A few days ago Kinky sent me a link to let me know Lycoris Recoil, one of our favorite anime of last year, was voted the #1 spot by Japanese fans, surpassing the other absolute bangers of last year like Chainsaw Man and Bocchi the Rock. While it made for an interesting read, I found out that the survey itself only had about 8,000 responses from Japanese folks who use an anime streaming service, and of that many were on the younger side of things. And as we all know younger people are wild and their opinions cannot be trusted. I kid (kinda), but regardless I’m happy to see people praising the show because Lycoris Recoil was an absolute standout last summer thanks to its beautiful action and endearing characters. Back when it was airing though, I did see one big complaint: there was too much yuri bait and not enough yuri.
As a guy who faps to almost exclusively yuri content with a dangerous futa fap every once in a while, I’m pretty used to these claims. On one hand I do get it, the main characters of the anime have several bait scenes throughout the season where you start thinking “uh, are they gonna get together?” and yet it never happens. I know that can get tiring out there for those who enjoy shipping or simply want to see relationships happen if the author is gonna bother teasing them, but on the other hand it’s not like the show ever marketed itself as a romance. Personally I don’t care about a bit of yuri or yaoi teasing as long as the overall show is still a solid experience without it. Now if we’re talking about a romance where we just tease fucking yuri for 11 episodes and then get a damn hug and a “we should go out maybe” at the end, I’ll be a livid boy in that situation because that was the main focus. However in Lycoris Recoil the possibility of a romance is an afterthought that comes up here and there, only baiting the audience a small amount of the time. Generally speaking I don’t find myself too disappointed by baiting because from a sexual perspective I can just look at lewd fanart or the plethora of yuri doujinshi in the world to get my fix, and from a writing perspective if it’s not a huge consumption of the anime’s focus and doesn’t weigh down the show’s pacing then sure. I do see how it could be bothersome for people wanting representation, but hey baby that’s just anime. Baiting the audience for five thousand years as “lovers” go through fifty misunderstandings an episode while accomplishing nothing is often the standard for many relationships.
I don't need canon fap material when this kind of stuff exists baby.
Thankfully Lycoris Recoil didn’t go that route, and if you find yourself wanting a fun, short, enjoyable ride then I do encourage you to give it a chance if you haven’t already. While I personally wouldn’t put it as my AOTY for 2022 like the poll, it definitely makes the top five. As long as you are prepared that none of the possible romantic inclinations are ever acted upon, there’s not much to dislike. How do you feel about shows baiting relationships that don’t happen? Is it okay if the baits don’t take much time, or do they always feel like a waste? Does an anime that consist of mostly baiting have any value? Grab your gun, avoid some death flags, and almost fall in love in the comments below!
