Parents' Guide to Lycoris Recoil

TV Crunchyroll Anime 2022
Lycoris Recoil TV poster: Girls in high school uniforms pose by a city skyline. A torn-paper effect shows them holding guns.

Common Sense Media Review

By Danae Stahlnecker , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 15+

Violent girl-power assassin anime has some good messages.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 15+?

Any Positive Content?

  • Lycoris Recoil: Chisato happily clasps Takina's hands.
  • Lycoris Recoil: Takina, lying on the ground, aims a gun at the screen, ready to fire.
  • Lycoris Recoil: A young girl wearing a headset sits at a computer. A Black Japanese man stands behind her, watching her work.
  • Lycoris Recoil: Someone off-screen points a gun at Chisto who is bleeding from a head wound.

Parent and Kid Reviews

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What's the Story?

LYCORIS RECOIL follows the not-so-peaceful days of Takina Inoue (voiced by Xanthe Huynh), a teenage orphan and trained government assassin. After disobeying orders and endangering a teammate, Takina is reassigned to LycoReco -- and undercover branch of the Lycoris agency posing as a café. She works with Chisato Nishikigi (voiced by Lizzie Freeman) to earn a place back at headquarters by managing the café and investigating the mystery behind a terrorist attack that led to her demotion.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say : Not yet rated
Kids say : Not yet rated

Girls with guns protect the peace in this upbeat action anime that has more substance than it seems. Lycoris Recoil has a very silly premise -- but if you can get past the ridiculous world-building of a futuristic Japan that relies on high school orphans to take town terrorists, then you get a story that's actually quite touching. The characters are varied and likable. The themes cover the range of self-discovery, interpersonal relationships, and larger social issues. And overall, the show carefully rides the lines of action, comedy, and slice-of-life.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about identity and values. What does Takina decide is most important to her? What influenced her, and how does she make this decision? What about Chisato?

  • The Lycoris agents use violence to protect the peace for everyday citizens. Do their methods match their stated goals? LycoReco agents use other methods to keep peace and help people. Are they more or less effective than regular Lycoris agents?

  • How does the show portray female characters? Do they follow or reject stereotypes about teen girls? Which characters are positive role models and why?

TV Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by

Lycoris Recoil TV poster: Girls in high school uniforms pose by a city skyline. A torn-paper effect shows them holding guns.

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