中二病でも恋がしたい！戀/ Chu-2 byo demo KOI ga shitai! Ren
Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai! Ren 01 anime review

SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:

Yuuta’s mother and sisters move to Jakarta to join his father, leaving him on his own to continue attending school in Japan. With Rikka’s mother having moved away for a job and Rikka’s grandfather accidentally canceling the lease on her old apartment, Rikka moves in with Yuuta to sleep in one of the bedrooms until she can find a place of her own. Yuuta has no problem with this arrangement, despite the fact that he and Rikka are a couple, but he doesn’t want the folks at school knowing this and has to drive this part home with Rikka. At school, they encounter Makoto, who’s changed his hairstyle and dyed it blonde, making him unrecognizable. Nibutani has dyed her hair black and is wearing her school uniform dress at a much longer length. Kumin arrives, claiming to be bummed about being a third year, but her joke falls flat.

During the start of term assembly, Nibutani swears this year will be different. However, she’s almost immediately thrown off her game when Sanae goes to the podium as the 1st year representative to give a speech, something Nibutani had done the year before. Sanae looks normal, but Nibutani can’t resist quietly firing a paperclip at Sanae’s head. Sanae quickly recovers after realizing Nibutani had done it and decides for a little payback by quoting from Mori Summers, which causes Nibutani to faint. Nibutani, Rikka, and Yuuta are in the same class this year (Makoto is in another class), so Nibutani takes Yuuta aside to demand he not reveal her chuunibyou past. Indeed, she is wondering why she’s still going to this high school.  Their conversation is interrupted by Sanae, who’s returned to her twin-tail self to attempt an attack on Nibutani that fails.

Rikka and Yuuta are summoned to the teacher’s room by Nanase-sensei, who expresses concern that official communications to Rikka’s home have failed. They manage to dodge the issue for now. Later at the Oriental Magic Napping Society in Summer Club room, Nibutani arrives, dressed in a miko outfit, demanding to know where Sanae is. Yuuta and Rikka quickly leave so that they can look at advertised rentals at a local real estate office.  Everything is expensive so they walk home. Rikka worries about not being able to see Yuuta like she does now if she moves away. Before they arrive, Nibutani and Kumin run up wanting to know why Rikka’s apartment is empty. However, the big shock comes from Rikka’s sister Touka also showing up, demanding to know the same thing.

Rikka panics and brandishes her umbrella for a chuunibyou fight with Touka. Sanae shows up to defend her, so Touka takes on all five students and defeats them with an Arrostire (roasting) attack. The group goes to Yuuta’s apartment where Yuuta and Rikka are put on the hot seat over living together as a romantic, high school couple. Yuuta explains that he was worried about Rikka living alone and promises he hasn’t laid a finger on Rikka in that time. Rikka confirms this and Yuuta says they are just sharing a house like normal housemates. Touka isn’t buying it and says that Rikka has to find a place or come  with her to Italy. Rikka doesn’t want to, though Sanae’s talk of Italy piques Rikka’s interest. Yuuta’s little sister Kuzuha shows up, saying she’s returned to continue school in Japan. Since Kuzuha is OK with Rikka living with them, Touka agrees to allow it.  Sometime later, Rikka finds Yuuta’s old chuunibyou notebook, which has a letter in it that causes her to take a walk.

Thoughts/Review:

Heh! I’m always amused by these anime (and manga) stories whereby high school kids are living by themselves for the purposes of attending school. With the start of Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai! Ren, that scenario changes somewhat in that Yuuta, Rikka, and Kuzuha are living together without parental supervision.

It looks like Makoto is just going to assume his comedic role for the new series.  I had kind of hoped that maybe he and Kumin might become a couple, but I doubt that happens.  I also note that he’s no longer in the same class as Yuuta, Rikka, and Nibutani.

Moving onto Nibutani, “What have you done to yourself, girl?” *lol*  She just looks so odd in black hair (sans the barrette in her hair) and a long skirt. That being said, I laughed out loud when she partook in the chuunibyou battle against Touka.  No matter what she does, she cannot break away from her chuunibyou past, and no doubt there’s a part of her that actually enjoys those fantasy moments.

Sanae’s arrival to give the speech for the first year students was awesome since she was in a normal hairstyle. I loved her response to Nibutani’s paperclip attack by quoting Mori Summers in front of the entire school. Then, her failed attack on Nibutani as her usual self was pretty funny (as was Nibutani’s revenge on Sanae later on). Nibutani and Sanae are very much like sisters, which is why their relationship works so well on all levels.

Not a lot to say about Kumin. I laughed when Touka accidentally attacked her with her ladle, and actually got Kumin in on the chuunibyou fight as well.

The chuunibyou element does make me cringe a tiny bit though. After all, these are just make-believe moments that are done in a way to look like cool, superhuman battles are taking place. In reality, their fights must look pretty silly, but they all get sucked into pretending to be engaged in some fierce fight (though Touka is pretty handy with that ladle).

As to the end of the episode, I figure the letter Rikka found is a love letter of some kind either from Yuuta to some other girl or from some other girl to Yuuta. If I’m right, I do recall that after the first season, I read that in the light novels, there was a female character who’d not shown up. Causing her to appear here would provide the conflict since Touka is pretty much out as a point of conflict. We’ll see if that girl is used or not.

Otherwise, an enjoyable and fun start to the new Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai! Ren series.