Recap

The girls spy in on Yuuta and Rikka’s romantic status, causing Nibutani to call in outside help to spark their relationship. The couple goes out on a date and try to sort out just what their relationship really is.

Jel’s Thoughts

Nibutani does us the favor of asking what most us have been wondering since the Christmas OVA: just what are these two crazy kids doing? Boyfriend and girlfriend shacked up and they haven’t so much as held hands. It was cool to see the story acknowledge their situation is pretty odd and that we’re not just living in some pure and innocent moe paradise.

It also re-establishes that Rikka is still stuck moving at her own pace. I couldn’t help but feel frustrated watching as she quite literally acted like a child, with the imagery of Yuuta taking her over his knee and spanking her particularly awkward. At the very least mixing a sort of father figure role into his boyfriend duties would explain why Yuuta is reluctant to get more romantic with Rikka, so maybe being frustrated is just how you’re supposed to feel right now. I’ll also give Chunibyo credit for having the characters sit down and talk about things instead of just letting them boil over. Between Nibutani’s honest assessments and Rikka’s heart to heart about not knowing how to grow up, the issues are at least being put on the table to be dealt with.

Despite this episode’s competent set up though, I’m still having a hard time getting re-invested in the Chunibyo world. When Yuuta and Rikka rode off into the sunset at the end of season 1, we left feeling everything was going to get worked out. I didn’t need or want to see that process and now that’s just what we’re getting. It’s still fun and entertaining, but I feel like we’re getting diminishing returns on the story. Hopefully the introduction of a new cast member will help shake things up enough, especially if she ends up being a foil for Rikka. Some fresh blood in the cast might be just what we need to keep Chunibyo fresh.

Marlin’s Thoughts

I was really unhappy with this episode. It got to the point where I couldn’t even enjoy the cute hijinks for what they were because something dawned on me. Rikka’s childish antics are entirely inappropriate. Sure the whole Chuunibyo thing is her shtick, but I’m talking outside of it. I’ll forgive her for mishandling her finances because that’s things full grown adults do all the time. What bothered me more is that she asks for chores and then doesn’t do them. She says she wants to grow up but then makes no efforts to figure out how to do so. In the end I feel Yuuta’s speech to her was more of a cop-out than a comfort. Something needs to change. If it turns out the new girl causes that change, I may be able to forgive the show for the way it is right now, but after all that happened in the first season it just seems inexcusable.