86 effortlessly mixes tragedy, social commentary, character drama and mecha/sci-fi action, cementing its place as one of the best new anime in any genre.
The show is quite an accomplishment, honestly. For someone as jaded as me, this anime worked far better than I thought it would do. I expected it to be a "death of the week" kind of show that blatantly manipulates your emotions by killing off characters, but I am so glad it isn't something like that.
Pros:
+ Very effective multi-perspective narrative. The emotions flew naturally between these characters and allow them to grow on you.
+ overall stellar production value and art. Mechas are shaded with chrome-shiny 3d effects but it does not bother me. 2d and 3d elements blend quite well. The art/animation allowed the contrast between hellish battlefields and aristocratic privilege to be fleshed out.
+ Overall character design.
+ the main characters' respective arcs are very touching yet not overtly corny. Very respectful. Shin's journey could easily be A) a power fantasy in which he goes super saiyan and gets the girl; B) a hopeless tragedy. I am so glad the story did not go those paths.
+ Deals with dark and realistic subject matters quite maturely.
Cons:
- A few unnecessarily cutesy moments/characters. This anime, in my opinion, should have been more confident in its seriousness (I mean if you want fan service or cutesy stuff you can get plenty elsewhere, but it's as if the investors demanded these elements in 86 in order to even out the dark elements).
- This is a minor spoiler, but considering the overall realistic tone of the show, the fate of the main characters in the end of Season 1/beginning of Season 2 feels a bit too convenient. If the show ends for good at S1E11, it could be more powerful in certain ways.
Again, the aforementioned flaws are minor ones. If you are remotely touched by social commentary/character struggles in Attack on Titan, or if you like shows that deal with tragedy with respect, give 86 a try. Oh, and it's also a great action/sci-fi/mecha show.
