Nyoro-n Churuya-san

A masterpiece of its genre. Truly inspiring.

Nyoro-n Churuya-san is literally one of the few anime, if you could call it this way, that were able to make me laugh. Its nonsense, the way the character are so stupid, even their stupid design is something I love.
Watched it with the English Dub, truly exilarating. I would like to say something else (because I'm forced thanks to MAL guidelines), but I have nothing else to say about this piece of art.

But what's with smoked cheese anyway? Does it even exists? Why did they choose it as the main "subject" of the opera? And why Churuya-san, of all ... characters (even if I love her)? Japan is truly a land of wonder sometimes.

| Elegy to the ~Nyoron | The real art of drama.
Nyoro-n Churuya-san focuses on the struggle of a lively school girl suffering from severe dwarfism. A girl named Churuya who fights frantically to obtain what is denied to her. Churuya's very own forbidden fruit, smoked cheese.

Churuya’s world is unlike any other, it’s a place where the inhabitant wear emotionless expressions whose gazes are filled with indifference and scorn. Hysterically staring at her while wearing slick smiles whenever she isn’t looking. Churuya-san story ingeniously explains a tragedy of sorts that encompasses the concept of egoism. Put in simple words: "This cheese is mine. You can’t ... have any."

The malice of the twisted world she lives in is mainly depicted by a cynic boy named Kyon, one of Churuya's classmates. Uncaring, malicious, and sharp tongued as he is, Kyon puts Churuya through countless hardships with false promises of giving Churuya a small taste of her adored smoked cheese. As the story progress, the viewer witnesses how this fiend slowly transforms Churuya into a constant source of mockery for his personal amusement. However, his heartless deeds aren’t restricted to Churuya-san as another one of the classmates of Churuya-san named Ryoko shares a similar predicament. She’s enamored with the same very man who treats Churuya worse than beasts. All too soon, what is feared the most by Ryoko becomes a reality in her eyes as well. It is well known that history has to thing to repeat itself. Unfortunately for her, this tyrant already prepared his own agent for her before she could notice. Kyon doesn’t hesitate make her despair in every chance he gets entirely ignoring her pure feeling towards him, thinking that it’s too easy. Far too easy to let it go.

In this world, Haruhi, Yuki, Itsuki and even Mikuru are a shell of their former selves. They are no longer who they used to be. They are empty shelves with the sole mission is to contribute to Churuya’s anguish. Disguised as Churuya's close friends they carefully weave their webs around her seeking for right opportunity of ridicule further. There is no trace left of their past kindness and caring for her friend. Now, they’re all dull and ruled by immense apathy. All of them devoid of common sense and compassion towards her smoked cheese-starved friend.

Because of the distressing events in her short life Churuya has developed the peculiar condition of saying ~Nyoron whenever something upsetting happens to her. These words uttered from Churuya’s lips are a cry for help that express both anxiety and frustration, words of grief that has no equivalent to any language known to man. Byproducts from a well hidden daily misfortune cause by smoked cheese deprivation.

Being called names, abused, trampled all over and then discarded like yesterday’s newspaper. Churuya is pushed around mercilessly in inhuman ways that breaks the heart and touches the very soul. Churuya’s tale is a journey to find her own utopia where she can be happy. A place where she isn't discriminated against for her liking of smoked cheese. An utopia where the world is painted yellow. A land where there will always be cheese for her.

Next time you're eating cheese. Don't take it for granted. Think of the little people. Think of Churuya-san.

This ONA series is based off a four-panel gag manga so naturally you can't expect that much in the way of plot. But I expected this to still be a little bit entertaining. Hetalia and Azumanga Daioh are also based off four-panel gag manga strips and they are funny.

The art style looks incredibly lazy and badly drawn. The humour basically revolves around little inconveniences happening to the main character who responds by going "nyoro.."

There are no funny gags or hilarious situations like you would normally find in anime. It is basically just a little chibi girl asking for smoked cheese randomly and going "nyoro..." ... every time things don't go her way. The characters are loosely based off the character in The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya but most of them don't act like they normally would. Mikuru Asahina's voice actress has changed completely. All in all, despite it only being 13 little shorts it is still not worth watching.