Takanashi Rikka Kai: Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! Movie

This movie is a summery of the first season of the anime. It works great for specific purposes. If you haven't watched the first season, don't watch it. It doesn't serve as a substitute for watching the anime and it doesn't work as a standalone product. If you just watched the first season, honestly I'd recommend skipping it and going straight into the OVA (slapstick noel) or the second season. What this movie does do well is serve as, well, a recap for season 1. If it's been a while since you watched the first season and you want a quick refresher before getting back ... into the show, this is absolutely the movie for you. The little prologues and epilogues serve as a nice little frame to the recap and add a little extra fun character interaction, but I think other reviews have put a bit too much stock in them. It's not like the movie is split into 3 parts with the prologue and epilogue being the first and third part and the recap in the middle, because the new content is quite short and inconsequential. This movie is 90% recap, >10% new stuff. The new content is clearly where the budget went, the animation is quite well done. None of it is critical to the story, if you enjoy the comedy of the CGI fight scenes from the show you'll enjoy the prologue, and the little epilogue is pretty fun and lighthearted, but again, very short and inconsequential. There is a ~30 second after credits scene that sets up season 2, but you really aren't going to miss anything by not seeing it. I enjoyed this movie as a nice refresher before jumping back into the series, as it had been a couple months since I watched the first season and I wanted to start watching the second. Overall, I liked it, but I definitely would have found it tedious to watch had I seen it right after the first season, and had I never seen the first season, there isn't enough context to the recap scenes to understand whats going on. I wish they'd included a little bit of the other side stories, as I don't feel entirely refreshed on where the characters all stand with each other at the end of season 1, but overall it got me excited to jump back into the series.

Takanashi Rikka Kai: Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! Movie (2013)

Although it is as good as the first season it was also completely unrequired. I never understand why studios think you need this sort of thing. Let's continue new content or let's do a recap with some new scenes? How about just new content.

The story is just from Rikka's point of view apparently which is difficult to see since most of it is rehashed. You do get some new scenes but they are not great. It would have been better to have done bloopers perhaps or another OVA. I don't know to be honest.

The ... art is the same as before, as is the sound. Characters are shown as if you have never seen them before.

The 'movie' is not bad but just pointless if you have seen the first season. If you have seen season 1 then come here for a few extra scenes. If you have only seen this then watch season 1 for a massive influx of new content for you and a storyline that makes more sense or just be lazy and only watch this and move onto the next set of content.

5/10, Not bad just pointless.

This movie markets itself as the story of "Love, Chunibyo, and Other Delusions" but through the eyes (eye) of the series' heroine, Rikka Takanashi. For fans of the series, they may hear this concept like I did and think the following:

"Oh, that sounds awesome! We can see things we've never seen before in the story and see multiple moments from the series remade to be more fantastical and unrealistic to fit into Rikka's Chunibyo."

But instead of doing something cool like that, this movie is just the bare basics of the "Love, Chunibiyo" story to be counted as a recap. Like a cake without any of ... the frosting or the flavoring. Honestly outside of a admittedly really great opening scene and a new ending scene, this movie has nothing of worth to offer. This movie for 95% of itself, doesn't have the soul of the original series and that is obvious with the story obviously feeling like just a random splicing of scenes from the show together that you could find on youtube.

I don't get how this movie has such a high rating, this movie is "Love, Chunibyo" without any of the charm or love the main series and sequel film have. So it doesn't even work as an entry point for new fans.

In the end, skip this movie. Just watch season 1 of the show, then look up the opening scene and ending scene of the movie on youtube and watch that. Then watch season 2, and then the Take on Me Movie because they are really good also. Besides that also check out the shorts, because they are also better then this movie. And boom, you did it! You just saved your self an hour of your time.