In case you need some context, during Episode 8 of Lycoris Recoil, a scene featured Chisato doing a handstand while she and Takina were helping a Japanese language class. While it’s not as much fan service as other shows, it is revealing for the show’s standards, enough that it went viral among both fans and anime viewers in general who haven’t seen the show. After going viral, fan artists on Twitter and Pixiv have shared their own takes on the Chisato handstand meme, but with other popular anime. Some of the characters that were given the handstand treatment were Miko Iino and Kei Shirogane from Kaguya-sama: Love Is War. There’s also a handstand pose for the four girls from Rent-A-Girlfriend, including Chizuru Mizuhara, Ruka Sarashina, Sumi Sakurasawa, and Mami Nanami. Other characters that got handstand fan art are all five girls in Quintessential Quintuplets, along with Erika Amano from A Couple of Cuckoos. This fan art trend is reminiscent of the Jack-O challenge trend which went viral this time last year. This trend featured artists drawing their favorite characters in the pose of Jack-O from Guilty Gear Strive. Lycoris Recoil is a TV anime by A-1 Pictures that’s directed by Shingo Adachi and written by Asaura. It is an original anime series and it has become one of the surprise hits of Summer 2022. The series’ setting is an alternate version of Japan where the peace is kept by “Lycoris” – an all-female group of assassins and spies. Lycoris agents are tasked with eliminating criminals and terrorists, unbeknownst to the public. The story begins with Takina Inoue, a Lycoris agent who is demoted for disobeying orders. Because of this, Takina is transferred to LycoReco café, an undercover agency branch. There, she is partnered with Chisato Nishigiki. Takina is a serious agent, while Chisato is more laid-back and carefree, making them unlikely partners. Despite this, Takina must get along with her new partner if she wants to get her old post back.
