I cried.
I'll be honest, I don't quite remember where I heard of Chu2 (shortened for the sake of not ripping out my hair while typing). It was either MyAnimeList, or tumblr. Anyhow, I went in a bit unsure. I've liked shoujos in the past, such as Gekkan Shoujo, for example, but it didn't really sound very interesting. I was very pleasantly surprised. (I even laughed out loud on multiple occasions.)
Story - 10/10
The first few episodes may seem a bit ... Childish. Boring. Even cringe-worthy and stupid. Please stick through them. I may be a bit biased here, but I connected with Yuta in the first few minutes. For those that don't know, chuunibyou is the state of that awkward kid in your class. It can happen at any age, but typically it's around older elementary to young middle school age. Chuunibyou is the kid that pretends they have magical powers. Chuunibyou is the kid who thinks he's a wolf. Chuunibyou is the girl who knows she's special because of a birthmark she's convinced makes her "The Chosen One." I connected with Yuta in the first few minutes because I, too, went through the odd phase of pretending I was a cat. A warrior cat, to be exact. I enjoyed this anime because it has honest reactions to the embarrassments of when you were younger, while still connecting with and making it more understanding of what it feels like from the chuunibyou sufferer's point of view. The story is more serious than you would expect of a freshman romance, and if you've managed to spare yourself of Middle School Second Year Syndrome but desperately wanted to know JUST WHAT WAS GOING ON IN THEIR HEADS?, then this anime is perfect for you.
Art - 10/10
There are beautifully animated fight scenes. From the first entrance of the gorgeous weapons, I was already trying to think of how I'd word it in my review. For those who aren't too interested in shoujo, you can definitely still enjoy the action scenes. The design of the characters is unique and each character is easily definable from one another, even in little differences in a school uniform such as a cross hanging on Rikka's skirt, or the hair clip in Nibutani's hair.
Sound - 9/10
I'll be honest, I really don't listen much to the songs at the beginning or the end, but where they appeared in the middle of the anime were well-placed and fit the emotion of the scene as well.
Character - 9/10
Each character had very distinctive personalities. Even though at first glance Dekomori and Rikka are the same - delusional girls who think they're being recruited by the Wicked Lord Shingan - throughout the anime the two do nothing but develop. Isshiki is the lady's man who secretly has no idea what he's doing, and Nibutani is more than just a pretty face in the cast of characters, despite what many of the others think at the beginning. Even Kumin, who originally only shows up to sleep, has a personality of her own - kind-hearted and very lady-like, even if somewhat dense - that makes her shine.
Enjoyment - 10/10
I laughed at least a few times per episode, and I also cried more than once. Again, this may be a bias, since I've been where a few of the characters were, but I think it was also the show itself. I think they did a very nice job with the characters, and it's the type of friend group anyone would like to have. All in all, although it's mostly a light-hearted romance, there is much more to it, and more serious tones and messages. Yes, it is a shoujo anime, but it is also a message about acceptance, and about being who you are, being accepted for who you are, and finding the people that matter, and care about you no matter what. It is about grief and coping.
Overall - 10/10
I told myself when I started my account here that I would never give anything a perfect score overall. I mean, I was planning on saving it for something that truly mattered. But in the end, I realized I would recommend it to anyone, even to people who would hate it. Because it's not the first look that matters, it's the message, and the message hit me hard. It's something I would have loved to hear when I was younger, and I feel cheated to have only heard it now. Maybe it's a stupid anime to some, but to others it describes them perfectly. Whether it's the chuunibyou, or trying to fit in, or grieving and coping in odd ways - this anime is a good one. So you can take it as a light-hearted shoujo, or some stupid teenage girl's anime. Or you can take it as a message. You can take it as a show that there are people out there who will accept you for you and help you move on. That there are people who matter.
