Wixoss: A different kind of card game anime
Noirit Mustapha
Typically when one thinks of card game anime, the first thing one will think of is Yu-Gi-Oh, the world renowned franchise that has lasted for a few decades now. Others might even mention Duel Masters while a very small select crowd will ever mention Cardfight Vanguard. The one thing these typical anime have in common however is their need to constantly point out the rules and effects of the game, very blatantly meant to promote the merchandise for the series. One anime last year however took the idea of a card game anime and turned it on its head. Written by the famed Mari Okada, Wixoss was an anime series that made people see just how dangerous such childrens games could get.
Ruko Kominato is given a deck from a brand new card game called Wixoss by her brother, and soon discovers the trump card in her deck can speak to her. She, along with several other girls in the city, was chosen as Selectors, who must fight amongst each other until only one remains standing. The winner was allowed the fulfilment of any one wish they wanted. However, incurring three losses would instead be punished with the reversal of her wish and exclusion from being a Selector ever again. Given the cute art style of the show, it then comes as a surprise to see just how harsh and cruel so many of these battles and characters can be. Instead of ever talking too much about every card, the battles are shown as simple fights. The main focus is how this magical game turns everyones lives into one huge mixed tragedy.
The show ran for two seasons of 12 episodes each. The first one, selector infected WIXOSS, covered the tragedy well enough but pulled a surprising sequel hook. Season 2, selector spread WIXOSS, continued in the same trend but managed to output a more ideal ending to the story. If that turns out to be your cup of tea, Wixoss might be worth a shot.
