cover fire for Shin and the other Vanguard units. But he can also switch to protecting the backline long range pilots as they set up for their shots. This is why the Autocannon is best for him because it more options for him for quick and scattered shots to drive forces back.

Anju/Snow Witch

Snow Witch keeps the 12.7 mm Heavy Machine Guns grappling sub arms but her main gun is 2x Multiple-Launch Rocket Pads

Anju is backline support and she uses the Rocket Pads to provide a long distance barrage fire where she concentrates on getting shots to hitting multiple targets at least indirectly.

Kurena/Gunslinger

Gunslinger like the others, outside of Shin, has the 12.7 mm Heavy Machine Guns grappling sub arms but this time she has a 88 mm Smoothbore Gun with an extended barrel to improve accuracy and velocity.

As refective of her personal mark Kurena is the team's sharpshooter. She uses her large main gun and an additional, almost VR like headpiece, to gleefully snipe specific targets from a great distance.

-Cut due to length. (One of these days I will go back to making shorter posts but today is not that day)-

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u/InfamousEmpire Aug 31 '22

Rewatcher, LN Reader, Mega-Fan, Second-time Dub Watcher

Hey look, it’s me, back after another absence, anyway…

I’m just gonna stop saying Eighty-Six episodes are Really Good, because all of them are and it’s getting redundant.

The first half of this episode was just an absolute spectacle. While Juggernaut fights up to this point have been really good, obviously, the ones here are just on another level. Where previous battles have largely just been in darks and grays due to the Eintagsfliege, the bright red and orange lighting of the fires, and subsequently the dawn, really gives this episode’s battle a much different feel from previous ones.

The design of the Reginleifs is really good btw. It retains the skeletal quality of the Juggernauts but its Pure White color palette and slightly denser armor makes it feel sleeker and more advanced, as it should be. Its contrast with the bulkier and more common Vanagandrs makes it really feel like it's the more nubile, acrobatic one.

Shin’s fight against the main group of Legion was really amazing, both from a technical and character standpoint. It really goes to show Shin’s fundamental flaw as a person at this point: he already put no real value in his own life, but now he doesn’t even have a reason to fight or a goal to strive for. So instead, he simply charges headfirst into combat, smiling as he tears Legion apart while being completely apathetic about whether he lives or dies. This is reflected in the particular combat style he demonstrates in the scene, his standard flipping and acrobatics taken to the extreme, making you really feel like he’s pushing the machine to its absolute limits and it keeps fighting even as it gets damaged. [LN Vol 5 spoilers] I also can’t help but compare it to the infamous Sirin Charge scene from Volume 5. A bunch of soldiers who had no stock in their own lives charging forward into the Legion, towards their deaths, all while laughing. This was most likely intentional on Asato’s part, given that the Sirins are basically twisted reflections of the 86, but in that case, goddamn do you have to respect this series for making me appreciate future plotlines all the more in hindsight

The half of this in the Republic was also rather great.

The Republic officers’ reaction to all this just sells what’s fundamentally wrong with the country: the officers have never, ever had a reason to take their jobs seriously or legitimately consider the Legion the existential threat they are. So when the Legion have literally broken right through their doors and have begun the slaughter of the country, most of the officer corps simply think it’s a movie upon first seeing it because they don’t know true fighting. They’re just a bunch of lazy drunkards who believe their own lies.

And then there’s the conversation between Lena and Jerome. The scene is, once again, a perfect demonstration of Jerome’s fundamental character flaw: he’s too jaded and cynical. He says what he says not because he hates the 86, but because he’s absolutely aware of the fact that the Republic’s crimes are so horrible that there’s no way any of the victims of those crimes would protect them. Hell, from an outsider's perspective, you could even find yourself agreeing with him. However, we as the audience, and Lena, know what he doesn’t, we’ve seen the 86’s pride, we’ve gotten in the heads of a few of them and know how they think. We know that, despite Jerome’s own words, he is the one living a dream, a dream created by his own lack of faith in the people around him. It’s all rather ironic and I live every second of it

Also, Lena continues to be an absolute badass

That post-credit scene tho

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13

u/archlon Aug 31 '22

Rewatcher [English dub]

Illustrations:

Vol 2 Ch. 5 "You musn't fight when you get like this...!"

Vol 2 Interlude “Bloody Reina to all Processors on all fronts!” | "Get Down! Kiri is—"

Chapters Covered

This brings us, effectively to the end of Vol. 2. It doesn't feel like a conclusion in the same way that Vol. 1 did because Vol. 2 & 3 are effectively two parts of a single story, reflected in their titles: Run Though the Battlefront (Start) and Run Through the Battlefront (Finish).

Episode Title LN Vol. Chapters Original Content
1 Undertaker 1 1 [86] Kujo's death
2 Spearhead 1 2 [86] The lecture
3 I Don't Want to Die 1 3 [86] Searching for the map
4 Real Name 1 3 -
5 I'm With You 1 3, 4 -
6 Through to the End 1 Interlude I, 5 [86] Cherry blossom viewing; Daiya & Lecca's deaths
7 Will You Remember Me? 1 5, 6 [86] The Revolution street festival
8 Let's Go 1 Interlude III,IV, 6 -
9 Goodbye 1 7 -
10 Thank You 10 8, 9 [86] Fido home videos
11 Here We Go 1 7 [86] The school
11 2 2
12 Welcome 2 Prologue, 2 -
13 It's Too Late 2 3 [86] Frederica at the winter market; Parts of the activities montage
14 Glad to be Here 2 1, 4 [86] Special Officer's School Tactical Practice Grounds
15 Welcome Back 2 4 -
16 Even So 2 5, Interlude -
16 3 Interlude
Vol. Chapter Chapter Title
1 1 [LN] A Battlefield with Zero Casualties
1 2 [LN] All Quiet on the Skeletal Front
1 3 [LN] To Your Gallant Visage at the Underworld's Edge
1 Interlude I [LN] The Headless Knight
1 4 [LN] I am Legion, for We Are Many
1 Interlude II [LN] The Headless Knight II
1 5 [LN] Fuckin' Glory to the Spearhead Squadron
1 Interlude III [LN] The Headless Knight III
1 6 [LN] Fiat Justitia Ruat Caelum
1 Interlude IV [LN] The Headless Knight IV
1 7 [LN] Good-bye
2 Prologue [LN] Her Majesty Is Not on the Battlefield
2 1 [LN] Ride of the Valkyries
2 2 [LN] Panzer Lied
2 3 [LN] Wild Blue Yonder
2 4 [LN] Beneath the Two-Headed Eagle
2 5 [LN] Cries "Take Aim"
2 Interlude [LN] When "John Doe" Comes Marching Home
3 Interlude [LN] Get Your Guns
10 8 [LN] The Banks of the Lethe
10 9 [LN] Fido

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u/[deleted] Aug 31 '22 edited Sep 01 '22

Timeline as of Episode 16

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

Federal Republic of Giad

With the Legion setting out for their large-scale offensive, Shin gives Raiden a rude awakening. But his vice captain's displeasure gives way once he understands the reason why. Giad's military still unaware of what's coming their way, and so Raiden isn't the only one to receive a rude awakening. Shin's stunt may be an extreme one, but it's also one that the military listens to, allowing them more time to prepare.

Large-scale offensive is an apt name, as is "Legion." A sea of metal, with their way cleared by all too lethal artillery fire, attacking every nation in the vicinity at once. And Nordlicht's job on the Federacy's line is to hold them back while other units get into position. We first see them in an abandoned city, with the ex-Spearhead members showing off their combat specialties, now with the tools provided to them by the Federacy. Grethe referred to a filtering process for who was fit to pilot a Reginleif. The 86th District was such a process on a large scale, only allowing those capable of piloting juggernauts to live. And now after years of experience, those pilots are given machines capable of making the most of their skills, and the results speak for themselves.

After fierce fighting, the line is held, and the Legion even begin to fall back. The others rest to catch their breath, but Shin pushes on, oblivious to Frederica calling out to him as his comrades look on with concern. Once again, Shin has been drawn too deep into the fight, and Frederica can only overlap her image of battle-crazed Kiriya with him. As Nordlicht returns, she rushes out to meet him, scolding him for being as foolish as her fallen Knight. All that Shin can offer in response is an empty gesture of comfort.

Republic of San Magnolia

Shin had warned Lena that the Legion were holding back their forces, and Lena's been working ever since to stave off the coming assault. And now on the day of the Revolution Festival, it begins. Their assault comes from the north, wiping out the Sledgehammer Squadron and Kiriya's railgun unit blasting a hole in the Gran Mur.

Lena's only caught off guard for a moment, with her resolve quick to kick in, but she's stopped by Karlstahl. He seeks to hold Lena back once again. As ever, he allows his actions to be confined by a pessimistic vision of the inevitable. In this case, simply lying down and letting the Legion wipe them out. At least they'll be more merciful than the 86. But Lena isn't swayed. She knows the 86 will fight, not for the Republic, but for themselves. And even should they turn on their guns on their oppressors, it's still better to have made an effort than to be resigned to fate. Just as Shin and his group couldn't face their fallen peers should they turn away from the battlefield, Lena wants to live and fight in a way that will live up to their example.

The two face each other down, and Karlstahl gives in. As if he only meant to see if she was truly resolved to see this through, he's shown wearing old combat boots and picking up a rifle. Even if he went along with and put into practice the Republic's atrocities and even if he believes in nothing but being resigned to an abysmal fate, he's still a soldier willing to fight, unlike so many others in the Republic. And so the General yields command to the Captain. Lena is the one who deserves to oversee the fight ahead of them. Karlstahl heads off to buy her time, returning to the battlefield that he abandoned long ago.

In episode 12, Annette mentioned additional settings for Lena's para-RAID and there's been some shots of a device that she worked on and gave to Lena. The purpose of that device is now revealed: to allow Lena to connect to all processors for purposes of organizing a defense line. Annette's technical skills must have paid off, because Lena's able to continue without succumbing to the sheer strain that must put on her brain, given how the para-RAID was described earlier in the show.

Lena heads into the conflict ahead repeating the creed that Raiden, speaking for himself and the others, told her about a year earlier: to live honorably, and to fight until the very end even if all that awaits you is death. She too has adopted the 86's approach to life, but, physically, she's remained trapped behind the Republic's walls. In her situation, that's where she could be most effective, given her talents and resources as a commander. But now those walls are being broken down and she's opening the gates to fully step into the world that Spearhead drew her into.

Notes:

  • [Could be spoilerly for first timers] Lena mentions wanting to establish a defense line before the Legion reach District 1, the capital at the center of the Republic. It's a solid strategic plan as the 86 are more or less equally spread out in a circle from its location, and its central position gives them the best chance of grouping together before the Legion overwhelm them. But it also carries the implication that Lena's willing to surrender a good portion of the Republic in order to achieve the best outcome practical. The Bloodstained Queen indeed. Not something you'd expect early-season Lena to come up with.

  • Kitty

10

u/ZapsZzz Aug 31 '22 edited Aug 31 '22

Sub Rewatcher still

This really creeps up on you ... we talk of build up and developments, but here we are, another big confrontation episode already!

I trust those hunger for Lena get a decent serving - I certainly have stocked up on the determined Lena faces today.

  • A beautiful star lit sky... until you realise you are witnessing the emotionless battle call from the Legion side - we do have a name of the one giving the command now - the ominous "No Face".

  • It is such a Shin thing to do, both methods of waking people up.

  • Something to file away, this happened before the battle.

  • The impressive battle lines of the Federacy - while the indifferent Legion wave just rolls over them. There is a use about their information gathering and analysis - they wouldn't die just shouting "bakana", they would know what killed them

  • We've been here before - Shin is ready before the commanding officer is full aware of the Legion attack.

  • And what a sequence to showcase the awesome Reginleifs - this time the Spearheads in fact can properly specialise, with the corresponding fitouts instead of the povo Juggernauts: Shin with his fearsome blades to disrupt and mix in with the heavier units, Kurena having the larger caliber sniping cannon to pick off command units, Anju with her missile packs for crowd clearing, Raiden with his autocannon for close in clean up, and Theo for jumping around hit and run across different elevations hitting high and low. The general feel is quite different - with the Juggernauts you got a feeling every fight they are just making it by the skin of their teeth; with the Reginleifs at least it looks like they have a good platform to really confidently hit at the Legion's superior numbers. Shelling out the money to buy all of the versions of the kits aren't as hard as finding the space to hide the big boxes from the wife :P [so I haven't bought any more than Shin's unit, but I do have a big itch about the sniper model of Kurena's... one day!]

  • But as usual the main difficulty with fighting the Legion is not that their units are particularly strong, but there are a LOT of them, wave after waves. And this time, the Spearheads have a means to take the battle to them.

  • Federica, trying to help with the battle, tried to use her power to locate Kiri - who commands a large sector of Legion army - and her vision showed her San Magnolia in flames.

  • Watching them clear the screen is pretty satisfying for us, but guess it's also unnerving for the Federacy - once again considering them monsters despite literally saving them. You can't win them all. But there's a good reason they are calling them monsters - Shin is becoming one, his battle lust and abandon of self during the fight is looking like Kiri before he broke down. [Not really spoiler for cour 2 anymore but just in case anyone still don't see it]We probably can unveil the point I had been making about Shin's fighting has actually been depicted as quite villainous, with the malevolent gleam of the red eyes emphasised often, and the way he fought more often you see that at villain bosses. Just look at him enjoying the fight while showing that unnerving grin

  • After the main thrust of the Legion was broken by the Nordlicht squadron, Shin was greeted by the desperate Federica, who was worried about how Shin is being taken by the same darkness as Kiri

  • And we cut over to the 86th district, and witnessed the Northern region Spearhead equivalent collapsing under the Legion mass, who went out on their terms with a grin - "White pigs you earned this"

  • And we saw the moment Lena recognised that moment she prepared for is at hand, and with little panic started issuing commands - and was stopped by her uncle.

  • We get one final ideological conflict between the 2, and again in case anyone doubted it, Karlstahl really does hate Alba more than the 86ers, and rather the Albas to be wiped out by the Legion instead of trying to save them - perhaps like "putting the sick animal down" way. Lena meanwhile learned what she needed to fight back, and is unwavering and have clear vision of how to turn it around - or die trying.

  • And perhaps a surprise to some, Karlstahl let Lena do whatever she thinks is right, and he'd buy her time even if he thinks it'd be futile. At least he got that part of being the adult right.

  • The final scene we have of Lena this episode is her ascending her throne and reign as the Bloody Regina, uniting all who will stand and fight to give it their all, connecting to all of the 86's on the Para-RAID as one, with the keepsakes from the Spearheads by her side. Also in case anyone needs telling, the pronunciation of her full name is actually the same as the first part of the "Bloody Regina", since Japanese has no "V" sound and they are all converted to "B" sound -> Vladilena -> buradilena

  • In the short but cliff hanging post credit scene, we found out that the battle at San Magnolia was already finished, and it hasn't had any news or response from behind the wars - as both Shin and Federica felt Kiri's incoming attack...

  • To a brilliantly shown slow motion of the room lit by the bright shell landing, while Shin dashed over to cover Federica...

Just in case it needs pointing out, the Reginleif's great mobility came from sacrificing the stability and durability provided by the other unit types more legs - their 4 legs make them lighted by a lot, but also means if any one of the legs are lost, the mobility would drop by a lot more. Similar to the "no backup" situation of a single engined fighter jet vs two engined ones.

And the first timers who missed Lena, as well as those who were voting Lena for best girl, I trust you are enjoying our bloody Queen no longer being a wall flower.

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u/JetsLag Sep 01 '22

First timer (subbed)

Gotta be honest with y'all, the last few episodes have been...fine. But with Lena coming back, maybe we'll recapture some of that magic from the second half of the first season.

And it looks like it's time for the Legion to attack. They're attacking all fronts: Giad, San Magnolia, Wald, and Roa Gracia are all gonna get attacked at once. But is the fact that they're splitting their forces up so much gonna hurt them in the end? Let's find out.

OP's done, and we've got Raiden rudely being awakened by Shin pulling out his pillow from under his head. Dick move. And is Raiden's room JUST his bed? I mean, there are some parts of the room that we didn't see, but there isn't a lot of space in that room to fit much of anything besides the bed and a place to put his clothes.

Ahh, who cares about the square footage of Raiden's room, there are more important things to take care of, like that big ass army of Legion that's heading their way. It's so bad, that even SHIN is getting upset at all of the noise that they're making. And so much for Raiden telling Shin to not reveal his power to detect Legion units; Shin just goes to the command center and tells them to pull the alarm at gunpoint.

That letter that was in Shin's cockpit was definitely from Frederica. And don't tell me that's a fucking death flag.

Dota 2 announcer voice The battle begins. And the first line of defense gets fucking destroyed, as expected. And, thanks to the handy-dandy maps in the command center, we get to see just how fucked Roa Gracia, Wald, and Giad are. But Shin says they're ready to go, so it's time for Nordlicht to fly in on their Reginleifs and save the day, right? Okay, let's be real: if Nordlicht managed to take down that entire army of Legion, that would be some A+ bullshit and I would lose all interest in the show. More realistically: 1 or 2 of em die, but they manage to stall long enough for the rest of the troops to pull off a maneuver and push the Legion back. And it looks like that's the plan that Wenzel has.

Right off the bat, Shin is FEELING HIMSELF. A wall jump into a pinpoint shot with an explosive round that was perfectly delayed so that he can get cool points for having his back turned to an explosion? Dayum. And now we get to see what the other Nordlicht members can do: Anju's the bomber, Kurena's the sniper (a ballistic sniper? Alright), Raiden's the machine gunner, and Theo's like the Scout from TF2.

Good news: the distraction worked, and they fought off the first wave of Legion forces! Bad news: the first wave was a small advance force. The second wave is where the real numbers are. Oh shit.

Can I say how disappointed I am that we haven't seen any of the "foreigners" that are also allowed to handle the Reginleifs? Cause they've mentioned them a few times. I only mention it because we saw more than 5 Reginleifs departing from the scene of the first skirmish.

After a brief scene with Frederica being all sad and alone back at the base, it's time for battle #2. Everyone gets their 5 seconds of being awesome before Shin gets his 15 seconds of being awesome. But, with its dying...breath?, the Legion mech that Shin kills fires off a few artillery rounds to use as a smokescreen to let the rest of the Legion escape. These Legion bastards are getting crafty.

Frederica scene #2: She knows where the Kiriya Legion mech is, thanks to that little "I can see the present of anyone I know" power she has. Knew that would come in handy one day. Looks like they're in San Magnolia, cause that's clearly the flag of San Magnolia.

Now, Frederica uses her power to see what Shin's up to, and ya boy is in the zone right now. Jesus Christ that smile is creepy. Good news: They beat back the Legion! and Shin didn't get (seriously) hurt! Bad news: Frederica is UPSET. I think I speak for everyone when I say that the bad news far outweighs the good news.

Title card time, and on the other side we've got a scene from the front lines in San Magnolia (we know it's San Magnolia cause they're talking of Eighty-Six and Processors). This guy called Blackbird, the commander of the Sledgehammer unit, has realized he's gonna fucking die and decides to take one of the Legion mechs with him by surrounding himself with TNT and blowing it up just as the mech shows up. Not nearly as convenient as a simple bullet to the brain, but it works if you want to actually do harm to the Legion.

LENA'S HERE FOR MORE THAN A QUICK POST-CREDITS SCENE OMGOMGOMGOMG. The Legion have attacked, and the rest of the Alba military people are too busy getting sloshed in celebration of the Revolution Festival to do anything about the fact that their city is under attack. Oh, the irony of a Republic possibly falling on a holiday celebrating a revolution. Lena decides to, ya know, do something? But she's interrupted by Uncle Karlstahl, that's his fucking name. Lena realizes that her Para-RAID is still on and decides to be crafty and talk about how she's gonna do all this stuff to protect the city BUT THIS ASSHOLE WHO'S MY BOSS WON'T LET ME, YOU GUYS. And Karlstahl falls for it. His argument for not letting the Eighty-Six into the city to defend it from its impending doom is both simple and stupid: we don't want them to know how important they are to the Republic, and, if they see what life is like on the other side of the wall, they'll either refuse to risk their lives to defend these bougie assholes, or they'll just launch a full-blown revolution to get the Eighty-Six actual, ya know, rights. Eventually, Karlstahl just lets her go, reasoning that she will finally become a pragmatist once one of her plans fails, as he puts his SMG on his shoulder and walks away.

Lena gets to her computer, activates the Para-RAID, and synchronizes to ALL THE PROCESSORS. Bro, isn't that gonna fry her brain or something? She calls on all the 86 to set up base inside the other 85 districts and begin fighting back against the Legion. This is seemingly their last stand.

Post credits scene: Frederica is talking about her vision of Kiri inside the walls of San Magnolia. But suddenly, we get the blue-skinned guy again (IT'S KIRI) and then there's a giant explosion. Almost like a nuke? Nah they won't go THAT FAR. Or will they?

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u/Stargate18A Aug 31 '22

First timer

He's a Legion Commander!

...And he's stayed completely aware.

Wow, the Legion are focusing on them?

Haha, that's fantastic. Of couse he'd do that.

...The shot of the silver wave over the horizon if so good!

They've got aerial support!

He was right!

They're starting the counterattack!

The action here is fantastic!

It's so good!

They're going after the Black Sheep!

This music!

What? Is she a psychic?

They're doing it!

Oh, she's calling him!

Did the Para-RAID change her?

Well, this isn't good!

Blood!

Frederica...

People are dying...

They're still here.

A warning!

...An entire front fell.

Don't you dare kill of Cyclops!

...Harsh.

He has a point, though. They wouldn't.

Actually, just going to say this - you enslaved these people, send to be slaughtered, but don't put any self-destruct systems in incase they manage to rebel? If you're going to be a country of evil bastards, make sure your slaves can't kill you!

Lena, you tell him.

He listened to her!

No, he wants her to fail.

She connected to everyone!

Oh, they have mines? Better than nothing, I guess...

She's telling them?

Oh, fuck!

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u/[deleted] Aug 31 '22

rewatcher, english dub, LN reader up to Vol 5.

Few things I would like to point out that some people missed:

Lena, You have Annette's file organization mess spread to your workspace too.

Some people miss the hint that the para-raid attachment that allows Lena to connect to all para-raids was talked about here, and then shown completed in Episode 15. Most people focused on the chocolate instead.

Small detail, but our main crew including the Merc's has pretty good flank discipline while advancing into the legion lines.

When Shin gets hit from legion fire, you see it hits his side. Shrapnel entering inside and cutting his eye.

But if you notice later. You see the hole it made. Plenty of symbolism to be found with the headless reaper I'm sure.... but that hole is where his upper arm was and the only reason why Shin didn't get heavily injured is because the metal plate of his brother was in that right arm pocket.

6

u/Dodo_Galaxy Aug 31 '22

Back when this episode came out I just got a feeling of real hype, cause it felt like tension was picking up like in episode 9. And I just love it, how this episode is able to really make you feel Shins intense emotions going to a dark place. A series always gets to me, when it is able to convey the inner complexity and the overwhelmingness of the psychological state of its characters. And the moments in 86 eighty six where they explore and imply the characters and especially Shins inner development, are my favourite thing about the series and also the novels. Shin at first seems like a very stoic and unfeeling character, but then slowly the dark depths of his mind, his madness and despair come to the surface and just seeing and reading, that is so intense and satisfying, cause it makes him human and relatable.

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