First Impressions – Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai!

Uncategorized, , ,
[gg]_Chuunibyou_Demo_Koi_ga_Shitai!_-_01_[5B6EFD1F].mkv_snapshot_06.13_[2012.10.03_20.11.17] [gg]_Chuunibyou_Demo_Koi_ga_Shitai!_-_01_[5B6EFD1F].mkv_snapshot_08.26_[2012.10.03_20.13.31] [gg]_Chuunibyou_Demo_Koi_ga_Shitai!_-_01_[5B6EFD1F].mkv_snapshot_12.05_[2012.10.03_20.17.10]

What is it with all these exclamation points in anime titles lately anyway?

OP: “Sparkling Daydream” by ZAQ

[gg]_Chuunibyou_Demo_Koi_ga_Shitai!_-_01_[5B6EFD1F].mkv_snapshot_02.26_[2012.10.03_20.07.31] [gg]_Chuunibyou_Demo_Koi_ga_Shitai!_-_01_[5B6EFD1F].mkv_snapshot_02.42_[2012.10.03_20.07.46] [gg]_Chuunibyou_Demo_Koi_ga_Shitai!_-_01_[5B6EFD1F].mkv_snapshot_02.45_[2012.10.03_20.07.50]
[gg]_Chuunibyou_Demo_Koi_ga_Shitai!_-_01_[5B6EFD1F].mkv_snapshot_02.56_[2012.10.03_20.08.00] [gg]_Chuunibyou_Demo_Koi_ga_Shitai!_-_01_[5B6EFD1F].mkv_snapshot_03.12_[2012.10.03_20.08.16] [gg]_Chuunibyou_Demo_Koi_ga_Shitai!_-_01_[5B6EFD1F].mkv_snapshot_03.36_[2012.10.03_20.08.40]

[gg]_Chuunibyou_Demo_Koi_ga_Shitai!_-_01_[5B6EFD1F].mkv_snapshot_00.14_[2012.10.03_20.04.53]When the respective projects were announced by Kyoto Animation, there was some consensus – and it’s one I tended to share – that Hyouka would be the safer, less ambitious series, right in KyoAni’s sweet spot, while Chuunibyou would be the edgier and riskier show.  I’m reluctant to jump to too many conclusions after one episode, especially because my experience with Hyouka itself is that if I’d made up my mind after the premiere, I would have had a very inaccurate (and not positive enough) impression of what the series was.  I’m blogging the premiere, though, so I obviously can’t know what’s going to happen – and at this moment, it’s Chuunibyou that seems like the series that fits the KyoAni template better.

[gg]_Chuunibyou_Demo_Koi_ga_Shitai!_-_01_[5B6EFD1F].mkv_snapshot_00.41_[2012.10.03_20.05.19]I’ve been interested in seeing what KyoAni would do with this premise as soon as I heard about it.  Based on a LN series by Torako, the title refers to “Second-Year Middle-School Disease” – effectively, the period when teenagers have delusions of grandeur and come to believe that the world revolves around them and their weird ideas.  It’s a funny concept to begin with, and a good basis for an anime – and the premiere is funny.  At least some of the time, anyway – though I confess that for all the visual and aural noise it makes, it didn’t end up making all that much of an impression on me.

[gg]_Chuunibyou_Demo_Koi_ga_Shitai!_-_01_[5B6EFD1F].mkv_snapshot_00.54_[2012.10.03_20.05.33]KyoAni, as they always do, has gathered the usual suspects – director Ishihara Tatsuya (Air, Clannad), Animation Director/Character Designer Ikeda Kazumi (everything KyoAni has done, pretty much), etc.  I once described KyoAni as being trapped in a box of their own creation, and while Hyouka (mostly) escaped that box, it’s always a risk with any new KyoAni show.  And while the premise of Chuunibyou sounds very edgy, in the end the first episode amounted to the antics of some enormously kawaii tenth-graders as they did cute things.  That’s hardly a revolution for KyoAni, and it remains to be seen how closely future developments will hew to the party line.  Just as reliably you can count on any KyoAni show looking great, and this one does – though for me it lacked the lush beauty and subtle visual creativity of the Hyouka premiere.  You can also count on beautifully shot and inventive OP and ED sequences, though the OP here is a bit too seizure-inducingly busy for my tastes.

[gg]_Chuunibyou_Demo_Koi_ga_Shitai!_-_01_[5B6EFD1F].mkv_snapshot_01.27_[2012.10.03_20.06.06]My initial reaction when I saw the promo shots of main character Togashi Yuuta (Fukuyama Jun) was that he looked more interesting as the chuunibyou-afflicted middle-schooler who wore a cloak and carried a sword than as the plain yogurt tenth-grader desperate to put his past behind him and fit in.  And indeed, he is substantially less interesting than classmate Takanashi Rikka (Uchida Maaya) who still suffers from the affliction, wearing a Misaki Mei-styled eye patch to cover her (colored-contact-enhanced) “wicked eye”, which gives her powers of divination (and his mother and sisters seem to think the old Yuuta was a lot more interesting, too).  It’s a sort of twist, I suppose, to have the boring male harem lead be so blatantly trying to be boring, and I enjoyed the fact that Rikka’s antics were borne completely of her delusion, and any discomfort she caused Yuuta was strictly unintentional.  She’s a lot to take, dangerously close to moe for moe’s sake, and I don’t know if she’ll wear well.  But she seems to have a good heart and that will buy some patience with me.

[gg]_Chuunibyou_Demo_Koi_ga_Shitai!_-_01_[5B6EFD1F].mkv_snapshot_03.51_[2012.10.03_20.08.55]There are a bunch of other girls who will become major players soon enough, though only class idol Nibutani Shinka (Akasaki Chinatsu) makes much of a dent in the opener.  We also have the classic KyoAni goofus male friend, Isshiki Makoto (Houshi Souchirou).  KyoAni made a big deal of wanting newer faces for the female roles here, but it’s too bad they’ve made no such effort with the males, recycling old standards far too long in the tooth to play convincing 16 year-olds.  I’m a big fan of FukuJun – his work in Natsuyuki Rendezvous might be the best of his career, and he’s hilarious in Shirokuma Café – but I just can’t buy him in these kiddo roles anymore.  He sounds like a guy at a party pretending he’s his son while telling a joke.

[gg]_Chuunibyou_Demo_Koi_ga_Shitai!_-_01_[5B6EFD1F].mkv_snapshot_04.59_[2012.10.03_20.10.03]The Hyouka experience certainly advises patience here.  To be honest the funniest moment of the episode for me was the pre-open narration, which referred to chuunibyou as “Adorable yet dreadful” – a most apt description.  There are some nice moments with Rikka’s unintentional torture of Yuuta and the animation is excellent, but the premiere felt far more generic and generically KyoAni than I’d hoped based on the premise.  There’s potential here, and I’ll certainly give Chuunibyou some time to realize it, though it really does feel – so far – like another KyoAni venture aimed at shoving as much kawaii down the audience’s gullet in 22 minutes as humanly possible.

[gg]_Chuunibyou_Demo_Koi_ga_Shitai!_-_01_[5B6EFD1F].mkv_snapshot_05.34_[2012.10.03_20.10.39] [gg]_Chuunibyou_Demo_Koi_ga_Shitai!_-_01_[5B6EFD1F].mkv_snapshot_06.49_[2012.10.03_20.11.54] [gg]_Chuunibyou_Demo_Koi_ga_Shitai!_-_01_[5B6EFD1F].mkv_snapshot_07.29_[2012.10.03_20.12.33]
[gg]_Chuunibyou_Demo_Koi_ga_Shitai!_-_01_[5B6EFD1F].mkv_snapshot_08.24_[2012.10.03_20.13.29] [gg]_Chuunibyou_Demo_Koi_ga_Shitai!_-_01_[5B6EFD1F].mkv_snapshot_09.46_[2012.10.03_20.14.51] [gg]_Chuunibyou_Demo_Koi_ga_Shitai!_-_01_[5B6EFD1F].mkv_snapshot_10.11_[2012.10.03_20.15.15]
[gg]_Chuunibyou_Demo_Koi_ga_Shitai!_-_01_[5B6EFD1F].mkv_snapshot_11.46_[2012.10.03_20.16.50] [gg]_Chuunibyou_Demo_Koi_ga_Shitai!_-_01_[5B6EFD1F].mkv_snapshot_13.02_[2012.10.03_20.18.06] [gg]_Chuunibyou_Demo_Koi_ga_Shitai!_-_01_[5B6EFD1F].mkv_snapshot_14.19_[2012.10.03_20.19.23]
[gg]_Chuunibyou_Demo_Koi_ga_Shitai!_-_01_[5B6EFD1F].mkv_snapshot_16.13_[2012.10.03_20.21.18] [gg]_Chuunibyou_Demo_Koi_ga_Shitai!_-_01_[5B6EFD1F].mkv_snapshot_16.49_[2012.10.03_20.21.53] [gg]_Chuunibyou_Demo_Koi_ga_Shitai!_-_01_[5B6EFD1F].mkv_snapshot_19.31_[2012.10.03_20.24.35]

ED: “Inside Identity” by Maaya Uchida, Chinatsu Akasaki, Azumi Asakura , and Sumire Uesaka

[gg]_Chuunibyou_Demo_Koi_ga_Shitai!_-_01_[5B6EFD1F].mkv_snapshot_22.10_[2012.10.03_20.27.15] [gg]_Chuunibyou_Demo_Koi_ga_Shitai!_-_01_[5B6EFD1F].mkv_snapshot_22.43_[2012.10.03_20.27.48] [gg]_Chuunibyou_Demo_Koi_ga_Shitai!_-_01_[5B6EFD1F].mkv_snapshot_23.34_[2012.10.03_20.28.38]
Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail

Guardian Enzo

Related posts

43 comments

  1. R
    Richard
    October 4, 2012 at 9:33 am
    Reply

    I don't mind moerotic anime as long as the comedy is great. And in that regard, Chu2byo EP1 worked on me far better than Nichijou, Lucky Star and K-On!.

    I don't think I'll have much trouble enjoying this show. Let's see how far does it take the Drama/Romance potential that was teased here and there in this episode. Maybe we are lucky and we will see something 'risky' from KyoAni again.

  2. R
    Richard
    October 4, 2012 at 9:34 am
    Reply

    PD: It felt very "Fumoffu".

  3. S
    SQA
    October 4, 2012 at 4:08 pm
    Reply

    Another Fumoffu would be awesome. Though the interplay between Sousuke and Chidori really made that series.

    Granted, I also don't know if any series would even attempt a Sarin Gas joke or the Ponyhead guy bit, either.

  4. d
    dv
    October 4, 2012 at 10:01 am
    Reply

    You know what this reminded me of? Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko. Normal guy in a new environment. Meets strange outcasts girl who makes some weird claims. Seems like claims are false. But there's also the hint of a doubt of whether there are aliens/magic powers.

  5. d
    dv
    October 4, 2012 at 10:02 am
    Reply

    @ ENZO:
    Waiting… For pictures….
    Still settling down? No time for autumn?

  6. admin
    October 4, 2012 at 3:43 pm
    Reply

    Not there yet…

  7. A
    Anonymous
    October 4, 2012 at 11:03 am
    Reply

    Let's not beat around the bush. This is cancer.

  8. S
    ShuA
    October 4, 2012 at 1:03 pm
    Reply

    Chuu2 is so entertaining and I can relate with Yuuta

  9. P
    Pellino
    October 4, 2012 at 3:06 pm
    Reply

    Jeez Enzo, sometimes it almost seems like you've made up your mind about the show, before you even watch a minute of it. So what if we're dealing with somewhat-generic premise filled with cute schoolgirls? I just dont understand what could demand so much negativity towards a show which have barely begun, besides prejudice against kyoani as a studio that is

  10. admin
    October 4, 2012 at 3:31 pm
    Reply

    Maybe the fact that the episode was somewhat mediocre?

  11. P
    Pellino
    October 4, 2012 at 3:50 pm
    Reply

    Well Enzo, seems like to me you were intentionally paying more attention towards the things you genarally dont like, instead of giving this first ep a fair shot. I mean dont get me wrong, i respect ur anime knowledge and genarally trust and or respect ur judgement, just seems like when u're dealing with kyoani you become a glass-half-empty sorta guy

  12. admin
    October 4, 2012 at 4:01 pm
    Reply

    That must be why I said Hyouka was one of the best series of the year, I guess.

  13. A
    Anonymous
    October 4, 2012 at 4:35 pm
    Reply

    "So what if we're dealing with somewhat-generic premise filled with cute schoolgirls?"

    I'm reminded of a line in the movie Ted:
    John: the girls in Boston aren't that bad
    Ted: John, the fact that you said they "aren't that bad" means they are that bad

    Personally, the minute I saw the OP I thought to myself "oh, it's gonna be THAT kind of show…" which I didn't mind. I can see them take the show in all sorts of places; once their imaginations kick in, all sorts of visual treats are possible. The fast-forward shot in the ED sequence was amazing.

  14. P
    Pellino
    October 4, 2012 at 4:56 pm
    Reply

    @ Enzo. Yea you ended up liking hyouka, but doesn't change the fact that you were highly critical of that kyoani show as well for a long, long time. And thats what i'm saying when it's kyoani you expect the worst, most of ur readership must know that u're kyoani fangirl by n

  15. P
    Pellino
    October 4, 2012 at 5:05 pm
    Reply

    Now, so All i'm questioning is whether or not is fair to assume that this one is gonna be dissapointing.

    @anon i agree bro this can go lots of ways, and when it's all said and done i think this will end up fairly decent

  16. P
    Pellino
    October 4, 2012 at 5:07 pm
    Reply

    No kyoani fangirl****

  17. admin
    October 4, 2012 at 6:16 pm
    Reply

    Your perception is different than mine. I was mildly positive towards Hyouka most of the time even before I became a big fan of it, and I wouldn't have kept blogging it if I hadn't found it interesting even before it won me over.

    Look, everyone's POV is different, but for me, KyoAni is the most predictable anime studio – good and bad – there is. Their shows always look fantastic, they always stay within their tiny circle of preferred staff and they like to stick with their preferred seiyuu. And their character designs are always insanely kawaii, and their shows almost always have a specific sensibility. There are exceptions – Kanon and Clannad reflect KEY as much or more than KyonAni, and Hyouka ended up being one – but generally speaking, more than any studio, they stay with what they're comfortable with.

    Now there's nothing wrong with that in itself, but not everyone enjoys their formula shows to the same level. You can guarantee they're going to give you cute girls doing cute things. I don't mind cute girls doing cute things as long as it's in support of a larger purpose. But I don't think cute girls doing cute things is enough to recommend a series on its own. Many disagree – the BD sales prove that – and that's fine. But too many KyoAni shows fall under that category for my personal tastes. My hope going in was that Chuunibyou was going to be edgy and dark, on the Fumofuu side of the KyoAni spectrum. I didn't find the premiere to be on that side, but closer to the "cute for its own sake" end, which doesn't interest me as much.

    As to the specifics of your criticism, it seems pointless to debate it because you're not responding to what I actually said, but seem more interested in standing on a pulpit and preaching to me about my sins. All I did was respond to one episode, because that's all that I've seen. Nowhere did I come anywhere close to "assuming this is going to be disappointing". I gave my critique of one episode. I realize that's not as much fun to rage against, but it is what it is.

  18. P
    Pellino
    October 4, 2012 at 7:30 pm
    Reply

    Hey, listen English is not my first language, so things might have come out differently then i wanted it to. I wasn't trying to fault you for having an opinion about this opening episode, heck i visit this site to read ur opinions. And by no means will i be satisfied if this anime turns out be a series that's only about having ridiculesly lucky dude who has this harem full of rediculesly kawaii girls. If it does i would still watch it tho, but i do expect more. I thought that through ur review of this ep, that you were implying that this series was about to go down that road, and what i basicly wanted out of this feedback was that we pumped the a little bit and let the Series unravel a little before we made those predicktions, if it seemed like i was raging that was not my intention

  19. P
    Pellino
    October 4, 2012 at 7:33 pm
    Reply

    Predictions

  20. P
    Pellino
    October 4, 2012 at 7:38 pm
    Reply

    Pumped the breaks… Damm it's annoying commenting on a phone, on an unrelated matter, is it possible for me to turn off this function where when you scroll to the site u get to the previous post?

  21. A
    Anonymous
    October 4, 2012 at 7:39 pm
    Reply

    Side

  22. A
    Anonymous
    October 5, 2012 at 12:26 am
    Reply

    Pellino. I know how you feel. The side scroll to next review is too sensitive.

    And it happens again while posting this msg

  23. S
    SQA
    October 4, 2012 at 4:14 pm
    Reply

    This was a lot "safer" of a choice set. Mostly as ep 1 didn't include Tentacle-Vines Chitanda and her Eyes of Curiosity. Though I would have liked something in that vein.

    There was a whole lot of KyoAni in-references in this episode, but those might just be something mostly limited to the opener. At least, I hope. The base novel is published by a company that KyoAni owns, this is actually their own property. Which might be even more in-references.

    Though, oddly enough, I ended up laughing a whole lot more at Kami-sama Hajimemashita than with Chuuibyou. But those are ep 1s. I get the feeling that Kami-sama Hajimemashita will go more shoujo and less funny, but it was a really good opening episode.

  24. A
    Anonymous
    October 4, 2012 at 7:42 pm
    Reply

    with all due respect, i really didnt think hyouka was that great of a series; it was ok, id give it a 7/10. I loved the animation and i think it was one of kyoani's best animated works for a tv series, if not their best tv series effort. Everything from the lighting effects, the artistic direction, and character movement was so well done in this series. as eye candy, the show was phenomenal. But that's where my over-praising ends. The show's characters weren't all that interesting…for what was suppose to be a mystery series, the mysteries weren't that enthralling; and yeah i get it, the mysteries were only a back burner to the character interactions…but if you have uninteresting character's, then that type of story structure doesn't really work in one's favor. Interesting character's are made by how they interact with other characters and the situations behind them and hyouka in my opinion just didnt have that; the character build up just didn't feel organic enough. I feel like animes in general need to start making character development more grounded, natural, and overall more engaging so that they can escape this labeling that people have made were they say "this was good….for an anime"…. Satoshi and Mayaka were interesting but just a little bit, although i will say that the issue they were both facing felt like real everyday drama high school kids go through, so i will give it that. There's was actually something that i appreciated from the series in the beginning, and that was the superb imagery kyoani used in the beginning to portray chitanda getting under houtarou's skin.. but even that stopped after a couple episodes and that's a shame because it could have given the show a certain illustrative depth. Anyway i do commend kyoani for trying something different and its a step in a good direction, which brings me to the point of my long rant: I do agree with enzo and his disappointment with kyonai not tackling a more ambitious project. I dont think he dislikes kyoani, but instead feels as if they have potential to make great and compelling series that would make them a top-tier animation company but instead cop-out and play it safe with mediocre moe shows; in this case he feels as if this show is looking to just be "another moe series"….trust me i cant stand moe…..but hey..if the show is fun i think that counts for something because im certainly not looking for any type of depth in this series….. if it just so happens to have depth i will be surprised as hell. what i at least want is engaging characters and a fun setting so hopefully this show can deliver; dat is how ill judge whether the show is watchable…and if not then..that's gonna suck.

  25. a
    aliens
    October 4, 2012 at 9:04 pm
    Reply

    Enzo likes to have his finger in every pie to make sure he isn't missing out on the "best".

    You can never call the guy out on lacking the ability to objectively deconstruct something since he'll just give you apples and oranges and never be wrong in the process. His highly pretentious outlook on anime is never to be questioned either!

  26. admin
    October 4, 2012 at 11:35 pm
    Reply

    Wow, bitter much? Life's too short for that kind of crap.

    To the original poster, I certainly think Hyouka wasn't nearly at it best every week. But when it was, it was one of my favorite shows of the year. It's not really about the mysteries for me, it's about the atmosphere and the subtlety of the writing. I wasn't all that interested in Oreki or Chitanda for a good while either, I think it became clear by the end that the show had some amazingly subtle character development.

    Kanya Festa and ep 21? Truly beautiful anime in every way.

  27. A
    Anonymous
    October 5, 2012 at 2:24 am
    Reply

    I agree…it was those last couple of episodes that hyouka truly shined and if the show had consistently been like that i would have loved it instead of just finding it a decent watch….like i said im quite aware the mystery in the show was just meant to be in the background and the characters and the world of hyouka was suppose to take center stage; i just feel like kyoani could have done that a little better and they started to with the last couple eps.

    Either way i agree with you on your view about chuunibyou and kyo ani in general…i wish they would adapt more serious work…but wateva..and like you said..this is just your impression after one episode; things are subject to change if the show shows promise…for the most part it seems that it can deliver on giving its view a fun time…if they don't happen to die of moe overload that is hahaha…which i hope this show can control its moe levels and keep it to an understandable level…anyway good work with these impressions; they are very well written and are filled with good insight; its an overall pleasure to read these blogs…keep up the good work

  28. D
    Doddle God
    October 5, 2012 at 2:36 am
    Reply

    Dear Enzo: for the love of god/goddess, please do not cover "K". I've lost a bit of soul for watching that atrocity for 5-6 min (stupid me) and can only cry myself to sleep for the next few nights. Ah the horror, the horror~~! …but if you do, don't hold back laying down on it (and if you do the first impression, I will join in the bashing). I'd rather watch SAO episode 12 repeatedly rather than this "K"!! There I said it!! Have at me, "K" fans, if you actually exist in this world!

    (p.s. I really should stop writing about another show on a show's post. This is like 2nd or 3rd time in a row! I swear this will be the last!)

  29. A
    Anonymous
    October 5, 2012 at 9:25 am
    Reply

    He's going to like it.

  30. N
    Nyangoro
    October 5, 2012 at 3:32 am
    Reply

    To be honest, I thoroughly enjoyed this episode, and it had nothing to do with moe appeal or KyoAni's famous animation.

    When I watched this, I found myself relating to the characters (especially Yuuta), because the show seemed to be about the inner conflict between growing up and keeping your childhood fantasies. The fact that Yuuta's desire to be "normal" is accented by this past already makes him a significantly stronger character than those in the same vein.

    Now, I certainly don't mind moe (nor do I think it's a bad thing), but I saw some real substance beneath all the adorable character designs and banter, and I hope KyoAni delivers more of it as the show progresses.

  31. H
    Highway
    October 5, 2012 at 6:15 am
    Reply

    I really enjoyed this show also, but I also love all the other stuff that I've watched from KyoAni (which is honestly limited to K-On!, Haruhi, and Hyouka). The first thing I thought was "This is what Houtarou Oreki would look like in K-On!" And that style is fine with me, and I think that they characters are maybe a little tighter to spec in their drawing than the more malleable K-On girls.

    I thought the show was pretty funny from start to finish, and have no problem with cute and happy most of the time (I also liked Yui and "Kirito and Asuna's Married Life in rural Aincrad", so liking this isn't out of character for me at all). I'll be excited for more next week.

  32. A
    Anonymous
    October 5, 2012 at 9:23 am
    Reply

    This is how any male character would look like in K-On!: http://i.imgur.com/Cq6jj.jpg

  33. J
    Jeroz
    October 5, 2012 at 1:46 pm
    Reply

    Can't wait for Aura next year.

    Chuunibyou within the context of bullying and possibly escapism, written by Tanaka "no desk for you?" Romeo.

  34. A
    Anonymous
    October 5, 2012 at 9:13 pm
    Reply

    TBH after Hyouka I wasn't expecting to be blown away and from those small specials that were shown I could almost immedietly tell it was going to be a simple cutsy show. though I don't mind that.

    I've enjoyed lots of shows out of pure enjoyment, Beelzebub(manga only), Nichijou(my opinion), and etc. though I can't say it was anywhere near as dazzaling as hyouka was I did enjoy myself and I wouldn't be surprised if I see this series to its end, no matter if it turns out to be a hyouka or kokoro connect (which didn't end yet but you get what I mean) all in all I enjoyed myself and in the end thats all I want out of an entertainment medium.

  35. S
    Stöt
    October 6, 2012 at 12:00 am
    Reply

    Wow, you're getting a lot of shit for this review. Objectively, I can't for the life of me see why.
    Subjectively, I would have written pretty much the same thing (minus all the insight in seiyuus directing, studios etc (which is why I sticked around since I first looked at this site, I guess)).

    I don't like it. It's like rewatching K-On, and that would be very boring, moe and mind-numbing (even though I liked the experience the first time). I also saw that early preview thing, and I'm guessing the show will come to that point in 3 or four episodes. I dread that journey so much that I'll rather drop it now.

    Perhaps I'll reconsider if it's getting positive reviews here in the future.

    P.S Hyouka= edgy, interesting. Chuunibyu = safe, boring. Who could have guessed!?

  36. P
    Passerby
    October 6, 2012 at 3:01 am
    Reply

    Enzo, I'd like to hear more about that Kyoani "box" that you've talked about more than once. I have my own ideas about Kyoani's trends, and I highly doubt that they're the same as yours. To be fair, I'll talk about mine first.

    Superficially, Kyoani shows hit a lot of mass-market-appeal spots. The cute character designs and the excellent production values help more than they hurt, I'm sure. At their core, though, it seems to me that Kyoani are a bunch of nostalgia junkies. Their anime are frequently (if not, arguably, always) a step back to a yesteryear asking "wasn't that more interesting?" to the more mature (age-wise) in their audience. I once read a bit of insight on why the Japanese so often (in anime, manga, etc) set their stories in high school. To the Japanese, high school is the last and most glorious stage in their life for opportunity, romance and imagination before a bitterly conformist adult society stamps it out.

    For Chuunibyu, I see the greatest thematic resemblance with The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi. Both feature a protagonist who have embraced normality to have their world shaken up by a heroine who has refused to let go. Haruhi has more escapist appeal, with the fantasy actually hiding under the layers, while Chuunibyu seems more grounded in reality being as you see it.

    I think Chuunibyu simply isn't going to work as well for someone who hasn't gone through a similar phase in life as the main characters. For me personally, so much of the show as is funny because it's true and I've been there, long ago (cf Nichijou). I suspect that Kyoani's filled with a bunch of ex-geeks who miss their younger years too. I mean, when Rikka unleashes the power of the Konami code on the the drink machine how many teenagers today are going to get that? Precious few, I'd expect.

    So yeah, Kyoani's fare generally works for me (though I passed on K-on). I'm much older and slightly wiser now (to my sorrow) but I can remember a more carefree time. An automatic door opens to the wave of my hand? Damn I'm cool. Was my umbrella my trusty, impenetrable hoplon? Hell yeah. I watch Chuunibyu and I think that, yeah, life was more fun then.

    tl;dr: Damn kids. Get off my lawn!

  37. h
    hoiut
    October 6, 2012 at 10:06 pm
    Reply

    Oh shit, it really WAS the Konami code. The madness…

  38. g
    ghee
    October 7, 2012 at 10:00 pm
    Reply

    :"I once read a bit of insight on why the Japanese so often (in anime, manga, etc) set their stories in high school. To the Japanese, high school is the last and most glorious stage in their life for opportunity, romance and imagination before a bitterly conformist adult society stamps it out."

    Thanks for that. Was of the feeling that something of the sort was the case.

  39. admin
    October 7, 2012 at 11:32 pm
    Reply

    Well, to be honest I've certainly experienced exactly what you're talking about in terms of nostalgia for my high-school days. Rather than "precious few" I'd say it's "most" in terms of who can identify with the premise, especially among anime fans (and that's why this, like most KyoAni shows, will sell very well). I think Hyouka and Chuunibyou both look back nostalgically at how smart kids spend their teen years – the difference is for me, Hyouka felt authentic and so far, Chuunibyou feels a little calculating. It was like they took a really interesting premise and neutered it to make sure the KyoAni moe explosion was front and center.

    Maybe Haruhi is a good litmus test for this series, I don't know, because I'm not a fan. But I'm not prepared to tar Chuunibyou with the Haruhi brush after one episode.

  40. P
    Passerby
    October 8, 2012 at 5:04 am
    Reply

    What is the age of the average anime fan? Can't say I really know. I'd need to do research into Chuunibyou's timeslot and Japan's TV watching population and alas that sounds awfully like hard work. I assumed teenage, but I may well be wrong. I still think, though, that only adults and gaming fanatics will really know of the Konami code, just because it is a thing from a past age. My point is that at some level it's a big in-joke Kyoani is having with older viewers, mostly because Kyoani staff are probably those older viewers. In Nichijou we had the the spell of restoration. Seriously, that's the wrong generation already. Are you stroking your beard yet?

    I understand your point about the calculated moe-ness of Chuunibyou. I hear this a lot about Kyoani, and for good reason. Pandering cuteness sells, and there's nothing that ruins art like consumerism. Right?

    Honestly, I don't think there's a way to sell Rikka other than as cute, but more in the way Yuuta's mother thought he was cute. For me, anyway. If I had a kid like Rikka I would totally be "aw, that's cute" while slightly worried about how little effort she's comparatively putting into her maths homework. The alternative is that it's incredibly embarassing. I literally cringe on Yuuta's behalf when they flashed back to his class introduction as the dark flame master. The public shame is painful. He would be the kind of guy you sidle as far away from as possible if you saw him acting up on the public bus.

    On the subject of Hyouka, I hear plenty of people go on about it being a pandering moeblob show as well. I forgive them their shallow critique because on the face of it Hyouka is "cute". Certainly Mayaka's thousand faces and big reactions were cute and Chitanda's earnest curiosity and childlike innocence were cute. They are cute, I dare say, by design. In utilitarian terms, it is effective to make a character endear before you develope it. Quick and easy empathy. Of course, Hyouka has hidden depth, as you have noted. Which funnily enough is, in my opinion, the the big motif of Hyouka; under the artificial assumptions we make about people and events are slews of motivations and personal circumstances we can't hope to easily understand. People, hidden depth. Yeah.

    I get the impression that you didn't like Haruhi, an opinion which I will, with no disrespect, not share in. But to me Haruhi was quite the brilliant show, not necessarily deep but certainly smart. I don't know about it being a "litmus test"; that wasn't what I was going for. Enjoying a show has too many factors, and one thing I've learnt from Hyouka is not to make assumptions about subjective quality versus objective quality. All I wanted out was the thematic similarities. For one, there's no mystery or sci-fi (as I can see it) in Chuuibyou. But the shameless "world ought to be more interesting than it is" thing is there. I still don't know exactly what you are saying the Kyoani box is, but at it's core I believe it is a thematic one, if any.

  41. admin
    October 8, 2012 at 11:38 am
    Reply

    I don't actually think Hyouka is nearly as self-consciously cute as most KyoAni shows. But even if it were, the fact that it doesn't rely on that as a reason to exist is the key. Cuteness is fine in service to something larger.

  42. P
    Passerby
    October 9, 2012 at 1:46 am
    Reply

    And there's the thing. We shouldn't have to discuss positive cuteness or negative cuteness or degrees of cuteness as if the existence of the abstraction we call "cute" is something a show must overcome. I think we should avoid the fallacy of saying that a "cute" show (whatever that really means) is shallow. I agree that if it was simply cute and nothing else it would indeed be quite shallow–that's almost tautological. But what is Chuunibyou about? If at the end of the day if it was just a pile of kittens and sugar and rainbows then that would be that. But if you watch episode 1 and cuteness itself raises alarm bells then it sounds more like an allergic reaction than objective analysis.

    From a cultural perspective, my impression is that the Japanese do indeed put a lot of emphasis on cute, for better or worse. When even your warning signs at the airport feature cute drawings that must say something. It's like their similar emphasis on the flavour "sweet"; curry is sweet rather than spicy as a rule, and the actual sweets are turned up to eleven. Leaves a burning aftertaste in your throat. Japan was an interesting culinary experience.

    Of course, my experience with Japan comes from a yesteryear; maybe that "old Japan" that Chitanda wants to preserve. Yours may well end up being different. But the Japanese were unfailing believers in presentation. The contents of the pre-made bentos and sushi boxes would always be aesthetically arranged, no matter of price. When you go to a large department store and need assistance you would find yourself with a positive entourage. Did you really need the help of half a dozen staff? Debateable. But they need to look like you have their full attention and make you feel like you are being served.

    I would never have looked at a bento and sneered because it looked too good. It may end up being low on nutrition and not very filling but that is a separate matter. For me personally the first bite of Chuunibyou tasted like nostalgia. Not everyone has the same palate, of course. But hopefully looking cute would not change the flavours too much.

    (by the way, have you watched, say, Aria? The entire show was basically just cute and gentle and beautiful.)

  43. B
    Beckett
    October 6, 2012 at 6:57 pm
    Reply

    I liked the show, but I'm not gonna lie, I pretty much eat up anything KyoAni releases. I loved K-on. So this show is obviously going to be right in my sweet spot since I love KyoAni.

Leave a Comment