Selector Infected WIXOSS - Episode 4

Yuzuki's defeat at the hands of Akira clearly haven't done her state of mind any good, although this is something that she's determined to hide as she chooses to stay the night following that battle at Ruko's house while seeking to avoid her brother as much as possible.

In her upset state, Yuzuki also can't resist letting slip some of the elements of her wish were she to become an Eternal Girl to her friend, which allows Ruko to quickly fill in the blanks.  Still, such moments of angst seem to pass relatively quickly, and soon Yuzuki finds herself properly introduced to, and befriending, Hitoe, allowing the three to form a trio who can play WIXOSS whenever they feel like it - minus their LRIG cards, of course, to avoid engaging one another in proper Selector battles.

As a result, it seems as if things couldn't be much better for Ruko - she's made some friends, she gets to enjoy playing games with grandmother, and she's even getting better at WIXOSS as a result.  However, burning within her is a desire to battle other Selectors, and although Yuzuki in particular tries to protect her when Akira comes calling on the hunt for more "prey", secretly she really wants to engage her in battle, even though she doesn't have a wish to fight for.  When it seems like she's about to get her wish however, circumstances interfere, leading to Ruko meeting another Selector who is not at all impressed by the fact that she's battling for no reason.

The longer it goes on without drawing back the curtain on some of the truths behind its setup, the stranger Selector Infected WIXOSS feels - it has moments that feel like pure card game commercial (constant references to how much fun playing WIXOSS is), which is increasingly jarring against the unsettling tone the rest of the show plays with without yet delving into why its ramping up its ominous atmosphere, especially when the series doesn't prove to be particularly proficient in doing so in a subtle way.  Every time it seems as if we're about to be exposed to some big secret it's snatched away from us, and that can only go on so long before it becomes frustrating - perhaps, now that Ruko seems to be diving deeper into the world of the Selectors, we'll finally be allowed down the rabbit hole.