SOS Bros React - 86 Season 1 Episode 23 - "Handler One"

[@SemblanceofSanity]

This was a peak finale to a peak season of anime! We got everything we wanted and more in this show! Let's cheer on 86 for another season! If you want to see the first episode's reaction to Made in Abyss right now, check out our Patreon: www.patreon.com/semblanceofsanity

[@scottkrametbauer90]

It'd be a crying shame if season 2 got 86'd

[@vladitsvar]

MIA is next?! Awesome!

[@SharinganNin]

Check your twitter inbox! Sent a surprise :)

[@unidentified2026]

I'm super excited for Made in abyss season 2. I absolutely loved your reactions to the first season and the movie, your insights were super entertaining to watch.

[@superheriber27]

les gooooo

[@skyefox]

The first thing we see Eugene do is teach his sister that when someone does something nice for you, you say "thank you." It hits a whole lot harder at the gravestone when you see how genuinely happy she is about the picture.

[@peggedyourdad9560]

I think it's very interesting that it's in front of Eugene's grave that Marcel realizes that Shin is in fact a pretty good guy, especially since that was what Eugene wanted to tell him while he was still alive.

[@smittywerbenjaggermanjensen69]

That made me smile so much in the anime

[@meh4215]

The adaptation of 86 was actually considered one of the few animes that got to further improve the source material due to its good cinematography and direction so really props to the director

[@RabidDogma]

And the sound direction. Everything about this show is SO GOOD. I really hope they're able to continue it even if they don't continue the manga in some way. I really want to read the light novels but translations are often really, really bad, and the author is SO GOOD that I don't want to ruin it with bad translations. She really is an incredibly unique and talented creator.

[@TheLegitMind]

​@@RabidDogmaI hope you decided to read, cause the translations for 86 are really good

[@DXDragon38]

12:38 IMAAAAA!!!! I know I'm not the only one who still feels a little emotional when the music hits. This ending is PEAK!

[@mirai7233]

Just reading this comment gave me goosebumps holyshit

[@unfr1endly574]

Yeah

[@MysticCat21]

The reason Lena's so shocked / dumbfounded when receiving the list of soldiers under her command is cuz half the names are blacked out. That's cuz the higher ups were in the know of the plan to surprise her with the members of spearhead. That's why they couldn't let her see the names of shin and the others. Edit: Also, throughout the season, you constantly see Lena standing on top of some train tracks that go beyond the horizon. It's because she's following the steps of the Spearhead members, trying to go as far as she can and catch up to them. So when she finally meets shin and co, you see the camera follow train tracks and stop at the end where the tracks end, with nowhere else to go. And in front of those tracks is Lena, Shin and co. She's finally caught up. Now, they must choose the path they'll follow together and walk into unknown territory. Also, the Alba commander with the pictures of 86 on his desk used to have one picture of his family before. (him, wife, child). They're all alba. But now, he has one picture of him with two random 86 soldiers, and also a picture with his family, but his wife and child dyed their hair to not be seen as alba.

[@RabidDogma]

Yeah, that commander's complete cowardly shift to being sycophantic to the 86 people was both disgusting and a very powerful creative choice. We rarely really get to see that kind of thing in detail, but we have it here, down to the 86 soldiers looking at him in disgust. He's trying to pretend that he was always on their side, but Lena knows different, and so do the soldiers. And he knows, too. They all know that he's only *alive* by the barest of threads, that he exists at the mercy of the people he wanted dead. It's incredibly satisfying, in a way.

[@DiamondKaizuki]

Don’t know if you noticed in the photo you can see Kurena attempt to step between Shin & Lena

[@OniNeko.]

I never noticed that. Damn, that's funny.

[@2006Whippet]

Kurena saying Lena is more like a little sister to Shin is funny since Lena is almost a year older than him.

[@EironKyle]

Thanks for pointing that out. I noticed just now and it's hilarious 😂

[@LaconicKibitz]

Quick note about a very meaningful moment that you guys seemed to have missed: Right after Lena gets the roster for the Strike Package and her dreams for equality are put into question, she walks past a welcome sign being drawn on by Alba, and the night before, by some Colorata as well. My interpretation is that this sign symbolizes Lena's ideals. It's cracked and crumbling, but not yet broken. Being repaired and improved by not just Abla but also Colorata. Seeing this Lena steels her resolve, asking her uncle for just a little more time before she gives up. Yet, in an amazing display of directorial irony, as Lena is talking about her dream shattering, the graffiti-ed words "Wilcome true" is in full display on the screen.

[@inigoiraetau1903]

That's brilliant!

[@moonwolf363]

This episode was such a master class in how to finish a season amazingly, wrapping up what is needed to give a conclusion to the arcs of the season, while still leaving enough possibilities to continue. My favorite small detail is in the 2 names Lena touches on the monument, "Kaie" and "Haruto". The first and last spearhead members that were lost while they were under her command.

[@PopeDuwang]

Person: I don’t Cry. (Hears “IMAAA” in the distance) Person: Cries Uncontrollably

[@kaeldrarhiannon]

This is by far my favorite reaction to this episode ever. Love the love y'all have for this show.

[@animusswtor4822]

This entire season, and especially this season finale, gave me a huge new appreciation for Studio A-1 Pictures, who has been on a non-stop roll the last few years now, because of all the little changes they made from the LN, placing scenes a bit differently where they fit more, weaving exposition into dialogue or visual storytelling, REMARKABLE directing for someone who made his directorial debut with this show, but what sets this finale apart is the reunion scene of Lena and the 86. In the LN it was at the end of the first volume, the one that the first part of the anime adapted, as a little epilogue and through that A LOT of the tension from the Morpho arc in volumes 2 and 3, which the second part of the anime adapts, gets lost in the process because you already know the outcome. By removing that scene from the first part, replacing it with stuff from the short stories that were later to become volume 10, and then putting it all the way back here to end the season on where it finally makes sense for them to be reunited and actually feels earned, the team at the studio made a masterful decision. Personally, this particular arc of the story was my least favorite when reading the LN (not to say I didn't like it, because I asbolutely still loved it) but the anime just elevated it to the next level and catapulted it right into my favorites, with this episode specifically being one of my favorite episodes of anime ever. Didn't think this show could possibly any better after the previous one tbh...

[@2006Whippet]

The first volume of the LN was originally just a one-off story that was written for a contest. Asato added the meeting to just give it a satisfying ending. Then she got a contract to continue the story so volume 2 & 3 plus one of the short stories fill in the 2 year gap.

[@animusswtor4822]

@@2006Whippet Oh I'm aware of that, and it makes for a pretty great epilogue taking only the first arc into consideration, but I still think the way the anime presented it makes it much more satisfying ^^

[@deadline6149]

i d probably always reccomment anyone to watch the anime instead of v1-3, and to just read them if they want extra info that' s hard to understand in the anime

[@randomkriegsman8444]

GOD I WANT A SEASON 2… it’s been a wonderful time watching y’all enjoy this.

[@Cryogenx37]

Episode 23 airdate: March 19, 2022 In-universe timeline of Lena's reunion with Spearhead: March 20, Stellar Year 2150 The Bros have experienced something so peak that they're like some of us fans now: seriously hoping for Season 2 and/or delving straight into the LNs

[@Phals]

I want to read the LN so bad but at the same time anime is my favorite media so I don't want to ruin the experience, it's hard.

[@bacsrm6897]

I remembered ep 23 airing late night March 19, so most the people watched it in the morning March 20. And it was just awesome to see the date is the same. My morning coffe was mixed with tears that day.

[@TeixJT]

I love the work you guys do so much. I've watched, rewatched, and watched this show again and again, alone, and with friends. And seeing this with you two's reaction is honestly one of the best experiences so far. From you guys being able to deeply analyze the story, fall in love with it, and get emotionally involved just like I get. I usually cry seeing this last episode. I BAWLED HARD THIS TIME. It almost felt like I was watching it for the first time. Thank you Caleb and Jacob for being so passionate about anime, and for spreading your joy for it to us too. I'm pretty sure that when people see reaction channels they are doing it cause it is like having a friend see something you love. You guys take that feeling up to 11. It's so much fun. Keep it up, you guys. This isn't the first time I see your reactions, it's definitely not gonna be my last either.

[@blabla94567]

It was so well done, so beautiful and so fucking moving. The moment when Lena, who thought they were dead, realizes little by little in shock that it's indeed Shin in front of her and then she recognizes everyone by their voices, after 2 years. A perfect ending, accompanied by a incredible music which corresponds perfectly to the scene. Little interesting detail, at the very end when lena and shin were going to hold hands, their hands forms an 8 and a 6. Also, the photo that lena had of them since ep 11 which is blurred, I find it rly cool that frederica makes a photo with them, but this time with a good quality.

[@Emre.55]

This is one of the, if not the most perfect ending to a season of a series I've ever seen. I was so worried when I first watched this that they would just leave us hanging without showing their meeting after all that teasing, but they did show it and they did it in the most beautiful way imaginable. Absolute peak.

[@PixieDustAndFire]

A beautiful and satisfying end to the season. I rarely cry from happy moments but this really touched my heart. ❤

[@charlesbaldwin3166]

I like when they kept speculating on someone telling Lena, hey that was the Reaper you were talking to, when in especially the books everybody who had that information pretty much universally decided you know what I'm not going to spoil that.

[@deadline6149]

they are all bros

[@OfficialShamGawd]

So glad you both enjoyed this episode as much as the rest of us. Those who haven't seen this show are missing out on a masterpiece of epic proportions. This finale goes down as one of the best season finals ever! The way your heart feels so warm and full is amazing 👏. If this was an ending to the series, I would feel fulfilled. Yet, they setup the potential for Season 2 beautifully. #Masterclass I've heard from source material readers this was the weakest arc, and it gets better from here. If Studio A-1 can turn the weakest arc into a production of this level, it makes me even more hype for future arcs. I'm gonna miss your reactions to this show every week 🥹

[@LowcaCzarownic]

Indeed volumes 2 and 3 are the worst and I think a nessesery but hardest to made. If they do a next season and take a vol 4 and especially 5-6 it will be blast.

[@ssjokg4952]

@@LowcaCzarownic I disagree. Vol2-3 may be weaker in terms of events but the narrative is way easier to adapt so well. Volume 4 has bigger moments but it is pretty straightforward. Vol 7 is like a little break. I am reading vol8 now and I am sure the parallels in the 86-Sirins(vol5-6)-Orphan Fleet arcs could be twice as good as season 1 if done the same way. (I am up to the point they reached the Mirage Spire so don't spoil it.)

[@francoislaroche6687]

this is the best ending i ever saw. saw that few month again and still manage to makes me cry

[@mitsu9187]

10:37 "Destined to end up being forgotten on the other side of the boundary line and die. While knowing that..." When the singer singing that in opening song "Kyōkaisen", Lena says "I won't forget. I won't forget. I won't forget..." 😭

[@DXDragon38]

One of the greatest Season 1's I've ever seen! 10/10 finale, what an amazing series!

[@skyedryv3959]

the shadow of their hands were formed to look like 86 at the end there as they switch to showing the 8 and 6 come together. chef's kiss.

[@CalebMorea]

The hands making 86 man the detail in this show is on another level

[@PattieLo]

Thank you so much for reacting to 86. I loved it so much that I got myself all the light novels to know what happens next and see the relationships of the characters develop even more. It was so great to see you both reacting to this wonderful series!

[@TheUlf]

One of the most cathartic finales of anything I've ever seen. I cannot wait for another season of this, but also, if we were to never get it, this 23 episode run of 86 is absolutely perfect and satisfyingly self-contained.

[@utakunear1543]

Imaaaaaaaaa Lena is looking at Shin(LilaS) by sawano made this season ending the best of all time, cant ask for more ... except for more seasons of this amazing show!

[@KiraAotsuki]

Ahhhhh this show is so good I seriously hope we get another season because it's very tempting for me to want to read the light novel and I've never done that before. Also hah! 32:35 was that a damn Robin Williams reference, Caleb? Love it

[@hawkeye137137]

This episode was just chef's kiss and among finales of all anime I've watched, it is definitely one of the top ones. And I am so happy that you are starting Made in Abyss S02, another great anime and a horrifying but beautiful one at that.

[@ssjokg4952]

When you realize that the upper echelon of the military put in the effort to keep Shin and co a secret from Lena. And Shiden either reading the room or for her own good keeping her mouth shut. And some details that many miss. Lena never hoped they survived. Anette's words make her think about it but she stops that line of thought 5 secs later. Then at the memorial for the 86, the names of the 5 are missing but their destroyed Juggernauts are there. All those names were known to the Federacy because Shin would engave them. If their names are missing it most likely means they and most importantly Shin, died before before he could do that. When she takes their small paintings with her she does not out of hope but in order to keep them with her. For a scene that is basically the same as Shin's, she does the mirror opposite. Also Raiden isn't fighting with Theo. I don't know what Kurena did to him but it was enough for Raiden Mama to scream for him.

[@deadline6149]

he just got hit pretty badly by his drawing album in the back of his head, he s out cold🤣

[@ssjokg4952]

@@deadline6149 Yeah but Kurena must be built different if she can do that with a drawing album.

[@DejiRodriguez]

This finale was epic, I really hope there's a season 2 because I just read vol 4 (the one that picks up after this) and I can confirm: it only gets better and better I'm sad to see these reactions go as I enjoyed them so much! Thanks a lot for giving this show a chance and let's hope for a Season 2!

[@162manoj]

I have rewatched the last minutes of this episode so many times now.

[@DXDragon38]

Made in Abyss Season 2 hype! Can't wait, it was amazing!

[@jdoggivjc]

To give you an idea how much of a masterpiece this season finale, as well as the season as a whole, is - Asato Asato, the author of the LN series, cried during this episode. That should give you an idea of how much care the director and A-1 Pictures put into this series.

[@Neis999]

At this episode, I want, no, I NEED another season! I want to see the reunited team working together with their newfound skills and alliances! Imagine the possibilities of Lena putting her tactical skills to work with her old team mates!

[@Kyurengo]

The best and worthiest end of an anime I've seen in a while. I still get emotional each time I see the reunion. Just perfect (actually much better than in the novel)

[@ConClasher3]

Bruhhh y’all are actually legends going from this amazing show to another of my favourites, Made in Abyss damn

[@Romaviza]

-YES MADE IN ABYSS!! *Remembers season 1* -Oh shit

[@sanitarycockroach9038]

"It's hard to move a nation's worth of people" Yeah, about that "nation's worth".......

[@Aubie1995]

Made in Abyss S2 had a perfect adaptation. So excited. S3 just got announced but there are only 3 chapters to adapt lol.

[@kallistikaleid]

Watching this was the first time I ever caught the "86" their band's shadows make! What a wonderful reaction playlist!! I watch y'all's other stuff these days but, 86 is how I found ya'll. It will always be a special anime to me. Goddess bless me, give me a season 2!!

[@tinkerlin8235]

So about the LN, what made this anime so good was how much time they gave it. The first 11 episodes were all from volume 1, in contrast to the usual 3-4 episodes per volume, while the latter half was adapted from volume 2-3. They actually added content to volume 1 instead of having to cut stuff off. The "people who never learn" are the three soldiers mucking around in episode 1 and making fun of lena, oh how the turns have tabled"

[@AICW]

Not quite. Episode 10 was 95% content from Volume 10 except for literally the last 30 seconds of the episode, which was from Chapter 2 of Volume 2. Episode 11 was one-quarter anime original (the scenes at the schoolhouse and the bullshit fakeout cliffhanger), one-quarter Volume 2 (Shin abandoning the team to fight alone and battling the Legion), and half Volume 1 content (everything with Lena visiting their old barracks and meeting Lev).

[@lucckyZ]

Ok. I accept the last episode. This episode was perfection. It had everything that's great about 86. The writing, direction, music. Everything top-notch. 10 outa 10. The "crimes people are not aware of". Damn.

[@jonreese7066]

The one Morpho was talking to sounded like a commanding officer named NoFace

[@MrEmatthewh]

Peak.

[@pataueru]

86を見てくれてありがとう！

[@danielhenriquez451]

Great reaction guys... This anime is a masterpiece... So glad that you really appreciate it... Hope to see a second season someday

[@VirtuousWanderer]

Bit late but, if you look at the picture that they took together at the end, Kurena who we KNOW has a thing for Shin actually put her foot/thigh between him, and Lena.

[@Letmeleave2000]

It probably won't take 4 years, but more :')

[@RKingdom05]

The perfect ending to this masterpiece of a season! Can't wait for season 2!

[@Stonewielder]

I absolutely LOVE this anime! And I think the people who created it LOVE the source material!

[@jonreese7066]

What is significant to me is the Federacy was seesawing Lena's feelings she lost and gain hope that Spearhead was alive but even when she saw the memorial with of the 86 and placed the names of the 86 that died under her command in the box. She didnt put the 5 you can see them fly away when she meets them. Meaning even after the memorial she believed they were alive out there.

[@dhaneharrison1230]

I disagree that lena believed they were alive. The memorial scene with lena is her accepting their deaths saying "i won't forget" five times, once for each missing member of spearhead. When she lets go of the pictures it's her letting go of having to remember them because now she doesn't have to remember them, she can continue to make new memories with them.

[@jonreese7066]

@@dhaneharrison1230 honestly everyone was mean to her. Everyone in the Federacy knew they were alive. Every 86 that left the Republic knew they were alive

[@dhaneharrison1230]

@@jonreese7066 the only 86 that knew they were alive was shiden because she saw the undertaker emblem on shin's reginleif. It's also very likely that the people of the federacy were asked not to tell her.

[@jonreese7066]

@@dhaneharrison1230 ok yes. the republic 86 knew Shin was alive. I suspect the others appeared to them when they all moved to the Federacy. So they knew and didnt tell her. Ernest wanted a meet cute and arrange it like that. I agree but It was still mean she was already in tears after seeing the memorial

[@2006Whippet]

You get to see a little hint about Fido's origin in the flashback recordings at the end. It shows Shin as a young child before being sent to the internment camps. Lena volunteering to go to the Federacy was just that. She volunteered and wasn't voluntold. Same with Annette and Dustin (new character that you briefly see in this episode). They are the only 3 Alba that volunteered to join the Federacy 86th Strike Package. Don't think everything is all sunshine and rainbows for Shin. His personality hasn't really changed. He still sees no future for himself and is still just looking for a place to die.

[@sivasaivarunaleti8397]

Apparently the first three volumes were one of the weakest parts of the Light novel and the best is yet to come. I really hope we get another season with same production even though it takes a while

[@charlesbaldwin3166]

It's true the best is yet to come but I think calling the first three books the weakest feels like a disservice. The first three books were still good despite the fact I'd seen the anime, and yeah what comes next is better, but it's better because it's standing on the shoulders of the previous three books. I'm typing as I'm listening to them talk and when they call what we've seen the prologue that's pretty on point. All that said if someone who's watched the anime wanted to jump in on book four all they'd really be missing is some world building most of which I think gets reviewed when it becomes relevant.

[@paulwin9036]

It's partly because the first novel was just a one off for a competition. Asato didn't plan to continue until she won the competition and realized she just wrote peak fiction.

[@deadline6149]

Well 4>6 is pretty powerful, but it still rides over the previous 3 volumes, 7 is mostly fanservice(and i loved it), 8-9 are there to wrap up everyone s character arc, tho they are definetely a little bit weaker than 4>6.

[@smittywerbenjaggermanjensen69]

Eighty Peak

[@neilcherian257]

34:18 So does anyone about the other show they're talking about?

[@insanrj3000]

I reared the novel there's a lot more into it like a lot

[@Nico-nc5qb]

This was just a prologue to the story! What follows is FUCKING PEAK storytelling for light novels. I really hope there is a Season 2 of 24 episodes that covers Volumes 4-7! The adaptation is PHENOMENAL. Seriously, you can start from Volume 4 and not miss ANYTHING. They did only 3 LNs for 23 episodes, wich is amazing. They added stuff from Volume 10(a book of side stories) to fill the timeline(like episode 10, i think). For you to have an idea, for Classroom of the Elite they destroy the source material by adapting 5 LNs in only 13 episodes.

[@Nir4023]

86/10

[@LowcaCzarownic]

Marvelous as usual. 86 was one of best directed anime series which I know. Also one of the best made endings of show I even watched. Next time will be Made in Abyss season 2. I will watch Your work for sure. Great choice of next one.

[@nhlvan]

There needs to be a season 2 of this

[@thunderscreech42]

Yeah lena will command a squad of 86.....and maybe a little more than that ^^ And the light novels are worth it to read from the beginning. There are as always some information which got lost in the transition like the callsigns you can only get if you are atleast 1 year on battlefield.

[@randomkriegsman8444]

Also the Light Novels goes HARD on the lore and backstory, the anime missed a lot of the subtle details of Volume 1 not anything greatly important but still interesting stuff.

[@meg-dv7ts]

日本から応援しています！

[@jordanhoffman3551]

FUCKING GLORY TO THE SPEARHEAD SQUADRON!!!!! And there it is, the ending of one of my favorite shows of all time. This whole episode never fails to make me emotional, from the whole scene with Eugene's sister, to the final meet up, it all just works so god damn well. I could not think of a more perfect way to end a season than how this was handled (pun intended). When your show can make the LN's author cry, you know you really couldn't have done a better job adapting it. The soundtrack is absolutely breathtaking, and has been consistently on repeat for me for the last year since I first watched it. Major props to Hiroyuki Sawano and everyone involved with the music and sound design. Also, the hands making the 86 at the end was something I missed on my first watch and was such a nice little touch to add. I absolutely need more of this in my life, so until we get a season 2, I may have to go read the LN's. I'm so glad y'all enjoyed this as much as I did, this was such a treat to re-watch (totally not for the 4th or 5th time lol). Thank you guys for sticking with this until the end, now we go on to more pain and suffering with Made in Abyss! Woohoo!!!

[@musy213]

2:43 I see you're a man of culture as well

[@shougo12]

I really hope A-1 Pictures does a Season 2... trust me on this guys... I have read the next volumes of the light novel and the story gets WAY BETTER... This whole season adapted the first 3 volumes, and even the 4th one is already fantastic... not to mention the following ones... in fact, I strongly recommend you to read the light novel. This adaptation was superb, so you can start with volume 4 without missing anything relevant.

[@deadline6149]

just immagine them adapting 4>6 with a season 2, Shin's character arc completion would be glorious.

[@BWRJohnny]

So glad you guys watched this!

[@DJKAFRUNEN]

Ipray for a second season, I've read six volumes of the light novel and oh boy...

[@valentinagutierrez2735]

IMAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[@AmrMohamed-yu9jp]

i hope you react to ctrlq videos (there are like 3 videos) about the tiny details i can say for sure you didnt see and once you see them it makes even more senes the show would be more peak

[@windwatcher460]

One of those photos on the guys desk was his wife and kid photoshopped

[@brianhall23]

It was a good ending. You should read the novels. This is end of book 3 so start with book 4 and read until book 11.

[@Akashiko]

obviously I want the anime to continue but if this happens to be the end of 86 the anime forever I'm perfectly satisfied with 23 being the last page of _this_ story.