Eighty-six
is an animated short by SumikoOneeSan.
The year is 2208 C.E and the Earth became a cold with most places to harsh to live in. Mountains had formed from ice and eroded into peaks by gusts of wind, yet despite this, humans have created circular maze-like cities, protected from the harsh winds and chilling cold, said places being more like deserts. The government took over what was left of the human race, ruling them under strict totalitarian control by the Organization.
However, dogs were banned as pets and the government opts to make them into something more useful, sending them to the Organization for training. They are then used instead of human officers to enforce order in the cities, using force without any hesitations. Later, because of the Organization, the dogs grew more corrupt and savage, leaving citizens to fear them. Half of the dogs have become machine, being in complete control of the Organization.
Tropes for Eighty-six:
- All There in the Manual: Some of the names are revealed in the credits.
- Animalistic Abomination: The robot dogs seemed to be near codifying of this trope.
- Animesque: To a small extent, although this is more the case with the humans
- Cyborg: Some of the dogs are these, the basenji, mentioned below, was one.
- Dystopia: If the description above doesn't clue you.
- Defiant to the End: A basenji, who opposes the regime. To quote what she says, "I would much rather die than go against what I believe."
- Face Death with Dignity: The basenji, who just simply says the above quote and bows her head.
- Gory Discretion Shot: The basenji's death. All that is seen, after she says her last words, is the dog lunging at her and her whimpering.
- Meaningful Name: The titular Eighty-six being named after the percentage of wolf in her.
- Parental Substitute: Layna serving this to the titular Eighty-six, guiding her as she grew up.
- Shout-Out: Its a subtle one to The Maze Runner.
- Xenofiction: Mostly told from the point of view of Eighty-six and is seen from an animal's POV.
- Unexplained Accent: The basenji speaks with a mildish combo of an Eastern-European and a somewhat British accent.
