WIXOSS Diva(A)Live

Review of wixoss diva live anime episode 12:

Its now the last episode, episode 12, and its good! And my theory, which i kept to myself to avoid embarassment, that the store owner is the leader of the eternal girls azaela.. i had suspicions before actually.. ever since maybe the early episodes.. lol.. the anime is actually good, even tho the action scenes of the anime is only good, not one of the best.. maybe also due to budget, unlike with other animes which has higher budget.. well, in this episode, the event for battling deus ex machina was over due all other teams dropping ... out.. but hirana managed to get the challenge out, was accepted, and team no limit almost won! But what is a "master piece"? I smell a season 2.. anyways, i rate the anime 4.5 out of 5, 4.5 for both story and art.. 🙂

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WIXOSS is back this season, and what feels like a new coat of paint so far, which isn't really a bad thing, but if you're looking for the same ol WIXOSS, then this may not be for you. Wouldn't say it's bad, but wouldn't say it's great neither. But I will give credit where it's do. It's certainly different, and could bring a fresh pair of eyes onto the product and series in general. Can't fault em for trying right? But let me explain how this new season is doing.

Art
First I would like to tackle the art, as within this WIXOSS, it feels more bright, ... more flashy, more energy in a more positive feel about the show, compared the more dark and gritty style that we all know WIXOSS for. It's still there in parts, but it's mainly colourful, and a welcoming style. Different from what WIXOSS was before. Not bad in the slightest, as it's not really a bad style at all.

Story/characters
The story can look like a bit of a mess at the start, as if we're thrown right into things, without any explanation, it's just overloaded with happiness and fun. During an example of a three way team battle which seems to be the staple of the series. As if they wanted to use episode 1, as a way to show how things will be and look. Which can be a bit of a turn off for OG WIXOSS fans, but the next few episodes aren't fully like it, and help us get to know the characters and it's story.

The story follows three girls, Rei, Akino, and Hirana. As we follow them in their every day school life, but also them competing in WIXOSS battles, and hoping to progress upwards within the rankings. All the while having fun along the way. It feels like a mix of Zenonzard and precure in a way. In terms of it's presentation, and how it looks. With how the battle styles are, and with how the characters have a different trope about them that makes them who they are. Rei is known for being a bit too serious, and that pushes away those who just wanna have fun, Akino can be a little timid or nervous at times, but overall an open and nice girl. While Hirana seems more like a dim air head, but she's super sweet as well, forming a group as they tackle the WIXOSS rankings and such. A pretty simple story, but with cute characters thrown in.

Sound:
Like with the art, the music is welcoming, and positive. It's more bright then what the OG WIXOSS series was before, which isn't bad, more that it's different from a WIXOSS perspective. Good stuff there, least it's fitting for what it's delivering.

WIXOSS Diva(A)Live is certainly far different in it's presentation and pretty much everything when it comes to what WIXOSS is normally is. It's different, which can be good, but it can also make it seem like an eh kind of anime for massive WIXOSS fans such as myself. Which is why I've given it a 6, for it being different and trying something. For now at least, I'm gonna keep watching, so give it a chance before deciding for yourself!

Being a fan of the original 4 seasons of Selector/Lostorage WIXOSS, I was willing to give this show, the next WIXOSS, a fair chance, despite the poor initial reception. Both seasons of Lostorage WIXOSS sold poorly compared to Selector WIXOSS, so the executives probably thought that another dark WIXOSS season wouldn't be financially viable. But idol culture has exploded in popularity, so why not cash in on the craze?

This WIXOSS has nothing to do with Selector WIXOSS. Battles are done via an online version of the game, WIXOSS Live. This game is slightly different because now there are support LRIGs implemented into the ruleset, allowing ... teams of 3: the center and 2 supports.

By focusing more on the actual card battles instead of the story, the viewer needs to be presented with some sort of strategy. Yu-Gi-Oh's drawn-out method of explaining every card is a bit extreme, but at least it means that even a non-player knows what's going on. There are also plenty of themed deck battles with cohesive strategy in Yu-Gi-Oh. We didn't see that here other than the team that had a punk rock theme and used sound-based attacks. Selector/Lostorage WIXOSS avoided discussion of specific cards, which made the game mysterious, and it relied on the coolness factor of 2 LRIGs powering up and fighting each other. In WIXOSS Diva(A)live, it was all about the correct topdeck, then winning without any explanation.

So with the card battling itself not being a highlight, how about the story? The main characters of our WIXOSS Diva team, No Limit, aren't special. One of the girls in particular is one of the nastiest unlikable protagonists because she has repeatedly abandoned her old teams. The story is just a typical "trying to be better at the game" plot, but without No Limit exhibiting real effort to move up. One episode was a call-out to Selector/Lostorage WIXOSS fans, as they dangled what could've been a dark and edgy plot development, but it's resolved in 5 minutes. It's either the best episode in the show, or the worst one, because of the tease.

As for the idol aspect, this show was made on a very low budget. It certainly doesn't have the refinement and care of something like Love Live or BanG Dream, as those are much larger and more lucrative. The animation quality is significantly worse than Selector/Lostorage WIXOSS, and character models are very basic.

WIXOSS Diva(A)Live tried to be a card game show, and an idol show, and failed spectacularly at both. It has none of the psychological elements of Selector/Lostorage WIXOSS. And there's absolutely no reason for Selector/Lostorage WIXOSS fans to watch this. It is one of the weakest shows in the Winter 2021 season, a season that many have declared as the greatest season of anime of all-time. You have plenty of better things to watch than this.