What they say:
Shin and the rest of ex-Spearhead head off to the Academy for training in the Federacy armed forces. After they graduate, they adjust back into being soldiers armed with new weapons. However, questions of their future and role as 86 still hang in the balance.
The review:
Content (Please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The gang finally heads off for some military training in episode 14. Much to the chagrin of Federacy military officials, the 86 are back on the front lines and fighting again. However, for me, it marks a return to form and represents the series at its strongest. These episodes feature a much healthier mix of action and drama. While I understand the need for more exposition, the chance for the series to flex its entertainment value and thrill is a welcome change of pace. They graduate from officer training quickly, within a few minutes of screen time. This must be an adaptation choice. I was hoping for a deeper look into school life for the 86 but I suppose there’s not enough time for that. But the action returning is worth it, so I’ll take a sped-up through officer training.
After graduating training, their new commanding officer, Grethe Wenzel, gives them a surprise. She takes them to where they had previously fought at the end of the first half of the series before being rescued by the Federacy. The Federacy has since reclaimed that land and gathered the team’s old Juggernauts. They also erected a monument with all the names Shin had gathered up to that point, and most surprisingly, reactivated Fido, the robot who followed Shin around. His core was still functioning so they replaced his old parts with new ones. This was a pleasant turn of events, although Fido isn’t seen again after this reunion scene. Now named the Nordlicht unit, they set out to fight again test piloting Reginleifs, based on the Juggernauts.
It’s here where Shin reunites with Eugene again one final time. He finds Eugene gravely wounded and is forced to mercy kill him. This is an act normally routine for Shin, but this time it seems to be getting to him. This is something I’ve been wondering for a while as well. Shin’s mental state should be called into question at this point. He’s usually cold, but he’s still a human, and he was human enough to care about his brother. There’s no human who wouldn’t crack eventually from constantly killing his own comrades as a reaper. Eugene was an intriguing character as well. He appeared to be an Alba fighting on behalf of the Federacy. He also wanted to make a better life for his sister (mentioning on his next leave he would take her somewhere special, an obvious death flag). There was more to be explored about a character like him. Empathy for a poorer man who wanted to make a better life for his family and his racial identity relative to the war with the Republic. It’s unfortunate his life was cut short. A disappointing loss in story potential, but that’s war for you.
Episode 15 continues the streak from 14. However, it takes some steps to build the world and history a bit. First, Grethe mentions there are other surviving countries out there besides the Federacy and the Republic. They’ve received radio transmission from the United Kingdom of Roa Gracia and the Alliance of Wald, who have built a defense system and are surviving. However, the Republic is ignoring their messages. Grethe also warns of a large-scale Legion attack. It’s at this point I feel the conflict becomes a little convoluted. The Legion appears to be the main enemy of the series, and they are the weapons of the now-defunct Empire of Giad but they are still active and now fighting the Federacy. I’m not sure if I missed something but I have a few questions. Do these Legion have any structure or organization or anti-Federacy leader? These are the same enemies of the Republic, yet the Republic and the new Federacy seem to have hostile relations. It seems like there are one too many forces in this fight. I’m not sure of this will be explained later or if this was lost in the adaptation. Either way, it’s a bit hard to follow.
What is explained is a bit of history surrounding the Federacy’s founding, though. Frederica tells Shin of Kiriya Nouzen, a distant relative of his. Eventually, the people revolted against the Empire’s government but the Legion wasn’t programmed to handle domestic problems, so the royal family including Frederica, fled the capital protected by human guards. One of the guards was Kiriya. Luckily Ernst was able to find Frederica before the rebel army and faked her death. Kiriya believed it, though, and let himself be taken by the Legion. Frederica uses the story as an opportunity to remind Shin of his future.
Shin can only grin at the irony that he was now being told to think about his future from both Lena of the Republic and now Frederica from the Empire. Not only them, but the soldiers of the Federacy continue to lament how Shin and Nordlicht keep being sent to fight, the only way they know how to live. No matter which side they end up, they can’t seem to escape hearing about this. They’re being told from all sides about it. Hidden is the cost of the Republic’s brutal campaign to eliminate the 86 and their propaganda. Fighting is all they’ve ever known. They’ve never thought about their future. Whether or not they’ll be able to deprogram that from their minds will probably be overarching for the remainder of the story. Talking about this with Raiden, the two of them wonder how Lena is doing. Lena meanwhile, is shown to be taking heavy losses in her new squad
We still haven’t seen much of her at all. I like this new focus on the Federacy, but I also hope Lena can enter the fray again. Another strong point for the series was Lena’s character and her change from naive leader to badass commander was an exciting one that’s only been given to us in teases. I can’t wait to see the new dynamic she creates if/when she meets back up with her former 86 squad. Nonetheless, the story is moving in a good direction.
The production values are stellar as usual from the series. Music and animation still hold up, and the action sequences remain as thrilling and engaging as ever. Thankfully there are more of them this time. Hopefully, there are still more to come to keep that balance alive.
In Summary:
86 continues to impress with another strong set of episodes. The thrills of battle make their return and the story continues to move in an interesting direction even if there is some sacrificed story potential. The series continues to breeze through its source material, gleaming over potential hot spots for story content, such as with officer training, Eugene, Fido, and Lena. However, the direction and production remain strong and all the beats continue to land. The details of the war are a bit confusing but I’m more than content waiting for an explanation that may never come if it means sitting through more great action and pristinely directed drama.
Grade: A-
Streamed by: Crunchyroll.
