Recoil of LycorisThe habit of dropping accidental nuggets of lore among the cutesy casual conversations between its protagonists can be a major distraction at times. Halfway through this episode, after seeing Chisato casually deal with some intruders at the safe house she and Takina are cohabiting, she casually mentions “LilyBell”, supposedly a boy version of Lycoris, before she and the episode’s plot do not budge. on. You can’t just throw something like this and not make something out of it sooner rather than later, Recoil of Lycoris! So now I’m going to be on the lookout for the smartly dressed schoolboy assassin antics as I’m also aware of all the interconnected background programs and wondering when Mizuki will get his own dedicated episode , while the series instead emphasizes the main feature of watching Chisato and Takina play rock-paper-scissors to decide who does the chores.
That said, we’re also in six episodes, so I think we’ve settled into that as Recoil of Lycoris live. And this episode actually has more than its premise of our adorable lead assassins suddenly living together. In fact, aside from that piece of rock-paper-scissors – which is mostly there to frame and facilitate the series’ now inescapable end-of-episode gag – Takina’s third move-in with Chisato is itself something of a component. true overall plot background of this episode. Hope you like Robota and Majima, as they are front and center in this one, taking us on a whirlwind of catching up storyline components regarding their DA hunt, support and machinations of the Alan Institute regarding Robota , and Majima’s pursuit of the Lycoris informing something of a rift in her personality. It’s…uneven, to say the least. Several chunks of the episode are dedicated to Robota’s futile efforts to find information or outsourced hacking efforts that lead nowhere as the details of this overarching story are brought up by all these other authority figures commenting the events.
There are a few merged elements to enjoy, like how that first episode arms deal bust is still the key to it all, as well as the return of Kurumi’s AD hack that was instrumental in organizing this event to kick this whole ongoing plot to a halt. Given that I was hoping the show would find more for Kurumi to do, this should be a godsend; she ends up having to deal with her data intrusion by being at least partially responsible for informing the group that recently took out Lycoris, including Chisato’s near defeat this week. But the episode is so focused on Robota and Majima explaining and advancing the actual plot, even in the shadow of Kurumi’s previous successes, that the cute little nut doesn’t do much in what should be its own. Redeemer. comeback. Kurumi always gets good bits thanks to Recoil of LycorisThe generally effective antics, like her adorably screeching stumble to explain the relevance of some prior information she hacked, or her direct drone strike maneuver to redirect a rocket launcher, because even the hacks on this show are incapable of subtlety . But contrary to Chisato and Takina’s telltale report, Kurumi doesn’t have anyone she constantly and directly bounces off, meaning any characterization that might result is limited for her. I feel like they kind of want her to do that with Mizuki, but we just haven’t had that many chances to see it.
But when all the more confusing and uneven story elements come together at the end, this episode ends up working just as well as Recoil of Lycoris usually does. Heck, it even shows new sides, putting Chisato in what seems like real danger for once, which properly sells the value of his girlfriend having to come to his rescue. As the show is wont to do, it also crosses paths with these seemingly silly gags: Chisato’s bullet-dodge powers allow him to be comically too proficient at Rock-Paper-Scissors, but it also provides an explanation that ‘she box be beaten in properly orchestrated circumstances. It’s all a way of revealing a vulnerability within her that might require that ever-increasing closeness to Takina. It’s no surprise that it works, since characterization including that relationship has always been the part this series makes easy, which is why it’s frustrating that it can’t maintain the same successful energy when preloading maze-like plots of hacker sponsorship and accelerates Majima’s transformation into the Joker.
We really have the impression that this episode illustrates the pratfalls of Recoil of Lycoris trying too hard to engage with its overarching plot. I certainly want to to see more long-form story engagement to help this show feel more complete as it wraps up its Classes. And stuff like those end-of-episode punchlines illustrate that the show has an understanding of the value of closing those kinds of narrative and structural loops. But this entry’s efforts to contribute to its ongoing narrative just don’t feel as tight, thematically or in presentation, as the more point-in-time stories we’ve received over the past couple of weeks. He still looks very cool and has some funny moments (likes Chisato defenestrating some intruders only to notice annoyedly that not only should she replace her windows now, but this has apparently happened before), but the way it’s all crammed together seems messy, and some elements, like Kurumi’s nominal focus, end up feeling cheated. As with that distracting mention of a boy version of the Lycoris, I can appreciate the show’s enthusiasm for spilling all those details, but recognize that it might be best to focus and direct one’s forces more effectively.
Evaluation:
Recoil of Lycoris is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.
Chris is a freewheeling Fresno-based freelancer with a love for anime and a shelf full of too many Transformers. He can be found spending way too much time on his Twitterand updates his blog regularly.