DESCRIPTION

CAST

MANGA ActionLycoris Recoil
NOVEL ComedyLycoris Recoil: Ordinary days
MANGA ComedyLycoris Recoil Recollect
MANGA ActionLycoris Recoil Koushiki Comic Anthology: Reload
MANGA ActionLycoris Recoil Koushiki Comic Anthology: Repeat
MANGA ActionLycoris Recoil Koushiki Comic Anthology: React
Not AvailableLycoris Recoil (Shinsaku Animation)
Not Available Slice of LifeLycoris Recoil Short Movie Kikaku (Provisional Title)

REVIEWS

• 

  Mcsuper

  88/100
  As Sweet As A Parfait, As Cold As A Killer

  “You’re gonna become sad just so you can meet someone else’s expectations? That’s boring.” - Chisato Nishikigi

  Is there such thing as true peace in the world? Even if peace doesn’t exist though, should we be despondent and grow cynical of anything and everything?

  Lycoris Recoil, while at the surface, is about cute girls with guns, fighting terrorism, its true identity is trying to tell us, the viewers, how to approach living in a world where things aren’t as uplifting as they seem. It’s about a whole lot of things, such as how to live your best life every day, and how to live for yourself, and not for others.

  The main characters, Chisato and Takina, come from different walks of life, and have polar opposite personalities. Chisato is very positive and never lets anyone keep her from being as happy as possible, while Takina is very steely and keeps to herself. After these two meet each other and work together, you can see their personalities develop, and it makes for such brilliant chemistry that warms my heart.

  I have to admit, I dismissed this show as a “cute girls doing cute things at a cafe” show and didn’t even watch it at first, but after seeing the response in the anime community to this show, I had to try it out. The striking balance between slice of life and dark elements really works well.

  My grading criteria: Story: /25 Art: /10 Music: /10 Characters: /20 Enjoyment /15 Thematic Execution /20

  STORY: 19.3/25

  The plot itself isn’t the strongest, as it can get quite ridiculous and nonsensical at times, but for this show, I think that’s fine. It’s more of the story about Chisato and Takina, rather than the overarching plot throughout the series.

  However, to give you a little overview, the plot is set in modern (or possibly futuristic) Japan, where a false sense of peace is instilled among the citizens. In fact, crimes and terrorism have never been more prevalent, so, to counteract this issue, a syndicate called Direct Attack (DA), raised orphaned girls called Lycoris, to assassinate these criminals. Following a mistake in action that resulted in danger, Takina Inoue, a Lycoris with great skill in battle, gets her transferred out of DA and into LycoReco, a cafe with a twist. It is here that she meets Chisato Nishikigi, a happy go lucky, but prodigious Lycoris. While Takina wants to do whatever it takes to get back into DA, Chisato teaches her that life is more fruitful than just killing, and that life can be beautiful.

  It’s the chemistry between characters that shines the brightest, and the plot is alright too, with its share of tense moments, combined with some cute slice of life elements. Some shows fail to execute these tonal shifts effectively, but Lycoris Recoil does these shifts in a very nice way. The slice of life elements get you invested in the characters, the comedy is fun, but the tense moments have you at the edge of your seat, wondering about each character’s fate in apprehension. The best thing is, this is an anime original, so no one knows what’s truly going to happen, and that’s the best part, the speculation, the potential deaths that may or may not happen…

  ART: 9.1/10

  A-1 Pictures have really been on their game recently, with Kaguya-sama last season, and 86 last year. The animation is pretty solid, with vibrant colours and darker colours for different atmospheres. The action sequences are also done well. No complaints here.

  MUSIC: 8.9/10

  The music compliments the show well, with slice of life music when it’s calm, and nice action or sentimental music when it’s serious. The opening from ClarIS is pretty good, and it gives a sense on how the show is going to go, and Sayuri’s ending was one of my favourites this season.

  CHARACTERS: 19/20

  I believe it is the characters that are most worthy of the utmost praise in this show. Chisato’s character is brilliant, plain and simple. In a way, she lives as positively as I aspire to. She doesn’t care about the opinions of others, she doesn’t worry about things she can’t control, and she’s an incredibly positive influence. She has an interesting trait, which is valuing people’s lives. She doesn’t shoot to kill, contrary to any other Lycoris. She sees the value of human beings, because of various reasons in her past. While some people might get frustrated over her “stubbornness” not to kill people, it’s really a good writing decision in my opinion, as it’s a distinct personality that makes for good plot points. Takina, on the other hand, is a realist that desires results. She isn’t the most talkative, isn’t the most happy go lucky, and certainly isn’t as carefree as Chisato. Through working with Chisato though, she undergoes some changes in her lifestyle. She slowly opened up to her, trusted more people, and even developed a love for people. It goes to show what a positive influence Chisato can have on people.

  Aside from these two, the side characters and villains are alright as well. Kurumi and Mizuki have their comedic moments, and contribute a decent amount to the action. The villains are also quite memorable, because they have interesting intentions, and felt multi-layered.

  ENJOYMENT: 14.3/15

  Most episodes were very enjoyable, even the slice of life moments. Every moment added to the story and I loved the chemistry between the characters.

  THEMATIC EXECUTION: 17.8/20

  This show executes themes quite well, ranging from comedy, action, and emotional moments as well. The comedy works so well in this show, and for that, the voice actors are to be praised, as you can tell they’re passionate about their work here, and probably had quite the fun time recording their lines. The action is nicely done, and has tense moments. The emotional sequences, when they occur, are hard-hitting and feel significant. The one small flaw has to come from some of the more ridiculous bits of “plot-armour”, and no, I’m not talking about Chisato’s ability, it’s more the events that occur, such as the timing of certain events that were questionably executed. Overall, still quite thematically brillant. Great balance between the light moments and the dark moments, with tonal shifts that didn’t feel awkward.

  OVERALL: 88.4/100

  Definitely one of my favourite shows from 2022 so far, and one of the best cast of characters I’ve seen this year. While it isn’t completely flawless, I still enjoyed it through and through. A-1 Pictures continues to deliver, and it’s great to see!

  Alright, time to see if I can create that LycoReco signature parfait…

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• 

  LiyuuSix

  75/100
  An absolutely fantastic show held back from questionable decisions

  

  Lycoris Recoil caught my eyes and attention in a single second because of how weird it is : some cute girls fighting terrorism, what?
  It is that premise that made me invested in the anime and I always looked forward to the next one and potentially in the run of my anime of the season. I have a special love for military anime and even a bigger love for cute anime girls, because they are cute I mean, and all of this was helped by some stunning visuals that really left me speechless at times.
  If I could find the right words I would define LycoRyco as an anime that brings immortal topics like terrorism and war, not really the war you expect but you get the point, and modern genres like the anime moe, comedy and for some verses even the romance, as well with greatly executed plot twists and an enjoyable pace of the story until some points.

  ---

  So cute that ended up killing me several times

  This is an extremely weird analogy to make but Lycoris Recoil reminded me a lot of a title like Cod of War because it started in a certain way to then completely go out of the context and out of the initial meant way by completely changing settings, world building and by even deleting what the common sense is.
  The first 5-6 episodes were something that I always looked for one way for the anime itself because it was a completely new thing for me for how it was made, and for the other because it was really that fun to watch : so much to discover, so many question marks and so much to imagine happening; on top of everything I absolutely loved the cast of characters with the always smiling Chisato, a quiet and reserved yet on the way to change Takina, the mysterious Mika, the mental Mizuki and her dreams of finding a man, the absolutely cute Kurumi and so on with a great set of antagonists that would teach to many anime how to be a villain.
  The first impact I got from the anime, and what ultimately made me continue it, was truly Chisato because she is always so happy and never worried of what will happen with as well her great skills of combat that make her unpredictable. As well with her there is Takina that was her complete opposite of a more calm and cold girl that prefers to think and then act: I was really invested in their relationship of what it was meant to be, probably, a story of Takina changing for the better and coming back to the DA with the help of Chisato but instead it became a story about Chisato herself trying to survive everything that happens. Don’t get me wrong, it is clear that Takina’s story was still a main subject of the anime but over time it got overshadowed by her, which is not bad at all I mean but I felt like Takina got almost forgotten.

  I loved how hilarious the anime was in oppose to the initial premise because I really rarely see a funny show that talks about sensitive topics like the terrorism and it was beautiful to see how well mixed they were, not too much or not too little. In fact it's unique the mix of the moe and the drama in it.
  Something else that must be talked about is the great Takina development because she truly went from being absolutely cold and stubborn to becoming one of the most lovable characters I've seen in a long time.
  The storytelling was really fluent and easy to take in this span and we even saw the great execution of the plot twists until this point.
  

  ---

  However there are many questionable decisions

  The only drawbacks of this anime were some really stupid takes and, ironically, Chisato herself.
  Honestly the concept of "if you kill that bad guy you will become like him!" or "if I kill I will become a monster" is really old and surpassed. Chisato impressed me at the beginning for her ideal of not killing anyone because she was gifted life, and this even led to some great action scenes, but however it is not acceptable to have and see this mentality in a situation where your life and the lives of the ones you love are at risk. It is not acceptable to see such a funny and great character holding herself back for this stupid idea that, factually, almost led to the death of some other characters on the screen but she eventually led to the death of many many other innocents; simply because she let Majima and the other bad guys alive.
  I find ironic how in a place where everyone was worshipping Chisato I saw Takina having the better character development and even putting her life on the risk to save someone who doesn't have the balls to do so, simply because of an ideal.
  Also I have to shoot an arrow to the director because using the excuse of "it was a prank bro!" doesn't work where people shoot themselves, and after a cycle of repetitions the cliffhanger were absolutely predictable honestly and even boring.

  ---

  But on the technical point it's impossible not to praise

  

  But for sure Lycoris was immense for what it matters about technical performances because the arts, music and even the voice acting was absolutely top of the notch.
  The animations were something fantastic to watch with some of the most fluid animations I've seen, the music was always pinnacle of what I could wish for and oh my god honestly the VAs gave their best in many many occasions; as well many expressions of the faces of the characters were quite amazing.

  ---

  An absolutely fun ride, but not my anime of the year or of the season

  Lyco was really fun and despite all the things that I didn't like I somehow managed to enjoy it; I'm still quite mad for the turnaround of Chisato who started as my girl of the season to falling down as a disliked one, but it's not a massive reason to downvote this anime because a single character doesn't make the anime.

  Personal scores :
  Story : 7.8/10
  Characters : 7.5/10
  Arts : 9/10
  Music : 8/10
  Personal Enjoyment : 6.8/10
  Final : 7.5/10
  Wish the final episodes were better managed

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• 

  ZNote

  90/100
  Whether through slick action or endearingly-silly comedy, its characters and world are always trying to move on.

  When Lycoris Recoil begins, Takina wants nothing more than to get back to the DA and return to the position that she once had there. Her disobedience in the field has led to her expulsion, and she is unceremoniously dumped into a new setting with a partner, all of which she never asked for. As far as Takina is concerned, everything that happens over the next several weeks is meant to serve the purpose of getting her back to the DA, and she makes that stance rather clear. So, imagine her surprise to see that supposedly one of the best Lycoris that the DA ever produced is the happy-go-lucky Chisato, who acts without a care in the world and seems to spend more of her time having fun than taking her role as a Lycoris more seriously.

  As time moves forward with Chisato and Takina spending more time together, we learn some rather fascinating things about Chisato – she’s not only extremely good at what she does (dodging bullets as though they were barely moving at all), but she also doesn’t adopt the traditional Lycoris method of killing her targets. She subdues them, defeating them non-fatally regardless of the wrongs that they committed. She gives triage to one lackey, asking if he has any plans for later that evening. Takina is indignant at this merciful approach, especially given that the lackey didn’t care whether she or Chisato lived or died. As far as Chisato is concerned, the lackey lost and his job is done. She doesn’t say it aloud or in this exact way, but it’s time for him to move on with his life.

  ---

  The idea of “moving on,” of continuing to march forward anyway regardless of what life has in store for you, is central to what makes Lycoris Recoil work as a narrative. Nearly every character in the show is, in some way, shape, or form, dealing with a past or a past event that has colored them personality-wise, professionally, or perhaps at an even-more-fundamental level. It doesn’t matter whether the root of the cause was through disobeying orders, clinging to a fleeting reputation, or a relationship that, for one reason or another, simply did not work out for the best. Lycoris Recoil takes the numerous frameworks of past-as-influence and demonstrates how they impact a character or larger social structure’s thinking, and how one’s ability to go with the flow or obstinacy impacts their ability to navigate the present.

  Depending on who is it, the evidence of this is rather apparent. The notion that a life for Takina exists outside the DA, or that she might never return to the DA building proper (despite still technically working for them as a Lycoris) and has to adapt to this new life against her will, is a gnawing thought. Chisato’s very existence and manner-of-being seems antithetical to the Lycoris calling or lifestyle, and the idea that Takina has to work with her naturally creates a source of tension between the two.

  Takina was already rather brusque and blunt beforehand, but her circumstances have, interestingly enough, caused her to act even more brusque, which puts her chances at getting back to the DA even further away. It was that very attitude and manner of thinking that caused her to be kicked out, so indulging that attitude and manner under the assumption that it will get her what she wants, rather ironically, doesn’t do her any favors of getting what she wants. Moving on for Takina is not something that she wants to do, but rather is something that she has to do, because the door back to the DA is seemingly closed forever.

  Chisato clashing with Takina does not merely manifest in terms of everything Takina wants to be, but also in how readily she accepted her life’s position. The DA makes it clear that Chisato is special, if not occasionally aggravating in more ways than one. But she doesn’t pay that thought any mind; if anything, it’s just something she lives with by shrugging her shoulders and readily wanting to scarf down some sweets. Chisato evidently learned a long time ago that you don’t always have control over the things in your life, and that as a result, some things are just not worth stressing about or worrying about. The bleakness that being a Lycoris entails, the demands of the job’s less-glamorous aspects, makes her cheery personality absolutely magnetic. If Takina’s experience getting kicked out of the DA is any indication, Chisato long-since knew that it was not a place for her.

  Why go back to the DA building when she’s enjoying herself and her work, having fun and playing video games, fraternizing with patrons, and the like? Why go back to an organization that gives carte blanche to kill their targets when Chisato lives her life to the fullest every day? Lycoris Recoil uses its two main characters to reflect two possible outcomes of being thrown into a similar situation. Both are out of the DA’s picture for the most part and had to move on, yet each approaches the matter by entirely-differently means. The juxtaposition between Chisato and Takina’s attitudes is what ultimately keeps the show’s focus tethered; at times, they butt heads. At other times, they act like old friends or sisters. Through its two main characters as the main vehicle, the show’s tone allows many of its moments to work in either the dramatic or comedic sense, if not both at the same time. They learn to move on with their lives together. And as they grow together as individuals and as a pair, each of them possesses qualities that makes either doing their jobs easier or running Café LycoReco more reliable and stable.

  For the DA, the idea of “moving on” is essentially their motto – keep life moving on ordinarily, and don’t let the public know of anything unpleasant going on behind the scenes. As is often the case with science-fiction (action-oriented or otherwise), the future does not promise that there will be no more crime or no more problems. Various agendas, groups, and people will still crop up to cause trouble, either at seemingly-random moments or through calculated planning and execution. The Lycoris as the secret police of their world themselves have an ordinary appearance, dressed like schoolgirls to casually hide in plain sight, making them effective assassins / escorts. After all, who would suspect a cute girl to have a gun in her pocket, keeping the city safe as life moves on? The city itself also embodies this overarching ideology – the ruined tower stands as the final monument to a terrible event from the past, standing out like an eyesore against the far-more clean, pristine cityscape foreground that surrounds it. Its existence acts as a symbol that the supposed tragedies of the past will not be repeated because they, as a city and as a citizenry, have moved on.

  But for every character or every system in place that tries to just move on, there is someone or something operating in the background that cannot do so, or at least not in the same way as others. The indignation at seeing the world around them, or being stuck in a place or memory that consumes their very thoughts seemingly day-in and day-out, fuels their desires to seize the present for their own purposes. Lycoris Recoil uses the collisions between the society and characters that have moved on versus those that have not to set up its overarching mystery. The result is a roster of characters that is equally as colorful as they are varied in motivation and appearance. While the series flirts rather dangerously with oversaturation, it never crosses the boundary since everyone’s personality and actions command attention, even if the “why” doesn’t unveil itself until later in the run.

  It’s because we understand why these characters are doing what they do, or are intrigued by the mystery that gradually unearths itself, that make many of the action sequences themselves so compelling to see. Director and series composer Adachi Shingo’s previous efforts as chief animation director for numerous Sword Art Online installments reveals that he has a keen eye for an action scene’s sense of motion and fluidity. This is not a series that oozes sakuga, but the motions metaphorically feel slick—even in its gunshots—because the characters at the center of the conflict are all distinct. While they could have easily gotten by solely on personality alone, each sequence heightens the tension, progresses the plot, and most of all, keeps the theme I’ve been hinting at in focus.

  But action scenes are enhanced ever-further by strong characters, which is where Lycoris Recoil shines. In that sense, perhaps Adachi himself has moved on from the older stories that defined his previous work. It’s worth remarking that this is Adachi’s first time serving as both a director and series composer, responsible for most of the show’s inner substance. I cannot say this with certainty, but I imagine that he paid close attention to the idea that detractors of Sword Art Online complained about the lack of interesting characters, or at least that there wasn’t enough adequate emphasis placed on character to make the good action scenes even better. With him now in command of his own team and Asauro’s story and characters, designating jobs and tasks to those who are able to handle the things that he cannot, he has likewise moved on to something newer and, frankly, grander. The fact that production on the series was finished before its first episode aired is a testament to all involved that they wanted to make the best product possible.

  ---

  Lycoris Recoil has the notion of “moving on” throughout its entire run and even into its very lifeblood creatively, fueling many of the drives behind its background plot manipulations, character dynamics and interactions, and is woven into the foundation of the world it created. Bolstered by two strong characters who initially contrast like cats and dogs, it manages to honor its theme both in terms of its comedic and dramatic payoffs, occasionally at the same time and always without sacrificing the overarching mystery. Watching this series was a pure delight, and I will well-and-truly miss it.

  As an aside, I want that Takina parfait!

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