Is There an Original Work Behind the Anime "Lycoris Recoil"? Detailed Explanation of the Author Credit

The anime "Lycoris Recoil" aired from July to September 2022. It was highly regarded for its depiction of cute girls in uniforms engaging in gunfights and its mysterious story developments.

This article explains the origin of the anime "Lycoris Recoil." It also covers the detail about "Spider Lily," credited as the original creator, as well as the relationship between the anime and the published manga and novels.

What is the anime "Lycoris Recoil"?

"DA (Direct Attack)" is a secret organization that trains and raises orphaned children in combat techniques. The girls serving as DA agents—called Lycoris—don their “uniforms,” camouflaged for the city, and secretly protect the safety of the streets without anyone knowing.

Takina Inoue, who belonged to DA Headquarters, is reassigned to Café LycoReco after disobeying orders during a particular incident. There, she meets Chisato Nishikigi, known as the strongest Lycoris in history.

Takina initially wants to earn her way back to DA Headquarters, but she is constantly thrown off-balance by Chisato’s unexpected behavior. However, as Takina comes into contact with Chisato’s strong personal will, her own feelings gradually begin to change.

"Lycoris Recoil" captivates viewers not only with its intense gun action scenes featuring Lycoris girls in cute uniforms but also with the mysteries surrounding Chisato’s life and the Alan Institute. Another highlight is the way the girls, raised in special environments as Lycoris, grow and develop while dealing with inner conflicts.

"Lycoris Recoil" is an original anime with no pre-existing source material

"Lycoris Recoil" is an original anime produced by A-1 Pictures, not based on any manga or novel. On the official website, Spider Lily is credited for the original work, with Shingo Adachi listed as the director and Asaura as the story concept.

Director Shingo Adachi previously served as character designer and chief animation director for popular titles like "Sword Art Online" and "WORKING!!" "Lycoris Recoil" marks his first work as a director. Asaura, credited for the story concept, is also known as the original creator of "Ben-To."

Who is Spider Lily, the original creator?

The official explanation regarding "Spider Lily," credited as the original creator in the anime, has not been revealed. It is said to be a group name for the main staff involved in the production, rather than an individual's pen name.

"Spider Lily" is the English term for higanbana (red spider lily); the genus name for higanbana is "Lycoris." In other words, "Spider Lily" directly relates to Lycoris. Therefore, it is likely that "Spider Lily" is a group credit created specifically for "Lycoris Recoil," rather than a general house name for A-1 Pictures.

A-1 Pictures is a production company well known for its original anime, in addition to producing adaptations of popular manga and novels such as "Your Lie in April," "Sword Art Online," and "Kaguya-sama: Love Is War." "Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day," another original anime produced by A-1 Pictures, also credited "Chou-Heiwa Busters" (Super Peace Busters) as the original creator credit—this was actually the name of a group formed by the characters within the story.

Curious about what happens next? Where can you find spoilers for "LycoReco"?

Since "Lycoris Recoil" is an original anime with no source material, you cannot read about the continuation in any manga or novel. While manga and novels do exist, they are spin-offs or based on the anime, and not sequels.

At the official event "Café LycoReco Presents After Party! Tomorrow is another day." held on February 11, 2023, it was announced that a new animation project was in production. From April 2025, the short movie "Friends are thieves of time." was distributed.

The release date for the new project has yet to be announced. Since only the information that a "new animation" is in production is available, it is still unknown whether this will be a TV series, a theatrical film, or an OVA. Fans are eagerly waiting for more updates.

"Lycoris Recoil" manga adaptations information

There are spin-off manga titles released for "Lycoris Recoil," in addition to its main anime-based manga adaptation. Both were published or serialized after the anime aired, with the anime serving as their base.

・Manga "Lycoris Recoil"
This is a manga adaptation based on the anime. While there are minor differences in dialogue, the story follows the anime’s plot. As of June 2025, six volumes have been published.

Original Work: Spider Lily
Art: Yasunori Bizen
Publisher: KADOKAWA
Serialized in: Comic Flapper, from the October 2022 issue

・Manga "Lycoris Recoil Recollect"This is the official spin-off of "Lycoris Recoil." It’s a short-story collection featuring daily life at Café LycoReco and private episodes of Chisato and Takina. The first volume was published on March 23, 2023.

Original Work: Spider Lily
Art: Kanari Abe
Publisher: KADOKAWA
Serialized on: ComicWalker and Nico Nico Manga (updated on the 2nd and 4th Friday each month)

・Manga "Lycoris Recoil Official Comic Anthology"A short story collection by a lineup of renowned authors featuring LycoReco's various side stories. As of June 2025, seven volumes have been published.

Publisher: KADOKAWA

"Lycoris Recoil" Novel Information

Currently, there are six "Lycoris Recoil" novels. These are also spin-offs, not the original source of the anime. Spider Lily is credited with idea and supervision, but the author is Asaura, the originator behind "Lycoris Recoil." Asaura has been active as a light novel author since receiving the grand prize at the 5th Super Dash Novel Rookie Award.

Asaura is also a firearms enthusiast, with enough knowledge to assist in firearms settings for the light novel "Spy Classroom" (which was also adapted into an anime) or serve as a military supervisor for the manga "Jujutsu Kaisen." It's understandable that the anime "Lycoris Recoil" features authentic gun action given such a production structure.

・Novel "Lycoris Recoil Ordinary days"A spin-off novel for "Lycoris Recoil" by Asaura. It's a collection of stories about the everyday yet extraordinary life at the LycoReco cafe, not depicted in the anime. Six volumes have been released since 2022.

Author: Asaura
Illustrator: Imigimuru
Idea & Supervision: Spider Lily
Publisher: KADOKAWA

Summary

"Lycoris Recoil" is an original anime produced by A-1 Pictures with no manga or novel as its source material. "Spider Lily," credited as the original author, is believed to be a group pseudonym for major staff such as the creator and director. At an event held in February 2023, the production of a new sequel anime was announced. While rewatching the previous "Lycoris Recoil" anime via streaming services, let's look forward to the sequel.

(C)Spider Lily/Aniplex, ABC ANIMATION, BS11

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