(TL;DR questions at the end)
Unlike with the majority of other anime recap movies, which can still make perfect sense to those who haven’t watched the original series it’s adapting to film, Selector Destructed is a true ‘speedrun’ of the Selector story, skipping over huge chunks of the narrative and adding new clips which only carry impact if you’ve previously had the chance to watch these characters grow.
For reference, most recaps will adapt HALF A COUR (~6 episodes) per 1.5 - 2 hour movie, still having to cut several scenes to compress the storyline. If Selector were to follow this format, it would need FOUR movies to even begin telling a self-contained story for those who didn’t have any previous knowledge. Not only that, but with the extra scenes, I would estimate less than 20% of the original content actually made it into Selector Destructed.
I’m sure that Selector Destructed served its original purpose well - giving people back in 2016 a quick review of the story so far (which began in 2014), right before Lostorage started airing. In the modern day, however, it does seem to be (aside from the ~15 minutes worth of extra scenes) mostly redundant to all but the most dedicated of fans.
—————> TL;DR <—————
Q: “Is Selector Destructed WIXOSS a good movie?”
A: Yes, but only if you’ve already watched Selector Infected WIXOSS and Selector Spread WIXOSS. It is particularly handy if you’ve taken a break, and wish to start watching Lostorage without having to binge all 24 episodes of Selector again.
Q: “Can I watch this instead of Infected and Spread?”
A: NO. This is not a good way to enjoy the story for the first time, and will likely leave you confused or even hating the show.
Q: “Is this worth watching for casual fans?”
A: It really depends. The extra scenes aren’t essential to understanding the main plot, simply helping to flesh out some of the characters and their backstories a little. Beyond anything else, it depends on how much you enjoyed the series and how willing you are to sit through a recap for the backstory content.
