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[Spoilers] Lycoris Recoil - Episode 11 Discussion
Before commenting on the episode Lycoris Recoil finally surpasses Madoka magica in followers on twitter for an anime original act and 100,000 copies sold pre-release for LN, now I'm really excited to see the Blu-Ray sales.
Edit: It sure is gonna sell well for these illustrations 
The best part of this episode gotta be how ridiculous Kurumi was at the start and she is so cute when she was getting down the escalator, really love her and Mizuki's bickering.
Majima really be spitting also goddamn how pathetic can the DA be? exposed the shit outta em.
While the animation for the episode was underwhelming the last cut of Takina bursting in was good.
BOSSGIRL TAKINA
Hope they go all out for Majima vs Takina and Chisato.
Seriously the most epic and intense episode we've had thus far. I had my doubts about the stuff between Takina and Erika ever getting wrapped up, since it looked like the writers had forgotten all about it since episode 3, but the way they did conclude it here is nothing short of great, Kurumi was a real stand out with how much info she managed to gather with the rather minimal clues she had, the Lycoris group getting exposed by Majima caught me off guard alongside the terrifying reaction from the people witnessing the broadcast, the entire battle between Chisato and Majima was emotionally gripping and engaging, and this easily has my favourite cliffhanger ending out of every episode that had one. Unlike the other episodes where I kinda felt empty with how they ended to the point where I was insanely impatient for the next one, this one has me super excited for what's to come. And I'm still hoping Chisato makes it out in one piece by the end of the series.
TAKINA'S ENTRANCE!!
Episode was definitely a step up from Ep 10. Kurumi was adorable as always and the action in the back end had the kind of tightness that has been sorely missed throughout the series. For the first time in a while, it felt like something happened and it wasn’t just an exposition dump. Hopefully the last two episodes are more of that.
All that being said, the story can’t help but get in its own way. Majima’s motivations still make no sense and that scene where the guy shoots the Lycoris is actually hysterical. The series never really set up a reason for why one would hate the Lycoris and randomly shoot one when their identity is exposed. Having some explanation would be great, but I feel that time has passed and would rather not sacrifice the action for more mind numbing exposition.
"There are secret police all around you, they will kill you if they think you'll do something they deem is wrong, and your family will be told you 'disappeared'" is plenty good reason to shoot a 'deer in the headlights, but well armed' person, if you've found a gun and already been willing enough to pick it up.
Think of them less as the semi-friendly girl scouts we've been shown, and more like the Hydra operatives in Captain America: The Winter Soldier - both have similar aims and methods of ensuring a 'peaceful and compliant world'.
Re: Majima's motivations - he wants a free world, and that's free from both Lycoris, and Alan Institute, so his actions have been to try and fuck up both.
e; not saying how the shooting ended up in the episode was pitch perfect, but I feel you're underselling it's performance.
I feel like some people missed the point here. Japan is EXTREMELY strict with gun laws, and because of that, most normal civilians probably wouldn't know how to handle a situation involving when a gun DOES somehow get into the wrong hands. After seeing young girls at around high school age shooting with them without hesitation on public/national display, many are gonna have freak-outs, and the majority, if not most, of people over there are constantly laboring within the work force daily with long ass shifts or even nearly 24/7, so they're already mentally stressed out from their own work-driven livelihoods. On top of that, being slapped with the reality that your so-called "peace" is being carried out with brute force isn't something you wanna hear at all...makes everything feel like a lie, right?
As for the superhuman-esque abilities, I do agree that some sort of explanation could've been helpful, but considering where the story's direction has been in terms of focusing more on the general character relations and plotline instead of details like this, I don't think a dumping of dialogue to explain those details is actually necessary, in fact it may end up counterproductive .
In the case gun does fall into the wrong hands in Japan, Your theory is plausible.
However, If, let's say 95% of the Japanese saw something amiss in Japan, the very first thing they do is report it to the authorities. Less, dealing with it themselves. Ask me how I know.
So the chances of a random grown-up dude finding and picking up a gun are, let's put it, so foreign to Japan to the point that it's purely fictional, and it buggers me. Especially if some crazy-looking bloke is on TV announcing to try picking up one for whoever found it. And with the gun law that strict, nobody in Japan will ever have their shadow even close to a gun. Let alone touching it.
How much did this bugger me? It buggers me so much that I have to come looking for comments here.
So to put it simply, my tone just went from:"Holy smokes, Lycoris are gonna get killed by the very own people they're trying to protect?!"
To:
"Holy s**t, Lycoris are protecting these idiots? why?"
Japanese take "curiosity kills a cat" quite seriously when it comes to guns and unattended items. And I doubt that this mindset will be gone when Lycoris Recoil takes place in whatever year in the future.
Maybe I don't even have to go far, try asking yourself if you're sane enough. If you see a gun in a bag, hiding under a bench. Would you pick it up? Would you keep it?
However, If it changes to sharp-edged weapons or chemical agent canisters in disguise, that might be a bit more possible. But I think the writer is trying to stick to the "Recoil" in "Lycoris Recoil" a bit too much. So this is how it goes. The suspense is still there tho. albeit a bit frustrated suspense in this regard.
And yes Kurumi is an adorable brat character as always. Feels bad for Mizuki tho. She deserves a vacation.
If this was a normal situation where somebody has a gun, I would be very plausible that they would contact the authorities first. But this isn't a normal situation.
The point of Majima's entire speech is to distill distrust in authority figures like the DA and the Lycoris. He is encouraging people to take things into their own hands and to shoot them themselves. He is literally introducing the public to the Lycoris inside of a bloody room where it looked like they killed a bunch of people. The Japanese worldview of how society and the government is being shattered in full force. In this moment, Majima's anti-authority tirade would at least discourage people from calling the police. And maybe there would be somebody who takes his advice at least a little bit to heart, and shoots a Lycoris or even a police officer.
You can't go into this with the normal rationale as to what a Japanese person would do. This is a moment so extreme that I'd even say that it would permanently change the culture of Japan.
I would also say this fictional Japan has its own history too. I mean look at the tower thats in ruins and is a reminder of a horrible attack that had no real villain other than terrorists did it. And lookie a similar situation is currently in the midst of happening and the Lycoris have been framed in bad light AND its the first reveal to the public that they are a presence in society. I think its safe to say someone having a bad day might actually do it and pull a trigger out of paranoia ya know? I think this is plausible actually.
I know where you're going with that. I get it.
"If this was a normal situation where somebody has a gun, it would be very plausible that they would contact the authorities first. But this isn't a normal situation."
But the plot hole I pointed out isn't there, dummy. I pointed out that if whoever found a stray gun in a hidden place, why TF would they even pick it up in the first place? Especially if some random crazy-looking dude announces live on TV to pick it up.
Not just in reality Japan, but in this very fictional Japan as well. No sane human born and raised with a modern worldview and modern world function would just pick a stray gun up.
"You can't go into this with the normal rationale as to what a Japanese person would do."
I'm not, I'm going in with the perspective of humans born and raised in a current, modern world in a developed country. Unless they were taught something else in Lycoris's world and the plot tells us. I have every right to do so.Even if somebody authoritative looking enough is the one announcing it to pick the gun up and fight. This anime doesn't take place in the civil war era. it's in a modern world Japan. There will be questions, LOTS of questions. Most people would just go home and shelter in place already. Detective Conan, no, even Date a Live plug the crowd chaos aspect better than this. So every time the anime cuts to the crowd shot it's just
'Ah shit now what stupid thing is the crowd gonna do next?'.So as of current, It's just a plot hole.
yeah... no
the fact that the person does not have contact with weapons does not mean that he would not know how to deal with the situation
unless society is made up of imbecile teenagers which seems to be the case with anime
Besides that there doesn't seem to be any other problem in the city, right?
such as drugs, prostitution, embezzlement and other crimes
but I have to agree that after seeing a brief part of the penal legislation of japan and how they deal with certain things, it shows that they are kind of naive in certain matters because they don't expect other facts to happen outside of those previously typified in law
This "Lycoris" thingy is really happened on my country. But I heard two completely different public opinion regarding this issue. Since it's really fresh from everyone's mind. Just ask a random adult, and they can give you their own experience.
Some people (mostly, worker class) think that era is one of the most peaceful era in the country. Really peaceful, no public protest to the government, low crime rate, etc.
But for some people (the activists and the people who get wrongly accused as criminal by the government) think that era is "the age of terror". They should not ever casually talk about the wrongdoing of government with your friends, since some of them are probably a secret government spy who will dispatch a Lycoris squad to make you disappear without a trace next day.
In the anime, there is still no direct explanation whether the Lycoris squad ever killed other than actual criminal (for example : the government's political enemy or people who get wrongly accuses by the government), but the chances are very high.
Tldr : Lycoris squad is literally mindless drone to the evil DA. Don't sympathize to them, even they are cute girls. Chisato is good enough to quit the evil system inside the DA. She even has the freedom to choose and conduct her own mission by herself based on her own superior philosophy. For example : non lethal policy while neutralizing the enemy, focusing on doing good deeds to others no matter how odd the job is (tea delivery, language teaching, working at kindergarten).
Poor, poor orphan girl, exploited by their own evil government. 大丈夫, Majima, Takina and Chisato will team up to fight this injustice. Yes, Takina included because she's already publicly denounced the DA by abandoning the mission and prefer to save Chisato anyway. みんなさん,ちょっと任せてね~~
Here is my theory this week :
- Chisato did tons of good deeds while using Lycoris uniform. She will singlehandedly improve the public image of Lycoris squad and prevent public lynching against Lycoris.
I agree with tons of your post. btw, the killings in the 80s were a continuation of earlier and much more bloody ones in the 60s. if i remember correctly East Timor had a program too before they got independence.
In the anime, there is still no direct explanation whether the Lycoris squad ever killed other than actual criminal (for example : the government's political enemy or people who get wrongly accuses by the government), but the chances are very high.
I can't remember any examples of Lycoris killing non-criminals. However, I think because there are so many real life examples of death squads like Lycoris, who "disappeared" many people who weren't criminals, that the creators not showing any examples of killing non-criminals is irresponsible. There were many similar programs to Indonesia's in Asia & Latin America. Guatemala is one famous example. Just like Suharto, originally the US-backed dictatorship said they just used their death squads to kill criminals. But they actually mostly killed political opponents. Eventually the dictatorship killed hundreds of thousands of Mayans (Guatemala indigenous group). This is an very simplified version of the story.
In one major way, DA is even worse than the real-world South Korean, Guatemalan, Philippines, etc. programs. Because the Lycoris are all child soldiers! many of them were kidnapped and brainwashed. or were orphans and had no choice but to join DA. and yet Majima is the villain, he acts in stupid ways, and DA are the heroes.
Also you're definitely right on Chisato. I think she is a hypocrite, because she will knock out criminals, tie them up, and give them to DA for torture/interrogation. She knows they'll probably be killed. But she still helps DA with their missions because they pay for Cafe LycoReco to exist.
definitely disagree on that there should be explanation as to why the guy shot at the lycoris
mehall and ryu did a pretty good job at explaining the reason of why someone would shoot a lycoris in a chaotic situation like the one majima created
having it explicitly said out loud in the text would heavily detract from the scene, and it would break pretty hard from what is otherwise a series that adheres to "show don't tell" extremely well
Takina's entrance was so cool, shame we have to wait a week to see how it continues
Great ep. A lot of action and shit went down, also I kinda figured that Kurumi would be the one to end up finding out a way to save Chisato, and the briefcase at the end of ep 9 certainly suggested that there would be another heart.
Takina showing up to save her girl at the end was pretty cool. Not sure how exactly she broke through the barrier thingy, whether she used her gun or the shotgun Chisato dropped earlier. Would make more sense if it was the shotgun but gun works too lol
Eyecatch for ep 11:
Lycoris pacc be hittiin' different.
Been waitin' for this one to show up ever since they showed it in the OP
Apparently the LN explains more about their fits and equipment's, (not sure if its legit just saw some jp youtuber explain it).
So while it makes sense on how she was able to break through that, the next scene right after doesn't make any sense.
Need English release asap.
Yea I read about it on the LycoReco subreddit. Some stuff especially about how Chisato's gun works.
the next scene right after doesn't make any sense.
You mean how Chisato blocked the bullets with her bag?
Cuz if so, then earlier in the ep when those cleaning machines (dk what they're called) were about to explode, you could see Sakura pulling her bag off and holding it in front of her. Best assumption is that it's bullet/blast proof
Lol No i heard something regarding their shoes, While its possible that takina's shoes (kick i mean) could have broke that down i don't understand how Majima blocked it.
It kinda makes sense in episode 3 (mock battle) where she kicks the door.
Yeah heard about the spikes in Chisato's gun also that the LN is dark and edgy, might be coz it was written by Asaura only where anime had influence of the director
Also when Sakura held the bag infront of her it deployed something like an Airbag (pretty sure it was in the OP as well) but yeah a bag holding guns and ammunition would definitely be bulletproof
When an initially unassuming show about girls with guns takes the term "Metal Gear" LITERALLY.
I think that "barrier" was just a metal curtain like the ones stores use and they are usually not very strong.
FUCKING BADASS SCENE. 
I loved the terrorist robot vacuums. I'm gonna have to question my roborock from now on
Weird things are happening on my country right now. A real life Majima is single-handedly doing massive cyberattack to government's IT infrastructure, while exposing the goverment's wrongdoings to the public people through his twitter account & telegram channel.
He proceeds to leak several high-ranking official's private data, and lot of people are raiding the leaked phone number, due to their frustrations to the government. If somebody is brave enough, they can literally raid the target's house, since the address is leaked too. But so far, there's no report of such thing.
Just as i'm curious to Majima's fate at the end of this anime, i'm also curious about how this real-life Majima matter will be handled by the goverment. They are both giving the public a "free weapon" to channel the public's frustration toward the government. They are also both heavily targeted by the government's secret service right now. They are also both giving very nice, heroic speeches too to the public. Haha..
Take a look here :
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH
THERE IS +1 HEART
WHAT A SURPRISE!!!!
you see the level of the professionals when they stop in the middle of the operation to discuss the relationship
wut? did takina run out the front door? and no one saw? and there is no one there? wat?
"super secret organization", but of course
ahahaha, you imagine a lot of girls walking around the city with the same uniform, then you think "they must be from X school", but NOBODY asked which school or how to get into it and why no one knows about it???????????????????????????? the guy pulls out his gun and starts shooting at the girl, the genius IN PUBLIC starts shooting at "screw the other people", level of professionals: exceptional
It's not fun anymore to see Chisato shooting with paint bullets
much less see the joker's henchmen missing all the shots even more with her hanging, are they stormtrooper?
how did the guy get out of the chair tied up? Was the shot accurate that cut the strings?
INOSUKE USING THE SKILLS HE DEVELOPED IN THE JUNGLE!!!!
how did takina break the steel window? X-MEN: EVOLUTION
oh, am i waiting for Chisato to go into assassin mode after the chest shock or was it just to shorten her lifespan?
please, end this suffering as soon as possible
another amazing episode! Takina arrive just in time to help Chisato.
funny when Kurumi was waving outside the plane. Mizuki had to go with her "daughter" instead of going on a date. LOL
looking forward to next week!
An entertaining and engaging episode even if yes there are just a few too many plot points jostling for attention at this point. They might surprise us and pull a bittersweet end but they've revealed the spare heart and have their happy way out of this route.
Re the Lyco girl being shot the main thing that got me that was she seemingly died from a single bullet to the arm lol.
There's two people with literal superpowers fighting each other let's not question the logic of this show too much lol.
