Note: this review contains major spoilers for the show. Some are spoiler tagged, whereas others are in a general and vague sense and therefore untagged. You've been warned.

So, okay, let me ask you a question. What do you think a story should be and should have in order to be good? Good action? Good characterization? Really well-developed worldbuilding? Excellent usage of its medium (e.g. good, evocative writing for literature, good animation for an anime or cartoon, good gameplay for a game, good editing and cinematography for a movie)? A thrilling narrative that makes you ask 'what's next'?

I think that most people would answer, "Well, that's obvious. I want the one that's good at doing all of these." But if you had a show that, from the outset, took one of these things and focused on it as much as humanly possible to the exclusion of all of its other characteristics, would you consider that show excellent, or would you say it fell short? Should we demand that art try to do everything at once, regardless of what the author's intent is? I really think that your opinion on that is going to be the determining factor on whether you like Lycoris Recoil or not.

Because this is a story about two girls who meet each other and how their relationship evolves as a result. Everything else, from the setting, to the supporting cast, to the overarching narrative are an accessory to this fact. This show is not pushing the envelope, it is not experimenting with anything, it is not trying to create something nobody has ever seen before. It introduces many questions, and only answers some of them, and not all of its themes pay off in a way that feels final either. The way I'm describing this, it sounds like the show is really unsatisfying and fails at everything it sets out to accomplish, so why have I given it such a high score? Because this one thing, that it wants to do, it does incredibly well. And to me that's what matters.

Chisato and Takina are unbelievably charming characters, voice acted to perfection, who change each other's lives pretty much the moment they meet. Their joy at being with one another, their struggle to save one another and maintain normalcy in their lives in a world that demands abnormality out of them, the way they fight together, their desperation when things turn for the worse... I think that, if you had to describe it any way, then this is a show about valuing what you have, and they're each other's most precious treasure. There really is no denying that they are the heart and soul of the show, the grease that keeps it moving and makes it not just worth watching but a magical experience from start to finish, independently of whether or not you see their relationship as platonic or as romantic.

If you must come into this show for anything, it is that. If you watch the first few episodes and you're intrigued by some aspect of the show that isn't related to Chisato and Takina, you're probably going to leave feeling somewhat unfulfilled. The show starts off in a way that makes you think, "oh, are they going to do political and social commentary?" but that's not really where it heads. The DA is set up in such a way that it begs the question of whether any of this is right, but, because their fate is not immediately relevant to Chisato and Takina's story, you never see a complete condemnation or endorsement of it. I think for those who need to analyze their shows from a political and moral perspective, this can seem disappointing.

Similarly, the supporting cast is amazing, again with great voice acting, a lot of charisma, and some really strong moments, but they are supporting in a very literal sense, because they're the ones helping out Chisato and Takina. Most of their allies give up on personal goals and hurt themselves to help these two, whereas the villain's motivations are purely centered on Chisato, driving the conflict that threatens their relationship. You're not going to get a fully-realized 'arc' for each character, and there is no episode that is centered exclusively on a side character. Even when we get flashbacks, it is primarily to establish something about Chisato that is relevant to the story. This is to the extent that even two new characters introduced in the latter half of the show have something to feel or say about Chisato.

The setting leaves its time period ambiguous and also works primarily through implication, not exposition. There's only a small section in the first episode giving you a rough rundown of how things work, and some minor explanations here and there for when something genuinely needs to be addressed, but that's about it. You're not getting in-depth worldbuilding. The setting is also quite unrealistic and requires substantial suspension of disbelief. This is probably the biggest source of criticisms towards the show, but I'll address that in a bit.

Not all of the show's themes are wrapped up in a way that makes you think "oh, so that's what they wanted to say with this story!" For example,

Spoiler, click to view

a major aspect of the last stretch of the show is Chisato's refusal to kill Yoshimatsu because it would ruin who she is to live on the basis of someone else's death. Later, Mika does kill Yoshimatsu and save Chisato using his heart. If you believed the theme of the show was to enjoy your life to the fullest even if it's short, or that adults shouldn't get in the way of a child's wishes, that ending directly contradicts these ideas.

So, again, it kinda sounds like I'm kinda ripping into this show, but I really just didn't have a problem with these things because I think it works so well to supplement what they're going for.

The questions regarding the DA, and ultimately the optics of prioritizing national safety above the privacy and wellness of your citizens, are interesting ones. However, Chisato and Takina ultimately choose to disconnect themselves from all of that because they are pursuing a life that is truly their own. Some would argue that this is a selfish or immoral choice to make, especially since the DA actively kills people, something that Chisato is against. But I think that the show ultimately holds the stance that what matters are the choices that you personally want to make and their consequences, not whether or not it is your personal responsibility to make choices on the behalf of others. Chisato is not a hero who wishes to stop all murder or to solve Japan's issues, but simply someone who, if given the opportunity, allows others to appreciate the time they have in this world.

The supporting cast may not be the stars of their own stories, but, they're incredibly well-characterized and easy to like. You really feel for some of them, especially Mika, and they counterbalance and ground Chisato and Takina's interactions and prevent the show from overwhelming you with pure moe. I can't say that the show would be the same without them, not in terms of what they contribute to the plot but what they add to how enjoyable it is. Kurumi and Mizuki made me smile consistently, and I really respect them. The villains are stubborn to a fault and that stubbornness is what provides the tension in Chisato and Takina's relationship.

The world is one I felt compelled by, and I think that there are pretty good explanations for many of the things that watchers have an issue with. The show heavily suggests that Japan has experienced artificial peace for so long that overt violence and death are basically never seen by the public, a distant problem at most. As such, I didn't find it too hard to believe that the population could be convinced to overlook even significant slips in the DA's veil. We also see that the world has access to technology we don't have yet, like bulletproof fabric that allows people to treat ordinary clothes, satchels, and airbags as body armor, and some of the overtly fantastical aspects like Kurumi's god-hacking and Chisato's bullet dodging are easy to accept as simply a fictional element of the story.

And the ending of the show really exemplifies all this, I think.

Spoiler, click to view

It is indeed true that if the show were trying to make a statement about living your life to the fullest and that people have a right to determine their own fate, then Chisato should have died. However, the show is ultimately about what Chisato and Takina mean to each other, and to the people around them. Chisato has 'saved' everyone she has come into contact with, and so I feel like it's reasonable for the people in her life to save her in turn, even if she may not necessarily want to, because they believe that her life holds value even if she doesn't.

In that sense, my only real criticism of the show is that it never fully addresses how Chisato's hypocrisy and selfishness can hurt the people around her, especially Takina. Because the show sacrifices so much to focus on the relationship between those two, any strain in that relationship really sticks out as something that ought to be addressed, and I think Chisato is the weaker link of the two. Could be left for a potential Season 2 or movie, maybe; it seemed fairly clear to me that even if the show was written to stand on its own, the production team clearly wanted and has set up the possibility of a continuation.

Watching the show, I grew obsessed with Chisato and Takina. I thought about them even when I wasn't watching, and I looked upon the end of the show with dread, because I didn't want to stop seeing them and their interactions with one another and the world around them. I was anxious when they were in trouble, and it hurt me when they were hurt. Some scenes, particularly towards the latter half, will stick with me forever because of the combination of incredible animation and talented voice acting that really helps sell you on these girls and what they are feeling.

Takina starts out the show ambitious, emotionally disconnected from others, and as someone who tries to achieve the most efficient solutions to her problems, but she ends it willing to sacrifice everything, screaming in despair and laughing with joy, and utterly reckless, all in equal measure. And although Chisato's development wasn't as overt, it is clear as day that Takina's existence in her life is eroding the inertia of "I was saved, so I must save others" that has been motivating her this whole time, and giving her a reason to thrive and appreciate her life beyond that gratefulness. It is so, so sweet and so, so captivating to watch them grow, to watch them interact with each other in any context, to feel the joy they give to each other's lives, to feel the pain that comes from their separation.

The action scenes are also really smooth, well-choreographed, creatively planned, and fun to experience with excellent background music. I rewatched some of them several times, which is something I rarely do even for other well-animated shows. Even outside of the fight scenes, the way the characters move is mesmerizing and doesn't leave your memory easily. The animators put a lot of effort into making sure that everyone's emotional states came across clear as day, and you're pulled into what they're feeling.

This is not a perfect show, but I think that a lot of its flaws are the result of its priorities. And they're priorities I agree with. Again, is it okay for a show to put less focus on everything else for the sake of this one thing that it really wants to do? In my opinion, it's fine and even something I feel we need more of. I think it's good for shows to have different things they want to do from one another; sure, we all want the shows we watch to be more akin to our favorites, but, being able to get different things from different works is why it's so important to be eclectic. I want a world where everyone has at least one show that gives them exactly what they want, instead of a world where everyone loves one show that does everything perfectly. I want to see new perspectives and see what different artists want to explore with their work.

I don't need perfection in my life, I don't believe it exists, but my aim isn't to rate shows on how objectively "good" they are or how well they accomplish their objectives. It is to talk about what they meant to me, personally. This show made me feel so much, and dominated my mind so thoroughly, that I can't compare it to anything else. That's why, for me, LycoReco is one of my favorites not because it does everything well, not because it's flawless, not because it's something no one else has done, but because it knows what it wants and commits to it, and as someone who adores character-based fiction, I love that. I love this show, love, love, love it, I hope that it gets a continuation as soon as possible, and I want everyone in the world to give it a chance at least once, even if I know not everyone is going to like it.