86: Eighty-Six (1st season) - A mixture of intense emotions
Some time ago I saw a review of a user in this community about an anime that caught my attention and after having some availability I watched the 1st season of 86: Eighty-Six, an anime that was adapted from a series of light novels written by Asato Asato. This story presents us with a world in which a nation mostly populated by people of the "alba" race, decides to expel the so-called 86: Eighty-Six, a race they consider inferior and which they stripped of all their rights.
This happened in the middle of a conflict against another nation in which they battle with drones that in theory are not manned, or well, that is what they make the population believe. It turns out that the drones with which the republic of San Magnolia (the nation in which the plot develops) battles are piloted by 86: Eighty-Six who are sent to fight without caring about their lives against the Legion, enemy drones that are truly unmanned.
The 86: Eighty-Six who go to battle are led or supported by a "handler" who is a person of the Alba race who tries to make the best possible use of the resources to push back the enemy forces since a defeat can make the republic suffer the consequences of the war, something that for the population is unthinkable since they live in a bubble in which they boast of being happy and living without worries even though every day people die who for them are not human beings.
Now, this brings us to the handler Vladilena Mirizé, a young girl who seems to have more humanity than the rest and who understands the injustices to which the 86: Eighty-Six are subjected, whom she considers human like herself. This girl gradually creates a friendly bond with the members of the Spearhead squadron whom she sees dying little by little battle after battle.
And well, my intention was not to give you spoilers, but to put them in context I felt the need to tell you part of the story as it has its complexities and depth. The truth is that the scenario and the circumstances in which the story unfolds lend themselves to generate situations with which you can empathize with those most affected in all this, it is inevitable to connect with the different characters who have unique personalities and motivations to live that can make you reflect.
In the title of the post I mention that this anime is a mix of intense emotions as the bonds that are generated between the handler and the squad members can be heartbreaking. The 86: Eighty-Six have a hard time accepting Vladilena's empathy because they know that in the end it won't do any good since basically a certain death awaits them, everything is structured so that they don't survive and only one person doesn't have the power to change everything, so they just have to accept and wait for what has to come.
Something I've been noticing in the last few years is that it's hard to find anime with which you can really connect or create meaningful bonds, the stories are usually empty or more of the same and although you can be entertained you end up forgetting them after a while, well, that doesn't happen with 86: Eighty-Six for the moment. The first season ended with some unknowns which I hope to discover in the coming chapters, I think the best is yet to come so I can't wait to see the second season of which of course I will share my opinion about it.
-Credits/Créditos:
- Novel written by: Asato Asato
- Publisher: ASCII Media Works
- Studio: A-1 Pictures
- Official website
It is certainly difficult to find an anime nowadays to connect with, I remember reading that review and I was also attracted by the plot and now I read yours, it's a sign that I must watch it haha
I have a feeling it will bring a few tears to my eyes 🦉
Yes, I think you should see it, I'm sure you'll like it. Greetings!
English
If I have noticed that many anime are like more of the same but on the other hand it is also difficult to create innovative stories, then I think that in reality the real problem is the emptiness of personalities in the characters (this applies to anime as to series, movies etc) because if you can tell something with a similar foundation (in fact I think so happens a lot) but what attracts the viewer is the emotions that those characters generate. It is a good topic to debate that calls my attention to make a post and read opinions.
For example if the characters generate empathy to the spectator the success, this I notice happened with you and the one that leads them then the anime fulfills and that is the success.
I will keep annotated because I call attention to the stories of conflicts of races, this is something that in real life happened for millennia, it is like part of human nature to form groups or societies and to do so see the rest as inferior
Spanish
Si he notado que muchos animes son como mas de lo mismo pero en contraparte es que también cuesta crear historias innovadoras, entonces pienso que en realidad el verdadero problema es el vacio de personalidades en los personajes (esto aplica a anime como a series, peliculas etc) porque si se puede contar algo con un fundamento similar (de hecho asi pienso sucede mucho) pero lo que atrae al espectador es las emociones que esos personajes le generen. Es un buen tema a debatir que llama mi atención para hacer un post y leer opiniones
Por ejemplo si los personajes le generan empatía al espectador el éxito, esto noto sucedió contigo y la que los lidera entonces el anime cumple y eso es el éxito
La tendré anotada porque me llaman la atención las historias de conflictos de razas, esto es algo que en la vida real sucedió por milenios, es como que parte de la naturaleza humana el formar grupos o sociedades y al hacerlo ver al resto como inferiores
The characters really connected with me, but I think it's because the writer managed to capture quite well the situations that derive from race conflicts that as you know have a lot of issues to deal with.
Keep this anime in mind, you will like it for sure.
It sounds very interesting the way you describe it so I will try to start looking into it as well.
You are right these times it is not easy to find anime with real entertainment and those meaningful vibes.
Nothing easy, but just like this case, an interesting one appears from time to time.
I haven't finished watching this. From episode 10 on, that's past where the first Light Novel ends and the rest of the books are written out of order due to the original being a one-shot (was never supposed to be a full series). For a first major work from its author, it's a very interesting read with some fun author's notes about her preferences in women and other things. I wish I could get my youngest sister to read it due to its core themes and inspiration being directly related to her military career (she was a drone pilot).
Would recommend a read if you have quite a bit of time. It's not a "long" series but the Anime surprisingly got most of the tone down (up to where I stopped watching so I could read). :D