Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! – 10
Not the kind of confession I was expecting.
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KIDDING!! I like my BL, but not in my slice-of-life. So many feels going on in this week’s episode of chu2koi, I can’t believe it’s going to end soon ;w; …what will I do without my weekly dose of moe moe? :c |
This episode is all about confession and rabu rabu action, so first things first, Rikka and Yuuta’s confession! What can I say other than a huge SQUEEEEEEEEE! Let us all observe a moment of no silence and unleash our fanboy/girly sides. *coughs* Right, I thought the entire confession scene was excellently done – the emotional build-up was as exciting as it was adorable, what with the tension and awkwardness and all, and when they finally did confess, it was natural and beautiful. The setting was perfect – under a bridge backlit with shimmering lights under a light rain, and that pretty insert song (Kimi no Tonari wa – ZAQ) created just the right ambience for their feelings to overflow. I find it super cute that this time it’s Rikka who’s confessing like a normal person, whereas Yuuta was all Dark Flame Master proposes a love contract! It just goes to show how much they’ve come to understand each other, and that they’re willing to go to further lengths for each other. They ended it off with a pinky swear, and that, in my opinion, is the cutest thing ever. It’s such a simple gesture, but it’s just right for the two of them – slightly childish, but nevertheless important and meaningful.
The second part of the episode brings it into a more serious mood, with Touka appearing in Yuuta’s room once again. Again seeing herself in a position unsuitable to persuade or advise Rikka, Touka approaches Yuuta to be the middleman, which I would think is actually quite a cruel thing to do. Although in retrospect, it’s easy to see where Touka is coming from, and the conflicting feelings that she’s experiencing – in the end, her last “…it’s irresponsible”, I would think, was also directed at herself. She must have already been through this whole dilemma on whether to tolerate Rikka’s behavior or to condemn it, but eventually decided on the latter and has firmly stuck to it since then. But now the choice is on Yuuta. I agree with him that “she’s already grown up enough”, because in reality she does know that her father is gone, she just simply needs time to accept it. “To protect what?” Touka asks. Isn’t it obvious? Her heart. As much as she knows it’s true, the Ethereal Horizon and the Wicked Eye is all that’s keeping her heart from breaking into pieces – to prematurely force it to end is like shoving her father’s death right in her face.
For Rikka, the end of her chuunibyou isn’t just the beginning of a newer, “cooler” phase like Yuuta and Shinka had aimed for. It’s so difficult for her to just throw it away because for her, it means that she has to bury her memories and love for her father once and for all. I would think that Yuuta did it more because he felt that Rikka needed to move on and reconcile with her mother again, and definitely not because that he felt her chuunibyou needs to end. Instead, her chuunibyou simply needs to stop being something that she uses as a shield – rather than something to hide behind, it should be something to be proud of, something that connects the two of them together and creates fun memories.
The final scene with Rikka singing her papa’s favorite song and then removing her eyepatch only to reveal two turquoise eyes without any contacts really scared me. On one hand, it shows that she’s willing to get over her chuunibyou just because Yuuta asked, and that she understands that she needs to accept the harsh reality. But what will become of her after this? I can’t imagine a sane Rikka that’s not playful or cheeky. Growing out of her chuunibyou is fine, but losing her soul and becoming someone who’s lost all meaning of fun is not. She needs to learn from Yuuta, who’s someone that isn’t really proud of his previous case of chuunibyou, but revisits it once in awhile with Rikka, just for the fun of it. But the thing is that with the loss of her chuunibyou, Rikka has lost more than just embarrassing memories. She has lost precious memories too, as well as the emotional protection from losing her father. Yuuta and Touka need to do something to save Rikka before it’s too late, because unplayful Rikka is scary to even think about.
Never thought I’d say this but, RIKKA I MISS YOUR EYEPATCH T^T
That confession scene between Yuuta and Rikka has to be one of my favorites of all time. All that waiting paid off ;w; it was wonderful even without a kiss, and the pacing and setting of it all was just right for them. We’re at the climax of the series now, and I think that it’s been done wonderfully. 2 episodes should be enough for them to give a satisfactory ending of the anime, and I look forward to seeing a new Rikka and Yuuta. Perhaps not a complete transformation, but rather more matured, but still playful and adorable.
Rikka and Yuuta’s kind of couple shot xD
About Miyu
A stressed-out jyoushi kousei doubling as Metanorn's loli with a soft spot for sappy romance animanga. She will watch anything with bishies in it. :3
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
My favorite scene was right at the opening. Yuuta’s description of his first embrace of ‘a girl’ (I bet he’s hugged at least a couple of ‘girls’ before, but Mom, Yumeha, and Kuzuha don’t really count, do they?) was so perfect, that description of warmth, contact, yet delicacy and fragility, and ultimately that ache deep inside. It hurts and we can’t get enough of it.
The other scene that literally struck me with fridge logic today (although I kind of recalled it earlier) was right before Rikka’s confession, she comments on the lights moving on the bridge. And that seemed to steel her resolve to confess to Yuuta. Could that have been her finding the Unseen Horizon?* Could she have believed it to be a message from her father, perhaps encouragement or acceptance of Yuuta? The imagery is just too similar to what we were shown before to be just pretty lights. And maybe that helped Rikka make the decision later to give up the Tyrant’s Eye, since she had seen past the Unseen Horizon.
*aside: honestly, I find URW’s allusions in their subs *far* better than the others: Tyrant’s Eye vs Wicked Eye, Unseen Horizon vs. Ethereal Horizon
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
…right before Rikka’s confession, she comments on the lights moving on the bridge…
Like the lights she saw out at sea, I think it’s about her reflections (both lights are above water) on transience. Out at sea, the transience is total. Death is permanent. The change is complete. On the bridge, the transience is of the moment. I think she realizes she can either look out for the horizon, or….set her sights much much closer. Move across the bridge. Even if she has to confess behind an umbrella.
*aside aside: I have enjoyed both translations for their own merits. I enjoy Tyrant’s Eye the best, but Ethereal Horizon the best. Tyrant’s eye is closest to the original language and contains a ton of esoterism to it already. Ethereal reminds me of the term “Ethereal Plane” from my days of playing Dungeons and Dragons (my own bit of chuuni). Ravenloft was contained with that plane, and it has many visual gothic ties to the show’s chuuni moments.
Hmmm. Did Rikka pretty much give herself away when she said the “World is round…it has no end” way back in ep 2?
POWUH: iLurker with 5 comments
Highway, you beat me to it! The look on her face. The line of lights. She realized the what she has, including her father’s memories, are in the here and now. Just as awkward as a confession is, however, is finding the way to hold on to dreams without using them like her umbrella, as a shield to reality. She’s felt alone up ’til now, but with Yuuta, she has an anchor. We’ll see how they handle it. My guess is that she’ll symbolically pass the baton to Dekomori, but I’d love to see one last ‘fun’ battle, ending in a kiss that shatters the illusion and leaves them walking off “pinky and pinky”.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Excellent review again, Miyu. There are a few points I would like to highlight, where I may have a mildly different take.
The final scene with Rikka singing her papa’s favorite song and then removing her eyepatch only to reveal two turquoise eyes without any contacts really scared me. On one hand, it shows that she’s willing to get over her chuunibyou just because Yuuta asked, and that she understands that she needs to accept the harsh reality.
Case in point: He didn’t ask her to. He flat out told her “Take off your eyepatch”. The subsequent flashback kinda backs that up a bit more than a request.
Growing out of her chuunibyou is fine, but losing her soul and becoming someone who’s lost all meaning of fun is not.
I am still of the opinion that Rikka is a very active, highly imaginative person. She would have been a chuunibyou under any circumstance. Her father’s passing just makes it very very needful. No matter what, that playful nature of hers will shine thru.
All in all, she really does have some growing up to do. As I said in the review for episode 7, her growth is stunted because of how her family choose to handle the father’s passing. The chuunibyou is just a fancy window dressing.
It’s been a blast to read you so far, Miyu. Looking soooooo forward to episode 11.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Yeah, I watched that scene again a couple times when I was writing my blog post, and came away with a lot different feel about it than I did on initial watching. It was a lot more demanding than I first thought. But in the end, Rikka left with the bento her mother made, rather than throwing it at Yuuta or just running away.
I wonder what the ‘harsh reality’ really is… Like Yuuta, I believe Rikka does understand everything that’s happened, and accepts it, with the added level that she has put on top. Part of me is hopeful we’ll get a little more explanation, but I doubt we will.
Just like Yuuta and Shinka, Rikka’s not going to just immediately ditch all of her stuff. I continue to think that she thinks that’s all cool in and of itself, not just because of the Unseen Horizon or the Tyrant’s Eye. She thinks Yuuta is cool when he is the Dark Flame Master, I don’t think that’ll go away.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
To clarify, Yuuta and Shinka might have *tried* to get rid of their stuff, or told themselves they were, but Yuuta couldn’t do it, bringing it all back with just the slightest suggestion from Rikka. And Shinka still has shelves full of fortune telling books and is quick to lapse into it when she forgets herself. They both still think it’s cool, and for both of them, seeing that they can make friends while being more true to themselves has made the need to get rid of it less pressing.
Heck, Shinka even may be realizing that ‘normal’ friends aren’t that great, given her reaction to the cheerleaders. Yuuta, Makoto, Sanae, Rikka, and Kumin may be dorky, but they’re fun and genuine, for all of their ludicrousness.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
This is a group of kids I would sit down to with a copy of Dungeons and Dragons.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Oh, Spammy, you wicked little thing.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
It’s looks like no matter where we go on Metanorn, Spammy always manages to find us. Seems like you, Highway and I are his favorites. He just ate one of my comments as well. It’s not nice to be a glutton.
POWUH: Lovely-pyon~ and Vocaloid Fangirl with 363 comments
Miyu to the rescue!!! Saved both of your comments hehe.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Thanks for the save, Miyu. You’re a hero. Spammy must be pissed.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
The beating Yuuta gave Isshiki for resting his head on his shoulder was glorious. I don’t blame Yuuta for indirectly telling him to keep his distance. As Isshiki, the more I see him with his feminin attitude, the more he reminds me of Hyouka’s Satoshi. That’s kind of creepy.
For all the denial he’s put until now, Yuuta is making himself open to a relapse with his eighth grade syndrome trying to comfort Rikka. The highlight was Rikka’s confession under the bridge with the enhanced animation and subtle music playing in the background.
Tooka has become a frequent intruder in Yuuta’s house. It’s surprising that he hasn’t started complaining. I know she’s trying her best to deal with Rikka but sometimes I feel she’s being lazy throwing most of the work on Yuuta’s shoulders. There are things I think she, herself, could handle but she’ll probably say that it’s embarrasing.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Man, I wouldn’t mind if Touka was coming over to my house to see me all the time when I was 16. Plus, she’s a bit scary, so complaining’s kind of out. But I’ll give Touka a bit of a pass on dealing with Rikka. She works late hours as an apprentice chef, not an easy job at all. She’s tried for years to have a rapport with Rikka, and the best she’s done is engage her on her own level when Rikka picks a fight over something.
And then Touka sees this boy who immediately gets along with Rikka better than she herself has for years, and he’s actually proven himself to be responsible and trustworthy and to understand both what’s going on in Rikka’s head and what the rest of the world wants. Not only is it easier for Touka to enlist Yuuta’s help in dealing with Rikka, but it’s also probably better for Rikka. She’s been hearing the same things for years from Touka and probably her mother, to no avail. But to hear it from someone that she’s obviously closer to might be a different avenue to get through to her (and I don’t think Touka knows yet how close they are, although you wonder if she got the same ideas that Matoko and Shinka did with them going home from the beach together).
POWUH: Metanorn Lover with 192 comments
C-c-c-combo! I loved that both Deko and Isshiki tried the same thing with vastly different results. XD Man, I need to find and save gifs of them for a rainy day.
I agree, I felt quite uncomfortable with her request this time. Remember last time? She asked Yuuta to accompany Rikka, and then drags him into a conflict between Rikka and her. I just feel that as an adult (and a sister), she shoulders more responsibility than Yuuta. But, as Highway has pointed out-there’s more to her troubles than meets the eye.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I think Touka’s look when she says “irresponsible” is one of a large amount of self-indictment. That she knows that she’s been complicit in allowing Rikka to continue living the way she does, because she hasn’t been able to bring her out of it, and it looks bad to her (just like the actions of a child reflect poorly on the parent, no matter what the parent would have done). She can’t meet Yuuta’s eyes when she says it.
But another part of responsibility and action is finding the way to get things done. And she realizes that Yuuta is on a completely different level with Rikka (like I said, maybe she does or doesn’t think it’s to *that* level), and that he is her best ‘hope’.
POWUH: Metanorn Lover with 192 comments
I never thought of the scene that way…You’re right-she is aware that she shares some fault in Rikka’s chuunibyou habits.
I’m okay with her can-do attitude, but not with the lack of cooperation with Yuuta. Sure, Yuuta has a rapport with Rikka, but would it hurt to join forces with him once in a while instead of being antagonistic?
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Well, also remember the role that Rikka has cast Touka in: The strongest Priestess of the Administration Bureau, her sworn enemies. So Rikka is automatically approaching any interaction with Touka as antagonistic, and that’s hard to break her out of.
POWUH: Metanorn Lover with 192 comments
*sigh* That’s a pity. =( But I’m hoping that I see an awkward scene of them both talking normally one day. That’d be hilarious.
POWUH: Metanorn Lover with 192 comments
I’m with you on “new” Rikka, Miyu. I’ve a feeling the next episode isn’t going to be as rosy as the others. I’m guessing that the next episode will see her depressed or despondent. The final one will see her rise from that fall to find true love. Formulaic? I guess so, but that’s what I think. =)
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
depressed or despondent
We’ve seen her like this already. If I can guess one thing, mine would be that we would see this feeling for awhile, just to remind us….then something opposite and unexpected happens.
This is my hope.
POWUH: iLurker with 7 comments
It’s funny how something as simple and innocent as touching fingers is the equivalent of a kiss and I’d say it’s impressive that I can find that romantic or even more romantic then if they had kissed.
A proper kiss between them (provided they aren’t chicken) is going to be even more meaningful now.
It’s a shame this story is coming to a close so we’ll have to savor the last few episodes.
POWUH: Novice (36-50) with 38 comments
My god..as I thought, a male Yui is just too much for my heart