Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai! Ren Review — Final Thoughts

Having immensely enjoyed Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai!, there was no doubt that I’d watch Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai! Ren. As there were only one of the two original light novels to adapt from, I wondered what KyoAni would do. While they may not have had much of a plot, KyoAni did successfully bring the characters I loved from Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai!, toss in one new character, and then proceed with a nice, sweet, wholesome, and often very funny slice of life series.

In Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai!, the plot centered around lead female character Rikka, who has to deal with her chuunibyou (extreme, supernatural fantasies) and why she’s hiding from reality as well as her growing feelings for lead male character, Yuuta. With Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai! Ren, there is no plot to speak of, though Rikka does seek to advance her relationship with Yuuta. Although Rikka does have concerns and does make minor advances, the plot thread really wasn’t much at all as KyoAni decided to just focus more on slice of life moments for Rikka and Yuuta as well as all the other characters.

New character Satone, who influenced Yuuta to enter the world of chuunibyou and who was friends with Nibutani in junior high school, is a good addition to the cast.  KyoAni decided that rather than have her be the focus of a central plot, she’d be the element to help Rikka make small advances rather than a rival throughout the series. Satone also is used to explore the notion of growing up and accepting reality vs. remaining in the chuunibyou fantasy realm. As a supporting character, she’s used really well and I liked her a lot. Unfortunately, this meant that the only other male character in the series (Makoto) pretty much gets flushed, save for the occasional comedic cameo.

While Yuuta and Rikka may be the central focus of the series, KyoAni doesn’t neglect the other female characters. Kumin gets a chance to shine during a napping competition (in addition to getting into the chuunibyou aspect in a minor way). Sanae picks up a female stalker who pretends to be Nibutani’s alternate persona, Mori Summer. Of course, the sisterly relationship between Sanae and Nibutani continues to be explored, often with comedic results, but sometimes with touching results. I had hoped for more exploration of Nibutani, but that could be done in a new series, should KyoAni decide to do more.

Ultimately, this is just a feel good anime series. Yeah, I know that some folks have problems with the slow, almost childish approach to romantic relationships that Yuuta and Rikka have, but that didn’t bother me in the least. In fact, I loved this wholesome, non-ecchi romance here. I know that eventually, Yuuta and Rikka will kiss. Eventually, they’ll likely get engaged, get married, and then do those things that married couples do to produce offspring. For this series, I just enjoyed seeing them progress in their own, slow way.  Had there been no progress, I would have had a problem, but since the two do make progress, and both grow as characters, it was all good for me.

In the end, the combination of interesting, entertaining characters; cute, sweet, wholesome romance; funny, sibling-like bickering; and all of the other slice of life elements in Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai! Ren make it one of my favorite anime series. For me, this series is well worth a buy.