Live to fight. Die with honor. That was all they knew, and they were proud. But as they saw themselves reflected in the Sirins-slaughtered by the thousands with nothing to show for it-a crack formed in their ironclad resolve. Shin's mind festered with doubt. Lena's heart tore at the seams as she struggled to understand him. Would they find common ground over the course of the United Kingdom operation? Or would they drift further apart...?
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.
SHIN'S GROWTH! well everyone too but since he's the main character we focus more on him, I LOVE HIS GROWTH! him realizing he has people who cares about his well being and how he can try to changes his mindset, that he's not in 86 sector anymore that he can rely on others and not sacrifice himself as people wait for him to return. Also that he finally has an idea how his friends and Lena feels when he was in danger, aand him joke and bantering with Lena, my, I'm soft for them. Turned out I like Vika and his brother, it's heartwarming.
5 STARS. Yay for character development!!!I’m pretty sure this is my favorite volume in this series so far aside from the first.
IT. WAS. SO. GOOD.
I read this from my library so I couldn’t highlight anything—which I normally never even want to do—but with all of these books I find parts I love so I take a picture of them. This book had a lot of pictures.
Ahhh! Where to start? I’ll guess I’ll start with Shin’s character development in this book. It was amazing. All of those things that have been building up in the last few volumes finally came to a head in this book and Shin is forced to actually face his fears and reasons for what he does. And the boy actually made some progress in appreciating Lena more. And there’s Lena—always trying to help him. Seriously, these two.... Best. Ship. Ever.
Especially in this volume it was amazing to see them growing. It’s one of those rare relationships where they just complete one another, and not only that but neither is perfect and they acknowledge that. They are stronger together. So cute.
Plus, there we’re definitely more ship moments in this book <3 Like when Lena gives him the blanket, when she trips....you get the idea *heart eyes forever* And the conversation where he finally admits his wish to show her the ocean was EVERYTHING. It seriously got me. *sniff*
ALSO, can we just appreciate how this author gives us pretty dresses for Lena? My dreams are fulfilled.
Oh. And I didn’t even mention the moment of Anju and Dustin and her pilot-suit thing. Those two KILL me.
(You can clearly tell why I read these books :)
And, I KNOW I MENTION IT IN EVERY VOLUME, but I can’t help it. I promise I’ll be quicker this time. The themes were so amazing in this book. Most of it had to do with the Shin’s character arc, but there was also stuff that had to do with all of the Eighty-Six. You should read it.
A side note, but if you’ve read these books, you know that the AFTERWORD section is always pure gold. This author is the best. But in this volume specifically has one section that was the best. (Rest in peace, Shin) Just read it. ;)
Overall, SUPER AMAZING. I’m going to die waiting for the 7th volume. *sob* But HAVE YOU SEEN THE COVER FOR IT?? Seriously, just kill me now. I’ll still die happy!!!
CONTENT NOTE: This had several uses of strong language.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I'm giving this four stars because at this point everybody probably knows I love this series a lot but I admit this wasn't the strongest volume of the bunch. Mainly because it spent about two thirds in basically going in the same circles that had been touched upon a lot already. Of course it was to build basis for some really nice character growth moments in the later parts (yeeees, Shin finally crawling slowly up from his mind's darkest pits) but if I'm honest, it didn't need quite so much words. The actual military operation takes less pages this time but there's still a good dose of detailed battle descriptions and of course a heated (eheheh, pun INTENDED) match at the end.
In this volume, other characters besides Shin and Lena don't get any significant scenes really. A shame, as I want to learn more about them! But the next volume might deliver on that end because it actually looks like that one will be the more lighthearted one Asato has been promising in her afterwords since the beginning, haha. (But it's not that I don't want to read about Shin and Lena, of course I do, I love Shin and Lena is one of my favourites too! My thirst is just unquenchable.)
Battle stuff is exciting as always (at least for me!) and it's interesting what new tricks Asato conjures up for the Legion, and 86 & co. too. She knows how to keep everybody one their toes when it comes to battles!
As always, a heart for Shirabii for the illustrations too. <3
From beginning to end, it was a rollercoaster ride of tumultuous emotions; we had fear that all my favourite characters would croak (even though are featured in the next volumes' covers), angst because Lena and Shin are a couple of losers around each other, more angst because Shin was suffering so much, some annoyance because of all the weirdly described moments (plus imagining how the male characters would look in the cicada {it traumatised me}), and of course, the most important of all, enjoyment because, as usual, the author never fails to deliver on the action!
But to review it like a normal person, this volume was a continuation of the previous one and followed the events directly. There wasn't much change from the narrative though we did get to see a deep exploration of the main characters' psyches plus we delved even deeper into the workings of the Legion. It was fun, definitely, but I could have done without the fan-service (which is still exclusively for the men :l)
still didn't really care about the battle scenes, but the plot in this volume was more enjoyable than the last one. they found and managed to capture the Merciless Queen, so i'm looking forward to what this will entail. Shin's character development was sooo satisfying. bro really went from an angsty teenager with $uic!dal thoughts to a life-appreciating SIMP, i mean look at this line:
"I don’t want to die. I don’t want to die. Because if I die, I’d call for her. I’d call her name in the end. And if I become a Legion, I’d keep doing it forever, until I break."
LIKE HELLO??? are we talking about the same person? the world belongs to you two ig, my bad for intruding (but i will not be leaving eheheh).
Is there anything you'd like to do once this war is over? Lena had asked him this several times already, and Shin still couldn't muster an answer. Not because he didn't have one— he did—but he couldn't bring himself to speak of it. I want to show you the sea. But that was a wish he'd made on his own, and he could no longer share it with Lena. He'd realized all it would do was hurt her. If he tried to be by her side as he was now, he would only cause her pain. He couldn't walk alongside her. And that was why he couldn't give his true answer. He didn't want to grab hold of the hand she was extending toward him. Lena's wish, her desire for everyone to achieve happiness, was one he couldn't grant. He would only weigh her down. So I won't wish to show you the sea. Never again.
“I’m sorry.” "Yes, I'm afraid you won't get away without a scolding this time, Caprain... What happened? This isn't like you." "Ah, Your Majesty. I already gave him a talking-to about that, so don't chew him out too much." Shiden butted in on their exchange, but Lena ignored her. Being looking down upon left a bad taste in Shin's mouth, so he rose from the bed and put on his uniform's top. "My mind wandered... and I lost focus. It won't happen again." "Lost focus'...?" Lena hesitated for a moment but eventually decided she needed to reprimand him as a commanding officer this time. She raised her fair eyebrows and spoke to him with a slightly severe gaze. "This is because of whatever's been bothering you lately, isn't it? That's why you tripped up. Am I wrong?" "…….” "I told you it'd be a problem if it ends up influencing the operation. I asked you to resolve this by attending further counseling sessions, or by consulting with me if you can't work this out on your own... I'll listen to you, no matter what you have to say. That's my duty... And i's what I want. You look like something's hounding you, like you're being pushed against the wall... Everyone's worried about you. And so am I.... What's wrong, Shin?" As she spoke, her grimace gradually softened, and she simply looked up at him earnestly with her argent eyes... But Shin averted her gaze. He couldn't tell her he was a harmful factor to the world she desired. That he was still headed for death instead of the future she wished for. That he didn't belong at her side right now, and that even though he wanted to change this, he didn't know how. He didn't want her, of all people, to know about the emptiness eating away at him from the inside.
"Nothing." Lena grimaced anxiously. "You can't say that when you're making that face. Telling someone might make you feel better—" "There's nothing." "You're lying... You always say that, but you weren't fine, were you? If you're in pain, I wouldn't mind lending you an ear... No, I want you to tell me. I, um, want to support you, and... Shin grew irritated at their unproductive exchange and lashed out in a severe tone. "There's nothing... It has nothing to do with you, and I have noth- ing to tell you." And only then did he realize what he had said. Lena's large eyes wid-ened, seemingly frozen on him. And then they moistened, as if a crack had run through those alabaster depths. "...Why do you say that?" Her voice contained a chill he'd never heard before. "You say there's nothing, but it's obvious from your face that something's wrong. You look like you're in pain, like you're in agony, but you never say anything. Don't you want to talk to me...? Am I really that unreliable? Am I really not good enough to help you? Aren't we...?" Tears spilled from her eyes and ran down her white cheeks. One after another. Shin looked on with shock as her tears flowed freely like water breaching a dam. He knew he had to say something, but his mind was reeling, and he failed to come up with anything. And as Shin remained speechless, Lena's expression crumbled in front of him. "Aren't we fighting together..?" Her question reverberated out like a screa for an answer, Lena turned around and ran
I can't lose her. I can't lose Lena, not here. Even if she's acting of her own accord, I can't let her die selfishly like this.
ned of letting a girl who was only slightly older than ten escort ro the battlefield. Roger that." Since the command center's position was exposed, we'll move to adis. Considering Aide Rosenfort had to retire from the battlefeld, abiliry to control and observe the battlefield has fallen somewhat, it doesn't impede our ability to continue the operation." Having said everything she had to say as the operation's com-nder to Shin, who was the tactical commander on the front lines, then mentioned something else. He'd honestly, truly, saved her. He d, but... "Captain Nouzen, regarding how you gave second Lieutenant lida ring instructions earlier... You don't need to do that. Don't worry bout what's happening on this side and focus on your battles. Lou don't ave to do something so reckless." Shin was on the front lines, and in the middle of fighting a Dino-auria. He d likely left the fighting to Raiden, Theo, and his other squad members so he could focus on providing reconnaissance for Shiden... But still, he was right in front of the enemy. One wrong step, and he'd have been killed. And yet she could sense Shin tightening his lips. He seemed oddly displeased, in an uncharacteristic show of emotion compared with his usual, indifferent self. He then parted his lips to speak, making no effort to hide that emotion. "No." It was the same voice she'd heard in the Revich Citadel Base, but this time, it felt firmer than before. Lena furrowed her brows. "That's an order, Captain." "I refuse." "Shin."" "Irefuse that order. Are you even one to talk like that, Lena?" Lena realized that, at some point, she'd been set as the sole target o Shin's Resonance. And that he didn't call her by her rank, as was nece sary in the middle of an operation...but by her nickname.
186 86—EIGHTY-SIX, VOLUME B Aara 10 se "You were the one who ordered me to return safely. So wait for me. So let us return...Lena." We can t complete that objectivelyf we don't have anywhere to return to. And at that moment, Shin was filled with something like indecision. Like hesitation. Like doubt... No. Pressed by an even stronger emotion, he fell silent. And with that emotion constricting his throat, he finally said those words, as if painfully coughing them out. mishco 9. "Please don't leave me." He sounded like he was imploring her. Like a child squatting on a mountain of corpses in the center of the battlefield, reaching out for a hand of light he could just barely make out. As if trying to grasp this hand that could disappear at any given moment. "I'll come back, for sure. So don't leave me behind. Don't tell me not to protect you when you're in danger... I don't want you-you, of all people-to order me to abandon you." "Shin... "You've asked me about this a few times already... If there's anything I want to do once this war ends. You told me l'm allowed to wish for things, even if I can't see the world as beautiful. Lena, I..." These were the words he'd intended to say a few times already. The wish he was able to voice in front of Eugene's grave. But even so, saying it now overwhelmed Shin so much that he could feel his vision swimming. "I want to show you the sea. I want to show you things you've never seen before. Places you can't see unless the war ends. So when it does... if we survive, let's see the sea together." This was what he had wanted to say for the last six months. His reason for fighting-his wish. But saying those words now, making that wish to Lena, scared him. Reaching out to something, wishing for it. Longing for it from the
attempting to flee. His survival instincts were telling him to escape. I don't want to die. That thought suddenly and intensely crossed his mind. It surged up in him with an almost instinctual intensity. I don't want to die. I don't want to die. Because if I die, I'd call for her. I'd call her name in the end. And if I become a Legion, I'd keep doing it forever, until I break. The ability to pick up on the Legion's-the mechanical ghosts screams—was unique to Shin. No other Esper had been discovered to possess this ability. And unlike the Sensory Resonance, there was no artificial way of re-creating it, either. If Shin was to die, the human side would never hear the Legion's
Continuation of the United Kingdom Arc. How the recent siege battle severely affected the psyche of our 86, particularly Shin and Rito.
I love reading Shin’s thoughts as he struggle with his inner turmoil. It give us an insight how the war has develop him into this indifferent machine-like soldier who couldnt care less about dying in the battlefield nor his future and aspirations. He always do reckless things that seemingly is rushing towards his death for it has been their way of life. But ever since that grotesque siege, him and the 86 evidently has becoming more conflicted. He wants to change but is unable to find the means to do so thereby compromising his life and his relationship with Lena. That said, it was such a fulfilling moment to have Shin acknowledge his damaged psyched and how he tries to, with the help of Lena, resolve his inner conflicts. GOD, WORDS ARENT ENOUGH TO EXPRESS HOW MUCH I LOVE SHINLENA.
He has now something else can hold on to other than this pride of being and 86. Now wanting to die meaningfully with a purpose and at the same time cling into life because afterall, life isn’t just about guns and wars, likewise humans arent solely made for battles. We exist to explore the diverse things that life has to offer and do things that makes one feel alive.
At long last!!!! the annoying Phonix burned and melted forever in that magma. Please don’t return ever.
Aside from ShinLena, Rito and Ludmila’s exchange was one of my favorite in this volume. You just want to root for these brave & heroic soldiers to survive the war and receive eternal bliss.
As always, ATTABOY Dustin!!!! Ecstatic with Anju and Dustin going shopping :P
There’s so many things I like about this Volume it’s so packed. This is now currently my Top 1 volume for the series as of writing. I CAN ONLY PRAY THAT THIS GETS ANIMATED. FUCKIN’ GLORY TO THE SPEARHEAD SQUADRON!!!
Shin’s existential quagmire is so repetitive that I forgot all about his other issues. It’s all: Lena wants me to wish for something and I don’t know what to wish for. That’s barely scraping the surface of Shin. He’s apathetic on the surface but deeply scared that he’ll be left alone while people continue to die around him. It was frustrating to read because this book could’ve been a lot more detailed about a period in Shin’s life in which he breaks and can’t go on as he used to.
I keep expecting that there will be more depth added to the side characters but nope! They all say the exact same things as the main characters and they’re barely given any page time.
One of the things that drew me to this series was the contrast between the light-hearted moments in which the characters chat and the moments in which they’re slaughtered by the Legion. None of the important characters have died for several books so it feels like the stakes have lowered and no one will ever die again. And because it feels like no one will die, I’ve stopped caring.
It’s terrible, but you gotta kill off characters to make people cry and, as a consequence, love your series.
Compared to the previous volume, which was the build-up for the climax in this book, the action in the story has more impact because there's a greater sense of urgency after the defeat to the Legion in the previous novel. But the best part is that we're finally seeing the character growth of Lena and Shin, and how they see they need one another to do so! Lena realizes how selfish her wishes were of Shin to have a normal life and see the world through her lenses, without taking into account that he was never raised to see the world that way. Meanwhile, Shin sees that his own life is worth living, and that he doesn't need to continue his suicidal methods, even if he doesn't know yet how he wants to live.
We see how the events of the previous novel finally have an impact in the development of the war against the Legion, and the development of not only our two main protagonists, but the rest of the lovely cast! I can't wait to start reading the seventh volume, which will be more light-hearted in tone. Let's see what Asato Asato has written for us.
To start off, this volume is just as amazing as all the other volumes because it goes through more of Shins and Lena’s relationship, and how Shin feels like he doesn’t belong with her. The dialogue is top tier within every scene especially during the most emotional moments. The way Shin perceives life and death is amazing as always, I also like to see that he is starting to acknowledge his future because it really tugged on my heart strings when he said he didn't see a future for himself. Lena is such a good main character as always because I like the way she cares for shin despite being the same part of the republic and I love that she is showing more of her feelings to Shin and trying to show Shin he beauties of the evil world that they live in so that he can get out of his shell and live freely, and also so that he can find his wish.
Que hermoso desarrollo ha tenido Shin en este volumen! Definitivamente se ha robado el libro, lo amo aún más todavía! La declaración de su sueño a Lena me dejó en el piso... ESOS DOS ESTÁN COMPROMETIDOS ME LEEN? COM-PRO-ME-TI-DOS. Verlo reír, bromear, con ganas de vivir, me lleno el alma. Y ni hablemos de que está conociendo a su familia o dándose cuenta que su hermano nunca lo odio porque lloro Me encanta como las Sirins le están dando desarrollo de personaje a los Eighty-Six a base de crisis existenciales, una pregunta filosófica a la vez (?
Se murió el Phönix y destruyeron la base, atrapando a la Merciless Queen POR FIN UNA BUENA CARAJO. Aunque me da desconfianza lo sencillo que fue atraparla... no sé. Ya veremos
Por ahora POR FIN voy a llegar al tomo 7, lo espero con ansias
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Pt.2 of the battle of the north. At this point, every book seems to be a rinse-and-repeat of crisis>battle>something goes wrong>resolution. That and the repetitive nature of reading how fast a bullet or missile will fly in a second has made me start to skim certain parts of the passages. Honestly the only thing I'm looking forward to right now would be character development, which Shin is showing a lot of in this book, and softer times. There are definitely some more lighthearted/comedic moments that I relate to anime/manga-style writing. It's not especially a bad thing, but the writing for the light novel insofar that I am reading is one I can't really get behind.
I believed that I said that Volume 5 was my favorite... This volume is so good. It is where you see Shin and Lena relationship skyrocket. That conversation on Chapter 3 " Lena, I know this isn't a wish for my own future, but I want to show you the sea. Don't leave me behind, please"(infinity squeals). FIDO GO GO "pi" at 100 miles per hour aaaaaaaa
I really want to see how it is animated... please A1 animated this already, like I am on my knees asking you to give me the next season on next winter.
I love that final illustration by Shirabii of Lena and Shin, is so beautiful and relaxing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Although an extremely short book, in my opinion, the best light novel from the 86 series after the anime had concluded. Something that was indeed lackluster from the very start was the character development of Shin. The other books were highly centralized to Lena, as she was the most different out of all. Having Shin reveal his internal issues was such a good portrayal of one's mental health and silent sufferings. Not only did it help the readers get a glimpse of Shin's future, but this "development" from him also acted as a segue for the secondary Strike Package members. All in all, it was a blast to read. It didn't feel as repetitive as before.
It’s not that it wasn’t interesting or that the ending wasn’t great. The problem was that both this one and the previous volume could have been combined into one better volume... the author drags Shin and Lena’s arguments for chapters and chapters going back and forth between the same points of view... it just got boring tbh. I like where the story is going, but the plot is sounding a bit naive now... let’s see if the story improves to the same level as volume 1...
Don’t get me wrong—I still love the series to death, but somehow this book didn’t have the same death grip on my attention span that all the other volumes have had.
If I could give it half stars, I’d give it 3.5. I think it’s the weakest entry in the series thus far, but I wouldn’t say it’s weak— it still has a lot of really great scenes and character development, but something was missing for me.
loving the Shin development!! The battles were amazing as usual. Shin and Lena's relationship is growing so well, as they are now understanding each other more, realising each others flaws and accepting them. Nice ending with Shin meeting his relatives. Sad but understandable that the familial emotions are not there, and really sweet that it ended off in Shin wanting to return to Lena's side!! Not my favourite novel, but still brilliant!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
INTERNALLY SCREAMING This book was so, so good. Shin’s character growth is making me cry, look at him go.😭 And Lena’s growth in being patient and trying to understand his perspective. The ending had me crying as well. I think Shin is finally realizing how scary it is when someone you love is on the brink of death. I loved book 5 because of the combat, and I loved book 6 because of the character development. I love Shin and Lena so much.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Shin commence à espérer un avenir aux côtés de Léna et de ses amis ! Un grand pas dans le développement de son personnage, qui avait grandi en voyant tout ce qui lui était cher lui être arraché. Ne voulant pas revivre la douleur de la perte, il était devenu quelqu'un qui n'a pas le droit d'espérer. On poursuit nos protagonistes dans le froid du Royaume-Uni, qui met à rude épreuve les corps et les cœurs.
On continue l'arc du Royaume-Uni, avec en ligne directrice du récit la contre-attaque de nos protagonistes faces à la Légion.
La particularité de cet arc est aussi de se concentrer sur la psychologie de Shin, ses doutes et ses évolutions ainsi que sa relation avec Léna.
C'est un tome moins intense que les précédents (malgré une seconde moitié forte en action), mais porté par des développements intéressants pour le personnage que j'ai bien aimé.
As usual, I'm really impressed with the tactical action of the series. I like the twist during the last action scene. I also really like the Sirins, especially their uses in the 86's development. Finally the best part in this series is, obviously, the ROMANCE! Shin and Lena might actually have the best romance in the shounen genre.
4⭐️ La manera en la que todos los personajes destacan sin rebajar a los demás es demasiado buena, la trama es interesante y es demasiada la originalidad y emoción con la que transmiten la humanidad, el deseo de seguir, la perspectiva de la muerte y el amor y cariño que se puede tener entre personas en medio de un campo de guerra y devastación