[Warning: Spoilers if you haven’t seen any of the series]
So after my horrible mistake of not giving the Lostorage series a chance despite absolutely loving the Selector series when it came out, I find myself regretting missing out on seeing my favorite Kominato Ruuko until this moment. I literally binged all the eps just now and screamed at my laptop screen this whole damn time.
[By the way, I recommend this franchise to you all! It’s far from just a simple card game with adorable looking girls... it’s a lot more... brutal? In a sense. I would not show this to kids. Especially the Selector series]
So now that the story of WIXOSS and Selector Battles seem to have come to a complete end, there’s just one thing I’m kind of sad about. or Maybe unsatisfied? or maybe just disappointed with.
So at the end of Lostorage Conflated Wixoss, the very last (or just latest? Hmmmm... still wanting more ehe) anime season of the franchise, we see that the selectors and LRIGs are free from the system, everyone returning to their normal lives, and becoming normal REAL girls again.
And I was SO damn happy to see them all live their lives normally and happily with all their friends, old and newfound alike.
Just...
WHAT ABOUT URAZOE IONA/YUKI?!
I know “Iona” had a cameo in episode 12 of Lostorage incited, but I don’t think it was the actual Iona as she had become “Yuki” after becoming Ruuko’s LRIG, right? and that was her wish. She didn’t want to be Iona anymore, and she wanted to become Ruuko’s LRIG for the sake of battle. So was the person living her life until after everything was over still her LRIG who took over her back in the Selector series???
And in conflated, she did, in fact, still exist as Yuki, just that she had merged with Tama as seen in episode 10.
Or did she go back to her life and it just wasn’t showed in the end?
I mean, heck, Akira went back to living a normal life. She wasn’t back to her inital popular amateur model life, but she seemed happier and satisfied.
So... does Yuki/OG Iona just... disappear???
She wasn’t shown in the end scenes, I don’t know if I missed a cameo if there was one, but when she claimed that she and Tama were going to help Ruuko, the one they loved, I was really hoping deep down that if all the girls were returned to the normal world, she’d be able to be friends with Ruuko and the gang.
But... she wasn’t there. And that leaves me so... sad and dissastisfied???? I mean, I felt happy that everything was fine in the end, and the usual melancholic loneliness after completing a series was also there. But... I just... wanted her to be happy too.
She’s not the villain of the selector series exactly, so what would she be... a counter protagonist or something? haha idk. She’s my favorite enemy-turned-ally of the wixoss series so I really wanted to see... something for her at the very end.
Does she at least still dwell within Tama?? But if Tama is now a normal girl, and Selector system no longer exists... would she still hear Yuki?
Wait, what, “Lostorage conflated WIXOSS” is actually shaping up to be... good?????
WIXOSS is and remains a weird thing for me.
I mean, the card game is amazing, probably my favorite TCG out there, it’s easy to learn and makes for quick, fast-paced card game action, so it’s no surprise I like that.
The Anime on the other hand just has left me mystified for years now.
I started watching it back in Spring 2014, when the first series, “selector infected WIXOSS” aired and I was in Japan with a TV in my student dorm room and nothing better to do at night but watch Anime. In the flood of brainless rom-com moe-shows back then, WIXOSS actually seemed like such a huge breath of fresh air. Sure, the “inspiration” the show took from juggernaut Puella Magi Madoka Magica was readily apparent, but it looked like it was putting its own spin on things, the way the show built its atmosphere bit by bit was breathtaking and I liked the character designs and characterization of the protagonist a lot, so I ended up drawn in.
The thing is, as the first series continued, the Anime quickly revealed its weak points: Promising plot points went into the most boring and predictable directions, interesting character arcs weren’t given the time they needed to flourish and, most damningly, the plot got so tied up in its own complexities, by the end of the second series it felt like pretty much nothing had been resolved, half of the stories started were left untold and the answers we were given only raised more questions. The ending to the second series, “selector spread WIXOSS” was (in my humble opinion) such a confusing mess, it gave even the entirety of Mekakucity Actors a run for its money. I’m not saying I didn’t understand what happened, I’m just saying it felt like none of this stuff was set up appropriately to feel like any sort of well-deserved pay-off, and the pay-off I *did* want to see, just... didn’t... become... existent...?
But regardless, I remained a fan. Because if WIXOSS’ talent at building atmosphere is a drug, I probably really need a serious intervention and a couple of months of “WIXOSS Anonymous” counselling.
The third series, “Lostorage incited WIXOSS” started off to a “meh” start, with Character Designs that I didn’t feel had the same charm as those of the first two series and a whole new cast of characters I didn’t feel any sort of connection to. However, the series rather quickly won me over with a few things that “selector” didn’t provide me with for a criminally long time: An actual, progressing plot with a clear structure and goal point, a focused way of laying out Character Drama, that actually allowed me to get invested in the individual characters’ arcs and, finally, an ending that didn’t feel like it came out of friggin’ nowhere! It felt like the franchise was finally taking a few steps into the right direction... But still, I didn’t hold my breath. There were still so many dangling plot threads, tons of unanswered questions that felt more worth exploring than anything presented on screen and a yawning sense of emptiness inside me after the last episode’s credits rolled. It was better, yes, but still far from great.
So I didn’t have any expectations for what was to come next. Like, none. All of “infected”, “spread” and “incited”’s dangling plot points, I just expected the franchise to leave them hanging all about like the annoying loose threads they are and not elaborate on them whatsoever, just moving on like nothing happened, no explanations, nothing. I expected this franchise to start a new story entirely the following series, with new characters, new rules and little to no relevant references to the previous shows, like what “incited” did.
And now, “Lostorage conflated WIXOSS” is happening.
The main character of which is Kiyoi Mizushima. A character who’s been doing stuff in the background of the franchise since its inception, and who had her own storyline going on in the Manga, but whose presence never really amounted to much in the Anime. And now she’s... the main character.
...What??
My astonishment just continued over the course of the first two episodes. Not only are they bringing back old characters left and right, not introducing too many newcomers at all, they’re actually going back and addressing the gaping plot holes left open by spread and incited! I couldn’t believe my eyes! Kiyoi Mizushima, a character who’s been there since the very beginning, is going around, trying to tie up all those lose ends that have been annoying the living daylight out of me for as long as the franchise has existed, and she’s doing it with such conviction! What is going on!! It almost seems... almost feels... like the Anime franchise was building up to this all along?? WHAT?
We’re only on Episode 2, so it’s hard to tell, but so far, Lostorage conflated WIXOSS is off to the strongest starts of any of the WIXOSS series. It wastes no time, giving important information not only in exposition, but in visuals and music, making excellent use of the atmosphere-building the series is so great at and getting me back into the mood for WIXOSS right away. The characters have so much passion behind their actions, even while they’re just discussing plans, it feels like a lot more’s already happened than really did. The Opening Sequence is spot-on as always, with an amazing song and great visuals. The characters from “infected” and “spread” have visibly aged, giving a sense of actual passage of time to what is happening, which somehow actually adds to the urgency of it all.
Don’t get me wrong. I don’t recommend Lostorage conflated WIXOSS to a newcomer to the franchise. Not all all. The series starts out like a sequel should, cutting all the introductions and getting straight back into the plot, so there’s no way you’ll not be utterly lost unless you’ve seen at least either “infected/spread” or “incited”. You need the first three series to get into this one. On the other hand, I wouldn’t seriously recommend the first three series to most people, thanks to the aforementioned issues they have. But at the same time, I feel like I’ll really, REALLY want to recommend “conflated”... UNGH! This show is putting me into a such a paradox situation!
Again, it’s only just 2 Episodes so far. We’ll see if the show actually does end up wrapping everything up that’s been screaming to be wrapped up for years now. But so far, I’m hooked. This is one of the Anime I’m gonna be following religiously this season. Definitely.
suddenly saw that i had seasons of Wixoss left unwatched and though i mostly remember the basics of it, excited to return to the world with Lostorage Conflated and how neat it connects with the first few seasons and characters!!
This is gonna be exciting! (even if it would be more impactful if i had watched those more recently i suppose hehe)
actually...now that i said that, i feel like maybe i should just rewatch all of it...
a bunch of animes i was watching ended this week and i haven't checked but i assume that the new ones won't be starting during the holidays yet and i know i got other shows on my list theoretically but...i might wanna dive back for the ultimate emotional damage lmao
