Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai!

Everybody has had that stage in their life where they have thought themselves to be special, different from the masses of ordinary humans. They might go as far as seeing themselves capable of wielding mystical powers, or maybe even believe themselves to have descended from a fantasy realm. This "disease" is known as "chuunibyou" and is often the source of some of the most embarrassing moments of a person's life.

For Yuuta Togashi, the scars that his chuunibyou has left behind are still fresh. Having posed as the "Dark Flame Master" during his middle school years, he looks back at those times with extreme embarrassment, so much so that he decides to attend a high school far away where nobody will recognize him. Putting his dark history behind him, he longs to live a normal high school life.

Unfortunately, he hasn't escaped his past yet: enter Rikka Takanashi, Yuuta's new classmate and self-declared vessel of the "Wicked Eye." As this eccentric young girl crashes into Yuuta's life, his dream of an ordinary, chuunibyou-free life quickly crumbles away. In this hilarious and heartwarming story of a boy who just wants to leave his embarrassing memories behind, the delusions of old are far from a thing of the past.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Takanashi, Rikka Main

Uchida, Maaya Japanese

Dekomori, Sanae Main

Uesaka, Sumire Japanese

Togashi, Yuuta Main

Fukuyama, Jun Japanese

Nibutani, Shinka Main

Akasaki, Chinatsu Japanese

Tsuyuri, Kumin Main

Asakura, Azumi Japanese

Takanashi, Touka Supporting

Sendai, Eri Japanese

Isshiki, Makoto Supporting

Hoshi, Souichirou Japanese

Togashi, Kuzuha Supporting

Fukuhara, Kaori Japanese

Togashi, Yumeha Supporting

Shitara, Mami Japanese

Kannagi, Kazari Supporting

Shirakawa, Manami Japanese

Nakamura, Shinichi Producer

Saitou, Shigeru Producer

Ishihara, Tatsuya Director, Storyboard

Tsuruoka, Youta Sound Director

Reviews

Sep 15, 2024

AnimeExplorer21

Recommended

As someone who's had their fair share of embarrassing middle school moments, I instantly connected with Yuuta's struggles to shed his "chuunibyou" persona. And Rikka? Oh Rikka, you adorable weirdo, I love you! Her antics had me laughing out loud, but also made me feel all the feels when she opened up about her past.

The supporting cast is equally lovable, especially Dekomori and Nibutani. Dekomori's long hair is stunning, and her petite stature only adds to her adorable factor. Her enthusiasm is infectious, and she's always ready to dive into Rikka's fantastical world. Nibutani, on the other hand, brings a sweet and subtle charm, often ... serving as the voice of reason while hiding her own quirky side.

The animation and soundtrack are top-notch, with beautiful fantasy sequences and catchy OP/ED songs that I still can't get out of my head!

What really sets Chuunibyou apart, though, is its thoughtful exploration of identity, friendship, and first love. It's not afraid to poke fun at itself, but also knows when to get real and tug at your heartstrings.

I went into this anime expecting a lighthearted rom-com, but got so much more. It's a reminder that it's okay to be weird, to embrace your passions, and to find people who accept you for who you are.

If you haven't watched Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! yet, do yourself a favor and dive in. Trust me, you won't regret it!

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Jan 2, 2025

lycoping

Mixed Feelings

I really have no idea what to make of this anime. I mean, I seriously, really, truly truly, hontouni hontouni have no idea how to rate or review this anime. It's all over the map for me. Truthfully, I only rated it what I did because it's the closest to the average that everyone else did. But, I'm going to try to review it anyway. At the least, it'll help me get my thoughts together, and at the best, I'll have said something interesting you can make use of.

Let me say flat out: this was recommended to me as ... my recommendation for the 2024 Secret Santa, and that is the *only* reason I watched through to the 12th episode. If it weren't for that, I would have dropped it in the second episode. And my feelings about whether or not that was a good idea are still... mixed. I considered it respectful to the person who recommended it to finish it. But, well... umm... I'm still going to be honest in my review.

It did get better. I'll give it that. It got a lot better.

This anime follows our FMC who is a chuunibyou. This is a Japanese word (but not necessarily concept), regarding a child in middle school who takes on a different personality. Apparently a very over the top and dramatic personality, usually. Our FMC calls herself "dark lord shingan", and as the story begins, she just seems, well... completely detached from reality and completely unhinged. But as the series progresses it gets, well... darker, I suppose. There's a reason for it, and that is explored in the last few episodes. I dare not say more, because not only will Shingan get me, well, it'd be a spoiler.

But there's plenty I can say without spoiling.

This anime also follows our MC, who is a "reformed" chuunibyou. He was one in middle school, went to high school in order to escape his chuunibyou path, and, well, ends up being drawn back in. Toss in a middle school girl who thinks she's Shingan's (Rikka's) apprentice, and another girl who is also a "reformed" chuunibyou, and, well... things get weird. Really, really weird. Oh, and how could I forgot the tsundere ladle-wielding older sister?

But funny, too. Thankfully. And a bit heartrending.

The reason this anime is so difficult to review is because I'm not really sure what it was trying to say. It was *clearly* trying to say something, but what it was seemed to change as the anime progressed, and that just ended up confusing the snot out of me. It seemingly started as an anime about regrets, trying to start a new life, and being pulled back in against your will by an unhinged neighbor. It turned into an anime about dealing with unprocessed grief and loss. And it ended up being one about not accepting the status quo and reshaping reality to one's own will. Or something. I still haven't quite figured out what the ending was trying to say. Not being able to stick to one message is its greatest flaw.

Now, all that said, that aside, this anime did a lot of things right. I was afraid when it started that this anime was going to be another one of those anime (like "The Angel Next Door Spoils me Rotten" or "vtuber legend") that makes fun of mental illness or sweeps it under the rug. Very much to its credit, this anime didn't do that, first few episodes notwithstanding. It's questionable whether the FMC was mentally ill, but I think it's clear that something went screwy somewhere. Instead of making fun of it, or pretending it didn't exist, it went deep. The causes and the motivations were explored. Sensitively, frankly, and mercilessly. This is, for the *most* part, the kind of quality story you'd expect from kyoani at its peak. At times (mostly because of the art and animation) I got vibes from Sound! Euphonium, and there was also, I think, a nod to k-on in there somewhere. The animation, music, art, etc., were all top notch - just as you'd expect from kyoani in its prime.

And it was funny. I mean, really funny. The comedy was well executed, especially between the middle schooler and the reformed female chuunibyou (they *hated* each other for a while).

Oh, I kinda have to address its quasi-ecchiness. It's about half ecchi. There aren't any real pantsu shots (think somewhere between K-on and ecchi) but there is definite quasi-sexualization and it would be difficult for me to call this wholesome. Honestly, if they *wanted* to make pantsu shots, they'd just have to, er, draw pantsu. Most of the skirts are short enough to accommodate. But it's not really ecchi either. It's somewhere in between, just on the border of discomfort, and, well... that makes no one happy, right? I don't know why high school uniforms in anime always have skirts that short. It's not realistic and there's only one real reason. Sound! Euphonium handled that well - the girls deliberately hiked up their skirts, and I have it on good first-hand authority that that *does* happen. But if you don't show that, and every single girl has a skirt that short, well, ummm... no excuse, really. That's just to show leg.

And one other thing I considered annoying was its penchant for comedic violence. You know, "choppu", comical bonks on heads, pulling girls by their hair in a quasi-comedic way, sisters throwing ladles, that kind of thing. It just wasn't necessary, and I don't like that. The only thing I can say positively about that (and it's a weak positively) is that some of the violence kind of made sense for the story - it seemed to be the only thing that snapped Rikka out of her chuunibyouness sometimes. But still, IMO, that's no excuse at all.

I can't rate it as high as some might think it should be. I really can't. I love what kyoani produces (and they rarely produce stinkers), but at the end of the day, I just can't get past the fact that they didn't seem to know what story they wanted to tell.

I have a personal reason for my feelings on this anime as well. Let's just say that parts of it hit a bit too close to home, and not in a good way at all.

In summary, this is a good, not great anime, that suffers from a *major* flaw, takes a while to hit its stride and even then isn't sure what its stride is, and I wouldn't blame anyone for dropping this by episode 2. But, as I said, if you slog through a few episodes, it gets a bit (ok, a lot) better, and then kinda falls off again before it ends. Unfortunate. But, shouganai.

I give this an 8, and mixed feelings. And, my feelings on this one are *truly* mixed. I don't know if I'll watch season 2. If I do, it won't be soon.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Dec 13, 2024

MrSlamboni

Not Recommended

This was really painful to watch. The core concept is about people who Live Action Roleplay (LARP). Remember when as a child, you would run around the house shooting imaginary lasers? Imagine doing that in school.... as a teenager. If you told me that beneath the cringe there is something, I wouldn't be able to argue because I cannot get through the cringe. It's like if I was watching the Godfather but in the corner of the screen there is someone pooping into a jar. Yes, I might be able to enjoy the movie if I could ignore him, but I can't do that can ... I?

There also is the aspect where the show tries to preach that fixing your faults is wrong(?) Kind of a weird lesson. Also, why is the main heroine LARPing? Are there people into that? If I put myself into the main character's shoes, I would try to dissociate myself from people like that. It makes it hard to relate to the characters.

Reviewer’s Rating: 2

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