idiot(?)

Is Chizu an idiot? Well, as much as I love her, I'm not going to pretend she is a genius. Still, I hesitate to call her an idiot because it is such a harsh word. On some level she probably is, because there are certain times when her density just make you go "What the heck". But I would apply that more to her common sense type of intelligence. Which, to be frank, she is lacking in. Even her own mother calls her an idiot at one point, because Chizu had not come home yet and it was late, and she hadn't called her mother to let her know where she was. There is also the fact that Chizu did not know for the longest time that the person Kazehaya likes is Sawako. She did not figure it out until chapter 33! And when you see her shocked reaction, you can tell that the possibility hadn't even occurred to her, while it was quite obvious to others. In a similar situation, Chizu thought that Kurumi had feelings for Ryuu, of all people. She didn't know it was Kazehaya who Kurumi liked, again another obvious crush scenario.

So yes, maybe in that regard, Chizu is an ... well, she isn't quite as aware and perceptive as others. (Because I still hesitate to call her an idiot flat-out.)

As for book smarts, it's obvious here, too, that Chizu is not the brightest crayon in the box. She is known, at least throughout her class, for getting poor grades. Around Christmastime, Chizu is unable to pass her exams and has to take supplementary lessons. It also appears that she tends to blow off studying during study time in favor of doing other things, like read manga.

Chizu: "What? Are you guys seriously studying?"
- chapter 03

Additionally, Chizu happens to be in the lowest level maths class, while Sawako and Ayane are in the accelerated level and Kazehaya is in the standard level. Clearly, this girl is not the best student. But I have to point out that she does try to do well. When Sawako is tutoring her fellow classmates, including Chizu, for an upcoming exam, she helps them solve problems. And Chizu gets one of these problems right! Other students are surprised at this, but Chizu goes even further and is able to pass her exams, so she doesn't have to do make-ups at this point.

You can see from this that Chizu can do well when she puts her mind to it. And I think for the most part she really does try, because when she failed the exams that came right before Christmas, she was quite upset that she didn't pass even with the notes Sawako made for her. As for my inital question of whether or not I think Chizu is an idiot? Well, the softie inside me wants to say "no", but if you call someone an idiot in a loving way (assuming that is possible), then I do think she can be one from time to time. After all, this is a comedy, and characters who are less than intelligent are there for comic relief, which Chizu definitely provides. And since she doesn't seem to let names bother her too much, maybe it's okay to call her an idiot when she is at her most dense. Hee.

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