Pretty enjoyable introductory episode, though slightly disappointing, yet I’m expecting quite a bit more for future episodes, because, despite the few flaws present in this episode, the characters and story definitely have a lot of potential. The lighthearted, humorous tone of the story really worked here. Of course, there's barely any subtlety in it's execution, but that's hardly a complaint, since that's part of it's distinguishing appeal.
I like the strange, embarrassing nature of the events that unfolded throughout this episode, particularly whenever Rikka would demonstrate her false "abilities" in front of other, unsuspecting people. These isolated moments that dealt with the main character's unleashing their fantasized powers were quite well done, and I'm rather excited to see how creative these sequences become over time. I also enjoyed the brief glimpse of Yuuta's family, since they seem likely to provide some excellent humor in the future. The ending was especially good, as Rikka persuades Yuuta to refrain from trashing his youthful possesions, followed by his momentary lack of restraint, as he indulges his chuunibyou inclinations in order to satisfy Rikka's intensifying curiosity and to rectify her momentary disappointment.
Rikka was great, and often amusingly cute, although I can certainly understand why some might view her as annoying, since her relative immaturity can be off-putting. I really like Yuuta and his somewhat contrasting characterization, as he's considerably embarrassed by his chuunibyou phase, and seems entirely reluctant to slip into that abnormality. I'm hoping that the primary focus will continue to reside on Yuuta and Rikka and the development of their relationship, as their interactions are definitely, up to this point, the best element of the show. As such, their relationship is really good so far, due particularly to their superb chemistry, which is certainly elevated by the excellent voice acting, allowing them to play off each other's contrasting quirks quite well. I'd much prefer it if the side characters don't interfere too greatly moving forward, as the story might lose a portion of it's charm.
It will be really interesting to see how Rikka and Yuuta will develop, and if this condition will, by the end, be embraced by Yuuta or discarded by Rikka. Of course, it could take neither of these directions, but I think the character development can be quite rewarding and complex if it takes the route of Rikka, with Yuuta's help, moving past her fanciful delusions to the point where she eventually understands and embraces the importance of maturing into adulthood.
The production elements are inconsistent in quality, and, of course, not up to the level of Hyouka's, but not much else is, so that's hardly a significant complaint. For instance, the background art isn't nearly as visually impressive as Hyouka's, as it comparatively lacks that incredible attention to detail that was consistently present in the latter. The animation though, is superb, particularly in how it excellently captures the fluidity in Rikka's slightly exaggerated movements. The direction was impressive, as it handled the pacing of the episode in an excellent manner, introducing the main characters in a lighthearted, humorous fashion that immediately illuminated their unique personalities, while remaining interesting throughout. The character designs are, for the most part, thoroughly mediocre, but certainly not bad.
Although the OP is rather poor visually, the music is quite good. As for the ED, it's a marked improvement over the OP, but, yet again, rather unremarkable, save for the nice song.
All in all, Chuunibyou is an intriguing and enjoyable show that, despite several mediocre aspects, is rather promising, due mostly to the greatly endearing characters and story. The first episode managed to balance the embarassing situations, bits of introductory character development, and the numerous, occasionally romantic interactions between the main pair surprisingly well, rarely failing to impress in those areas. I'm rather looking forward to the next episode, and I have confidence that it will improve, even though it doesn't necessarily need to. |