中二病でも恋がしたい！/ Chu-2 byo demo KOI ga shitai!
Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai! – 06

SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:

As Yuuta plays an RPG on his console, Rikka pops down for a visit, complete with a t-shirt for him to wear at club meetings while Tōka comes home and reacts to a text message on her phone. The next day in art class, Yuuta and Rikka chat until she reveals her portrait of Yuuta as the Dark Flame Master, which doesn’t please him.  During a break, a panicked Makoto confides in Yuuta that he has a love letter, and ponders who it’s from. Yuuta shoots down his thoughts that it might be Nibutani.  Yuuta heads to the club room, where Rikka hands out the new t-shirts. Rikka, Kurin, and Sanae get into the spirit of things, and Kurin notes that Yuuta is wearing the t-shirt, only under his school shirt.

Nibutani arrives with a small bottle of warm milk, and immediately attacks Sanae, who’d previously attacked her during art class. Nibutani attempts to force Sanae to drink it, unaware that Makoto is behind her, seeing the real her. When she realizes it, she immediately becomes her nice persona, allowing Sanae to take advantage and start quoting Mori Summer, causing Nibutani to freak out. With her cover blown, Nibutani threatens Makoto if he ever reveals what he’s seen here. After school, outside a train station, Nibutani tells Makoto that she feels a real girl wrote the love letter, and tells him it is up to him on how well it goes. She then threatens him again on what will happen if he reveals what he has learned. Makoto tells Yuuta that he will run simulations in his mind against all the girls, then leaves Yuuta with Rikka, who holds his hand as a train passes to “read the wind.”

At school the next day, Nibutani has Makoto’s notebook where he ranked the girls in the class with the help of the boys. Since this is deemed offensive, an investigation is underway to determine who’s notebook it is and who helped create it. Makoto decides to man up and confess, vowing to shave his head as an apology. Back at the club room, Makoto plans on reneging his vow, but Nibutani coldly advises against it. Makoto laments the loss of his hair, since he’d had a buzz cut for years, but allows Yuuta to buzz him. Yuuta allows the club members back into the room, where Sanae and Nibutani can’t help but laugh. Rikka doesn’t laugh, and Makoto allows her to perform a blessing on him. The following day, Nibutani and Makoto discuss the situation until Kurin emerges to touch Makoto’s head. That night, Yuuta is paid a visit by Tōka, who wants him to come with her and Rikka on their summer vacation.

Thoughts/Review:

Back in episode 2, I pondered fantasies and playing an RPG such as Skyrim.  As such, I found it interesting that Yuuta played an RPG he hadn’t played in a while, thus allowing himself a chuunibyou-like experience, but in a more “normal” fashion, that being a console game.

During one of the LITE episodes, Kurin observed that she felt that Yuuta really did want to participate when Sanae and Rikka had their chuunibyou moments.  I think we saw further evidence of this when he wore the shirt that Rikka got for him, even if just under his school shirt. Even Rikka was surprised by this, I think.

Makoto’s deeper involvement was a nice change.  I laughed at how he planned to run simulations in his mind to prepare for whatever girl might have sent him the love letter. In my mind, it would be enough work running simulations against one girl, much less all the girls in the class (and possibly beyond). This “simulation” thing is another form of chuunibyou as I see it, only without the outward expressions of it.  I wonder if Kurin sent the letter, or if it was someone else (assuming that even matters). With Makoto knowing Nibutani’s secret, I wonder if he’ll be popping into the club room more often.  Plus, there’s Rikka, who didn’t laugh at him, so who knows — he might become interested in her.

Since this series parodies various anime/manga tropes and series, I wonder how prevalent shaving one’s head is. In all my years of fandom, I recall only one franchise where a character shaved their head, and that was Vandread (and done to great effect).  It was humorous to me to see how melodramatic things got as Makoto lamented the potential loss of his hair.

 

 

Tōka’s shimmying down the rope to see Yuuta makes me again think that she too once participated in chuunibyou. Whatever message she received, combined with her request that Yuuta join her and Rikka for a summer vacation leaves a lot of questions. Again, it inspires thoughts in me, wanting some supernatural element, though I highly doubt that will happen. I’m looking forward to seeing what does happen.

So, as I’ve said before, I still don’t know where this series is going, but it is a fun ride for me.