selector infected WIXOSS – 02
Meta Magic vs. Regeneration
Greetings, and welcome back to Metanorn’s continued coverage of selector infected WIXOSS. The program went quite deep this week, with two new characters, some game mechanics, and some shadowy pasts.
Blue vs. Green
Airka is just another clueless idol right?
It happens with so many new fans, once you start a CCG you become obsessed with it in pretty short order. After playing for four straight hours, I would suspect that Rukko may qualify as just that. If this were a regular card game, that would be just what it is. But with Selector candidates being few and far between, this could present a problem. Play style is very individual in all CCGs and with the characterization in this episode, we might be seeing the effect of how infected the players are. Personally, I felt it a bit of a stretch to have the individual avatar cards display an LRIG “radar”, but that is what we have. It’s a fine way to get the Selector’s in the same place, and I think it might have played very well by episodes end.
With this episode we are introduced to Akira Aoi (voiced by Chinatsu Akisaki, Chu2Koi’s Nibutani Shinka who seems to love playing this character to the hilt ) and she is perhaps a little to troperific to work. She’s bubbly on the outside, fitting that perfect idol cutesy talk mode. But scratch the surface, and she is a take no prisoner’s competitor. She is in for the kill. So why not match her against the character that, game turn after game turn, folds like a series of patio furniture, Hitoe Uemura (Ai Kayano bringing back her meek voice). I think I know Okada’s work well enough at this point to believe that the tropes are just the beginning, and the characters will be fleshed out from here. But this might just be a bit too much. It seems to over-written, and not very natural. That is until the rest of the episode plays out…
She had a really strong start…Midori had the potential
We get just a few more clues about the game mechanics this episode, but they don’t really come across as being complete. The curb stomping that Hitoe gets encourages both Rukko and Yuzuki to get more cards for their respective decks, and so it’s off to the game store. A place that Yuzki does not want to visit. Speaking of decks, we get a glimpse into how the colors works. Aoi is blue, and just like Magic the Gathering, it’s a meta magic worker. Interrupts, spying, and banishing cards are blue’s bread and butter, and Aoi plays them like a champ.
Piruruku can seer into your soul!
But at this point, we see Akira unleash a specific gift to ascertain why a Selector wants to be an Eternal Girl . The effect of which is just darn spooky. If that sort of MTG convention is true, then Yuzuki’s red is very much offense based, Hitoe’s green is regenerative, and Rukko’s white ispure and heroic. So it does make me think that Hitoe may be down, but not at all out. She does demand satisfaction.
She saw the real EVA ending.
As the show progresses, Akira is pressing both Yuzki and Rukko for a match and remains insistent. She just got a win under her belt, and she is eager for another demoralizing victory. Yuzuki, not willing to take such a loss easily does her best to hide, Akira pestering her via email/text all the while. You can run, but you can’t hide. I guess Akira’s LRIG has advanced radar, and the two found each other in short order.
It’s All Just a Game, Isn’t It?
Akira is not taking no for an answer.
In conclusion how does the emotional landscape play out? Yuzuki is not in a happy state right now. She’s seen an opponent taken down easily and with malicious glee, her own brother, object of her secret affection, is critical of her game skill, a game she is desperate to win just to get closer to him, and, it looks like he is dating the card store girl. As she says by episodes end, she’s looking for a way to blow off steam. Akira may feel she’s bitten off more than she can chew. It makes me anxious to see who will curb stomp who next battle. Hitoe has marshaled her courage for one more battle, perhaps more evenly matched with Rukko who has come to a faint realization that maybe getting involved in WIXOSS is not getting her the friendship she thought. How do all of you feel?
So, where is all that cutesy talk, now?
About skylion
All around nerd that enjoys just about any anime genre. I love history, politics, public policy, the sciences, literature, arts...pretty much anything can make me geeky...except sports. Follow me @theskylion
POWUH: 600-699 and Romance Expert with 652 comments
feel like the director doesnt have a good grasp on… several things with the anime.
characters were straightforward and stereotype, yeah there’s nothing wrong with doing it that way sometimes… however they didnt do a good job with making it work out well since it felt really iffy and off.
the drama as well, its quite melodramatic as well as again, feels off. like sometimes they over dramatize a certain thing, then other times they downplay the drama?
pacing is also off, looks like they’re rushing it a lot.
show needs a lot of polishing, probably could do with more episodes.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
The show does need a bit more polish here and there. I felt the animation was a bit too off for a second episode.
I thought the drama was in touch with the characterizations. Each moment built upon the next, and dropped to let you feel the weight.
POWUH: 600-699 and Romance Expert with 652 comments
its a bit hard to describe…
personally I didnt feel the drama, while you indeed can see the suspense for the characters like during the fight it just didnt feel like…
its probably due to how the characters, particularly the glasses one, just being introduced now and suddenly we should feel bad for her. they really need to give more time for the characterization.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I felt it a bit rushed as well. If they hang back a bit next episode, then this one will have been a bridge to it. How many second episodes have we seen this happen on?
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
I hope Akira is ready for her turn to get a humiliating defeat. Riding on such a high horse will be her undoing because pride always goes before a fall.
True that she’s had it rough but I wasn’t happy when Hitoe didn’t consider the fact her LRIG was doing everything she could to help and repaid her by standing by and letting her get wiped out. What saved her in my eyes was that she finally realized it but sadly, only after she had already lost. Hitoe’s character is like the mirror image of Black Rock Shooter’s Yomi Takanashi/Dead Master.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
It’s pretty odd for Hitoe to demand satisfaction from Ruuko, considering that Ruuko hasn’t done anything to her that would need to be made whole. This is more the attempt of the little brother to find someone to bully after they’re bullied by their big brother, I think.
And wow, major brocon angst, Yuzuki. And nice jealousy when your brother that you’ve got a secret crush on goes on a kinda-date with the cute friendly girl from the card shop. Cause it’s totally their fault that you haven’t told him you have the hots for him (probably because you’re afraid of being rejected).
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Oh, boy… That’s just like what made Accel World’s Seiji Noumi become what he was since he was constantly being bullied by his older brother.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Yeah, I think it’s gonna get all sorts of transparent next episode. Everyone will be kicking all the wrong butt, for all the wrong reasons.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
It’s going to be clear the rules of right and wrong won’t be applied. The mandate is going to be “Take what you can by whatever means necessary”. Akira’s underhanded tactics and no sense or remorse proves that much.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I think they could explore the right reasons. That mandate can and will bite back hard. She could be creating a monster in Yuzuki.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Skylion, are you learning the tricks to control Spammy? He’s running amok again.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
He’s where I was a year ago: able to see comments caught in the spam filter, unable to do anything about it at all. It’s a particularly annoying place to be. 🙂
Even his own comments get caught there.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
::hangs head:: I’m not even getting email announcements for these comments ::head desk::
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
It’s already been a year since you joined the team? No way!!
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Yeah, I joined for the Spring season 2013. My first post was the wrap-up for Shin Sekai Yori which ended with winter.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Yep, one year ago when the three of us were like feisty Musketeers on the top commenting spots….And now, just as Dumas wrote, D’artangan stands alone.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
And your comment count has been rising insanely since you joined. Whether you’re replying on your posts or not.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
🙂
POWUH: 500-599 with 519 comments
Oh boy. As soon as Aikra opened her mouth I knew she was the type of character that wasn’t a clueless idiot at all. I also figured Hitoe being the type with no friends. With the shy personality of hers it is really obvious…
I’m really hoping the characters get a bit more less predictable in the later episodes. I feel like I can guess everything that happens and that’s no fun.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I thought they used that predictability to establish character. There are good and bad ways to use the tropes available. I thought they did a fine job on making them their own.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1557 comments
The second episode turned out better than I had hoped, since after the first I was on the fence of whether I would continue following it or not… for now it’s enough to keep me watching.
I have nothing against Akira, as she didn’t really come off as a villain to me. These battles are meant to be won at all costs, if you can undermine your opponent’s confidence to obtain a 100% kill, why wouldn’t you do it? I’m actually rooting for her to beat Yuzuki.
Rukko and Tama seem really weak and inexperienced. I do hope they spend some time showing her improving, instead of starting off with beginner’s luck and over-powered just because.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I don’t know if I want Yuzuki to lose, if only to save us from the black hole of despair it would cause.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1557 comments
I think her losing would fit better, than perhaps she can come to terms with her situation, and turn things around in both RL and in WIXOSS.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
If she is capable of going in that direction. Losing out on the Selector deal is just one thing. She’s got way to many self pity issues. I don’t know if losing would help her find that.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1557 comments
But surely Kokuhatsu won’t be suffering in this show… will she?
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I think all of them will carry that weight…