Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions (2012)

[中二病でも恋がしたい!]

Director: Tatsuya Ishihara
Studio: Kyoto Animation
Starring: Jun Fukuyama, Maaya Uchida, Chinatsu Akasaki
Episodes: 12

Synopsis:
Yuuta Togashi begins his high school life, having put away his middle school fantasies, but then he meets an eccentric girl who is enamored with his old persona.

Impressions:
I came into this series expecting a light romcom that plays with the whole chuunibyou phenomenon and that's what you get at first, but the story ends up being more rounded with drama and emotional impact. I wouldn't have minded it sticking to the former, but the way it turns out makes for a deeper and ultimately more satisfying experience. I love that Jun Fukuyama is using his Lelouch voice for Yuuta's Dark Flame Master persona (which has led me to conclude that Lelouch was just a big chuuni dork all along). There's a good balance to the cast, setting two chuuni against two recovering chuuni with the spacey Kumin in the middle to subtly prod at them. KyoAni brings their signature gorgeous animation to the fantasy sequences, proving to be a fine match for the material. I enjoyed this quite a bit and would easily recommend it for your collection.

Rating:
Own It