Lycoris Recoil is cheery and fun on the surface, but there are several instances where one is gonna let the waterworks flow.
Beware of unmarked spoilers!
- Series-Wide:
- The trials Chisato has to go through to live her life. Despite how plucky and happy she is, everyone and everything around her is constantly pressuring her to be a hitwoman, all because of a talent she never asked for. The government agency that plucked her up out of the gutters? They effectively put her in a dead-end job that really only exists so Kusonoki can keep an eye on Chisato and call her in to clean up their problems if things go wrong the moment she stops killing for them. One of her adoptive fathers? He only saved her life from a fatal heart defect because of a terrible life philosophy about how people should play to their natural talents - and he believes so desperately in the idea that Chisato's is killing that he moves heaven and earth to get her to start doing it again, even attempting to force her to execute him when he holds an even better heart for her hostage. A terrorist personally takes time out of his schedule to continually taunt and gleefully exploit Chisato's Thou Shalt Not Kill philosophy, knowing Chisato will never take any action that would lead to his death no matter the crap he puts her or Japan through. Even when she's not struggling with everyone around her trying to make her live her life their way, she has to deal with the fact she won't live to be twenty. The fact Chisato can find any joy in her life is a testament to her pluck - and a pathetic, tear-inducing sight for how much work she has to put in to do so.
- Episode 3:
- Hearing the other Lycoris girls badmouthing Takina for being a "psychopathic teammate killer" is both mean and distressingly similar to real-life bullying. To make it worse, their boss, Kusunoki, doesn't just ignore it, but participates in it to a degree. Seeing Takina receive so much undeserved hate makes you feel sorry for her.
- Takina, despite working so hard to get back into DA, is told point-blank by Kusunoki that she will never get back in, and it's not even for her taking things into her own hands. Takina was dismissed because DA's Radiata AI got hacked by Walnut (a.k.a. Kurumi), and the time of the illegal arms deal that DA got was off by three hours, prompting Kusunoki to make Takina The Scapegoat in order to cover her own ass. This is sad because Takina is such a promising Lycoris agent and got her dream shot down for circumstances beyond her control.
- Erika appears to have no one giving her any sympathy over being taken hostage. In fact, one of the other Lycoris agents thinks that Fuki will "get revenge" for her via the mock battle, showing the clear Lack of Empathy that the Lycoris have for others.
- Episode 5:
- The reveal that Mr. Matsushita never existed and that the man Chisato has been pushing around all day is a random drug addict who is more-or-less already dead is rather sobering.
- Episode 9:
- Due to Himegama short-circuiting Chisato's artificial heart, she only has two months to live. Chisato then explains that she didn't have long either way due to the heart not being expected to work much longer once she hit 18.
- This goes a long way to explain why Chisato is so chipper and helpful all the time: she knows she's Living on Borrowed Time, and wants to make the most of her life before she dies by helping people.
- The reveal of why Yoshimatsu gave Chisato an artificial heart is really sad. Chisato was born with a congenital heart disease, meaning she would die at a young age unless given a new heart. Yoshimatsu did this so that her talent for killing could flourish. But in a dose of Dramatic Irony, Yoshimatsu's own words that he was a "savior" prompted Chisato to take on a non-lethal mantra. He's trying to make her a killing machine when he himself sabotaged that from the get-go.
- Due to Himegama short-circuiting Chisato's artificial heart, she only has two months to live. Chisato then explains that she didn't have long either way due to the heart not being expected to work much longer once she hit 18.
- Episode 10:
- Chisato announces that they plan to close down the café, and sends Mizuki to escort Kurumi to the airport so she can leave the country. Seeing her Breaking the Fellowship like this is just sad.
- Shinji, while speaking with Majima, reveals that he is fully aware that he's the one who got Chisato to take on her Thou Shalt Not Kill mantra, and his attempts to get her to break it are from his desire to correct his past mistake. Seeing that he's more concerned about his work for the Alan Institute than he is for his surrogate daughter's happiness makes you feel sorry for either him or for Chisato.
- It's unclear how much of that is true and how much is saying what Majima wants to hear. Additionally, given that Shinji has visited Chisato many times over the years and has not gone to any serious lengths to push Chisato to kill until very recently, and that he also knows that he cannot provide her with another artificial heart to replace her current one if she doesn't live up to her genius potential as a killer, it's possible that he's trying to help Chisato earn a replacement artificial heart from the Alan Institute that will allow her to live a much longer life, rather than die at age 18.
- Mika fully explains to Chisato what Shinji had planned for her. Though he expects her to hate him for it, Chisato actually thanks him for letting her choose her own life, citing that if she had known the truth earlier she probably would have stayed at DA and hated her own circumstances. This doubles as a moment of Heartwarming because she forgives him for it. Mika, for his part, tells her in tears that he's proud of her as his surrogate daughter.
- During Majima's hijacked broadcast, he tells the people of Tokyo that he's scattered thousands of firearms across the city and encourages them to go nuts with them. This almost immediately ends in tragedy when a civilian finds a handgun. A Tokyo police officer sees him and, when the civilian accidentally points the gun in his direction, shoots said civilian dead, with dozens of onlooking bystanders. This is a tragedy because the officer, lacking exposure to hostile scenarios due to the Lycoris agents eliminating violent criminals and terrorists, did not know how to handle the situation properly and panicked when the civilian (who was trying to surrender) looked like he was pointing a gun at him. Doubles as Nightmare Fuel.
- Episode 11:
- When Kurumi learns that Shinji obtained a new artificial heart for Chisato, the footage shows he obtained it a year prior. This implies that he may have planned to blackmail Chisato long before he had Himegama sabotage her heart. This continues to build on how Shinji seems to value the Alan Institute's mission more than his surrogate daughter's happiness.
- Majima reveals the existence of the Lycoris agents to the public, and frames them for a massacre inside Enkuboku tower. Seconds later, an armed civilian shoots a patrolling Lycoris, who kills him in her last moments. Everyone who witnesses this completely panics. Majima is getting everything he wanted and there's seemingly nothing that can be done to undo the damage.
- On another level, Majima told people to identify Lycoris agents by the uniforms they wear. But what about schoolgirls who aren't Lycoris agents and have similar uniforms? It's all too likely they're going to get picked on in tragic cases of Mistaken Identity.
- Episode 12:
- Shinji proves to be an absolute monster when he gives Chisato this line."I didn't wind up the springs of a dying doll for something like that."note
- Shinji has put the new artificial heart into his own chest, meaning that if Chisato wants it, she has to kill him to get it. How can he be so goddamn cruel to his own surrogate daughter?! At the same time, the viewer realizes that Shinji has become a Death Seeker due to his desperation to get Chisato to kill.
- Later, Takina is knocked through a glass window by Himegama and left dangling from a girder. Though Himegama is subdued temporarily, Shinji starts shooting at Takina, forcing Chisato to shoot him with a live round. Chisato's scream of anguish and the utterly broken look on her face right afterwards is heartbreaking. She then learns the shot isn't fatal, but Shinji keeps trying to get her to kill him. She outright declares that she hates him for this, but the viewer can tell from her tone that she doesn't mean it. She then gives him back her pendant and tells him to live healthily in her stead.
- Takina desperately tries to kill Shinji and Himegama in order to get the artificial heart, but Chisato throws off her aim until she runs out of bullets. Takina is practically screaming at Chisato that she doesn't want her to die, only for Chisato to talk her down by claiming she could never live with herself if she got to survive at the cost of Shinji's life.
- Moreover, when this happens, Takina says "The heart is getting away!". She doesn't even consider Shinji a person anymore, and only cares about getting Chisato's last chance back.
- Shinji proves to be an absolute monster when he gives Chisato this line.
- Episode 13:
- In order to get the artificial heart and save Chisato's life, Mika murders Shinji while looking him in the eye, crying all the while. Mika never lost his feelings for Shinji, and the look of anguish on his face is palpable.
- Shinji left a note with the artificial heart congratulating Chisato on her "new life", with the note assuming that she killed him. Mika tears this part out of the note and disposes of it. You know he's lying to protect her, but you can easily tell it hurts.
- Chisato tries to gloss over it, but it's clear Takina is seething when she finally gets an explanation out of Chisato for why the latter left for a quiet island without saying goodbye. When Chisato woke up in the hospital following her victory against Majima, she didn't realize she had been given a heart transplant, and silently escaped. Chisato was fully intent on Dying Alone, and while she doesn't say it outright, the implication is clear as day; she didn't want to tie Takina down with having to constantly worry about Chisato as Chisato neared her end, hence why she went to a tropical paradise to live out her last days in comfort. That Chisato thought this was a good idea shows just how sickeningly selfless she is, and how unaware she is of the heartache she causes.
