Chuunibyou Final Episode Thoughts

2012 has been a REALLY great year for anime, not to mention it’s the year KyoAni’s been on a roll! TWO awesometacular anime shows in one year! TWO! And I can say that now, because Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai! is officially awesometacular. Let’s get on with it, shall we?

From the start, I had a strange feeling that riajuu Deko-chan and chu-2 Kumin were both part of some master plot to bring the True Dark Flame Master back, and I was probably right for the most part. Many found this Deko-chan to be incredibly cute, but I found it particularly jarring, especially her hair! (What? I love twin-tails!) Luckily, she didn’t overstay her welcome, and I was glad to see her go. After all, Chu-2 is the way 2 go!

Likewise, chu-2 Kumin almost had me on the floor laughing! Isshiki’s reaction was priceless, and so was Deko-chan slipping from her “normal” mask. Yeah, I’d be pretty flabbergasted too if my innocent, pure companion suddenly when all Chu-2 on me. But aside from all that, Kumin finally gets the senpai spotlight Shinka had been stealing from her all season. Good thing too – Yuuta needed that push forward.

Moving on to Shinka, that change I mention in my previous post comes to form as one of the best lines I’ve ever heard in my philosophical life. I’ll admit I’m a bit shallow (at least when compared to this ginormous world) since I found it deep, but it definitely holds alot of truth; everyone has something only they can do, and that’s what sets them apart from the the rest. Being stuck on that train is not so different from believing you have supernatural powers, so it seems hypocritical to scorn chuunibyou when we all have the case of it.

But while Deko-chan shocked him, Kumin pushed him, and Shinka planted some philosophy in his thick head, it was none other than the Dark Flame Master – Yuuta himself – who gave him that final shove! I can’t describe how impressed I was by this revelation, and I can’t even call it “convenient” since the same thing happened to me! I’m serious! I sent myself a letter back in grade 7 that was not to be opened until 2012, and found it buried beneath my drawer during the summertime (although I can’t find the damn thing anymore). Coincidence? Maybe… but it’s moments like those that allow me to truly relate with a story.

The letter made Yuuta realize that he should stop doing what he “should” do, and let himself do what he wants to do, and say the things that need to be said. Biking all the way to Rikka’s grandparents’ house in the middle of the night? That’s the most stupid, ridiculous, and insane thing to anyone could think of doing. But Yuuta isn’t just “anyone”, taking hold of that passion and following his heart, instead of just waiting around for an inevitable “bad end”.

Chu-2 Kumin showed up again, this time with the entire truth about Rikka; she was always trying to come to terms with her father’s death, and was not trying to run away from reality. Then… what caused her chuunibyou?! Shinka said that both herself and Yuuta were chuunibyou because – like everyone else – they thought they were special. We realize now that Rikka and Deko-chan felt the same way, except in different circumstances; take Deko-chan for example – there’s enough this episode to prove she may be a rich girl. If so, then there’s a bunch of pressure on her to get perfect grades and to act properly. Likewise, Rikka was bottling up her feelings so as to not worry others. Both of their lives and families were forcing them into a box; they were being the way others wanted them to be, not the way they wanted to be. They were searching for their identity!

Then Rikka saw Yuuta – and perhaps she and Deko-chan met afterwards – and in those moemnts, everything changed. Once again I ask, what’s the thing we need the most in our lives? When the entire world’s against you, and everyone’s telling you to deny yourself, to fake a smile and bottle up all your pain inside…

…what’s wrong with breaking out?

What’s wrong with trying to do something – anything! – with your life? To be free and to be absolutely honest with yourself? To have fun and enjoy everything? If you want to play, then play! If you want to laugh, then laugh! If you want to cry, then cry! Be cool, be wild! It’s your life! No one, and I mean NO ONE, has the right or the power to deny you of any of that.

Hands up if you felt fuzzy when Yuuta was completely out of breath on Rikka’s roof. Now, hands up if you cried tears of joy when Rikka and Yuuta were finally reunited. It’s not everyday the prince is a wheezing mess when rescuing the princess, and it’s made even better with the help of ALL their friends! Heck, Isshiki risked jailtime to help the two of them out! What a man, that guy. And what amazing friends they all are.

Touka’s (and the grandparents’) way of helping (forcing) Rikka to get over her chuunibyou would’ve never worked. John Blake from The Dark Knight Rises put it best: “they understand… for awhile. Then they want the angry little kid to do something he knows he can’t do; move on. So after awhile they stop understanding.” Yuuta’s way, however, worked like a charm. Everyone needs something to believe in – love, religion, beliefs – because it gives them the chance to do and say what they could never before. The “Unforeseen Horizon” may have been simply a dream, but it helped Rikka say what she couldn’t before, and move forward with her life at last.

I think I’ve made it clear that I loved this finale so much. I had my doubts about ending everything in a single episode, but this turned out to be far better than anything I could’ve wished for. Yes, it’s short, maybe a bit rushed, and had perhaps more than a handful of plot conveniences… but none of that really matters. Much like Code Geass and The Dark Knight Rises, this ending is nowhere near perfect, and might not be as good as you’d think it is when you break it down. Then why do we enjoy it as much as we did? It’s because of the emotion; raw, unadulterated emotion that seeps from every pore of these shows we watch.

When everyone’s happy, so are you. When they’re crying, you’re crying, too. The fact that we feel for and care about the story, characters, and what happens to them is what marks any anime – and any artistic medium for that matter – as legendary, a classic, or a genuine masterpiece. That’s why I feel that this ending truly encompasses the emotions of the entire show as a whole, and why I believe that Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai! is a true masterpiece.

Another adventure ends, only for the next to begin! Thanks for sticking with me! I’ll see you all again soon! ^_^