Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai!, Little Witch Academia (TV) Recommendations
Both of these shows are, in a broad sense, about "growing up" while still maintaining that sense of wonder, individuality, and blind self-confidence that so often typifies youth. However, the two shows do so in different and complementary ways. Little Witch Academia focuses on themes of camaraderie (with our peers, our mentors, and even our enemies), building a healthy psychological relationship with one's role models (admiration vs. idolization), and self-improvement towards accomplishing a goal (and the determination needed to achieve it). Chuunibyou focuses on themes of genuine maturity (as opposed to the naive maturity that is the rejection of everything "childlike"), acceptance (in more ways
than one!), and a willingness to be vulnerable with and accept the vulnerabilities of the ones that we care about. This is not to say that these themes are mutually exclusive - there certainly is a genuine friendship built between the members of the Far Eastern Magical Napping Society, and plenty of Luna Nova students are only able to solve their problems by accepting their own and each others' vulnerabilities. This is more a statement of what I view as the most important and central themes of these two texts. To examine the differences further and to see how they complement each other, let's compare Akko's arc in Little Witch Academia with Yuuta/Rikka's arc in Chuunibyou (note: I list Yuuta's and Rikka's arcs as the same arc both because they are narratively and thematically inseparable and because it is better for the organization of this post).
When she arrives at Luna Nova, Akko is impulsive, self-confident, and more than a little naive, both about the world of magic and in her personal development. She approaches problems head on, with her goal of using magic to make people smile like Shiny Chariot did always on her mind, but she just keeps getting into trouble with this mindset. However, it is neither her determination nor her motivation that really causes these problems. It is her initial inability to see beyond herself and let herself be influenced by others that lies at the core of her character arc. Akko is excited beyond belief at the prospect of attending the same magic school as her hero, but she would sooner sleep through class before she would stick her head down and study like her teachers and classmates tell her to. She is quick to declare the talented and charismatic Diana Cavendish her rival, but she refuses to adopt Diana's more grounded problem-solving style, even when the occasion definitely calls for it. Even though she respects Ursula as a mentor, it is often difficult for her to fully understand her advice, no matter how clear it may seem to an outside observer. It is only when Akko finally learns how to accept other people's help, input, and perspectives is she able to (SPOILERS). To quote a late plot point: connect with other people, and your dreams will grow!
Both Rikka and Yuuta were in some sense mature from the moment that they first met, but each of their maturities were incomplete in its own way. Through their interactions during the course of the show (although here I focus on the first season), each character teaches the other what they have learned about maturity, completing their maturities in the way that they need most. With Yuuta's support, Rikka learns to accept (SPOILERS) and to let others (mostly Yuuta) into her life in the same way that (SPOILERS). With Rikka's support, Yuuta learns to accept his nerdy, imaginative, and yes often embarrassing self, even if it makes him want to bang his head against his wall and roll around on the floor when he remembers bits of his chuunibyou past. Rikka's and Yuuta's ideas of maturity fit together perfectly, like interlocking puzzle pieces (or, to quote the visual presentation of the OP, like two halves of the same picture). Each character gains from the other what they didn't have themself, and this is what drives the story and makes their dynamic so compelling.
To briefly conclude, these shows take a look at maturity in unique, compelling, and altogether complementary ways. Akko grows through the collective efforts of her friends and mentors, while Yuuta and Rikka grow primarily through their close relationship with one another. Little Witch Academia examines the maturity in working as part of a collective while still remaining steadfastly individual (Akko rightly refuses to be anyone but herself, after all), while Chuunibyou examines the maturity in opening ourselves up and maintaining our identity (even if it goes against what would be considered "normal" behavior). Shiny Chariot tells us that "a believing heart is your magic!", and the Wicked Lord Shingan proclaims: "Be destroyed, real... Blow up, synapses... Banishment This World!". Both shows are fantastic, and if you connected with the themes in one, you're more than likely to thoroughly enjoy the other.
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