Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai! - Anime General Discussion

[Malkuth]

Feyris it was her job to act like that!

Ruri was acting like that only among otaku!

They have nothing to do with prepubescent kids unable to escape their fantasy world, and adapt to reality (aka chuunibyou)

Oh! and by the way, Yuuta has escaped nothing, he just tries to behave normal with little success

[~Yami~]

so far I'm enjoying this anime...
once again, anime like this makes me feels I have a gloomy highschool time... damn! I should have more fun like them during highschool time.. lol

well, I feel like Rikka is already had a feeling toward Yuuta because she always tried to attract Yuuta's attention toward her...
I'm not sure why Nibutani suddenly join the club... I never expect her to join in early episode though...

so... if we guess their club's activity... Nibutani and Yuuta will be the most normal one and maybe have some lovey-dovey time (which maybe their intention of joining), Rikka and Sanae will have fun with their epic battle and imagination and Tsuyuri will spend time by sleeping all the time...

I'm expecting a chuunibyo syndrome in Nibutani and the return of Dark Flame Master

[Jan-Poo]

Originally Posted by Malkuth

kids unable to escape their fantasy world, and adapt to reality (aka chuunibyou)

That's not what a chuunibyou is, at all...

You seem to be under the wrong impression that this must be a persistent behavior and that the "sufferer" cannot possibly drop his pretentious behavior in a single instant.

this is quite disconfirmed by this very show, especially the lite episodes. Also you have a clear example in Steins;Gate too when "Hououin Kyouma" immediately states to be "Okabe Rintaro" in a humble tone as soon as the old man threatened him to raise the rent.

At any rate, like I said, pretending to be someone else or having supernatural powers is but one of the chuunibyou types, and that's not really the point. I think Gokou Ruri is probably even more of a textbook example of a real chuunibyou because she actually tries to assert her superiority, which is the real problem with this "syndrome".

[inisipis]

Originally Posted by Aquifina

For me, if the writers can give me a convincing reason as to why Rikka is so afflicted with Chuni-byo, and show Yuuta coming to understand her (and himself) better, this series can go from being fun and entertaining (which it already is), to something I'd actually remember beyond the gorgeous gobs of moe we've already seen. I also think there needs to some balancing of Rikka's character, which verges at times on being downright annoying, although there are enough comic moments so far to keep that problem at bay.

Originally Posted by OceanBlue

Is chuunibyou the sort of thing which the Japanese think needs a cause? I wonder if, because the concept is new to (some of) us, some of us think there needs to be a reason for chuunibyou. If the Japanese think chuunibyou is the sort of thing that just happens, we might not get an explanation. If it's the sort of thing that generally has a cause, we probably will by the climax.

My 2 cents be, if... if there is a reason to Rikka's being a chuunibyou, will probably get a clue from this shot in the OP



We'll probably get something for the end of the series, but I still think the show will always be in the realm of a romantic comedy.

[Triple_R]

Originally Posted by Aquifina

Now that would be a truly brilliant ending, but the writers would have to construct a believable reason for him to do this.

True. Which is why I'm hoping for a gradually weathering away of his resistance to the Chunnibyou... lifestyle, for lack of a better term, perhaps.

Spoiler for Hyouka comparison:

Think of how very annoyed Oreki initially was by Chitanda's "curiosity", and how by the end of Hyouka he had become much less annoyed at amusing her curiosity.

Originally Posted by Kaoru Chujo

They came pretty close to this at the end of ep1, didn't they? Although he only made one Dark Flame Master move and then got tsundere, and she just grunted happily with a soft warmth in her eyes.

That definitely was a nice scene, yeah. Perhaps it could be seen as foreshadowing for the ending I envisage.

I like just about every character in this show, but Yuuta and Rikka are the main couple and I hope and believe they will end up together. I look forward to seeing Shinka evolve in a way that allows Yuuta to love Rikka -- and to accept his chuuni former self.

Rikka's the female lead, and has shown the most interest in Yuuta of all the girls. So yeah, the anime will almost certainly end on the note of them growing closer together, and being the most likely pairing (if not an outright established one).

Somebody else on this thread suggested that Shinka will be to Yuuta what Mikuru is to Kyon, and that sounds about right to me.

Originally Posted by Aquifina

When Rikka's sad/pleading, she seems less annoying or weird, and more like a little girl struggling to keep together her fascinating little fantasy world, in the face of, well, reality. I'm not sure I'd describe this as admirable, and it strikes me as pathetic at times, but I'm not sure I can blame her too much for wanting to delay the dreary reality of adulthood.

I'm not sure if Rikka's fantasy life is due to apprehension over adulthood. My own theory right now is that she's lonely, and she uses her fantasy life to compensate for that. It's notable that Rikka's parents are nowhere to be seen - All we see are her and her sister, and the relationship between the two of them isn't exactly like the Hirasawa sisters in K-On! shall we say. So I can see Rikka feeling very lonely, and taking up the fantasy routine as a way to cope with it.

I doubt its anything more serious than that since this show is a pretty lighthearted comedy all things considered.

I'm disappointed he was so curt to her in refusing to formally join the club in ep. 3, and his denseness as to why she was so disconsolate about it--although I don't think one can really *blame* him for not wanting to join the club--but the scene you referenced is so much more promising. She's so obviously attached to him, and he's so oblivious to it that I actually find it somewhat annoying, even if, again, I can't really *blame* him, considering how annoying Rikka really can be from a practical standpoint. After all, despite her weirdness, Rikka strikes me as a sweet girl who deserves to find the right match for her.

I largely agree with you on all of this. But in fairness to Yuuta, I'm not sure if he gets that Rikka has a crush on him. I don't think he's seeing that through all of her eccentricity. He just thinks she's crazy and needs to "grow up", and so he doesn't realize that a lot of her "acting out" towards him isn't just her chunnibyou, but also her having a serious crush on him.

Originally Posted by Aquifina

For me, if the writers can give me a convincing reason as to why Rikka is so afflicted with Chuni-byo, and show Yuuta coming to understand her (and himself) better, this series can go from being fun and entertaining (which it already is), to something I'd actually remember beyond the gorgeous gobs of moe we've already seen.

I'm not going to get my hopes too far up, but yeah, I agree with that. This would also make the difference between me viewing this as a good, fun, lighthearted show and this being a memorable, very good show that's more than just comedy. Either way, though, it's at least a good show.

Originally Posted by Malkuth

Feyris it was her job to act like that!

Ruri was acting like that only among otaku!

I agree with you on Feyris, but the Rikka/Kuroneko comparison has some validity to it.

Kuroneko is basically someone who has found the right balance between her chunnibyou and her "real life". She's someone who can "turn it on and off" at will. But Kuroneko does play make-believe sometimes - You see that in certain pieces of her dialogue here and there. And you definitely see that in her goth loli look that she almost always wears when she's not in her student uniform.

Kuroneko is more or less where Rikka needs to end up, imo.

[linkinstreet]

Originally Posted by ~Yami~

I'm not sure why Nibutani suddenly join the club... I never expect her to join in early episode though...

It was really obvious why if you paid attention

Spoiler:

Heh

Spoiler:

Mori = Forest 森
Summer = Natsu 夏
森夏 = Shinka

[blakstealth]

I don't know Japanese, so not really that obvious lol.

[Frailty]

Originally Posted by linkinstreet

It was really obvious why if you paid attention

Spoiler:

Heh

Spoiler:

Mori = Forest 森
Summer = Natsu 夏
森夏 = Shinka

yeah, not to mention Rikka added the "Summer" part on their circle's name.
we'll probably see confirmation next episode

[Malkuth]

Originally Posted by Jan-Poo

That's not what a chuunibyou is, at all...

You seem to be under the wrong impression that this must be a persistent behavior and that the "sufferer" cannot possibly drop his pretentious behavior in a single instant.

this is quite disconfirmed by this very show, especially the lite episodes. Also you have a clear example in Steins;Gate too when "Hououin Kyouma" immediately states to be "Okabe Rintaro" in a humble tone as soon as the old man threatened him to raise the rent.

At any rate, like I said, pretending to be someone else or having supernatural powers is but one of the chuunibyou types, and that's not really the point. I think Gokou Ruri is probably even more of a textbook example of a real chuunibyou because she actually tries to assert her superiority, which is the real problem with this "syndrome".

To begin with, chuunibyou is not a real condition... or at least it is as real as the false phimosis japanese cosmetic surgeons diagnose in half the male population. In S;G it was presented as sort of harmless game the MC played. Ruri did something similar, but was absolutely in control. Rikka on the other hand pretends to have no control over her delusions... or KyoAni uses it as an excuse to animate action scenes

Anyway should we start diagnosing chuunibyou as an abnormal mental condition, then Harajuku park gets filled with psychopaths every weekend

Originally Posted by Triple_R

I agree with you on Feyris, but the Rikka/Kuroneko comparison has some validity to it.

Kuroneko is basically someone who has found the right balance between her chunnibyou and her "real life". She's someone who can "turn it on and off" at will. But Kuroneko does play make-believe sometimes - You see that in certain pieces of her dialogue here and there. And you definitely see that in her goth loli look that she almost always wears when she's not in her student uniform.

Kuroneko is more or less where Rikka needs to end up, imo.

I don't think so... Ruri turns into Kuroneko, only when it is convenient, and that is not very often. Her general behaviour is not affected by her strange hobby, and the bottomline is that she nothing more than an overzealous cosplayer / LARPer.

Rikka pretends to be (or is) detached from reality, IRL that would require a psychiatrist at her age.

[Chaos2Frozen]

Originally Posted by Malkuth

Rikka on the other hand pretends to have no control over her delusions... or KyoAni uses it as an excuse to animate action scenes

That's exactly what it is you know...

[Hyper]

Forgot to say that I'm impressed by Uesaka Sumire performance. I only heard her role as Papakiki's Sora and quited surprise that I cannot find any similarity at all. Dekomori's energy also came out well by her voice, IMO.

On another note, if the book by "Mori Summer" really say that about the dark flame and the eye user, then the "Mori Summer" person, speculated to be Nibutani, is shipping YuutaxRikka?

[Malkuth]

Originally Posted by Chaos2Frozen

That's exactly what it is you know...

I always want to give creators the benefit of doubt

[Jan-Poo]

Originally Posted by Malkuth

To begin with, chuunibyou is not a real condition... or at least it is as real as the false phimosis japanese cosmetic surgeons diagnose in half the male population. In S;G it was presented as sort of harmless game the MC played. Ruri did something similar, but was absolutely in control. Rikka on the other hand pretends to have no control over her delusions... or KyoAni uses it as an excuse to animate action scenes

Anyway should we start diagnosing chuunibyou as an abnormal mental condition, then Harajuku park gets filled with psychopaths every weekend

I don't think I have implied that chuunibyou is a mental disorder in any way...

This is substantially an otaku slang, but instead of referring to anime archetypes like "tsundere" it refers to a certain subset of real people.

The problem here is that you don't quite grasp what kind of people are usually referred as "chuunibyou".

Your arguing that Kuroneko isn't a chuunibyou because she's in control of her "delusions" makes as much sense as the claim that a Blackberry isn't a smartphone because it isn't made by apple.

Not only chuunibyou aren't supposed to be actually delusional, but the roleplay bit and the fake background are just part of a specific subset of chuunibyou, in the same way Iphones are only one　brand of many different smartphones.


Let me make a few examples:

- A middle schooler used to like a band but suddenly becomes irritated that it became too mainstream because now he's just one of their many fans? That's a chuunibyou
- A middle schooler starts drinking coffee even if he doesn't like it just to appear more adult and cool than his peers? That's a chuunibyou
- A middle schooler starts acting like a delinquent and brags about his misdeeds and fights, even if actually didn't do anything, for the sole purpose of looking cool and special? That's a chuunibyou

There are then the Jakigan chuunibyou, they push it even further by creating fantastic backgrounds and claiming to possess supernatural powers. But they aren't really any more disturbed than the examples before, and the point is still to "look cool and special".

If one believes in a fantastic world for the sole purpose of escaping reality and actually believes in such things, he isn't a chuunibyou at all, he's just psychotic.

[Malkuth]

I am not wording it correctly, let try in another way:

Rikka is always in-character, while Ruri, Feyris, Rintarou chose when to role-play. Assuming Rikka does not pretend it, she needs a psychiatrist, otherwise just to grow up (mentally).

As for the chuunibyou examples, they are just immature behaviour. Should I assume that if you are in middle school and behave immaturely you suffer from chuunibyou? Because that would be the majority of kids.

But regarding the jakigan (= evil sight?) chuunibyou should one not pretend it, he definitely needs professional help.

PS: iPhone is not just one of the many smartphones

[Kaoru Chujo]

I wonder if for a second-year middle-schooler to play out these fantasies is okay, but it becomes "chuunibyou" when someone older does them.

In any case, this is a comedy anime, and I think it is not meant to be realistic. KyoAni is making Rikka seem out of control so that it can animate some interesting stuff.

But in fact, I do see hints (or maybe I imagine them) that Rikka herself knows what she is doing and just prefers to live this way, for whatever reason. Maybe it is just the normal motive: she wants to feel she is something special, rather than just a very ordinary, unglamorous, rather childish high-school student. In any case, I don't think she is psychotic. Just pleasantly weird.

[Jan-Poo]

@Malkuth

If your point is to state that Rikka is different than the others, I guess you could say so, albeit I don't think it's correct to state that she's always in-character and that she cannot possibly drop her pretense. She does, albeit subtly and rarely, she does.

Even then that's not a good reason to think that she's more chuunibyou than the others. For example you have mentioned Rintarou, well if you read the glossary of Steins;Gate it says that he is a textbook example of Jakigan chuunibyou.
Maybe you should use him as a term of comparison rather than Rikka.

As for the other examples, if you watch the first minutes of episode01, you'll realize that the narrator says exactly the same things, even if it is very quick in his explanation.

I think it's more than simple immaturity, but it's undeniable that immaturity is a strong component of what a chuunibyou is, which is why it's called "eight-grade syndrome" to begin with.

In any case, this is a comedy anime, and I think it is not meant to be realistic. KyoAni is making Rikka seem out of control so that it can animate some interesting stuff.

That goes without saying. In anime they tend to embellish everything. Even delinquents are depicted as cool, fun and even good guys at heart. In reality they rarely are.

[Aquifina]

Originally Posted by Triple_R

I'm not sure if Rikka's fantasy life is due to apprehension over adulthood. My own theory right now is that she's lonely, and she uses her fantasy life to compensate for that. It's notable that Rikka's parents are nowhere to be seen - All we see are her and her sister, and the relationship between the two of them isn't exactly like the Hirasawa sisters in K-On! shall we say. So I can see Rikka feeling very lonely, and taking up the fantasy routine as a way to cope with it.

I doubt its anything more serious than that since this show is a pretty lighthearted comedy all things considered.

I think I'm not explaining myself very well--when I say I want an explanation for her "sickness," I don't mean it has to be some kind of seismic trauma. Something like Haruhi's pretty pedestrian reason for becoming a bit glum--the sense of being one small part of an intimidatingly large world--or the loneliness you describe would work best for me. Or a simple reluctance to conform to the social norms of adulthood. These are in their own simple ways serious issues to be dealt with, even if they are part and parcel of ordinary life. In fact, seismic drama would, as you point out, not fit the light-hearted tone of the rest of the series. But, quite frankly, I would prefer there be a cause beyond getting too much wrapped into into anime and manga fantasy worlds, as some other folks have proposed.

Originally Posted by Triple_R

I largely agree with you on all of this. But in fairness to Yuuta, I'm not sure if he gets that Rikka has a crush on him. I don't think he's seeing that through all of her eccentricity. He just thinks she's crazy and needs to "grow up", and so he doesn't realize that a lot of her "acting out" towards him isn't just her chunnibyou, but also her having a serious crush on him.

I think you're right, and this is what keeps his character from becoming unlikeable.

Originally Posted by Hyper

I'd be cautious against such expectation. After all, it is made clear several times that this is a rometic comedy. Being the project right after Hyouka can skewed our expectation I guess. I'm not saying that you (and me) can't hope, but I would not hold it against the show if it decide not to touch that subject.

Oh, I hear ya, although I think my expectations are pretty realistic, and I've learned to enjoy anime series for what they are, as opposed to what I would prefer them to be. No matter what, unless there are drastic changes, I'll enjoy this series, even if I have my own preferences as to where the story will go.

Also, I certainly agree it's good to caution about excessive comparisons with Hyouka, which is a very different series in so many ways.

[risingstar3110]

Originally Posted by linkinstreet

It was really obvious why if you paid attention

Spoiler:

Heh

Spoiler:

Mori = Forest 森
Summer = Natsu 夏
森夏 = Shinka

How's about the Japanese general audiences, did they spot it out right away?

Originally Posted by Malkuth

I am not wording it correctly, let try in another way:

Rikka is always in-character, while Ruri, Feyris, Rintarou chose when to role-play. Assuming Rikka does not pretend it, she needs a psychiatrist, otherwise just to grow up (mentally)

Of course Rikka pretended to roleplay on it, and there is a few clear examples:

• her practicing dramatic rolling back with her wheel shoes (to act in the case she's hit by another chu2) in Ep 1
• inventing cool skills for Yuuta, then prevent Yuuta throwing his sword because "it looks cool" rather than because it will reduce his power or whatever
• attach fake wings onto the cat so it can play the part
• lure ppl into asking so she can tell her roleplaying story
• the golden contact lense

Whatever she did, it was to look cool rather than to actual "powering up"

[mangamuscle]

Originally Posted by Kaoru Chujo

But in fact, I do see hints (or maybe I imagine them) that Rikka herself knows what she is doing and just prefers to live this way, for whatever reason. Maybe it is just the normal motive: she wants to feel she is something special, rather than just a very ordinary, unglamorous, rather childish high-school student. In any case, I don't think she is psychotic. Just pleasantly weird.

IMO it is not the normal motive, it is the only motive. But I do not think Rikka wants to be special, she simply wants to have an exciting life so she turns (in her mind) everything mundane around her into something extraordinary, which if we think about it for a moment it is the exact opposite Akari Mizunashi (from the Aria anime/manga series) did since she found the extraordinary in the most mundane (for the 24th centurty) things.

[winhlp32]

Episode 4 Preview:

YouTube

https://youtu.be/Rrg04FsTQNo

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Looks like we'll get more of Nibutani and Dekomori.