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. A 12-episode anime adaptation by Kyoto Animation aired in Japan between October 4 and December 19, 2012, with six six-minute Lite episodes streamed on YouTube. The anime is licensed by Sentai Filmworks for release in North America. An animated film was released in September 2013, and a second anime season, Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions -Heart Throb-, aired between January and March 2014. A second animated film featuring a new story, Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions! Take on Me was released in 2018.

Plot

Yūta Togashi is a boy who, during junior high school, suffered from "chunibyo", 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 another chunibyo, Sanae Dekomori; former chunibyo 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 him and vice versa.

Characters

;Satone Shichimiya
;Hideri Amaniji
;Kazari Kannagi

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 between October 4 and 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 television 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 and was streamed on Anime Network. 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.
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" by Zaq in episode eight, "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 Takanashi Rikka Kai: Gekijō-ban Chūnibyō Demo Koi ga Shitai!, which retells the events of the first anime season from Rikka's perspective, was released in Japanese theaters 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 has been licensed by Animatsu Entertainment in the United Kingdom.
A second anime film, titled Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions! Take on Me, continuing from the second season of the anime, premiered on January 6, 2018. The staff and cast from the original anime series returned to reprise their respective roles in the second film.

Works cited