86 Reasons Why You Should Watch 86 Eighty-Six

29. Dialogue is Incredible

A lot of anime fans don’t realize how average dialogue in some of their favorite anime is until they come across a series that has top-tier dialogue scenes. That’s 86 Eighty-Six. It’s extremely difficult to convey light novel dialogue to anime because of how much detail there is, but the adaptation goes beyond its limits and nails it.

28. Series Was Inspired By Stephen King’s Work

In her latest interview with Mipon, Asato talked about how the movie “The Mist”, a film adaptation of the original Stephen King novel, was a primary source of inspiration for 86 Eighty-Six.

27. Author Praised The Anime

Asato has also praised the anime countless times, including in the light novels. It’s always a good look when the original creator loves the anime adaptation.

26. Possibly the Best Use of CGI

I know this is a no-no word in anime for many fans, but the CGI during the battles is downright jaw-dropping. And that’s putting it lightly. I’d go as far as to say 86 Eighty-Six has some of the best CGI in anime history. Hiroyuki Yoshida, if you’re reading this, thank you!

25. Fight Scenes

And that leads to this. Words can’t begin to describe how beautiful the battles look. From the CGI to the sound design to the lighting, everything is just so perfect.

24. Camera Work

And just like that, number 25 leads to this one. I know this is a very overlooked aspect of animation but it’s also as crucial as it is in films. The camera work, especially during the battles, is extremely well-done in 86 Eighty-Six.

23. Directed by Toshimasa Ishii

If you’re a seasoned anime fan, you know who Toshimasa Ishii is. Erased, Space Brothers, Seven Deadly Sins, Fate, Your Lie in April… Toshimasa has a good-looking resume. With much experience in the anime industry, 86 Eighty-Six is actually his debut as a series director!

22. Perfect Light Novel Adaptation

Many other light novel fans will tell you the same as well. 86 Eighty-Six does a perfect job at adapting Asato’s work. Don’t believe me? Go watch and read the series for yourself.

21. Based On Award-Winning Light Novel

Not only did the first season adapt the light novels perfectly, but they adapted an award-winning light novel perfectly. Read more about that here.

20. Emotional Value

I’m just going to go ahead and say that you will indeed cry, or get choked up at the very least while watching this series at some point. Building up to the extremely emotional moments might be what 86 Eighty-Six does better than anything else.

19. Shock Value

If you are going into the anime without having read the light novels, you will experience shocking moments that will leave you speechless. That’s all I’ll say regarding shock value. Go watch the series and you’ll see for yourself.

18. World Building

An underrated aspect of 86 Eighty-Six from an anime standpoint and it’s only going to get better with cour two. Just wait!

17. Relatable Characters

I think we all can relate to at least one character in some aspect. Maybe not at face value but there’s definitely something to be said about the normal, human side of the characters.

16. Cour 2 Will Introduce More Incredible Characters

Anime-only fans are in for a treat. No spoilers here but be ready!

15. Series Might Continue

It’s a pretty good sign when the studio announces a cour two before the first one is even halfway finished. There’s no confirmation of anything past cour two, but I’m betting on season two will come our way at some point.

14. Anime Has Incredible Original Scenes

While still adapting the first light novel volume perfectly, cour one actually gave us some original anime scenes. These scenes ended up actually uplifting ones in the light novel to even better heights.

13. Impactful Deaths

Not a spoiler if I don’t say who. Much like the emotional moments, 86 Eighty-Six truly knows how to make someone’s death impactful. And that’s for any of the characters, too.

12. Dynamic Characters

“Dynamic” is a word that is tossed around a lot in anime discussions nowadays. Well, I’m bringing it up here because it’s actually true. 86 Eighty-Six presents the viewers with incredibly dynamic characters and is one of the best parts of the series in general, not just the anime.

11. Awesome OP

10. Voice Cast

In a dialogue-heavy anime, you need to have a voice acting cast that can deliver during its biggest moments. And 86 Eighty-Six isn’t short of incredible talent. Shōya Chiba, Ikumi Hasegawa, Saori Hayami, and many others, comprise an incredible cast.