86 Episode 12 Early Access

Shut the fuck up.

Enki

Lena's new squad is called Brisingamen.

Hound of the red plains

lmao

Yoshe Plays

Yeah this OP hits you the first time you see it. Such a visual improvement and a flashy display of its themes.

Nejy

Yes. Research. Please. I’m tired of talking to brain rot. Spend a week, a good month combing through sources. If you come to the same conclusion you have now, so be it. We can agree to disagree, but I truly am tired of the nonsense that westerners (and yes I think that as you are now should be classified as one) spew forth as if they know anything. If you think Adrian Zenz counts as a good source then I’ve lost all hope for you. Oh if Malcolm X were alive to see how liberal nonsense has brainwashed other minorities in America, and how readily they swallow propaganda. He must be turning in his grave. This is why I’m mostly in agreement when people talk about how Asians betray other minorities, liberalism has truly destroyed class solidarity. Good luck with the brain detox.

Zecxel

I see. What a fascinating perspective you have. Just so that we cover everything, would you mind sharing your opinion on the CCP's treatment of the Uyghurs in Xinjiang. Clearly the sources I have are have an inherent, unfair bias.

LaconicKibitz

Too long 😏😂

Neymar_ 797

Well I’ve actually spent 10 years growing up in China, with 8 years in Korea so you are wrong. If you think that there are no political discussions or criticisms of the CPC online then it’s because you are so disconnected from China and probably the language as well I’m assuming. There are many discussions and criticisms online, just look for them. Most Chinese people I’ve met who “escaped” from China have the mentality you have. I find that mostly it is a coping mechanism used by Chinese parents to justify them leaving a nation that is now prosperous and on the rise. These are the views and opinions of the petty bourgeois. This reminds me of the tweet of the person who was mad that the CPC expelled their parents who had control of the egg industry and had a monopoly of them in China (just google it). The freedom of speech you speak of in the west is also a farce. A freedom of speech that in no way can change anything about the nation in a truly substantial manner is worthless. Please research the Tiananmnen square incident, it is quite well known that it was an attempted color revolution staged by the US to overthrow the government. The CPC handled it quite well until people started murdering and lynching the soldiers. Participation in the government is far better in China, with over ninety million members in the CPC one in seven adults participate in the democratic process, while Americans have the exact opposite experience. Personal experiences, (and I sympathize with you) cannot be used to contradict the material realities of the world. If you actually think the US is the lesser of two evils then you clearly have an incredibly narrow and biased view of the American empire and it’s foreign policy. The Chinese people I grew up with in China are quite disappointed in the western Chinese diaspora as they are used quite effectively in propagating imperialist propaganda. As I have stated above, please do your research before coming to these inane conclusions that have come from a biased perspective. As someone who grew up with mainland Chinese people quite frankly (and I’m sorry if this comes across as harsh or condescending) I’m embarrassed for you and on behalf of the Chinese people that western propaganda has so thoroughly destroyed the minds of its diaspora in the West. Again, please do your research from better sources in a non-personalized manner for objectivity.

Zecxel

It's nice to meet another east Asian here. Unfortunately, it's abundantly clear to me that you've only read about China and the CCP and never lived under it's rule. My grandparents were persecuted by the government due to their parents' political affiliation. My grandfather and grandmother had worked as a athletics coach and chemistry teacher respectively in Nanjing. But after the CCP solidified their power in the decades after WWII, they were both fired from their jobs, forced to move across the country to the less developed city of Liuzhou, and barred from teaching ever again. All to prevent them from teaching Chinese children the "wrong" ideas. My parents were graduate students during the time of the Tiananmen Square massacre and I have first hand accounts about how they and other students had to distance themselves from the victims of that day to avoid being expelled from their programs. When I grew up in CCP China, I was indoctrinated just like all the kids my age in preschool and elementary school. I was lucky that my parents found the opportunity to immigrate to the US and that they were able to bring me along. It was only in America that I was able to learn about history and viewpoints that contradicted what I learned in China. My family still visits relatives and friends in China and it's through those visits that I understand the mindset of obedience and acceptance molded into two generations. They'll complain about restrictive laws over a drink in a private family dinner, but never online or in public. When asked about politics, they insist its not something they can participate in. The US and many other liberal democracies may be low approval ratings, but you must understand that to be able to voice those complaints is a privilege. Their citizens don't have to be afraid of the lives and livelihoods of friends and family when they criticize the government. It is through these experiences that I appreciate my freedom of speech and my right to vote and participate in government. Having had a foot in both camps, I am well aware that democratic nations, particularly the US, are nowhere near perfect. But I would still choose the US as the better of two evils.

LaconicKibitz

86 is so amazing. I'm someone that has been apathetic towards anime post-2010's but this show just blew me away. Really excited to be watching it again with you and getting your analysis and perspective!

Thank you for uploading this episode on a Saturday :) The new OP is nice. Loved to get your thoughts on it next episode. Great reaction & commentary btw.

Ash

I nearly jumped out of my chair in joy when the squad was revealed to be alive. I was so certain they were all dead. I actually yelled out their names as they popped into frame. There is so, so much I could talk about, and I'm truly excited to talk about. But that would be absolute spoliers. Lena's transition to the Bloody Queen was an absolute marvel of character growth, and Ikumi Hasegawa absolutely NAILED it in her portrayal. We still see glimpses of "Innocent" Lena during her "Am I late?" moment with Annette, but that steel eyed, take no BS, inflict maximum damage on the enemy while mitigating her own losses leader she's grown into is truly something else. Frankly I loved how Ernst was introduced and the just not knowing what he is game is moments really sold the unease and mystery in this new, apparently open, apparently peaceful, and apparently accepting place. This is gonna be a great ride.

Bob Francis

I find western “leftists” as I assume you think you are so frustrating to talk to because you are so critical of your publications except for when they write about your so called “enemies”. I’m frustrated as a Korean that the American empire has brainwashed not only it’s own citizens but my countrymen as well. If your idea of a democracy is one in which the democratic process is apparent only in the moment of voting, where power is handed over from one party to another then you are already caught in the brain rot western society imposes on its people. Even Harvard, the birthplace of many imperialists have to concede themselves that the CPC enjoys immense popular support of over ninety percent. This is because the one party state adheres to the democratic will of its people and provides material improvements to their lives as well as among other countries in the Global South. Liberal democracies are the best mask capitalist production takes on to give people the illusion of choice and democracy to satiate them. More and more people are seeing through the farce, which is part of why all liberal democratic governments have such abysmal approval ratings, as they are all a millionaires club that only pay lip service to its citizens. This pushes people to the right (as is apparent from the immense support found in the far right of all liberal democracies) as its downtrodden and exploited (in the Marxist definition) populace’s are far too scared of socialism as the obvious counter. This is also why culture wars are center stage and are waged so viciously in liberal democracies as culture is the main way the parties distract its citizens from pursuing true economic reform. I don’t claim that the CPC or North Korea are perfect, far from it, but to criticize them for “corruption”, “bribery”, and “nepotism” (which they have of course) while liberal democracies are filled with them (in both legal and illegal forms) and dominant political families (Clintons, Bushs, Kennedys, Roosevelts, etc) is really quite blind (all the while ignoring the economic warfare the US has been waging on them since their inception: North Korea has been the most brutally sanctioned nation on the planet since its inception, barred by the US from trading with all other nations after the US killed twenty percent of its population, a far greater death toll than any western nation faced during any of their imperialist world wars, and razed the country and its infrastructure to the point of non-existence). I assume that you too are a liberal. Among westerners I find that Malcom X best described liberals, as foxes. Smiling, but dangerous. Really liberals are not much better than conservatives. If you are not a liberal and call yourself a socialist with these mistaken beliefs, I recommend you do research not based on mainstream western publications, which are the most biased and propagandized “journalistic” entities on the planet. It it disappointing that after having moved to the west it has become apparent that the red scare mentality lives on strongly within the populace. There are many great sources online that you can look to, western, English language sources too that are not mainstream. You should of course read the works of Marx, and Engels to start, then move on to Mao and Lenin to learn about imperialism and the specific roads China has taken to pursue socialism while under economic attack from the US, as well as research on the reforms of Deng, along with the reasons for them. Dialectics and historical materialism is by far the best method to analyze history and the modern world to get a comprehensive view on the true state of affairs. I hope you can educate yourself better on these matters and remove the brainwashed programming you have in your head. Best of luck to you.

Zecxel

Bro, you must be trolling because while North Korea has elections, there is only one name on the ballot. The CCP's government, on the other hand, is filled with corruption, bribery, and nepotism. The "president" isn't even directly elected by the people since China has no national-level elections.

LaconicKibitz

I like your videos, but no offense you should do more research on China and North Korea before dismissing them so casually. Liberal democracy is a farce among farces and China is far more democratic than any “modern” industrialized democracy. I assume from your views that you are a liberal and I believe that you can do better than that.

Zecxel

well said

I absolutely loved this show from the first second all the way to the end but this was truly the peak of writing. This is the reveal I have been waiting for. Literally the first and only time I have ever truly been fooled by a character fake out death. It is almost an entirely overused trope that generally anyone could see coming a mile away. So seeing someone who can actually properly use it to full effect was absolutely stunning to me. It would have made complete sense with the themes and flow of the story if they had died and yet keeping them alive in the end also didn’t feel contrived either. It was truly a turning point where anything could happen. They really could have just moved on to Lina learning from her past and bringing her country to a brighter future with the help of her new squad. So yeah I don’t have words to describe just how in awe I was at this whole sequence of events. I strive to have the level of brilliance in my writing but I doubt I could pull it off myself.

Silent Shadow

I, like many others, have been waiting for this.

Nejy