Oct 28, 2022
I hugely underestimated Lycoris Recoil.
It's of course a high quality anime: art, animation, composition, music, they're all on par with what you'd expect of a studio like A-1. But somehow the writing is the real surprise. I expected it to be shallow, yet it fooled me at every turn. Perhaps the trailers were a clue, they were frankly misleading, presenting it as some slice-of-life anime when there was much more to it. I never expected to watch it, I never expected to like it, and despite a simple premise, each episode kept being more and more surprising.
The plot appears simple and straightforward, yet always more
...
complex than it seems, each episode adding a twist or two to the previous ones. It surely is disorientating, as it keeps going forward at a steady pace, leaving things without a clear explanation which some would think are plot holes. But it's all there, there's no overexposition, you have to look for it.
Similarly, character development shines as much through its dialogues as through what's left unsaid: you won't see any cliche exposition through dialogue which turns into an expose tailored specifically to the watcher. Dialogues are natural, serve the characters more than the plot, and adroitly use the full spectrum of body language, facial expressions, and gaze, to express more than just what is said. Dialogue was recorded ahead of animation, which is always a huge plus, but they really went an extra step to make those exchanges as lifelike as possible, which breathes life into the major characters. It's impossible to understand the characters without pondering the hidden meaning behind their words, starting with Chisato's paradoxical selfless yet selfish, careful yet careless personality, and her seemingly distant relationship with her partner Takina despite holding her the closest. I never would have thought I would come to the conclusion that writing is one of its strongest points, despite being its biggest criticism, it's all the funnier to see so many outwitted by a show they call dumb.
The only somewhat negative point, as with most anime, is the depiction of guns. Art is hit or miss, aside from Chisato's pistol they're crudely drawn overall, a pity when guns play such a central part, and quite jarring compared with the high production values of everything else. Takina's pistol is so inconsistent it's unclear whether artists didn't all use the same reference, or if she perhaps uses two different pistols. That aside, the general depiction of guns is slightly above the norm, they're operated in a rather believable way, and you just have the usual cases of bulletproof clothes, indoor gunshots that aren't deafening, and little girl operating a machine gun. Accuracy, but not realism, especially with Chisato's ability which may sound vaguely plausible at first, but quickly turns into a running gag.
I quite appreciated Lycoris Recoil and I know I'll appreciate rewatching it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
