Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions
Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions!, also known as Chū-2 for short, is a Japanese light novel series written by Torako, with illustrations provided by Nozomi Ōsaka. The work won an honorable mention in the Kyoto Animation Award competition in 2010, leading the company to assume its publication starting in June 2011. The series follows Yūta Togashi, a high school boy who tries to discard his embarrassing past grandiose delusions. However, he meets Rikka Takanashi, a girl who exhibits her own signs of eighth grader syndrome. As their relationship progresses, they form a club called the Far East Magical Napping Society Summer Thereof with classmates Shinka Nibutani, Kumin Tsuyuri, and Sanae Dekomori, who each have their own unique delusional behaviors.
A 12-episode anime adaptation produced by Kyoto Animation aired in Japan from October to December 2012, with six six-minute Lite episodes streamed on YouTube. The anime is licensed by Sentai Filmworks for release in North America. An animated compilation film was released in September 2013, and a second anime season, Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions -Heart Throb-, aired from January to March 2014. A second animated film, Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions! Take on Me, was released in 2018.
Plot
Yūta Togashi is a boy who, during junior high school, suffered from "chūnibyō", believing that he possessed supernatural powers and calling himself the "Dark Flame Master", therefore alienating himself from his classmates. Finding his past embarrassing, Yūta attempts to start off high school where he does not know anyone, free from his old delusions. This proves to be difficult, however, as a delusional girl in his class, Rikka Takanashi, learns of Yūta's past and becomes interested in him.As the plot progresses, Rikka becomes more attached to Yūta, who, despite finding her delusions irritating and embarrassing, accepts her. He helps Rikka with a number of things, including founding and maintaining her club and tutoring her. The club in question, the "Far-East Magical Napping Society – Summer Thereof", also includes current chūnibyō Sanae Dekomori; former chūnibyō Shinka Nibutani; and the constantly sleeping Kumin Tsuyuri. When Yūta joins Rikka on her summer vacation, Yūta learns that two years prior, Rikka's father, to whom she was very close, died unexpectedly due to a terminal illness, causing her to fall into her delusions. After Yūta agrees to help Rikka search for the "Ethereal Horizon", which she believes will lead her to her father, she becomes romantically interested in Yūta and vice versa.
Media
Light novels
The series began as a light novel series written by Torako, with illustrations by Nozomi Ōsaka. Torako entered the first novel in the series into the first Kyoto Animation Award contest in 2010, and it won an honorable mention in the novel category. Kyoto Animation published four volumes under their KA Esuma Bunko imprint from June 2011 to December 2017.Anime
A 12-episode anime television series adaptation, directed by Tatsuya Ishihara and produced by Kyoto Animation, aired in Japan from October 4 to December 19, 2012. Starting before the TV series' airing, a series of six original net animation shorts titled Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions Lite were streamed weekly on YouTube between September 27 and November 1, 2012. The anime series were released on six BD/DVD compilation volumes, between December 19, 2012 and May 15, 2013. The volumes also contained bonus shorts titled Depth of Field: Ai to Nikushimi Gekijō. A seventh volume, containing an original video animation episode, another Depth of Field short and the Lite shorts, was released on June 19, 2013. The series has been licensed in North America by Sentai Filmworks. It is currently streaming on Anime Network and Hidive. Sentai Filmworks released the series on subtitled DVD in North America on May 27, 2014, followed by an English dubbed release on DVD and Blu-ray Disc on February 24, 2015. In Southeast Asia, it was broadcast through Animax Asia and premiered on June 2, 2014.The opening theme is "Sparkling Daydream" by Zaq, and the ending theme is "Inside Identity" by Black Raison d'être. There are also three insert songs: "Hajimari no Tane" in episode eight and "Kimi no Tonari ni" by Zaq in episode ten, and "Miagete Goran Yoru no Hoshi o" by Maaya Uchida in episode ten. The single for "Sparkling Daydream" was released on October 24, 2012 and the single for "Inside Identity" on November 21, 2012. For the Lite episodes, the opening theme is "Kimi e" and the ending theme is "Shikkoku ni Odoru Haōbushi"; both are sung by Zaq.
An anime film titled Love, Chunibyo and Other Delusions!: Rikka Version, served as the retelling story for the first season, was released on September 14, 2013, and was later released on Blu-ray Disc and DVD on February 19, 2014. Sentai Filmworks has licensed the film in North America.
A second anime television season, titled Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions -Heart Throb-, aired in Japan from January 8 to March 26, 2014, and was simulcast by Crunchyroll. Madman Entertainment started streaming the series on January 7, 2014 on Madman's Screening Room in Australia and New Zealand. The opening theme is "Voice" by Zaq and the ending theme is "Van!shment Th!s World" by Black Raison d'être. The first of a second series of Lite episodes was released on YouTube on December 26, 2013. The ending theme for the Lite episodes is "Shin'en ni Mau Senritsu Shanikusai" by Zaq. Animax Asia and Animax UK added the second season in early 2014. The second season has also been licensed by Sentai Filmworks, under the title Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions -Heart Throb-. Sentai Filmworks released the second season on August 25, 2015. A Blu-ray set featuring the dubbed and subbed versions of both seasons was released on November 7, 2017. The second season was licensed by Animatsu Entertainment in the United Kingdom.
A second anime film, titled Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions! Take on Me, was released on January 6, 2018. It is set after the second season and served as the finale of the anime series. The staff and cast from the original anime series returned to reprise their respective roles in the second film.
Following the acquisition of Crunchyroll by Sony Pictures Television, the parent company of Funimation in 2021, the series was removed from the service on March 31, 2022.
Works cited
- "LN" is shortened form for light novel and refers to a volume number of the Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions light novels.
- "Ch." and "Vol." is shortened form for chapter and volume, and refers to a chapter or volume number of the Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions manga.
- "Ep." and "S" is shortened form for episode and season, and refers to an episode number of the Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions anime television series.