English Dub Review: 86 EIGHTY-SIX: “Stay This Way Forever”

Overview: Grethe dispatches Shin (Billy Kametz) and the rest of Nordlicht squad to take down the legion’s railgun, the Morpho. 

Our Take: Shin, Raiden, Emma, Theoto and Kurena are seasoned vets who have seen their fair share of battles and have gained years of military expertise as a result. However, the legion proves yet again that they are more than capable of going the distance right alongside them and the threat they present is just as real as the one Nordlicht squad provides. This takes the form of Kiriya and his cunning militaristic strategy in his surprise attack from the Morpho, when it was assumed to be vulnerable in making repairs. Using Giad’s preconceptions against them shows how threatening the legion turned Kiriya truly is, not to mention fooling Shin and the crew into believing Kiriya was in the actual weapon itself. 

Shinei and Kiriya’s standoff with each other shows how similar the two are in their sadistic violent nature, but each in their own unique way. It also puts a lens into Kiriya’s mindset and how his past protection of Frederica and the scarring tragedy of losing his life and ending up alone along with legion influence has warped his mind into wanting to pass those atrocities onto Shin.  

Besides Spearhead, some interesting tidbits about others in Giad are learned like how deadly serious Ernst commits to having the moral high ground as a country in not abandoning Grethe, the 86 and the other soldiers. However, his commitment also shows how terrifyingly necessary he is in ensuring the Federacy’s beliefs with how deplorable the high ranking military officers are in how they wouldn’t attempt to aid Nordlicht and the other soldiers in their time of need. Grethe and Willem also share a past history as not only special units but as would-be lovers in a love triangle with Grethe’s late husband who died in war. Willem continues to show a prejudice against the 86, even when they are risking their lives, which begs certain questions like: How did that cruelty come to be? Is there more to Willem buried underneath than what is on the cold surface? Their conversation also highlights how they are both products of war just as much as the 86 are in their shared suffering that has molded who they are. With Frederica having stowed away on Fido and Raiden tasked with taking her back, Nordlicht squad seems like they will be at even more of a disadvantage chasing down the Morpho, elevating the danger of their mission in the process.