Love, Chunibyou and Other Delusions! Heart Throb Review (Anime)
I found Love, Chunibyou and Other Delusions! to be one of those shows that grew on me more long after I’d watched it. Maybe I didn’t have a Kyoto Animation-shaped hole that needed filling at one point, but I definitely have more interest in their shows now and Chunibyou is currently my favourite of theirs.
Following on from the events of season one, Rikka and Yuta have accepted their chunibyou sides (they like to believe they have superpowers despite being in highschool where people have usually grown out of this sort of stuff) and they’re both happy. Rikka ends up living together with Yuta, temporarily, as her sister has moved out and it isn’t long until they meet a new chunibyou girl by the name of Satone who is an old friend of Yuta’s. Yes, Yuta is a chunibyou magnet! The show is mostly light-hearted fun about people accepting who they are, even if acting as if you’re a superhero is frowned upon by society. It’s sweet, funny and stunningly pretty, and you’ll fall in love with the cast — maybe not Dekamori so much, though.
It’s sweet, funny and stunningly pretty, and you’ll fall in love with the cast.
There’s no surprise that Love, Chunibyou and Other Delusions! is a beautiful show, and Kyoto Animation have a wonderful way with colour and lighting that gives a similar feeling to wanting to chill with the breeze under the warm rays of the sun – it’s difficult to dislike, and even more difficult to not let it slap a smile on your face. The action scenes are grand and explosive and make full use of the character’s imaginations, and there’s plenty of visual comedy to giggle at. It’s top-notch animation and distinctive character designs leave you wanting more — bring us a season 3, KyoAni!
New to Heart Throb’s home release is an English dub and I was a little shocked to realise I don’t recognise many of the leading voice talent. Leraldo Anzaldua and Margaret McDonald lend their voices to Yuta and Rikka respectively, with Maggie Flecknoe, Christina Kelly and Brittney Kabowski voicing most of the supporting cast. I recognise Emily Neves and Greg Ayres but their characters don’t get much time in the spotlight! It’s not one of my favourite dubs and I feel like the voices don’t match the characters too well, particularly when it comes to Rikka, but it’s a solid effort that provides enjoyment regardless. The soundtrack and opening and ending themes are catchy with plenty of variation to match Heart Throb’s more tender and chill moments, and it amps it up for the action.
Love, Chunibyou and Other Delusions! Heart Throb is another twelve episodes of joy.
Love, Chunibyou and Other Delusions! Heart Throb is another twelve episodes of joy, but sadly it ends with no third season in sight although it’s left wide open for one. It’s a perfect show to kick back and relax with, and it’s easy to watch on subsequent re-watches. It looks absolutely delightful on Blu-Ray which really brings Kyoto Animation’s spectacular work to life, and it’s quite an easy recommendation for me to make. I have some issues when it comes to the story-telling and that it’s left open with no end to be seen, and I still find Dekamori (who is a Kyoto Animation creation and does not feature in the original source material) to be pretty frustrating and annoying, but overall Heart Throb is a great show with a lot of love and care put into it and it’s well worth a watch.
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