Chuunibyou Demo Koi Ga Shitai [First Impressions Teamup]

KyoAni’s Fall offering includes the usual fare it’s (in)famous for: moe, pretty animation and……delusional superpowers? What’s that doing in a guaranteed moefest like Chuunibyou?

Before we start, in the quirky spirit of the series, we’re going to mix things up by teaming up as a superhero duo. We’ll each have our say and hopefully, entertain you with our different takes on the show. So, without further ado, let the joint Myna-Yippy First Impression begin!

Summary: Yuuta Togashi enters a distant high school to run away from his embarrassing past. There, he meets and befriends quirky Rikka Takanashi, who’s the embodiment of chuunibyou (8^th grade sickness). She later convinces him not to throw away his past chuunibyou phase possessions…for now.

First, a short recap about what ‘eighth-grade sickness’ is about:

Chuunibyou (中二病), or “Middle-school 2nd Year Syndrome (Eighth Grade)”, is a colloquial and rather derisive term in Japan which describes a person at the age of fourteen would either act like a know-it-all adult, or thinks they have special powers no one else has.

~Pixiv Encyclopedia

Yippy

Throughout the show, Yuuta expresses his desire to get rid of his embarrassing chuunibyou phase. In fact, he goes so far as to transfer to a further school just to escape his reputation. However, fate comes a-calling in the form of Rikka Takanashi, who convinces him not to abandon his chuunibyou possessions. To completely erase or embrace your childhood-that is going to be the main theme in Chuunibyou, I think. Should one shun his or her childhood like Yuuta because it’s ‘embarrassing’? Or should one embrace and continue that imaginative (or delusional) phase? If you ask me, a balance between the two extremes is the best.

For most of the show, Yuuta and Togashi just shared a great chemistry. Yuuta’s over-the top reactions to Rikka’s adorable views (like when he reacted to her “Dark Flame Master” reveal) was just hilarious! I think the seiyuu for Yuuta and Rikka (Jun Fukuyama and Uchida Maaya respectively) are also to thank for the duo’s charm-they sound so lively and in the zone. My favourite moments are the nurse’s office part and of course, the now-infamous ‘slapping’ scene (it looks more like knocking to me…).

Now, I know it’s not an ecchi/harem show, but I’m curious about the other female leads. Will they pose a threat to the obvious favourites Rikka and Yuuta? Or will they serve only to develop Yuuta and further the plot? Personally, I think Rikka and Yuuta will not see any challengers, but I’m curious about the blonde in the OP. I know, I’m a sucker for moe……

Myna

Getting past the seizure-inducing opening sequence, I actually really enjoy the idea this show has. Exaggerating the mindset of middle schoolers? Sweet.  That being said, I still had plenty of issues with this.

First off, KyoAni. Could you please step outside of your comfort zone for once? Aren’t you people tired of animating the “normal guy who just wants to be normal but can’t because there’s a moeblob in his way” shtick? Well, no, because you’re still making truckloads of money, but whatever.

Okay, Fukuyama Jun is up there with Sugita Tomokazu for funniest male seiyuu ever. But holy shit, his voice just does not match up with Yuuta’s character design at all. Every character, even the males, look like girls. I’m actually a bit disturbed as to just how moe the art style is.

My final main complaint is that I could’ve done without the dorama at the end. Seriously, if Chuunibyou fully embraces its premise and runs like fucking hell with it, then I can definitely enjoy it. So long as it doesn’t get too annoying that is.

Think About-!

What are your feelings on Chuunibyou (or eighth-grader syndrome, not the anime)? Were you in that phase before? Are you still in that phase?

What would you do if you faced a scenario like in the beginning of the show, where some random girl just rappels down your apartment block?

Any pairings in the cards for Yuuta and the other gals? Or will it be ‘First Girl Wins’ with Yuuta?

Well, that’s it for our teamup this time. If you’d like to see more in the future or have some suggestions, toss us a comment! Sorry for the lack of pictures and tardiness-my management skills and punctuality still need a lot of fine tuning. However, the team and I will try our best to improve things.

Till next time!