With each passing year, more and more popular light novel series receive anime adaptations, and 2020 is no exception. Aniplex Japan announced in March that the award-winning sci-fi/military series 86-Eighty-Six is being adapted by A-1 Pictures and is set to air later this year. The series is highly acclaimed the world over, and is certainly worth a look before its anime premieres.Authored by Asato Asato and illustrated by Shirabii, 86-Eighty-Six takes place in the Republic of San Magnolia, a nation under attack by a neighboring empire's unmanned drone army known as "the Legion." The Republic's government claims its battle mechs are also unmanned drones, successfully fighting "a war without casualties," but this is a lie. The 85 sectors of San Magnolia are protected by fortified walls and a sect of soldiers known as the 86. The 86 are young men and women who, because of their skin color and ancestral bloodlines, are treated as less than human and forced into battle to die defending their country.
Protagonist Shinei Nouzen leads a squadron of 86 into battle after battle, sporting plenty of inner demons and a reckless fighting style. He does whatever it takes to protect his fellow squad members, but shows a paradoxical lack of care for his own life. Vladilena Mirizé, who has risen to the rank of Major at just 16 years old, commands the squadron from afar thanks to a piece of long-distance technology called the Para-RAID. Despite being a "pureblood," she does not discriminate against the 86 and is annoyed by the ongoing ignorance of the war from the Republic's citizens.
The series deals in a number of strikingly current issues with affecting honesty, from racism and discrimination, to dealing with the corrupt upper class, to the brutal realities of war and the inner trauma that stems from losing loved ones. There are also plenty of sci-fi and mecha elements, characters with supernatural abilities, and the slightest hint of romance. The portrayal of the 86, whose service to their country and horrid living conditions are unknown and unacknowledged, is starkly contrasted by the upper-class citizens' absurdly privileged lifestyle.
The mysterious Para-RAID device creates an interesting dynamic between the two protagonists, who have never met in person. In addition to long-distance communication, the device also gives the user a vague look into the other person's feelings or emotions. This technology is used despite the fact that Lena is advised — both by her fellow officers and the 86 themselves — not to get emotionally attached to her squadron as their mission is to die on the battlefield. Despite this knowledge, emotions often run high on both sides.
With a movingly honest portrayal of war, drama, the supernatural, and the shockingly discriminatory views of a nation's general public, 86-Eighty-Six is anything but your standard light novel series. Fans who have craved an anime adaptation for years are rewarded at last, while newcomers alike are in for a highly emotional and captivating experience.