「First Impressions」selector infected WIXOSS

New season of Anime means new Anime to watch and I've decided to try my hands at doing these First Impressions thing people are massively doing!

Screenwriter Okada Mari, director Satou Takuya, and character designer Sakai Kyuuta brings about something I just couldn't ignore. With these three in the staff, I simply had to peek at selector infected WIXOSS!

I will make your wish come true
Even if it means hurting someone
Even if it means hurting myself
So please, when your wish comes true
     ...I wish for you...
          ...to smile

Before beginning, please be advised that since this will contain screenshots and since this is actually me giving my thoughts on it - it falls down in the category of review. Spoilers ahead, you have been warned

WIXOSS is a card game that's popular with teenagers. Supposedly there exist "Rulig -RLIG- Cards," female character cards with wills of their own. Special girls can hear the voices of the Ruligs, and those who possess them are called Selectors. These Selectors have card battles in a dimension that other humans cannot access. It's said that whoever triumphs in these battles will have their wish granted. Ruko Kominato is the latest girl to find a Rulig card. She names hers Tama, and without any further explanation is thrown into her life as a Selector.

I'm one for card games, but Anime about card games usually tend to just... well... plainly suck. But as I stated earlier, the staff just had to make me check this out

It starts off with dark undertones and gives off a Madoka-esque feeling and if synopsis was given out ahead of time, I totally would have not see a card game thing coming out. As it goes on, we find Kominato Ruuko -voice by Kakuma Ai- recently moved into town and is pretty much friendless -introverted-.

We then find out that all the rage with teenage girls right now is a card game called WIXOSS -read as "we cross" best I can come up with for the phonetics- However, rule of Anime state that a Card Game is not just a card game and we quickly see that in action when Ruuko starts hearing voices coming from her LRIG.

Those who can hear the voices of their Avatar Card -LRIG- are deemed chosen (by what or who I have no clue) as Selectors who fight card real-like battles in a mirror world-esque dimension in order to win the rights of being the Eternal Girl. Where upon they'll be able to create a miracle of their choosing. Sounds like a QB thing much no? If, you however, lose three (3) times, then you forfeit your rights of being a Selector and your wish will not come true as you'll be sealed out. The extent of the consequences of losing aren't introduced yet, but if the dark undertones are anything to go by, it should be something to really despair about.

Kurebayashi Kuzuki -voice by Sakura Ayane- brings about the short explanation and quickly challenges Ruuko in hopes of getting an easy win. Her twin Kurebayashi Kazuki -voice by Kobayashi Yuusuke- interferes during the start and explains the rules to the newbie in order to even out the playing field a bit. We also get a vague idea of what Kuzuki wants and it sounds like she wants some incest -to me anyway-. The dark and gritty aspect of a forced wish starts us off with a pretty deep psychology factor

The Avatars -Tama -voice by Kuno Misaki- and Hanayo -voiced by Kawasumi Ayako-- we see are cute looking -moe- but when in battle there's a certain vibe to them that starts to throw you off. Not to mention the fact that those dreams we see aren't all that flowers and daisies either. Tama -Ruuko's now named Avatar- brings a stronger challenge to Kuzuki and might have lost the game if it weren't for outside interference -which results into a no-gamer-. They become friends? later and it ends there.

The subtle hints of psychological despair has been thrown around in the pilot and it wasn't bad. It's pretty underwhelming for those who thought it would go straight into a big dark angst, but a build up suspense is always a good thing in my opinion. The characters are made into a way that's quite believable in terms of personality and it puts a big emphasis on the whole 'don't judge a book by it's cover line' concerning the Avatars as well as the Game and the Rules itself.

Those thinking about whether to pick it up or not... apply the 3-episode rule since it might carry on. With Satou as director we might be looking at a lengthy prologue like Steins;Gate was made to be. But since it's only planned as a 12 episode season, the so-called drop should happen soon...

Verdict: Watching
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