86 - Volume 8 - Chapter Aft

AFTERWORD 

Who cares about the atmosphere in the story?! 

And that, dear readers, was the sea episode. Hello, everyone, this is Asato Asato. 

Honestly, I’ve been scared of the ocean ever since I was little, and I think that fear really manifests in this volume. The sea’s really scary. Or so I say, but I actually like documentaries about the deep blue. There’s a sense of dreamlike wonder to the ocean depths, you know? Like, who knows, maybe there actually is a megalodon, a kraken, or a dragon down there. 

Now then. Thank you, as always! That was 86—Eighty-Six, Vol. 8: Gun Smoke on the Water. The title is a reference to Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the Water.” This volume was the Fleet Countries arc. What are the Fleet Countries, you ask? Read this volume and find out! 

Thank you kindly, everyone! Suzume Somemiya’s 86—Operation High School is currently being serialized, and an upcoming anime adaptation directed by Toshimasa Ishii is under production at A-1 Pictures! It’s one bit of good news after the other, isn’t it?! And I owe everything to the support I got from so many people. Thank you so very much! Look forward to all the new releases! 

Now for some commentary, as usual. 

•   The supercarrier 

Since its estimated opponents and budget are quite unlike a real aircraft carrier, the 86 world’s aircraft carrier is armed with different weapons and used for different purposes. The fleet’s composition is also different, and there are no submarines or amphibious assault ships. Incidentally, the supercarrier was originally produced in the Giadian Empire. The Fleet Countries lacked the budget or technology to make it. The Empire cared little for open-sea voyages, but acquiring the practical data and building up their construction technology was in their interest. Add to it that on the off chance the Fleet Countries actually conquered the open seas, the Empire was interested in gaining rights over it. 

•   The leviathans 

Originally briefly and rather nonchalantly mentioned in Volume 3, they’re a part of the 86 world’s marine life. Putting aside the particular breed that appears in this volume, there are six other species of leviathan. They each have their own lore to them, but they were all omitted for lack of relevance to the main story. 

Oh, and for what it’s worth, they won’t be appearing again. I don’t intend to fully reveal what they look like, either. 

Lastly, some thanks. 

To my editors, Kiyose and Tsuchiya. Thank you for the many points you brought up that helped improve this work’s accuracy and quality. 

To Shirabii. I’m writing this afterword while gazing with reverent admiration at the illustrations you drew to celebrate the anime’s announcement. 

To I-IV. Thank you for letting me use your ideas in yet another volume. 

To Yoshihara. Thinking of how you’re going to draw the true hell that is the Eighty-Sixth Sector in poignant detail makes me so excited! 

To Somemiya. Both sailor-suit Lena with her dazzling smile and school-jacket Shin with that little rebellious expression were absolutely adorable. I can’t describe how much I’m looking forward to seeing them and their friends experiencing their school life! 

To Director Ishii and the production staff. Every time we meet, I can sense your overwhelming passion toward making 86 an anime, and I feel so grateful and privileged to have people like you in charge of the adaptation. 

And to all the readers who picked up this book. As always, thank you so, so much. As the war’s end looms just over the horizon, do watch over the Eighty-Six’s choices until the very end. 

In any case, I hope that even for just a moment, I was able to transport you to that vast, blue universe whose true scope lies just beyond the reach of humanity. What did you glean from our young men and women who met those brave sailors who fought on a completely foreign battlefield yet lived by the same pride? 

Music playing while writing this afterword: “Smoke on the Water” by Deep Purple