Takanashi Rikka Kai: Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! Movie

If you're reading this, then I'm going to blindly assume that you've at least seen the first season of the Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai TV-series, and if you haven't you should go do so this very second as you should definitely not try watching this movie otherwise.

As the synopsis states, Takanashi Rikka Kai is simply a recap of the first season of the TV-series, however it is (naturally) shorted down immensely and also mostly seen from Rikka's perspective this time around. Most of the side stories are cut off, and the movie focuses almost solely on the relationship development between Yuuta and Rikka, which ... in the end is the most important part of the story, however in the very rushed format that the movie version has it definitely didn't come out as good in comparison in the end. Then again I guess that is somewhat to be expected when it comes to recap movies.


That is not quite all there is to it however (almost though), as you can roughly divide this film into three parts:

The first 10 minutes consist entirely of new content which tries to showcase just how good the "Chuuni-fights" will look when enhanced with modern day cinema-quality CGs (on top of KyoAni's typically high production values), as well as being just the good old Chuunibyou comedy and everything else that comes along with it.

The second part is basically the story itself which covers maybe 75% of the playtime, and it is pretty much simply what I stated earlier. If you've got a crystal clear recollection of the events of the first season of the TV-series you will notice some minor changes every so often regarding the spoken lines, music and shorter scenes but 95% of it is material you've already seen in the original anime airing.

Finally the third part covering roughly the final 10 minutes of the movie is partially an epilogue to the story thus far, and also a bit of a preview/teaser for the second season of the TV-series, which at the time this movie had its subs released had already started airing almost 2 months prior so most likely there won't be anything in the final part that will be news to you either if you're a fan of the series.


As a final verdict then, would I consider Takanashi Rikka Kai worth watching?
If you're a fan of the series, then yes I would recommend you to at least try it out. No, it is not as good as the TV-series, nor is there a whole lot of material that you won't already have seen but hey it's still Chuunibyou, and you can never go wrong with that.
If you're someone who merely thought the TV-series was alright but nothing spectacular, then I would probably recommend you to watch the first 10 minutes of it, as that was the only *really* new segment and since I'm going by the assumption that whomever reads this has already seen at least the first season, then with that taken into account the opening part was quite frankly the best part of the entire movie.

Overall, this is definitely not the best way to properly enjoy the Chuunibyou franchise, but if you're just looking for some additional icing on the cake, you need not look any further than this.

This isn't a "retelling from Rikka's perspective" this is literally just scenes replayed from the anime, some of which Rikka wasn't around for. When I read this was from her perspective I really liked the idea, thinking it would feature more scenes that took place before the show when she saw Yuuta the first time and her thoughts on their relationship throughout the show, but I got my hopes up thinking that was the case as is not. I'm not sure who this movie is for, if you've never seen the show then this shortened version doesn't give you full satisfaction you would get from ... just watching the show, if you have seen the show then its just an hour of flashbacks. If you've seen it then watch the opening scene and skip to the last half hour. That being said the last bit was pretty heartwarming, would have been better as an OVA.

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.

First time viewers of Chuunibyou should not watch this unless if they have already seen season 1. Almost the whole film is pretty much just a recap of the first season, even got to the point of reusing almost every scene. The reason why first time viewers shouldn't watch this is because, again, it's merely just a recap and won't show every episode. I personally think that the only important scene of the film is the ending, since it's more of like an epilogue and closes off season 1. Of course, you don't have to watch the film since it's optional and it's fine if ... you want to skip it.