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NSA Whistleblower Edward Snowden Comments on '86' Anime

Edward Snowden, NSA whistleblower and long-time anime fan, commented on the 86 anime series on his Twitter account on Thursday. He posted an image of the anime's logo and tweeted "Even anime is contemplating how we shift the burdens of war" in reference to the anime's plot and political themes.

In an interview published in the 2018 edition of Takarajimasha's Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi! (This Light Novel Is Amazing!) guidebook, 86 light novel author Asato Asato revealed that one of the inspirations for the series was drone warfare, and that the novel explores the logistics and ethics around this form of combat.

Yen Press is publishing the light novel series in English, and it describes the story:

The San Magnolia Republic has long been under attack by unmanned weapons from the neighboring Empire. Against this onslaught, the Republic has also deployed similar weapons, narrowly avoiding great loss of life and impending disaster-or at least that's how it seemed.

The truth is that it has never been possible to have no casualties. Young men and women drawn from the Republic's supposedly non-existent 86th district are organized into the "86 unit" and then ordered to pilot the "unmanned weapons" before heading to battle.

The television anime premiered on April 10, and is airing for two cours (quarters of the year). Crunchyroll is streaming the series as it airs in Japan, and it is also streaming an English dub.

The anime's 22nd and 23rd episodes are being delayed to March 2022 to "ensure quality." The 22nd episode will air on March 12, and the 23rd episode will premiere on March 19. Following the anime's previous delays, these episodes had been scheduled to premiere in January.

Long before he became a whistleblower and cybersecurity activist, Edward Snowden was an anime fan who worked with his friends on a start-up company selling anime art. In 2018, he became an anime character himself, when the Lupin III: Goodbye Partner TV special gave him a cameo appearance under the name of "Edward Znoden." Snowden commented on his cameo on Twitter, calling Lupin III one of his favorite series.

Snowden has also used his Twitter account to comment on his favorite Pokémon in the past.