Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! Ren – Final Impressions

Come, my friends, ‘Tis not too late to seek a newer world.

Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! was never an anime that I held to a very high standard. Sure, the animation is breathtaking, the characters are wacky and lovable, and I always found each episode to be an overall enjoyable experience, but I never found the capacity to take it all that seriously in a critical sense, because it’s not meant to be taken seriously. Mind you, this is a good thing. Heck, the first season became one of my favorites back in Winter 2012.

That’s not to say it doesn’t have the capacity to leave me a bit disappointed. It might be a moe-tastic show that may not amount to anything more than that in terms of appeal, but the characters did manage to grow on me during that time, and I found myself caring about their personal conflicts if such things were ever brought up.

Takanashi Rikka Kai: Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! Movie

“Dark Flame Master’s Secrets of Kissing 101” O3O

You’d think seeing a Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! movie would be somewhat of a hyper experience. And yet there isn’t really anything much to say about this film. I mean, aside from the really amusing introduction scene with Rikka’s “dream wedding”, and of course, the last bits of the film, I found myself almost being put to sleep while watching… because it’s a recap of the first season. Like, it’s not even a retelling of the story, it’s really just Rikka recounting the events from the television series in her head. I really don’t understand how anyone could have thought a glorified recap episode would be fit to be shown on the big screen, but hey, I’m not KyoAni. They might be geniuses and I might just be a moron who has no taste in cinema.

Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! Ren 06 – WE MAKE PROGRESS!

ARRDGSGDHFSDRADSvdVVHDVS!

Alright, a friend spoiled me that something “awesome and fantastic” would happened in this week’s episode, so I was already kind of expecting something along the lines of a kiss between Yuuta and Rikka just by taking a wild guess. Still, it was quite a pleasant surprise regardless because the large buildup and I wasn’t entirely sure that I was right.

It was nice to see that Rikka is finally opening up and breaking out of her “shy little kid in regards to love” barrier, allowing the relationship to have the first steps of healthy progression. I’ve heard people say “hurrrr Yuuta’s so beta, he hasn’t made a move on Rikka”, but really, I think the problem’s mostly all Rikka’s fault. Yuuta does want the relationship to progress, but he cared about Rikka enough to not force things on her. But now that they finally got past the hand-holding stage and into the more intimate “kiss on the cheek” stage, we may finally be able to see them be more open about being an actual couple, instead of two childish lovebirds that like to hide the fact that they’re a couple.

Thoughts/Analysis on Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! Ren so far (~Episode 05)

Let the cheek-pinching commence!

I gotta say, if there’s anything keeping me from going insane from my terrible, terrible Pre-Calculus class, it’s watching the continuation of our ADHD-filled adventures with the “The Summer of Far East Magic Nap Club” whenever I head home every week. Not only is it nice when you’re watching a bunch of heart-wrenching crap (doesn’t even need to be anime) and are in need of something extremely adorkable to soften the impact in-between, it’s also a good way to soften the impact of stress in real life.

I don’t know if I mentioned this during the first season’s run, but damn do the characters do a great job of carrying this anime. And this quality is something that’s played up a bit more this season, especially considering that characters other than Yuuta and Rikka aren’t getting shoved out of the spotlight, which in my opinion, was one of the biggest flaws during the first season.

Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! Ren 01

Jao Shingan awakens once again!

Like its first season, I’m treating Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! Ren as a nice break from the more serious stuff I’ll be watching/reading this season. That isn’t to say I wasn’t emotionally invested in the first season, but at its heart I think Chuu2 is generally supposed to be a fun little story full of diabetes-inducing goodness here and there, and obviously doesn’t aim to be an emotional roller coaster in the vein of AnoHana or something of that nature. Really, the only conflict I can see happening in Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! Ren relates to this character, but even then I don’t expect it to be too bad for Rikka (because Yuuta loves Rikka to DEEEESU death).

The point of it is to make people feel happy. Think of it as a palette cleanser for every other show that opts to abuse its characters from start-to-finish. The first season was great at being what it was trying to be, and I have no doubt that the second season will do just as great, if not better, a job of doing the same. That is: being Hitting Your Waifu – The Anime.

Kyoukai no Kanata – Final Impressions

Winter Break is over, my next college quarter has started, and of course I’ve also finished watching Kyoukai no Kanata prior to that.

I must say that the conclusion of Kyoukai no Kanata pretty much sealed my opinion of the series – that is to say, it hasn’t changed quite much. This post isn’t going to be as long as my other Final Impressions posts because, honestly, there isn’t quite much to say about the series.

Autumn 2013 Anime Leftovers

Image Credit: angelo (gomahangetsu) from Pixiv

Now that it’s Winter Break and I’ve escaped the hectic college life for the time being, I can devote more time into the blog. Let’s give a round-of-applause to free time not being eaten up by the PS3 and Pocket Monsters X! That being said, here’s my updated thoughts on the leftovers from the Autumn Anime season. I’ve put Kyousogiga on-hold for the time being, so I can marathon it all at once the moment it’s finished, in order write about this fantastic series in a separate well-deserved post.

Kill la Kill‘s pretty much near its halfway point, whilst Kyoukai no Kanata has one episode left to go. Let’s get this quick run-down started!

Initial Thoughts on Autumn 2013 Anime!

If you follow my Twitter, you’ll know that I’ve decided to switch to a congregated posting style for the rest of school year to keep my schedule from going out of control. School, parties, Pocket Monsters X (Japanese version, FC: 4656-6263-1690), and the PS3 all take a surprising chunk of my time nowadays. Anime blogging? What anime blogging?

Mind you, I’ve totally been keeping up with the autumn anime line-up alongside those activities. Currently, the series on my watch-list are as follows: Kill la Kill, Kyoukai no Kanata, and Kyousogiga. Now, as others have pointed out, yes, I noticed that they all form the, um, KKK. But I’m no conspiracy theorist! Besides, this was made in Japan and, well, howaito piggu go homu.

(Speaking of KKK, I have yet to watch Kitakubu Katsudou Kiroku…)

Do I dare watch “Free!”?

OH DEAR GOD WHAT

Now, as some of my readers might know, I have no problems with watching shows aimed at a more feminine fanbase. In fact, I love them as much as more testosterone-ridden GAR shows that are on my list (Samurai Champloo, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, GaoGaiGar, etc.)

But this. This is different.

This is very different. A bunch of shirtless, muscular well-toned sexy men cutting loose in the pool. I suppose the plot is about swimming? Because when I was in high school, I know very well what went on in the locker rooms after a day of swimming. For all I know, the plot could be about that as well.

So, what do you guys suggest? Is Free! worth watching? Will I be the same after I watch it? Is this a break-through from Kyoto Animation in terms of revolutionizing swimming and what it means to swim?

( ?´_ゝ｀) Yes? No? Replies from males and females are all welcome. Telling me why you like it without spoilers would be helpful as well.

(And yes, I’m well-aware of the true reason why a handful of people watch this show, I’m just giving it the benefit of the doubt and most likely pay for it because of my open-minded personality.)

Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai! Extra Episode

I missed dat ass.

I finally got around to watching the Chuu2 OVA. I must say, I’ve really missed the antics of these delusional characters. Chuu2 was probably my personal favorite anime of the Fall 2012 season.

And Rikka is as adorkable as ever.