Let me start off this review by stating that SPOILERS WILL BE DISCUSSED so if you haven't seen/plan to watch this show (of which if this review summary you find interesting) then please do.

86 is a show that can rightully be named as one of best shows of Spring 2021 if not of the entire year; at face value this show might look like a typical war drama on a futuristic setting with heavy use of CGI Mechas but as you progress into it we come to realize that the nation in which one of our protagonists, Vladilena Milizé (Lena from now on), lives in, is engaged in an almost perpetual war against a faceless enemy known only as the Legion, the robotic army of an empire that went into extinction decades ago but is hardcoded to continue fighting until the anihilation of the Republic of St. Magnolia (Lena's homeland)

It doesn't take too long for us to realize that the army the Republic has been deploying in the field against the Legion are none other than actual human beings that in the eyes of the Alba's (the Republic's citizens) are not even considered as such and are treated as mere "Processors" the controllers of some sub-par mechas, these are the namesake of the show, the 86. So every loss of these pilots are not even considered as human casualties but as the loss of equipment, and if you think this is cynical and inhuman it's because it is and trust me it gets worse.

Lena being an officer in the St. Magnolia's Military is assigned as the "handler" of one of these "processor" squadrons. Which after suffering a lot of casualties both before and inside the show's timeline, are reduced to; for convencience sake, 5 main 86 characters: Shinei Nouzen, Raiden Shuga, Theoto Rikka, Kurena Kukumila and Emma Anju.

But enough talk about proper events that unfold from episode to episode and let's focus ourselves on the crude and gritty themes that this show addresses with brutal honesty, especially later on. As mentioned before the 86s are forcefully conscripted as soldiers to fight an endless war in the name of a country that would rather have them disappear entirely.

It's in this kind of society that our Alba protagonist lives in, one in which the citizenry is either forcefully or willingly ignoring the blatantly criminal and inhuman treatment the 86 (which by the way the last ones still standing are all children because of course they are). And this is what I mean with the willingness of people to drive change even for their own selfish purposes. We can see this perfectly exemplified in Lena as she is since the beginning of the show the only Alba that seems to give a shit for the 86 even if her colleagues, her relatives and even the 86 themselves tell her to stop digging too deep in the rabbithole, since all of them know that the more Lena knows of the secret of the 86 the more frustrated and guilty she will feel. Speaking of Lena and the 86, the dynamic between both sides is nothing less than great and morbidly realistic; We get to see that even though Lena is someone that seems caring and actually interested in the survival of the 86, the Spearhead Squadron initially can't believe the kind of handler they have and usually ridicule Lena's seeming self-righteousness and idealism, but as the show goes on this relationship grows warmer and warmer to the point that both parties get to appreciate the other and learn important lessons that will help their character arcs grow. Lena in particular will eventually discover the truth and its up to her whether she will continue living her sheltered existence in spite of knowing the world she lives in or leave behind her old life and get out to the real world and forge her own path.

The 86 on the other hand, have another great development and especially in the latter half of the show have grown to be among my favorite characters ever, all of the 86 with the exception of Shinei Nouzen have a rather similar character arc that can be condensed in their resolve to continue fighting, not for the Republic but for the people they consider dear, even if they are Alba's. This is important because it segway's into another issue the show addresses which is that not all people are willing to not look the other way and instead are capable to see the 86 as humans and live in peace. Most of the 86 I mentioned before have had contact with the Alba's way before they get to know Lena and know more than anyone that even though a lot of Alba's don't care or straight up want them dead, the fact that at least some of them aknowledge and appreciate them makes the hell they go through at least bearable. It's this kind of attitude that keeps them away from absolute resentment and despair in the face of the cruel fate all of them are subjugated to. Then we have Shinei Nouzen, the leader of the Spearhead Squadron and arguably the co-protagonist along with Lena. His arc intertwines with those of his fellow 86 but with the twist that he feels obligated to bear the memory of all the 86 that have died under his command, add to this the fact that he feels guilty that his eldest brother had died on the frontlines because of him and needs to come to terms with him in the form of the Shepherd's, that are none other than human consciences that have been extracted from dead 86s to serve as leaders of every swarm of Legion units.

It seems I have nothing but praise to say about this show and it kind of is the truth, but I do have some very minor issues that I hope will be addressed in the upcoming season(s), and that is the world-building. Don't get me wrong, this aspect of the show is touched upon a lot either by exposition dumps and/or visual storytelling which for what this season in particular tried to do (establish characters, goals, world) was more than enough. My issue is that it's never really explained why exactly are the Alba's going to such extents of systematically killing off the 86 like they were cattle, what exactly are the Alba, as they clearly have a physical appearance that sets them apart from humans; or, why is the Republic of St. Magnolia at war with the Empire that for the life of me can't remember the name right now. I don't know, and to be honest these are very specific nitpicks on my part but If the show gets to eventually explain them either visually or through dialogue it would elevate it so much more than it already is in my book. Plus I'm aware that 86 is based off a series of Light novels, which I personally haven't read but have gotten really interested to acquire in the near future, so if any of the previously mentioned nitpicks are covered in the books I'm simply not aware. Another issue with the show I had early on and was kind of bugging me is the lack of memorability of some characters, especially among the 86. You see, during most of the first half, Spearhead squadron had a bigger roster than the last 5 that are focused on 100% on that second half, I can see that the writers did this because 1. The character development had to (at least in the beginning) be focused on Lena and Shin, and 2. There were too many of them. This would be detrimental to the rest of the 86, as some character deaths didn't have the expected impact on me as I barely knew them even by name.
BUT,
All of this is forgiven with the focus that is given to surviving 86 in the second half as it more than makes up for it and got me rooting for these characters like a madman.

So, to wrap this up, 86 is a refreshing, intriguing and emotionally gripping show that is worth a watch if you are a fan of mecha, war dramas and all the themes that can be related to them. It is visually astounding, A-1 pictures has managed to make a mecha show in which the mechas are all CGI work so well and not be distracting to the viewer, The sound design and OST are to die for and if you like Hiroyuki Sawano's work on other anime this one won't dissapoint at all. It elevates the question to us of how we would be able to live with the truth even if it meant that we are responsible for the tragedy of a another person/group of people. Would we be capable to face it and do something about it? or just convince ourselves that any effort to go against the current is futile and continue living in a world of lies. Let's hope we never have to find out.