The ost playing in the background during Shin & Lena’s conversation is “voices of the Chord”. It fit so well in that moment. A chord is a term used for music. However, it also has a 2nd meaning (typical of Sawano’s compositions), having a shared mutual feeling. Your reaction of that moment reaffirmed that. It was glorious 😅!

The black Shin, is the inner thoughts of his PTSD and Survivors Guilt. The thoughts about that why he is the only one to survive and everyone else dies around him. Wondering that he should die anyway and have no one remember him. The word “remember,” always comes up or even “I won’t forget.” Lena doesn’t know what Shin looks like even though Lena has the photo of the entire Spearhead Squadron, but she doesn’t know the faces, only the voices from the devices (PARA-RAID). When Lena activates the Device on her neck and it connects not just Cyclops, it also connects to Shin. When hearing her voice and finally realizing who it was, Shin was surprised and happy inside that she is alive. When Lena said, “You survived and made it here, I think that’s something you should be more proud of.” Shin finally cries not the cries of sadness, but the tears of acknowledgment of him being alive, and that he deserves to live. That is what Shin wants, The acknowledgment to survive and to live that’s all he has been wanting the acknowledgment of being alive, and he has the right to survive. Every time episode 22 comes up I cry every single time when Lena talks to the pilot (even though we know Shin, but she doesn’t know) The music you’re hearing is called “ Voices of the Chord,” by Hiroyuki Sawano. The one part when she says proud of the one part of the song connects like it just hits you with a bunch of emotions. That piece of music always makes me cry when hearing it in Episode 22.

9:10 nothing like your waifu bringing you back up from the pit of despair

Frederica teach Shin the answer. Love it.

This episode and the last are just pure gold.

The scene as the credits are playing is so good. Spearhead's remnants have come to accept Lena. With the Republic falling she's no longer just a princess commanding from behind the walls; she herself has fought and against all odds survived, and now they see her as one of them - and go as far as wanting to meet her. One of my favorite parts of the episode is during Shin's nightmare the playing with the aspect ratios - them closing in on Shin as the nightmare intensifies until Lena steps through and shatters it. In terms of production values this episode is one of my favorite out of any anime.

Waiting for them to meet was torture. The author just postponed it like so many do but the end of the next episode is great.

It was thematically very important for the unit to be safe here. We only think they're dead because we're watching from Shin's perspective where he cuts away from them at crucial moments. He is also completely riddled by survivor's guilt. Normally people would think that such a great feat isn't possible without a few losses, but this part of the season has only one purpose - completely destroying Shin's lack of self empathy and survivor's guilt. That's why it's important that all of them survive without a single loss. And 86 is a novel that goes on for much longer than the anime, and trust me it is not without its fair share of losses

Proof that Shin is a giant troll. 🤘😎... It is not good enough to meet her, You have to prank her.

Great reaction! Brother, you definitely need to watch a piano remix on AVID 86 by Animenz