Selector Infected WIXOSS

Wishes.
If you were in a competition in where you won, your wish would be granted, would you compete? Knowing that there are other people who may have a more important or dire wish? Is your wish more important than others? Is it less important?
Do you even have a wish?

Before going into this review, you will need to know what a Selector is. In this series, there is a popular card game called WIXOSS. Among the players, there are Selectors, people who are able to communicate with their LRIG, or the avatar of their deck. The point of this partner ... ship is for the LRIG to help the Selector become an Eternal Girl and have their dream, their desire or their wish fulfilled.

Story: 8
Wishes and desire and the dark undertone that comes with those two are used quite a lot in story telling. This story is fairly predictable when it comes to the concept of despair and wishes. Though, if you haven't expirenced much with this common story device, you will be in for a treat, as most people who see the dark side and consequences of wishes tend to enjoy the story.

Out story follows Ruuko, a standard character when it comes to these types of wish stories. She is a character is couldn't be separated from the crowd prior to being a Selector. By becoming a Selector and playing WIXOSS, she makes friends, she makes foes and she learns more about herself.

On a side note, do you need to know the rules of WIXOSS before watching?
NOPE. Not at all. The anime's main focus when it comes to card battles are the emotion of the Selectors and the ending result, who wins or who loses. The only concept you need to understand is that a deck is made to power up their LRIG.

Also keep in mind that this story isn't to surprising to those who have gone through stories related to the dark undertone of wishes. It's very predictable and isn't too unique compared to other stories with a similar premise. If you have not gone through a story that involved wishes and darkness, you will be in for a treat as WIXOSS is a great introduction to these types of stories.

Art: 8
Art outside of battles is quite bland, with a lot of use of pale colors and grey. All the backgrounds, all the foregrounds, use this type of bland coloring. Is this bad? Not entirely, as it gives a feel of emptiness, which does help deliver the dark undertone this anime has. Was it required? I feel like this coloring was a bit over done.

Art inside of battles were beautiful colors that faded into a never-ending darkness. I could be a literature teacher about this and pull meaning out of nothingness, but I rather not. I still enjoyed the art of the battles.

Animation was great during battles, standard outside of them. Hand to hand combat and the magical attacks that happened during battle all looked beautiful.

Character designs were pretty standard, though the designs for LRIGs were amazing. Loved how they would look when they would power up.

Sound: 9
What an amazing OP, killy killy JOKER is one of my more favorite OPs of this season and one of my favorites of all time. With an amazing chorus, it is hard not to get your head in the rhythm of the song, which is very similar to our main character, Ruuko. She does the same thing during battles, and gets caught up in the hype of them. The ED, realize -Yume no Matsu Basho-, is another beautiful piece that compliments the OP really well.

OST?
Well.. again, outside of the battles, the soundtrack wasn't all too impressive. It may have added to the feeling of emptiness, but again, it wasn't all that needed. Songs used during the battles were all great! Songs included DnB and dubstep, that all helped give the battles intensity without the songs being too absurd.

Character: 9
As I have said before, Ruuko is a very clean slate character, you will see her character develop as she meets other Selectors, as she wins battles, as she begins thinking of the questions I asked you at the beginning of this review. She is quite the enjoyable character to watch.

A great point in this anime is the relationship between our Selectors: Yuzuki, Akira, Hitoe and Iona. Some are friends, some are foes, all have a wish they want granted. These include some intense moments when we have our more important side characters battling each other knowing that their wishes are on the line.

The only problem with this are the super side characters.... the nameless ones. They are all terrible people with a terrible attitude and personality. These are mainly nameless classmates whose only goal in the series is to cause tension and drama. Sure it was enjoyable to see our main characters go through it, but the way they did it felt super forced.

Enjoyment: 10
Keep in mind, I was coming into this series expecting it to be about cute girls and card games. Boy was I surprised! I was looking forward to some dark anime series during the spring season, Gokukoku no Brynhildr, Black Bullet and Akuma no Riddle. WIXOSS blew all those series out of the water and another surprise series did the same thing this season. I never expected this series to get dark.

I love love love how they handle card battles. The no information needed to watch this show is amazing and I feel they handled that expertly!

Suspense and intensity.
The amount of suspense, the suspense in decision making, the suspense is revealing information, the suspense of wanting to know more, all of these add intensity to the series that keeps the viewer interested and wanting more.

Overall: 9
With a great ending that is an excellent follow up to a season two, the plot twists, the cute girls. This was a surprise series that was an amazing to watch show.

Some food for thought... what is girl backwards?

**SPOILER FREE REVIEW FOR BOTH SEASONS**

Not many people know what to make of the Selector WIXOSS series. “Eh… it was okay I guess?” seems to be the reaction of most people, and I think that can be largely attributed to the fact that it’s so radically different from anything else in its genre; we’ve never seen anything quite like it. Anime fans simply aren’t sure how to feel about a show centered around a card game that never even explains the rules of its own card game. While most anime in the card genre are about making every conceivable reward obtainable by means of said ... children’s card game (i.e. Yu-Gi-Oh), WIXOSS is about precisely the opposite: The ramifications of said card game. This show isn’t about the glory and fame brought to those who win the game, it’s about the pain and sorrow that the game brings to those who play it. WIXOSS takes the Gurren Lagaan-esque “Do the impossible!” attitude that you’d normally see in this type of show and flips it entirely on its head, and that’s what I love about it. Presenting the most overlooked anime of 2014: The Selector WIXOSS series

Synopsis: WIXOSS is a card game that's popular with teenagers; teenage girls especially. However, the seemingly innocent card game has a secret. There exist cards called “LRIGs”; cards that have actual people with wills of their own trapped inside them. Only “special” girls called Selectors can hear the voices of the LRIGs, allowing them to do battle in a dimension that other humans cannot access. It's said that whomever triumphs in these battles will have their greatest wish granted. Our story follows Ruko Kominato, the latest girl to find an LRIG. She names her card “Tama”, and without any further explanation, is thrown into her new life as a Selector.

In case I haven’t already made it obvious, WIXOSS is NOT an average entry into the card game genre. In fact, it can justifiably be called a deconstruction of its genre. It has a considerable amount of depth to it and discussing its themes without spoilers could be tricky, but I’ll give it a shot. WIXOSS questions the very basis of achieving all of your wildest dreams by means of a higher power; it essentially examines the very basis of reaching all of your goals without directly facing the challenges that come along with those goals. Nearly every girl in the WIXOSS universe has a wish; a wish that they are convinced is impossible for them to realize without the limitless power of being a Selector. However, as is heavily foreshadowed, the deal isn’t as sweet as it’s made out to be. As the girl’s grow more and more miserable, they realize that this means of obtaining their desires goes against the very nature of accomplishment. Some of them discover that they didn’t want what they thought they wanted, some of them discover that what they wanted was within their reach the entire time, and others discover that they are happy with what already have after all. They don’t find happiness and contentment because someone came along and waved magic wand; they find it through their own thought processes and experiences. This is just one of many of the masterfully executed themes in the WIXOSS series, all of which are evenly paced for the most part, expertly foreshadowed, and beautifully executed. WIXOSS not only manages to have deep and meaningful themes, but it manages to be entertaining at the same time. There are some seriously exciting and heart-throbbing moments that will “Wow” you. That is no easy task, and it’s perhaps the main reason I consider this show to be so underrated. All in all, this anime had a spectacular story despite the fact that it could have elaborated on certain plot points a bit more and given a bit more closure towards the end.

The characters, in my opinion, are just as well written as the plot. While Ru, our protagonist, may be a bit bland, the rest of the cast is fleshed out, packed with personality, and legitimately complex. This is an extremely impressive feat given the sheer number of major characters that WIXOSS attempts to work with. From the humans to the LRIGs, nearly every single character is given proper motivations and a distinguishable personality. I’ve never seen a show that’s been able to do this with such a large cast and have it actually work until I watched WIXOSS. You WILL find at least one to grow attached too and you WILL become emotionally invested in the show as a result. The best part of this cast is that there are no clearly defined lines between good characters and evil characters (well, except for one character…). Even the most seemingly cruel Selectors/LRIGs are sympathizable and have logical motives that back their actions up. My personal favorite character was Tama. Not only was she inhumanly adorable, she actually managed to have a complex personality and her actions carried massive thematic weight. I was literally cheering at my computer screen for Tama to prevail in times of peril. She is without a doubt an incredibly likable character. However, like I said, there are many more great characters to choose from.

I’ll briefly touch on the fantastic soundtrack and the masterful use of animation before closing out: Starting with the OST, it never fails to get the job done. Its unique blend of new-age and orchestral tracks never fail to set the appropriate tone. Whether it be enhancing a saddening scene or pumping up an exciting scene, WIXOSS’s OST covers the entire emotional spectrum. Add on the two incredible OPs and you have yourself an awesome soundtrack. However, the real highlight of this anime’s presentation lies in the genius animation. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a confirmed sighting of VISUAL STORYTELLING! I know, shocking for a modern anime, but it’s true. WIXOSS blew me away with some seriously genius symbolism, with the contrasts between light and dark being a central theme. Not only does WIXOSS accomplish the difficult task of conveying meaning without words, it can also be breathtakingly beautiful at times. Some of the imagination and planning put into a couple of these settings is absolutely remarkable. This is seriously some noteworthy animation, even if it isn’t getting any attention.

In conclusion, the Selector WIXOSS series is criminally underrated. Why seemingly nobody else can see how masterfully this show executed its main themes and ideas is beyond me, but I’ll tell you one thing: this anime is a must-watch for psychological fans. WIXOSS may not be perfect, but it will keep you on the edge of your seat, it will make you think, and it will dazzle you with its presentation. Honestly, what more do you want? Go watch it!

A card game about granting wishes. That’s what Selector Infected WIXOSS is anyways. And judging by the cover, there isn’t anything that seems too peculiar. That is until when the game actually begins. It’s not a normal card game especially when there’s a strange little girl who wants to battle and grant wishes for its owner. So now, it’s a game about fighting to grant wishes through battles. This however turns into a nightmare for the girls learns what’s at stake – an abominable and endless mind struggle against all odds.

Short for the term (Wish-Cross), the game itself consists of card games and battles. It ... might seem strange to see girls getting taking interest in a game that would be in a guy’s territory but nonetheless, the major of the shows’ cast are female characters. One particular character named Ruuko sticks out as an anti-social yet friendly girl living together with her grandma in a seemingly normal family. It’s fate that one day tied her to enter the world of WIXOSS, after discovering a magical girl that she nicknamed “Tama”. And if you get tired of hearing the word ‘battle’ now, then brace yourself for what the show has to offer soon. Or rather already, the beginning unveils its darker image such as Ruuko’s malevolent dreams. In that dream, it’s clear to know what the show is trying to do – to pull out a dark show with a game with kids. But looking it from a different angle, the show also has a purpose. The games aren’t just played for bragging rights but for granting wishes. It’s from these wishes where the show emerges and mutates itself into a twisted journey, one that shatters the boundaries of the card game image. But is it worth it? In some ways, but also not mind shattering as it sounds.

It’s obvious to see what director Takuya Sato is trying to do here. Similar to how Steins;Gate was directed, the show moves slow with the first few episodes introducing the premise and main characters. In fact, we find out the main characters are known as “Selectors”, who battles to fulfill their wish. What we don’t know is what the true purpose of these wishes are and what’s at stake until later. To say the least, a journey into this show requires patience. Even for a one cour-split (the second half to debut later), it requires explanation. And by that, the show pulls out its classy mechanics by showing rather than telling. Here’s where a technical problem comes in. While the game matches looks flashy and aberrant, they lack interest values when it comes to gameplay. Hardly anything is actually explained by the card battles itself. Whether it’s the battle moves, strategies, or rules, the series focuses much more on its psychological psyche. In other words, the show’s aim is to let the audience know more about the characters rather than the game itself. When you see a battle, more times or not, it’s more likely you will be paying more attention to the characters rather than the game itself. Although that works out somewhat, the mechanics and focus on the game is lost with incoherent explanations, ones that can be easily forgotten simply because it lacks interest.

At least the interest should come to the main characters right? Well, not exactly if we take a closer look. The fighters known as the LRIG(girl spelt backwards) are mostly mindless and serves little purpose than doing battle for their Selectors. Of course, none of them receive any character development or emphasis besides their highlight reels during gameplay. But for the characters, they aren’t far better when it comes to characterization. We already have the shy girl with Ruuko and really, there’s nothing distinctive about her. On the other hand though, there’s Ruuko’s friend Yuzuki who has the social personality, looks, and empowerment to make friends easily. But what you don’t know is her secret, or rather her wish that can be viewed as ‘forbidden’. And because the show has its psychological shenanigans, the story actually focuses on her progress with some rather disturbing results. It doesn’t stop there though as we also meet the two-faced girl, Akira Aoi with a sadistic ambition. In the same line of work is also Iona, a girl with a lust for battle but unlike Akira, she is usually calm and confident in her skills. On the other hand, there’s Hitoe Uemura, a girl who just wants to make friends. Together, they make up the main composition of the series’ cast, or rather Selectors. But what’s to like about them? Almost nothing. There’s almost nothing relatable we can find about them besides perhaps Ruuko. It’s almost also impossible to like any of the characters as they are not role models. Whether these are Ruuko’s anti-social behavior, Yuzuki’s repugnant wish, or Akira’s sadism, none of them really can be called role models. As the show progresses, we also witness their progress, not character wise but by the effects that the game has on them. And trust me, it’s not pretty.

Another niche about the show involves the collectible game itself. Besides the LRIG, none of the other cards are memorable or has any purpose. They are easily forgettable and when used during gameplay is hardly understandable. Ironically enough, the show attracts more female players than guys despite the dark nature. But most importantly is the concept of the game and its consequences. For behind the scenes, the consequences are disastrous for the losers. The show desperately tries to appeal to these consequences in order to draw out the reality of it. As gimmicky as it can be, the show does appeal to its darker image when certain Selectors’ minds are broken psychologically from the inside out. It can be easily relatable to shows like Madoka when girls are offered choices to play out their decisions. Otherwise, the show deals with other basis of human nature and themes including jealousy, identity, regret, social alienation, and forbidden laws of attraction. Needless to say, the show is a deconstruction of magical card game. The game itself serves as a deciding factor to settle out issues because character drama seems to be the cookie cutter.

J.C. Staff plays the role of crafting this show’s artistic image. There’s an oddball here when it pertains to cute girls playing the roles of Selectors in such a dark and twisted game. The LRIG has some interesting card designs with magical girl themes. Unfortunately, the game mechanics, even when crafted visually wise is underwhelming. The battle themselves are also mediocre and can even feel exasperating because most of the time, the characters doesn’t even seem to enjoy playing the game. Action speaks louder than words is usually what people would say. But here in this show, it’s what the character expressions that vividly paints their lack of interest and even fear what would happen should they lose. Also, who can forget about those insanely portrayed face expressions that Akira brings to the show that goes completely against what she really is, a fashion model?

Soundtrack is perhaps one of the stronger factors for this show. In order for it to work, it needed to engineer the phases between emotional, climatic, and thought provoking scenarios. Surprisingly, it does work most of the time. The eerie-like soundtrack conveys the darker side of the show effectively when utilized. And to further accompany this is the character voices that clearly reflects their despair and hopelessness in certain episodes. In particular, Hitoe’s voice is very credible when it comes to her shy nature and despair. The OP & ED songs also has influence when it comes to show that the show is not a happy game about kids playing cards to kill time.

Dark and edgy, I suppose there are more words to describe what this show really is. But for a show based off a card game, it hardly even touches on its mechanics. Throughout the series, it’s not surprising when you find yourself how exactly the game is played besides the most general rules. Take this more as a type of dark drama that is supposed to be character driven with Madoka-esque vibes. Of course, there’s no Kyuubey but rather LRIG, those cute girls with a taste for battle. I wouldn’t say the show is an abomination to card game ethnics. There’s memorable moments, some battles that can be almost fun to watch, and an appealing soundtrack. Rather, it’s a deconstruction for what is has offered – a labyrinth of character drama and journey on the line of mind games.

This season was not really full of surprises. Just as always some light novel adaptions here and manga adaptions there. What I really missed when overlooking the chart of currently airing anime was something fresh which sounded interesting. Of course being a show about a card game, Selector Infected Wixoss did not catch my attention at first at all. Only when I realized that this season isn't close to being good and I even started watching a sports anime about ping pong I thought to myself "Hey, why not check out this anime with the cute girls playing cards?".

I can tell you beforehand, missing ... out on this show is not what you should!

The main plot focuses around our shy and modest girl Ruuko, mostly adressed as "Ru-Chan" and her classmates Yuzuki who get into the new title-giving card game Wixoss. But as one could think this game is not a normal card game as it nominates certain girls to become a so called Selector. These girls receive special cards called LRIGs which are inhabitated by moving and seemingly living fantasy-like girls and young women. These LRIGs can talk and have the possibility to grant the Selector to become an Eternal Girl and have their deepest wish fulfilled - if they win a certain number of games. If you lose three times though you lose your chance ot ever become an Eternal Girl.

Of course these facts have every Selector curious on whom to trust and whom to battle. Do they want to take others wishes in order to have their own fulfilled? This aspect is treated very well by the show and isn't downplayed in a comedic way at all. The show is dead serious about what it presents and portrays the girls struggles with themselves and others very well.

Those characters may come off as a little generic and some similarities with Madoka Magica are inevitable to recognize and to acknowledge but this doesn't make the interpersonal interactions less tense. They actually seem more relatable and easier to understand. Later on the focus on the psychological aspects come to light more and more as the show reveals its more darker side one might not have expected at first but which I kind of predicted after the immense praise this show received as it aired.

In terms of audio-visual design Selector Infected Wixoss left a huge impression on me. The character designs are not the most original but they look different from each other for the most part instead of suffering from the common same-face-syndrome which seems to be an ongoing thing in the modern anime industry. The backgrounds also have a certain touch and the downtown setting creates a certain atmosphere which I personally enjoy a lot. Selector Infected Wixoss trumps especially with its soundtrack.
Creating an almost unique and eerie feeling even when sometimes just consisting of simple tunes. For a card game show the atmosphere is amazingly intense and something I did not expect when going into the show. A special shouout also deserve the voice actresses which delivered a more than solid performance.

Overall Selector Infected Wixoss was a good start to what could become a great franchise. As of now it left lots of questions unanswered which I expect to change with the arrival of the second season called "Selector Spread Wixoss" coming this fall. The first season though opened a door to countless possibilites to go for. I hope the creators realize the potential which slumbers in this show and come off which a proper conclusion in the end which won't just be a reset ending for example. The characters have developed very well this far and I am excited for what is yet to come.

I was lead into watching this show by the guidance of a certain anime veteran you may or may not have heard of with expectations that were neither high nor low. But at no point in time did I ever think Selector Infected would be bad and even after its completion I still feel the same way. In terms of technicality, Wixoss easily outdoes many of its anime brothers and sisters, but what it has in mechanics it seriously lacks in entertainment and arguably, in originality.

Starting with the artwork, SIW mirrors Madoka Magica to a tee; the opening theme, battle aesthetics and even ... the choice in font bears heavy resemblance to that of PMMM. It literally gives me the feeling of re-watching Madoka Magica and since said anime isn't even five years old (at the time of writing this review) it’s a very bizarre choice in style. Does that make it a bad choice? Not really, but it certainly doesn't help refute the accusation of unoriginality particularly since most people negatively judging SIW are doing so based on face value over mechanics.

On the topic of mechanics, SIW is indeed a card game anime but unlike most other shows of the genre, it doesn't explain how the game works. The only given details are that if a wixoss player loses three matches then she is no longer eligible for becoming an “Eternal girl”. Yet even this rule isn't set in stone, as it’s later revealed that after losing three games, a girl may still have the opportunity of being chosen as a selector. In theory, you could lose an infinite amount of times, but since there’s no set number of wins needed to become an eternal girl, you could be stuck winning just as often.

Some argue that SIW neglected gameplay details as means of keeping the focus on the off-court drama. However, I honestly believe the decision to disregard the rules of Wixoss only works for the detriment of its entertainment factor. To put it simply, SIW lacks the tension to keep you invested – a problem that could have easily been avoided by including at least a few details of the game play. It’s hard to feel like there’s much at stake when the parameters of winning or losing are barely defined, and since most opponents (with the exception of a few specific characters) aren't given much of a back story, they start to feel like nameless punching bags for the protagonists.

So what all is good about Selector Infected? SIW does have good technical value in its use of foreshadowing and plot twists. It also makes smart use of some pretty stupid anime clichés such as, the power of fucking friendship and sibling romance in a way that’s unexpected as well as entertaining. Unfortunately, there just isn’t much else going on here to make it memorable. SIW is pretty much the antithesis to other animes of its time; it outsmarts most of them, but it doesn't outshine any of them. But as previously stated, I don’t think Selector Infected is a bad show and more than likely all of the unexplained mysteries of the first season could possibly make for a more captivating season two, which I will definitely be watching.

So recently I decided to watch the anime 'Selector Infected WIXOSS', from the outside it looks like a simple anime about girls playing a card game, however the actual anime is surprisingly a whole lot deeper and darker.

The animes setting revolves around the card game WIXOSS, the card game itself is pretty wierd and not exactly easy to understand, however surprisingly the animes center focus isn't about the card game, its about the characters playing the game and about there wishes. Now the story has it where there are people who are selected 'selectors' who are able to go through battles in this card game ... to achieve there wish. These selectors find that they have a card that is essentially alive and is able to talk to them. Only selectors can see or hear them, these selectors battle each other in what seems to be a alternate dimensional world just for these battles, and basically battle each other with there LRIG, which is the card that seems to be alive. The story focuses on one specific character Ruko Kominato who is the latest girl to find an LRIG card. She names her card Tama, and without any further explanation is thrown into her life as a Selector.

The story does go into a darker path, with twists and tragedies happening to beloved characters which can only make you go 'Daaaaaamn', the story and setting I find are quite unique in this anime and make it quite enjoyable just to see how it alls plays out.

All the characters in the series are done quiet well also, as they all seem to have a complicated life that are all connected with there wishes, which you cannot help but feel sympathy for.

The art style of the anime isn't as unique, however it is on par with other animes being produced recently, with some exceptions like in the card battles where the art style turns into something that can only be described as pretty.

The sound had no problems with the sound effects and voice acting being superb, the intro song chosen for the anime "killy killy JOKER" by Kanon Wakeshima, was a great choice for the anime, being one that I would personally not ever skip, it gives a true felling of what is to come from the anime, aw well as being catchy.

However there were some negatives, being that the card games rules aren't exactly clear to the viewers, and really there wasn't a great majority of different battles to be seen, also I feel like the story may have been a bit rushed, and could have been a bit better with a few more episodes.

At the end, the series did end in a way that made me just want more, thankfully there will be a second season 'Infected Spread WIXOSS' which I honestly cannot wait for in order to see what happens.

Overall the anime was quiet surprisingly enjoyable, and I would recommend everyone to give it a try, even if you're not a fan of animes based on card games, the show is done in a way that anyone can enjoy it.

Selector Infected WIXOSS (SIW) is the newest of a number of anime which many people claim "Only exists because of Madoka Magica." Personally I don't agree with that, but just a heads up in case you get part way into this review and just write the show off because of the few similarities like many people seem to do with these kinds of shows. Yes it is a dark show with a sort of magical-girl-esque style that centers around a group of high school girls, but that's about all the similarities you'll find save a couple towards the end that only seem like they'll be ... similar to PMMM. But with that out of the way, onto the real review.


Kominato Ruuko is the protagonist who lives with her grandmother. She has no friends and only sees her older brother when he occasionally visits. Her grandmother, wanting to help her make friends, buys her a starter pack of WIXOSS cards, a game which is very popular especially with girls. One of the cards is special and displays a moving girl who only Ruuko can notice and hear. The girl's name is Tama. She's a LRIG that only comes in certain packs and obtaining a LRIG makes Ruuko a Selector. She can fight against other Selectors in order to be granted one wish. However, if she loses 3 battles against other Selectors, she'll lose the ability for that wish to ever be granted. Because she's a Selector, she soon meets another girl named Yuzuki who is also a Selector. The rules of WIXOSS are never explained very well to the viewer, but basically the players just level up their LRIG and use a few other cards to attack their opponents with their LRIG. The actual battle logistics are pretty unimportant, and it's just the battle's outcome that really matters. As the story goes along, Ruuko faces difficulties with keeping friends, fighting off enemies, and deciding what wish she should make. And her problems are only a small portion of the psychological issues faced throughout the anime.

I love psychological anime, so I couldn't help but go into SIW with high hopes that I figured would not be completely met. Still (and I know I rated the show at a 5, but that's average for my rating scale and really not that bad) it turned out pretty good. This is the kind of show that, like most psychological shows, builds up tension between the characters early on by hiding parts of the story from both the viewer and the characters. With that tension comes a bit of a slow start as the elements are showed in pieces, and there are many questions this show will have you asking at first. What are the girls' wishes? What are LRIGS? What purpose is there in having this Selector/LRIG battle system anyway? Honestly, the last one still isn't totally answered, but that's why there's a season 2 scheduled in the fall. Eventually, around the last third of this season, the show picks up pace and gets intense once everything begins to fall apart for the characters both due to the situations they are in and due to psychological issues. The ending of this season is excellent and will leave you dying to know more (which means you may want to put off watching this season until the second season starts if you don't like cliffhangers).

The characters are all interesting and have different personalities and wishes. None really stood out as being anything special or unique in comparison to other anime unfortunately. Yuzuki, Ruuko's first friend, has a forbidden love that she keeps a secret. Hitoe is shy and has never been any good at making friends. Akira is a pompous idol who can't stand anyone being better than her. I found Akira annoying and was glad she wasn't as relevant to the story as the other characters. Iona is calm and calculating while hiding her real intentions. And Ruuko just goes along with it at first because she made some friends, though she soon comes to the dilemma of not knowing whether to stay as a Selector or to stop battling to protect herself and everyone else. There is plenty of drama built up over the fact that it is simple to lose your wish and right as a Selector but very difficult to grant it. There's more to granting your wish than just winning 3 times, and this creates a huge problem for the characters who feel guilty for causing other players to lose their wish.

The animation is well done for the most part. The cute and simple character designs create a stark contrast between them and the dark world around them. The animation overall and especially for the characters improves greatly towards the end as it seems J.C. Staff saved a good portion of their animation budget for the later episodes. The soundtrack is pretty typical of a darker show and sets the eerie atmosphere well but never really goes above and beyond simply doing its job.

While SIW couldn't quite live up to the hopeful expectations I had before watching this show, the end certainly did get close despite the cliffhanger. The gradual incline in information being revealed slowly began to show how much more complex the Selector system is than it was originally displayed to be. I cannot wait for the next season which will hopefully be even better than the first and I recommend this to anyone looking for a psychological anime to watch.

In depth review #4 - Selector Infected WIXOSS

Before getting into this review, I just want to get the elephants out the room first. Selector Infected WIXOSS is really similar to Madoka Magica. The dark themes and the situation these girls where in is just too similar not to mention. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing though since I enjoyed watching both of these anime. I just felt like I was watching something I already seen before. Despite this, I still wouldn’t say Selector Infected WIXOSS is a Madoka Magica clone. This series does a lot of unique and ambitious things right on its own like ... actually making a card game anime watchable so don't worry. Its also worth mentioning that there are a couple of incest themes in this anime that some viewers might not be comfortable with but i honestly think they handled it maturely. The show goes in depth about how someone might feel in this situation rather than.....well you know.

Story: 7 (Good)
Selector Infected WIXOSS follows the story behind a girl named Ruuko Kominato, and her friends as they play WIXOSS, a popular trading card game among young girls. At first glance, this is just a harmless game until Ruuko gets a pack of cards from her brother. When she opens it, she finds a card that has a personality of it own called an LRIG. The people who are able to see these cards are called selectors. Selectors have a chance to make any wish they want come true by battling other selectors. This seems like an amazing opportunity until these girls find out the dark truth behind this game. Like i said above, the setup for this show is very similar to another show I've watched but the plot is definitely interesting. You won't find another card game anime as fun to watch as this one. Its interesting and enjoyable but not unique.

Animation: 8 (Very Good)
The animation for this anime was good, but nothing really stood out during the scenes inside buildings and in the city. The characters animation was also good but nothing special. Just standard animation throughout. However, the battle scenes went to an entirely different level of animation. To say it simply, it was stunning and it's where the animation shined in this show. The LRIGs trapped in the cards turned into nicely detailed avatars. Even the atmosphere changed drastically to correspond to the people battling each other. The color pallet had a wide range of vivid colors to corresponding to each characters deck color. And i cant forget about the attacks. The magic used by the LRIGs looked amazing and made me yearn to see more of the LRIGs move sets.

Sound: 8 (Very Good)
Similar to the animation, the sound really popped out at you during the battle sequences. During these scenes, the music really punched you in the face from how epic they where. They used several catchy Tech based songs with orchestrated rhythms in it as well as DnB and Dubstep. Any show that has Dubstep in it i was most likely fall in love with.The music that played during the transition and in the opening/ending themes were also good. I especially like the ending song. During the casual scenes however, i can't remember an songs off of the top of my head i liked. This probably happened since there wasn't many playing or they weren't that memorable.

Characters: 7 (Good)
All of the main characters in this show made me feel differently about them corresponding to their situation. The way the behaved and how there personalities developed over the course of the show made me think about how i would act if i were in their shoes. This was extremely relevant in Ruuko, Yuzuki and Hitoe's case. I don't want to spoil anything but i genuinely felt bad about how things were turning out for these innocent girls half way through the series. As for Akira, she was a bitch, but liked her at the same time. She is like the character you don't like but enjoy seeing them mess with someone else.

Enjoyment: 8 (Great)
I went into this anime not knowing anything about it. All i knew about that anime was that a lot of people weren't expecting it to be as good as it was, and i can see why. This anime was completely overlooked by the more popular anime this session but i enjoyed it about the same and ever more than those anime. It was a unique spin on the trading card game genre that i just have to applaud for since most of them aren't that good, Cough..Yugioh Zexal..Cough. It was interesting and made me remember how good deconstruction show actually are.

Score: 7.6/10 (Good) - Worth the Watch

When I read the synopsis for the series I thought "Wow, this is kind of cute - it's about girls who want to make their dreams come true~" ahahaha... no.

Plot: 8
Given the amount of episodes the anime has, it did a pretty good job of pacing the story. It was a bit slow in the beginning, but that only allows the latter episodes to create a greater impact when the plot takes an unexpected turn. They did a great job building it up, nothing seemed too rushed and it really flowed. The increase of tension and chaos is also well reflected in the ... pacing as the series progresses.
Overall, this season did a pretty good job on introducing WIXOSS and the mysteries surrounding it. Although there as some things that are still left unanswered, I think it's fair to leave it at that since they are giving it a second season.

Art and Animation: 8
There was a lot of intricate details that I enjoyed, like the details of the backgrounds, or the decorations in the girl's bedrooms to reflect their personality. Speaking of personalization, the way they make each battlefield unique is also something worth complimenting. The fight scenes were well animated: fast paced with flashy moves. Another thing is that they didn't use a lot of still pictures in the anime~ so when main characters are being featured, there is background movement to make everything more realistic.

Music and Sound: 8
Really enjoyed the opening. It's fast tempo seemed to deliver the struggle and intensity of battling, and the closing had a more soothing effect, which is always a good contrast. The background music was also suitable where it was used, but I really liked how they used background noise such as cars, and people talking to keep the realism going.

Character: 8
The character designs were enjoyable since I don't really mind people recycling the generic images (ex. cutesy girls turning out with the worst personalities). The characters are pretty well developed anyways since we are given insight on their past and how they changed through the series, even the cards were distinct from one another. The only thing to complain about is the random little girl that was like a filler character. I had no idea what her role was...

Overall, the series was quite enjoyable and really had me hooked. Every element of the anime was quite well done, and each episode unravels a bit of information that only leads to more questions. Therefore, please give it a try~ and you just might get Infected by WIXOSS.

*May contain a few spoilers and sarcasm*

From the very first episode I knew SIW had the potential to become a very good anime, so I kept saying "Please don't disappoint me" until the last episode. Fortunately, it helped.

Story: 9
This strange combination between Mahou shoujo madoka magica and Yu-gi-oh! was a really good one but could have been better. The plot is focused on Ruuko, a standard teenage girl with no friends, who lives with her grandma and brother. One day her brother introduces her to WIXOSS, a card game where you have to battle other selectors and LRIGs to become an Eternal Girl and have ... your wish granted. Sounds familiar? Kind of. The story is not about the game itself but the effect it has on people's lives. Just like Madoka Magica, the anime becomes very dark and sad because once you've become an Eternal girl, your wish will be granted but your LRIG will be the one living the dream and you, as a selector, become a LRIG. That's when Ruuko realizes the game is a lie and tries to save her friends, her LRIG and the whole universe.
Like I said earlier, the anime had a lot of potenial, but at some point everything became ordinary because I could tell what would happen next. Aaaand then I watched the last episode. I was sincerely thinking that SIW would DEFINATELY end just like Madoka magica, but it didn't. The ending was unexpected, in a good way and left me wanting to watch season 2 right now!

Art & Sound: 9
The art is rather mediocre. Yes, the characters are ok, but the battlefields and some scenes in the last episodes where everything is covered in white (if you watched you know what i'm talking about) really need some improvement. The sound is fine, I like both opening and ending.

Character: 9
I really need to say that the characters are the problem here. They don't have anything special and lack development, especially Ruuko, the main character. Despite participating in the game, she didn't have a wish until the last episode. She was participating because... well I can't even tell. She is always afraid of something, insecure, naive and to simplify this: not suited for the game. On the other hand, we have Yuzuki, one of Ruuko's friends who's in love with her brother, Kazuki. Yuzuki is my favourite character because she knew what she was fighting for, she didn't care what people would think about her and she just like this she made her wish come true. More or less.

Enjoyment: 10
You have a chance to make your wish come true. Participate in the game. But if you lose that wish will NEVER come true. What would you do? This ideea is brilliant and so addictive. I guess that's why I couldn't stop loving this anime despite its flaws. I enjoyed watching the series and I'm truly happy that there's gonna be a sequel (Selector Spread WIXOSS), because this season left me with lots of unanswered questions.

Overall: 9
Why 9? Well, a 10 couldn't have been anyway because I had to focus on the story and not to mind some annoying characters. I recommend this to everyone because among Gokukoku no Brinhyldr, No game no life, Akuma no riddle and Black Bullet, SIW is one of the best anime of spring 2014.

WIXOSS - a card game capable of bringing either hope or despair. Or maybe just straight up despair.

Selector Infected WIXOSS is definitely a genre all in its own. Getting into this show, I was expecting it to be some sort of Yu-Gi-Oh thing, but it was far different from my expectations. The show actually has a lot of parallels with Madoka Magica (the recommendations tab will tell you the same thing) more than anything else. Normal girls who are chosen to posses mysterious powers or abilities must compete against each other in order to get their wishes granted, without knowing what they're really getting ... in to.

Turns out, Selector Infected WIXOSS is less about the card game, and more about the experience of the players - how the game is effecting their everyday lives, the emotional and psychological consequences, and their interactions both in battle, and in the real world. In fact, the real rules of the game aren't even explained, which is both valuable, but also a weakness. With too much information about the game, there wouldn't be enough development in the characters in a short twelve episodes, but at the same time, having the rules of the game explained would keep the viewer more engaged, and added the element of strategy. However, I think for the most part they made up for in with excellent effects and art that kept the battles interesting. People who are considering watching this should be aware that this show is more about the story, dialogue, and mystery rather than the game itself.

But that doesn't keep it from having a unique and powerful concept. The viewer follows the players as they put themselves on the line for the sake of their wishes being granted. We follow them as they go deeper into labyrinth of this mysterious game and the darkness that comes along with it. Will a strong sense of justice get lost in a sea of greed? Will inner strength and willpower beat the odds of defeat?

Even with a few story holes, Selector Infected WIXOSS delivered more than I thought it would. With great art, a enticing concept with many, many layers, this leaves quite an impact with a great cliffhanger for the second season. A decent show with some solid entertainment value.

TL;DR

Biggest strength: character development and concept
Biggest weakness: rules of the game are unexplained which leaves a few story holes

Be aware that this show is less about the game and more about the experience of the players. Very similar to Madoka Magica. Still pretty good.

Selector Infected WIXOSS- A deconstruction of the ever popular card game anime genre?
Not really…But does it even matter?
Putting the Madoka Magica comparisons aside, WIXOSS is a show that tries to smother the viewer with an array of emotions, as well as unfortunate plot points, bringing up in me that “one…more…episode…” feeling. Yes. WIXOSS has many aspects which make it an enjoyable work that can/will leave one questioning the moral standards of the issues presented. On with it, I suppose.
Without rewriting the synopsis above, we know that the characters in the show play a card game called WIXOSS, however some girls become “selectors,” and are thrown ... into some special circumstances. That is all I shall say regarding the story- this show is definitely best viewed if one knows little to nothing about it, as the twists and surprises will be that much sweeter. However, I can comment that the quality of the story is very good in this show. This can perhaps lead to an explanation of my opening- the card game aspect seems to exist for the sole purpose of being a vehicle for the story. There is nothing wrong with this, as it does the job nicely. The story provokes the viewer into thinking about the show, from character motivations to the consequences of decisions. While it may throw around classic tropes, or be slightly hard to understand- the story of WIXOSS is well done, and this is largely due to the array of characters in the show.
What WIXOSS does well with its characters, besides using them well in conjunction with the story, is the emotions they seems to create in the viewer. It is very easy to feel some sort of emotion to each character- you may despise one, feel pity for one, care for one, etc. This vital interaction between the viewer and the characters are very important in the psychological genre, as the connections you form with them only heighten the drama and suspense of the issues they come across. With their array of personality, as well as the emotional attachment with the viewer, the characters in WIXOSS become an integral part of the story. Unfortunately, some characters receive little screen time, and some are easily forgettable. However, this issue will be discussed shortly.
The characters and story both are portrayed very well by the visual and artistic direction here. What I particularly enjoyed was the differences in the world when a normal situation was occurring, as opposed to a dark, negative situation in the story. The art truly did reflect the state of the characters. Technically speaking, everything was up to standard- art and animation were mostly consistent, although I wouldn’t say they were stellar. The same can be said for the musical score, attributed to Iuchi Maiko, of “A Certain Magical Index” fame. Some tracks certainly stand out more than others, however I must commend the high energy tunes used during the battle sequences. They certainly provide a high note in a score which is fairly normal otherwise.
So…I’d if you reached the end of this review, I’d like to leave you with this- you should probably watch this show. While I don’t feel this classifies as a true deconstruction, (Because the card game aspect is really only used as a vehicle for the character’s motivations and the story, it is not truly explored) this show was highly enjoyable for me. If you make it through the first season, the second, Selector Spread WIXOSS, is slightly different in approach and style, especially regarding the characters. However, I will not say too much regarding that- the WIXOSS series is enjoyed the most when one knows nothing about it. So go forth.
Have fun.

Anime Reviews:
Selector Infected Wixoss

(NOTE: Pronounciation for Wixoss is not “Weak Sauce” it's “Wheat Cross”)

MINDSET:
If this was approved by That Anime Snob, then the US military should've used this show to indoctrinate people in Iraq to commit incest and act Moe.

SYNOPSIS:
Ruko was living her slice of life until she was recommended to play a card game by her brother to get more friends. This trading card game was known as Wixoss, she soon discovers that she was a selector, and that a selector is a female player who can see special LRIG cards having minds of there own, that will play with other ... selectors and must defeat a certain number of them (number of wins will vary person to person) to become an “Eternal Girl” whose most desired wish will be granted to reality. If a selector loses three times, she loses the right to be a selector, and becomes a normal human. Let the battle royale of Human Trauma begin.

I can put more detail into that, but it would be spoiler territory, so take this weaker explanation of the Synopsis as a grain of salt.

REVIEW:
For a mystery thriller, Wixoss holds that quite damn well, it starts of decently, and gradually builds up to an intense climax while it gives characters enough screen time and motivations for us to at least some-what care that these people are going through some very rough times. It deals its themes with a surprisingly great deal of maturity for something that looks moe. It discusses moralic themes about the characters actions and motivations. If for an example, this character is very strong always winning the hardest battles, but ends up having no wishes, then it becomes a morality issue stating that if battles are the best pieces of life enjoyment then should'nt you call quits for the suffering of other selectors? Or is the action of incest wrong in every way, therefore the character questions the value of there wish while still trying to feel like a normal being. Concepts of human psycholgy being explored in a mature manner makes us take this show seriously, and leaves an impact by the characters actions and with a (mostly) intense and gripping story that always keeps viewers fascinated, then its obviously a damn good show.

If I would ever try my best to round of the cast, they seem to lack depth, back story and development is fine (50% of the time) but my biggest gripe I could really think of is that I really desired the characters to become more complex, deep and understanding. In a way they feel a bit too simple for the shows darker themes and intense build up as an actual thriller. It would really make a better show if the characters are even more complex and organic. I always start lowering my expectations if any show starts using archetypes.

However, the story is better than I thought it would be, it really gives You the feeling of this show being this intense thriller having loads of mysteries surrounding itself as the show progresses on climax you get some level of impact as mysteries reveal themselves.

I would also love to give kudos on the animation (not something that I do very often) by J.C Staff, there work on giving the backgrounds this line and wash feel makes it stand out a bit more, and this very slight artiness feel kind makes me like the show more. However, the battles with the LRIG have a bit too much CG on the back round which makes me a tad more nit picky. Speaking of nit picks, they don't really explain the strategies on what the girls are doing, like power up! And then kill this character, and it it kind of looks stupid sometimes... Though I do forgive that mistake because the show is incredibly well driven through via narrative, that, it doesn’t really matter. Music wise, nothing special except for an above average opening and great ending.

LEGACY:
The second season is likely to very bad, but because this show is a bit more on the underrated side, then maybe Just Maybe we could have a decent sequel. 80% chance that this show is going to flop, since Autumn is right around the corner... Will it be good? I won't be surprised if neither happens.

SCORES:
6.5/10 For characters lacking real depth, but have good themes which the show handles maturely. (unfortunately not all characters are like that)
7.5/10 Some parts of the story are a little corny which prevents it from an 8 but overall, damn good thriller.
7.5/10 The animation is line and wash and gives this older show-like feel. Extra Kudos to J.C Staff.

FINALE 7.5/10

This a newly edited review of this anime, 3rd time in a row, (upon the mods insistence), Bueno let's get down to business:

What we have was a card game themed anime with a shoujo element in it where them girls were involved in some strange card game where the stakes are high and the price for losing or winning are huge. At this point one would wonder as to why them girls choose, most especially the MCs, would still play it, even though they may not get exactly what they wish for. Besides, the true title of the series is "Wish- Across". Now I admire ... the author's creativity when it comes to giving this series' title "Selector Infected: WiXOSS", which basically means that the selector who happens to be a LIRG holder gets infected with the price of playing the game and it just so happens that it a girls only club.


The art of this anime, well... really doesn't dig in to me, in fact I really don't like the way Ruko's school uniform design is. Though I think, it is only Iona who is the bomb in this series. Also, I hate the way them LIRGs were illustrated, especially Iona's LIRG were it looks more like a mummy than anything else. I like the opening theme "Killy Killy Joker, " but much the closing

Now among the characters, Ruko really pisses me off, she basically is this naive girl who can't seem to make up her mind so much that I would really like to give her a karate chop on her head, Tama her LIRG was pretty much a retard..... a very dangerous retard that is, Yuzuki with her intense brocon was too cliche her LIRG Hanayo is a bitch, too bad Yuzuki's onichan was too stupid to even notice the personality changes, Hitoe was pretty much oblivious that she can have friends without even getting into that WIXOSS thing. About Iona and Akira, well they were pretty much the characters I hate the most.

Now how enjoyable is this? Well, I guess this anime is "FAIR" enough to be enjoyed, because it wasn't much a card theme anime, but rather it was more of a melodramatic anime where the consequences of bad choices destroy lives. However, the conclusion will be in season 2, how will it be, is yet to be shown.

So, here are my ratings:


Story- Very Good 8.
I gave it such score because of the authors creativeness in using terminologies like LRIG, where if one is stupid it is actually spelled "Girl" in reverse and the sub title ""WIXOSS" which is a Jap shorten term for "Wish Across."


Art- Poor 3.
I don't like the school uniforms that them MCs wore and I certainly don't like the way them LIRGs were illustrated..


Sound- Good 7.
It's for the opening song.

Character- Poor 3.
As said before, the characters are annoying, then again, they're entertaining.


Enjoyment - Fair 6.
It was entertaining, but such enjoyment can only be enjoyed when season 2 comes around.

Overall- Fair 6.
I'd say that it's "Fair" enough.....for now or until season 2 comes around.

My deal with Selector WIXXOS is simple… I loved that the girls suffered. I know this sounds awful and maybe there’s a red dot aimed at my head at this point, but bear with me.

There’s little to be gained in an anime about card games and stuff, they’re usually for kids and merchandising and what not, and that’s exactly what you could except of Selector WIXXOS (if you know nothing beforehand), but the moment you realize you’re watching an intense pathetic (pathos related) drama about young girls striving for seemingly impossible desires on very private standards, you realize that their suffering is so relatable… maybe ... not in contents but in intensity.

So they play this card game because it has some magic power capable of giving the winning player the realization of a desired wish, this comes with some rules and limitations not worthy of description because they only work for the sake of the argument of the series, just say that those limitations work perfectly for a twist or two. In this context the five main characters see themselves in a mixture of situations where their wishes get mixed up and tangled with their lives as they struggle to make sense of it all in a variety of ways, form social norms to morals and self realization… with a little bit of craziness. The key element is the paradoxical nature of the girls wishes, that in more than one sense, clash with either their lives or with the world in general, and leaving a nice space for interpretation.

There’s nothing in Selector WIXXOS but the intensity of suffering, even if the motives may seem unrelatable or mundane, the whole premise of the series works with one purpose, and that is giving the human drama an intensity that is not necessarily there, but it’s certainly needed. In other words, we love to see them girls suffer, because we do too suffer from the mundane and the sometimes socially inadequate propositions of our desires, we like them to suffer for us, we like them to build this church of suffering because we need a place where everything seems worthy of being the object of our dramas… even if they seem not to be dramas at all.

In the end Selector WIXXOS is a solid constant trough its entirety, always pushing the drama to a, sometimes polemic minded, interesting extent, it has strong characters, enough plot mysteries, and the awe so loved human pathos we expect from a series this kind.

So I loved that the girls suffered, for their suffering was not an empty message for me at all… cool, eh?

Selected infected the anime that takes the fun card game genre, then breaks it down and gives it a fun outer appearance with dark insides.

Story: 9
The story is the best part of this anime as it takes a popular genre in this it is card games and deconstructs it while giving it a dark theme similar to Madoka Magica. The story is primarily about the main character Ruuko being chosen to become Selector in the card game WIXOSS, to which the story focuses on her darker inner self enjoying the battles for fun rather than wanting to become a eternal girl which creates a dark ... setting that is enjoyable and interesting. But the story is slow at the start and is hard to get into until you reach episode 4 or 5 which can cause you to drop the anime.

Art: 7
The art in the anime is nothing special and is comparable to K-On as they have the same style, but the card battles are good and nice to look at.

Sound: 7
The sound okay it is neither awesome nor crap; it fits the show well especially the opening and ending that have a dark and depressing feeling to them but I didn't really find them nice to listen to and were skipped every time after the first ep and were not worth downloading.

Characters: 8
The characters of WIXOSS have varying personalities that include nice and sweet to depressing to downright insane which seems unbelievable to there cute appearances in both the Selectors and LRIGs. There were no archetypes in this anime like Tsundere or anything like that as they felt quite original to me which also brings up the character development some go through a lot character development like Ruuko and Yuzugi which refreshes the show more while some don't like Akira and Kazuki who rarely appear despite being listed as Main.

Enjoyment: 9
I enjoyed it but it was a slow start.

Selector Infected WIXOSS was really good. It was basically the JC Staff version of Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica but don't think that it was a complete ripoff just because that's the way I put it. Really, it shares a lot of aspects (Selectors are all girls just like Magical Girls are all girls of course, they can get wishes granted, can become tainted by their wish, must keep fighting). WIXOSS however is a card game where the girls don't usually lose their lives however some girls suffer fates worse than death. For example one girl's wish was to have friends but when her wish became ... tainted, not only did she lose the friends she made already but she was also never able to make friends ever again and was put in excruciating pain if anyone being friendly touched her. In WIXOSS, girls who get cards with LRIGs are the Selectors and LRIGs grant wishes but do not tell the full details as to how wishes get granted and we'll leave it at that.

The characters are wonderful. Ruko is a sweet young girl who's shy and cute and likes having fun but clearly has something weird going on with her past because she was given up by her parents and forced to live with her grandmother. Her friend Yuzuki is strong willed, her friend Hitoe is shy but very nice and you just wanna root for her.

The music was great. The opening theme "killy killy Joker" will be stuck in my head for a long time and will go down as one of my favorites. The ending theme had a dark inflection with descending tones. The music of the show was pretty normal.

The animation was just great. It wasn't brightly colored which went along with the subliminal dark theme of the show. The fighting between the LRIGs was very fluent and cool.

In the show you'll see things like bullying, incest, heartbreak, near mental breakdowns. It's all good stuff. The only problem I'd say is that it's not emotional enough. It didn't pull the heart strings nearly as much as I'd hoped like Madoka did.

I DO recommend the show though.

Selector Infected WIXOSS: 8.5

Up until now, we have the deconstruction of mecha anime (Neon Genesis Evangelion), oh and lets add the deconstruction of magical girls anime (Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica) so lets talk about the deconstruction of card game anime (maybe, not that serious as the two animes above), Selector Infected WIXOSS.

So, SIW's premise is about Ruko Kominato, your typical loner girl that have no friends. And one day, while having dinner, her older brother gave her a box of cards called the currently famous WIXOSS card game played by girls and boys. By her surprise, one of her cards talked! And here, we will know the untold ... story of the mysterious card game and the Selectors.

And there goes the saying "Story may be deceiving". If you really thought that it would turn out to be your type of Yu-Gi-Oh anime, then you are wrong. This is a split-cour anime so just go with the flow. Story wise, Mari Okada who is known for Anohana and Nagi no Asukara creates this series together with the Director of Steins;Gate (I don't remember the name, so sorry) in this studio, J.C. Staff so be aware again with this two.

Another thing in this series is that the fact that you get this Madoka vibes because of the twists and some of the characters and maybe that's true but I really don't want to compare this two, I really like Psychological genres and BOOM!

The art, itself was not so awesome but pretty mediocre to my eyes. There are parts that dark scenes are pretty dark and white scenes are pretty white so I can't see it that well. The action scenes is a lackster in this series, the card games also just lasted for a minute or some seconds. And lastly, the series not explained that well the rules of playing WIXOSS but maybe, thats because they more focused on the plot.

One of the outstanding thing here is the sounds though it was not that noticeable. I really enjoyed the BGM when there is a battle and some dramatic thing. The Opening theme got me really and have an LSS on it, the Ending theme is really good too. Really can't say anything about it.

However, the characters. This is a con to the series because the main character, herself was not really relatable and not developed that much. There are some characters that I found developed and they are Yuzuki and Hitoe. Now that I think it, Yuzuki is not likable in the first half due to the fact that she lover her twin brother, romantically. And Hitoe just wants friends but really don't have confidence. But now, they really stands by their way that really make me happy about them. Iona and Akira was not really likeable and pretty mysterious and never developed. And the cards, well, mixed emotions. I like them but at the sometimes, I disliked them.

So overall, I had a heck of a ride from Selector Infected WIXOSS. There are some elements that I didn't liked about this series but still, a blast and the plot twists from it is enough for me to give this show a high score. Some may agree and some may not agree but if you like dark animes, try this one. I surely hope that the second season would not disappoint. You have my respect, Ms.(or Mrs) Okada.

Anime Series Review No.16

Score:
Plot: 8 (Very Good)
Characters: 8 (Likable and Memorable)
Music: 8 ( Worth Listening Too)
Art style: 8 (Very good)
Personal Enjoyment (9/10)

Overall: (8/10) (Very Good) ( my enjoyment don’t add with my actual score)
...
(My Defence)
This Review will only focus on the 1st season alone any events of the 2nd season won’t affect this review. The rating is solely for first season alone.
In more than a decade I have seen many card game base titles that focuses mostly in promoting the product than making an actual plot or real characters to care about and sadly mostly those titles target demographics are little boys that are meant to be mind control for them to beg for their parents money or ask them to buy this cards. One anime did that tactic very well and that is Yu Gi Oh Duel Monster for perfectly appealing its target audience to buy the cards for childish logic it’s cool and awesome. But is that a basis of a good card game show? Does card game show need to sale big to be credited as a good title? For me, it’s not good if you are watching the show not because of its character and actual story, then you are just watching as T.V commercial than an actual show. And let’s be honest we just watch Yu Gi Oh to see what’s card Yugi will use and you will find that card and buy it and eventually use it to feel like you are that character. This is prime example of good marketing strategy not a good story presentation. I won’t expand this further since this is not the anime I will focus reviewing on.

Now it’s time focus on my main review on “Selector Infected Wixoss”. How is Yu Gi Oh short preview relevant to this Selector review? Simply because Selector Wixoss is the very first serious card game anime title that has ever been release. Yu Gi Oh also made the card game genre look serious but in a mature perspective it’s ridiculous. Saving the world with a bunch of card is a child fantasy that adults or mature minds like me won’t buy as a serious story. Selector in the other hand is very different. The anime focuses on the internal conflict of its character that blends very well in the story progression. The card game Wixoss is only a decoration and a plot device to create a trigger for the story to move forward breaking the boundaries of expectation on most people who have already encounter the card game formula stories.You don’t even need to know the rules of the game to understand the main story.

If you asked me personally Selector Wixoss caught me off guard. I thought it was just a card game show that’s promotes the game but I was wrong. After watching the initial episode and reach the middle I concur that this anime is indeed special. I never expected J.C stuff to be serious in making an actual story about this franchise and it earns my highest respect. Take account J.C staff made tons of forgettable adaptations so I rarely expect them to make any special anime especially it’s a card game base adaptation so there is no source material that the show can base its Plot and actual characters. This is now a matter of talent and good directing.

For the Entire Overview I segregated the Elements of the series in 4 categories, Plot, Characters, Music and Art. This element will affect my overall score of the show. My enjoyment is a personal rate so even if I liked in the bottom of my heart, it won’t affect my actual score and so my score is base on the actual quality and substance the anime have.

(Plot 8/10)

The story of Wixoss as I stated in my introduction is original. It doesn’t have any source material to base from unlike adaptation of mangas, video games, visual novels and light novels the studio and the creator have the right to follow the original story to be adapted or not follow the source and create a different story which make it an original. But Selector is a special case since it source material don’t have any actual story in it because it’s just a card game. They can use the existing cards to create the avatars but the core characters and main story is something that is very hard to establish. Good directing and talent is needed to create a successful original story. I will inform you guys as an extra knowledge, not all anime originals ends up to be good story usually anime originals have the biggest chances to fail since unlike adaptations that have plot source on it, source materials plot have more time to be created than anime originals. An author or video game developer have a huge amount of time to construct a story and characters and will just worries the additional continuation that will be added eventually when the author would like to extend the story more and the preparation can be planned from start to end without any deadlines. But when an anime original project starts a short amount of time will be given to plan the story from start to end with the deadlines pressuring the production. This is why I am very impress on how Selector Wixoss turn out.

Going deeper in the topic, let’s tackle more about the actual plot of selector. The story revolves around Kominato, Ruko an introvert girl which has no friends and lives with her grandmother and big brother. One day her grandmother gave her a deck of cards to help her earn friends by playing with the other girls and befriends them. Wixoss was once a popular game for boys but as the passing of time it became very popular to the girls, But unexpectedly a girl suddenly awakens from the inside of the cards her grandmother gave her and immediately the card started to talk, this card are called LRIG’s”, and this started Ruko’s path as a special player called a “Selector”.

In the long run ruko met other girls that have similar LRIGS that revealed that the simple card game that is primary purpose is to make wishes come true have darker truths. The simple and innocent card game became something darker and psychological. It’s not a simple card game to fight for your wishes anymore but a battle that determines your ideals and desperation to counter fate. In a few episodes the psychological parts of the anime greatly immerse with the plot and as the more details have been uncovered about the card battles.

The stake got higher in a considerate way that will keep you intrigued in the outcome of the conflict. Selector Wixoss are one of those rare types of stories you won’t get very much in every season in modern anime. The story is the first is left incomplete and a cliff-hanger is expected but the enjoyment of the quality of the plot just sums up the enjoyment and make it worth waiting for.

Characters (8/10)

All the main cast of the series are likable for the reason even there is a cute girl pandering on their looks but it didn’t dominate their actual personality as a normal teenage girls undergoing puberty and social conflicts with society. I don’t see them as 1 or 2 dimensional archetypes that stay like what they are from the first and last episode. The characters are not dynamic but just alright to add the tension of the show. There is nothing much to explain about them to prevent further. (I won’t break down the characters yet since there is an S2 that cop with the whole character development and fleshing out).

Music (8/10)

(Opening )

Killy Killy Killy Joker by is clearly an awesome opening for Wixoss because it represents the excitement and thrills the show has to offer. And I see it as a fine job in making viewers hooks on the events of the show. I really love classical music and this opening is the best for bringing out classic music with modern pop style. Every time I hear it in my earphones it really reminded me the excitement wixoss has provided me with.

Background Music(BGM)

BGM is properly executed. At times of serious battle we get this funky retro music that spices up the battles and at times the BGM shift to a more serious tone when the psychological mentally is taking place. The BGM is not that unique to any card fights and psychological theme anime but when it is done right I can denied to rate it very good.

(Ending)
“Realize” by Yume no Matsu Basho is something that is extraordinary for an ending in nature. Unlike the opening and BGM, the ending didn’t give me the excitement or tension instead it intrigued me to understand the mystery of the setting. The song “realize” is giving some kind of message on the mystery aspect. But in reality some are just design background of the city no need to over think here.

The last image of the ending video shows a central building and a little girl it has a meaning but I won’t spoil you guys to know the message beforehand. The message is easy to depict as you just need to go on with the series so chill with it.

Art style (8/10)

The cute girl pandering I mentioned before is something that seems out of place in this type of genres. The girls here are pretty cute and moeish in visuals but it didn’t damage the show overall because the grayish dark colors of the background gave the thrilling psychological atmosphere. And in default the girls are not acting cute. So my conclusion the girls are not what they seem to be.

Another commentary I can give is on the battlefields where the actual card game battle took place. The area is just Ok even its visual is very similar to other magical girl theme series which uses grayish and metallic gears as background to depict tension.

Lastly the movement of the characters here are not “Exaggerated”. You won’t see any physic defying movements here, only in the actual battlefields where LRIG’s are fighting each other. Does this make the show boring? It made the show even mature and serious. This is why I like it so much.

Enjoyment (9/10)
Let this score be my personal enjoyment of the show. I really love a properly executed story with plain but extremely relatable characters. The characters are not cool but they surely are respectable girls. The studio didn’t make an obnoxious fan service out of their panties or a yuri to add some flavor.

Subtle emotion shift is properly made because it doesn’t shift tone from serious to normal very fast which most anime do for comic relief. And lastly this is the very first serious card game theme I ever known of that is suitable for mature audience. It’s fresh during the time it is made which made me appreciate it more.

Overall (8/10)
I think J.C Staff should be making more of this kind of titles. I don’t mind the “MOE” art style as long as the story and characters are properly executed to the point even the people who dislike this type of anime themes will appreciate it.

Selector proves that a good show doesn’t need a lot of fan service to keep the audience watching. A good script writing and directing is the key to hook the audience.


(Personal Opinion)

My idea is a minority outside the Japanese target audience so my opinion is not the majority of what the japenese audience like. I like fan service too but not too much but the thing that hook me from anime are decent shows with incredible story and respectable characters. If the fan service is too overblown to the point the only thing I can remember are bloodshed, the boobs or the underwear the female’s are wearing this mean I only see the anime for guilty pleasure not its actual content. Take this as an advice. I am not against in people liking fan service oriented shows but as I grow mature I see decent shows more worth remembering than any other.

I wish we get more shows like Selector Wixoss coming up every season. Decent and respectable characters are the best.

Selector Infected WIXOSS gives the impression of being like another fantasy, girly-girly game anime. WIXOSS is a card game played by teenage girls and boys alike. A few girls that obtain a special card with a so-called LRIG, are called Selectors. Selectors can play with other Selectors in a special battlefield that they can only see. Yes, cute girls playing cards. Or that's what I thought...

After a few episodes, I was hooked. I liked the fact that I was confused, I was puzzled, I was thinking. I was thinking why there was a vague explanation of the whole game. And just when I thought I ... understood it, another twist happened. I also like the pace of the development of the characters. It's neither slow nor rushed, perfect for 12 episodes. There is also this taboo part of the story that for the first time, I actually liked because they portrayed it very clean, not forced, and not in a disgusting way. In the end I was wanting for more. One thing I was particularly annoyed about were the characters' voices, maybe because there were at least 2 characters that sounded alike.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed watching this anime because it teaches a lesson that you'll only realized at the end.