After it first aired in the Fall anime season of 2012, Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! (Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions!) has been one of the community favorite for its cute mix of romance, comedy and drama. With Kyoto Animation, one of the most renowned animation studio in the industry handling it, the animation quality was never an issue, adding to the show's list of strong points.
More than 3 years has passed since its last episode aired and we finally got ourselves a continuation of the story in this movie, a satisfying one at that. If you haven't seen the previous installments then watch them first and be warned that this article may contain spoilers so proceed at your own risk.
Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! Movie: Take On Me
Genres: Slice of Life, Comedy, Drama, Romance, School
Yuuta and Rikka are now in their third year of high school, however, Rikka is still not yet over her eight-grade syndrome and on top of that is not making much progress with her studies. Enter Touka, Rikka's older sister, that is worried about her sister's future and is proposing that they move to Italy and settle down there for good. This turn of events prompted the young couple to elope to prove the strength of their bond and their will as partners. However during their journey the problem that they are running from, starts to surface and they are forced to confront the conflict that they house inside them.
The first part captured perfectly the eccentric, carefree atmosphere of the series. Rikka, Dekomori and Shichimiya are still at it with their delusions, Yuuta is still having flashbacks of his embarrassing past, the same applies to Nibutani, Kumin is still a sleepyhead. This is the show at its most normal state. Yes, eccentricity is what's normal for this show.
Viewers are still guaranteed a good laugh and the fantasy battles are still going strong, so strong that it would put many action anime to shame. However it is the romance part and the growth of the pair that got me real good in this movie. It is to change or not to change, to accept someone for what and who they are, that's what the pair, ultimately, had to deal with. And as I said earlier it was a satisfying closure (personally).
The 2 have been officially a partner for quite a long time but given their personality, they never really strike other people as one. Rikka is too childish that it looks like Yuuta is just babysitting her. Their relationship hasn't progressed that much even after 2 seasons, and even their friends are poking fun at their situation. This is later revealed to be one of the real reasons why Touka is insisting on moving away, because even after a year together, Rikka doesn't show any signs of changing/ growing out of her delusions.
Slowly, the reason for Rikka's aversion towards changing has been brought to light. It was a well grounded fear, the fear of losing people when you stop being the way that you've been up until now. You see, Rikka has been like that ever since her first appearance and yet Yuuta accepted her for who and what she is, but time is continuously marching forward and they would eventually have to face reality and wake up from their fantasy world. That is the dilemma that they've been put up against and it is something that I won't take lightly since I am the type that wants to keep the status quo, though at the end of the day it is still change that triumphs and we all have to live with that.
An aspect that made this show great for me is the male MC, Yuuta and how he handled the situation. He was once a guy that shared the same delusions as Rikka but is currently trying to live a normal life and leave his embarrassing past behind, but despite that he still chose to be with the girl that reminds him of that part of his life that he is trying to seal away forever. In the movie he is the one who served as the greatest support for Rikka, he didn't forced her to make a decision whether to change or not, instead he just made a vow to be with her forever. He accepted her no matter what she is or what she will be, and if that is not a portrayal of true love then I don't know what is.
Another thing I loved was how the show transitioned from a cheerful atmosphere to a light drama set up without losing the characters' flair. The transition was not an instant change, it was gradually built throughout the course of the movie that's why it felt more natural because it hinted the conflict slowly building up inside Rikka's mind.
The use of the first opening theme caught me off guard and was a nice touch to end the show. It gave me chills, it hit me right in the nostalgia and made the final moments more impactful. Playing the first song in the final part of any series, most of the time, magically makes it couple times better.
The after credit scene is also a nice touch, it is the same way the 2 first met but you can see how much things have changed and how much the 2 of them has grown since then.
I highly recommend the movie and the series for that matter. That does it for this one, I will be ending this article with the catchphrase of the series...
