When Lycoris Recoil begins Takina wants nothing more than to get back to the DA and return to the position that she once had there. Her disobedience in the field has led to her expulsion and she is unceremoniously dumped into a new setting with a partner all of which she never asked for. As far as Takina is concerned everything that happens over the next several weeks is meant to serve the purpose of getting her back to the DA and she makes that stance rather clear. So imagine her surprise to see that supposedly one of the best Lycoris that the DA ever produced is the happygolucky Chisato who acts without a care in the world and seems to spend more of her time having fun than taking her role as a Lycoris more seriously. As time moves forward with Chisato and Takina spending more time together we learn some rather fascinating things about Chisato shes not only extremely good at what she does dodging bullets as though they were barely moving at all but she also doesnt adopt the traditional Lycoris method of killing her targets. She subdues them defeating them nonfatally regardless of the wrongs that they committed. She gives triage to one lackey asking if he has any plans for later that evening. Takina is indignant at this merciful approach especially given that the lackey didnt care whether she or Chisato lived or died. As far as Chisato is concerned the lackey lost and his job is done. She doesnt say it aloud or in this exact way but its time for him to move on with his life. The idea of moving on of continuing to march forward anyway regardless of what life has in store for you is central to what makes Lycoris Recoil work as a narrative. Nearly every character in the show is in some way shape or form dealing with a past or a past event that has colored them personalitywise professionally or perhaps at an evenmorefundamental level. It doesnt matter whether the root of the cause was through disobeying orders clinging to a fleeting reputation or a relationship that for one reason or another simply did not work out for the best. Lycoris Recoil takes the numerous frameworks of pastasinfluence and demonstrates how they impact a character or larger social structures thinking and how ones ability to go with the flow or obstinacy impacts their ability to navigate the present. Depending on who is it the evidence of this is rather apparent. The notion that a life for Takina exists outside the DA or that she might never return to the DA building proper despite still technically working for them as a Lycoris and has to adapt to this new life against her will is a gnawing thought. Chisatos very existence and mannerofbeing seems antithetical to the Lycoris calling or lifestyle and the idea that Takina has to work with her naturally creates a source of tension between the two. Takina was already rather brusque and blunt beforehand but her circumstances have interestingly enough caused her to act even more brusque which puts her chances at getting back to the DA even further away. It was that very attitude and manner of thinking that caused her to be kicked out so indulging that attitude and manner under the assumption that it will get her what she wants rather ironically doesnt do her any favors of getting what she wants. Moving on for Takina is not something that she wants to do but rather is something that she has to do because the door back to the DA is seemingly closed forever. Chisato clashing with Takina does not merely manifest in terms of everything Takina wants to be but also in how readily she accepted her lifes position. The DA makes it clear that Chisato is special if not occasionally aggravating in more ways than one. But she doesnt pay that thought any mind if anything its just something she lives with by shrugging her shoulders and readily wanting to scarf down some sweets. Chisato evidently learned a long time ago that you dont always have control over the things in your life and that as a result some things are just not worth stressing about or worrying about. The bleakness that being a Lycoris entails the demands of the jobs lessglamorous aspects makes her cheery personality absolutely magnetic. If Takinas experience getting kicked out of the DA is any indication Chisato longsince knew that it was not a place for her. Why go back to the DA building when shes enjoying herself and her work having fun and playing video games fraternizing with patrons and the like? Why go back to an organization that gives carte blanche to kill their targets when Chisato lives her life to the fullest every day? Lycoris Recoil uses its two main characters to reflect two possible outcomes of being thrown into a similar situation. Both are out of the DAs picture for the most part and had to move on yet each approaches the matter by entirelydifferently means. The juxtaposition between Chisato and Takinas attitudes is what ultimately keeps the shows focus tethered at times they butt heads. At other times they act like old friends or sisters. Through its two main characters as the main vehicle the shows tone allows many of its moments to work in either the dramatic or comedic sense if not both at the same time. They learn to move on with their lives together. And as they grow together as individuals and as a pair each of them possesses qualities that makes either doing their jobs easier or running Caf LycoReco more reliable and stable. For the DA the idea of moving on is essentially their motto keep life moving on ordinarily and dont let the public know of anything unpleasant going on behind the scenes. As is often the case with sciencefiction actionoriented or otherwise the future does not promise that there will be no more crime or no more problems. Various agendas groups and people will still crop up to cause trouble either at seeminglyrandom moments or through calculated planning and execution. The Lycoris as the secret police of their world themselves have an ordinary appearance dressed like schoolgirls to casually hide in plain sight making them effective assassins / escorts. After all who would suspect a cute girl to have a gun in her pocket keeping the city safe as life moves on? The city itself also embodies this overarching ideology the ruined tower stands as the final monument to a terrible event from the past standing out like an eyesore against the farmore clean pristine cityscape foreground that surrounds it. Its existence acts as a symbol that the supposed tragedies of the past will not be repeated because they as a city and as a citizenry have moved on. But for every character or every system in place that tries to just move on there is someone or something operating in the background that cannot do so or at least not in the same way as others. The indignation at seeing the world around them or being stuck in a place or memory that consumes their very thoughts seemingly dayin and dayout fuels their desires to seize the present for their own purposes. Lycoris Recoil uses the collisions between the society and characters that have moved on versus those that have not to set up its overarching mystery. The result is a roster of characters that is equally as colorful as they are varied in motivation and appearance. While the series flirts rather dangerously with oversaturation it never crosses the boundary since everyones personality and actions command attention even if the why doesnt unveil itself until later in the run. Its because we understand why these characters are doing what they do or are intrigued by the mystery that gradually unearths itself that make many of the action sequences themselves so compelling to see. Director and series composer Adachi Shingoshttps://anilist.co/staff/110189/ShingoAdachi previous efforts as chief animation director for numerous Sword Art Online installments reveals that he has a keen eye for an action scenes sense of motion and fluidity. This is not a series that oozes sakuga but the motions metaphorically feel slickeven in its gunshotsbecause the characters at the center of the conflict are all distinct. While they could have easily gotten by solely on personality alone each sequence heightens the tension progresses the plot and most of all keeps the theme Ive been hinting at in focus. But action scenes are enhanced everfurther by strong characters which is where Lycoris Recoil shines. In that sense perhaps Adachi himself has moved on from the older stories that defined his previous work. Its worth remarking that this is Adachis first time serving as both a director and series composer responsible for most of the shows inner substance. I cannot say this with certainty but I imagine that he paid close attention to the idea that detractors of Sword Art Online complained about the lack of interesting characters or at least that there wasnt enough adequate emphasis placed on character to make the good action scenes even better. With him now in command of his own team and Asauros story and characters designating jobs and tasks to those who are able to handle the things that he cannot he has likewise moved on to something newer and frankly grander. The fact that production on the series was finished before its first episode aired is a testament to all involved that they wanted to make the best product possible. Lycoris Recoil has the notion of moving on throughout its entire run and even into its very lifeblood creatively fueling many of the drives behind its background plot manipulations character dynamics and interactions and is woven into the foundation of the world it created. Bolstered by two strong characters who initially contrast like cats and dogs it manages to honor its theme both in terms of its comedic and dramatic payoffs occasionally at the same time and always without sacrificing the overarching mystery. Watching this series was a pure delight and I will wellandtruly miss it. As an aside I want that Takina parfait