Anime Reviews (2010-2019): Chio’s School Road – The Complete Series (a Neo-Tokyo 2099 Anime on Blu-ray Disc Review)

“Chio’s School Road” is a crazy anime series that is unique, crazy, hilarious and so unexpected.  If you are an anime fan who loves crazy hijinks and wants a short series that doesn’t last too long then I definitely recommend “Chio’s School Road”!

(C) 2018 Tadataka Kawasaki/KADOKAWA/Chio’s Production

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TITLE: Chio’s School Road – The Complete Series

ANIME RELEASE DATE IN JAPAN: 2018

DURATION: Episodes 1-12 (300 Minutes)

BLU-RAY INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition, 16×9, Japanese Dolby TrueHD 5.1, English Dolby TrueHD 2.0

COMPANY: Funimation

RATED: TV 14

Release Date: May 28, 2019

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Originally Created by Kawasaki Tadataka

Directed by Inagaki Takayuki

Series Composition: Inagaki Takayuki

Music by Audio Highs, Ohsumi Tomotaka

Character Design by Matsumoto Mayuko

Art Director: Miyake Masakazu, Sanan Yuri

Anime Production: diomedea

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Featuring the following voice talent:

Ozora Naomi/Mikaela Krantz as Chio Miyamo

Aizawa Saya/Alison Viktorin as Chiharu Ando

Yukana/Brittney Karbowski as Setoyama

Omigawa Chiaki/Emily Fajardo as Manana Nonomura

Suzuki Minori/Kristi Rothrock as Momo Shinozuka

Hondo Kaede/Kristin Sutton as Yuki Hosokawa

Koyama Rikiya/Marcus D. Stimac as Mayuta Ando

Taichi Yo/Marissa Lenti as Madoka Kushitori

R Bruce Elliott as Roshi

Takahashi Hiroki/Robert McCollum as Mr. Gotō

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For normal people, walking to school is a mundane task. For Chio, the journey is packed with socially unacceptable mishaps, and every day is crazier than the last. Path blocked for construction? She takes the high road, rooftop assassin style. Thug staring her down? She activates her online ego, Bloody Butterfly. There’s no telling what she’ll do next, but her best friend is always there to laugh at her.

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In 2014, mangaka Kawasaki Tadataka created “Chio-chan no Tsugakuro (Chi’s Commute to School) which was serialized in Media Factor’s “Monthy Comic Flapper”.

A total of nine volumes were created through September 2018 and a 12-episode anime series adaptation aired on television.

And now the complete animated series going by the title “Chio’s School Road” was released on Blu-ray/DVD courtesy of Funimation.

“Chio’s School Road” revolves around an over imaginative high school girl/hardcore gamer named Miyamo Chio, who often sees life in the way she plays video games.

Often hanging out with her best friend Nonomura Manana (despite being good friends, they often backstab each other); sports ace, very honest Hosakawa Yuki and Shinozuka Momo, member of the public morals committee at school and has a crush on her teacher, Goto.

And there are other interesting people that Chio knows such as the Kabaddi Club senior, Kushitori Madoka (who plays Kabaddi in order to grope other girls), Ando Mayuta (a former biker gang leader who has a crush on Chio) and his little sister Chiharu (who has a brother complex and is determined of finding the person who had her brother quit his gang).

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VIDEO:

“Chio’s School Road” is presented in 1080p High Definition and 16×9 Widescreen.  As expected from a TV series, there is slight softness, but the for the most part, the anime compliments the manga series quite well.  It’s not full of color detail but the animation works perfectly!

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Chio’s School Road” is presented in Japanese Dolby True HD5.1 and English Dolby TrueHD 2.0.  The series is primarily dialogue-driven with music coming crystal clear through the front channels.  But both soundtracks are well-acted.

Subtitles are in English.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Chio’s School Road – The Complete Series” comes with the textless opening and closing scenes.

EXTRAS:

The Blu-ray release comes with two DVD’s and a Funimation Digital Copy code.

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I’m going to be truthful that when I came upon this anime series, I did not know what to expect.  And from the first episode on, I absolutely found it to be hilarious and entertaining.

The series focuses on hardcore gamer, Miyamo Chio and how she uses her love of western video games to look at life similarly.

From the first episode of meeting sports ace Hosokawa Yuki and her trying to be a character (which she liked in video game) to try to impress her or when she accidentally elbows motorcycle gang leader Ando Mayuta and knocking over his bicycle, she transforms herself into her video game persona, Bloody Butterfly, and scares him enough to quit his gang and live a responsible life.

Or when she meets Kushitori of the Kabaddi Club, a hardcore Kabaddi athlete but not knowing that the reason why she wants to play it, is because she can grope them.

From discussing about streakers and wanting to wear their school uniforms without wearing underwear, or Chio trying to help Ando to not lose face among his former gang and then there is Ando’s younger sister, who has a thing about sticking her fingers and poking people in the butt.

And to show how the staff of the series likes to have fun, they included a crazy off-shot NG for the final episode ending credits.

Overall, “Chio’s School Road” is a crazy anime series that is unique, crazy, hilarious and so unexpected.  If you are an anime fan who loves crazy hijinks and wants a short series that doesn’t last too long then I definitely recommend “Chio’s School Road”!

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