AnimeSuki Forums

ChronoReverse · 2012-11-01, 19:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by SoloPanda

Is this the first time we've seen Rikka completely drop out of character? And Mori Summer is chubbier than she looks ....

I thought that about Nibutani even from the first episode lol. But I was thinking that it's nice a cute character wasn't a stick for once.

Chaos2Frozen · 2012-11-01, 21:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChronoReverse

I thought that about Nibutani even from the first episode lol. But I was thinking that it's nice a cute character wasn't a stick for once.

I wouldn't say she's chubby, she just has a slightly bigger body build than the other three girls.

Aquifina · 2012-11-01, 22:20

From the first episode, I knew Chuunibyou would be a fun moe-laden romp of a show. The question was how memorable would it really be for me, and I had two initial concerns:

1. Would the series descend into an infuriating harem anime, with an indecisive male lead?

2. How would the writers deal with the origins of Rikka's mental state.

Thankfully, (1) has proven to be a non-concern. It's striking how quickly Yuuta has moved on from his original crush on Nibutani.

As for (2), ep. 5 has dealt with the issue superbly. It's clear that Rikka's Chuunibyou is especially severe--both Yuuta and Shinka suffered from it, but moved on without much outside intervention. For those two, it's clear this was a simple phase of adolescence, confined to middle school, and they're now more than willing to conform to social expectations for Japanese high school students. Rikka, however, obviously has a more severe of the condition.

In ep. 5, we see the reasons for that--some degree of family estrangement, and a real sense of loneliness. But to the credit of the writers, this is shown with a deft and soft touch that avoids excessive drama. As commentators in the episode thread have pointed out, ep. 5 subtly shows Yuuta realizing that Rikka eats dinner alone most of the time, and he finds out more about her social isolation by accident when he exchanges e-mails. The issue of divorce is raised with even more subtlety and care--Touka plays an overly "realistic" game of "House" with Yuuta's younger sister that hints at the problem, and she then acknowledges without too much fanfare her own inability to deal with her sister in a productive way, unlike Yuuta who can get her to actually study, and even puts her to bed in an entirely benign way. The tap of her spoon is a gesture that speaks volumes.

Furthermore, the origins of Rikka's loneliness are actually pretty ordinary--parents' getting a divorce, and an older sister swamped with work--but that actually makes it all the more comprehensible to the audience. And it fits with the light-hearted tone of the series.

Despite her overflowing amounts of moe, even I found Rikka's antics annoying at times, but after ep. 5, it's hard to see her in a negative light. For Rikka, the "real world" is a dreary place, filled with dysfunctional parents, a frequently absent older sister, and troublesome obligations, such as seemingly pointless math exams. Her imaginary world is *so* much better, filled with magic and wonder and mysterious forces, and even a friend in Dekomori. Her refusal to give in to the social norms of Japanese high school life is certainly immature, foolish, and in the end, counter-productive, but it's *understandable*. While the loneliness that drives that imaginary world inspires a good deal of pity, her determined refusal to leave that world, to impose it on reality itself inspires in me at least as much admiration as sympathy.

Indeed, there's something fitting about an anime series built around this phenomena. I came to anime relatively late in my 20s, at least partly because I was a preternaturally mature teenager, determined to grow up as quickly as possible. I have no regrets, but especially before I got married, I ended up founding the real world and its responsibilities somewhat dreary, and anime remains a great escape. For Rikka, the fantasy worlds of anime, manga, and games is more than a simple diversion--it's a relief from a real world that seems so lacking.

However, reality can never be denied, and Rikka will eventually have to face up to the fact that she can't remain forever closeted in her own imagination. Even Dekomori will eventually grow out of her condition, and it's clear that Rikka has already become socially isolated due to her odd behavior, although the club is already helping with that problem. The older she gets, the more problematic her behavior will become, especially in communitarian Japan. But it'd be terribly unsatisfactory for Rikka to simply become another Yuuta, determined to escape his youthful antics. For Rikka to reject her Chuunibyou would be to reject too much of herself, and so much of what makes her so determined and impressive, and who better than Yuuta to be the person to find a way to bridge the gap between her depressing real world, and the realm of fantasy where she finds a measure of happiness. And who better than her to show Yuuta that although the "Dark Flame Master" was a silly figure of his childhood, it represented real aspirations he should not so easily discard.

supermegasonic · 2012-11-02, 01:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by novalysis

I wonder, will we get to see a Mori Summer vs Dark Flame Master fight?

dark flame master is too strong, you would need the whole cast to be able fight against him

Jan-Poo · 2012-11-02, 03:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by supermegasonic

dark flame master is too strong, you would need the whole cast to be able fight against him

Dark Flame Master VS everyone else? Now... that would be epic...

Hyper · 2012-11-02, 03:27

Somehow I'm wondering why Pepapi the dog didn't show up yet. He(?) is there in the op yet five episodes in and he's nowhere in sight. There is no way an adult golden retriever can be hidden in that apartment, isn't it?

Sumeragi · 2012-11-02, 09:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by supermegasonic

dark flame master is too strong, you would need the whole cast to be able fight against him

That sounds like some kind of plot for a doujinshi.

Chaos2Frozen · 2012-11-02, 09:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sumeragi

That sounds like some kind of plot for a doujinshi.

I even had the idea of a spin-off mahou shoujo/shounen story where all of this is real and the Dark Flame Master is a retired mahou shounen who wants nothing more to do with that life but was dragged back into the dark world by the Tyrant Eye Wielder...

Soverence · 2012-11-04, 18:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chaos2Frozen

I even had the idea of a spin-off mahou shoujo/shounen story where all of this is real and the Dark Flame Master is a retired mahou shounen who wants nothing more to do with that life but was dragged back into the dark world by the Tyrant Eye Wielder...

Now that would be a spin-off I would be willing to watch

We all know Dark Flame Master is rusty and would stand no chance against the Tyrant Eye!

Chaos2Frozen · 2012-11-04, 21:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by Soverence

Now that would be a spin-off I would be willing to watch

We all know Dark Flame Master is rusty and would stand no chance against the Tyrant Eye!

Heh on the contrary; we have been shown that even a powerless Dark Flame Master can 'defeat' a full powered Tyrant Eye and Mjolnir hammer

rulfo · 2012-11-05, 03:40

Has anyone kept track of the dialogues in the character page?

winhlp32 · 2012-11-05, 04:40

Here's the latest one.

Images

After Episode 5

Sorry; dynamic content not loaded. Reload?

Witheirate · 2012-11-05, 10:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by winhlp32

Here's the latest one.

Images

After Episode 5

Sorry; dynamic content not loaded. Reload?

Love to see that "Oniichan" story-development go...

Wonder to know what Yuuta's mother and Kuzuha reaction if they know that Yuuta put Rikka to her bed?!

rulfo · 2012-11-05, 21:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by winhlp32

Yuuta's mom: Eh? Where did that "Oniichan" story-development go?
Kuzuha: Who knows.

That segment was adorable.

Sumeragi · 2012-11-05, 22:40

What Onii-chan development?

Chaos2Frozen · 2012-11-05, 23:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sumeragi

What Onii-chan development?

"At this rate, my onii-chan is going to be taken away by that dorobou neko!"

...Says the mother as she probes her first daughter for a response.

(I was prepared to say the whole thing in romanji, but I couldn't confirm whether I had the right words for the final part...)

Ridwan · 2012-11-06, 00:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chaos2Frozen

You should make that gif your avatar.

rulfo · 2012-11-08, 09:03

I remembered Yuuta's babling in ep 4 saying about the world being taken over.

And damn, this show's ending sits close to Dec 21st. They could have nailed a late night Thursday airing for it to fit like a peg.

Or are they planning something devious!? I really hope KyoAni's sly gimmickry kicks in again. At times we give Kadokawa too much credit.

kimpleng · 2012-11-08, 22:12

How does perspective work?
I don't think even wide angle lens could distort this much. This is background animation error, right?

I hope someone could mail and tell KyoAni to fix this in BD version.

SoloPanda · 2012-11-09, 03:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by kimpleng

How does perspective work?
I don't think even wide angle lens could distort this much. This is background animation error, right?

I hope someone could mail and tell KyoAni to fix this in BD version.

In the second panel those seem to be different doors... the interior of the building is completely different. I'm not sure but i think the first one is done to simulate a rapid aproach or creating an illusion when played back quickly.

2012-11-05, 04:40	Link #1992
winhlp32 (¬‿¬) Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Boyzone	Here's the latest one. Images After Episode 5 Sorry; dynamic content not loaded. Reload? __________________ 　　　　　　　　　　 \| 　　　＼　　( ^p^ )／　　　　￣￣ / 　　　　　　　/ 　　　　　／　＼\| 　　　　/

2012-11-08, 09:03	Link #1998
rulfo Senior Member Join Date: May 2011	I remembered Yuuta's babling in ep 4 saying about the world being taken over. And damn, this show's ending sits close to Dec 21st. They could have nailed a late night Thursday airing for it to fit like a peg. Or are they planning something devious!? I really hope KyoAni's sly gimmickry kicks in again. At times we give Kadokawa too much credit. __________________

2012-11-01, 22:20	Link #1983
Aquifina Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007	From the first episode, I knew Chuunibyou would be a fun moe-laden romp of a show. The question was how memorable would it really be for me, and I had two initial concerns: 1. Would the series descend into an infuriating harem anime, with an indecisive male lead? 2. How would the writers deal with the origins of Rikka's mental state. Thankfully, (1) has proven to be a non-concern. It's striking how quickly Yuuta has moved on from his original crush on Nibutani. As for (2), ep. 5 has dealt with the issue superbly. It's clear that Rikka's Chuunibyou is especially severe--both Yuuta and Shinka suffered from it, but moved on without much outside intervention. For those two, it's clear this was a simple phase of adolescence, confined to middle school, and they're now more than willing to conform to social expectations for Japanese high school students. Rikka, however, obviously has a more severe of the condition. In ep. 5, we see the reasons for that--some degree of family estrangement, and a real sense of loneliness. But to the credit of the writers, this is shown with a deft and soft touch that avoids excessive drama. As commentators in the episode thread have pointed out, ep. 5 subtly shows Yuuta realizing that Rikka eats dinner alone most of the time, and he finds out more about her social isolation by accident when he exchanges e-mails. The issue of divorce is raised with even more subtlety and care--Touka plays an overly "realistic" game of "House" with Yuuta's younger sister that hints at the problem, and she then acknowledges without too much fanfare her own inability to deal with her sister in a productive way, unlike Yuuta who can get her to actually study, and even puts her to bed in an entirely benign way. The tap of her spoon is a gesture that speaks volumes. Furthermore, the origins of Rikka's loneliness are actually pretty ordinary--parents' getting a divorce, and an older sister swamped with work--but that actually makes it all the more comprehensible to the audience. And it fits with the light-hearted tone of the series. Despite her overflowing amounts of moe, even I found Rikka's antics annoying at times, but after ep. 5, it's hard to see her in a negative light. For Rikka, the "real world" is a dreary place, filled with dysfunctional parents, a frequently absent older sister, and troublesome obligations, such as seemingly pointless math exams. Her imaginary world is so much better, filled with magic and wonder and mysterious forces, and even a friend in Dekomori. Her refusal to give in to the social norms of Japanese high school life is certainly immature, foolish, and in the end, counter-productive, but it's understandable. While the loneliness that drives that imaginary world inspires a good deal of pity, her determined refusal to leave that world, to impose it on reality itself inspires in me at least as much admiration as sympathy. Indeed, there's something fitting about an anime series built around this phenomena. I came to anime relatively late in my 20s, at least partly because I was a preternaturally mature teenager, determined to grow up as quickly as possible. I have no regrets, but especially before I got married, I ended up founding the real world and its responsibilities somewhat dreary, and anime remains a great escape. For Rikka, the fantasy worlds of anime, manga, and games is more than a simple diversion--it's a relief from a real world that seems so lacking. However, reality can never be denied, and Rikka will eventually have to face up to the fact that she can't remain forever closeted in her own imagination. Even Dekomori will eventually grow out of her condition, and it's clear that Rikka has already become socially isolated due to her odd behavior, although the club is already helping with that problem. The older she gets, the more problematic her behavior will become, especially in communitarian Japan. But it'd be terribly unsatisfactory for Rikka to simply become another Yuuta, determined to escape his youthful antics. For Rikka to reject her Chuunibyou would be to reject too much of herself, and so much of what makes her so determined and impressive, and who better than Yuuta to be the person to find a way to bridge the gap between her depressing real world, and the realm of fantasy where she finds a measure of happiness. And who better than her to show Yuuta that although the "Dark Flame Master" was a silly figure of his childhood, it represented real aspirations he should not so easily discard.

2012-11-02, 03:27	Link #1986
Hyper Irregular Hunter Join Date: Oct 2010 Age: 37	Somehow I'm wondering why Pepapi the dog didn't show up yet. He(?) is there in the op yet five episodes in and he's nowhere in sight. There is no way an adult golden retriever can be hidden in that apartment, isn't it?

2012-11-05, 03:40	Link #1991
rulfo Senior Member Join Date: May 2011	Has anyone kept track of the dialogues in the character page?

2012-11-05, 22:40	Link #1995
Sumeragi Banned Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Dai Korai Teikoku	What Onii-chan development?

2012-11-08, 22:12	Link #1999
kimpleng Lurker Join Date: Feb 2010	How does perspective work? I don't think even wide angle lens could distort this much. This is background animation error, right? I hope someone could mail and tell KyoAni to fix this in BD version.