86 EIGHTY-SIX

One of my all time favorites, it's one of the few shows that consistently makes me pause and almost tear up. The incredible directing, music, and animation, combined with powerful symbolism makes for an amazing viewing experience.

Themes and ideas are often subtly conveyed through some really well composed shots and meaningful symbolism. the visual storytelling and framing is so well done and poetic.

Serious themes are also tackled in a realistic way. Lena’s story explores the difficulty of unlearning systemic conditioning, especially when isolated from any meaningful support. Rather than offering an idealised or comical dramatic resistance, the narrative focuses on gradual internal change; which i found to be a more realistic depiction of how people break away from deeply ingrained ideologies.

Her development reflects how complicity often stems from social pressures, not inherent malice, echoing historical patterns where otherwise “good” individuals were complicit in oppressive systems. nuance is prioritized over moral grandstanding here, and it feels much more grounded rather than preachy bloated slop.

The non-chronological storytelling used during the para-RAID conversations is also great, it gives the voice actors ample space to convey more than usual emotion and subtext purely through their vocal performances.

Fido's memories had some amazing heartbreaking emotional moments as you see the juxtaposing snapshots of joy already slipping into the past, and futures that never had a chance to begin. In just six minutes, it made me care deeply for characters in a way some shows can’t manage across entire seasons.

The memories are shown in quick succession, jumping from one moment to the next, portraying how helpless and crushed these characters felt, unable to fix what’s broken, which made the scenes that much more powerful.

Other things i really loved

• moments of silence are used really well
• combat sequences are satisfying
• minor characters within the 86 feel like real people with distinct personalities and relationships, making every loss emotionally impactful

Lena in the finale, discovering the messages left behind at their headquarters, reading the final words from those she considered friends (despite being a discord call away lol) was an incredible way to conclude the series cementing her determination to follow the path of those who went before her and to "never forget".

it was an incredibly cinematic journey filled with many memorable moments that i will frequently revisit. nothing else in this medium has come close to it for such an amazing experience.

〈 95 / 100 〉

!funny cat