'Lycoris Recoil' Review: Not really my thing, but still had its moments

I have been getting back into anime lately after a long hiatus from it all, and somewhat creating a backlog of shows new and (somewhat) old from the current and gone seasons. I have found a few great shows that I have really enjoyed, and some that I have started after too long of a period without even knowing why I put it off for so long, but in my search for something new to check out, I came across what looks like this current season's most popular airing show: Lycoris Recoil. While I know there are plenty of anime shows that just do not appeal to me at all, I decided to put that aside in efforts to discover and check things out rather than just not watching at all. Well, Lycoris Recoil is a show that definitely is not for me, and I really do not see what is supposedly so great about it; in fact, it felt incredibly generic and rushed in favour of the typical anime trops you find these days.

Am I just out of touch? Perhaps a little too old for this show? Perhaps just wrong? Maybe a bit of all of those. But I gave the show a chance by watching through all of its thirteen total episodes. Seeing, waiting for a moment in which it might start to reveal something a bit more grand that justifies the scores it is getting online, as well as the seemingly near endless discussions generated on social media and forums. While I speak relatively negative of it, my biggest issue was that it was incredibly shallow and without meaning. Even in its final episode things felt rushed and straight to the point. Rarely did it feel like there was any danger to the characters or the general plot. Everything sort of just fell into place each episode.

In anime these days there is pretty much a genre in its own of the idea that there are cute girls just doing cute things. I would easily place Lycoris Recoil into this category. At first it did not really bother me, it felt like typical anime tropes where the narrative is centered around young girls that just so happen to have a super serious job that places the weight of society upon their shoulders in efforts to keep regular, unknowing citizens safe, all while operating a cafe because of course they would do that and hold their main location of operation there too. This particular aspect did seem generic, but certainly was not what I found to be annoying. I found the frustration sitting more in my patience that was tested as I waited each episode for things to finally get going.

The show teased various gangs and events in each episode that felt like it was introducing each character and displaying their strengths and weaknesses, as if to promote the idea that they would be utilised later on for a greater purpose. None of this ever really happened. We have our main cast that have their own set of skillsets, but not quite any pay-off that really made it all worthwhile to watch. The girls of course had their typical cute moments and interactions, all within the action sequences which were admittedly more entertaining. And I must admit that the animation, character designs, and sound design were not at fault at all. Each remained rather high in quality, making me feel the show was all style and no substance in the end.

Towards the latter part of the show, it did finally rush out some type of general plot in which the characters must somewhat, and I mean very loosely, come together to solve things. This ran for about three episodes as it teased that something bigger was to come. More evidently through the introduction of a particular character that was given a very villain style and design, which of course was amplified as they became more of an issue for the girls to deal with. That said, there were some interesting aspects of character design and writing that I did enjoy, mostly in the main character.

This main character, basically the best of the group, is capable of dodging bullets -- this was quite cartoonish and dumb, I did not like this part -- but also holds certain morals regarding how they approach dealing with terrorists and other people that might be firing at her and placing her life into danger. She uses special bullets that do not kill or cause serious damage, and instead uses ones that will cause some pain and injure, perhaps leave you knocked-out. I found this part to be quite interesting and a cool concept for a character that appears to be so great at everything, their main flaw being a mixture of general empathy towards other humans as well as a weakpoint given her foes obviously don't share the same thoughts regarding others.

Though again of course this was not given much depth going forward, there was not really any backstory regarding this decision other than she just does not believe it is her right to remove another person's time from them. This is yet another case in which Lycoris Recoil just skims across all the interesting ideas and promotes the more generic ones with its runtime. Across just thirteen episodes it did not feel enough, I was quite surprised to see it ended so fast without much of a conclusion. It felt quite video game like, to which there is not really an ending but more some teaser for something more to come next. I don't know if there will be anything more to come, but what little story it did show seems like it might be over. I don't really see how it could go beyond it.

I would not say that the show is bad, because as mentioned it does do a few things quite well. For its quality it certainly is high, but everything else is just lacking, and sadly everything else are the most important elements of any production. Perhaps the industry and its fans are a bit starved for productions at the moment as the main big shows are between seasons or thinly airing currently, but I just do not see where this show is so deserving of the praise it is receiving. I will most definitely forget most of the episodes and characters within a week due to how forgettable it all is.

Perhaps to others this is something great in a sea of other creations that are far more forgettable at the moment. Perhaps, and since I was not paying any attention at the time, this is something new and refreshing coming out of the pandemic era that I am sure really crippled the animation industry in Japan. For me, however, it just does not seem like it is my thing. It had some great moments and great visuals, but the cute girls doing cute things idea just is not enough to really satisfy me. I would still prefer some sort of story and important events that keep me engaged and feeling like there is some immersion within this world; and Lycoris Recoil just did not have any of it.

I do feel, and admit to some degree, that my hiatus from the world of anime and my preference in general cinema might be impacting how I view some anime series that I have been watching lately. I do not doubt that there is some correlation in the two and how I perceive anime, but I do not feel that this was one of those cases. I truly believe the show could have been better and more engaging with the way it tried to tell a brief story. I understand that anime shows enjoy their slice-of-life genre and many follow through with it, but in this case there just could have been more than there was, especially as it rushed something out towards the end. By that point it was just too late to really start caring.