86 EIGHTY-SIX Part 2

The best Light Novel adaptation in history. And it is still an understatement for this adaptation. A true masterpiece.

Taken the source from the Light Novel, 86, which already won the grand prize of Dengeki Novel Prize, the anime production team has completed a wonderful job. Not only do they adapt all the content of the novels (the first 3 volumes), but they also add original moments to the anime, and not just once but many times. The novel on its own is already a masterpiece of the medium, this anime takes it further beyond.

While other LN adaptations usually got the treatment of 3-4 volumes of the light novel for 11-13 episodes, 86 got a whole 11 episodes for its first volume, which is the first time in the industry, and another 12 episodes for the second and third volumes. Normally, people (including myself) will finish an anime first, then go to read the light novels to see what the anime has left out. Or the light novel readers will find the differences in the anime compared to the source, and evaluate whether these changes are good or bad. But for this adaptation of 86, all readers agree that the anime has fully adapted the light novels, and when a new episode comes out, they will find the original scenes that are added to the anime instead of what they took out. What makes these original scenes more special is that they are not just fillers, they actually have meanings behind them, whether they are about world-building, combat, or character development and emotions, all of these scenes are handled beautifully with the participation of the author, Asato Asato and the director, Toshimasa Ishii. They adapt faithfully to the source, elevate it with great animations, voice acting, and especially music, directing, and original scenes. The directing of this anime is so good that it is equal to cinema level. Small details are taken into consideration, the symbolisms are put in masterfully and the OST is exceptional. Avid and Voices of the Chord, the main theme songs of 86, are pure masterpieces of music, which creates a resonance with the emotional scenes for the viewers. There is nothing short of quality from the values this series brings to the viewers.

While it suffers from a 3 months delay, the waiting time makes the final two episodes even better. It is worth waiting 86 days for the return of 86. Episode 22 and 23 of this series are two of the best episodes in the anime industry. Reading this part in the light novel was already an exceptional experience with a mix of joy, sadness, and happiness at the same time. But the anime carries it further beyond with the additional scenes and beautiful soundtracks like Avid and Voices of the Chord, and a new song written just for the ending, LilaS that fit perfectly with the sceneries of the grand finale. Being able to witness the finale of this masterpiece is a privilege of my life that I could never forget all the feelings it raised inside me.