Ichirou spent years pretending to be someone else because the real him wasn't enough. When he finally stops, a girl shows up demanding he pretend with her instead, and watching him choose to stay, not because she needs saving, but because he recognizes himself in her delusion, breaks you open. The movie understands that chuunibyou isn't about fantasy; it's about the specific kind of pain that makes a kid invent a better world to survive in, and it treats that pain like it matters.

In middle school, Ichirou Satou pretended to be a hero called Maryuuin Kouga, and the act made him a frequent target for bullies. Now a high school freshman, he has put that phase behind him and tries to live quietly without standing out, though life feels dull. One night he sneaks back into school to fetch a forgotten textbook and meets a costumed girl who says she comes from another world. She turns out to be Ryouko Satou, his classmate, who is caught in the same kind of delusion he once had. When his teacher asks him to befriend her, Ichirou flatly refuses, not wanting to be reminded of his own past. Seeing her bullied the way he was, though, he decides to look after her and help pull her back to reality. The film blends comedy, drama and romance in a school setting.