To prevent anyone from helping Chisato, Majima cuts the power in Enkuboku. The Lycoris only have enough reserve power for one trip on the elevators and they can’t afford to head back up because they have wounded agents in need of medical attention. Of course, Takina is the one exception here. She’s already been insubordinate this mission so she might as well disobey orders again. It’s not like she was going to leave Chisato behind anyway. I like that Fuki is also a little tempted to disobey as well. Even though she and Chisato don’t get along very well, she still cares about her in the end. The fact that Sakura is one of the wounded and that motivates Fuki to retreat creates an interesting parallel for Takina and Fuki’s decisions. Both girls choose to prioritize the safety of their respective Lycoris partner. Admittedly, I don’t really care one way or the other if Sakura lives or not but that’s besides the point.
The final fight between Chisato and Majima is about as satisfying as one would hope. Having the duel take place during the sunset and early nightfall is an ice touch, giving the scene a sense of finality. There’s a good amount of urgency to the fight as well. Majima sets a countdown for some explosives so Chisato has to beat him before time is up. Likewise, Majima wants to defeat Chisato before any help arrives. Both characters still fight dirty but they’re not really able to exploit each other’s special ability. Compared to other fights, this one is more about which character is actually the better fighter. Finally, the action just looks good, be it the choreography or the animation. I don’t consider A-1 Pictures among the most prestigious studios out there but they can deliver some terrific visuals and they certainly delivered their A-game during this show, including this sequence.
This fight is the first and only time where Chisato’s heart problem actually manifests onscreen. I think this ticking time bomb works well in raising the stakes but I also figured you’d see it explicitly affect Chisato throughout these past couple of episodes. But no, she’s been fighting just fine. The fact that it the heart only fails her now is a little ridiculous to me. I do however like that Majima is willing to call a truce so that Chisato can take a breather. The dude has no problem fighting dirty but even then, he’d rather not beat Chisato when she’s not in the best condition.
Thanks to the truce, the two characters get to talk things out before they end the fight once and for all. It’s a pretty weird time to have a heart-to-heart but then again, Lycoris Recoil has always been quirky like that. Honestly, after all the fighting and drama, I kind of miss these strange little reprieves. Plus, this scene accentuates the weird dynamic these two have with each other. They both share the same backstory but they ended up on completely different paths. Majima has the grand goal of changing the world for the greater good and he’ll use any means necessary to achieve that. Chisato on the other hand, would never dare to take someone else’s life and she’s more than happy with simply helping the people around her. The two understand each other but they’ll never see eye to eye with one another. They are very much each other’s foil.
The very end of the fight perplexes me a little. I figured Chisato would ultimately win but I am surprised that she throws herself and Majima onto the glass deck and stuns Majima enough that he breaks the glass. To endanger Majima like that seems a bit uncharacteristic of Chisato to do. I suppose Chisato does it because she ends up falling through the glass as well. If she’s going to break her rule, she’ll put her own life on the line as well. There’s also the revelation that Majima didn’t actually plant explosives. Instead, the timer is for a fireworks show he set up in advance. I find this odd because, after shooting a train and handing out his gun collection, Majima has been proven to have no problem with risking the lives of civilians. If he didn’t, we’d be siding him 100% instead of the shady government agency we’ve been following since Episode 1. My only guess is here that Majima actually wants to keep Enkuboku intact. If the building still around, people will continue to think about the so-called publicity stunt and start to question it again. You could argue that it’d be easier to sow doubt if the building actually blows up but I digress.
Naturally, Takina arrives in time to save Chisato from falling to her death. It’s kind of lame that Takina doesn’t really get to fight here but this battle is strictly between Chisato and Majima. Takina intervening is fine during the past two fights but here, it would’ve made the duel feel less personal. To further play Devil’s advocate, I kind of like that Takina’s contribution here is simply saving Chisato. When Lycoris Recoil started out, Takina wasn’t much of a team player. By the finale however, she is very much Chisato’s wingman, helping her partner out whenever she can.
While all of this is going on, we see Mika confront Yoshimatsu and Himegama to steal the artificial heart so that he can save Chisato. He very quickly defeats Himegama, leaving Yoshimatsu at his mercy. I always wanted to see Mika fight and this scene definitely doesn’t disappoint. If anything, it catches me a bit off-guard. Throughout this whole show, Mika has been walking in a cane but it turns out that he’s actually in peak human condition and he can walk perfectly fine. The man has been faking it this whole time so that no one, not even Chisato, knows how strong he actually is.
Obviously, since Yoshimatsu transplanted the artificial heart inside himself, Mika has no choice but to kill him. That definitely makes up for Yoshimatsu walking out alive last episode. I would’ve been fine with Takina killing Yoshimatsu but Mika is definitely the more fitting character to give the guy the axe. After all, it was Mika’s indecision that allowed Yoshimatsu to continue meddling with Chisato’s life. He should be the one to put an end to that. It’s also a satisfying reversal to Mika’s inability to shoot Yoshimatsu in Episode 7. Mika couldn’t do it before because of his feelings towards Yoshimatsu. Here, it still pains Mika that he has to kill Yoshimatsu but it’s a price he decides to pay because losing Chisato would pain him a lot more.
That said, Mika’s decision to kill Yoshimatsu creates a very open thread in the plot. We know Chisato wants Yoshimatsu to live so naturally, Mika creates a white lie about the new heart so that Chisato accepts a transplant. Chisato knows Mika got it from Yoshimatsu but she apparently doesn’t believe that Yoshimatsu transplanted a heart into himself, which seems a bit convenient to me but regardless, she’s unlikely to connect the dots. Combined with the fact that Chisato wants nothing to do with Yoshimatsu and it’ll be a while before she ever finds out the truth. Still, the fact remains that she could find out one day. Bear also in mind that the Alan Institute is still active and they probably would take notice of Yoshimatsu’s death. I can’t help but think that this will eventually come back to haunt our main characters.
There are a couple of other loose ends to note. Majima is all battered up but he does manage to survive falling from the top of Enkuboku. He’s laying low for now but he’s still working to oppose the government and knowing him, he’ll probably make a big comeback down the line. The public continues to accept Kurumi’s cover story but the DA still needs to locate all the remaining guns Majima left in the city. I’m amazed that these darn things have stayed relevant, all the way to the finale no less.
While there is certainly some unfinished business, the show more or less gives LycoReco a happy ending. The cafe is back in business and all of the regulars that we barely care about celebrate. Chisato goes off the grid after her surgery and she decides to travel around and have fun. Basically, she’s checking off her bucket list which is kind of funny considering that she’s not on death’s door anymore. Takina tracks Chisato down (giving the show a cute excuse to have these two fight each other) though she agrees to go with Chisato on a trip to a Hawaii. The rest of LycoReco join them and they operate a mobile cafe. It’s very silly that they’re ignoring the plot but given recent events, they do deserve this vacation.
Lycoris Recoil seemed like a show that’s right up my alley so it kind of pains me to admit that I’m not as fond of the show as I had hoped. There are a number of moments in the narrative that I can’t help but question and that holds the show back for me. The CGDCT elements can be entertaining but the show can feel sidetracked and tonally uneven as a result. That all said, I still enjoyed the show overall. Majima is a great villain. The father-daughter relationship between Mika and Chisato is really interesting. Most importantly, Chisato and Takina are unbelievably charming. Those two carried this show. If it wasn’t for them, I don’t think the show would’ve worked very well. I’m in the camp that this show is overrated but I don’t hate it by any means and I’m not at all surprised that this show has gotten so popular.
As some of you may know, a new anime project has been confirmed for Lycoris Recoil. There’s currently no information as to what that entails. A movie is a safe bet but given the popularity of the show, I imagine the production committee would be keen on producing a second season. The story could be anything but I’m betting on a direct sequel since the show left enough hooks in the finale. Whatever the case may be, the anime will return in some way and I’ll check it out when it releases.
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