86 EIGHTY-SIX

86 EIGHTY-SIX is a 2021 military science fiction anime. This first part has 11 episodes and was made by A-1 Pictures. It is based on the light novels by Asato Asato. It is set in the Republic of San Magnolia, a country that has been at war for nine years.

The enemy is the Giad Empire, which sends out an army of robot weapons called the Legion. The Republic tells its people that it fights back with drones that have no pilots, so no citizens ever die. This is a lie.

The drones are actually piloted by the 86. These are people from the Republic's Colorata minority. The government took away their rights and forced them to live in camps in the 86th District, outside the country's walls. There, young 86 are sent to fight and die, and the Republic does not even count them as human.

Major Vladilena Milize, called Lena, is a young officer from the ruling Alba people. Unlike most people, she believes the 86 are being treated wrongly. She becomes the new Handler, the officer who gives orders to a squad of 86 pilots from a safe room far away.

Her new squad is the Spearhead Squadron, led by a quiet young man named Shinei Nouzen, known as the Undertaker. Past Handlers have not lasted long with this squad. The series follows Lena and Shin as they talk across the battlefield, and as Lena learns the truth about the war.