English Dub Review: 86 EIGHTY-SIX: “Through to the End”

Overview: After enjoying a brief respite from the battlefield, the 86 are thrust back into the battlefield once again with unfortunate casualties. Also, more is revealed on Shin’s (Billy Kametz) tragic past with his brother, Shourei, not to mention the relationship between him and Lena (Suzie Yeung) continues to strengthen. 

Our Take: 86’s sixth entry illuminates some dark corners of Shin’s backstory with his brother and, while it does not shine a light on every answer, it does give a glimpse at the burden that the young soldier carries with him. The violent and brutal nature of Shourei’s death being the plot detail that gives reasoning behind his call sign and for moving forward as a whole works as an all-in-one compelling catalyst and is very smartly written. There is also still an intriguing mystery abound regarding the circumstances surrounding Shin and Shourei’s rocky relationship that the episode does a great job of leaving breadcrumbs for through more haunting flashbacks.  

Another story aspect that does not go unnoticed is Lena’s continued commitment to the 86, despite the tragedies and hardships they face. This episode showcases how slowly but surely they continue to have strong growth. 

The clever writing goes beyond just Shin’s past however. The casualties on the 86’s side were expertly set up to be gruesome and heartbreaking not just because of how they occurred. But also with the heartwarming and compelling recent past scenes of them bonding near the cherry blossoms. The flowers also act as strong symbolism for the soldiers of the Spearhead unit and their bright yet fleeting existence. 

It also teases for quite a fateful encounter eventually with Shourei being an antagonist in a sense with him being taken by the legion and his brains absorbed for their cause. With the deaths of his friends and comrades weighing on him as heavily as they do, the mind boggles to see how the remnants of his brother’s mind will wear on him psychologically and how that will affect him moving forward. Lastly, this episode manages to gracefully juggle various story aspects, in one akin to the slow but steady progression of Vladilena’s camaraderie with Spearhead, with the romantic flickers being fanned between her and Shin. It is especially refreshing that the romance is an evident quality that is not getting left behind and is simmering to perfection along with various other story plot points to get the most mature and satisfying flavor out of them. 

“Through to the End” consists of more brilliant writing and storytelling along with more amazing backstory and character building.