The next volume of the 86 - Eighty Six light novel series has been delayed until February.
The delay was announced on the official Twitter account for Dengeki Bunko, the publishing imprint that distributes the series in Japan. According to the publisher, writer Asato Asato is currently experiencing "poor health" and will need more time to complete the next entry of her popular sci-fi drama series. The next volume will miss its original December release date and will instead come out next February. The delay of the light novel comes just days after the producers of 86's anime adaptation announced that the next episode of the series would also be delayed due to unspecified production issues. A commentary episode will now air on Nov. 13, while the originally scheduled episode will premiere on Nov. 20.
●刊行延期のお詫び●
— 電撃文庫 (@bunko_dengeki) November 10, 2021
『８６―エイティシックス―Ep.11 ―ディエス・パシオニス―』は、2021年12月刊行を予定しておりましたが著者体調不良により、発売延期となりました。
なお新たな発売時期については2022年2月を予定しております。
急な延期となり、誠に申し訳ございませんでした。
86 - Eighty Six is set within the Republic of San Magnolia, a seemingly utopian society that has been forced into war with the Empire of Giad. The Republic tells its citizens that it is fighting the Empire through the use of Juggernauts, which are automated mecha units that are controlled from afar by a Handler. In reality, the Juggernauts are actually manually piloted into battle by the members of the 86, an ethnic minority within San Magnolia that has been subjugated by the country's ethno-nationalist leaders. The series tells the story of Vladilena Milizé, a young military officer who is given command over a particularly troubled squad of 86 soldiers.
The series was first published in 2017 was awarded the Dengeki Novel Prize, a prestigious literary award in Japan that is often awarded to works from promising new writers. A manga adaptation, which was also written by Asato and features art by illustrator Motoki Yoshihara, began serialization in Square Enix's Young Gangan magazine in 2018. The manga has also been very successful, and spawned two spinoff series which were also penned by Asato. The series has been praised for its in-depth character development and its handling of real world issues, such as racism and nationalism. Both the light novel and the manga series are distributed in English by Yen Press.
The anime adaptation of Asato's work premiered in 2021. The show was produced by A-1 Pictures, which previously created the anime adaptations of Sword Art Online and Fairy Tail, and directed by Toshimasa Ishii, who served as an episode director on Granblue Fantasy the Animation and was an assistant director on Mamoru Hosoda's Mirai, which was nominated for an Academy Award. The first season of the anime was been split into two parts, with the first half airing earlier this year. Crunchyroll has licensed the series for international distribution, and simulcasts new episodes of the show as they air in Japan.
Source: Twitter
