Chio-chan no Tsuugakuro

For the average Japanese high school student, walking to school can be a chore, but for first-year Chio Miyamo, it's always an adventure. Constantly running late due to her long night sessions playing video games, she is forced to come up with new routes to make it to Samejima Private Academy on time.

On her many bizarre journeys to school, Chio contends with obstacles like street-blocking detours, overzealous kabaddi players, and befuddled motorcycle gang leaders. But these minor hindrances are no match for the special ops training that Chio, AKA the legendary assassin "Bloody Butterfly," has received from her extensive gaming obsession. Together with her best friends Manana Nonomura and Yuki Hosokawa, Chio will do whatever it takes to avoid her school's harsh penalties for tardiness.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Miyamo, Chio Main

Oozora, Naomi Japanese

Nonomura, Manana Main

Omigawa, Chiaki Japanese

Andou, Mayuta Supporting

Koyama, Rikiya Japanese

Kushitori, Madoka Supporting

Taichi, You Japanese

Gotou Supporting

Takahashi, Hiroki Japanese

Hosokawa, Yuki Supporting

Hondo, Kaede Japanese

Shinozuka, Momo Supporting

Suzuki, Minori Japanese

Noujou, Fuyumi Supporting

Hasegawa, Ikumi Japanese

Setoyama Supporting

Yukana Japanese

Andou, Chiharu Supporting

Aizawa, Saya Japanese

Tamura, Junichirou Producer

Herek, Samantha Assistant Producer

Inagaki, Takayuki Director, Episode Director, Storyboard, Key Animation, Series Composition

Yamaguchi, Takayuki Sound Director

Reviews

Sep 21, 2018

Stark700

Recommended

I’ve never really thought too much about the journey to school during my younger days. It’s just wake up, get ready for the day, and hoping for a wonderful day without trouble. What if I told you if there’s someone named Chio Miamo who makes journeys to school like it’s some impractical adventure? What if every weekday became a misadventure that you can’t even began to imagine?

Watching Chio-chan no Tsuugakuro (Chio's School Road) felt like watching an experimental humor flick where the show tests the limits of its comedy. I’m not going to lie, this show is very self-aware of its intentions and is ... never shy to express it. High school girl Chio is an avid gamer with an avid imagination. With every episode being impractical and almost surreal-like, I had no doubt that this series would be popcorn entertainment. To my surprise, it’s the form of popcorn entertainment that deserves more than just a thumbs up.

The first few episodes makes it clear of what it’s trying to do. The various video game references is clear while we see Chio commute to school in a peculiar fashion. It breaks the boundaries of normalcy as the series tries to stretch its humor at every opportunity it gets. If comedy is what you’re looking for, this will definitely be a crowd pleaser. The key part of the series lies in its ways to sell the comedy. Beyond just the absurd humor of the everyday misadventures, the characters do the selling with their personalities and actions. Chio often defies common logic and applies her video game experiences to real life. This comes from the experience she gains from games that involves stealth, parkour, fighting, and among others. It seizes every chance it gets to demonstrate Chio’s personality and capitalizes on them to the fullest. This may be a make or break for viewers as some may not like Chio herself. However, you have to admit, she is like a pistol that never ceases to surprise me.

Joining Chio in the show is Manana Nonomura, who happens to be her best friend. She’s also a character that I describe as anti-normal. You’ll often see the pair together and when they are, absurd comedy ensures. In fact, their personalities are even similar despite their different interests. Both characters makes their everyday life events look larger than life. The amount of absurdity is enhanced thanks to Chio’s video game experience such as stealth. In early episodes, she even uses her “skill” to remain undetected from a neighbor while being sneaky in an Assassin’s Creed style. The show also loves to exaggerate the game of kabaddi as Chio and Mana treats it like life or death. Madoka Kushitori (captain of the kabaddi club) also pushes her passion of the game to an absurd level. That being said, I think the comedy level of the show speaks for itself by the time you reach the third or so episode. By then, you’ll really understand this show’s ridiculous comedy.

While the main duo of Chio and Manana carries a good amount of the series, other characters also comes to play. Despite not being main eventers, characters such as Yuki, Momo, Goto, and Mayuta also brings in their own spice of fun. They amplify the jokes in the show that ranges from forbidden romances to hilarious innuendos. To be fair, this series is like a joke of itself but it knows what it’s trying to be. In other words, viewers should really understand their reasons to watch this show in the first place. If it’s for actual plot or in-depth character study, then this is the wrong place to be. Take this show like a gift that’s ready to be opened and surprise you in ways you’ll probably never be ready for.

In reality, this anime was originally scheduled to air for Spring 2018. It got delayed for a full season so I assume it’s due to production issues. Nonetheless, the anime maintains a colorful balance of its character designs and setting. It’s not hard to spot the video game references if you’re familiar with franchises like Pokemon Go, Payday, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, Bioshock, and among others. What really made me laugh is the character expressions. It’s exaggerated to maximum effect and often looks far more ridiculous than they should. Chio is the main culprit of this as she makes a huge deal out of situations such as sneaking at night to play video games, getting into an emergency to use the bathroom, or just being anything but normal. This expands to her friend Manana and other characters who takes advantage of all the humorous gags. There’s also some shameless fan service in the show such as pole dancing and delirious delusions. Yuki also makes an example being a sporty girl with an athletic body. The show sure isn’t shy to focus the camera on her whenever it gets that chance.

For such a show with so much humor, I’m also convinced that the characters were able to deliver their lines flawlessly. The dialogues matches with the character voices that always sounds over the board. Sometimes, it makes me replay certain scenes just to see how far the voice actors seems to be enjoying themselves in their roles. The theme songs of the show are creatively made that does what it’s intended – delivering popcorn entertainment.

Looking back at this show made me wish that my high school years were as fun as Chio’s. Every day became a story adventure that never ceases to amuse me. From day 1, Chio and the character cast made the best of its humorous elements and never looked back. It doesn’t need a concrete plot to sell its ideas because that’s really not what the show is about. In other words, just watch this show with an open mind and think of how free it is. To be able to deliver such an entertaining series with so many gags is commendable feat if you ask me.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Sep 21, 2018

Leigh39

Mixed Feelings

As with all comedy shows, one's enjoyment largely depends on the kind of humour the show uses. That's why I will try to explain the kind of jokes you can expect from Chio-chan, so you can decide for yourself whether it may suit your taste!

This anime often uses somewhat "inappropriate" humour. You can expect some rudeness, vulgarity and lewd situations, but it never reaches the levels of "Prison School" or "Detroit Metal City" in that regard. So if those shows were too extreme for you, you might still enjoy Chio-chan since it's tame by comparison. It has a lot of panty shots and some ... boob jiggles, but they are either used for the sake of comedy or are not too 'in your face'. I also like that this show doesn't rely too much on the "meme face" kind of comedy that's popular nowadays.

It also has its fair share of absurdity. Oftentimes the situations the characters find themselves in are strange enough to make you laugh. Unlike shows like Nichijou for example, it's not random for the sake of randomness though. The situations in Chio-chan are often built around the awkwardness and stupidity of the main characters, so there's a bit of "cringe humour" going on as well. Though it's not nearly as extreme as the stuff you would find in "Watamote" for example. The main characters can be somewhat assholish at times, but they still remain relatable and likeable. It's fun to see them getting their comeuppance at the end of a skit! The show also uses quite a few nerdy videogame jokes.

I am fond of the pacing of the show. It is not as fast-paced as shows like "The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.", but the skits never overstay their welcome either. Even if a longish skit doesn't land the joke, there's bound to be something else that cracks you up in the rest of the episode.

As for the other aspects, you shouldn't expect a well thought out story or deep characters from this series. It has some nice bits of continuity, but first and foremost it's a skit comedy anime. The art style is pleasant and fun to look at and the character designs are cute and unique. The music is fine and the main tune they sometimes use is even somewhat catchy. While the technical aspects of the show aren't mindblowing, I think it's fair to say that they are still above average!

If you like what you've read, then you should definitely check this show out! If you are not completely convinced after the first episode, you should check the next (few) ones as well, to get a complete picture of what kinds of jokes you can expect from this show. It's definitely a worthwile watch!

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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Jan 14, 2025

permalink

Not Recommended

Preliminary (3/12 eps)

95% of this show comprises some of the most lighthearted, uplifting, creative, relatable and funny writing I've ever seen on screen, channeling things like Nichijou and Peppi Longstocking.

The other 5% is sexualization of minors. It's usually embedded randomly throughout the episodes and of course it doesn't serve any purpose other than to appeal to a specific demographic. Given the stark contrast with most of the show it's deeply disheartening, making me wish that someone had taken these episodes and cut these 5% out of them in a video editor like the tumors of Japanese entertainment that they are. It's in the manga, too. The ... author is a mangaka of hentai heritage.

Anime like this could be a useful means of improving mental health and gaining appreciation for creativity in art, but some writers and studios can't help but corrupt it. Be advised.

Reviewer’s Rating: 2

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