What is Chuunibyou?
To me, chuunibyou is young imagination experiencing maturity while encountering society. Every person was a child once and has viewed the world through young eyes. Adventure and imagination are wonderful things. For some time before wide use of the internet, both have been taking a back seat. But is now performing center stage in the today’s world. I’m seeing so many people experiencing or expressing their creativity and imagination! I would boldly claim that a renaissance of creativity is happening in many aspects of society, and more amazingly in the professional world.
But now back to the question.
I first encountered this term when I decided to start watching “Love, Chuunibyou & Other Delusions”. A story about middle school students entering high school.
Personal blog post incoming :
This was such a critical time for me. It was so confusing, exciting, and fun! Luckily I had fun at this time in my life and I didn’t experience harsh ridicule or major hazukashii (embarrassment) mainly because I was having such a good time =] ! I was an American Chuunibyou and didn’t even know it. I don’t think we have a term for that in America, so it was very satisfying discovering the term!
Basically, a chuunibyou is someone who possesses a mind that is in between a child and a teenager. I guess tween is the American term, but even tween seems more mature, self-aware, and critical. I would say big kid is a better term. Which is awesome and cool.
As a middle schooler I would be crafting all sorts of ways to make class more interesting. I would craft things from my school supplies such as mini crossbows, eraser skateboards, and paper shuriken. I would be dancing to my inner dance beats and getting in trouble for doing so. I even terrorized my neighboring classmates which includes Tommy. I literally can relate to “Tonari no Seki-kun”. Sorry Tommy! Hahaha, I was such a pain in the ass. I wonder sometimes how I made it through elementary and middle school and let alone college. @_@!
Anyways, encountering anime and it’s infinite creativity and epicness combined with my ADD levels of wonder I even tried to practice harnessing my ki. I focused hard and tried to materialize it between my hands, push it down through my stomach and towards my feet so I can fly like Goku. This was immediately after see the DBZ episode where Gohan teaches Videl how to fly! Being able to fly using ki would be so awesome.
I think that relishing and cultivating our childishness brings about wonderful art and culture. Now a days, I’m happy to see so many people being able to express so much of their creativity and imagination in blog posts they write, picture and videos they post, food they create, clothing they design, and all the work that they do. Chuunibyou is when imagination, creativity, and playfulness meet maturity. Here’s to being American Chuunibyou!
Cheers!
