I haven’t fallen in love with a show for a while. I’ve watched a lot of solid and good things recently but nothing that has really emotionally impacted me deeply. The last thing that really made me feel something deeply was Past Lives but it’s not something I love per se, more just a film I appreciated and enjoyed. And yet I finally stumble upon watching 86, something that has been on my list since it came out in Spring 2021. The anime, with its complex characters like Shinei Nouzen and Vladilena Milizé, and its brutal yet beautiful portrayal of war, has completely captivated me. One question, in particular, has been swirling in my mind ever since I started watching: Does Shin Nouzen Love Lena? This question isn’t just about romance; it’s about the core of ’86’, exploring connection, duty, and the faintest glimmers of hope in a world drenched in despair.
I almost want to write about how insane that season of anime was because Spring 2021 had fucking Odd Taxi, Horimiya, To Your Eternity, 86, and uh oh by the way MOTHA FUCKIN LINK CLICK! Link Click Isn’t even on here cause it’s a donghua lol But yeah, that’s why it took me so long to get to 86 was because it came during such a busy season and eventually got put on the back burner for me. In terms of what I want out of a show, 86 hits all the marks but somehow I think the first few episodes of the show are some of its weakest. But boy oh boy, does the show quickly make up for some of that lost time. However, I do need to talk about some of my issues with the setup first.
Setup: Echoes of Familiar Worlds
86 is a show that is very derivative, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing because it can help give the show some identity, but it can also limit the creativity of a show when it tries to be too faithful to its inspirations. And honestly, 86 suffers from this a decent bit at least in the first act of Part 1. The main inspirations (intentional or not) of 86 include: Code Geass, Attack on Titan, Neon Genesis Evangelion, The Trails series, and The Hunger Games. Now Asato Asato (author’s pen name which I will be referring to her as) hasn’t gone on record and said these were her inspirations. The only inspiration she has admitted to was the 2007 film The Mist at least from a conceptual standpoint. She also mentioned the increased usage of drone warfare also inspired her which is quite prominent in the show but nothing I probably need to analyze. Let me go over how the inspirations I mentioned actually affect the setup of the show.
Code Geass and Attack on Titan are the first two I want to mention not just because they are the most obvious ones on my list but because I hate these two shows.
I truly hate these shows. Attack on Titan I hate mainly because it’s an overhyped show that very clearly lost narrative direction by the end of season 1 most of us (including myself) just didn’t realize it yet. The character writing overall is pretty weak especially Mikasa who despite being an incredibly badass woman, is attached to Eren by the hip. But I would be lying if I said I didn’t think the setup and action of AoT season 1 wasn’t fucking sick. It is, that’s just not how you make a good show. And then there’s Code Geass. I don’t know if I’ve ever been more offended by a show in my entire life. Not because it does anything racist or whatever but just how little respect it treats its audience. It almost belittles the audience with how my plot holes there are and how bad the character writing gets. The show honestly could have been so good but it just ends up being a death note wannabe that fails to even the most basic of basics because of how stuck up its own ass it is. Sorry rant over this is about 86.
Anyways, the parts that 86 is inspired by with both of these shows are very clearly the worldbuilding. The Legion practically functions as much less creepy Titans as that has cornered the Republic. It’s a mecha where people who die are transformed into the enemy in some fashion. And hell there’s a whole plotline with Shin wanting to go to the sea. I really don’t care what Asato Asato thinks because she is taking from AoT. The main thing 86 borrows from Code Geass is the aesthetic. A clash of Victorian architecture with a splash of futuristic tech. Although 86 tends to lean more towards the futuristic look with the actual mech enemies as well as having a bit more of a rugged aesthetic when we are in the 86th district. I’m sure there are other parallels but when you look at a lot of the shots in both 86 and Code Geass they look decently similar.
As for the lesser inspirations, I could really just point to any Young Adult novel because let’s be real, a single district being isolated into becoming a warzone is not uncommon in the YA genre. However, Hunger Games is probably the most poignant example especially considering the usage of “districts” and whatnot. The inspiration doesn’t go much further than that but yeah. Then there’s Evangelion, which I honestly am probably miscrediting but this is my blog so go fuck yourself. There’s a certain level of existentialism that is present and because it’s a mecha with certain family relationships (I know it’s Shin’s brother but it is kinda fatherly). There are particular moments of fast, violent editing that delves into the inner psyche of that just scream Eva. And with Trails, I honestly don’t know how to describe it beyond the worldbuilding and some of the aesthetics of 86 just feel Trails-esque. I mean sure there’s Shin who is more or less a Joshua lookalike but with Kevin Graham’s backstory. Like if I had a nickel for every single time that I a character was nearly choked to death by a family member and then shortly after that family member died, I would have 3 nickels. Not a lot but super weird it’s happened 3 times at this point. This section was mainly for my own self indulgence of just pointing at things that 86 might have been inspired by and doing the lightest bit of comparison instead of writing a whole video essay. My main point being here is I feel that 86 tends to limit itself by focusing on being similar to the stories it loves. Which is fine but it also makes the show take less bold risks with the overall narrative. However, I think that the show does take enough risks throughout the entire story so far so it still feels unique but there are many moments in the show that can feel too familiar to other things I’ve already seen. And again, while these moments are good, they aren’t as incredible as they could be with a bit more creative freedom.
Worldbuilding and Atmosphere: A War-Torn Canvas
86’s worldbuilding is so conflicting for me. On one hand it is some of the most in-your-face, blunt worldbuilding that just screams THIS IS ABOUT WORLD WAR 2 AND HOW BAD WAR IS SUCH AS WORLD WAR 2 WHICH WAS BAD. Like the whole concept of the 86 is just so fucking on the nose with quite literally dehumanizing them (we will get into that more later). And WE GET IT THEY ARE CALLED 86 NOT JUST CAUSE OF THE DISTRICT NAME BUT CAUSE 86 CAN BE USED AS A VERB MEANING TO KILL WHICH SYMBOLIZES THE LIFE THEY HAVE TO LIVE WHICH IS THAT OF KILLING. The nature of the war seeming so pointless is understandable but at moments it’s uninspiring. Like more often than not I didn’t care to see the 86 fighting the robots because like… why? It became much more inspiring later on when there was a purpose but facing a faceless/purposeless entity meant to represent the senseless nature of war doesn’t really do it for me.
But on the other hand, there’s something about the world that just feels so rich and deep, especially in Part 2. While the countries aren’t as defined as Trails, the world gives me a similar fascination albeit not to the same level. It’s a bit difficult to describe but there’s a certain history behind each of the countries that isn’t just blah blah blah lore. Like sure there is some of that but the lore of 86 has a Trails-like quality because it interacts with the characters in meaningful ways. A lot of worse stories tend to have it where terrible events that happen in the world have arbitrary or indirect effects on the characters in the world. This is usually cause they don’t have the insight or ability to actually show it. It is one thing to describe tragedy but another thing to understand how it affects characters on a human level. A much worse writer would write the 86 as these pitiable war orphans/child soldiers who are just so incredibly brave for continuing to fight. A very exterior “woah is me” type of writing that is very uninspiring and frankly not very human. Just because these characters have been through the absolute worst of if doesn’t mean they still can’t have fun, make mistakes, and ultimately be very confused but focused on being soldiers. And funnily enough, Asato Asato kinda directly answers this throughout the show by having the 86 be legally not being classified as human and showing how the perception of child soldiers is a bit skeweing. Despite the grandiose and terrible things that happen in the world of 86, Asato Asato is smart enough to realize that all of that stuff comes secondary to the characters. Characters that despite being treated as objects, are oh so very human.
Characters: The Heart of 86 and the Budding Connection Between Shin and Lena
There are very few pieces of media that I would ever compare to Trails, mainly because it’s impossible to compare the character writing of Trails to most things. And while 86 isn’t at that level, it does its best to get damn close. I LOVE the characters in 86. And at the heart of it all are Shinei Nouzen and Vladilena Milizé, two characters whose bond transcends duty and circumstance, prompting us to ask: does Shin Nouzen love Lena?
I don’t think there’s a single character that I dislike in the show and they all serve such important purposes. Even the characters that get little to no screen time I fucking love. The most Trails-like quality of 86 is despite having such an insanely large cast size, it chooses to hone in on a select few and really give them interiority and depth. The choice of having a perceived big cast but ultimately having a smaller more focused one can go really poorly really quickly. It can very easily waste time even if those characters are decently well written. Things like Attack on Titan, My Hero Academia, and even Trails of Cold Steel are guilty of this cast bloat that just makes many moments that should be impactful feel a lot emptier. 86 handles their background characters much more deftly and precisely. Often times when there is a cast bloat the creators desperately try to give all of these characters an “appropriate” amount of screen time trying do their characters justice. In shows they give them episodes or mini arcs and in games it’s like a social link or a little moment. More often than not these character moments can feel very predictable and inconsequential. While the characters’ stories may be well meaning and have pretty good writing, it always makes me ask. “What was the point?”
I would love to make a longer post or video about how death functions in literary works (honestly in comedy as well) and how it is a defining moment in which emotional payoff. I’ll do that some other time. But, I will go into some stuff here. When a character dies, it says something, whether you as the author like it or not. It creates a clear moment in a story by having their arc end. And with this a character’s death says something greater about what the emotional stakes of their story was. And often one of the issues with that is that often what that moment says feels incongruent with the story around them. That’s usually because the character’s arc isn’t really related or important to the overarching story so they feel like small fry. And thus a lot of writers try to skip past it in kinda cheap ways. You need to address the moment even if it doesn’t fit into your story. And maybe next time, you can actually make a story where it feels your character belongs. Because acknowledging that moment of their death is necessary, even if you acknowledge it’s unimportant.
This is what 86 does so well with Shin. While like many things in the show Shin’s “Grim Reaper” moniker and themes are a bit heavy-handed, they are very authentic. There is a delicate balance maintained in so many of the deaths in 86 where it’s not so important it’s a massive upheaval on the show, but at the same time it’s still adding one more burden for Shin to carry. Every death in 86 feels intentional. It’s not like “I don’t know how to deal with this death but X character was supposed to die here in my original script so time to kill them anyways.” And there is still a lot of variety to them. Some are expected. Some hurt more than others. But they all just continue to add onto the pile. One of the really nice touches in the show is with the Part 1 intro where with every death in the show, more people are seen in the field in the beginning.
This was a super good choice by A-1 to help visualize the progression of the burdens that the main characters carry. And each of the main characters of the show balances this wonderful dichotomy of their dehumanized military designation being one side of them as well as their more personal human side.
Lena or Handler One, Shin or Undertaker? They are both the same person yet oh so different. But who really are these characters? They are my children.
Vladilena Milizé: Beyond the White-Haired Ideal
Writing characters for a show like 86 can be quite tricky. As a piece of media about world war 2, there are certain character archetypes that are somewhat expected and there are certain rules that you absolutely have to follow. It’s a sign of respect, empathy, and understanding to at least do follow these expected narrative beats, character notes, or elements of world building. Because unless you have a very good reason otherwise, you need to depict the trauma of world war 2 accurately or run the risk of being seen as ignorant and negligent. It’s why I personally am sometimes like “WHY IS THIS ABOUT WORLD WAR 2” because it puts you as a creator in a box, albeit it does have its benefits with how emotionally impactful it can be. But that was my biggest worry with Lena and 86 when they were first introduced. There are so many stories about World War 2 where it is so clear that the story is way too big for the main character. You can often see this with a lot of shounen anime where it’s like the most white bread main character is in a story that climaxes at the battle for the sake of the world and the audience is like “okay but why tho?” My Hero Academia, Attack on Titan, and Naruto are all victims of this. It is VERY easy for a story to get out of hand and lose its scope. And while 86’s anime hasn’t yet gotten to that point in their story yet, it seems very clear 86 is Lena’s (and Shin’s) story.
While there are pestering elements of shoujo main character syndrome with Lena, I still find her to be a very compelling character once you get past the first few episodes of the show. Lena’s character is one that becomes refined under the pressure of the situation and she truly becomes unique by many of the decisions she makes.
Lena is one of those characters that is typically antithetical with my taste in media. When I see a white/light haired woman in media my immediate primal response is “PLEASE BE EMOTIONLESS BUT THEN SLOWLY LEARN HOW TO LEAVE PLEASE BE EMOTIONLESS BUT TH-.” I’m disgusting I know but when I saw her typical almost childlike wonder/ignorance and overwhelming optimism for a lost war, I couldn’t help but let out a deep sigh. I kinda thought she would be too self-inserty and unfitting for the world of 86. I really love characters who really claim their story and world as their own, that are so inseparable from their world it feels wrong to do so. The shoujo MC syndrome I see with Lena is where she is supposed to seem like she is too pure for this world and where things more often than not happen to the shoujo MC except for at a few crucial moments (i.e. picking a romantic partner). And while that is initially how Lena is pitched to us as an audience, we soon learn VERY QUICKLY that she is not going to be that kind of character. Her stuff with Annette was incredibly chilling. She also has this wonderful dichotomy of being both “Lena” and “Handler One.” All of the characters kinda have this type of dichotomy but Lena’s sticks out to me the most. 86 does a great job highlighting the darkness in many of its characters and often how necessary using that darkness is. Lena is so incredibly strong willed and determined and really helps drive the show forward especially in Part.
Shinei Nouzen: The Stoic Heart and Potential for Love
While Shin, like many parts of 86 is a bit too heavy handed edgy, he is one of the most well done edgelords I’ve seen in a while. As an edgelord connoisseur, to me it’s all about the right slow build up. The reason why I think so many edgelords are so easily mocked is when they deliver their trauma straight out the gate practically begging for the audience and fangirls to swoon over them. When in REALITY most people that we might consider edgelords are probably not very good at sharing their emotions or who they are very quickly. But, what a good show does is still show that these characters are still feeling things, whether they like it or not. As underwhelmed as I was by the first episode of 86, there was something really chilling about seeing Shin have to execute one of his comrades. Just doing it with such a sense of duty and a stoic face. Despite not knowing who Shin is at that point, the scene really convinced you that “this guy has problems that probably aren’t his fault.”
And oh boy does Shin have problems.
This isn’t a deep character analysis but I do just want to talk about why Shin works. Trauma porn is a real problem among writers. I’ve been spending more time around writers recently and the more and more I’ve seen recently that there are some writers who simply don’t understand suffering or at the very least the type of suffering they are writing about. This is not to say that just because you are writing about X topic means it has to be Y way, but there needs to be consistency and authenticity. This is generally why “write what you know” is so overly preached because writing outside of that requires immense amounts of research and passion. Most edgelord characters are a perfect example of that lack of understanding. I’m going to unfortunately have to use my goat Sasuke as an example. Does Kishimoto REALLY help us feel the weight of Sasuke’s clan being slaughtered. No, not really. What he DOES understand is the older brother dynamic with Itachi and chasing something you hate. Kishimoto gets that. However, most of Sasuke’s character arc beyond that feels exaggerated. The only time Sasuke seems compelling is when Itachi is there to ground him, add some sort of tangibility to Sasuke’s feelings. To embody something he hates. This is a common trend with edgelords where writing about a clan massacre or the double parent homicide often carries less weight than something more intimate and authentic, like a kid who can no longer play the piano. There’s nothing to show the weight of their tragedy.
While Shin’s story is one of whose “family” has been killed and he’s been left behind, it tackles a very specific form of survivor’s guilt and loneliness. Shin choosing to carve out the tags of each of his fallen comrades seems kinda like a nice sentimental thing that humanizes him, until you realize the haunting burden of him doing that. Many people who suffer from survivor’s guilt are burdened by this overwhelming responsibility to do the work of hundreds of people all by themselves.
The way it’s visualized and presented with Shin being haunted is so incredibly effective. And then top that off with some good ole fashioned family trauma and you’ve got yourself a character that the audience is begging to get better. I will say that there are some misses for me with Shourei Nouzen. I think a lot of his stuff is really good, however it feels like it doesn’t play the duality of him being a loving brother and him losing it as cleanly as it could. But as an arc for Shin it’s still absolutely impactful as hell.
Shin is just one of those characters that can really just get you to love a show, whether it’s because he’s slowly losing it, or because he’s secretly caring, or because he’s just fuckin badass. And just like every other character in the show, Shin’s dichotomy as both Shinei Nouzen and Undertaker is simply flawless. Shin as a character is great but his relationships with Lena and other characters is what separates him from good to great. And BOY do I love his relationship with Lena. As someone who has read/written fanfic in their time it is INSANE how much material Asato Asato gives us. Like it’s obvious that this woman has written smut in her time. And I’m all for it. It’s so good. Oh right characters uh… so yeah let’s hop into the fellow 86. This brings us back to our central question: does Shin Nouzen love Lena? The subtle hints, the unspoken understandings, the way they rely on each other – it all points towards a deep connection that certainly feels like love, even if it’s not explicitly stated. In the brutal world of 86, love might not be about grand gestures, but about quiet moments of understanding and unwavering support.
Spoiler warning: I will be highlighting the most important minor characters from this point, if you haven’t seen the show and are smart enough to put two and two together you realize what this list of characters may spoil. If you don’t get it or don’t care, then go on ahead.
Raiden Shuga: The Unsung Pillar
I don’t have a ton to say about Raiden but what I will say is that despite him not getting the most screen time out of the Spearhead survivors he’s super important to maintaining their group dynamic. Most friend groups do not function like the Spearhead survivors’. There isn’t rank and order nor is there typically a common goal that the group is chasing after. However, what often manifests in these groups are leaders. Shin, while being officially made a leader by the government, is still somewhat childish whether it is directly reflected in his behaviors or not. At any given moment he could choose to let loose or go crazy. And if he does, someone has to hold down the fort for him, someone who is incredibly human and more relatable than Shin. That’s Raiden. That’s who he is. I’ve played this role before and it is incredibly hard but it’s so great watching Raiden quietly watching over everyone while still being able to live his life as a teen himself. The Spearhead group slowly learning how to become human again in the second half of 86 is just so comforting despite the show often being very dark. Raiden is a simple but lovely character and I wish him the best.
Anju Emma: The Mother Figure Tested by War
Anju is a weird character that I don’t think I’ve seen too often. Like when me see white hair girl me pray she is emotionless and slowly learns to become human. But Anju is so incredibly kind and is more or less the mother of the Spearhead Squadron. And them, tragedy strikes. Seeing 86 test Anju’s resolve as a person is so hard. To watch a teenage girl have to come to terms of an event so scarring with such finality is incredibly painful. Like it happened so fast. And I guess that’s just how war is. And they show Anju hurt despite her best efforts to hide it. The show even twists the knife even more by having Anju open up to Kurena about some of her past, and how important the person she lost was to her. How they did SO MUCH for her. Honestly, I was devastated when they died. I quite literally fell to my knees. But we have to move on, and watching someone so young have to learn that lesson is hard. By the end of where the show is at right now, I don’t think Anju is fully better just yet. But she is TRYING and it’s so amazing to see.
Theoto Rikka: The Cynic with a Heart
Without interpersonal conflict, most media will feel empty. I think this is how a lot of shows with good ideas tend to fail because they never really get to explore their characters. Stein’s gate is one that comes to mind where the concept of the show is great but the characters are so vapidly uninteresting and almost never experience meaningful conflict outside of their own psyche. This is why Theo is so important to 86. Theo presents conflict by episode 3. And honestly, despite him being a complete asshole with how he goes about it, I totally understood his point. Like I get it. When you meet someone who shows you kindness after experiencing a world of cruelty it makes you uneasy. And as Theo slowly begins to try and trust Lena right at a critical moment Lena fucks up. And understandably Theo is furious. It was an honest mistake and she tried to stop it from happening. But even honest mistakes can have dire consequences. Theo is cruel for most of Part 1 but it’s mainly because he cares about everyone around him, even Lena. I see a lot of myself in Theo. Someone who can’t help themselves from being critical because they care so much and so much is at stake. And it’s so nice that he has a passion in drawing. It really adds texture to his character and makes him more than just “that guy whose mean to Lena.” And the show does let him have fun, but he does have his dark moments and moments where he questions how he should go about continuing to live. Theo’s survivor guilt isn’t as intense as some of the other peoples’ in the show but it has a lot of intimacy and personal touches to it that make it just as painful and beautiful.
Kurena Kukumila: Innocence and Hope in the Dark
I don’t have a ton to say about Kurena other than while I don’t necessarily love her character she is an important character to the show. Her childlike wonder and crush on Shin help bring life to Spearhead where otherwise there would be a lot of scene with just a bunch of straight-men characters. Asato Asato hasn’t done too much with her yet but I do have high hopes for her character arc despite me absolutely frothing at the mouth for Lena and Shin to get together. Kurena’s admiration for Shin, while perhaps not romantic from his side initially, highlights Shin’s quiet strength and leadership, qualities that would undoubtedly be attractive to someone like Lena as well. It further emphasizes the complex web of relationships within the 86, where romantic feelings, familial bonds, and comradeship blur.
Execution: A-1 Pictures and Sawano’s Masterpiece
If you’ve read my other reviews at this point you know that I love A-1 Studios and have watched a lot of their work and 86 is no exception. One of the main reasons I wanted to get to 86 so bad was cause I saw that Hiroyuki Sawano did the soundtrack and oh my god does 86 have an absolutely amazing soundtrack. From the grandiose pieces, to the banger openings, to the slow piano ones, and absolutely the number one track is Hands Up to the Sky. My GOD do I love this song and dear god does episode 10 fucking hurt. Actually one of the best montages I’ve seen in a long time. Just the way the information is presented in it is just wow. But yeah the music of 86 is up there with some of my favorite anime soundtracks absolutely no question. And while I typically don’t have many complaints about A-1’s animation, some of the mech fights look a bit rough. Don’t get me wrong, mech fights are hard and an appropriate amount of CGI should be used to ease up workload. However, none of the mech fights were very impressive and kinda felt like they just had to happen. Though whenever there were slow emotional moments in the middle of mech fights I felt those. I’ve had this thought for a while that A-1 really struggles to slam home climatic, cinematic moments in comparison to say a Madhouse or a Wit. Not that what A-1 does isn’t cinematic, but they don’t handle action or the big emotional climaxes as well for met at least. What A-1 does almost better than anyone else are the slow moments that build upon each other.
And 86 makes it clear that no one cares about the fighting. The fighting is effectively pointless. We care about the people doing the fighting. And while I do thinking some of the fighting is a bit overplayed, I felt like A-1 made most moments matter. And honestly, considering that they adapted this from a light novel and not a manga, they did such an amazing job bringing the world and story of 86 to life. It felt all so natural and surreal with how great it worked out that I would have honestly assumed it was an anime original. A-1 put so much love into this show and I’m excited to see them continue their work with this show considering there are still like 9 more light novels left to cover as of writing this. The execution elevates the emotional core of the story, making the potential romance between Shin and Lena even more poignant. The animation and music underscore their quiet moments of connection, hinting at the deeper feelings simmering beneath the surface.
Themes: Isolation, Purpose, and the Hope for Connection
Hello yes it is I, the ZephJDJ here to once again talk about the pain of isolation while dipping my toes into solipsism, existentialism, and a touch of nihilism. And as soon as episode 3 I started to fall in love with the show. While 86 does cover the typical “war bad” themes, the most poignant themes in 86 are about the burdens that war makes you carry and the isolation that it can create. Which is very Evangelion in a way but I think 86 chooses its own path with how specifically the burden of war creates a unique type of isolation and disconnect from humanity. A lot of this does manifest through the duality of each character as a soldier and as a human and how so very different these two things are despite being of the same person. And, while there is usually a consistent arc throughout 86, the show can almost feel episodic at times with how well crafted they are. I felt like every single time I was focusing on one character’s isolation the show really dug into it. Especially with Shin. Shin’s story is one that has been told before but god is it beautiful to hear it in a whole new way. Shin’s very much insane. But it’s less of a “haha I’m gonna do illogical things insane” and more of “there is so much happening to me I can no longer process things and my behaviors be erratic because of that.” Shin seems very level headed and strong but deep down he is just a boy who wants to be loved even if he doesn’t know that. The pain of being rejected by family, the burden of carrying the weight of hundreds of souls, and the tragedy of having to keep moving forward. I really wish the show delved more into Lena’s character but that’s more so for later. I think 86 just does such a great job show the different forms of isolation that one can face during something like a war. Isolation from loss, misunderstandings, or just the weight of war. It’s so easy to crumble under all of that. Which is why these characters need to find purpose.
Part 1 of 86 mainly explores the isolation themes of the show but Part 2 is really all about refinding purpose. Purpose not only what to do with one’s life, but with the actions one chooses to take. What is the point of wanting to fight as an 86? It’s really nice how the show makes it clear that it’s more than just “these poor war orphans only know one thing” or “we need to fight to SAVE the world.” All of the Spearhead survivors take time to choose whether or not they want to. And they all come to the same conclusion. They have to fight.
Whether that’s because of their responsibility, their justice, their desires, or probably just a mix of all of these things and more, they have to fight. The 86 are not blessed with the ignorance of the rest of the world. A peaceful life was never the option for them despite it being maybe what they deserve. And each character is shown to slowly become more human during the time in the Empire. But at the end of the day, all of them are still soldiers. As long as the war keeps going, they can’t change that. Their war isn’t over yet (spoiler on what my next review is). The show really takes its time in Part 2 to further humanize their already well written characters and it’s such a delight to see all of them grow and find purpose. Purpose in how they want to go about their day and how they want to fight. No more meaningless loss, but still a will to fight. To fight for the future. And within this theme of purpose, the connection between Shin and Lena shines brightly. Lena gives Shin a reason to fight beyond simply surviving, a purpose rooted in human connection and understanding. Shin, in turn, offers Lena a glimpse into the reality of the 86, forcing her to confront the harsh truths and find her own purpose in supporting them. This shared purpose is a powerful foundation for their relationship, hinting at a love that grows from mutual respect and shared ideals.
Going on Ahead: The Lingering Question of Love
The Future of (the) 86 There’s a lot left for 86 as a story, despite the first being intended to only be a standalone by Asato Asato you can tell she really wanted to take this story further. I think that the world of 86 is just so fascinating and has some of the most human characters I’ve seen in a while. Even if I rate other shows higher or have my issues with the show, 86 holds such a special place in my heart. 86 is the kinda story I don’t think I’ll forget for a while. And honestly, I don’t even think I’m going to read the light novels just yet because I want to wait for A-1 to continue to do incredible work with the animation. So to (the) 86 I’ll just say this: I’m going on ahead.
And one day, you will catch up to me and I’ll be so happy to see you again when we can meet at our destination. – Zeph/Jared
In conclusion, while ’86’ doesn’t explicitly label Shin and Lena’s relationship as romantic love, the anime masterfully crafts a bond that feels profoundly deep and meaningful. Does Shin Nouzen love Lena? Perhaps not in a conventional, overtly romantic way, at least not yet. But through their shared experiences, mutual respect, and unspoken understanding, a powerful connection is forged. In the desolate landscape of war, their relationship becomes a beacon of hope, suggesting that even amidst despair, love – in its most nuanced and profound forms – can blossom. Whether it evolves into explicit romantic love remains to be seen, but the groundwork is undeniably there, making their relationship one of the most compelling aspects of ’86’ and leaving fans eagerly anticipating the future of their journey.
