Reviews for Lycoris Recoil

“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, andnot 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…

Welcome to the new age of Japan, where they train orphaned middle school girls to replace the country's military force. That is Lycoris, a secret syndicate with the purpose of uphelding public safety in Japan. After ignoring the orders of her superiors, Takina Inoue has transferred to Cafe LycoReco, where she can learn from Chisato Nishikigi, one of the top-tier Lycoris. Takina is a realist who desires results, while Chisato is cheerful and brimming with life. Together the eccentric pair have teamed-up to do all sorts of mission, from serving in a cafe to bodyguard duties, etc. Takina hopes to return back to her designation,Chisato helps her produce results. If you love spy-action thriller shows with fun characters or just something chill to watch, then this is a treat for you.

As much as I love the idea of cute girls with guns doing badass stuff like dodging bullets with ultra instinct, shooting terrorists with an aim bot, and elite hacking. The show did a good job of executing it all out. The fluid movements of the characters, especially in the action scenes were captivating to watch. Huge applause to the choreographer. The animation is also visually appealing. A-1 Pictures sure did deliver a show with lots of potential.

The opening song is sung by ClariS, ending song is sung by Sayuri. Both artists I am familiar with and fond of during the old times.

Overall, one of the best shows this Summer 2022.

Lycoris Recoil is and anime that is prioritizing action and characters over a story and while there is nothing wrong with this approach, it still requires at least a bearable story which won't distract us with its flaws. Let's start with what this series does best which is characters, main cast is good. Colourful personalities and good interactions are the biggest strength of this anime. Antagonists while having flaws which I will discuss later, are made to challenge the ideas and motivations of our protagonist. We also see some growth in the side characters which was satisfying. High quality of production makes this show even nicerto watch. Animation is pretty soundtrack was ok and scenes of action had good choreography. Unfortunately while speaking about action it is important to bring up plot armour, which is big in this anime. As we are dealing with shootouts the aim in them depends on what story is demanding. If someone has to escape or live then its a series of misses, even if skilled shooters are involved. We need to get rid of cannon fodder? Then every shot lands. This is a big problem for me. Not only it is obvious what the authors are doing, pulling me out of the fight, but it also sucks all of the stakes out of the fight.

Now to the main complaint, the story. Whole plot is depending on antagonists with stupid/generic motivations and on the most brain dead mob in the history of anime. The things that happen in the last episodes made me suffer a headache. We also need to deal with a hole lot of plot convenience in this show. At one point protagonists literally forgot about the main antagonist. Even worse Lycoris Recoil has an accidental strong pro censorship message. With how stupid the masses are and how quickly they descend into chaos in face of truth you start to think that it's better to keep those sheep in the dark. The fact that show presents undercover secret organization so simplistically is hurtful.

To sum it up Lycoris Recoil presents you with great characters and nice, mindless action. Whether you will enjoy it or not depends greatly on how much weak plot can bother you. If like me you get bothered by those types of stories, don't watch it. Otherwise feel free to try it out, characters might make it worth it.

Sigh, tricked by the score. Here I thought it was something special because of how much attention it has clearly been getting. It was a bit painful to watch this trainwreck right from episode 1. Don't get me wrong, the animation quality, sound, VA wasn't bad at all. It was great. The problem is the story, seemingly a lot of people think that cute girls and action can justify such horrible writing. This anime is a mish-mash of clichés, cute girls doing cute things, stupidly illogical gunfights and one of the worst secretive organizations I've ever had the displeasure to be exposed to. It's idiotic on somany levels.

We have the secretive organization that trains orphaned kids so that we can have high school/middle school girls(for some reason pretty much exclusively cute girls) running around with guns while using school uniforms and skirts while fighting crimes to pretend to be a part of the public. Oh, and of course they all use the same uniform all the time outside, as if to scream at enemies to attack them, so much for secrecy. These girls actively kill terrorists everywhere and "make japan safe and peaceful". I guess guys just aren't cut out for this(though the male version does show up in a minor version in an antagonistic fashion, they're still just kids though, stupid that there's an all female and an all male faction). Also, I guess immature kids in the midst of their teens(or preteens) are so damn well suited to special ops, they're not even well disciplined. Also, I guess adults just aren't fit for this either, gotta have cute, below 18 females, can't have any guys that aren't old and not a possible target for romance. This secretive organization is also so high-profile that there's no way it'd be a secret, it's run as if the leaders have shit for brains. There's clearly no proper structure.

Then, of course, the super hacker, the best in the world, is a cute little loli that appears 10-12. I was of the impression from the dialogue that this person was present since long ago but I guess not, her reputation is insane, maybe she started using her laptop to hack stuff while in her mother's womb. Overall, she just acts like a typical cliché loli, except she's "sooo smart and collected". As usual the "hacking" is her playing it like it's a game, literally, even including game graphics and mechanics. photo analystics are 1 button auto, she can get everything she wants easily. Not a smidgen of realism.

The other girls also act like typical high school girls in anime. Honestly, I can't stand the two main character girls. The black haired one show barely any emotions and is so stuck in her ways and inflexible it just makes her boring. The other platinum/blonde haired girl is the COMPLETE opposite. She's so high paced, hyper and my paced that she makes someone with actual ADHD look very normal and calm. I really dislike her moronic outbursts, extremely exaggerated expressions and gestures and I also hate that she refuses to kill people despite the kind of organization she is in and how dangerous the situations are, nothing more moronic than using non-lethal means that doesn't even knockout people properly, she's basically she's bringing a banana to a knifefight. Another thing about her, I just don't buy her ability to 100% avoid any and all bullets. Even rapid fire is avoided like it's nothing. I can kinda buy avoiding slow handgun fire by predicting the trajectory from the barrel position and hand movement, but what she is doing is a pure supernatural ability and that doesn't even explain how she can avoid strafing fire where there's no room to evade...

These character templates aren't too bad normally, but the issue is that they're trying to bring seriousness into what is clearly a cute girls doing cute things anime. They fit more into a school setting.

I've rarely seen animes that are so bad that I just feel the desire to drop them all the time. Anime that suck from the first few minutes all the all the way to the end.

I fail to see what the hype was about. This is just plain bad, the 3/10 rating is just for the good animation/VA/Sound. I regret watching this.

Girl’s holding gun,this type of anime can escalated into “I love riffle” type of anime or straight up a “gunslinger girls” v2,so what type does Lycoris recoil belongs to?. Well a little bit of both,despite the light and cheerful atmosphere in the anime,Lycoris Recoil still deliver a few “brutal” scene that even sounds off-putting but actually blend pretty well. It doesn’t afraid to show that the story isn’t always light and happy and can show that it can be heavy and dark. The animation is definitely not the best among the action animes but it was a damn good animation,the movement is fluid and the gun fight actuallyexciting.Usually gun vs gun fight scene can be pretty boring but Lycoris Recoil even with a very “traditional” and “common” way of shooting guns can somehow make it fun.

The music is also top tier,once I know that ClariS gonna be the one performing the opening sound,I quickly guess that it’s gonna be a banger,and it actually does.Heard it for the first time and I instantly fall in love with it.

The characters also very very lovable,though the design of one of the heroine resemble some certain “curious girl” and the another also resemble some certain girl that also happen to like shooting guns,I definitely have no problem with that.

We have Chisato as the cheerful main character and we have Takina as the calm main character,all the supporting character also very liekable and well designed,it’s a cherry on top.

Overall,very recommended in almost every aspect,it’s an original anime so there’s might be chance of it end or developed very badly,but even if it does happen,with all this cool action and splendid animation,can’t give it lower than 8.

Chemistry is a wonder thing when it comes to an anime. Along with an action packed concept to boot, if both of those fit together, then you're in for a wonderful product. Which is where we find ourselves when it comes to Lycoris Recoil. Let me explain wy. Story and characters: 9 The lifeblood of the whole show. Having characters with strong personalities, that really fend off each other, really makes this show tick from point A, to point Z. This anime can be very cute and sweet at times, but then go a full 180, and be filled with action, and treated with such seriousnessand care. Along with being brutal at times. It's a good balance of a package, that's entertaining throughout each and every episode.

Nishikig is just a treat. She's a lovely character, from how she acts, from her positive influence, to how she carries herself through battle. Which really surprises someone like Inoue, whom she really is her foil. Episode 3 is a major highlight in their relationship, and it's sweet and awesome to see., While Inoue is more used to just blasting through things with endless bullets. For one thing, to see her trying to adapt to a new place is one thing, but for that place to be filled slowly through good development with Nishikia, is just great. But with great, and fun characters to boot, which really support the show in general, you know it's one worth watching for sure. A colourful cast goes a long way. I haven't even touched upon the story as of yet, that's the definition of good casting.

The story is really easy to understand and follow. If you're a fan of spy like, or mafia themed kind of shows, with a touch of slice of life thrown in there,then you're in for a treat for this one. The slice of life really brings more life out of the cast, and really makes you like them, and appreciate them. Making you look forward to whats next with it's story and content.

Art and sound: 8

The Art style really is good. It knows when to look bright and fun, but then be fitting for a more serious situation. Which is another highlight for me, they treat any theme, or situation with a good amount of seriousness, and it's even more reflected through it's art, animation, and sound quality. Real care was really put into this show, and it definitely shows and more so.

Lycoris Recoil is for sure one of the top animes of this season for sure, and I'm sure, that it's going to be even more enjoyable as it goes along. So watch now!

Pros: - top-tier art style and animation. most definitely the best animation of the entire season. theres not a single second where the animation went wrong, and you can truly see how serious and hardworking the staff are. in fact this is the single biggest drawer for most fans. - yuri girls with visible characteristics, especially the portrait of chisato's characteristics is masterpiece. she is like fujiwara chika who easily impress most watchers with their strongly unique personalities. fans are here for this. Cons: - storyline is really just meh. it is a mixture of new innovations and cliche, but it is so far not really an interestingstory. fans are mostly just here to watch yuri reactions, which leads to the second point,

- feels like forced yuri reactions. the character development of chisato is indeed wonderful, but not the case for takina. her character development feels rushed, lack of progress, and lack of details. Just one hug from chisato is enough to change takina's cool cold-blooded personality? A real person's personality shouldnt be altered that easily. The "sakana" moment wouldve been much funnier and more natural if chisato did it, but instead takina did it, which just doesnt feel natural. Takina can indeed grow into a much more open person who would do the "sakana" thing, but it shouldve taken much more time and interactions for her to transform from a cool badass to a funny girl. It is a bit too fast.

TL;DR first for those who don't want to read the whole rant (I understand, I wouldn't either): The show's production quality is top-notch. Top-tier animation, top tier action scenes, top-tier designs, STELLAR voice acting. HOWEVER, beneath that and except a few neat details, it's full of obnoxious characters, bullshit situations and plot holes. But apparently it seems like I'm more or less the only one bothered by that so you can give it a try I guess, at least it looks great. Onto the rant. (I'll give a warning for spoilers) You know, a wise vtuber said someday that recommending anime is hard, because every anime hassome amount of anime bullshit and it's hard to know what someone's threshold for specific types of anime bullshit is unless you know them extremely well. And, well, I feel like LycoReco is the embodiment of that. On the surface it's a great looking and sounding show, but... little girls with guns? Seriously? AGAIN? When did it become a normal trope exactly? Ok, to be honest this is the least of my problems, even though I still find this out of place in the scenario of a show that takes itself relatively seriously. But it is an example of what LycoReco is riddled with: a lot of dumb stuff, some being in the category of anime bullshit that make me sigh but am somewhat used to, some that are a testament to bad writing and some that just plot holes, plain and simple (I listed examples of what I'm talking about in the end to prove I'm not talking out of my ass, but spoiler warning of course).

Some people (most, it would seem) would be of the opinion that I am nitpicking. I like to think of myself as a fairly open person though, without to much issue with suspension of disbelief, but this show is asking too much of me. Because I on the other hand, fail to understand how it is so unconditionally loved, and why people defend it so vehemently.

And it is a shame, really, because it has been crafted with genuine love, care and passion, treats progressive subjects with refreshing subtlety and god do I love Chisato's VA soooo much, but behind this is a barely believable story pushed by poorly written characters.

I did still finish it, 'cause it's visually beautiful and it wouldn't feel right writing a review without knowing completely what I'm talking about. I wrote this on ep 12, and then ep 13 came and just confirmed all of my feelings and then some, leading me to downgrade my score from 6 to 5

SPOILERS AHEAD for examples of stuff that violently rustle my jimmies about this show:

For anime bullshit, I'm talking about how the Japanese government had no issue in creating an anti-terrorist division exclusively comprised of schoolgirls (WITH A DISTINCTIVE UNIFORM), how the best hacker in the world is a loli or how boyish underwear triggers a diplomatic incident.

For bad writing I'm thinking about how utterly incompetent the Lycoris organisation leader Kusunoki is, several times, without a single time doing anything to learn from her mistakes, how Robota is a painfully obnoxious ass every time he's on screen or how Yoshimatsu Shinji that huge bag of ass just decided out of nowhere that Chisato's talent is about killing, when it's merely about fucking dodging bullets and NOBODY HAD ANYTHING TO SAY TO HIM.

And finally for plot holes I cannot help but wonder how Chisato shoots bullets that go through car doors like butter but are somehow non-lethal at point blank, how she dodges shots while hanging by one arm perfectly still, how a medical institution for a secret organisation just lets new hires examine agents on their first week without supervision.

And I am not exhaustive, but I'll stop here.

---As a heads up, I gave this show a 9 but have mixed feelings about whether or not I'd recommend it, which I'll explain below.--- ---This review may contain minor spoilers, so proceed with caution.--- Oh, my dear Lycoris Recoil. You're one of the most recent original shows to explode in popularity, much like of Vivy and Wonder Egg Priority in 2021. When fan arts from your show, most notably Chisato and Takina in their Yuri ship, which we will get back to later, thrive on Pixiv, it is a sign that you have made it into the mainstream media. Mika has even been compared to andis thought to be based on the "Ambatukam" person. The real question is whether your meteoric rise to popularity was well-deserved.

One may perceived this show as yuri bait. Others may perceive this show as nonsensical gun fighting from cute girl characters with heavy plot armor from the main casts and those surrounding them. But are these negative receptions justified?

Let's start with the bad of the show. First and foremost, Majima, his intentions of terrorist attacks, his character, his personality, his everything scream the "I want to be edgy" character archetype and basically his motive in attacking DA, and especially his obsession with Takina, can't really be understood and feels like he was added to win over the fanbase with the "I want to be cool like him" that kind of guy. Nothing about him is particularly noteworthy as he is a relatively recycled character. Second, let's go with Chisato and her basically being a walking bullet dodger and having a heavy plot armor that made her practically immune to anything except physical and surprised attacks, but hey, why bother with realism when it is anime? But my point remains that making someone invincible can be off-putting to some viewers who prefer the show to be more realistic. Takina, on the other hand, was fine; she had a good personality and a distinct personality trait until she became overly obsessed with Chisato and would go to any length to please and stay with her. Her personality essentially went down the drain at that point, and her character development simply vanished. Honestly, the characters is the show's weakest link.

As for the plot, it can be summarized to as follows: Cute girls fighting terrorists. The main antagonist, Majima, wishes to bring DA down and expose Japan's phony peace. Chisato, one half of the main character duo, had previously undergone a heart transplant and saw Shinji as her savior. Shinji tasked Mika with transforming Chisato into a killing machine. Mika wants Chisato to live a normal and mundane life without having to be a killing machine. Chisato believes her main mission is to protect peace without killing people. Shinji is desperate to let Chisato be a killing machine and will go to any length, including allowing himself to be killed. To be honest, the plot is basic and boring, and it leaves a lot to be questioned or disliked. The story was more of an introduction at first, giving us a sense of what the show would be like and a brief overview of the overall premise of the show, so there isn't much to say about it. However, as the show progressed, we as viewers began to wonder what the show's direction was, how a specific event contributed to the overall story of the show, why the story is the case, and why a character was given that role and does it have to be them to complete the role. When Majima and Shinji were introduced, for example, the show began to suffer from a lack of a proper antagonist role. None of them appear to be very convincing, and they appear to be only there to fill a role that could be filled by anyone. One might also wonder why Chisato is unconcerned about the DA. Is it because she isn't employed by the DA? We can see that Chisato is always talking back to the commander. Events like these accumulate and eventually lead to a slew of unanswered questions, but as an anime original, it was unavoidable and understandable, but that doesn't excuse the show from ignoring things like these.

Now let's focus on the positive aspects of the show. First and foremost, I have to commend A-1 for consistently delivering on the art and animation aspects of the shows they've been entrusted with in recent years, with Lycoris Recoil being no exception, and is easily one of the best animated shows this season. This alone drew probably more than half of the viewers and was one of the show's biggest Ws. As for the OP and ED, they're sung by people well-known, and as one might expect, it is good and fits the theme of the show. Since the majority of the time the show is bright and cheerful, the songs and art displayed are done to fit the setting of happy-go-lucky vibe, and when the situation is dire and serious, the art and sound aspects matched the theme to the dreadful and despair vibes. The studio definitely delivered on both of these aspects of the show.

The show focuses on female characters, and as one might expect, the show's appeal to people who enjoy yuri interactions is visible, with Chisato and Takina being paired, which explains why there are so many fanarts shipping the pair. Just a disclaimer: the yuri aspect I mentioned could have been my misinterpretation and is simply friendly interaction in general, so I'm mentioning it to avoid confusion and potential conflict. The portrait of Chisato's characteristics is a work of art in and of itself, with her character reminding me of Chika Fujiwara, whose distinct personalities easily impress most viewers. And for those reasons, people will come to watch the show for the wholesome yuri moments, which are also one of the show's main draws. Though one could argue that the show's yuri elements are excessive and sometimes forced, I'd say it depends on the target audience, on whether or not you enjoy CGDCT in general, because if you do, the number of these interactions doesn't really matter. Overall, the show has no dull moments, and you will be emotionally invested and glued to your screen for the entire 24 minute episode every week, eagerly awaiting the next episode to air.

Now, back to the question at hand: Was the show's meteoric rise to popularity well-deserved? To me, it is a yes, but it could be a no if you consider the show's negative aspects. IMO The good of the show just balances out the bad. Is this an AOTS-worthy show? Certainly not. Am I eager for S2? Hell yeah. I want a S2 to learn more about the other cast members and to fill in the plot holes surrounding the show.

I would recommend the show to the following people:

- Fans of CGDCT.

- Fans of Slice of Life.

- Fans of action and animation.

I would not recommend the show to the following people:

- Not a fan of CGDCT.

- People who want a plot that is strong and cohesive, with few to no plot holes.

- People who have difficulty tolerating excessive yuri moments.

Thank you for tuning in to my TED Talk. Please feel free to leave any comments on my profile, whether they are criticism, suggestions for improvement, points of agreement, or praise.

I am always desperate for good anime gunfighting content and my desperation has brought me to Lycoris Recoil The action itself is kindof mid so far. It very much leans on the fantastical "gun-fu" side of things with bullets being dodged at close range and impossible marksmanship, and not in a way that feels like it really has stakes. To the series' credit, there is some acknowledgement of how unexpected the gun-kata shit is, and there have been a couple sequences so far where our main girl Chisato applies some tactics and tradecraft that actually make her credible as the most dangerous person inthe setting. I will always enjoy sequences where experienced characters detect traps and nimbly navigate. But it's unclear if those are going to be thin on the ground as things go on, the trend has been downwards across these first three episodes.

The story thus far has been not been particularly interesting. This really does not come across as a story which actually takes it's own mechanics or the violence the characters experience seriously. The characters much more conform to moe tropes than to the world around them and what they supposedly do everyday for a living.

The wrapping for the action is decent. The show goes for a highly post-processed "store brand Makoto Shinkai" or "discount Pixiv" aesthetic which is pleasant if unremarkable, and the character design is generally cute and easy on the eyes. There is just enough character animation and visual flair going on in most dialogue scenes to keep me awake in my seat.

Thanks to this the moment to moment non-action experience of the show can be described as tolerable. The voice performances from many of the seiyuu, especially Chisato -very compelling as the mysterious genki girl- are excellent and can drive any scene they are in. The archetypal characters with their barely plausible motivations and their barely plausible body types don't grate in any way even if I have seen it all before. Perhaps being set partially in a cafe disguises the blatant (perhaps not blatant enough) coffee undertones.

If you come to this series for the light distraction that it is, tea and teacakes, you won't go home disappointed. Don't come in making comparisons to works that take their characters and action more seriously, like a certain counter-terrorism series set in Italy. But by that same token, I can't really hold that comparison against Lycoris Recoil. There are definitely worse things I have watched in the pursuit of anything that's Girls with Guns.

Mother's Basement: "John Wick, But Make it Anime", where Geoff Thew embraces the "stupid awesome" John Wick-like vitality of the anime. The Canipa Effect: "Lycoris Recoil is an Ideal Original Anime", where Callum May highlights the production team behind Lycoris Recoil to see what makes an ideal original anime. Hideo Kojima, creator of Metal Gear: "I stumbled upon Lycoris Recoil by accident, AND I LOVED IT." The show's title being accidentally discovered, that's reminiscent of the critically acclaimed 2021 film "Licorice Pizza" (“Licorice” and “Lycoris” are spelled identically in Japanese: リコリス in Katakana) while actually searching on Amazon Prime for the multiple Academy Award-winning film CODA. Toonly then read the synopsis about a girl working in a cafe with a license to kill, and thinking to himself if this is typical of Japanese anime standards, by which at that time, he already surpassed the 3-episode rule and was catching onto Episode 4 (where it was the now-iconic episode with the pair of boxers and the aquarium "date" with Takina's fish-posing "Sakana"), and made him remember when was the last time he went to an aquarium. In the end to finally close out, saying that he's definitely watching the rest of the show going forward. He's even now endorsing the anime's LN spin-off Lycoris Recoil: Ordinary Days (which has just recently released in Japan), commenting that: “I’ll Recoil my Lyco-like genes!“

These are just some YouTube videos and a Twitter tweet that have been making the scenes since Lycoris Recoil came out, and it's safe to say that in a sequel-heavy season that's full of long-awaited classics returning years after their original seasons first came out (only two are better but the rest are duds), this has been the anime, and I mean THE anime that has consistently charted as a top show of the season. Yes, that sequel gold medal belongs to the 2nd season of Made in Abyss: Retsujitsu no Ougonkyou a.k.a The Golden City of the Scorching Sun, but I'd argue to say that LycoReco (the show's title shortened for speakeasy) makes it on par being the show that's a no-brainer competition for Summer 2022's AOTS (and objectively AOTY masterpiece material).

The 1st secret to LycoReco's wild, immense popularity and success is a great story and premise. And to put it simply, there is just no equal against LycoReco's setting, thanks in part to Asaura, the mangaka of Ben-To, and to date, his only reputation work that got a decent anime adaptation courtesy of David Production more than a decade ago. And as one such reviewer put it: "Ben-To is philosophy. Ben-To is art. Ben-To is everything, but bad for your health." Ben-To (that's a moniker for the iconic Japanese Bento food box) features an all-out action about a male MC and girls fighting to do whatever it takes to buy unsold bento boxes at discounted prices, and friend or foe, this battle fighting for honor, pride and dinner, there's only winners and losers in this frantic battle and the learning point of what it truly means to fight for food. Now take a look at LycoReco, and it's just about the same, or dare I say it's even better featuring Hideo Kojima's reminiscent Metal Gear trademarks of stealth and anti-terrorism themes about a secret organization/agency ("DA", Direct Attack) that keeps its setting of Japan crime-free that's doing a better job than the typical municipal police corporation, with their agents being girls that are orphaned and trained to their standards, giving them the "Lycoris" badge trademark that certifies them, that like a fire that should be put out immediately, to carry out assassinations with none the wiser. All of this is naturally made like cover-ups so as to not spread fear to the public and keep Japan safe and sound, but it also begets those in full rebellion over this top-secret "spy" agency to by hook or by crook, expose DA for their "nonchalant" claims about a "safe" Japan that isn't much discussed about until being made publicly with their terrorism acts. It's definitely a neck-and-neck experience of asking yourself: "Which side should I side on: the people working behind the scenes that I do not see even if they are perfectly camouflaged within the everyday groups of civilians, or the people inflicting and causing damages just so they could give a spotlight to those that have been working for their own purposes?" And regardless of what you think about both sides, they are both legitimate to exercise their own duty to preserve both peace and conflict respectively, no matter what it takes to brandish a whole new Japan according to their rules. And this honestly, just throws Ben-To's source material out of the wall, and Asaura may have found his one and only prized possession instead, 11 years after Ben-To came out for everyone to spike LycoReco with over-the-top (and moon), notched-up greatness.

The 2nd secret to LycoReco's wild, immense popularity and success is endearing and beloved characters, with the designs provided by Imigimuru, the mangaka of one of my all-time favorite manga: Kono Bijutsubu ni wa Mondai ga Aru! (KonoBi) a.k.a This Art Club Has a Problem! At the start of the show, we are presented with Takina Inoue: an accomplished DA agent, whom amidst her serious and confident spirit, only demands perfection with her immense skills, and will constantly step in to finish the missions as a lonewolf. But when something like an extermination of enemies that's all in a state to save her teammate goes awry, she indiscriminately put everyone's lives on stake, that ultimately resulted in her immediate dismissal for neglect of duty. Down but not out, DA's Commander Kusunoki sentenced her to work at LycoReco, which looking from the outside, does look like a typical-looking cafe. But inside it, is another working branch of DA that houses the following: the Afro-American manager Mika, the typical worker Mizuki Nakahara, the skilled hacker Kurumi (also known by her codename "Walnut") and the lovable GOAT that is Chisato Nishikigi.

LycoReco's manager Mika is a former DA instructor who left the agency for his own reasons, and this is in effect thanks to the other entity that would come to be known as the Alan Institute, an institution that conducts experiments to eke out only the best and greatest people that are worthy of its name. So, think of this as something very similar to You-Zitsu a.k.a Classroom of the Elite's "White Room" of sorts. Together with the cafe's regular customer that is Shinji Yoshimatsu, both men and Chisato share a bond that would help the latter to grow into the fine assassin that she is now, though their initial promise is to make Chisato as a mass weapon of destruction that Mika backed out of due to his change of heart. The cafe's worker Mizuki, she's just your typical lazy bum, but it's not like she's the average character, NOPE. Not at all. Instead, Mizuki is a fun addition to LycoReco's crew being all that "extravagant" of wanting to live the life of a married woman and not a spinster, even going as far as to get a job at DA in the hopes of getting married. But in all honesty, Mizuki's unmarried gag punchline is just as wholesome as it is hilarious to watch being everyone's joker that at times, excel at what she does and helps with the crew as much as possible. Kurumi or "Walnut" on the other hand, she is a reliable lonewolf hacker whom was once responsible for hacking on DA's AI system Radiata (which is known as Lycoris radiata a.k.a (Red) Spider Lily, which its name is credited as the anime's original work), but due to competition, risks her life to request asylum to be transferred to LycoReco at the cusp of her killing, initiated by yet another rival hacker, the Alan Institute's robot-shaped headgear worn Robota. Both her and Robota are great hackers in their own right, but they operate on both extreme ends in the typical fight against good and evil.

That brings us all to the GGOAT/GWOAT (that stands for Greatest Girl/Woman of All Time) that is Chisato Nishikigi. Chisato is in all essence, why LycoReco works as a show; as a concept; as one that has consistently wowed us and putting a showstopper for all the world to see; and definitely one that has earned its immense praises globally. Starting off with her origins in DA, Chisato is known as the agency's most prized possession, the greatest agent in its history to date. Due to her upbringing thanks to both Mika and Yoshimatsu in the Alan Institute, Chisato is to the point of being a "superhuman", where her point-blank range bullet dodging is her most signature trademark, and instead of real firearms, she uses rubber bullets so as not to carelessly take a life and call it a day. There are more mysteries to Chisato, but one that must be spoken is her familiarity with LycoReco's antagonist character: Majima. Unlike Chisato siding on the terms of the good, Majima is just straight-out a villain that's akin to MHA's Tomura Shigaraki, one that's hell-bent on exposing DA to the ends of the earth, no matter the terrorist stunts, and certainly no matter the cartilage and damages done just to get his point across to seek for a "balance" in an otherwise artificial-looking peacekeeping world. And like "Walnut" Kurumi working for LycoReco, his backup helper is Robota, so both sides are equally matched when it comes to technical prowess.

But most importantly (and THIS is the CRUX of the show), you can't have LycoReco with Chisato alone being the front girl always at their service. That is where Takina comes in after Commander Kusunoki's dismissal command, and at first glance, the disparity between the playful and the serious creates an inner conflict that the former cannot get rid of due to her stubbornness and unwillingness to compromise. Overtime, Takina slowly grows used to LycoReco's business as both the alternate DA branch's forward and as a cafe itself, selling both Western and Japanese sweets to the unassuming public. This fresh take for Takina also provides immense character development to Chisato, that instead of being an ill-bred infectious rodent thanks to her teammates Fuki Harukawa and Sakura Otome (former team leader and replacement respectively), she subsequently gave in to Chisato's whims, and slowly and surely, Takina has become the "Yuri-like" character that's a perfect complement to Chisato, going from being hated to being just as lovable as the former. Honestly, say what you will about the Yuri-ness of Chisato and Takina's relationship, but they're like a dream team that was born out of a necessity. It's just a case of a flawless execution.

The 3rd secret to LycoReco's wild, immense popularity and success is the amazing production that's featured in the show thanks to A-1 Pictures, really giving it their A-1 grade trademark. And this is a bit of a wild story, as when Asaura's former editor-in-charge had a meeting about SaeKano with Shinichiro Kashiwada (studio producer, that we would come to know of as the other A-1 Pictures original anime "Engage Kiss" also airing on Saturday), he talked about Asaura's works, "This guy is yabai (crazy)." He (former editor-in-charge) then introduced Asaura to Kashiwada, which the former later received an invitation of a new anime project, being that the latter had read his 2013 LN Death Need Round (the 2nd most popular after Ben-To) which is a "girls with guns" work. Asaura therefore decided to include guns in the new story, created the main characters and the world view, with some deliverables including the synopsis and a few short novels. But this is not all, for the replication to real-world scenes is also what makes LycoReco interesting, such as the case of some scenes taking place in Sumida, Tokyo and featuring Kinshicho Park, Sumida Aquarium, the water bus on Sumida River, aerial view of Ryōgoku, etc. It's this attention to detail that also makes the show stand out.

But in the midst of crunch time, it's the staff team that could only make all of this possible, and this is wired down from the hands of one Shingo Adachi, who is making his directional debut after working as both character designer and chief animation director of the Working!! series and his most recent work of SAO: Alicization and Ordinal Scale. And truthfully, Shingo Adachi got all the bang for his buck, and definitely even more for the outta-the-wazoo ridiculousness that is LycoReco, yet is also much subtle and provides the kick and depth of flavour that you can only wish to see in high-quality anime production. And beneath him, you also cannot discount the efforts from chief ADs Yukari Takeuchi, Go Suzuki and regular AD Tetsuya Takeuchi. It's just that amazing to finally watch an anime that feels like not a minute, or rather a single second that's bound to be wasted because of filler padding. Everything works for its purpose, and Shingo Adachi's production team really knocked it out of the park to the point of a Home Run.

The 4th and final secret to LycoReco's wild, immense popularity and success is the music, and I shouldn't really miss this out, the VA performance as well. Chika Anzaias Chisato (Hibike! Euphonium's Reina Kousaka or even Grand Blue's Best Girl Chisa Kotegawa) and Shion Wakayama as Takina (Takt Op. Destiny's Destiny), you couldn't have asked for a phenomenal job for these VAs' dedication to their craft. And this is especially for the latter: Shion Wakayama, despite being a rookie VA for 3 years at this point, other than her voice that sounds a lot like Ayana Taketatsu or even Ayane Sakura a.k.a AyaNeru, she gave it her all, and that reward is trickled down towards the audience for her spectacular vocals that both drives Takina's cutesy and overwhelmingly stern traits that are perfect contrasts to her double-sided character (the now-iconic Episode 4's "Sakanaaa" is one of them). While this is only the 2nd work for music composer Shuhei Mutsuki, it's sound director Kohei Yoshida (also on his 2nd work, the 1st of which did one of the modern anime greats that is my 2022 AOTY Odd Taxi) that does all the directing to sound like as Geoff Thew puts it: "John Wick, But Make it Anime".

Also, it's finally great to have ClariS and Sayuri come back for the OST, especially ClariS because much of their work has only been Hataraku Saibou! and the Madoka Magica spin-off that is Magia Record for the past 4 years. Together with Shadows House Season 2's ED, I'd think that their OP "Alive" is a great return to form as one of the great Anisong artists, and one of (if not) the best OP of the season, hands down. Same with Sayuri's ED, this is what I was expecting of this now famous Anisong artist. Also, if you haven't caught on yet, the cute kicking scene between Chisato and Takina in the OP is actually a reference to Rob Reiner's 1986 film Stand By Me, which is the adaptation of Stephen King's 1982 book novel The Body and Ben E. King's 1961 song of the same name. It's certainly NO coincidence as both the film and song are timeless classics, and one would assume that Asaura and the folks at A-1 Pictures were looking for 80's and 90's action movies to get ideas from, and probably have watched this classic to make this reference. Nevertheless, it's a small detail, but one that has come to be endeared (including myself) by the hearts of the many as being one of the many icons of LycoReco.

All of these that I've mentioned sounds like an endless exposition of Lycoris Recoil. But, you can't take away that absurd feeling knowing that newbies like Shingo Adachi (directorial debut), Imigimuru (character designer debut), Shion Wakayama (3 years of VA-ing), Shuhei Mitsuki and Kohei Yoshida (music composer/director), and everybody that deserves to be mentioned are now paving the way for new innovative and creative originals for all of the world to take note of and watch, because this is absolutely bonkers that such a team that's going out of their comfort zone to concoct such a work is just mind-baffling. And especially for originals where there 99% of the time is a one-and-done story with no sequel to boot, it's a huge risk. But Shingo Adachi had one thing going for him: trust. A trust that his team is able to pull off whatever the show has its semblances in from the all-out action to its symbolism of the Spider Lily. And it did deliver to the highest and rock-solid pedigree that is on par with Made in Abyss's 2nd season as its equal sequel counterpart.

Seriously, we all thank you: Asaura, Imigimuru, Shingo Adachi, and all the others for creating this great show. To reinistate the whole point again: Lycoris Recoil is like what Geoff Thew calls it "John Wick-like stupid awesome"; Callum May praises it for being "an Ideal Original Anime"; and Hideo Kojima burning his money for something that he would not have picked up if it was just a mere coincidence, to being an immense, hardcore fan that's sharing all the love to other fans that's all the rage now in Japan.

And to me? This is THE Odd Taxi of 2022 (despite having some problems with it that keep it being being a masterpiece). Sure, you have Chainsaw Man coming next season, but right now, it's undoubtedly THE Anime of the Season and Year to beat. And originals going forward can't get much better than this (or is it?). This (like Odd Taxi) are definitely the Holy Grails of original anime, one that's creative enough to leave a mark, and we all now bear that Lycoris badge to signify our earnest loyalty to LycoReco.

Lycoris Recoil is what we aspire to see of original anime, it's a passion project that has effort put in that feels like it delivered, and then some. Really wonderful and beautiful, one hell of a job well done.

In a loud bustling Tokyo where people live very close together. The people cannot hear loud unsuppressed gunfire 10 feet outside their house, by orphan teenagers carrying guns that fire plastic rounds to not kill people, when trained to murder and end the lives of those who are a threat. You see where I am going? This show has no real premise besides- "Hey look at that wifu material girl holding a gun, Americans love women holding guns, lets make this into a bland shooter anime where there are not any murders of terrorists and creeps because murder is too harsh for an adult audience!" Thisshow is not dark enough to be like Black Lagoon, nor twisted enough to be like Hellsing or evil organization focused like Jormungand. Its characters are very bland and only make the show a pain to watch, mostly they are just annoying, Mika is the only cool side character and the main cast is boring.

If it actually tried to make a good show it would be actually violent scenes with real weapons that harm characters with more deep meaning behind what the characters do. This has too many plot-holes that will lead to blind spots.

5/10 Kinda Mid

If you like my review don't be shy to say it was helpful!

A-1 does a typically good job with the animation, character design, and sound on Lycoris Recoil. So far, unfortunately, it ends just about there. I hope to see the show improve as the season continues, and will adjust my review if it does, but at the moment it's not seeming very likely that it climbs all the way to... actually being good. The biggest problem comes down to characters, or more particularly their interactions. For a show with plenty of little conversational moments, it's striking how consistently it misses the mark on achieving any semblance of legitimate human interaction, even taking the element of cartoon exaggerationinto consideration. Scene after scene rings unfortunately hollow, bizarre mannequins reproducing their ascribed personalities in obviously false notes. The story and thematic work in the first three episodes doesn't fare much better, considering how foundational character work is to it and how sloppily it deploys its setup of cutesified secret police.

The thread being unwound from the inciting incident could go somewhere interesting, but again, it's hard for me to place too much faith in the idea that it will right now. It's going to become crucial for the story's development to either grapple legitimately with the heavier elements that are currently incorporated awfully or, if that proves impossible, to at least ease out of that direction. Ultimately any shift would be better than the current approach, which does not even give enough weight to things that need it for tonal dissonance to be raised as a complaint, but simply feels weightless and illegitimate across the board.

To toss in another positive note as a cap off, there's some solid action choreography in the second episode, if you can overlook the bullet dodging implemented and animated in a way that doesn't quite work. I wish I could throw in more miscellaneous positives, but the most I can muster in most categories is neutrality.

Well, this anime goes from 0 to 100 very quickly. Here, you'll find cute girls with weapons killing everyone, but the anime isn't heavy. In fact, it's not that amazing because the anime "normalizes" it, even though it's not normal at all. The true charm of this anime lies in the duo of Chisato and Takina. On one hand, there's Chisato, who lives life as if each day were her last, always happy and trying to make others happy. On the other side, there's Takina, who didn't know what it was like to live until she found her partner. She only thought about work andher duties. The contrast between them gives rise to incredibly emotional and even funny scenes. As the anime progresses, you can see their relationship evolving, and you think, "Wow, what an incredible friendship."

I believe the most important lesson I learned from this anime is: Don't change who or what you are for anyone, and don't let anyone change you. If you think you're amazing and happy being yourself, then continue being yourself.

You can watch it in one day, and if you have nothing to do, I recommend watching it. Anyway, see you guys in Hawaii :)

Disclaimer I have only watched the first 3 episodes. Imagine Michelle Rodríguez, the actress, as 16 year old girl in a 12 year old body. Then add 12 more like her and you have Lycoris Recoil. Superhuman tough teenage agents that bring justice in near future Japan. Most interesting aspects are the supporting characters of the Café and the sub plot of the DA office, maybe a conspiracy in which a underground organization tries to overturn the DA office and thus the justice system, fingers crossed. The Animation and Character design is typical modern age Anime style, nothing that stands out but it isn't bad. It's fine.

The art of the anime original has almost been lost these days. With production committes preferring to adapt popular visual novels or manga, it’s rare to see an anime original show with staying power. That’s exactly what Lycoreco is, the show that took the world by storm. Admittedly I did not have very high expectations for Lycoreco coming into it. A-1 were coming off their 86 masterclass and I thought this was the time for correction, time for the law of averages to balance things out as it were. I could not have been more wrong. Not only did A-1 stay hot, they showed everyone thatthey can make a truly iconic anime original series.

What makes Lycoreco so special is its character interactions and cute intimate moments. I’ll be honest, the plot here is subpar at best. It started out with some promise, but fell apart in the final half with a rather week villain, subpar motivations and weak characterisation, the spotlight was clearly on the girls. Takina and Chisato have one of the most fun and organic relationships you’ll see in the medium. Takina going from a cold and distant person who doesn’t understand the world or how people really work, to an extremely empathetic/kind soul who’s willing to do anything for her friend was quite a treat to see. Every week we were able to really see that relationship slowly develop, whether it’s through mundane tasks like shopping for clothes or cooking at the shop, the seeds of growth were being laid slowly but surely.

Pacing is always a challenge with anime original content, but I think they got things perfect here. We were really able to take our time and get to know Takina and Chisato, but also the side characters. By the end of the series, we definitely knew what made everyone tick. If I had to change anything with the structure of the series, again it would be to flesh out the villain more. He had a lot of promise, but then just fell flat at the end and his motivations seemed pretty weak.

If you’ve been on the internet at all this season, you’ve likely seen art that ships Takina and Chisato or at the least hints at it. The show definitely plays to the Yuri bait strongly. They’re clearly aware of their audience and know that’s what people want to see. Unfortunately it never fully goes that way and is basically a massive tease. That said, even without the Yuri bait, they’re relationship is super cute to watch play out and you can’t help but wish them the best.

In typical A-1 fashion. The art, character designs and animation are all top notch here. Spider Lilly really did some amazing designs for the show and I’m looking forward to seeing more of their work in the future. The sakuga during the big fights is really impressive. We know by now that A-1 has a tremendous amount of talent, and it seems like it’s starting to come together more consistently now.

While Lycoreco has some amazing character dynamics, awesome designs and literal anime John Wick scenes, I can’t say that it was the best show this season or my favourite. Objectively, it’s one of those shows that you can certainly see why people like it so much and why it’s so popular, but it was not even the best A-1 original of the season for me. Chisato and Takina’s relationship may be iconic, but the plot certainly wasn’t. That said, I did really enjoy it and the memes from this show will live on for many years to come.

Lycoreco gets 9 out of 10.

Lycoris Recoil is the "ideal original anime" is what lots of people will say for years. And if you asked me, they're absolutely right. Though when we talk about Lycoris Recoil being THE one original anime, I think we need to see a little beyond the quality of the anime itself (which, in advance I'll say: its pretty dang good!): we need to also see the passion of it's creators and their outstanding feedback to the community on the internet. It's something I won't forget, since it was it's own unique experience. Director, writer, animators, ilustrators, voice actors, all of them, every week, after every little episodepreview (these should be on the Blurays -they're too good) or by the end of the episodes, they share their own piece of gratitude and express their love in working in this anime. You truly can feel it, and the feedback they receive in answer is amazing and shows: Lycoris Recol exploded due to it's high quality as a anime, but also thanks to a great energy from the internet (especially on japanese side who can actually read everything haha). LR was trending high every week on twitter and more than ten thousand fanarts were made before the anime is even over (Pixiv).

THE ideal original anime for me is this: one which is made with lots of heart put into it; made in advance to not overwook the staff and for ideas to flourish; outstanding execution of a somewhat fresh premise; super lovable characters; amazing art and designs which inspire lots of creators out there; insane VA energy with liberties to add to their own characters; flawless marketing strategy (and in good part, I could even say honest); and a amazing community who payback the creators their love.

It get's a 10 out of 10 score from me. It can change the industry I believe. Other studios will not only try to grab it's amazing VA cast or to hire their staff, or even to create animes with similar premises, they'll see how Lycoris Recoil performed in the internet, on twitter or other social medias, they'll look how Lycoris Recoil handled liberties with their staff, their VA cast (ad-libs,etc) or even try to copy the brilhant marketing that was executed around the tittle.

As for me, I will remember this whole experience, to watch Lycorus Recoil weekly with everyone and to feel this energy, for years.

A goddam masterpiece. That's what it is. Lycoris Recoil isn't just cute anime girls using guns. It's a deep political action thriller and I love it for that. It isn't afraid to go dark, to the very depths of ethics and humanity to look itself in the mirror and ask the hard questions. There's no such thing as peace without evil, and a balance is always required. Peace without Evil is just Delusion. There's Lycoris, cute lil school girls clearing out "evil" without anyone knowing for the greater good. Lycoris flower, or Red Spider Lily as it's more commonly known, is a symbol usually associated withdeath, so poetic af.

Then there's the DA, the organization that handles all the dirty work with Lycoris. Let me say, Companies, no matter doing how noble of a work, getting their workers in trouble who actually do all the work, to save their own ass in name of "Greater good" is absolute bullshit. You're taking cute lil orphan girls and making them killers, which many times results in them dying before they even become physically or emotionally mature. Don't tell me they're mature, they're brainwashed. All of them. They don't know the world they're trying to protect.

Chisato is my favourite character here, a ray of sunshine in this abyss. She's the one who chooses rubber bullets in a world of Nuclear Missiles, and still wins.

Then there's Yoshi and the mysterious Alan Institute, grooming geniuses in various fields. Yoshi is one of the better villains I've seen in recent times, but alas he was outshined but someone from the same series.

Majima the MAN. Not just an evil incarnate. I mean he does kill innocent people. He's obviously evil. But the way he's after Alan Institute and DA? Bro knows what he's doing. He isn't just sake for evil. An ideology for change. That's what he has.

Real peace can never come from covering up evil and making people believe it doesn't exist. Ignorance is NEVER a bliss. It's hell. Real peace comes from understanding evil and empathizing with it, not trying to eradicate every time it shows itself. Coz that's impossible.

Lycoris Recoil Woah its been so long I rated an anime a 10 ! To begin with i would like to talk about the story the main problem with most anime are that either they start too slow or visa versa while " Lycoris Recoil " maintains the balance in such way one might not even notice the transition between the first half and the second half of the anime blending without having the thought " this is going way too slow/fast for me to put things together " the story might feel similar in concept yet it somehow stands out because the way thestory is written maybe idk it just keeps you hooked to binge it !

Now the animations and visuals, the animations are top notch gun shots motion physics movements everything is done precisly the effort surly is visible ! the colours, lightings, scenes everything blends in with the story neither anything sticks out ( in a good way ) nor feels bland . Meanwhile detailings are so good the eyes,hair even the detailings on buildings, cars, broken glass everything is well made while keeping things eye pleasing .

The Characters : Chisato & Takina both sure are main characters so its obvious they are the best but even the side characters make impact and add fun to the show, this is also a reason I would like to rate this show a 10 becuase alota of shows lack the importance of side charecters and either don't give them much of screen time or make them feel unwanted or useless while in this show everyone feels a complete part of it not sticking out .

Now the final part of the review,

1. WHY SHOULD YOU WATCH THIS SHOW ? 2. SHOULD YOU WATCH THIS SHOW ?

ANSWERS : 1. If you are want to watch somethings that won't make you question " why did I watch this " after finishing the show then this is the show for you the show is absolute cinema ! If you wanna enjoy something in one sitting then this sure is one great option !

2. Definitely YES !!! Its like a personal recommendation to everyone out there reading this review as an anime watcher this one is a must watch ! If you like the concept of Spy and Assassins then just go for it this won't feel boring one bit .

Well this is the end of the review here Its 3 years of the show rn when im writing the review no announcment of Season 2 yet the hopes are still there because something this amazing deserves a sequal more than anything !

Girls with guns. It is an OKAY anime, not wow, but fine. [ ANIMATION ] Top notch. Fight scenes are beautiful. Enough said. [ STORY ] Linear.[ CHARACTERS ]

The characters are very one dimensional. Predictable even.

The two main characters are contrast in belief and personality. Do they complement each other? More or less, but then again, it is very linear.

The side characters are very cliche. One drunkard, a boss with a "highly valued past", a super duper smart hacker, a "mysterious mastermind who is related to the MC"

[ CONCLUSION ]

If you enjoy daily lives of girls then go ahead and give this a try. You'd enjoy it as it gives you candy treats of animation goodness. BUT the story is kind of bland as of now, hopefully the story takes off in the upcoming episodes