Is ‘Lycoris Recoil’ a yuri anime?

The female-led action anime Lycoris Recoil has made a name for itself after receiving six nominations for the upcoming Crunchyroll Anime Awards, including for Best Original Series. Inspiring an assortment of content to be created around the story, Lycoris Recoil became a staple for the action genre upon having the plot led by complex female characters acting as vigilantes in Tokyo, with their jobs aiming at ridding the capital from crime and terrorism — despite them being assassins.

Lycoris Recoil is a 13-episode series animated by A-1 Pictures, and created by Asaura. It pursues the lives of Takina, a member of the all-female governmental task force called Lycoris, who is forced to work with top elite Lucoris Chisato, as punishment for mass-murdering criminals. Despite having contrasting personalities, beliefs, and even lifestyles, the two girls undoubtedly grow attached to one another, becoming partners in stopping crime. While the series does have a semi-canon queer couple, many fans pointed out the very clear intentions in Takina and Chisato eventually becoming an item, but does it ever occur?

Are Chisato and Takina a couple?

During the course of Lycoris Recoil, the audience is met with a caring Chisato and a stoic-faced Takina. As the story progresses, the duo becomes inseparable, with Takina slowly losing her cold attitude toward her mentor, and Chisato treating Takina more uniquely than everyone else. This fighting duo also starts showing skinship, with their actions becoming increasingly caring towards one another. Despite their actions showing otherwise, Chisato and Takina’s relationship does not blossom into anything other than genuine love and affection in a friendly setting.

Even if their unique relationship does not transcend the ‘just roommates’ line, Chisato and Takina are still ideal partners in crime. Chisato is undeniably the strongest Lycoris on the task force, however, she admittedly lacks when it comes to aiming as her eyesight is her weakest point. Takina, unlike Chisato, cannot easily evade bullets or even feel sympathy towards their opponents, but what she lacks in physical agility, she makes up for with precise aim and perfect eyesight. In almost poetic justice, Takina and Chisato make up for each others’ flaws — especially when it comes to fighting and killing wrongdoers.

Is Lycoris Recoil a gay anime?

The female homoerotic genre yuri originated from Japanese lesbian fiction of the early twentieth century, with manga that can be traced back to the 1970s with works associated with Year 24 Group — a company of female writers that revolutionized the Shojo genre. Nowadays, the yuri genre englobes intimate relationships between female characters, not necessarily tied to a lesbian relationship, but not exclusively either. Yuri may depict emotional and spiritual relationships between women that may not be romantic or sexual in nature.

When it comes to Lycoris Recoil, the pinpoint moments that make it a yuri are bordering a thin line between shojo, seinen, and yuri. Although Chisato and Takina’s relationship does not flourish into romance realms, this story is still yuri. Neither characters enter a romantic relationship, but it is still very much implied that their relationship overcomes the boundaries of friendship, materialized by their soul-bond relationship. On a similar note, the story does depict a slice-of-life story often found in shojos and seinens like Kaguya Sama: Love is War, but all in all, Lycoris Recoil is still a yuri.

In addition to Chisato and Takina’s strong bond, Lycoris Recoil does depict a male-queer relationship between Mika and Yoshimatsu Shinji — although it is mostly implied. Due to Chisato’s misunderstanding of the situation, the audience is led to believe that Mika may be in a relationship with Yoshi. From that episode forward, Mika’s sexuality is slowly more thoroughly implied, until the very last moment shared by the coffee shop owner and the Alas member, when Mika admits to not unveiling his secrets to the ones he loves, as he shoots Yoshi with tears falling down his cheeks. So while Takina and Chisato are bordering the queerbaiting line, Mika and Yoshi’s relationship was very much been hinted at from episode seven onwards.

There you have it. Lycoris Recoil is indeed a yuri, and whether it may still fall on the “gay anime” spectrum may just be implied. The main characters are not in a queer relationship- — yet — and until some new details arise regarding Lycoris Recoil’s new anime adaptation, the only gay representation in the series so far derives from Mika and Yoshi’s ambiguous relationship.

Lycoris Recoil is available on Crunchyroll.