Chaos;Head

Type: Delusional

Synopsis:…..something to do with…..something. I think it was like….reality, or maybe mental illness. There’s this nerd right? And one day he walks in on a murder. Then all these different girls with swords show up, and sometimes they want to date him, or kill him, or both. Then this evil Corporation shows up. But we’re never really sure, because the nerd may be schizophrenic. It’s all very confusing.

Pros: One thing that Chaos;Head should be praised is for it’s protagonist Takumi’s voice actor. Takumi’s voice ranged perfectly from calm to frantic, without ever seeming to lose it’s core character. You believe Takumi’s anxious reactions to the extraordinary things happening around him. Even though he’s a coward, you end up sympathizing with him because you can imagine reacting the same way. Takumi was the crucial human element in this admittedly bizarre show. I also very much appreciated the recaps at the start of the show. I wish more dramas did that.

Cons: Chaos;Head is confusing. It plays with the premise of reality, and the idea that reality exists because you believe reality exists. But it doesn’t handle this central idea in a satisfying manner. Instead of making us question whether or not everything is just happening in Takumi’s head, it confirms very early on that delusions are real, and are basically like a superpower. No great psychological mystery here. Just another anime involving crazy psychic stuff. It throws together a story involving an evil corporation and girls that use psychic swords without any real explanation as to how or why.

Watch it?: If you value your sanity, I say skip it (2/5)

MVP: Takumi Nishijo

Dream Boy

Best Episode: Ep.9 “Rejection” (childhood math is heavy stuff)