English Dub Review: 86 EIGHTY-SIX: “Together Unto Death”

Overview: Shin (Billy Kametz), Raiden (Jonah Scott) and the others rest while on their mission to hunt down the legion army and their weapon, the Morpho, is underway. 

Our Take: With a plan to distract the legion underway from the Federacy and other countries, along with a Giad operation to catch up with the 86, Shinei and the gang take a brief reprieve in their mission to hunt down the Morpho. Shin has shown to be increasingly unhinged over the course of his recent exploits, even completely blocking out the outside world engrossed in his delusions. 

Raiden aggressively confronting Shin is a powerful scene that showcases how close they are and is an excellent example of how deep their friendship is, with Raiden understanding his selfish tendencies like only relying on himself and having no regard for his own wellbeing. But beyond that, also being open and honest enough to voice his disdain and tell him how heartless his mindset is, without any hesitation whatsoever. Jonah Scott kills this scene with his anger ferociously present throughout. 

However, not to be left behind narratively, the other members of Nordlicht squad realize they rely too much on Shin and don’t take his state into account. While they have their key moments, They have been a bit more disconnected compared to Raiden, so it is refreshing for them needing to develop and better themselves in understanding how they could play a more prominent role beyond merely being there for Shin. Frederica being plain and dry about Shin seeing Kurena as a sister with crush is a hilarious dose of reality for her and showing how the young princess still shows her age in how naively unfiltered she is for. 

The stark difference between Federacy soldiers and those of the Republic continues to be made clear in how much the veteran soldiers refuse to be complacent and march towards the 86. Even Willem, who is not what you would call a peach in his absurd characterization of the 86 and their inhumane nature, shows his softer side for the Nordlicht squad and their fortitude, despite his efforts to show that he only cares for their capabilities. It is a change of pace that makes the Federacy someone to root for, rather than despise and be disgusted with in San Magnolia. 

Everyone in Shin’s group has a dream that they aspire to, making the end of their service all the more alluring and life-defining goals to work towards. Everyone except Shin that is. And that is where his internal struggle comes into play in that he fears he is nothing more than a weapon of war with no personal aspirations to speak of, outside of moving on to the next battle, not to mention being left behind and forgotten by his friends as they move forward with their lives. His frustration is heartbreaking to watch in how relatable it is in not finding one’s place but seeing how much it is hurting him in the fear of being reduced to a life of painful servitude. However, Frederica reminds us what we have all seen of Shin up to this point in that he has a good, kind-hearted side and it may be a fear of dreaming consuming him more so than a grim fate. But the intrigue comes from how Shin will pick up the pieces and find his own way to move forward as well as his own dream in the future.