CHUUNIBYOU DEMO KOI GA SHITAI!: TAKE ON ME
MOVIE
Dubbed
SOURCE
LIGHT NOVEL
RELEASE
January 6, 2018
LENGTH
98 min
DESCRIPTION
Rikka is now a third-year student, but she still has "chuunibyou" syndrome. University entrance exams loom on the horizon, and it's spring break, and Yuuta and Rikka are together as usual. One day, Rikka's older sister Touka declares that she's going to take Rikka to Italy with her, as Touka is moving to Italy for work and she thinks they should move together as a family. Yuuta understands Touka's opinion, but thinks that at this rate he and Rikka will be separated. Shinka and the other members suggest that Yuuta and Rikka should "elope," and thus sets the stage for Yuuta and Rikka's travels throughout Japan in their escape drama.
(Source: Anime News Network)
CAST
Rikka Takanashi
Maaya Uchida
Yuuta Togashi
Jun Fukuyama
Sanae Dekomori
Sumire Uesaka
Shinka Nibutani
Chinatsu Akasaki
Touka Takanashi
Eri Sendai
Kumin Tsuyuri
Azumi Asakura
Satone Shichimiya
Juri Nagatsuma
Makoto Isshiki
Souichirou Hoshi
Kuzuha Togashi
Kaori Fukuhara
Yumeha Togashi
Mami Shitara
Togashi no Haha
Yuri Amano
Takanashi no Haha
Junko Iwao
Nanase Tsukumo
Kikuko Inoue
Cento
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REVIEWS
Whom
You know it seems the more we talk about it, it only makes it worse to live without it...Continue on AniListThey played a really dangerous game with this one. The idea of "growing out" of chuunibyou is something which has the power to completely fuck up everything that the series up until that point had stood for, something that if you've made it this far in the series, you're likely attached to. Chuunibyou stands out precisely because it takes a hardline stance on becoming serious, down-to-earth, and growing up: it rejects the necessity of them.
Despite the dangerous territory, this movie takes the step and decides to tackle the questions of "growing up" head-on. Does love and long-term commitment require one to grow up? Are you still the same person? Will the people around you still love you? Needless to say, this had me on edge. I loved it the whole ride through, but there was a growing weight on me as I worried: would they fuck it up? Luckily, they don't at all, and it feels like a natural extension of the series. There was never any doubt that Yuuta and Rikka would be in love no matter how she turned out, but for a while it honestly looked like the movie would hold the position that being in a long term relationship means Rikka will have to "grow up," or at least that she'd be better off that way. Luckily, it instead says that it's okay to grow out of your chuunibyou...or it's okay to stay like that forever if you feel like it.
This all wraps up and defeats one impression that I never got, but that I can see one taking away from the series beforehand: That having chuunibyou and acting like a child is better than how others think and act, and that everyone else is just stuffy and not embracing their true selves. This film makes it exceedingly clear that the characters with chuunibyou, without it, and those stuck in-between are all right to act as they feel like. It's okay to change, and it's certain that you will in some form, and that's okay. In the context of a story also strictly about how it's okay not to change, that's a beautiful message. It's probably a bit of an unnecessary point to make, but to take the risk to go there in a movie that's otherwise a celebratory crowd-pleaser for fans is a move deserving of respect.
While I prefer the purer approach of the second season, which focuses almost entirely on the beauty of embracing your chuunibyou, something that's a lot more of a pressing issue (after all, no one in real life is expecting you to keep acting like you did in middle school!), this is a worthy followup and I appreciated the opportunity to sit with these characters again. The humor's on point, and it's an adorable heart-swelling ride the whole way through.
It's a joy, really.
TheAnimeBingeWatcher
One last farewell to one of anime's best couples. Warning: may be too cute to survive watching straight through.Continue on AniListHonestly, I don’t know how much point there is to me talking about this movie. Chuunibyou is my comfort food, the franchise I come back to when I just want to be in a good mood. The first season is one of my all-time favorites, and the second, while definitely flawed, was still an invaluable experience for me. I literally can’t be objective about it. So when I say I adored the series-closing movie, Take on Me, with every fiber of my being, feel free to take that with as many grains of salt as you wish. But for what’s it’s worth, yes. I adored Take on Me with every fiber of my being.
Take on Me's purpose is to bring closure to Yuuta and Rikka’s romance, confirming that they are the right people for each other, even through all the nonsense they put each other through. Thing is, we already know that, because that was the central arc of Ren: Yuuta and Rikka coming to the conclusion that their romance was their own, and it could evolve on their own terms. Thankfully, the movie seems aware of this: the brief rehash of that old conflict isn't really meant to be a climax as much as it is a summation. It’s Yuuta and Rikka going over the entirety of their history, from the first time we saw them all the way back in episode 1, and confirming what they already new to be true: their love is real, and it always will be, no matter how it may change or evolve in the future. As such, the film itself follows that same ethos. It doesn’t aim for intense catharsis, because it doesn’t need to. It’s an excuse to hang out with our favorite people one last time, a celebration of the legacy it’s created and an affirmation of why that legacy is worth celebrating. And on that level, Take on Me is a rousing success.
Storywise, it’s a very loosely plotted road trip movie, an excuse to get Rikka and Yuuta jetting across Japan and visiting famous locales. I don’t know much about Japan’s cultural history, so all the sightseeing pretty much went over my head. But that’s okay, because it’s still Rikka and Yuuta going around seeing these sights. It’s still one of my favorite anime ships of all time, hanging out and doing what they do best over the length of an entire movie. And sweet buttery Jesus, are they adorable. Seriously, this movie is basically just one big, long, dopey smile. I love their chemistry so freaking much; I love how they tease each other and get on each other’s nerves, I love how they both keep each other in check in their own ways, I love how bashful they both get about romantic stuff, and I love how much they genuinely care about each other. And we’re basically watching nothing but that for ninety-odd minutes. Honestly, you could make the case that it’s overkill; my cheeks were sore as fuck from smiling by the time it was over. But who fucking cares? I don’t. Strained cheeks are a small price to pay for the sensation of being consumed by sheer, unadulterated joy.
Chuunibyou as a franchise just makes me so goddamn happy. I love watching it, I love thinking about it, I love writing about it, and I will always hold it close to my heart. And “Take on Me” is about as pitch-perfect a send-off to the series as I could imagine. Am I sad there won’t be more? Yes. But it’s already given me enough happiness to last a lifetime, and for that, I will be eternally grateful.
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SCORE
- (4/5)
TRAILER
MORE INFO
Ended inJanuary 6, 2018
Main Studio Kyoto Animation
Favorited by 1,482 Users
Hashtag #CHU2KOI