9. Entertainment Value
The most important part about anything we watch is if it’s entertaining to us. 86-Eighty Six is incredibly entertaining but in its own way, or should I say many ways. Otherwise, this article wouldn’t exist.
8. Scene Transitions Are Industry-Defining
I can guarantee that one thing most anime fans couldn’t care less about is the transitions between one scene and the next (unless it’s god awful). However, 86-Eighty Six has put such an emphasis on scene transitions that you will not be able to stop yourself from pausing and rewinding at some point to see them again. They’re that amazing and even symbolic.
7. Author Had A Hand In The Anime
In her recent interview with Mipon, Asato did go into detail about how she helped with the anime in many aspects, including the casting of voice actors for her characters. For more details read here after you finish the list.
6. Plot
A story is nothing without its plot and 86-Eighty Six has one of the best in the modern era of anime. Period. There’s nothing left that needs to be said. If there was, this article would be a lot longer than it already is.
5. Soundtrack
Who better to compose a soundtrack for your anime series than Hiroyuki Sawano himself with Kohta Yamamoto as the co-composer?
4. Main Character Backstories
If a series is able to give their main characters solid backstories, fans will become that more interested in the series. So what happens if a series like 86-Eighty Six gives perfect backstories? You create a part of a masterpiece that is this series. The contrast of the two main characters. The dynamics of them. Everything down to their names and interests, it’s all just chef-kiss perfect.
3. Shin
I bet some of you were waiting for me to get to him, weren’t you? Don’t worry, I’ll never forget our favorite male lead. Shin’s uniqueness is rooted in his twisted past and his ability to do things no normal human being can on the battlefield. A man blessed and cursed with an ability that nobody else wishes to possess. His character exemplifies the saying “he’s a man on a mission.”
The calm and collected Shin is without a doubt one of the most bad-ass characters to debut this year. Just an all-around 10/10 male, lead protagonist. If none of the reasons before this encouraged you to watch, let Shin be the reason. And if not him…
2. Lena
If Shin isn’t enough then let our lovable, bad-ass commander, Vladilena (Lena) Milizé, be the reason why you should watch 86-Eighty Six. I have never, in all the anime I have watched, seen a character with more growth in 11 episodes than Lena… Ever. If you want a picture of everything you could ever want in a female, a lead role for an anime series then here you go.
A backstory that is tied into the very fabric of what this series is and what it is about. The perfect representation of someone born and raised in a comfortable situation but unaware of the dangers lurking right around the corner. From ignorance to playing by her own rules. From her character design to her personality. Lena is indeed deserving of the “Best Girl” award she won back in the spring and is undoubtedly a perfect female protagonist to Shin’s male protagonist.
