Many of times, shows that get derailed by production and scheduling issues end up having poor or rushed endings. We’ve seen this with Wonder Egg Priority, and The Promised Neverland Season 2, both of which got massively rushed due to poor production. I’m glad that this second cour of 86 did not fall into that hell, despite the huge delay before the last two episodes. The high quality did not falter throughout, and we as fans can all appreciate such a thing.
My grading criteria: Story: /25 Art: /10 Music: /10 Characters: /20 Enjoyment /15 Thematic Execution /20
STORY: 21.5/25
This takes all the good war themes from Part 1 and expands upon them. This time, there are in fact, scenes outside just simple fighting, as our characters attempt to reintegrate themselves into society. A lot of the narrative is realistic, as the characters struggle with war memories, the rush of fighting, and the feeling of not being on the battlefield. There isn’t much to be said here, the narrative continues to be as solid as ever, and while there are spots that were a little boring for me personally, the story is able to suck you into a world of war and many other things as well, and of course, what I can say about the emotional reunion of Spearhead and Handler One?
ART: 9.4/10
An improvement to part 1. Fight scenes are spectacular, background shots are spectacular, just great.
MUSIC: 9.3/10
Sawano’s soundtrack continues to impress, even if it’s much of the same. Opening and ending themes really set the stage and ended episodes on an emotional note.
CHARACTERS: 16.0/20
With a smaller cast of characters this cour, it felt easier to keep up and allow the characters to leave a stronger impression on me. Shin continues to struggle with being “The Undertaker”, breaking as many of his companions have left him behind, which is a very gripping thing to watch, and it’s great to see the development.
We also have a new addition to the cast, Frederica, and she compliments the cast pretty well. She’s lightens the mood a bit, keeps Shin in check, and has her own set of problems that plague her.
The other characters have their moments, but give off much of the same vibe we have seen throughout the series, and continue to be enjoyable to watch.
ENJOYMENT: 12/15
Despite the delay in between, my immersion was not broken severely, and I found myself right back to enjoying the show after the long break.
THEMATIC EXECUTION: 17/20
The wartime theme is executed in a brilliant manner, on and off the battlefield. It’s gripping, realistic, painful to watch, and emotional. The dialogue is great, and the world of 86 is great.
OVERALL: 85.2/100
It was definitely a shame that there were many interruptions in between the show, but the quality remained very good throughout. As was the same with Part 1 for me, some spots did feel a bit repeated or long-winded, especially as Shin’s struggles are portrayed to us, but regardless of that, there is simply a lot of good in this show, and if you enjoyed Part 1, chances are Part 2 will be even more immersive!
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