Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai!

"Chunibyo patients" or people who suffer from "8th grader syndrome": a phenomenon which causes many 8th graders to suffer an utterly embarrassing year of school. After spending a year pretending to be "Dark Flame Master" Yuuta goes out of his way to choose a high school were no one knows him just to escape from his embarrassing memories. But memories of his past still haunt him when he meets Rikka - his cute neighbour and classmate - who is still suffering from 8th grader syndrome. She takes on the pseudo of 'Wicked Eye'. After she discovers Yuuta's past she forces him to join her club along with a senior who loves to nap; the class rep who has her own embarrassing secrets and Rikka's equally eccentric 'Servant' from the year below.  As more of Rikka's life is revealed Yuuta begins to find her demands less and less of a chore and slowly their friendship grows beyond the 'contract' that Rikka inflicted upon him.

There is a certain amount of this which really reminds me of another anime. Eccentric girl drags a mostly normal guy around and makes a club. That's right, there's definitely some Haruhi in this anime. They even have a moe senior!! So if you don't like Haruhi just turn away now.
But in this anime the female lead is a normal girl who thinks she's special and magic, Haruhi is the opposite - a magical/special girl who thinks she's normal. Other anime aside, this is a brilliant idea which is executed perfectly! Rikka's alter ego is the archetype of fighting anime girl. Her light and fan effects exaggerated moves and ridiculously named moves are nostalgic for any anime fan. The concept is brilliant because the producers can make really ridiculous things happen while still having an entirely realistic anime. After all, is it really that hard to believe that some one could convince them self that they have magical powers? They fool you into think that Rikka really is a magic girl at first with subtle cut scenes where we see her wielding a real weapon but then slot in 'reality scenes' where she's rolling about the ground with a kitchen utensil. You can't understand how entertaining this is! It's a joke that cannot be over played! Then there's the romance as well. You don't need to have been around for long to know that I'm a total romance junkie and this does not disappoint! Rikka is a total cutie who is not used to socializing at all so her emotions towards Yuuta really confuse her. Yes, it's a cliche. No, I  don't give a f-
But Rikka's not the only cutie. The recruited member's of her club are all equally adorable! Nibutani is in a similar situation to Yuuta. She suffered from 8th grader syndrome and only joined Rikka's club to destroy all evidence of her past life as a 'witch'. She pretends to be the ideal girl to every one but when it comes to it she is incredibly violent. Not the most unique character trait, but entertaining nonetheless. Seeing her try to hide her unruly behavior is very funny.  Then there's Sanae who is Rikka's lackey or 'servant'. She has weights tied to her pigtails so she can twirl them around like weapons and she's the only one who fully understands Rikka. Seeing the two of them run about together is so adorable! The final member is the senior Kumin. Before Rikka's club formed Kumin was trying to form a 'nap club' but she didn't get enough members so she joined Rikka's club instead. She's super lax and plays along with Rikka's fantasies like an older sibling. Her purity is adorable but too perfect. Her perfect smile and kindness never fails and it's actually a bit annoying. However when she's sleep talking and larking about you really can't stay annoyed at her for long.
The animation is brilliant. I did mention before that they mix Rikka's imagined battle scenes with what's really happening. Not only is this a brilliant idea but it's also made really well. Working out how to make the 'real' scenes flow with the 'imagined' scenes must have took some work but the end result is stunning. Combine it with the brilliant designs for weapons and powers and you quickly realise why these scenes are so great. Because the weapons and such are just part of Rikka's fantasy the animators can make them as exaggerated as they please. The designs are really awesome and over sized and fit the anime really well! Furthermore, it's really fluid animation. Even in non-combat scenes details such as hair and shadows are kept in check. Overall, a beautiful piece of animation.
It has a fair few cliches and for a long while I was sat on the fence about this anime. But I promise this: it gets better. After the stage is set the love and drama that plays out is something truly remarkable. Also, it's combination of comedy (which I forgot to mention), romance and action covers a wide range of audiences so I'm sure you'll love it. Dare I say that it's better than Haruhi Suzumiya?

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