86: Operation High School Lets Its Characters Be Ordinary

The original 86 Eighty-Six light novel, manga and anime series is a series filled with political and military drama, situations that mirror our own history and highlight the horrors of war, and a number of characters who are teenagers and young adults being used as soldiers and slaves. As you can imagine, it gets rather dark. We find ourselves hoping for the best for people. The 86: Operation High School spin-off manga from Asato Asato and Suzume Somemiya averts those situations by transporting us to an alternate reality where everyone gets to enjoy an ordinary school life. Much like Demon Slayer: Kimetsu Academy, Attack on Titan: Junior High, and FFXIV Eorzea Academy, the slice-of-life nature lets us appreciate characters more.

Editor’s Note: There are no spoilers for the 86: Operation High School manga below.

As with the Attack on Titan and Demon Slayer spin-offs I mentioned, 86: Operation High School is set at Eighty-Sixth Private High School. Don’t worry, in this alternate universe that doesn’t have the negative connotation it does in the original series. Pretty much all of the major characters return, this time as classmates getting to enjoy the lives they should have had. 

The thing to know going in is that the 86: Operation High School manga demands prior knowledge of 86 Eighty-Six to really appreciate it. There are no real introductions to everyone. It picks up with folks arriving to school and a reader to have an idea of some pre-defined relationships or backgrounds from the original timeline. So when you happen upon Lena as the Student Council President, you should immediately appreciate that the tactical commander is in such a role. 

It also means you can appreciate interactions and relationships between characters without the distrust, hurt, anguish, and history that built up throughout 86 Eighty-Six in 86: Operation High School. Lena and Shin are immediately on good terms with each other. More than that, even. The romance that took time to develop in the original series is blatant and more quickly appreciated here. Likewise, later in the volume, when we see Vika needs assistance covering his ditching class, it’s Lerche who immediately jumps to his assistance. When Frederica wants to build a igloo, Kiriya is immediately drafted. He then summons Rei and Shin to assist.

The format also allows a lot of freedom when it comes to the stories 86: Operation High School tells. This is 100% a slice-of-life manga with more silly or ordinary moments than otherwise. Because it’s not bound to any necessary exposition or character development, it is free to jump from scenario to scenario and feel like each one is entirely appropriate. It really enhances the overall experience and lets you appreciate all of the 86 Eighty-Six characters as they spend time together and enjoy life.

The 86: Operation High School spin-off manga lets us see other sides of the 86 Eighty-Six characters we didn’t get to see before. They can be high school kids. Established relationships can proceed unfettered. People can be more normal and enjoy their lives. They don’t need to deal with pain and prejudice. We can appreciate who they are without also thinking about the major burdens they carried and trauma they endured.

86: Operation High School is available via Yen Press, and it also handles the light novel, regular manga, and audiobook. The anime is on Crunchyroll.