One Heck of a Commute
- Episodes : 12
- Genre : Comedy, School
- Airing Date : July 2018 – September 2018
- Studios : Diomedéa
Contains Spoilers
Chio-chan no Tsuugakuro (BRIEF) Introduction
Chio’s School Road is another wacky comedy series following high school girls, this time focusing on the titular Chio, a hardcore PC-gamer obsessed with not standing out in school and her childhood friend Manana, who is always trying to become more popular, even at the expense of Chio. While this is technically a school comedy, this anime focuses instead on the commute to school, in particular, Chio’s extreme parkour and strange characters she encounters on her way.
What We Liked About Chio-chan no Tsuugakuro
As with what seems to be the popular style for school comedies of late, Chio’s School Road’s comedy revolves around crude and physical humor, modern cultural references (specifically Western PC games in this case), and an overall sense of randomness. One part we particularly enjoyed were Chio’s interactions with Mayuta Andou, the tough leader of a delinquent biker gang who Chio accidentally gets involved with which leads him to rethink his life. Chio’s crazy building jumping routes and other extreme physical feats inspired by her favorite video games are another highlight, especially for those familiar with the games the show references.
1. Good Physical Humor
The biggest selling point for this show, which is also the basic premise, is the insane routes Chio takes to get to school. With roof-hopping, wall-jumping, bridge hanging, and more parkour action, this anime has a lot of fun with the over-the-top antics of its titular character. There’s also a lot of physical humor with both Chio and Manana’s unexpected show of strength, exaggerated renditions of the sport of kabaddi with their perverted senior Madoka Kushitori, and kancho fights with Andou’s little sister Chiharu.
2. Fun Character Interactions
One of the best parts of this anime are the character interactions, particularly Chio and Manana’s love-hate friendship, which can be relatable to folks who have similarly known each other for so long from an early age, and Chio’s relationship with Andou. Arguably the most memorable event in the series is Chio accidentally getting into a fight and winning against Andou and the series of misunderstandings that ensues, it’s definitely a high point and feels a little reminiscent of Sakamoto desu ga?.
3. Lots of Gaming References
If you’re a gamer who enjoys games like Payday, Assassin's Creed, and other modern action and stealth games, you’ll definitely get some extra enjoyment out of the many references to such games in this series. One thing that makes this even more interesting is that Chio is specifically into Western games, which isn’t seen as much in anime, this also gives the viewer a bit of insight into what being a Western gaming fan in Japan is like, which is cool.
1. Lewdness Factor
As not-so-subtly alluded to in the opening, Chio’s School Road definitely has an ecchi factor. Track star Yuki Hosokawa, who befriends Chio and Manana early in the series, is revealed to be something of an exhibitionist and Madoka’s open lust for the other girls can be a bit off-putting. Chio is also shown in some compromising positions/angles and there is an older male character who is pretty creepy towards the high school girl cast, albeit mostly as a joke.
2. No Real Conclusion
As a comedy show without an intense overarching plot this shouldn’t be a deal-breaker but, if you’re looking for a show with a smooth ending, this isn’t the anime for you. We think that at least hinting to a resolution of Andou and Chio’s relationship and their future (which is the only real ‘plot’ going on) would have been nice, as it just sort of stops.
3. Not So Moe
While there are ecchi moments in the series, as mentioned above, and the characters are definitely cute at times, Chio’s School Road has too many moments focusing on weird or inappropriate things for it to be moe in the same way that shows like Nichijou or Azumanga Daioh are. This doesn’t necessarily make this a bad show, just not one for someone looking for a simple “cute girls doing cute things” show.
Final Thoughts
Chio’s School Road was a fun addition to the last season of anime that wacky comedy fans should definitely check out, provided they’re okay with a bit of lewdness and a little crude humor. With some interesting character interactions and frequent bursts of over-the-top hilarity, Chio’s School Road is an enjoyable show worth watching, especially if you like both mainstream PC action games and anime.
As always, we hope you enjoyed this review. Tell us about your favorite moments from Chio’s School Road in the comments below and look forward to future coverage of your favorite shows!
Author: Oskar O.K. Strom
