chūnibyō
{{Short description|Colloquial Japanese term for early teens who have delusions of grandeur}}
{{For|the light novel series|Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions{{!}}Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions}}
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{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2023}}
{{Nihongo|Chūnibyō|中二病||{{lit|middle-school second-year syndrome}}}} is a Japanese colloquial term typically used to describe adolescents with delusions of grandeur. These teenagers are thought to desperately want to stand out and convince themselves that they have hidden knowledge or secret powers. It is sometimes called "eighth-grader syndrome" in the United States, usually in the context of localizations of anime which feature the concept as a significant plot element.{{Cite web |last=Mahajan |first=Yashas |date=2022-10-16 |title=This Underrated Classic Highlights the Value of Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions in Life |url=https://www.cbr.com/love-chunibyo-other-delusions-underrated-anime-classic-life-lessons/ |access-date=2022-11-14 |website=CBR |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=The Anime You Should Have Been Watching… in Fall 2012 |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2022-10-25/the-anime-you-should-have-been-watching-in-fall-2012/.191141 |access-date=2022-11-14 |website=Anime News Network |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Trinos |first=Angelo Delos |date=2021-11-05 |title=10 "Chuunibyo" Characters With The Biggest Imaginations |url=https://www.cbr.com/anime-chuunibyo-characters-biggest-imaginations/ |access-date=2022-11-14 |website=CBR |language=en-US}}
History
The term was used by Japanese comedian Hikaru Ijūin in 1999, who described the effect as if it were an illness he had contracted.{{Cite web|url=https://honeysanime.com/chuunibyou-funny-or-something-darker/|title=Chuunibyou: Funny or Something Darker?|date=April 25, 2017|website=honeysanime.com|access-date=July 16, 2018}}{{cite web|url=https://www.animenation.net/blog/ask-john-what-makes-a-character-a-chuunibyou/|title=Ask John: What Makes a Character a Chuunibyou? – AnimeNation Anime News Blog|website=www.animenation.net|access-date=July 16, 2018}} Ijūin made a statement disavowing the idea in 2009, as it had changed from a light-hearted remark to a condition that was studied seriously in psychology. In 2008, Hyōya Saegami wrote a book called {{Nihongo3||中二病取扱説明書|Chūnibyō Toriatsukai Setsumei Sho}},{{cite web|url=https://ddnavi.com/news/202061/a/|title=中二病も才能のうち！？ 500人に訊いた！ マンガ家志望の"中二あるある"ランキング - ダ・ヴィンチニュース|website=ddnavi.com|access-date=July 16, 2018}} or "Chūnibyō User Manual", in which he identifies three types of chūnibyō: "DQN", who act like delinquents; "subculture", who go against the mainstream trends; and "evil eye", who aspire to have special powers.
Legacy
Literary critic Boshi Chino expressed that he would like to give the novel Don Quixote the subtitle "Chūnibyō Starting from 50 Years Old", from the vicious cycle observable within the work. This is characterized by "the protagonist's viewing of the world through colored glasses" causing "the people around him to play along in order to avoid denying his delusions, but in the end only causing the protagonist to succumb more and more to those delusions".{{Cite book |author=千野帽子 |title=読まず嫌い |year=2009 |location=Tokyo |publisher=Kadokawa Shoten |isbn=978-4-04-885027-8 |oclc=918252713 |pages=30–31 }}
See also
References
{{Reflist|2}}
External links
- {{cite web |url=https://zqb.cyol.com/html/2013-11/05/nw.D110000zgqnb_20131105_2-11.htm |title="中二病"是种什么病 |lang=zh-s |trans-title=What is "Chūnibyō"? |author=林蔚 |date=November 5, 2013 |work=China Youth Daily}}
{{Japanese social terms}}
{{Young adult development}}
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Category:Anime and manga terminology