Megax’s favorite characters #1B: Not your typical chuuni

It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these, but my anticipation levels keep rising for next month’s airing; thus I felt writing this would help get some of that energy out. In May 2012, I translated the first Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai! light novel and thought it was a cute read, but nothing I would grow immensely attached to. After a little break, I finished translating the second novel in July of that year and something kept gnawing at me. I couldn’t get someone out of my head. Throughout the last year and a half, I’ve been involved in many other franchises, but my mind keeps coming back to one character from the novels, specifically the second novel. Her name: Satone Shichimiya. This post will delve further into exactly why I like her so much and why she’s on the same level as Itsuki Koizumi in my favorites. Of course, novel 2 spoilers await.

Satone Shichimiya is mentioned in the first novel as being the person who hooked Yuuta onto his Dark Flame Master persona. Unlike a lot of people, she’ll fully acknowledge that she’s just making things up and will make stories go against what she does so it’s more fun when she wins. She and Yuuta have fun together, but then one day she’s gone from his life. She ends up transferring to Nibutani’s middle school and puts her in a chuuni mode while constantly telling her about this Dark Flame Master from her previous school. She mentions him over and over again until Nibutani can instinctively point him out at her next school. We’re not told what high school she goes to, but it’s a different one than the main cast attends. Yuuta grows up and doesn’t want to act like the Dark Flame Master in public anymore. He meets Rikka Takanashi in class and the two grow into a relationship together through studying for Rikka’s math re-take. And then chance happens…

“Well, if it isn’t Hero?”

Shichimiya heard of a girl in high school wearing an eyepatch and claiming to have the power of the “Wicked Eye” (though I still like my “Devilsh Truth Stare” TL). She goes to investigate and calls out “Angel” through the loudspeaker. She gets confronted by students and teachers, causing her to run away. By utter chance she enters the same room that Yuuta was in.  She chats with him for a while before Rikka comes in and begins treating her like a rival. They have a battle, which she lets Rikka win, before she dashes away.

After appearing the next day and sparking some tension between Yuuta and Rikka, they have a bit of an argument on Wednesday before ending up eating in the classroom after school. Shichimiya ends up seeing them eat and realizes how close they are. She couldn’t bear to see them together and leaves without saying anything.  She goes to Yuuta on Thursday and tries to stay in his life, but he wants to go to Rikka instead.  Rikka sees her hold onto his arm and gets the impression he’s cheating on her. She even comments “I knew it.” What she does next is a stroke of genius and is why I like her so much.

Shichimiya finds Rikka and creates a chuuni situation where she takes something hostage for a game. If Yuuta finds them, she can have it back. If he doesn’t, they’ll break up. She sets up the pieces (missing bag, tying Rikka up as a kidnapper) and phones Yuuta at the right moment. Yuuta, with Nibutani’s help, figures out her puzzle and meets her quickly. Shichimiya answers his question of “why?” with the obvious reason: she’s still in love with him.

“It’s all right if you can’t say anything. I already know what you’d say… Hero, back then I couldn’t tell you my feelings, so I made up things. But in the end, they were just fake stories. Love is much more difficult than delusions.”

She stages a mock battle with Yuuta over where she hid Rikka, but continues to act as though she’s going to lose the battle. In the end, she lets out her feelings of pain by hitting Yuuta in the stomach, and confesses again for him to reject her again. She gives up and tells Yuuta that Rikka’s in the storage room, where she was able to hear everything. They untie her and Shichimiya apologizes and returns the hostage. Everyone goes outside and then Shichimiya says “bye bye.” She means to leave fully from their lives so this situation wouldn’t happen again, but Yuuta catches up to her and convinces her that he still wants to be friends. This encourages her to transfer schools to their high school where we end with her and Rikka agreeing to chuuni battle in the future.

So why do I like her? Like Koizumi, Shichimiya knows she won’t be in a romantic relationship with the person she loves and has loved for a while. She gets her heart broken multiple times over the course of two days, and yet she thinks of a plan to ensure that the boy she loves and the girl he loves know that and know that she’s not going to break them up. She also makes it believable in the chuuni universe so Rikka fully understands what’s going on. She does all of that, to be rejected twice in person and once by actions. She admits to being jealous and cruel, but she sacrifices her own happiness for theirs; even going to the point of leaving out of their lives forever to ensure this situation wouldn’t happen again.  Those actions really spoke deep to me beyond what a normal character does in a story.

Director Ishihara has commented multiple times how he plans to use Shichimiya as a character to push Yuuta and Rikka further together, not to break them apart in a triangle; just like how Torako did that in the novel.  Many people “read” the novel and saw her comments about being jealous and wanting to break them up, but even Yuuta said “that’s not what she meant.” I’ve seen mutliple comments blasting her for even “thinking of breaking up the [main couple].” (in the anime) To me, that’s insulting how difficult of a job she did to solidify that relationship while she herself was heartbroken. I’m not sure of many people who could pull of what she did with that emotional pain.

Additionally, I really love her design. The twin curls/rings look fantastic and provide a new look different than pigtails. The magical girl outfit is cute and works well color-wise. I also love the cat hair ornaments and the pouch. Overall, Ousaka did a fantastic job designing her character from scratch. Even the middle school version is cute! Everything works well to say “this person is chuuni” and give off that fun atmosphere she brings. It helps solidify that part of her who knows she’s just playing along.

To conclude, that’s why I really love the character of Satone Shichimiya. She’s playful, wise, and is willing to do the hard things for the people she cares about. She’s chuuni, but knows when she needs to be serious. Overall, there’s no better character to add for a sequel! (proving why it’s likely taking Torako so long to write v3!)