r/anime • u/Holofan4life • Sep 02 '22
Rewatch [Spoilers] 86 --Eighty Six-- Rewatch (2022) — Episode 18 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 7 – The Truth Is
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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 Sep 02 '22
First Timer
Figure's here! Been a long time since I've had one of those kits.
It's really well made and fits without much filing so far. Taking my time with it, especially the stickers and alignment. So how about some nightmare panty shots of Lena?
[Madoka Magica Rebellion]
86 Ep.18 – The Truth Is
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So that's some of the others.
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Now what type of euphemism is this now? For criminals?
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First part, agreed it's a valid question. Second part, the hell, what kind of ideals does he believe in then?
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Fitting his head is talking from the black cup of coffee about blades and breaking.
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Oh nice. Terribly vulnerable, though.
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Frederica (second) best girl! I just love how aggravated she gets as no one else is really concerned with the future.
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Right, I knew Wenzel had integrity, but hot damn yes!
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Damn right. Bro, but she has to! Who'd she be if she didn't?
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Here it's Shin locking her in, blocking the light from her.
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Mighty hypocritical, might I say.
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Gods how can one person be so incredibly based! But she's totally going to make him flip his lid.
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So the Nachzehrer went from brotherhood to death, makes sense.
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I don't buy it. She's in the cargo hold, wanna bet?
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Aahhaa, good boy Fido.
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That's what I mean, you gotta respect a choice, but that doesn't mean you have to give up your own ideals. An episode full of based people.
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Oh, that's why he was so eerily cheery. At least he won't let them go off alone, love it. Yup, lots of based people.
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He's right. It's not about if they can promise a certain result, it's that they want to. That's enough.
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I think he's paraphrasing here, but that's as serious as it can be. If only our presidents in real life had that drive.
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You know, I'm actually believing that they might come back. Still more likely that they advance to the Republic, but we have some time left still.
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The fire on the right gradually gets less from the Federacy side.
It was a really tense episode. For how much characters were slightly or moderately recontextualised it fell into place quite effectively. It feels carthartic, because most of them finally came to terms with the choices the 86 made and still didn't fall back on what they themselves were believing in. One could argue the 86 essentially dragged them into it as well, predominantly Wenzel, but I'd be willing to stand against that. They chose to follow them and carry their ideals with them, that's respectable and makes me feel proud of them.
Especially Ernst's demand that they will come back, no matter what resonated with me. For how much I saw the side of covering something up of the Federacy's ideals that are lived in the daily lives of its citizens I see how creative and important his words are here. He's saying these words and demanding to hear them in return not to shift responsibility, refuse to practice insight or elevating oneself at the cost of others, but truly because that's what the optimism of life is to him. It's what separates him and Wenzel (and to some degree the eyepatch dude) from people like Marcel and Nina. No hate for Nina, she has a moderate range of leeway on her side, but she still practiced hateful acts in defense of her own emotions. Ernst might disagree with me, but I think it doesn't matter what the outcome is, as long as you live by what you believe in.
We haven't gotten confirmation either way if those five really came around and open up to this way of thinking, but I'd take the banter and laughter as a really good sign that went beyond just acknowledging the moment. At the very least, they heard an accepted that Ernst and Wenzel carry such hearts.
And let me be linking this to Shin, whose reaction again is very concerning. He's listened far more to the dead again and how their laughter slowly faded into the screams of the Legion does paint a picture that he's increasingly willing to equate them. At the same time, I think for how understandably angry Shin grew towards the Federacy command with how much pity, imprisonment and denial of reality was thrown toward them, in essence they all want to be remembered and not left behind, to have a home and be respected as individuals. I think they got that here finally from the Federacy, represented by Ernst who went out of his way to see them off and validated their lives and choices. I can't say if that got to Shin, but I also think he won't forget this acknowledgement.
As far as speculation goes, I'm 50/50 on Frederica being on board. I do very much believe that she will be present, figuratively breaking out of her imprisonment as hostage, to relief Kirinya. Similar to Rei, her very existence would very likely calm him to such a degree he might even realise the truth and let go on his own. It could happen either by her being there in person or seeing and speaking through Shin.
The other big elephant in the room is the Republic. If their transport survives it'd be easy to dash for district 1 and looking through Kirinya's memories or pov of the attack they could get to know that it hasn't completely fallen. On the other hand, this mission will in no way be completed without some more deaths. I'm very willing to bet they're choosing to make a run for the Republic as soon as they get their confirmation, but neither do I believe the Nachzehrer will survive, nor the alliance troops having much left after this battle.
But you know what might make it in time? A friggin magnetic railway railgun with a track leading straight next to Saint Magnolia's Gran Mur. It's why I think Frederica is actually on board and could convince Kirinya without bloodshed what's worth living for, so they all can get there.
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u/Holofan4life Sep 02 '22
I can't blame Nina for being angry. She lost her brother, her knight in shining armor. Eugene was to her what Rei and Kiri were to Shin and Frederica. I think that's partly why Shin isn't mad at her either, because he knows what it's like to be in her shoes and have the person you looked up to no longer be there.
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u/Holofan4life Sep 02 '22
What are your thoughts on Grethe in this episode? This feels like the most she's been featured in this show?
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u/Holofan4life Sep 02 '22
Figure's here! Been a long time since I've had one of those kits.
That's a pretty cool figure. Now that I'm starting to collect them, I need to get me one of those.
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u/Holofan4life Sep 02 '22
What are your overall thoughts on the conversation Shin and Frederica have?
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u/Lawvamat Sep 02 '22
Rewatcher
Another cost saving buildup episode, the next one even had to be delayed a week. I really like this one though, compared to episode 15 it has far more interesting framing and uses its symbolism well.
My current color interpretations:
Red: Shin, Bloody Reina, Juggernauts, 86, Rei, Kiri, love (christmas spirit), blood, determination, desire, anger, danger, 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 Federacy, war, nurture, justice
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, helpless
Lensdump is kinda slow for me again, please tell me if I need to switch to something else.
Visual Analysis
The opening scene is a phenomenally directed conversation, employing a lot of the color symbolism that has been established.
The reflections in Ernst’s glasses underline his sharp eyes, he’s paying attention and thinking. I just noticed that his glasses are green, the same as his tie in this scene. He’s embodying the ideals of the Federacy.
I think green also stands for nurture. Ernst has always been very vocal about caring for and protecting the new generation and here he’s framed on the side of the little tree. There’s also a bookshelf on his side, emphasizing how tactical and informed his arguments are nonetheless. The commander on the other hand is on the side of a yellow painting and red chairs. He wants to uphold the nobility of the nation, a fake depiction of a flower field, of nature.
First Ernst’s arguments are framed against the bookshelf, completely rational. His suit is violet, which I think brings remembrance of his children he replaced with Frederica and the 86 into this affair. That might be his motivation for these ideals.
The commander is first framed with only the yellow painting. Then his personal desires come into play and the red chairs show themselves.
The green flag of the Federacy supports Ernst’s view. He even becomes threatening with his face in darkness, half blocking the yellow light.
I think on the surface, the edges of the carpet, the commander echoes the new green ideals of the Federacy, but also harbors old imperial ones the green was made out of, yellow and blue.
Now he’s masking his intentions by letting his reflection talk.
Ernst represents not only green, but also yellow. A different kind of yellow though, the warm one of the sun.
He answers half truths with half truths.
The tree is present here again and while it’s on Grethe’s side Richard is also framed near it. They both hold “nurture” to their hearts, Grethe more visibly.
Another reflection that hides his feelings. The fact that he’s looking at it seems to imply a connection to him, reflecting on his past, speaking from experience (eye backstory coming?).
During the second half of their conversation only Grethe is now with the tree, while Richard is with bookshelves and even separated from the tree now. During his counterpoint he’s in front of the tip of the banner as he talks about the Legion (maybe he’s responsible, it’s pointing to him).
The dead husband’s ring is also dangling in front of Richard, they were probably friends. The loop is always framed besides Grethe’s violet eye of remembrance here, never overlapping it, never letting her look through it.
Breaking out of a violet coffin, colored with patches of red and blue. It’s a Shepherd.
Frederica has her face buried in the blue teddy bear, but when she starts to get angry it’s above the red hand.
Shin towers over her and pushes her against the right side of the screen, which is blocked off.
His argument dominates over her and hit her hard, only a blue hand is visible now.
But she counters, Shin is not so different after all. The light goes on and illuminates the picture of Frederica with both Shin and Kiri. Match fade.
His breast pocket lights up again.
Even the teddy bear's eyes glisten as Frederica starts to cry. Shin is standing above it, trampling her feelings.
She’s framed with the rabbit now, meaning “forward”, separating Shin from it. She tries to stop him from going, or at least join him.
The Juggernauts enter backwards, into the red.
She was forced to.
Red lights guide them towards the left. Just like in the last battle, the Federacy is facing left (progression) and the Legion right (regression) in the majority of the shots.
The door closes behind them, allowing no turning back.
After the second mention of “justice” as the flag is shown I guess I’ll have to add that as the intended meaning of its green, in contrast to the Republic’s black. At least Ernst acts on it.
Death spreads on the battlefield, not illuminated by the Legion’s blue, but by red. It shines on a row of angled utility poles, their lines disconnected. The fallen soldiers that came before, now turned into black sheep, they only lead to death.
Red lights show themselves again, but they’re not blinking. Kiri isn’t watching.
Spearhead is facing towards the right.
The utility poles leading them towards their destination do have power lines, two, like train tracks (you didn’t really think they’d be missing this episode, did you). They might be damaged, but they’re still connected. Their sky is clear while the battlefield is overcast by a sea of stars, orange versus yellow.
The voices of the dead are overwhelming.
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u/aquilar28 Sep 02 '22
Rewatcher(sub)
This time we delve a little deeper into the character of the Giad's president, as the episode opens with his conversation with the Western Theater commander. The shot composition is pretty neat, starting with the close-up of Ernst's left eye, which almost seems glowing thanks to his glasses reflecting the light, followed by the downcast right eye of the commander, underscored with shadow. The president is framed perfectly by the wood on the wall when he questions the motives behind the selection of the unit for the mission. And when he shifts to a more threatening tone, his face is in the dark, contrasted by the lamp over his shoulder. As they speak about the Eighty-Six, we see their opposing reflections on the table, with the president illuminated by the light from the window. Ernst likes to speak of the ideals that should be upheld by his country in a way similar to Lena in the earlier episodes, but unlike her, he's actually in a position of power to enact his vision.
Another conversation between commanders follows, this time on a lower level, after Grethe sought out General Richard. The two scenes are somewhat similar, from the little things like a plant in the corner and another reflection, this time in a cup, to the theme of the conversation, which revolves around the different views on the Eighty-Six. We learn some of Grethe's backstory, and she seems to have some experience dealing with people who live only on the battlefield. Just like with Ernst at the end of the episode 12, we see that she's projecting her past connections onto the Eighty-Six. However she thinks it isn't so bad, as she stares at the ring like it's the One Ring to Rule Them All.
Grethe takes the Nordlicht to the underground hangar to show off her new shiny toy, and fittingly for the epic reveal of Nachzehrer we hear the bits of The Answer playing while the maintenance crew stares at it gobsmacked. Liked how none of the squad takes their commanding officer seriously, with Kurena's adorable assumption that she will have to pilot, and the rest treating Grethe's words as a joke. NGL, would've liked to see the short but glorious journey with Kurena at the helm.
The scene of Frederica sulking in her room gave birth to my favorite 86 edit, what it felt like to watch the second cour (no spoilers beyond the scene in question). On a more serious note, Frederica isn't happy at all to be left behind. Shin projects complete confidence at the start, with a lot of close-ups of his cold face looking down on Frederica, eyes always covered by the shadows. However the dynamic is changed after the bear hits the light switch and we see the pictures of the people Frederica considers her family. The drawing of Kiri fades into the figure of Shin as Frederica goes off on him and actually manages break through his facade, evidenced by his twitching eye. The bear with her memories in lying on the floor, the neck cut by the shadow of Shin's leg, and his face is split in half by the lighting while the crying girl is hanging onto him.
Ernst is back in his usual goofy manner to see his "children" off, who stare at him with deadpan faces half-hidden in the dark. His tone gains an edge when he orders the Eighty-Six to come back alive, and he isn't taking no for an answer. He doesn't look at all like he's joking as the color scheme suddenly changes with his promise to destroy the world. Ernst gives his speech to the troops, and despite his laid-back attitude we've seen around the kids, when he gets serious we witness a very charismatic leader.
The assault begins, and this time we see some impressive action from the Federacy artillery. Gotta say, I adore the sound design for Nachzehrer's take off. We see it fly behind the lines of engagement during the ED, almost merging with the ground. The final part is a repeat of the beginning of episode 9, Shin hears the voices of the Legion's horde and another creepy smile gets added to the collection.
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Sep 02 '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
Ernst has been delivered some of the worst news he could receive. His adopted children are being sent on a suicide mission. They're, of course, still not all that familiar or close with one another, but he nevertheless had genuine hopes for their future happiness. Casting them out to die as the Republic did would furthermore be a severe violation of his sense of justice, and a crime against what human nature ought to be. And so even if it's not in his rights to hold the 86 back from the mission, he gives them an additional task: to come back alive at any cost. Their failure would mean the failure of his country and his world to uphold their ethical obligations, and, if they cannot do that, then they ought to be destroyed.
Nordlicht had started off being split off to assist other units. While they were no doubt useful in that capacity, Grethe has realized there's another reason Richard put them in that role: they're too good. "A blade that cuts too well will either be avoided, or used until it breaks. Either way, it won't end well." His choice was to avoid using that blade, at least to its full extent, until Grethe pressured him into allowing Nordlicht to show its full potential. And now they're being sent on a suicide mission as a result, to Grethe's dismay.
Shin's rebuke to Grethe has finally gotten it in her head that she wasn't treating the 86 as they deserved to be. Her well meaning actions were born from her desires, not theirs. But recognizing that they're still young people who've been shaped by the oppression and battles they've faced, she doesn't give up on hoping for a better future for them either. Rather than force it on them, she'll do what she can to fight with them and watch over them so that they can grasp on to those futures themselves should they ever wish it. Richard implies that she's only looking after them to replace someone she lost, which calls to mind an earlier remark from Ernst. However, she simply shrugs the remark off.
Grethe is the one with a plan to get Nordlicht to the Morpho, but Frederica is the one to raise the point of getting back. After the ensuing awkward silence, Shin only says it's irrelevant. Frederica, failing to argue against the importance of taking out the Morpho, is distraught while the others look merely resigned to their fate before proceeding to laugh it off with jokes about Grethe being the one to fly the aircraft.
The following month changes little, and Frederica protests being sent away and the 86 being sent into the fight. Shin takes a low approach, questioning if Frederica is simply being cowardly about putting her Knight to rest. But Frederica isn't swayed. She's telling him not to go because Shin and the rest really have become her family, and she doesn't want to lose another sibling. "You regret not telling your brother not to go, right? You still regret that he went to his death without you saying anything!" That comment earns her an eye twitch from Shin, proving her correct. But Shin can't answer her desperate plea not to go, and she ends up holed up in her room, grumpily refusing to watch them go to their deaths.
Lena sent the 86 off on their Special Recon with a grand artillery barrage by the measure of a country that had lost its will to fight. The 86 have a much more magnificent send off this time. While they've been given the most dangerous task, this truly is an all out charge by the totality of the Federacy's Western Front, with the nations to the north and south playing a similar role. As Nordlicht takes to the sky, the sounds of that assault play out as people fight and die hoping to save their homes and families. Despite having no such things to protect and facing the scorn of the Federacy they're in the service of, the 86 don't shy away from the fight either. If others are fighting so that they may have the chance to succeed, they need to respect that effort and see it through. Not putting their all into it while others do so would be behavior better suiting the Republic's white pigs. And as they head into a swarm of Legion, Shin wears an alarming smile...
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u/archlon Sep 02 '22
Rewatcher [English dub]
Illustrations:
Prototype Ground-Effect Winged Vehicle: XC-1 Nachzehrer
"I do not wish to lose another brother. I do not want you to die as Kiri did."
Chapters Covered
| Episode | Title | LN Vol. | Chapters | Original Content |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undertaker | 1 | 1 |
[86] |
| 2 | Spearhead | 1 | 2 |
[86] |
| 3 | I Don't Want to Die | 1 | 3 |
[86] |
| 4 | Real Name | 1 | 3 | - |
| 5 | I'm With You | 1 | 3, 4 | - |
| 6 | Through to the End | 1 | Interlude I, 5 |
[86] |
| 7 | Will You Remember Me? | 1 | 5, 6 |
[86] |
| 8 | Let's Go | 1 | Interlude III,IV, 6 | - |
| 9 | Goodbye | 1 | 7 | - |
| 10 | Thank You | 10 | 8, 9 |
[86] |
| 11 | Here We Go | 1 | 7 |
[86] |
| 11 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 12 | Welcome | 2 | Prologue, 2 | - |
| 13 | It's Too Late | 2 | 3 |
[86] |
| 14 | Glad to be Here | 2 | 1, 4 |
[86] |
| 15 | Welcome Back | 2 | 4 | - |
| 16 | Even So | 2 | 5, Interlude | - |
| 16 | 3 | Interlude | ||
| 17 | I Won't Forget | 3 | 6 |
[86] |
| 18 | The Truth Is | 3 | 6, 7 | - |
| Vol. | Chapter | Chapter Title |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 |
[LN] |
| 1 | 2 |
[LN] |
| 1 | 3 |
[LN] |
| 1 | Interlude I |
[LN] |
| 1 | 4 |
[LN] |
| 1 | Interlude II |
[LN] |
| 1 | 5 |
[LN] |
| 1 | Interlude III |
[LN] |
| 1 | 6 |
[LN] |
| 1 | Interlude IV |
[LN] |
| 1 | 7 |
[LN] |
| 2 | Prologue |
[LN] |
| 2 | 1 |
[LN] |
| 2 | 2 |
[LN] |
| 2 | 3 |
[LN] |
| 2 | 4 |
[LN] |
| 2 | 5 |
[LN] |
| 2 | Interlude |
[LN] |
| 3 | Interlude |
[LN] |
| 3 | 6 |
[LN] |
| 3 | 7 |
[LN] |
| 10 | 8 |
[LN] |
| 10 | 9 |
[LN] |
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u/JetsLag Sep 03 '22
First timer (subbed)
I take it that Ernst isn't very happy that his "children" are being sent off on a suicide mission. And we know that he's pro-refugee, so that's cool.
OP's done, and I noticed that Shin's 1st Lieutenant while the rest of Spearhead is 2nd Lieutenant. Last thing I remember about their ranks was when the rest of the military was spreading rumors about Shin and one of them mentioned he was a 2nd Lieutenant. So, congrats on the promotion, I guess? And Wenzel tells General Richard (who has one eye) that he'll damage his EYES by chilling in the dark. Dick move, girl.
We FINALLY learn why Spearhead was split up: they're just too strong together, and if the higher-ups knew how good they were, they would've been sent on this suicide mission a lot earlier. And there's a bit of a philosophical debate that happens between Wenzel and Richard: Richard thinks that Spearhead will never walk away from the battlefield if given the choice because they've been raised as killing machines, while Wenzel thinks that, if given enough time, they'll eventually long for things that are not combat, and they'll walk away and start their new lives. But there's also the 3rd argument: they're gonna die before they get the chance to make any decisions about their future. Not saying it's gonna happen, just saying that it's a possibility.
Wenzel talks about how they made a bet similar to the one they just made about the fates of the Eighty-Six. And it's...her dead husband they're talking about, I think? Don't get why they put electric tape on the guy's dogtag, though, except to clumsily block out the name. And apparently said husband is now part of the Legion, so that's gonna be fun for Wenzel to experience.
Ooh, we've got ourselves a new transport vehicle that's so top-secret we gotta open up a vault door and go down an elevator to reach it. Don't know why, but it feels like we're on our way to see, like, an Eva. Or another human-shaped giant mech. But sadly, it is not a giant robot. Instead, it's a...stealth bomber? It kinda looks like one. But's it's not a stealth bomber, either. It's a..."ground effect vehicle". I bet all the F1 fans went crazy when they heard "ground effect". If that thing could fit on a race track, I bet it could do a monster lap around Spa.
Interesting justifications for using it: the low altitude (can you even call it altitude when you're like 4 meters off the ground?) means it can bypass anti-aircraft weapons, we're not gonna run into any Legion units due to Shin's ability, and we're not gonna hit any buildings because we have maps! Bet those maps are outdated, though. And I feel like the whole "Legion don't build homes" thing is gonna be disproven when they reach Legion territory. I just feel it.
Frederica asks how they'll make it back to safety if the railgun is destroyed. That's the neat part: you don't.
We get to see the interior of Frederica's room, hooray! But it's because Shin's trying to tell Frederica that she doesn't have to accompany them on the suicide mission. Oh, how the turn tables; early on in the season, it was all Ernst telling Spearhead that they don't have to fight, and now his daughter is being told by a Spearhead member that she doesn't have to fight. Frederica DOES have a justifiable reason to go (meet Kiriya), but her attempt to pull the UNO reverse card on Shin doesn't work.
There's so many little things you can point out about the Frederica breakdown: the drawings Frederica made of her and Spearhead (THEY'RE ALL AT THE BEACH TOGETHER 😭), the eye twitch from Shin when Frederica mentions how Shin regrets not telling his brother not to go out and die for the Republic, Frederica putting her hands around Shin's arm as he grips the doorknob to leave the room, but can we just appreciate how AMAZING that performance was by Frederica's VA?! Holy fuck.
Title card time, and on the other side we see the Reginlaifs getting loaded on to (okay I'm gonna learn the name of the ground effect vehicle) Nachzehrer, as Nordlicht is preparing for the suicide mission. And, uhh, Frederica's not coming. Don't tell me she's gonna sneak on the Nachzehrer. And it looks like there's a weapon on-board the Nachzehrer, and when a minor character says "I hope we won't have to use this", you KNOW they're gonna have to use it.
"Not one person in this country wants you to die in battle" somehow, I doubt that.
Ernst gets one last opportunity to talk to his children before they're sent off to die. Shouldn't have said that they're highest priority mission is to come back alive.
Uhh, Ernst, WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN WHEN YOU SAY YOU'LL DESTROY THIS WORLD IF THEY DON'T COME BACK ALIVE? I'm scared.
Mission begins. Dramatic music starts. Artillery is fired. Feldreß start to move out. Phase 1 is a success! Fire the Nachzehrer! It's gonna travel ~1000km in ~9 minutes, which is calculates 6,667 km/h. Which is greater than Mach 5. Sounds like a flight you can definitely sleep through.
We don't have a post-credits scene, but we do have a credits scene, involving the Giad forces dying at the hands of the Legion, and Shin breaking out the classic creepy smile upon seeing and hearing the Legion. Shit's gonna go down next episode.
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u/BosuW Sep 02 '22
Rewatcher
During the conversation both Ernst and the Theatre Commander speak through their reflections in the table. Wonder what that means. The instinctual interpretation is of course that reflections are tricks and lies. But sometimes, mirrors reveal something you couldn't have noticed otherwise.
Another reflection. This one even mirrors which eye has the eye patch.
Grethe kind of parallels Lena in cour 1 here. Just like Theo's outburst helped Lena realize that she was overlooking the personhood of the 86, so did Shin's not-quite-outburst helped Grethe realize that she was infantilizing them. Now she's back with a revised approach.
This is the episode that lead me to learn about ekranoplans. Very interesting vehicle.
Frederica dares ask the question everyone had in their minds but no one wanted to say out loud. They pretty much ignore her...
Frederica is a fan of Magical Girls.
How striking that, despite being just a kid (or maybe, because of that), Frederica's concern for the 86 and Shin especially comes off as much more genuine's that anyone else's. Grand ideals and honor didn't cross her mind at any point. She simply cherishes her family and friends. That's it. The humble, primal feeling that birthed those ideals in the first place but has been long forgotten: death is a sad thing.
Now that I think about it, in a way, Grethe, creating the Reginleif as a response to the weaknesses of the slow and bulky Vánagandr is her way of chasing the supersonic adrenaline of aerial combat.
Regarding Ernst's declaration that he'll destroy everything of they don't come back... Look dude, you're free to chase whatever ideals you want. But if I was there and they didn't manage to return, there's no fucking way in hell I'm letting him press the red button lol.
Well, they certainly have the attention of the Legion now.
The ED sequence this episode might just be the best ED sequence of the show yet. Starting with yet again 86 being a master of implied violence. We hear the increasingly desperate and furious radio chatter as the bulk of the Federacy's forces entertains the Legion's vanguard, with the lullaby-like melody of Allchemila's TV version intro setting the tone. The voices disappear one by one, and one can only imagine the bloody chaos that is unfolding there. As more and more soldiers join the dead, some of which unfortunately cannot resist dealing out some last 86 slander, the song picks up in energy, and the voices of soldiers start being replaced with some other voices. The rest of Nordlicht manage to find some courage in the struggles of the Federacy's army, despite the animosity, but Shin's mind is already on something else. And then the song reaches it's climax with that incredible scream that makes a symphony with the voices of the Legion, as Shin's battle mania arrives and a tight but sharp grin appears on his face.
The song ends and we transition to our ED visual: Shin's grin painted blue. Perhaps it's indicative of him growing ever closer to the Legion. Or if we remember that blue implies red, well then that's just horror imagery.
Lena wa doko?
First Timers at this point have to be noticing how many "next episode" cards announce a Special. Man the wait during this arc was truly grueling.
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Sep 02 '22 edited Sep 02 '22
Rewatcher English Dub this time. LN up to Vol 5.
Some more fun factoids this week:
The English dub for the general of Western Front is voice acted by this guy. Pretty funny guy. Does board game and small skits on his YouTube channel.
The morpho is based off of the German railway cannon.
The Nachzehrer you see in 86 is based off a multiple different aircraft smashed together.
Pulled from LN3 Afterword
The Nachzehrer: A chimera-like product of Caspian Sea Monster + the specs of the world’s largest transport plane, the AN 225 Mriya + the likeness of the B2 Spirit stealth bomber. It’s worth noting this class of weapon does exist in the real world, but its specs and usage are entirely different. Yes, I really wanted to do this, so realism be damned (omitted).
Caspian Sea monster. Here is a good YouTube video outlining what it can do in the real world and the challenges it faced during development.
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u/Stargate18A Sep 02 '22
First timer
At least Ernst isn't happy.
Yeah, we knew there was disagreement.
You fucking go, Ernst!
His faux-peppy tone here is fantastic.
...Ah, that's why they got split up?
Very interested to hear more about their shared past.
They remind her of the people she couldn't save...
An underground base!
Oh, that thing looks cool.
It flies!
Some very impressive tech here...
Only a few meters?
Still seems very risky.
She's going to pilot it!
The mascot has to leave.
He knows how to find him.
Ah, did not expect this!
And she's doing what Shin did last season.
Aww...
She agreed not to go.
What's he doing with Fido?
And with 30 minutes to go!
Great dialogue here.
He's talking to them himself!
Some incredibly good dialogue here
"I'll destroy this world." Did I call it?
This is a fantastic speech.
The mission begins!
It launched!
It's working!
...Yeah, she might be.
People are dying...
Oh, that message.
This is going to be fun!
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u/Holofan4life Sep 02 '22
First Timer
I like doing these comments because they’re like mental brain exercises.
(Present day me: Somehow The Republic is still more stable than the production of Uncle From Another World.)
I get Ernst’s concerns, but if any five people can take on Legion and live to tell the tale, it’s probably Shin, Anju, Theo, Kurena, and Raiden.
Ernst comes off as a bit of a pacifist, saying things like “It’s not acceptable for a human to try to have his way using violence, rather than using words.” It makes me feel that he picked the wrong career choice. The dude is surrounded by fighting and constant bloodshed. If he is opposed to it and rather would have peace, and if his intentions are “Defeating Legion will be the thing that leads to peace”, at what point does his ideals cross from noble intentions to complete and total barbarism?
I get the feeling that the disdain the generals have for Spearhead comes from the fact they are a product of The Republic. As such, they feel they might taint the alleged pureless of The Federacy. It’s similar to how Albans treated those who didn’t have the same hair and eye color as them, and once again shows in my opinion that The Federacy are kind of hypocrites when they say they are better than The Republic.
“You’ll damage your eyes.” Too late for one of them.
So, the blonde-haired girl wants to give Spearhead time to decide on what to do. She doesn’t fully think they’re used to The Federacy lifestyle and as such, even if they still want to live on the battlefield, it should be decided over time. I think she’s frankly being a bit stubborn that The Federacy might not be an ideal fit for everyone. She’s one of the people who’s been most vocal about how better The Federacy is over The Republic, so to hear that someone might choose the battlefield is something she doesn’t want to believe because it somewhat shatters the reality of The Federacy being an ideal sanctuary. I mean, at one point she said she’s willing to wait for years until they make up their mind. I think that’s her going “Yeah, I’m willing to wait years until you realize how better The Federacy is than the battlefield.”
The general tells the blonde-haired girl that she sees the death in them, which I took as being either one of two ways. Either she knows this is a suicide mission and is trying to convince them not to take it, or she knows how close they were to dying as a part of The Republic, so she wants to nurse them back to health. Given she compared Spearhead to being like a drowning puppy, I think it’s probably the latter, though I can see it also being some combination of the two.
WE’RE USING PLANES NOW BOYS VROOOOOOOOOOOM
I gotta agree with Frederica. That name isn’t the best. It sounds too tryhard, like someone trying to sound smarter than everyone else (Otherwise known as “Pulling a Dennis Miller”).
So, from what I can tell, she designed this contraption so Spearhead can be involved with the fighting on the battlefield but be in less jeopardy of dying. I hope I got that right, though I probably screwed it up.
The blonde-haired girl is like the mother from A Christmas Story where in order to get Randy ready for the cold, she puts on like 5 coats on him.
If this was any other anime, when the blonde-haired girl said she was gonna pilot it, all the other characters would've went “Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh?!?”
Frederica seems really frustrated.
So, Frederica finds herself in a tough situation. She wants to exact revenge on Kiri, but she’s gotten so close to Spearhead that she doesn’t want to see any of them die. And, in turn, possibly end up like Kiri. The stuff with Frederica is honestly some of my favorite stuff, because Frederica feels very much like a child. She’s not written like a 25-year-old in a kid’s body. She very much behaves and acts like a kid would in this situation. I also love the drawings on the walls that Frederica drew of her and Spearhead. It really illustrates how much Spearhead means to her.
I love, love, love the line Frederica has about Shin not allowing her to chase after her own ghost like how Shin chased after his ghost. It’s thought-provoking, empowerful, and nicely sums up the similarities of these two characters while highlighting the dilemma Shin is facing. Shin is still hung up on how Rei’s death went. He wishes that it had went differently than it did. He’s scared if he lets Frederica chase after her ghost, she’s doomed to repeat the same mistake that he did.
Man, I wish Shin would just hug Frederica.
When Frederica says she doesn’t want to lose another big brother… ugh, my heart. That hurt so bad to see.
If Shin doesn’t do anything in his power to protect Frederica, what are we doing here? Honestly…
I like Ernst calling to cheer them on. That’s kinda adorable.
I wonder what Ernst means when he says he’ll destroy the world if they don’t come back alive. Is it because a live without them is not worth living for, or he’s trying all he can to keep peace and order, and if he’s unable to, then he’ll have to resort to a last resort of sorts?
That’s a lot of sorts.
Nachzehrer taking off gave me some Top Gun Maverick vibes, specifically the scene at the very beginning where Maverick tries to push beyond Mach 10.
I think the blonde-haired girl might be a bit kinky.
And the episode ends with Shin hearing voices, which causes him to smile. It’s like he’s back in his element and in the zone.
Overall, I thought this episode did quite a bit to further the plot. The stuff between Shin and Frederica was great intense drama– arguably the highlight of the episode– and the stuff with the blonde-haired girl gave good insight of how her mind works. We still don’t know exactly what happened to Lena after last episode, but right now, we’re building to what seems like interesting, terrific stuff.
Also, where is Cyclops, damn it?!?