Anime Review: Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions The Movie: Rikka Version Page 1

Anime Review: Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions The Movie: Rikka Version

Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions The Movie: Rikka Version (UK Rating: 12)

The choice of who the protagonist or the point-of-view character will be in a story can completely alter the tale. Kyoto Animation's adaptation of Torako's light novel series placed Yuuta Togashi at the heart of the story, a common choice in such romantic comedies, seeing things from the guy's point of view, but arguably the star of the show was always Rikka. Well, with this new film, fans get the opportunity to see things through her eyes… or, rather, eye - singular; the patch and all. Retelling the story of the first season of the anime, Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions The Movie: Rikka Version is more than just a condensed, abridged version of the show; there are also some extras here for fans to enjoy. Coming to the UK courtesy of Manga Entertainment, this movie is available from 30th July.

When the movie starts, it seems to be telling the end of the Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions story, opening on the morning of Yuuta and Rikka's wedding. It would be interesting to see what a new viewer would make of the opening of this film, if they were unaware of the premise of the show. A pair of young Japanese people getting married when suddenly a schoolgirl with a huge weapon bursts in, starting an unbelievable fantasy battle. A huge CGI dragon, magical spells, dark flame masters. It all looks very silly, and it turns out to be one of the many delusions of Rikka.

From this fantasy, Rikka goes about explaining to her friends how she and Yuuta met, acting as the backdrop for the retelling of the first season - from the introduction to the pairing of Yuuta and Rikka, to the gathering of the group of friends, and the drama around Mori Summer. It's all here… somewhat… but it's such an abridged version that, for brand new viewers, it's a bit of a mess. The pacing is all over the place and the film is missing some truly impactful and heartfelt moments, not to mention tons of character development. As such, it's really not worth watching this without having seen the original series. For those who have seen the original anime, this is a great catch up on key events without having to rewatch all twelve episodes - in much the same as what KyoAni did with Beyond the Boundary.

Being a KyoAni production, the original was absolutely stunning. Whether it is during the huge magical battles within delusions or just in the everyday slice-of-life moments, this is a beautiful series. Obviously, that same quality returns as this movie mostly contains footage from the original show, but what limited new scenes there are keep up with the original. On the audio front, the movie comes with both the original Japanese dub and an English dub, too. The Japanese is fantastic but, sadly, the English is rather sub-par. The starring pair of Yuuta's Leraldo Anzaldua and Margaret McDonald is enjoyable, but the extended cast is all quite unremarkable. On the bonus feature front, there are just the usual clean opening/closing along with a seven-minute little animation that gives a glimpse into Yuuta's own chunibyou past.

5/10

Average

Originally being launched in Japan as a way to keep viewers interested before the second season landed, Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions The Movie: Rikka Version works as an accompaniment to the series, but not so much as a standalone experience - obviously, packing 12 episodes into a single 90-minute movie. The result is a scattered amalgamation of some of the best clips from the show, which fail to hit the same emotional peaks of the original. It's in no way a replacement for that and with the very limited amount of new footage, this is one for true fans only.