86: Eighty Six “Here We Go” Review
86: Eighty Six “Here We Go” is the eleventh episode of the eighty six anime. It continues of from where episode 10 ended. Showing Shin leaving a destroyed Fido alone after their battle with the Legion. The group continue on through the dangers with dwindling supplies. And Lena finally makes her way to their barracks just after they’ve left. Resolving that she won’t leave them behind.
Hopelessly fighting
With their supplies down to almost zero it’s looking pretty hopeless for the Spearhead crew. They find an old abandoned school they hole up in but they mostly don’t make a huge amount of progress as they haven’t got the firepower or fuel. With just Shin’s Juggernaut left in action. They decide to take turns piloting it as Shin can warn them of any dangers.
Mindlessly moving forward and avoiding the Legion, the group finally come across a massive cliff. The decide not to climb it and just go around, Shin asks Anju to switch with him because he’s getting bored so she does. Just as he cuts the cable that kept the supplies cart and the Juggernaut and creates a landslide so the others can’t follow him. He knows a massive Legion attack is coming and intends to fight them alone and keep the other’s safe.
They all unanimously vote to follow Shin and help him regardless. But once they finally end up on the battlefield Shin is already outnumbered and done for. Theo is knocked for six first by an explosive. But it’s not long before they all join him. Dead or not, they will be soon. Shin reaches for his pistol as the Legion tank rips open his Juggernaut’s cockpit. And we’re sent back in time to just after the group left. This time from Lena’s POV.
Arriving at the front lines
She had arrived and is greeted by Lieutenant Aldrecht. He talks to her about how he shows the soldiers on their last march his biggest secret all the time. He’s an alba. His wife was an 86 and his daughter, he dyed his hair and volunteered hoping to win their rights but they died on the battlefield. He would often ask Shin if there were any Legion out there calling his name or blaming him. But there never were, meaning they’re dead and not part of the Legion. That brings him some form of peace. He openly invites the 86 who know to get revenge or kill him but they never do.
After the long chat with Aldrecht, Lena makes her way around the barren barracks. Then she notices the cat they all adopted that seemed to love Shin. She follows it and it leads her to a cat toy but also to the book Shin was always reading. In there is a note left for her by the last of Spearhead. They each make requests. Shin’s request is what gives her the conviction to go after them. He asks if she ever finds where their bodies are, can she lay flowers for them please.
The bonus scene at the end shows young Shin and his brother in a dreamlike world. Both of them playing and his brother dressed as the knight that was always in the book they read together. Then an image for a split second of Shin’s body, headless, the space where his head should be scribbled out.
Review
Well. This was the final episode and I’m a mess. There’s so much of nothing that goes on, just everyday things. Learning that Kurena never had a chance to go to school and really wanted to. Whilst it’s obvious the inevitable is about to happen the direction of this episode is so perfect that it doesn’t make it obvious at all. I didn’t sit there thinking “yup, they’re done.” There was always a small glimmer of happiness and hope that even now I’m in straight up denial about it. I refuse to believe it despite all the evidence. That to me shows an amazingly written and directed show, because it’s taken my emotions and toyed with them, so much so that I will completely ignore what the show is telling me now.
Their deaths weren’t dragged out like in some anime like this one. There was no final long speech, no final goodbyes. It was just “boom. Say goodbye to the characters you’ve grown to love.” It hits you like a hammer round the head and it’s painful. Knowing Lena will maybe never find them even in death, they’ll be forgotten. I’m in pain, man.
There’s more to the story, I refuse to allow it to end like that but I know it has. Fantastic episode to an amazing show. Prepare to cry. A lot.
