12.04
Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai! is definitely one of those series where right when you think you have its genre pinpointed, it starts making certain scenes of a different genre more dominant. The “will they/won’t they” type of relationship between Yuuta and Rikka has been mentioned more in a comedic fashion, but the more times they bring up the idea, the more viewers start to wonder if it’s more than just a running gag.
I take it Isshiki had similar regrets to Yuuta in high school (minus the eighth grade syndrome stuff, at least) and seems to be taking the steps you would have expected Yuuta to take to build on his new rep had Rikka not been involved. It’s an interesting way to compare and contrast with Yuuta but boy, does it get old fast. Then again, this is from the blogger that really wants to backtrack and check out the “rose colored campus life” that’s covered in The Tatami Galaxy.
Did I mention how much I appreciate the sheer amount of slapstick in this series? I appreciate the sheer amount of slapstick in this series. Seriously, with the amount of moe that’s been going on in recent animoo, it’s interesting to find a series that uses a character’s cutesiness in combination with slapstick humor for a kind of mish-mash that takes the best of both elements. It’s the new PB and nutella sandwich!
So we basically have Rikka club-hopping for a while in episode 3, which she explains as something done in order to show how much better her own club is. Her club, which is about… far east… napping… magic… stuff. An anime with a club that has no real purpose other than to further demonstrate the eccentricity of its members… Haruhi? I’d complain about the similarities, but the idea works so well in both shows and each takes the concept in different enough directions that there’s really nothing to complain about.
Dekomori’s character… ugh. Though I guess every Jason Fox needs a Marcus, even if that means making the character a more bland version of the main character.
Ah, the stresses of forming a new club in high school… I know them well. Back in high school, I made a club exclusively for watching re-runs of old shows (think TBS, except with a broader range). Finding enough people to back it was one thing, but finding a teacher willing to back your madness was another thing entirely. Intentional awkwardness aside, really like this scene and how the teacher approaches Rikka’s erm… “Rikka-ness” like it’s nothing. Makes me wonder what her home life was like. Can we get some Nichijou-style explanations of the teachers’ backstories in later episodes, please?
Really digging how the series uses its audiences lack of any solid info on Shinka to its advantage. I mean, three episodes in and Shinka’s already been established as the pretty, desirable girl, but not much more than that. So when it’s hinted that she may actually be into Yuuta, you actually buy it.
The amount of overthinking Yuuta does when he finds out that Shinka may be interested in her is hilariously accurate to how an actual high school boy would approach the situation. Hear that, American writers? Your teenage characters are more than vehicles for making your series hip and relevant. gripegripegripe…
Yuuta’s daydreams remind me of Nickelodeon’s Doug for some reason. I mean, they’re not as far-fetched, but it does keep to the similar premise of a reasonably normal guy (especially in comparison to the rest of the cast) trying to make sense of the world and his current crisis through means of running the situation in his head. If only the chimera were a bipedal dark blue dog…
Yeah, sometimes I just let the screencaps speak for themselves. It’s one of those things where you’re watching what’s going on and you still wouldn’t be able to explain what’s going on.
The reveal when you found out this apparently perfect classroom goddess was someone that blogged about her delusional quasi-religion in a past life is just too sweet. Just goes to show that nothing is what it seems… which really, is a recurring theme for the series. Shinka turns out to be an ex-syndrome-er, while Rikka’s syndrome has her believe the entire world isn’t what it seems. To have the whole concept of “eighth grade syndrome” and see how each character responds to it is such a good indicator of each character’s well… character.
Yuuta getting the syndrome twins out of his hair while he gets some alone time with Shinka is so oddly American sitcom, but in a good way. To have Yuuta go to such lengths just to get some alone time with a girl that ends up having her own reasons for wanting to check out his room is just one of those things that could have made up the entire episode. So to have it continue with Rikka and Dekomori coming back is interesting to say the least.
Shinka and Dekomori’s interactions was another thing in the series that I feel got stale fast, but for episode five, it was pretty enjoyable. Dekomori ending up having made copies of the Mori Summer blog entries just seems so oddly Peanuts. This bit, to be precise. Though minus the puppy love. Like I said, Chu2’s one of those series with a genre that’s all over the place. But in a good way.