安里アサト, Asato Asato, born 1985) is a female Japanese novelist. The pen name Asato Asato is a combination of her real name (Toru Asakura) and eighty-eight. Asato started writing novels just before she entered junior high school.
She initially submitted her work to the Kadokawa Beans Bunko Rookie Award, but when in 2014 her manuscript made it to the third round of the 2014 21st Dengeki Novel Prize, Asato started thinking about writing a novel that was "Dengeki Novel-esque." This novel would become the start of the 86 -Eighty Six- series.
In 2016, 86 -Eighty Six- won the 23rd Dengeki Novel Prize.
For an already short book it could’ve been a lot shorter. It was repetitive and over explained things that the author should trust the reader to understand this deep into the series. There were some good moments throughout, but they were buried in a sea of POVs that were trying to paint a picture of the massive scale of the conflict - POVs that, in the end, contributed to the repetitiveness. Unfortunately, I’m disappointed by the last two installments and am less excited for the final arc than I would’ve been had it started a few novels ago.
vol 13 was truly something else. it felt drastrically different to the previous volumes. unlike the previous volumes where the legion was the "big bad guy", asato took her time to show the cruelty of humanity under drastic conditions. she showed how easily it is for man to turn on each other. the main antagonists will always be the legion but it felt like this volume serves as a reminder of what humankind is capable of.
up until i read vol 13, i interpreted the eighty-sixth sector arc as "they will return to the republic." but the eighty-sixth sector doesn't have to be in the republic. asato is amazing for bringing the eighty-sixth sector to them, instead of making them come to the eighty sixth sector.
also, i want to talk about the actaeon. the actaeon subplot was genuinely so well executed and fit perfectly into the tone of the novel. asato used the actaeon as way to show what mass hysteria can do to a supposedly civilized and united nation. you could see paranoia begin to spread within the federacy, ultimately leading the government to pin the blame on both the actaeon and the eighty-sixth strike package, simply because they were "outsiders". slowly, the federacy began to fall apart.
in conclusin, vol 13 focused more on the complexity of humanity and civilization instead of the terrifying legion. i can see why many people have considered this the best of the series so far.
also shoutout to my Super awesome oomf Kofi thanks for getting me into this series :3
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This was a fantastic volume. I love how it was structured. The middle of the series followed more of a formulaic monster-of-the-book plotline, and while those stories were necessary, I couldn't be happier that we are far away from that format by now. Now, we're getting into the meat of the story, the payoff for all of that character work and world-building: The section when we have to confront the real monster that was lurking in the background this whole time, that of humanity's shortcomings and egos that created the Legion in the first place.
In this volume, we follow several plotlines simultaneously, bouncing between them multiple times within the same chapter, which sounds like a confusing mess just typing that sentence out—but, delightfully, it isn't. All the storylines seamlessly intertwine and weave into each other as some characters depart on journies of redemption or yearning, others of desperation, while the others are stuck in place, either frozen by their own moral misgivings or by another's hand.
The Federacy has had no qualms with blaming and pointing fingers at the Republic for how they treated the 86 and how that society chose to prioritize and ensure their own survival, but when similar extenuating circumstances begin afflicting their own capital, with refugees streaming in, crowding those so-called equality-focused streets of the Federacy, with the Legion slowly yet steadily chipping away at the battle lines and encroaching ever closer, with not even their beloved holidays safe from the consequences of being caught in a decade-long war, will they really be able to say they are morally superior to the Republic as these situations begin provoking a more desperate struggle for survival? Can humans keep that splendid humanity they always claim to have even when they're stripped of all structure and left in a free-for-all? Or will they break into groups of Others, dividing into Us and Them in a desperate attempt to make sense of the chaos again? Those are essentially the core questions of this volume, and they're explored through so many thought-provoking eyes.
We get the perspective of the Acaecton, who through no fault of their own have become the catalyst for everything coming apart at the seams as people begin blaming something, anything for all the problems that have suddenly crept into their supposedly safe city tucked away from the war front. Soldiers begin resenting this never-ending war, wondering who or what they are fighting for, and start deserting in droves when a satisfactory answer can neither be given nor found. Shin begins folding into his inner darkness as his world narrows when he is kept apart from Lena for a frustrating reason, and due to his duties, he cannot go and protect her immediately. Dustin is kept prisoner by his own claims of Goodness, of always rejecting the "wrong" society, and thus traps himself, and is trapped by his love, in a loop without escape that steals away his ability to discern the "right" way to live. The story encompasses everything from a macro view of how a supposedly superior democratic society can fail on all fronts simultaneously and simply self-combust, to the micro ways the small decisions of individuals affect countless lives in ripples that combine into waves as they crash into a sense of order already hanging by a thread.
It's hard to explain properly, but all of these frustrations are folded on top of each other in such a masterful way that I can honestly say it was a literary pleasure reading every chapter, as I took my time absorbing everything that was going on and appreciating the (unfortunate) ways this fictional world is reflecting our current one. The bombshell at the end was something I would never have seen coming, and I am both greatly anticipating and dreading where the final arc takes us.
i'm really sad that people seem to be unhappy with this volume. i can see why, so i'll start with that. there are So. Many. Povs. some povs are barely a few sentences long before you realise it's over and we're following someone else now. but god, the cycle of povs for two thirds of the book really took awhile to slog through because it was so repetitive. yes Shin is depressed, Dustin is insecure and Citri is dying on her journey. we get it. it could have been much much more concise.
but there are so mant beautiful moments. i would have read an entire novel of Yuuto with Citri and the other Acteon to their hometowns. their blossoming romance is so doomed yet encompasses some of the more beautiful, quiet moments of the book. i am very sad we didn't get to see more of it.
"your hair is pretty, like the colour of the moon, and your eyes glow like nostalgic fire."
"he'd take her heart along, but he wished her lingering flesh could become sustenance for the birds taking flight or the animals crawling about. somewhere within that cycle, she'd eventually find her way back to her hometown. she'd be able to see the whole world, like she wished to."
somehow i felt much more detached to the battle scenes here than the previous volumes. it just doesn't excite me much because there isn't too much going on but federacy soldiers fleeing and turning against them. but nothing about the battle itself that is captivating.
still, i love how it talks about war from both the sides of the 'oppressor' and the 'oppressed', the federacy soldiers victimising themselves like the republic citizens did, and it shows war is cruel even if you are on the right side of it if there is one. the full circle here is cruel. the eighty six escaped from the eighty sixth sector in the republic to the federacy, only to fight for the federacy and be turned away again, trapped outsjde in a new eighty sixth sector. god this is heartbreaking. Rito's death was heartbreaking. all of it is.
also, i love Anju and Dustin, but good god too. many. Dustin povs.
i wonder what volume 14 will be since they keep seeming to find new things to tackle before the final battle.
Bueno... la novela me ha gustado al final, aunque el primer capítulo y parte del segundo me costó leerlos, porque la trama de las "Actaeon" me resultó poco interesante (son la razón por la que no le doy cinco estrellas).
Mas allá de que me daba pena el destino de estas chicas, no llegó a convencerme la explicación de por qué no avisaron a nadie hasta el último momento (y causaron tantos problemas). Es comprensible que creyeran que las autoridades de la Federación no les harían caso o que podrían "experimentar" con ellas; sin embargo, ni siquiera trataron de contactar con los otros 86 (Citri no buscó a Dustin, pese a que lo conocía) hasta que la cosa se puso grave y no había nada que hacer.
El resto del volumen me fue gustando más a medida que leía. Por ejemplo, el cómo se fue degenerando la situación, las divisiones que siempre hubo aunque no se "notaran"; y la manera en que la gente, sin grandes esfuerzos, comenzó a discriminarse y odiarse entre sí.
We're so fucking back!! Ens hem recuperat per fi del desastrós volum 11 i es nota moltíssim:)) M'encanta que aquesta novel·la en certa manera hagi tornat als orígens i a parlar del feixisme inherent a la societat i el seu (in)evitable auge TOT I TENIR JA UNA REFERÈNCIA HISTÒRICA PROPERA, és a dir, super realista i conseqüent amb els fets actuals, que és de les coses que més m'agraden d'aquesta saga. I aquest final què se suposa que ha estat?? Increïble. Coses a criticar: poques. Una seria que com aquesta història es desenvolupa a una escala prou gran i sobretot molt dinàmica i detallada costa seguir la localització tant espaial com temporal, tinc moltes poques ubicacions localitzades i fins que no ha mencionat explícitament la data (per primer cop en 13 volums, crec) tampoc estava gaire segura. Això no només passa en aquesta novel·la, però crec que en aquesta concretament es fa prou evident, tot i que potser sóc jo que simplement em costa lol. L'altra queixa és que tot i que en aquest llibre s'ha fet molt més amè, la separació dels dos protagonistes es fa pesada quan s'allarga tant, i més quan és sota pretexts que tampoc acaben de justificar realment per què els retenen separats. A part d'això, molt guai :))
Japanese authors have never shied away from the potential or actual darkness of mankind, Light Novels and Manga being no expection, and as the art form has become even more popular, this becomes more and more apparent. Asato's Eighty-Six dwells within the depravity, mistrust and general weakness of man more than most of their peers, with each victory offset by the cruetly and lies of the government's they work for and the people they try desperately to protect. Like many of the best, as formidable as the threat of the Legion is, its the political spectrum which proves to be the real antagonist, each novel released becomes uncomfortably closer to being a reflection of our real world and times. As for this volume itself, the tragedy is heightened and the plot stays tight despite so many characters that have now been introduced over time. Whilst some may need a guide to remember who is who, the main characters are still vibrant and at the forefront, and the ending may just be the most downbeat and shocking yet.
I'm disgusted by the majority of citizen and human described here, they really remind me how low, entitled, and ungrateful human can be. How as 'self-defense' of our pride we try our hardest to find excuse and difference between us and another group to make us better, to justify our opinion and ideal. This volume is hard to read, there's a major segregation conflict going on. Some may say this volume is filler or repetitive, maybe it is maybe it's not for me I still enjoy it and trust the author. Maybe it's time for growth or more info about some supporting characters or due to what happened in this volume they have important role in the later volume, I don't really know but again I trust the author. There's not much of Shin & Lena's scene here because if you read it you'll know why I won't spoiled it. Anyway, I'm looking forward to the next volume, hope it'll released soon but I know it usually release around a year later.
I took me a week to finish this as I struggled to read for more than 20 minutes at a time. This book failed to pull me in. There were too many perspectives (most of which are not even 86), and there is too little fun to be had (it often feels like a war journal). Shin and Lena spend another volume separated (the only draw for this series). Instead, the breast bomb menace threatens to make the Federation crumble from within. Very little of this pays off as I only felt anything during two brief instances. Mostly it felt like we are rehashing points that have already been beaten to death, which is further shoved in our face by the full-circle ending. The author is obviously dragging this out for monetary reasons as we were fully set-up to end the series when this volume started. I think I'm done.
I did NOT expect it to turn out like this AT ALL!!!! all 86 kids need hugs and safe homes and oh my goodness I'm so sad..... my boy did not deserve to be killed like that T_T I was so hopeful now that they've found out a way, it's going to be solved soon, but this is such a genius move, to get back to this, it's a full loop and it's all so humane, when things depend on a large number of humans and their societies, usually nothing really goes as one expects, a lot of enjoyable stories pull big brain moves so that everything can go according to plans, but this really is so "real" this is such a good story-telling too, it all started with 86th sector after all, with human malice. I can't wait for the next volume to ruin me emotionally :") I'm glad it's the last arc too, it's a good pace.
4.75 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ que fue esto? Murió Rito? Volvimos a ser el sector 86? Lena en cautiverio? DIOSSSSSSS ESTO ES MUCHOOOOOOOO Un libro verdaderamente increíble, vimos como todo se fue al desmadre en la federación, el miedo a la muerte representado por las chicas Actaeon (creo que se escribía asi) y por si no fuera poco LA DESESPERACIÓN INCREIBLEMENTE PLASMADA DE TODOS LOS LADOS DE LA GUERRA, la prepotencia, la desesperación, el egoísmo, la necesidad de culpabilizar a alguien, etc. Todo fue perfecto, nada que decir, pero muchas partes me dieron mucha rabia, aunque igual ansío el Vol 14
je suis pas sûre de comprendre ce qu’il se passe dans ces livres honnêtement… et ça me rend trop triste parce que j’adore cette série (enfin jusqu’au tome 11 au moins) et j’aime trop les personnages, mais l’intrigue est tellement ??? incompréhensible, et ya tellement de personnages secondaires que je ne sais même plus qui est qui. cmt est-ce qu’on est censés se rappeler du rôle de chaque personnage dans l’armée et de quel pays ils viennent et tt le tralala compliqué ? jsp pas si je suis juste bête ou quoi mais je suis PERDUE (par contre super contente des mini moments shinlena qu’on a eus)
There is a lot of chaos in this volume! The build-up, anxiety, and stress were good. Classic for 86 novels.
I gave it three stars because there were so many perspectives that it was hard to keep up at times. I'm not sure if this was due to a translation issue, though, but the jumps between characters were very random. So when I was reading a few sentences in a new paragraph, I realized we were in a different scene. So it was hard to keep up.
This book/ Volume was amazing i really respect the author for her choice to sort of reset the series in a way and bring it to what the readers come to the conclusion of where the final arc starts.This is my opinion the best volume she has written in the 86 story( nah i’m lieing volume 8 was my personal favourite)
Starts a little slow but quickly ramps up. The horrifying truth of all humanity, unveiled in all it's ugliness, strikes at the heart as a reader. I could not put the book down. The truths of humanity and inhumanity are two sides of the same coin. I find it difficult to be hopeful for the upcoming final arc of the story, as much as I will read it through to the bitter end.
Definitely a big improvement over how bad vol. 12 and how much the story moved during this volume considering the series was starting to spin its wheels quite a bit. Not a fan of constantly bouncing perspectives and not reintroducing characters that we haven’t heard about in a while
Rather disjointed. Despite the volume being on the longer side, not much happened. A couple of plot points here and there with random jumps between character POV's but nothing substantial was accomplished in the volume. Yuuto's POV and arc with the Acteaon was good though
Dovrei rileggere bene, ma ho l'impressione che ci sia tanto filler, gli stessi concetti ribaditi più e più e più volte. Col risultato finale che ci ritroviamo, alla fine di volume XIII, circa dove eravamo alla fine di volume I.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Al inicio, no captaba del todo lo que pasaba, sin embargo me gustó mucho más este vol que el anterior. Está muy intenso todo lo que pasa al final pero no veo como se va a llegar a acabar esto