What did you watch and why? I was looking for an anime that I could watch while the kids were still up, so I stumbled upon Chio’s School Road. At first glance, it seemed fairly innocent… it was not!
One line pitch! Nothing interesting ever happens on the way to school… nothing…
What’s it really about? The show follows avid gamer, Chio as she gets into all sorts of weird and wonderful adventures on her way to school.
What hooked you? I really enjoyed the absurdity of the series. In the first episode, Chio’s normal route to school is blocked, so like her gaming persona, she takes to the rooftops. It was hilarious and I never looked back.
What was your favourite scene? I really enjoyed all of the Bloody Butterfly episodes, but my favourite scene was the first Kabaddi episode, where Chio and Manana are challenged to a match by Madoka. I think I actually snorted out loud. So funny, and so ridiculous.
What was your least favourite scene? Ironically, I think this was the second encounter with Madoka, the Kabaddi enthusiast who was training in the park with a homeless man as she tried to suppress her desire to touch girls. It had a couple of funny moments but was mostly creepy.
Who was your favourite character? Has to be Chio. She embraces every situation and turns it into a game, which admittedly leads to some outrageous situations, but that’s awesome all the same.
Who was your least favourite character? This is a tough one because I think they all contributed to my enjoyment of the show. It’s probably the creepy homeless guy who lost his fancy job and life when he got a little too close to a girl on the bus. Yeah, now that’s I’ve said it out loud, it’s definitely him.
Which character that needs more screen time? I think I’m going with Madoka, but just because I want to see more Kabaddi matches. That could have been an interesting one at the end of episode twelve. Glad I’d stopped watching with the kids around at that point.
What was your favourite quote? Not my favourite quote, but possibly one of the most ridiculous ones in the whole series from the most ridiculous arc Public Enema Number One!
Is it similar to any other anime you’ve seen? Honestly, I don’t think I’ve seen anything quite like this. The closest I can think of would be Project A-ko, but that might just be because they both have schoolgirls and both are insanely brilliant.
Would you like another season? Hell, yes. I found the mini-arcs to be an interesting approach. It meant you got two or three stories within each episode, which kept it moving at a nice pace.
What elements of the story will you use as inspiration for a short story? I love the idea of taking a mundane repetitive task like walking to school and making it interesting and fun. There’s a lot of potential there.
