[a spoiler review of 86 Eighty Six Season 2 by satorublue]
[a short compilation of my thoughts]
what I loved about season 2: I loved that season 2 was able to take what season 1 built and expanded it further so by the end of the season everything felt earned. The ending was so satisfying to watch, and I loved that the group and Lena got to meet each other for the first time in somewhat better circumstances. The last two episodes in particular were fantastic in my opinion and it was definitely the highlight of the entire season. Episode 11 is hands down my favourite episode of the entire series. It was absolutely perfect from start to finish. The entire time watching episode 11 and 12, I felt like I was holding my breathe until that very last scene and by the end I was just tearing up. And to think that there were many production issues leading up to that incredible finale. It really shows how much the animation team cared for this series.
ShinMy favourite part of season 2 was Shin's character development. He was definitely the most compelling and thoughtfully written character in this series. Shin is a very complex character and this season did a great job exploring his character motivations following from the events of season 1. It was fascinating yet sad to watch him find something new to live for after he completed his goal of killing his brother in season 1. It was hard to watch him go through so much pain and struggle especially as it all built up to an emotional climax in episode 11, which is rightly titled 'Shin'.
Shin is definitely my favourite character in this series and I can't wait to read the light novel and see him (and the other characters) develop further as the story continues on.
Lena: Although we didn't get to see much of Lena this season, every time she appeared on screen it made me so happy. Lena had grown so much from the 1st season and it was great to see her continue to evolve her and implement what she's learnt through her actions. I know that some people don't like her but I won't lie, I love her character and I really did miss her this season.
Frederica: I found Frederica to be very interesting as a character. At first I found her to be quite overwhelming but my goodness as the episodes continued on, I just felt sorry for her. Her personality in particular was fascinating to watch with the context of everything she has gone through. As a 10 year old, it makes sense for her to be childish and almost like the 'annoying-yet-cute younger sister' type but when it switches to moments of maturity, it really hurts because its a reminder of everything she's dealt with. From being the last empress of the former Giadian Empire, losing her family and knight Kiriya, who similar to Shin's brother, has now become a Legion Shepherd. And on top of that, she has the ability to see people's memories which are all quite painful considering they're all in the middle of a war. It was especially heartbreaking to watch her struggle to deal with Shin going to battle when he not only acts as a daily reminder of Kiriya but she also feels that he is leading down a similar path to him.
I have seen some people say that they don't like her character because the mix of cute and mature is annoying which is entirely valid to have but personally I feel that her personality is a direct product of her circumstance.
Although, I would like to note that at times her dialogue did sound a lot like an adults rather than a mature child (if that makes sense) which is a little nitpick but something that I did noticesome things i found slightly frustrating/disappointing:
As much as I enjoyed watching this season, there were some things that I was disappointed with. For a second season, I felt that some things could have been written differently or improved upon. One thing in particular that I was looking forward to was further insight into Theo, Raiden, Anju and Kurena as individual characters, especially when you consider the fact that they are the last remaining survivors (alongside Shin) of the Former Spearhead Squadron. So it was disappointing to see that their characters weren't really explored upon outside of a few things like them acclimating to new society and finding their hobbies/interests. I really wanted to seem them get at least a fraction of the focus that Shin got. It's just unfortunate because I felt like there was an opportunity for them to delve a bit deeper into their characters this season but its been missed out on. Although, this did not ruin or devalue my watching experience, its just something that I feel like could've elevated the story further.
I also felt that the plot of Frederica and her 'knight/brother' was just a repeat of what we saw in season 1 with Shin and his brother. Although I guess you could say that Shin's situation in season 1 parallels Frederica's current situation in season 2. I personally was just hoping to get something new rather than a repeat of something we already saw.
Overall:
I will miss this series a lot. And although I will be continuing with the light novel, it's a shame I won't be able to see the rest of this story in an animated medium. But I'm just going to be thankful anyways that this anime got to have two seasons. A big shoutout to the the author Asato Asato and the animation team at A1 Pictures for creating an incredible series.
