u/Least_Positive7141

SPOILER DISCUSSION

Edit: lotta focus on my dissatisfaction with the romance aspect, specifically between Lena and Shin. I really don’t want that being the main takeaway but I’m going to leave it in because I do think it’s worth critiquing. I love this series and it’s incredible with one glaring flaw, which is better than I can say for 90% of any media out there

WOW. I was pretty bummed I’d have to wait months for the next volume, but I honestly do think I needed a breather. I had to rewatch the Spearhead/Lena reunion a couple times as a cleanser.

I’ll be honest, I’m feeling pretty hopeless for their situation, this definitely is the Empire Strikes Back of the series, our team is in rooooough shape.

10/10 Characters/Themes: Amazing.

What a journey with the Actaeon. I’m curious about the name, I don’t see many parallels with the Greek myth except maybe being transformed? I was and still sort of am frustrated with how many characters are being added, especially with how the paragraphs are organized (lots of jumping around and hard to track sometimes). But they were an incredible addition.

Why couldn’t any of them just get home? It was beautifully sad, I’m curious if Asato has experience with watching someone wither while trying and “failing” to make their last days beautiful. I related to it, and needed the reminder that trying really is enough.

It made me terribly angry, which not a lot of media is able to do. I’m ashamed at how much I hated the Alba even more, like if I could hit a button that would kill them all I’d do it.

But then Asato beautifully demonstrates through Shin how dangerous the words ‘them’ and ‘they’ are. How easy it is to hate a group even when there are amazing people like Lena and Anju. Oh my dear sweet Anju, what a ride she’s been on, thank god for a happy reunification.

I’ll still say Ernst’s rampage was somewhat cathartic, but I’m glad ‘dad’ snapped out of it.

8/10 military/action:

I’ve posted before how much I appreciate Asato’s attention to detail with the military aspects (so many, from using ammo/ranks correctly to applying real doctrine like Combined Arms Effects & Clausewitz). But not too much stood out in this novel other than maybe mine tactics. if anything constantly telling us the ammo type is getting a little annoying

6/10 Romance:

I have one gripe: I think Lena has been on the back burner way too much in the last few volumes, and Shin and her relationship post-confession is without a doubt the worst part of the series. There’s zero intimacy, and yes that includes sex. No, I don’t want a play by play, but for god sakes they’ve kissed maybe twice? And they’ve barely been in physical proximity since confessing. I straight up thought they were going to make out in the Feldraß after she got in his after her speech. It’s insane for how Asato is a self admitted horn dog that she refuses to make them even hug.

BUT, still a fantastic series

And I think the thing I’m most impressed with is the usage of the aspect ratio in ep22.

This post beat me to it https://www.reddit.com/r/EightySix/comments/tcoyb7/the\_significance\_of\_the\_aspect\_ratio\_in\_episode\_22/

So many but I think my favorite is, instead of reexplaining that she needs to interview a parent about their job for school, Anya just goes “yada yada” and Loid says “Understood.” So funny

It’s crazy how 86 on paper is almost blatantly a ripoff of AoT, but in execution manages to be its own wonderful thing. Cannot recommend it enough for those wanting to fill that Titan sized hole (giggidy).

Minor Spoilers:

>!Like Attack on Titan, it’s a rapidly dwindling humanity against a inhuman horde of monsters, with a marginalized population responsible for facing them in unique technology/combat that employs wires/grappling hooks, missiles, and swords. Led by a seemingly human combat savant who is basically invincible, which is a curse because he’s almost always the last one left alive. All this set to the score of Hiroyuki Sawano!<

Major Spoilers:

>!And it turns out that ‘inhuman’ horde is made up of dead humans, and the invincible character is forced to kill them in order to put them to rest. And when a group of soldiers manages to escape their walled-off territory, they find a more advanced civilization before eventually being forced back into the fray.!<

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more apt application of the phrase ‘good artists borrow; great artists steal’, and I really do mean that as a compliment

I just finished 86 for the first time this weekend. I loved it so much that for the first time an anime made me buy all the light novels and audiobooks.

And in the first chapter I have to hear someone talk about Lena not having hair “down there” and some completely unnecessary conversation between Shin and Lena in the shower with a full page display of her.

I swear I’m not a prude. I love Konosuba with Aqua flashing her literal bare ass everywhere. Hell, I even think the fanservice in Mushoku Tensei makes sense for what a pervert the MC is.

I’m already slightly annoyed Lena wears garters and stockings in battle. I get there’s momentum towards a Shin-Lena thing, but that was stupid. It was just such a buzz kill. I hope the anime skips over it.

Other than that it’s fine, I’m glad they got the VAs to do it.

Sorry if that’s bot big a deal, but in all those games the zombies always steam rolled the players into rage quitting and giving them even more zombies. The principles that I’m going to try and follow:

- defend against zombie territory with at least 2 less units (knowing that they’ll add about 2-3 units every turn to each territory up against players)
- zoom for a S/N America country bonus
- try not to eliminate so many zombies that it triggers an outbreak. I still don’t know what the trigger is but I think it’s <10ish left.
- you can “lure” zombies into attacking opponents by lowering their numbers, even if it seems like a big sacrifice. For example, I attacked an 8 territory Central America with 5 units and brought it down to 2, which got the zombies to open it up for me

Sorry if all this is obvious, just seemed like everyone I played with really struggled with this map scenario. Thanks for coming to my ted talk

Almost every opponent seems to be trying to go .500 instead of 82-0. Like the players selected just don’t make sense, I’ve maybe seen one 60+ win team and mostly 40ish wins. Is that the meta right now, or are we all playing bots?