Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions

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" (不可視境界線, Fukashi Kyōkaisen), which she believes will lead her to her father, she becomes romantically interested in Yūta and vice versa.

Characters

Yūta Togashi (富樫 勇太, Togashi Yūta)

Voiced by: Jun Fukuyama (Japanese); Leraldo Anzaldua (English)

The narrator of the light novels. He is a first-year high school student who used to be delusional, calling himself the "Dark Flame Master" while in junior high and becoming alienated from everyone as a result. He attempts to bury his past by enrolling in a high school far away from his junior high classmates. However, after encountering Rikka, his past delusions come back to haunt him. He ends up joining the club and becomes friends with Rikka's cohorts as well as school beauty Shinka Nibutani.LN 1 He and Rikka eventually become closer and start dating. In the anime film, Yūta gives Rikka a ring to show "proof" that he will stay with her. He and Satone Shichimiya were also classmates in junior high and she was the one who inspired him to become the "Dark Flame Master".LN 2 A running gag in the anime series shows him hitting Rikka on the head with his hands or any objects.

Rikka Takanashi (小鳥遊 六花, Takanashi Rikka)

Voiced by: Maaya Uchida (Japanese); Margaret McDonald (English)

Yūta's classmate and neighbor residing above the apartment. She is an intensely delusional girl who believes herself to possess a "Wicked Eye" (邪王真眼, Jaō Shingan; lit. Tyrant's Eye of Truth), and as such always wears a eyepatch over her right eye and wrapped bandages around her left arm without injuries. Despite being quite attached to Yūta, she is cautious of strangers and adopts a battle pose whenever she meets someone for the first time. Her fantasy weapon of choice is a frilly parasol which she wields as a sword. For her delusional operations, she often dresses in a mostly-black gothic dress. At school, she wears a uniform with a frilly skirt, long black knee socks, and roller shoes. She is also rather clumsy, often tripping over and forgetting things.LN 1 The origin of her delusions came from her father's death three years prior, where she was forced to live with her father's family until she moved in with her sister.Ep. 7–8 They also come from Yūta himself, when she saw Yūta in his delusional phase at the balcony above the apartment. Although initially finding each other annoying and unreliable, they eventually develop feelings for one another and start dating, but Rikka's delusions appear to keep their relationship from progressing. A running gag in the series reveals that she visits Yūta by descending a balcony with a rope.LN 1

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 (Depth of Field ～ 愛と憎しみ劇場; Depth of Field: Love and Hate Theater). 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" (始まりの種; The Seed of Start) in episode eight and "Kimi no Tonari ni" (君のとなりに; Next to You) by Zaq in episode ten, and "Miagete Goran Yoru no Hoshi o" (見上げてごらん夜の星を; Look Up at the Stars in the Night) 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" (君へ; To You) and the ending theme is "Shikkoku ni Odoru Haōbushi" (漆黒に躍る弧濁覇王節; The Melody of Conqueror Dancing in Jet Black); both are sung by Zaq.

An anime film titled Love, Chunibyo and Other Delusions!: Rikka Version (小鳥遊六花・改 ～劇場版 中二病でも恋がしたい!～, Takanashi Rikka Kai: Gekijō-ban Chūnibyō Demo Koi ga Shitai!; lit. 'Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions the Movie: Rikka Takanashi Revision'), 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- (中二病でも恋がしたい！戀, Chūnibyō Demo Koi ga Shitai! Ren), 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" (深淵に舞う戦慄謝肉祭, A Hair-Raising Carnival Dancing in the Abyss) 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.