English Dub Review: 86 EIGHTY-SIX: “All That’s Left”

 

Overview: With the rest of the Nordlicht squad left behind, Shin (Billy Kametz) faces off against Kiriya (Zeno Robinson) as he seeks to bring him down once and for all. 

Our Take: One by one each member of the Nordlicht squad is taken down and eventually it becomes a climactic one-on-one match between Shin and Kiriya. 

Shin’s final showdown with Kiriya is spectacular from start to finish with A-1 Pictures continuing to show how capable their staff is at big explosive battles. Although Shinei manages to stay one step ahead of Kiriya, there is an incredible sense of urgency with feeling like a close match. This is portrayed through how he is just one wrong move away from the tide of the battle shifting in Kiriya’s favor with the Reaper narrowly dodging and tripping over blast shots as his mech is ripped apart piece by piece. There is also a question of who is aiding Shin in battle, besides Raiden who manages to make a comeback later on, in talking him through battle strategies, whether it be Grethe or even Lena somehow. There is another intriguing question of who fired the airborne missile strike that ended up helping Shin get some breathing room. 

Catching up with Shin, Frederica makes her final emotional plea to Kiriya to stop fighting and even willing to sacrifice her own life. It makes his bout with Shinei all the more intense as he becomes more angry, setting up an epic finish with Shinei utilizing his last bullet, with Frederica’s help of her knowledge of his weak spot. While a stunning fight is finished, it ends on an emotional bittersweet note in how Frederica dreamed about the friendship that could have been between Kiriya, Shin and Shourei.