Chio's School Road

Episodes 1-3

Chio's School Road should be an easy series to describe, and yet it really isn't. The premise is so simple that it can be distilled down to a single sentence: a high school student named Chio tries to get to school, and a variety of obstacles get in her way. Of course, what that synopsis fails to convey is the sheer absurdity of some of the situations that Chio runs into during her morning commute. Road construction leads her to take a perilous rooftop detour, a simple walk down an alley turns her into a legend amongst the members of a local biker gang, and a casual encounter with two friends ends in ruthless betrayal and backstabbing. Whatever the core premise may lack in terms of complexity, the individual storylines make up for it with an abundance of creativity.

To some extent, those two contrasting qualities are actually tailor-made for each other. Because the setup is so simple and so open-ended, Chio's School Road is free to pursue just about any narrative direction it chooses. This freedom is most evident in the show's more over-the-top storylines, since the script is able to pile on one absurd event after another without the fear of adversely affecting the big picture. Chio doesn't just spend a morning hopping from rooftop to rooftop, she also inflicts divine retribution upon a jerk in an expensive suit and unknowingly wanders through a love hotel's parking lot. She doesn't just run into a scary biker in an alley, she accidentally beats him up, knocks over his motorcycle, and somehow bluffs her way out of it by describing her gaming experiences as if they had happened in real life. These stories unfold with the same kind of gleeful abandon that can be found in many of the anime world's most memorable comedies; it gives off the impression that someone genuinely had fun coming up with all of these bizarre scenarios, and that sense of fun can be very contagious.

Crucially, those flights of fancy are backed up by strong execution. At a basic level, the show's comedic timing and delivery are generally spot-on, whether that requires an instant reaction from a character or an extended pause for emphasis while Chio slowly gives in to the temptation to do something stupid. The writing has also shown some positive signs regarding its ability to do more than just tell one-and-done jokes. The storyline involving Chio's friend Manana “betraying” her in order to get closer to popular girl Hosokawa wraps back around on itself in a clever manner, and Chio's initial encounter with biker dude Andou sets up a wonderfully silly reunion in the following episode. Admittedly, there are moments where Chio's School Road relies on a cheap boob or butt joke, and there's not much thematic depth behind the humor, but for the most part these opening episodes have been remarkably funny.

Chio herself is also a key part of the comedy. Her inner monologue is a curious mix of hubris and self-deprecation; she's proud to be a below-average student whose mind has been irreversibly warped by video games, and yet she's also self-aware enough to call herself out for her lapses in judgement. There's something relatable about her, as if she's the person many of us would turn into if we acted on all of our juvenile, impulsive ideas. It's also important to note that she brings most of her problems on herself, since it's easier to find entertainment in a character's misfortune when they're complicit in their own suffering. Chio's friends Hosokawa and Manana make for a decent supporting cast, with Hosokawa's impossibly good intentions standing in amusing contrast to Manana's tendency to amplify Chio's bad decisions. Other episodic characters have been less consistent, ranging from reasonably entertaining in Andou's case to a bit too one-dimensional in kabaddi club captain Kushitori's case.

From a visual standpoint, it's clear that Chio's School Road is working with fairly limited resources, and characters have a tendency to look off-model in medium and wide shots. On the upside, the series sometimes manages to lean into its slightly clunky appearance by warping things out of shape deliberately for visual emphasis. The direction is generally competent with a decent eye for sight gags, and occasional moments of swift motion are carried out to a higher standard than some of the more static scenes. This series probably won't light the world on fire in terms of animation quality, but it looks decent enough to support the comedy.

With its absurd sense of humor and storylines that are little more than setups for comedy sketches, Chio's School Road won't be everyone's cup of tea. It feels a bit like Hinamatsuri without the emotional depth or Nichijou without the lavish animation, and yet it has a certain charm of its own. The simple premise and short story arcs give it plenty of room to take each joke as far as it will go before moving on, creating an open-ended comedic sandbox for the writing and direction to play in. In these first three weeks, the results have been entertaining enough keep the series in the upper tier of its genre. Here's hoping it can stay there all season.

Rating: B+

Chio's School Road is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.