Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai! - Episode 12 (END) Discussion / Poll

[Shaggeh]

I really enjoyed this episode and the entire series, probably my pick for the anime of the season along with SAO.

[Hyper]

Very late to the party, so first I will simply quote some of the opinions I gives a nod.

Originally Posted by Warm Mist

The scene with the Ethereal Horizon was as gorgeous as Hyouka's cherry blossoms in its finale, but that was much more fulfilling in context. Not to mention the narrator explaining the theme of the series to us was totally unnecessary and lessened the impact of the finale. It would have been much better if they left things like that to the viewer, really; though he had a very good voice.

Originally Posted by Triple_R

Chuunibyou was never really a slice of life show, even by the farthest stretches of the imagination. Even when it was very comedic-based, it was also very conflict-driven. The central conflicts simply grew and changed over the full course of the show.

Originally Posted by Aquifina

it makes the romance a bit too one sided for me, with Rikka always being in love with Yuuta, and him not coming around until the end of the series.

Great thoughts. I also agree that Ishidate did another great job directing the final episode.

Originally Posted by Klashikari

I personally think the conclusion had a proper touch regarding Rikka's case: certainly, it isn't like you had a clear cut answer to her antics but what Yuuta actually did was "using" Rikka's chuunibyou in order to make her settle down her regrets. Surely, this episode did explain why Rikka "suddenly" shifted into chuunibyou, but how she used it was initially for fun until it became basically a reality substitution (portrayed by how her house was conceptualized in her chuuni mode back in ep8).
And since even her own anchor and "admiration source" told her to cut off with chuunibyou, only her bottled emotions regarding her father remained (due to her "duty" to follow society rules), obviously left with basically nothing.
However, now that Yuuta lead her the way to actually use her chuunibyou (however how "effortless" it was, save the actual epiphany from Yuuta), she could finally drop the initial catalyst of her chuunibyou, with only the fun stuff remaining.

I feels the same way about the ending. The conflict resolution could've turned my evaluation of the show totally upside-down. Fortunately my worry about Rikka's chuunibyou is the exact thing the stuffs/writer intended to drive the drama plot and thus addressed in this episode. Yuuta pinpointed the problem and addressed it once and for all when he told Rikka to say goodbye to her father.

I also feels that what he did this episode take nothing away from what he told Dekomori last episode. He told Rikka to fight reality together, not that her fantasy does exist. I think that's the way to go. First we have to accept the reality the way it is. Pretending it to be something else or ignoring it will not do any good. However, we are free and should turn the frustrations into passions to change it. To fight it. To make your fantasy real. It's not "reality sucks, let's escape from it" or "reality sucks, let's learn to live with it." Finally, they've reached the point--reality sucks, let's change it!

[Forsaken_Infinity]

Uuh.. I am not really disappointed or anything but I think this was totally way too overdone. Way too cheesy. Way too over the top. The message that the show parts us with would have been better left auto-implied and that would have been very easy to do if they hadn't overdone the drama and the recovery and pretty much everything this episode.

It was hard to watch and I really think they missed a mark. If the episode had been less over the top and had a bit more maturity to it, the same content would have left me with much better impressions.

Oh well. At least Dekomori's final form was absolutely unexpected and way too freaking good.

[Cosmic Eagle]

Originally Posted by taofd

I don't disagree with your assertion that it's not okay to *completely* live in the fantasy, but I disagree in terms of the premise of the story.

I think the point they were making was that

Spoiler for spoiler:

it's completely okay to embrace your fantasy once in a while (of course within constraint -- which is established as something every single one of the characters recognize), but it is even more wrong to not be true to yourself.

It's something that we may or may not disagree with, but whether or not we disagree is an entirely another issue. It's pretty much said nearly verbatim by the old-middle aged male voice at the very end of episode 12.

Exactly this. You can face reality and keep your 8th grader syndrome in check as necessary but that doesn't change what you are at heart.

[risingstar3110]

I think the slightly overdone drama and cheesiness was done to appeal to a more general fanbases, or female fanbase in this case. My teen sister actually find the whole ending 'cute'. While us guys probably would have prefer a more punchy "believe in me, who believed in you..." thing.

Dekomori of course was there to appeal to moe fans, and they are kinda success. I really think the big gap from her normal genki Chuunibyou sealed the deal here

[Theo]

The Moral seems a little clumsy in the end. I'd like to see emphasis that Chuuni is a form of "therapy" for Rikka and that she can both be aware it's not real but still have a lot of fun with it. I see she can make a writing or acting career out of this.

In the end, it wasn't the solution to wipe out one side completely but to channel it into something constructive and healthy...which wasn't really shown here.

-Kumin and Dekomori were fairly useless (and annoying for Deko) up until the last two episodes and thus my hatred for them subsided.

-Dark Kumin Master, goddayum girl. Whoever she hooks up with is a lucky bastard.

-Dekomori has replaced her in ep 12 as the worst Chuuni.

[n120cky]

I think Dekomori already knew Nibutani is real mori summer when Nibutani comfort her after Rikka disband the club.

[Qikz]

My god I was crying like a baby during that. Great finale.

[Goggen]

Originally Posted by Hyper

Yuuta pinpointed the problem and addressed it once and for all when he told Rikka to say goodbye to her father.

Yuuta didn't tell Rikka to say goodbye to her father. She did that on her own. All he said was to say her true feelings. He didn't know what she would say. Remember when Yuuta was arguing with Touka about Rikka's chuunibyou? He said that he didn't think Rikka was in denial over her father's death, that she was aware of reality, but that she was holding on to something - he didn't know what - but something important that should not be lost. This was it. This was what Rikka wanted all along. Through all her searching for the "Ethereal Horizon", this was what she was looking for - a way to say goodbye to her dad, something she wasn't able to do the morning he had died or at his funeral due to her shocked state.

This is why Yuuta was right and Touka was wrong. Touka probably believed that Rikka's chuunibyou and talk about the "Ethereal Horizon" was a way to pretend her dad was still arround, when in fact it was quite the opposite. And right there is the real problem, the only problem with Rikka's chuunibyou - it's not that she was going about things the wrong way. It's that her family refused to accept her way of dealing with it. In the end, that is what got in the way of Rikka's being able to accept the loss and move on. Had Yuuta not brought her out of this situation, she might never have got to resolve those feelings, and that could have been very bad.

[Hyper]

Originally Posted by Goggen

Yuuta didn't tell Rikka to say goodbye to her father. She did that on her own. All he said was to say her true feelings. He didn't know what she would say. Remember when Yuuta was arguing with Touka about Rikka's chuunibyou? He said that he didn't think Rikka was in denial over her father's death, that she was aware of reality, but that she was holding on to something - he didn't know what - but something important that should not be lost. This was it. This was what Rikka wanted all along. Through all her searching for the "Ethereal Horizon", this was what she was looking for - a way to say goodbye to her dad, something she wasn't able to do the morning he had died or at his funeral due to her shocked state.

This is why Yuuta was right and Touka was wrong. Touka probably believed that Rikka's chuunibyou and talk about the "Ethereal Horizon" was a way to pretend her dad was still arround, when in fact it was quite the opposite. And right there is the real problem, the only problem with Rikka's chuunibyou - it's not that she was going about things the wrong way. It's that her family refused to accept her way of dealing with it. In the end, that is what got in the way of Rikka's being able to accept the loss and move on. Had Yuuta not brought her out of this situation, she might never have got to resolve those feelings, and that could have been very bad.

Even at this point, I'm still very reluctant to start saying who was right and who was wrong. I agree with you that Rikka was looking for a way to say goodbye to her father, not that she think she can bring him back or anything. Also, after the long discussion, I've gave some more thought about it. I've came to a realization that the Ethereal Horizon is basically Rikka's personal equivalent of religious teaching about afterlife. To that end, indeed there is nothing inherently wrong with how she decided to deal with her father's death.

However, I don't think the social norms can be ignored just like that. So when you said it's her family's fault for not accepting her way of doing things, I cannot fully agree. That's certainly parts of the problem, but that's not all. First of all, how would they know? Did Rikka ever sit down and fully explain what she think? And was it their fault for not understanding what the person herself not quite sure what it was? I think that's a part of why religion exists--to have a shared idea of how to deal with these kind of issues. Secondly, they also have the obligation to teach Rikka the social norms. Her idea itself may not be any less "real" than what most religious teaching were, but put it in social context and she is in trouble. It's not inherently wrong, but it is socially wrong. Like it or not, it's a part of the reality.

This last one is minor point, but I think Yuuta knew what Rikka wanted to say or at least has a general idea, otherwise he wouldn't brought it up. I mean, for example, if Rikka decide to go to the Ethereal Horizon to see her father that would basically mean he leads her to a suicide attempt.

[Triple_R]

I'm not going to place heavy blame on Rikka's family, but I think that Goggen makes a great point here.

I think that a possible secondary theme of this anime is that we don't all cope with death the same way, and that while it is obviously important to accept the deaths of loved ones, the way each of us does this will tend to have a very personalized quality to it. I think that Touka and the rest of Rikka's family were too insistent on Rikka accepting her father's death in a particular way, rather than in a way that Rikka could call her own.


To a great degree, Chuunibyou is about respecting individuality. In how we entertain ourselves, in how we make friends, in how we create romances, in how we face the deaths of loved ones, and in several other ways.


Rikka's family aren't bad people, but they need to learn to appreciate individuality more. Not everyone grieves the same way, and showing some flexibility here is important.

[Goggen]

Originally Posted by Triple_R

Rikka's family aren't bad people, but they need to learn to appreciate individuality more. Not everyone grieves the same way, and showing some flexibility here is important.

That's pretty much the same way I feel. When I say Touka was wrong, I mean just that; her belief that Rikka's chuunibyou was harmful, that it was a way of denying the fact that their father was gone, was wrong. I don't blame Touka for believing this, however. It seemed a logical assumption to make. Even we, the audience, didn't fully understand until the final moments of this episode. It couldn't really be expected that Touka would understand her any better, knowing less about it than we did. (On the other hand - there was that moment in I believe it was episode 9, when Yuuta asked Touka why she didn't just ask Rikka how she felt, and Touka reacted as if the very idea was unthinkable. That was the one and only moment in the series where I actually did feel a little upset with her, I must admit.)

Her grandfather kinda seems like a jerk though.

[theinfamousDJEZ]

i loved the last episode and how the wrapped it up. i really love Rikka and would love to see them do a second season.

[ultimatemegax]

Not necessarily episode 12, but this fits better here.

From the interview with Tatsuya Ishihara in the latest Nyantype:

Due to various circumstances, there were some things cut from the scenario stage that weren't in the scripts regarding the other club members.

Shinka: She threw away her "honors student" persona and appeared in front of her classmates the way she did for the other club members. There was a simple reason for that: "It's tiresome to act that way." It's unknown if she joined the drama club, but I personally wanted her to.

Dekomori: There was a playful scene with her and Shinka that was cut. She truly stopped being infected with chuunibyou and it doesn't look like she'll return at the moment. It may have looked like she did in the final episode, but I too wanted to see her return and so the viewers got a peek at that.

There was nothing really major cut for Isshiki and Kumin. Isshiki did have a scene where he gave a formal confession, but he was rejected. After that, he quit the light music club and joined the bike club.

[Goggen]

Originally Posted by ultimatemegax

Dekomori: There was a playful scene with her and Shinka that was cut. She truly stopped being infected with chuunibyou and it doesn't look like she'll return at the moment.

I wondered about that. We saw her returning to her twintails, but she wasn't wearing a chunnibyou'ish outfit. And she didn't say much, so it was otherwise hard to tell... But I guess this clarifies it.

[Itlandm]

Actually I feel that if there is to be a second season, it would be for the sake of Yuuta, not so much Rikka. Rikka has achieved what she wanted, more or less. I am not sure why she continues dressing up, except for fun. Even Shinka seems to have approached a state of understanding with her other self. But Yuuta not so much. He is still not integrated - he is at his best when letting his Dark Flame Master personality take over, and is too conformist (and not very understanding of other people) in his normal persona. He could need to develop further. Not just for his own sake, but because of the talent he has.

I agree with Hyper that Rikka's "horizon" was basically a personal religion. In a society where religion has faded, as it has in Japan and here in Scandinavia, there is a great need for spiritual people, the modern equivalent of shamans, who can help people reach through the surface to the unseen world. Yuuta has the capacity to be such a person, but he needs to grow into it. I would love to see him becoming a whole person, integrating both of his sides. But it is a long shot. I do not think a second season could be as good as the first.

[Julio C]

Nah, the show doesn't need a second season. It might just ruin the series.

[Unknown Soldier]

There is a second LN volume. I don't understand why people don't think there could be a second season, when there's already content available for it.

[FredFriendly]

Originally Posted by Itlandm

Yuuta has the capacity to be such a person

You must be kidding! Yuuta a shaman? What will his method of enlightenment be? Oh, I know. Whacking people on the head with his spiritualistic hands. More likely a sham-man.

Originally Posted by Unknown Soldier

There is a second LN volume. I don't understand why people don't think there could be a second season, when there's already content available for it.

Perhaps it's not a case of not understanding that there's enough content for another season, but that people just don't want one. Perhaps they're simply satisfied (or dissatisfied) with this series the way it is. I, for one, am not interested in seeing any more of Yuuta's mistreatment of females (or any of his other antics). Same goes for Touka and her soup ladle.

[RegalStar]

Originally Posted by Unknown Soldier

There is a second LN volume. I don't understand why people don't think there could be a second season, when there's already content available for it.

The anime is so different from the novel that there's not much similarities outside of some settings, so the second volume has no bearing on a potential second season at all.