I was intending to push this review further but seeing how 86 season 2 is taking its time to come out, I’d just rather be done with it. Right off the bat, 86 season 2 is quite a bit different from season 1. It focuses more on character development and world-building compared to the raw action of season 1. The plot is still every bit as fast but, it starts to feel slow because of the delays in episode releases. It is not because of the story, it is because of the fact that we need to wait for new episodes much longer than normal.
Before writing this review, I watched all of 21 episodes of the anime currently our back to back. So I can say for certain, it’s not the plot pacing that has slowed down. I am not complaining though because I have seen a lot of rushed products throughout 2021 (cough cough GTA Trilogy, Detective is Already Dead, Takt, etc.) and I don’t want 86 season 2 to be in that category. So I’d rather have delays than a rushed product.
So if you haven’t watched 86 yet, I recommend you wait a little longer and speed run it once season 2 is done airing.
With that said though, how good 86 season 2 really is? Well, here are my thoughts on it. Be warned, there will be some minor spoilers ahead because this is a season 2 review.
Plot
86 season 2 picks up right where season 1 left off. Shin and his surviving friends are looking for shelter while running from the Legion. After a near-death encounter, they are saved by the remnants of the Giad Empire. 86 season 2 follows Shin and his friends as they work with the Giad Empire against the Legion.
So 86 season 2 is much more emotionally driven than season 1. Season 1 still had a lot of emotions thrown in the mix but, the season takes that to a whole another level. Season 2 focuses more on Shin’s character as he has now “fulfilled the purpose of his life” according to him. We see him struggling throughout the season to find a purpose. We also get to know a lot about countries other than Giad and San Magnolia so we get quite a bit of world-building too.
Sadly till episode 21, we haven’t really gotten any major updates on the San Magnolia Kingdom except for the first few episodes. When 86 season 2 opened, I loved Lena’s new personality and demeanor but we didn’t get to see much of her in season 2 sadly. Speaking of
Characters
As I said earlier, it is a lot more character-driven than season 1. So even if we don’t have the back-to-back action like season 1, there is a lot of character development. First off, I love how much Lena has grown since season 1 and her voice actress nailed the role perfectly. Aside from her, we have Shin of course. Almost all of season 2 is centered on Shin as we learn that he is still trying to find a purpose to live. We have some great character development in 86 season 2.
Animations and Soundtracks
Just like season 1, it also has great animations and soundtracks. The opening theme is an absolute banger, even though it can really hurt at times. But yeah, if you’ve watched season 1 you pretty know what to expect and that is exactly what you get.
Conclusion
My scores for 86 season 2 are:
- Plot – 8/10
- Characters – 9/10
- Animations – 9/10
- Soundtracks – 8/10
- Enjoyment – 7/10
- F**king delays – 10/10
- Overall – 9/10
So that is about it. 86 season 2 may not be as widely appealing as season 1 was because of the lack of back-to-back action and the delays, but it is still a very good anime. I would still highly recommend it. I personally like the author’s decision of turning down the action for some character development in this part. You will realize later why the break from action during this part was important. And yeah, with I will take my leave here. See ya!
