Anime 48569 86 Part 2 Reviews Filter Check 2

86 tells the story of discrimination, human rights, and the moral values that are built on the societal structures that were put in place. 86 as a series is the byproduct of a liberally indoctrinated ideal society. In liberalism, one of the fundamental values it believes in is the rights of human beings and the unquestionable equal treatment of all people. But of course, that is impossible to achieve because discrimination will always be present. 86 demonstrates these aspects clearly through the first cour and a bit more in the second cour.

This is why 86 is very typical. We have seen these types of ... stories from other entertainment mediums: be it books, live-action TV series, films, and most importantly, history. The series as a whole offers nothing more insightful that goes beyond the usual tragic tales of the oppressed. As I progressed through this series, I began to form an overall arching question: What’s the point? The series incorporates the element of contrast between the Federal Republic of Giad and the Republic on the treatment of human rights. Yet, the hypocrisy is still there. On the one hand, the newly formed country of Giad proudly claims that they’re different from the Republic. They claim that they treat everyone, even the foreigners which are the Spearhead Squadron, the same. But the soldiers alongside the members of the squadron and some of its citizens despise them by blaming and ill shaming. This is all true in the real world, but what are the changes that are needed to be made to alter this type of behavior in a rigidly constructed society? I feel that for a series that has delved into this aspect needs to continue exploring it. Because as of currently, 86 as a entertainment is utilizing these elements in its narrative to victimize and only victimize. 86 is manipulating the viewers by giving in to the never-ending victimization, to squeeze out the emotions of the viewers because the series has no affirmative values to offer other than the surface-level presentation.

The victim-playing aspect becomes even more apparent during the turning point of the second half of 86 Part 2. During the turning point, 86 chose to shift the focus away from it. By shifting the focus away from continuing exploring for possible solutions to the problems at hand, the series is telling us that it doesn’t have affirmative answers. To which, in my eyes, this is no different than any other liberal media that have presented the same stories that contained the same themes as 86. This is where my problem lies with 86 as a series. I understand what the series is trying to portray, but I can’t help to feel that I’ve seen these types of shows before. I can’t help but feel that the same old themes and message that the series is trying to convey are not offering any distinctive answers; or in any profound way in its presentation. And over time, I can only predict that it’ll lose its meaning. In a world where these types of stories are saturated into our everyday lives, I can only see 86 as something that’s nonunique and nonrevolutionary when it had the potential to do so. I’m not saying 86 is downright terrible or utterly bad, but what I’m saying is that the series as a whole feels redundant given the field that 86 is playing in. To me, it’s upholding the same old status quo regarding the executions of its narrative and themes while not offering anything new for me to ponder over.

In consideration of its characters, 86 is at times feels more worth the investment when the series has little moments that are dedicated to the characters--specifically, the Spearhead Squadrons. When the series spends an episode or two on the character study of someone like Anju Emma, Shinei, or Raiden Shuga, it gives more insight into the minds of these characters. We get to learn more about their personas beyond being soldiers and apathetic war machines. I find that when the series utilizes their past to develop the people they are today is more interesting to watch because there’s a huge potential for explorations and again, character study. One of my major problems with the first installment of 86 was that I found Lena to be distracting and uninteresting. But by taking Lena away and focusing the narrative around someone like Emma—who’s not privileged and ignorant like Lena—it creates more compelling reasons for me to care and give a damn. However, I lament that part 2 doesn’t present enough of it. And that the increase in character dynamics between the rest of the cast and Lena will further decrease my liking of the series as a whole.

Overall, 86 is still a solid series that has a decent amount of attractive elements in its narrative and characterizations. But at the same time, it has nothing that innovates this media as others would claim it does. I find it very typical of how series like 86 in presenting themselves. I guess what I’m saying here is that 86 could’ve been a series that offers a more unique way for us to think about its presentation of its message and themes. If only 86 could be that unique.

Score: 5/10

Part 1 started strong and ended strong. Part 2 was just as strong but in all the wrong ways. Gone is the tension, the interaction between FL and ML, strong character development, interaction and fight scenes. Instead you have a regular shounen rom com atmosphere that randomly and suddenly turns gory in a very non impressive way, making you think that this anime hired an extremely incompetent screenwriter. This isn't even the worst part. the worst part is the unwanted, disgusting lolicon fanservice.

Yes you heard that right, is this seinen? I guess seinen means the now 50 year old audience of Japanese vegetables ejaculating to ... 2D children. So obviously seinen demography needs a gratuitiously useless, screen time wasting, loli in the form of Frederica. If you think about it in the 5 episodes I've watched, literally nothing happened other than a stock tsundere loli with a terrible, gratingly obnoxious voice wasting screen time. Yet another good anime going straight in the garbage can.

The story continues in the same fashion as before, which brings us both the good parts and the bad. There's not that much action yet, though it is developing at a good pace, setting up for the big conflict.

Shinei is still the serious, competent warrior who carries the weight of his past quietly and without complaint. He cares for his friends, though doesn't show it often. His character is still pulled off very well without feeling edgy or too perfect. The rest of the cast is still relegated to a few defining characteristics, and feels mostly there as a background to Shinei's journey. Raiden in ... particular feels like he should've had more backstory by now with how close he is to Shinei. Lena is only given a few minutes of screen time so far, to setup her involvement later in the season most likely.

The themes are still quite vague and one-dimensional. Hopefully this will be expanded upon soon to give more meaning to what is going on in the show.

The dialogue occasionally feels stilted and ham-fisted like in the first season, usually when there is an attempt to expand upon a character. This is mostly noticed in Frederica, who is a child but sometimes spouts lines in an attempt to make her seem more mature and capable than her age would suggest.

I have enjoyed it so far, and there's plenty of room to improve, or just continue to be entertaining enough to feel worth watching.

86 Part 2

Kill me, stone me, or whatever you want. But this season was by far worse than the first. The very first episode of 86 already made me feel like the anime was going to suck and that I was going to hate it. However, the first season managed to convince me. Through a relatively good atmosphere and the fact that the events had a difficult-to-assess sequence. Who dies, who survives, and what comes next? These questions made me not only develop an interest but also get to know the show more. And after 11 episodes, I had to say it was interesting and ... without a doubt an anime I could recommend.

Well, that was until the cliffhanger ending and ... the second season. This anime can be compared pretty well to "The Maze Runners" as the first season and the first Maze Runner movie had about the same vibe.
The start was interesting, the ending hidden and everything was left to speculation. Season 2, on the other hand, is practically just the usual "Hollywood Action Movie". The same thing happened to the movie franchise.

In 86 Part 2, everyone got SO much plot armor, I felt like even Goku would lose to the protagonists. From people desperately fighting for their lives, each of them became a one-man army. There was no more tension, only action without end. Hardly any consequences and you couldn't feel that dangerous atmosphere from the first season anymore. The whole season was just an action flick like it is in the book, with all sorts of cliches involved.
It felt to me almost as if the author had been replaced, otherwise, I can't imagine this fluctuation in quality. Or maybe I just don't want it to be true.

And to make matters worse, we also got a mascot loli... Good grief I don't have anything against it, but the setting has to allow it. Here, she was just out of context and added nothing to the plot.

The only thing I liked about this season was the Post War setting of the protagonists, who just couldn't seem to integrate into normal life anymore. They didn't know any different and it felt wrong to them. This is a very interesting topic that is unfortunately addressed far too rarely. And I'm glad to see it at least here, which allowed you to understand more of the characters.
But this was also the only thing I can say about it. Otherwise, this season was just sickeningly average.


[Conclusion 5]

After the first season had an interesting ending and you saw so much of the post-apocalyptic world, I had expectations that the quality would be maintained. Unfortunately, this series has gone from being one that achieved above-average results to being an average title. Clichéd war anime against Robot/Alien masses we already have more than enough and this one just doesn't stand out. What's left when everything that made up the first season is lost and replaced by nothing?

[Enjoyment 4]

I'm not the world's biggest fan of Mechas or military-based series, but there are quite a few shows in the genre that have had me glued to my chair...and this just isn't one of them. None of the characters feel super human to me and all anyone does 75% of the time is cry about their emotional trauma. I really...genuinely thought this show would be one something great after they left sector 86, but it just became even more banal military bullshit than it started off as.

Their only major enemy are robots made of dead people that, as of now, show no characterization beyond being ... walking balls of metal and angst.

I see major characters die in this show and I feel nothing...the show devotes more time to military minutie than it does to establishing good and human backstories for its characters. I would consider Milize to be the only interesting and markedly human character in the entire show and she has been shelved in support of Nozen and his suicide squad getting more screentime.

Which leads me to my next point...Nozen is a shit protagonist. He is just edgy and that is all he is. He has no inherently human qualities that make him relatable or a personality that makes you enjoy seeing him on screen. When Nozen is on screen he is doing one of two things: blowing shit up...or just being a "doesn't say much" edgelord. Nozens only goal in the show and in life is to end the Legion...and that is IT. He is essentially just another Sasuke-esk edge character that adds very little substance to the show.

Watching Milize struggle with the weight of her job, her desire for change, and her subconscious prejudice is interesting. She is someone at the top of a society that works for her benefit but not for her values, and that becomes a core tenant of her struggle. Milize...great character...Nozen...not.

You watch a show for one of three things: the action, the story, or the characters (setting aside the art or OST)...And imo I can't see how 86 has any of these things. It is a military snoozefest centered around a conflict that has no emotional stake against and enemy that couldn't be less interesting. Find me one person that lists a fucking Legion as one of their favorite characters...

Bottom line... it's not bad... But, god is it mediocre...

Positives: Well-produced. Aesthetically pleasing. Cool OP and ED. Well-voice acted. Understands some basics of how to create emotional moments. Had some potential. Is not the worst animé you could watch. Has two actual characters that you might sort-of like.

Negatives:
~ Consequences? Injuries? Setbacks? What are those? There are none of those in this show. None that are shown to matter, anyway. At any point. Why would there be? TBH, I have never found a show with more plot armour that pretends otherwise in all my years. "In the last season we killed off some pointless extras that nobody cared about for dramatic effect, so this ... show has stakes you guys, we promise."

~ Worldbuilding? What's that? Oh, I wrote some ideas down on the back of a beermat yesterday, will that do? There are more countries now, because the plot requires there to be them. They didn't exist until literally 5 minutes ago, and conveniently, they didn't know each other existed until 5 minutes ago either. YAY.

Everywhere is inexplicably cut off from the rest of the world, and each is in the middle of a cripplingly deadly war, desperately fighting for survival? Eh, they're just kinda modern first world countries with absolutely no hardship or consequences of said allegedly deadly war. Frankly, to look at them, you wouldn't know a war was even happening in them. Everywhere just has abundant resources and is doing just fine thank you. Don't question it.

~ Characters? While it pretends that there is a large and interesting ensemble cast, there are approximately two characters in the show that have more than two dimensions to them, and one of them is largely absent for this series. A couple of the two-dimensional characters do some half-decent stuff as well, but most of them do basically nothing of note. The rest might as well be cardboard cutouts who don't speak for all of the interest that they add to the show (in particular, I'm talking about the Minions of the main character, who after two full seasons and three books still are blank slates consisting of different coloured hairstyles with a couple of personality jingles to give the impression that something exists between their ears).

~ Dialogue. Sometimes it can be done pretty well, there are some good speeches, some emotional moments, and I'll give it props. However, most of the time, the dialogue (especially in the main cast) is painfully mundane, and even when it is good, there is rarely any subtext whatsoever. Everyone says exactly what they mean at all times, there is almost no subtlety whatsoever.

~ Fight choreography? Well. Because it's adapted from a Light Novel, the animation directors don't have a clear visual guide on how to proceed. Because in literature, it gives you a few flowery descriptions and your imagination fills in the blanks to your satisfaction. That doesn't work in a visual medium, which means that the directors need to be especially creative to make the fight scenes work. That, unfortunately, just like last season, is exceedingly hit or miss.

The final fight was pretty fun and well put-together, even if it was a ridiculous concept of trying to fight the big bad in an open field where it literally has all of the advantages. Unfortunately, the rest of the choreography is actually atrocious. The plot armour of the main characters is on full display when, especially during the initial grand offensive, they win due to the Legion having the reaction times of a slug and not firing back.

~ Premise. Do we actually showcase and explore the 86 as a parallel for ethnic groups who have been on the receiving end of war crimes approaching genocide? Kinda-sorta. We get to see some contrast for them, living in a normal country that (at least seemingly) doesn't hate them. (Good). And it tells us that they cannot easily overcome their trauma. (Good). They also have a stellar speech by a war criminal, which is almost worth the price of admission, because it really is a compelling narrative question. When this is over, it will be us vs them. Our people will be made to suffer, because the 86 and the world will want revenge. But our people don't deserve to get crushed for the crimes of a few leaders, do they? They didn't know the full extent of what was going on, even if they are a bit racist. (Great) However, nothing meaningful really comes of it, it's kind of a copout. Maybe there will be some subtlety in future instalments, but it really feels like the author is trying to wrap it up here. Maybe I'm wrong.

I just would've liked to see more consequences, which as per usual feel largely absent. More illustrations of how this issue isn't just clear cut, black and white, innocent people suffer either way.

*So, TL;DR:*

Imagine, if you will, the following formula:
Bait characters dying, emotional music, decent cinematography, teenage angst, but HEY YOU GUYS, NONE OF THAT MATTERED, ISN'T THIS FUN?! Rinse, repeat.

I'll give the show this: It almost executes its formula semi-competently, but at a certain point... It has to deliver. But it never delivers. It's the boy who cried wolf. Over and over again.

And when there are no actual stakes, it doesn't matter how many pretty visuals there are.

If you liked Part 1 of this show.... turn back.

86 Part 2 is less of the same. It is unfortunate that the melodrama of this series takes away from what it does best, which is depicting the treatment of child soldiers and the discrimination of minorities/"the different". Part 2's existence feels forced since one of the conflicts from Part 1 (specifically Shinei character arc) concluded but the overall war wasn't won. With Part 2 the war still exist, and even though that should be the main focus, the show comes up with a new melodrama and a new target for Shinei to point his gun ... at. The ensemble cast is enjoyable whenever they are on screen and allowed to show their personalities. Too bad most of the time when they are on screen they are expositing about Shinei and how he's feeling; and Shinei is feeling edge.

Part 2 also introduces a new character who's sole purpose is to be a MacGuffin and point Shinei's sharp blade at a convenient antagonist who becomes more connected with the story as it unfolds. This is not done well. It feels contrived and nonsensical the connection this show tries to make with certain characters which can take viewers out of the narrative.

The thing this show does well it prefers not to lean on. Such as asking provoking questions about war, the cost of life, and saving someone from themselves. Vladilena, who has yet to be mentioned in this review, has taken more of a backseat role and is not the main focus this season. But what we do see of her is how she operates after the completion of her character arc since Part 1. Animation in this show is also good, the 3D models of the mecha typically don't look out of place on the 2D art.

All in all, the show is ok. It has interesting takes on war but would rather be a melodrama than a military drama.

I loved the first season with whole my heart! the setting was simply amazing, the set up magnificent. Yet the second season seamed like a filler to me for the bigger part of it. I understand the arc of the squad of starting over in a new country, but maaaaaaan was it boring and meaningless. Until Lena showed up I just didn't give a shit. Yet once she did, oh boi oh boi did the drama pick up right where it left off! Gods do I wanna romantic line between Lena and Shin. Please, gods of anime and manga, favor me and give me ... this. I need to have one well written fantasy / sci-fi anime with a decent (AND FUCKING MEANINGFUL) romantic subplot! For the love of gods! Ughr!

86...Oh 86, an anime praised by so many, so many people have suggested this anime to me on multiple occasions so i figured i'd give it a shot. Went in with high hopes as the opinions of many and the high score on this website made me really hopeful that i would witness a masterpiece, how wrong i was.

Well where do i start with 86 part 2. Firstly i'll be giving you my opinion on the story. It picks up the story close to the ending of 86 part 1 and i must say these first episodes were rather boring and lackluster, i don't ... know exactly what i was expecting but nothing special happened, it felt like watching an OVA of some sorts, the world of the Giad Federacy just felt forced and the characters like Ernst and Frederica did not contribute to the more serious tone i felt from part 1. The battles against Legion felt super repetitive and lacked innovation. Basically the same drill over and over, the squad is sent to destroy some important target and of course they always succeed in their mission...there is never anything unexpected that happens, they miraculously leaves the battle mostly unscathed (physically) and somehow manages to win against impossible odds despite being a small squad against a huge number of enemies with better equipment? It all just felt really generic and unoriginal to me. When i hear others opinions they say something like "it has great depictions of racism, discrimination and war" but i just find that rather childish and the message the anime sends just doesn't hit home. Maybe if they (the 86) were different races rather than simply having a different hair color it would have been more realistic and hit deeper emotionally because for me it just felt insulting compared to the actual racism in the world. Maybe the story appeals more to younger audiences who enjoys a more simplistic depiction of issues but for older people not so much. Compared to something like Attack on Titan this just falls short.

What i did enjoy was the nice animations and music, it at least made the viewing experience a bit more pleasant and it had some nice moments that was wholesome, the ending was okay but i feel like it could've been executed better. When it all was over i just felt like "oh well", it was nothing special at all, there was no building up towards it (those who have finished will understand), just felt anticlimactic.

The characters were nothing to write home about, i never really felt sorry for them or sad. The whole squad of 86 that we've gotten to know are pretty forgettable, only Shin stuck in my head but i suspect i'll eventually forget about him too. He is nothing out of the ordinary, just another edgy and depressed anime boy but i think that's why people likes him, they see someone who's broken and thinks it's revolutionary. Frederica is just annoying and does not contribute in any meaningful way to the story, she could've easily have been left out and it would be better.

That'll be all i think. I honestly don't know how part 2 has such a high score. Even higher than masterpieces like Fate/Zero or Death Note. This seems to be the case with a lot of new animes, just super overrated for what it is. The anime is okay, you won't be too bored but it was not great. I think mecha animes in general tends to be rated higher because the kids enjoys seeing them in action which is understandable.

This is my honest and subjective review. Our opinions might differ but that's fine, we're all different. Have a nice day

What can I say? 86 can be effectively described in two words: Unnatural Drama.

From the very first season of this series I have always pondered and wondered the basis to the logical correlation of the events in this series. Because I cannot see how in the military and political context of 86 can there be a child emperor taking the very role of an auxiliary commander, a competent military complex that lose the track of their very childish emperor for the sake of drama, and I cannot stop yawning and yawning every single time the soldiers are overly dramatic to the extent that doesn't make ... sense. Of course this ailments are being dragged since S1, specifically about a damsel in charge that gets emotional with the voices of her own platoon.
I don't want to even get to the core of the story about the so called peace between races. It gets really ridiculous when you learn the motives about why the soldiers from the 86 keep fighting while being an oppressed race. I can't cope with the illogical and unreasonable tropes from this anime. Is an insult to the collection of human war history and politics. This is clearly a story for teenagers that doesn't know how the world works.
Don't waste your time with this, unless you are here only for good animation therapy. I must admit that the budget must have been hefty because the animation is really good, and you will love to see the fighting, the action, bullets, explosions, killer robots, etc.
You may wonder why this is so overhyped. Well, what can you expect from viewers that confuse "complex narratives" with cheap tropes coming from well known formulas to captivate the audience. Come on, "empathizing with cheap tropes" can be a hell of a drug for some authors, then you think twice about what they just did with their story, and you start to see huge cracks in the plot, in the current chain of events, and in the decision making of the characters.
At this level of production, it is so disappointing to see so much potential being wasted.
Score: 6/10

Why would I continue watching something I rated the first season a 6/10? Yeah, who knows man.
86 Part 2 fails to patch up the significant flaws in part 1, and only accentuates them with poor plot progression and character introductions.
I get it. Racism bad, and war bad too. 86 really tries to pound these two points into your head a lot, with its main focus on character drama/development.
You know the anime's got some weird priorities when the situation on the war get summarized in "it's pretty bad for humans," but a couple of episodes are dedicated to characterizing Shin, and by that, I ... mean him apathetically witnessing sad things.
For the amount of time that is spent on Shin and the rest of the 86 crew, I don't feel any attachment to them. They never evolved past their generic archetypes, and they only feel more and more shallow the more time is focused on them. I don't know if it's because you don't hear Shin's monologue, or it's weirdly paced, whatever, but Shin's basically an unfeeling edgy robot, and that hasn't changed since season 1 episode 1.
I mean, season 2 is such a joke. They allocate half the season to just pure character development basically, and they still don't get any further character depth further than a puddle. I couldn't think of a more boring and lamer way of making the viewer understand the 86's crew's conviction. And what of it? It's their "pride." Oh yeah, that's really gotten them far.
Again, I mentioned it in my season 1 review, but it's so contradictory how the 86 are proud soldiers. Does that make sense to you? You 86 feel pride as soldiers, so that's why you continue to be on the battlefield, as that would be honoring your fallen comrades' dreams? Are you sure about that? Wouldn't be a teensy little more logical to think that they would rather topple people up top that forced them to their death in the first place, the system? You think that honoring your comrades' wishes would be to continue fighting for the Alba rather than destroying the corrupt system that brought them despair in the first place?
Oh, but don't worry, the show adds in a loli, to add in good measure of comic relief and fan-service characters, except when she acts mature for plot progression, and with a stupid supernatural power whose sole purpose is to make sure that any character progression is forced upon you. The writer really ran out of ideas. "huh, the only reason why people care about Shin is his ability to hear things, let me invent a random ass RAID system which serves no real purpose other than to serve as that a tie in with the princess to construct an artificial connection between the two." Well, this is "huh, how do I get a character to get to know Shin when his entire personality is to be a apathetic war machine that doesn't ever talk? hah! I got it!!"
This season also accentuates the dichotomy, the dissonance between daily interactions and the battlefield. On one hand, you got the cutthroat warzone where people are going to die, and the other, you got some shallow slice of life that just doesn't meld or merge in any way shape or form. This gets accentuated in the loli character. Great, you're comic relief when it's slice of life, and then all the sudden you're giving life advice when serious scenes come on. The anime doesn't understand how to set a tone and stick with it.
You're not missing out with 86.

I absolutely loved the 1st season, I gave it a 9/10 and was super hyped about its sequel. Unfortunately, the sequel is boring AF.

The sequel removes Lena almost completely and introduces us to a new character named Federica. She's excruciatingly annoying and her voice is even worse. The plot for this season is almost exclusively about this character so I had a very hard time feeling enjoyment as I watched the episodes.

The main reason why S1 was so special to me was because of Lena and how she interacted with the 86 crew. This season is basically Lena-less so it lost a lot ... of what made it good, in my opinion.


We still get mecha action and heavy stuff here and there but it just didn't have what made me fall in love with the 1st season.

It's a 5/10 for me.

I hoped that part 2 would get better, but honestly I felt a bit similar to part 1 but not as good, for the most part. Frederica is quite an annoying character that I could not care about. Undertaker’s relationship with her and her knight was the integral part of the story, but I couldn’t find myself invested in it. Because of this, I only find the very end of the show better.

What made the show more bearable to watch were the music and animation. There were a good amount of background piano whenever characters reflected on something. Even more, they reused the ending ... from part 1, Avid. It’s an amazing and powerful song, so I’m glad I could hear it again.

The animation was phenomenal like in part 1. The CGI of the robots got better and there were more movements. I have to say the amount of red lily was alarmingly high, which actually made for some gorgeous cinematography.

Overall, I don’t like it, and part 1 was better. 6/10

This is one of those bullshit animes that has plots and dialogues that make ZERO sense, but people still buy it because it's backed up by beautiful visuals and inspirational music.

The story suffers heavily thanks to this. If you're going to watch this after finishing the season one, I would advice you NOT to. Everything happened, every character and plot development that has been resolved and completed? Yeah it never happened. We're doing this shit again.
Plot is lifeless and rarely moves but when it does it's mostly unimportant. No direction, no risks, no payoffs. It touches on a lot of interesting points but why would ... I care about that when I could sit through whole episode of people just saying WORDS for the sake of saying words.

It's pretty and done with high quality for sure but at the core it's shallow.

86 is okay. That's it. Is it the next Attack on Titan? No.

Before I start off with my rant let me repeat once again: I think this show is fine. I love the theme, the social commentary and most of all the animation and the use of 3D. Some shots are breathtakingly gorgeous. The mech designs were also cool and new. And with all that said, let me tell you why I think this series is only okay...

1) Story is the backbone of any TV show. No matter how visually stunning and unique the art style is, if the story sucks, the show sucks. On ... paper, 86 has a great story but was eventually bogged down by a very safe execution. Where are the moments that make your jaw drop? Where are the moments that would make you say, "Wow, I want to show this to my friend and see his reaction to this particular scene." Practically nothing. Sure, people die. BUT. Do we really care about them, though? The side characters barely have any screen time to develop and they expect us to care when they die? I don't think so. And just when I thought that they finally took a big risk by killing everyone on episode 11 (their potential first big moment), they back tracked on their decision and give us basically a cheap fake-out.

2) There are a lot of plot holes in the story. The plot is basically held by a flimsy rope made out of thin narrative threads that don’t make any sense. Like the writer is so excited about these plot points that he forgot to write a good way for them to connect and make the journey from point A to point B feel organic. For example, if you can simply turn off the tracker, why didn't they just runaway when there are more of them, thus increasing their chances of survival? Why did this brother, whose got a little sister to take care of, decide to join the war where the chances of death is very likely? Why let an 86 sympathizer lead a squad whose sole purpose is exterminating these 86's? Why would these teenagers who finally have a chance to live a normal life go back to the battlefield like the jews deciding to go back to the concentration camps in order to "honor" their dead brothers and sisters. The reason for these questionable narrative decisions is, of course, "so that the plot can happen."

3) The fantasy aspect of it also doesn't make any sense. Some people have superpowers? Gee, I wish you could've elaborated on that more. Machines can take your head hostage and use your brain to control big important machines. What? Why? If these AI are so smart as to live independently from humans, why would they need any human brains? Also, why is it that all of the brains that they take turn hostile? And there was really no failsafe for these AI killing machines? You literally invented an army of fully automated weapons of mass destruction but not put any failsafe button to turn them off in case they turn on you? Okay.

4) Shin literally took 20 episodes to be interesting. Let's be real here. Shin is a boring character. He tries too hard to be a strong silent type but lacks any charm or personality to ever be interesting. He doesn't even have any negative traits in the beginning. The story tries to tell us that he lacks social skills yet people respect him for being quiet. In fact, when he tries to defy the order of adults, the adults are all just like, "Okay, I'll let this kid boss me around, I guess." He had no goal after part 1 so I was okay with him dying but he didn't. I also hate the fact that the four side characters became just one big collective character with the same goal and motivation, just scrubbing out all of their uniqueness to make way for Shin's character arc. Shin only became a good character when they finally revealed his inner conflict. A bit loo late but okay.

Overall, 86 is just a mediocre and forgettable piece of science fiction that ultimately squandered its intriguing premise by being too safe, too predictable, and too vague in its storytelling.

6/10

The story was unique this time. It was quite unpredictable for the last 3 episodes which was enjoyable. Art style was impressive as well which fits the story. But the characters were not well-rounded. They were unusually bad this time. Character development is awful. It is very artificial which some may find touching but character development was sky rocketing likef Akane Tsunemori of psycho pass which is not awful. Still the last three episodes were good. All of them. If you have experience of watching good character development then you might not like it. If not then it will be enjoyable. Btw I like the ... sweet Lena rather then Batman Lena.

---Original language: Portuguese--- ---Additional language: English---

English: I recently discovered part 2 of this anime and honestly guess it was better than part one.
Something that had bothered me a lot was the bad explanation of the past, I still wonder if it was a good idea to have left it for part 2
Anyway, this drama and portrayal of the war gave me a good feeling I don't know why, this ending was until good
The descent of our protagonists correspond to our wills which makes it in my view good, for sharing ideals
The anime is good to pass the time and I don't know if there will ... be a sequel, but if it does, I recommend seeing it for sure.
And all this impacts on the final grade, this time it was to: 8/10
I even come to pronounce that prioritizing English over my native language is unfortunate, but I do not want my opinion deleted, thank you all for reading

PT-BR: Recentemente descobri a parte 2 desse anime e sinceramente adimito que foi melhor qua a parte um.
Algo que tinha me incomodado bastante era a má explicação do passado, ainda me pergunto se foi uma boa ideia ter deixado para a parte 2
enfim, esse drama e retratação da guerra me trouxe um sensação boa não sei porque, esse final foi até que bom
A tomada de descisão dos nossos protagonistas correspondem as nossa vontades o que torna na minha visão bom, por compartilhar ideais
o anime é bom para passar o tempo e não sei se haverá continuação, mas se tiver, recomendo ver com certeza.
e tudo isso impacta na nota final, dessa vez foi para: 8/10
Venho até me pronunciar que priorizar o ingles ao inves da minha lingua natal é lamentavel, porem nao quero te minha opinião excluida, obrigado a todos por ler

Meh... You know, I feel the same feeling, like always. Again we had a good first season and something worse/not that good in second. Let's be honest, there were a really good potential in first season, another way to show descrimination and all other nearby to it. And i thought, that in second we'll see more and better, 'cauze rationg were much higher, but what we've seen so? No progress at all? Just a 12 episodes of average mech anime about war? It feels like i just watched a basic faceless title. Too much cliche, standart shonen characters and more. We lost somehow mystic atmosphere ... in it.

I guess it is just too hard to make this kind of titles. Firstly you push your idea through the world, full of unknown and abstract features. And this kind of abstraction makes focus on some problems/ideas/etc. I mean THIS is the way to show us something, and you don't need to open us more of the world, we need to see how problems are going to be done, what answers will we get. But 86 is not about it. Part2 is just a basic ending of a basic anime, and this is sad. Potential is gone, but i've got something like inspiration for my own work, so time was not wasted.

But tbh, i recomend watching only first season.