86 (Eighty-Six) vol. 1 Review – bonutzuu’s Light Novel Archive

In a nutshell: Mecha 1984 with garter-belt

86 is a brutal, haunting, and beautiful light novel about humanity and oppression.The Republic of San Magnolia was invaded by unmanned war machines from the Empire. After losing over half its land, San Magnolia retaliated with their own ‘unmanned military vehicles’, but it’s a big fat lie. Outside of the Republic’s 85 districts, those of color (yes they actually used that word), called ‘Eighty-six’ pilot these ‘unmanned’ useless metal spiders and fall in the battlefield like leaves off a tree. Their deaths were never recorded, since they officially do not exist.

Lena, a citizen of district 1, is a ‘Handler’, someone who directs these suicidal battles. While other Handlers slack off on their jobs, complaining that it’s no use to take care of these ‘pigs’, Lena tries to form a connection with her team, called the ‘Spearhead’. She finally forged a bond with their leader, the ‘Undertaker’ Shinei Nouzen. From their everyday mundane interactions, Lena begins to unearth the extent of inhumane treatment her noble tribe has inflicted on those different from them.

Not only does 86 have an engaging plot and characters, it criticizes many mistakes the human race made throughout history. Look at the Holocaust. Look at slavery. Look at racism. Look at imperialism. Look at what we’re capable of doing to those different from us, while boasting that we are a noble race. This is some deep stuff the author is digging into in this one volume, but somehow she pulled it off. And pulled it off really well it drove me to tears. The last time a book made me cry was Anthony Doerr’s All the Lights We Cannot See, and that was some serious good stuff.

The author does not use beautiful, metaphorical language; she just showed what was being done to these 86-ed people in such simplicity some parts were brutal to read through.

Some characters don’t get as much time before they died because the story focuses mostly on developing Shin and Lena, but in that short frame some of them really shined. And thankfully, 86 is almost free of the usual trashy fanservice that plague many light novels. How the author handled Lena’s garterbelt is a different story. Although I’ve seen some people say Lena and Shin were bland, I like how those two works when they’re together. Well, I’m thankful enough Lena’s not a naive, whiny heroine and Shin is treated like an actual person with actual feelings not some sexy quiet overpowering guy from a YA novel.

86 recently got a manga adaptation, and I’m glad this novel is getting more attention it deserves. Can I hope for a movie adaptation soon? Please?

If you are looking for a good light novel, this is it.

This is a story about human dignity and how one person’s kind heart changed history.

86 has a bright future ahead of it. This is one novel to keep an eye on.

I cannot wait for volume 2.

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*Updated 15/4/2023 fixed some typos