Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions (Chūnibyō demo Koi ga Shitai!) also known as Chū-2 for short, is a Japanese light novel series written by Torako and illustrated by Nozomi Ōsaka.
The series follows a hilarious and heartwarming story of Yūta Togashi who just wants to leave his embarrassing “Chunibyo” memories behind, and start anew but his past resurfaces in the form of a new classmate, Rikka Takanashi.
“Chunibyo” is a Japanese colloquial term that refers to the “middle-school syndrome” most children suffer from where we think that we are superheroes or some sort of mystical, powerful creatures. Though these fantasies eventually disappear, the humiliation they leave behind as we grow older seems like an eternal scar that you can’t get rid of.
The work won an honorable mention in the Kyoto Animation Award competition in 2010, leading the company to assume its publication starting in June 2011.
1. Quick Review
The protagonist of the series is Yūta Togashi. He is a junior high school student who has got “chunibyo” and believes that he has been possessed by supernatural powers and calls himself the “Dark Flame Master.”
This weird quirk of his creates social alienation from his classmates. As time goes on, Yūta finds his childhood antics embarrassing and tries to move forwards by starting high school where he does not know anyone.
Unfortunately for Yūta, a delusional girl in his class, Rikka Takanashi, learns of Yūta’s past and becomes interested in him. As the story progresses, Rikka becomes more attached to Yūta and despite her annoying and delusional ways, Yūta accepts her as a friend.
Together, both the characters start a club called the “Far-East Magical Napping Society – Summer Thereof” which also includes another chunibyo, Sanae Dekomori; former chunibyo Shinka Nibutani; and the forever asleep Kumin Tsuyuri.
Love, Chunibyo, and Other Delusions tells a heart-warming story about the struggling relationships formed by people with social anxiety. The hardships and awkwardness are shown in a cheerful way that makes it both entertaining and yet begins a discussion about the journey we all embark on from childhood to becoming an adult.
2. Info Card
Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions!
Air Date: October 4, 2012 Status: Finished Studio: Kyoto Animation No. of Seasons: 2 No. of Episodes: 25
3. Is it worth watching?
Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions is an interesting, discussion-creating series. It shines a light on our society’s expectations of fitting in as an individual and what it truly means to grow up.
The show does a great job of balancing the comedy and drama whilst doing justice to real-world issues like dealing with social anxiety and tragedy. This series is sure to make you reminisce about the silly things we all did as a child but also leaves you nostalgic about the long journey from childhood to where we are today.
I. Plot
As children, most of us would have dreamed to be superheroes. Some of us may have even believed that we were different from the rest and that we possessed superpowers. This “disease” is known as “Chunibyo”, which later in life, makes you feel like it’s one of the most embarrassing moments you’ve had as a child.
For Yūta Togashi, the damage done by “chunbiyo” still haunts him. When he was in junior high, he would call himself the “Dark Flame Master” and believed that he had superpowers.
Now as a high school student, those memories hold nothing but embarrassment for him. He decides to attend a high school far away hoping no one would learn of his mortifying past so that he could get a fresh start.
In an unfortunate turn of events, one of Yūta’s new classmates Rikka Takanashi, an eccentric young girl learns about his embarrassing childhood secret. His hopes of leading an ordinary, high school life quickly fade away.
Through this series, the main character Yūta tells narrates the tale of a young boy who is simply trying to forget some old embarrassing memories and turn a new leaf, but sometimes, it is easier said than done.
II. Characters
Yūta Togashi is the protagonist of the show and a high school student who was once exhibited “chunibyo”.
During his junior high school days, he proudly called himself the “Dark Flame Master” and claimed to have dark powers. Now as a high schooler, whenever he thinks about these childhood antics, he is mortified and tries his best to conceal this part of his past from others.
His character is described as a kind person who treats everyone well except for when they mention his chunibyo, which can lead to him becoming pretty aggressive towards the person.
Rikka Takanashi is Yūta’s high school classmate who still shows signs of chunibyo.
Unlike Yūta, she has not outgrown her childhood due to a tragedy that struck her life and is constantly living out her fantasies and exhibiting strange behaviors as a result.
Her delusions tend to reflect her feelings in real life. She is alienated by her classmates due to her weird ways but she isn’t too bothered by it.
Sanae Dekomori has been Rikka Takanashi’s friend since they met each other two years ago online.
Similarly to Rikka, she is also experiencing “middle-school syndrome”. Her character hates milk and other dairy products.
She considers Rikka her master and showers her with respect whereas she does the exact opposite with Shinka. She is quite popular in her class because of her excellent mathematical abilities.
Shinka Nibutani is the freshman year representative for her high school and a part of the “Far-East Magical Napping Society” club with Yuta, Rikka, Sanae, and Kumin.
She is considered one of the prettiest in her class and is admired by others. She was once a victim of chunibyo but now spends her days pretending to be sweet and charming to cover up her embarrassing past.
When she is alone with her club mates she reveals her true personality of being bitter and easily irritable. Like Yūta, she becomes very aggressive when someone mentions her embarrassing past.
Kumin is in the second year of high school who likes napping very much and she considers it her hobby.
Her character is very laid-back and rather naïve. Kumin is described as a friendly and innocent girl who loves sleep so much that she brings a pillow with her almost everywhere she goes.
After getting along with Rikka Takanashi and Sanae Dekomori, she tries her best to understand their chunibyo delusions and always supports their activities even though she doesn’t understand what they’re going through.
III. Setting
Most of Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions is set in the city of Ōtsu, Shiga prefecture. However, the second season introduces new locations due to a school trip to Kyūshū. The animation and artwork of the show are adorable and pleasant to watch.
IV. Theme Songs
The opening theme of the series is “Sparkling Daydream” by ZAQ. The music has a nice and upbeat vibe to it.
The ending theme of Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions is “Inside Identity” by Black Raison d’être. The music is energetic and the lyrics relate well to the story that the anime narrates which is that of an adorable and sweet high school romance.
4. Grade
Story: A+
Cinematography/Animation: A+
Art: A
Music: A+
5. Final Thoughts
This series displays beautifully, the hurdles one faces when growing up and leaving your childhood behind. This real-life journey is depicted in such a funny yet heart-warming way.
The animation is well done and the characters have their own unique personalities and quirks. This beautiful coming-of-age story is sure to make you feel nostalgic and also makes you think about all the real issues we face as we make the transition from childhood to adulthood.
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