Bøker av Asato Asato

Young men and women drawn from the San Magnolia Republic's supposedly non-existent 86th district are organized into the "86 Unit" and ordered to pilot unmanned weapons in defense of attacks from the neighboring Empire.

PRIDE BEFORE THE FALL It happened all too quickly. A flash, a rumble, and then… silence. In an instant, an unprecedented Legion assault wrought untold destruction upon nations across the world. As humanity’s borders are sent into swift decline, Shin and Lena are tasked with a large-scale rescue operation that brings them back to Republic soil after what seems like a lifetime. Yet even with humanity on the brink of extinction, they find a country that hasn’t changed—one that cannot change. Many survivors view rescue by the Eighty-Six as the height of indignity. Similarly, many Eighty-Six are reluctant to lend aid to those who stripped away their humanity. But behind the cavernous, silver eyes of the mechanical ghosts lays a single, gruesome directive...

The Republic's evacuation resulted in massive casualties on both sides, and the fallout takes a toll on everyone. As Shin muses on what it means to be a leader, Lena thinks of her homeland, now lost to her forever. Frederica, too, is dismayed by her own powerlessness as the ill-fated Empire's last Empress¿she'll have to change if she wants to survive. Meanwhile, discontent is brewing within the Empire, and a few disaffected squadrons, desperate to reverse the state of the war, reach for a dangerous miracle...¿

The frontlines are exhausted. Rocked by the relentless onslaught of Legion, the Eighty-Six face additional hardship with the constant influx of refugees. Rumors have begun to spread. There is a weapon hidden in Republic territory. One that could destroy the Legion. The people of the Republic are colluding with the Legion, someone whispers. The Eighty-Six are conspiring with them, says another! The people whisper and whisper. When hardship comes, accountability is always cast by the wayside...

"Shin, Lena, and their friends experience brief moments of peace and happiness while facing certain death, enjoying a short break, plunging into battle once again, and setting foot for the first time in the frigid United Kingdom--sharing them with their comrades, friends, lovers, and family."--

Overwhelmed by the screams of the dead echoing from the distant battlefield, Lena is confronted with the dark truth of the Legion—as well as the impending doom approaching the Republic of San Magnolia. One by one, the members of Spearhead squadron fall, leaving behind nothing but memories and scrap metal. Is there anything Lena can do for Shin and the others from deep within the walls of the Republic? Or does she have no choice but to simply watch as they’re sent to their deaths?

Reads from right to left in the traditional Japanese manga format.