It's hard to write a short piece about how much this show conveys to its audience and the impact it's had on me, so it won't be short.
[VISUAL/SOUND].
I must give praise to the director Toshimasa Ishii for how incredibly well-thought out each scene is, the detail that goes into the setting that contrasts life between the Republic, the 86th District, and Federacy. A-1 can be hit-or-miss, and although the visuals may not have always been consistent, I'd like to believe this show is one of their hits. The amount of attention given to both the scenery and character expressions is spectacular. The soundtrack loses edge slightly in comparison to the visuals in my opinion, though that's not to say it's "bad." I suppose I'm simply not much of a fan of vocal works coming in during key fights. I honestly think it takes focus away from the most critical portions of the show. That being said, the soundtrack itself is great. The direction of each particular scene is exemplified through each piece (whether its sad, happy, disturbing, etc.). Heart-wrenching moments are often shown through an ominous lack of music in an an attempt to make the audience more vulnerable to the emotional impact. It's hard to find shows that can mix this well, creating a temporary void to bring immerse a viewer in the moment with an auditory respite.
[STORY]
I believe the story is heavily carried on the back of the show's main leads, Shinei Nouzen and Vladiline Milize . Although many characters have a short time in the spotlight, much of these scenes are used to highlight each characters' backgrounds, strengths, flaws, etc. Much emphasis is given to the 86th sector combatants as a whole, along with the differences in their lifestyle, ideology, and ethics in comparison to their Alban Supremacists. The story shows this very well, but truly shines in its ability to show both the horrors and oftentimes futility of their war. Feelings of indignation, pride, resignation, guilt, acceptance, and fear resound through the 86's words and actions throughout the entire series as they lose more and more comrades. This creates a sense of hopelessness in the first half, though in the second half carries on by having their emotions become a wall that keeps them on the only home they knew; the battlefield. It's incredible how the story shows this more realistic approach to their characters; veterans who grew up to become the perfect "combat drones".
[CHARACTERS]
Lena had an incredible amount of development as the sole representation of Colorata sympathy, who had to learn to grow past her subtly cultivated discrimination against the 86 in order to truly treat them as fellow human beings. Her growth from a naïve, but well-mannered handler with good intentions into a cunning and even brazen attitude that allowed her to become a near-paragon on the battlefield is incredible. The first person in the series (not chronologically) who came to care for her units as people, and who grew so that she could become someone strong enough to stand by their side once again regardless of what others thought of her.
Now, S H I N E I N O U Z E N. As the deuteragonist of part I, Shinei felt more like a foil for Lena, an incredibly talented combatant with too much on his back to carry in comparison to the Republic's "princess". He truly finds his own development in part II where we see the true effects the war has had on him and his psyche. A young man who had lost everything, and who believed he would continue to lose everything. One who watched as everyone passed away, trying to find a place for himself to die as well. As much as Shin shows to be an almost robotic soldier, we are also shown his many vulnerabilities, and how much had to be done for him to take his first step forward in an attempt to find his own meaning to keep living. His fear of everyone leaving him resonates with me, and the show will go every step of the way to show you just how horrifying and fatalistic his mentality is, which makes the moment he finds that he still has comrades he thought he lost that much more beautiful.
There's too much to write about the supporting cast, but many characters played a pivotal role in the growth both Lena and the surviving members of Spearhead Squadron. Some people might not like how it seems as if many of the characters that could've been interesting were killed off quickly, but I actually think it makes more sense than anything else. It shows how sudden death can come during war, and highlights the fact that the 86 were seen as disposable units. Regardless, I've come to love how these characters were formed and how much impact they all have on each other and the story as a whole.
Finally, I never thought I'd come to love a freaking robot dog more than in this show. Kudos to everyone involved, nothing has put me on quite an emotional rollercoaster as 86has, at least not in a long time. Incredible show, 9.5/10.
