86 part 2

 The war continues, as Lena is trying to reconnect with Undertaker and his team that went beyond the border and look for a normal life.

But will the truth come out that the unmanned war mecha area actually piloted by the people of the Eighty Sixth district, and what about the enemies brain copy powers?

So it is finally time to watch the second season of this great mecha show, and to kick off as such my "Alphabet Challenge" for this hobby year, with the none letter letter of my MAL Plan to Watch list.

 

Lena, now called the Bloody Princess and having donned a black uniform, took a demotion in order to help the "pigs", the degrading nickname other handlers give to the pilots. She now commands a new unit, led by the cheecky gall Cyclops.  The survivors of her old team however are in a hospital in the Giad Federation, and accepted there as citizens. They start to have a glimpse at being normal beings, invited to the chairman's house and meet his daughter Frederica.

 

 

Slowly they incorporate into society, even learning to celebrate christmas. But soon they find themselves drawn back to the battlefield as test soldiers.  Including their refurbished Fido service robot.  But the young Frederica also joins the unit as a mascot.  War however is coming to the borders of the young nation, the 86's are going back to the lines.  They review the mecha Reginleif's that have been build, barely rating them above their old machines though.

The Legion attacks, using far more overwhelming numbers then expected and swarming the defences.  In the meantime the Gran Mur is under attack, where Lena is faced with the truth the top brass would rather let the 86 die then build a defence, to prevent them from seeing how weak the Republic really is.

The nations decide to launch a joint attack, with the Nordlicht squadron be send in to try and take out a Legion machine nicknamed Morpho and weaken the attack.  But they do realise this is a suicide mission as it would put them deep into enemy ranks.  Their plane is shot down, but they advance and reach the Morpho.  But we also learn the fate of the 'knight' Frederica told Shin about.

They survive the attack against all odds, and now hole down in enemy territory, hunting after the real Morpho as the first one turned out to be a rouse.  On the way they loose Anju as she falls of a cliff, immobilised, but buying them time to escape their pursuers.  One by one the group gets split up as they advance, while the Morpho keeps observing them.  This leaves soly Shinei and Frederica to advance, the latter connecting with the Morpho to question his reason to be and why he wants to kill everyone.  But he is unable to escape his mindset, causing Frederica and Shinei having to kill him.

The Morpho defeated, Shinei is facing his demons of the past and a reason to keep on living.  An enemy mecha approaches his immobilised suit, but he is saved by Lena and her troops as he lines meet up.  They finally meet each other in person now, and she tells him he is the reason she chose to survive.  He decides to return to Griad though, and learns his friends all survived in the end.

A year has passed since they arrived in the Federation, and they receive their first Christmas presents while setting in a normal life.  But the war still rages on of course, and they form a special independant mobile unit.  In that time, San Magnolia has been attacked by the Legion and collapsed within a week, only to survive thanks to the others nations coming to the rescue.  And Lena is relocated... to Griad, and her old unit.

An intense season from a very strong mecha anime, it is sad it came to an end.  Even though it has a sort of happy ending, you know more pain would be beyond the horizon.  Guess this is one series I`m going to pick up the manga from as well!