Lostorage Incited Wixoss: A Memory Is a Terrible Thing to Waste

It has been a while since I’ve discussed Wixoss, but it’s time to do so once again. For this round, I’ll be discussing each Lostorage series separately because of how different they are. You know, despite them being in the same zone with the same first part of the title. The reason why I didn’t do that was due to the selector series is because Selector Infected Wixoss and Selector Spread Wixoss are one singular season split by a matter of months. When writing about the selectors, it made more sense to cover them all in one post. I cannot say the same for Incited and Conflated. Incited is much more grounded then either selector series or Conflated. That doesn’t mean that the joining of the two doesn’t matter because Incited is a fantastic set up for the Conflated which is where all hell breaks loose. Again.

In the Lostorage Wixoss series, the game itself is a different than anything that was in Selector. The basics of the game are still the same. A player still has an LRIG they use to combat other LRIGS and they must win using their special abilities and different types. After the basics are new rules. For instance, Selectors must fight in a space of 90 days. Another one is the coin memory system that dictates when a Selector wins. A player starts with between 4 and 1 coins that are based on memories and each win means the selector becomes closer to winning their turn. At 5 coins, a selector can change any memory they want at a cost. Also, the selectors can bet an extra coin during combat to unleash their LRIG’s special ability which changes the state of the game. So there you go, the premise of the new game.

What makes Lostorage Incited Wixoss so different is how grounded it is compared to the other series. While the continuous LRIGS and Selectors switching bodies is still in place, that’s the top layer or upper crust of how crazy this show gets. Otherwise, it’s a simple yet powerful character drama because the main villain is just a scummy human, called The Broker, who gets off on people fighting battles and losing their morales as they get desperate. You know, the usual stuff. Defeating that guy and showing how strong a person can be is a pretty classic kind of story but being a classic story doesn’t mean that its bad. If anything. A classic story sticks around because it resonates with people and can be continued to brought into more stories because of that fact.

Lostorage Incited Wixoss is the story of two girls that failed to keep their friendship after leaving each other. Those two girls being the ever cheerful, positive, and naive Suzuko Homura and the more down to Earth and broken Chinatsu Morikawa. While both have had difficult lives, what is different is how their relationship kept them positive until they couldn’t. Suzuko has never aimed high, but after returning to the city she grew up, she becomes lonely and is in search of friends. Her only wish before becoming a Selector is finding Chinatsu once again. Chinatsu on the other hand has had everything go wrong in her life and she deliberately forgets who Suzuko is to forge her own path in the land of edgy.

So once again, the series is about friendship but this time friendship that is new and old. As Chinatsu dives deeper and deeper into forgetting who she was to become the Darth Vader to the Emperor known as the Broker, is it possible for her to return? Can the weaker Suzuko save her older friend? Well yes, through the power of friendship she’s gained while playing Wixoss and at school, Hanna who works professionally in the world of writing for it. First, Hanna is a little cold but some good friendship and delicious desserts can change any person’s point of view. With that training, Suzuko does it at the highest level of skill possible.

Another major difference in this series compared to the Selector Wixoss series is that not all selectors are cute girls anymore. There are male players thrown in the mix too. One is Chinatsu’s friend she made during middle school who might have a crush on her. Another boy is searching to somehow get back his younger sister and is constantly weighed down by this feeling when competing with the girls. All of which are united by the very twisted Broker who constantly pushes characters around for their own gains and losses in ways that are either matched or mismatched for the other opponents. You know, including himself as he gets people to do his bidding in order for him to win. Yeah, he’s that kind of villain but he’s a fun one.

In the end Lostorage Incited Wixoss is a good series. It has all the character drama and its very well grounded. In fact, unlike the selector wixoss series, the rules have never been clearer and play easily inside the story without digging into the levels of godhood like selector. I think that’s a strength and a weakness because it can be pretty boring sometimes while waiting for something explosive to happen, but there is a lot of personality and honest that keeps the show going and interesting. Also, the art and animation are a little stronger than the previous series too. Defeating a lonely god is a trade off for a more tightly knit story. A good one because it makes it more unique yet the same thing. Still a good series. I think it’s a good just like both Selector Infected and Selector Spread Wixoss! Look forward to Lostorage Conflated Wixoss on Friday! 😀

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