Just another morning for Chio.
Chio Miyamo is a self-proclaimed "below average" girl who likes playing shoot-em-ups and Western games. For all she says she's "below average", though, she's anything but that, given her overactive imagination and her willingness to pull dangerous and impractical stunts. Her most exciting part of the day just so happens to be her commute to school, and it's not at all hard to see why — from delinquent gangs to parkour, kabaddi to competitions with friends, there's no way that the journey to school could ever be a boring one.
Chio's School Road (Chio-chan no Tsuugakuro) is a manga about the Mundane Made Awesome misadventures of one girl and her ridiculous school route, written and illustrated by Tadataka Kawasaki. The manga was serialized in Comic Flapper from April 2014 to September 2018, and was compiled into nine volumes. An anime adaptation had been announced for 2018, but was delayed until July. Funimation's Simuldub of the anime series premiered on July 25th, 2018. Watch it here.
Yen Press started releasing an official English translation of the manga in August 2018.
Chio's School Road provides examples of:
- Animated Outtakes: During episode 12's closing credits.
- Art Shift: In episode 11, Chio has an Imagine Spot in order to out whether or not its best to sleep at 4AM after reading her clock wrong. The scenarios are drawn in crayon on paper.
- Badass Normal: Chio. Sometimes intentional, sometimes not. Also Manana, who is usually able to keep up with Chio.
- Big Brother Instinct: Andou comes to Chiharu's defense against Manana while out cold in chapter 23/episode 10.
- Bland-Name Product: Google Chrome gets two: "Noogle" in the manga and "Yoogle" in the anime.
- Book Ends: Both the final published chapter and the last volume's extra chapter serve as this. The last chapter, as decribed by Kawasaki in the afterword, is basically a New Game Plus version of Chapter 1, with Chio's improved parkour skills and Manana to bounce off of. The bonus chapter, meanwhile, focuses on a new first year student like Chio was, who has an interest in gaming and was shy about making friends.
- Bratty Half-Pint: Chiharu, a little girl with a fondness for kanchou.
- Brick Joke: Once, Chio expresses a desire for someone to confess to her standing on top of a pipe. Andou more or less accomplishes this in Chapter 33.
- Country Matters: Chio receives a message while playing a game that turns out to be this.
- Fake-Out Make-Out: In Chapter 4/Episode 2, Chio and Manana follow Yuki and another boy into an alleyway, hoping to figure out the situation between the two. A few words lead to Chio and Manana quietly arguing until Chio sees the two they were tailing walking back out. With no time to spare, Chio gets in close to Manana and makes it look like they're kissing, leading Yuki and the boy to leave them alone without any suspicion.
- Gamer Chick: Chio's a hardcore gamer, with a particular thing for stealth games.
- Girlish Pigtails: Chio's friend Manana and elementary schooler Chiharu.
- The Glasses Gotta Go: Averted. Chio's not all that much different without her glasses.
- Going Commando: The plot of Chapter 30 revolves around Yuki Manana, and eventually Chio, all deciding to go to School without underwear.
- Hidden Depths: Yuki and her parents turn out to be nudists.
- Hormone-Addled Teenager: All of the teenagers are like this to some extent, but none moreso than Manana and Andou, who in the latter's case picks up a book on female erogenous zones to see what Chio might be into.
- I Can't Believe It's Not Heroin!: The normally serious Momo gets high on sugar, making her hyperactive and uninhibited... and entirely aware of what she did afterwards.
- I Just Want to Be Normal: Chio professes she doesn't want to stand out or draw attention.
- I Know Mortal Kombat: Chio's knowledge of stealth games inspires her to use their techniques in real life. She turns out to be pretty good, resulting in many of her badass moments. Deconstructed in that she's only able to do that because she actually is very athletic,note but tries to hide it so not to attract any attention to herself.
- Imagine Spot: In the first chapter/episode, when Chio finds her usual route blocked off by construction, the Assassin's Creed stand-in she played just a few hours prior inspires her to take to the rooftops to circumvent the blockade In her imagination, it would be no problem; in reality, she has great trouble climbing onto a roof, and once she finally makes it she's utterly exhausted.
- In the Blood: Why is Yuki such a Shameless Fanservice Girl? Because her parents are exhibitionists.
- Japanese Delinquents: Andou, who ends up going straight thanks to Chio.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Chiharu, who on the one hand is a massive brat, but on the other admires her big brother, worries about whether she did the wrong thing, and has occasional Pet the Dog moments.
- Last-Name Basis: Andou's full name is Mayuta Andou; his gang, Chio and Manana call him by his family name, while Chiharu calls him "Mayu-nii". In turn, he calls Chio and Manana by their family names.
- Lecherous Licking: Kushitori in her more perverted moments.
- Love Confession:
- Andou confesses to Chio in Chapter 33. She misunderstands it (or at least acts like she does) and thinks that he said something about a "life buoy", but when he actually says "life buoy", she runs off flustered like he'd just confessed to her.
- In chapter 43, Andou confesses again and this time, very clearly. Chio returns his feeling and they started dating.
- The Makeover: Tried on Chio in chapter 18. It... doesn't go well.
- Mistaken for Gay: Andou acts out a scene from a BL game to grab Chio's attention, because he's under the impression she's a fujoshi.note Not actually being a BL fan, Chio doesn't get the reference, and she and Manana conclude he's gay.
- Mistaken for Romance: Chiharu doesn't just let anybody put an end to her brother Andou's delinquent activities. She comes to scope out the "Bloody Butterfly" to see the woman who tamed him and his heart, but comes out of the ordeal convinced it was Manana.
- Mundane Made Awesome: For Chio, getting to school is never a dull moment.
- No Social Skills: Momo doesn't understand much of why people behave the way they do, and tries to help with things they don't care about, resulting in her having a Friendless Background until she meets Chio and Manana.
- No True Scotsman: in Chapter 30, Yuki and Manana are walking to school, commando, and playfully mess around with each others skirts, Chio, thinking it looks fun, decides to flick Manana's skirt, Manana tells her to refrain from touching because she is "not one of them". The situation leads to Chio taking her underwear off too.
- Not Where They Thought: In "Thank You, George", Chio dashes into the first bathroom she sees, suffering from a Potty Emergency. After she finally relieves herself, she leaves the stall and sees urinals, meaning that she's unknowingly gone into the men's room.
- Official Couple: Andou and Chio finally becomes this as of chapter 43.
- One Head Taller: Andou stands head and shoulders over Chio.
- Only Sane Woman: Manana believes she is this, but in reality she is usually going along with Chio or egging her on.
- Paper Tiger: Early on, Chio pretends to be an underground figure called the Bloody Butterfly (in reality, her screen name) to intimidate Andou, which gets her into a bit of trouble.
- Potty Emergency: In Chapter/Episode 5, Chio desperately needs the bathroom after drinking too much green tea.
- Relationship Upgrade: As of chapter 43, Andou and Chio are officially dating.
- Running Gag: The whole series is this.
- Serious Business:
- Kabaddi. It has no right to be taking up as much time as it does getting to school, but whenever the opportunity presents itself Chio and Manana always end up playing seriously.
- For Andou's sister Chiharu, kanchou. Her world is filled with kids ready to plug buttholes and regularly having turf wars with rival gangs. It gets to the point that the cleaning duty is assigned based on the outcome of a kanchou match in her class.
- Shameless Fanservice Girl: YUKI
- Chapter 16; appropriately titled "Yuki-Chan Doesn't Mind", Yuki decides to wear her track runner outfit (little more than a sports bra and a set of underpants) to school, for little reason other than because she felt like it. Chio and Manana are a bit weirded out but chock it up to Yuki being an Innocent Fanservice Girl, simply wearing what she's comfortable with. However, as Yuki is constantly ogled on their walk, Manana finally explains to her that they're all gawking at her because of her outfit, Yuki promptly gives her a thumbs up and explains that she gets excited from people looking at her body. Manana instantly comes to the conclusion Yuki is an exhibitionist.
- And she's right, the just as appropriately titled Chapter 30; "Yuki-Chan Bares it All" or "Yuki-Chan Goes Commando" in the official English release, has her outright state that she is indeed an exhibitionist. She reveals that she never wears clothes at home (only donning a Naked Apron at meal times). She says out loud that she wants to go Streaking because she thinks it'd feel great, and is downright gleeful when the opportunity to walk to school without underwear props up and immediately takes the opportunity to do so. When she's informed there's a ¥300,000 (roughly $3,000 USD, or £2,700 GBP) fine for public nudity, she states that's fine because she's got enough money saved up to go streaking once.
- She actually does go streaking in the Anime opening; Chio and Manana quickly cover her up but the viewer can grab a quick look if they can pause at the right time, although there isn't much to see.
- You might be wondering what her parents' reaction to this is; well, a short exchange in Chapter 30 reveals that she has Shameless Fanservice Parents, who not only go nude at home, but a follow-up Omake in Volume 6 flashes back and reveals that they probably got together after they bumped into each other while naked in the snow (also of note is that "snow" in Japanese is "Yuki").
- Ship Tease:
- Andou has a thing for Chio, thanks in large part to him being an unwitting participant in her wacky hijinks and thinking it means she's interested in him. Eventually, he confesses to her, and the two begin dating much later.
- Chio and Manana have a couple of moments like this, getting awkward and blushy around each other. Most notably in Chapter 24, where a combination of Battle in the Rain, Sexy Soaked Shirt, and a Held Gaze very nearly results in Slap-Slap-Kiss.
- Andou's male kohai has a bit of a crush on him.
- Momo has a crush on Gotou-sensei, her superior in the morals committee.
- Shout-Out:
- Assassin's Creed, PAYDAY 2, Pokémon GO and Terminator 2: Judgment Day, among others.
- On Chio's shelf, she has figurines of Vault Boy, Tracer, a Big Daddy and Little Sister, and a collection of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable.
- She also has a Psycho and Claptrap figurine and Bioshock Infinite and Half-Life 2 posters in the anime.
- One chapter has Chio go through a thinking montage, represented by a very specific faucet in the back of her head twirling.
- In Chapter 45, Chio distracts Chiharu by spitting in her eyes, calling that attack her "Space Ripper Stingy Mouth".
- When Chio goes shopping for gaming magazines in episode 7, in her Imagine Spot she holds up a copy of Quake 4 and describes the scene where the main character's legs are amputated while the narrator describes how ultra-violent western games don't do well in Japan. Chio then complains about JRPG characters while a knock-off of Final Fantasy's "Prelude" plays.
- Slice of Life: As over the top as she is, Chio is still just a student on her way to school each day.
- Social Climber: Manana sees herself as being in the school's lower castes, and wants to move on up to join the "normies", the popular kids.
- Stealth Insult: Yuki has to end up telling Manana that the object of her crush probably won't like her back because he "only goes for pretty girls". It takes Manana no time to pick up that burn.
- The Stinger: Each short in the anime has a stinger following the main story.
- Toilet Humor: Chapter/Episode 5 has Chio trapped in a bathroom, and a few jokes regarding bodily functions occur.
- Two Decades Behind: Chapter 14. Chio describes foreign games not doing well in Japan by using Quake 4 as an example, a game which came out when the author was fifteen but Chio was a toddler. She's also obsessed with foreign game magazines, even though most of them had either shuttered or shifted to online publishing by 2014.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: Chio and Manana. Sometimes they're as close as sisters, sometimes they treat each other like shit. Weirdly, they both acknowledge this as a positive in their relationship.
- Yaoi Fangirl: Invoked. Chio stumbles upon a BL game magazine one day, and while she isn't a fan of the stuff, she does appreciate how different the guys can look. Her embarrassed reaction to buying it and her secrecy causes Andou to believe she's a fujoshi, and he even acts out a scene from one such game to grab her attention.
