Sakuta Azusagawa

Mai Sakurajima

Kaede Azusagawa

Rio Futaba

Shouko Makinohara

Nodoka Toyohama

Tomoe Koga

Saki Kamisato

Yousuke Maesawa

Mai no Haha

Yuuma Kunimi

Fumika Nanjou

Rena Kashiba

Kotomi Kano

Uzuki Hirokawa

Tenchou

Azusagawa no Chichi

Nana Yoneyama

Nodoka no Haha

There's a rumor about a mysterious phenomenon called "puberty syndrome." For example, Sakuta Azusagawa is a high school student who suddenly sees a bunny girl appear in front of him. The girl is actually a girl named Mai Sakurajima, who is Sakuta's upperclassman who is also a famous actress who has gone on hiatus from the entertainment industry. For some reason, the people around Mai cannot see her bunny-girl figure. Sakuta sets out to solve this mystery, and as he spends time with Mai, he learns her secret feelings. Other heroines who have "puberty syndrome" start to appear in front of Sakuta. 
(Source: Anime News Network)

At the start of the season, I most definitely didn't think that Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai would be my favorite show of the fall. And I certainly didn't think that I'd be fighting countless other glowing reviews upon completion like I am now, but such is the way of anime. Good shows like this don't remain unknown for long, even if they don't have a lot of buzz about them going into the season like Bunny Girl Senpai did. I distinctly remember adding Bunny Girl Senpai to my watch list because I heard from someone that it was a lot like Monogatari, which I absolutely adore. However, I found myself not agreeing with the comparison as much as the episodes ticked on. While there are absolutely similarities between the two (a snarky main character, a new girl of the week with new issues, a main love interest for the main character, etc) I found that, while Monogatari was surreal and ethereal in nature, Bunny Girl Senpai was grounded and had a distinct realism to it, as if these issues could be happening to you or your friends, despite their innate supernatural nature. But anyways, on to the meat of the review.

While I was never absolutely blown away by the animation or art style of Bunny Girl Senpai, I was never really focusing on it enough to notice it being anything worse than good. I actually really fell in love with the character designs in Bunny Girl Senpai more than anything. There was this vague similarity between some characters, but at the same time, every character was unique in a way that you'd never confuse them. At the same time, the color palette of the show was absolutely fantastic for its setting.

However, If I had to name the technical aspect of the show I loved the most, it would be the sound, more specifically, the music. I've said it before and I'll say it again, music elevates shows from a 9/10 to a 10/10. I mean, I look at the majority of my favorite anime and realize that a huge reason for them being there is because they have phenomenal soundtracks. Bunny Girl Senpai is no different. The OST is fantastic and actually memorable, which really makes me look forward to its eventual release. But more than anything, I loved the opening and endings. All five of the variations of the ending are fantastic, though the Mai version is still my favorite. But, I have to say, the compilation version is probably the best. However, my favorite song in the entire show is easily "Kimi no Sei", the opening. I'll just leave it here, because I feel as if it needs no explanation.
~~~youtube(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_nUlFG7pjo)~~~

__Favorite Character:__ Sakuta Azusagawa
~~~img(https://i.imgur.com/BWax5iR.jpg)~~~

Yeah it's a bit of a boring choice, but for me, Sakuta is only choice. So few other characters exist with Sakuta's snark and wit and those that do are, in my opinion, outclassed by Sakuta in certain  ways. Not to say that he's a better character than say, Araragi or Hachiman, but I certainly related to Sakuta far more than either of those two. There's just a realism to Sakuta that's hard to match. He's snarky and standoffish, but also a caring friend who would topple mountains for those he cares for. He has a cold exterior, but even he isn't completely without feelings. I think the last arc of the show really drew out the depth in Sakuta’s character for me, all while keeping him consistent with his character. And this isn't even touching on the real strength about Sakuta and Bunny Girl Senpai in general. This strength that I've alluded to is simply the chemistry between Sakuta and the rest of the cast. You have Mai, who is Sakuta's main love interest, who provides us with the cutest relationship in the show, where they banter and flirt back and forth in an extremely endearing way. You also have a myriad of other characters with similar, albeit, less engaging relationships with Sakuta; Futaba, who explains things to Sakuta and essentially, the audience; Kaede, Sakuta's little sister who absolutely adores him but is stuck indoors from trauma; and the list goes on. There's just something so special when this cast of characters interacts. It's captivating even, to listen to those friends go back and forth, constantly evolving their relationships with each other, deepening their bonds and overcoming their problems together.

If I had to say anything bad about Bunny Girl Senpai, it would be that it never quite reaches the greatness of the first arc again, though Kaede's arc comes closest. And that is by no means a bad thing. It's just that that first arc was so good that it set completely unrealistic expectations for each and every arc and the fact that it _almost_ reaches that mark every time is incredibly impressive. Sure, I was worried about the Koga arc, since it was a little more of a drag, but it certainly rebounded strongly once I had tempered my expectations a little. Seriously. That's all I can think of.

Anime like Bunny Girl Senpai don't come along too often, maybe once a year or so. For me, Bunny Girl Senpai really struck a chord in me, and I remembered how it was like for me in those tumultuous times, how you felt as if no one could see you or you wished some part of you didn't exist. It's truly a haunting time, one where you usually have to come to terms with those things in time, but to see those issues put under the microscope, to see them visualized, that's hard to handle in some cases. It's this combination of fantastically written characters and deep, thoughtful subject matter that truly makes Bunny Girl Senpai special. It's all these little things in unison that make Bunny Girl Senpai, most likely, my anime of the year.

Bunny Girl Senpai handles the most arduous issues in adolescence: social anxiety and all that comes with it.

With a name like Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai (or simply Bunny Senpai), this show from the Fall 2018 anime season doesn’t instill much confidence. First, the title’s a sentence title, and whether in Japanese or in English, it’ll take you a while to get it right when searching for it online. When saying it out loud, you’ll just look silly. More damning however, is the fact that the title and promotional visuals naturally lead viewers to assume that Bunny Senpai will be nothing but shamelessly tantalizing ecchi with no substance. 

However, after watching it, I highly recommend this excellent show. Looking past this book’s cover, I found pages upon pages filled with an engaging, well-executed story.

img520(https://i.imgur.com/bmBaspi.png)

Sakuta Azusagawa is a high school student. He;s somewhat isolated from others due to a mysterious incident that happened sometime prior to the series. One day, he runs into a girl wearing a bunny girl costume— the eponymous bunny girl senpai. Her name is Mai Sakurajima, a famous actor who has suddenly become afflicted with “adolescent syndrome,” a phenomenon that affects adolescents in various ways. In Mai’s case, she cannot be seen by anyone, so she wears the costume in hopes to elicit a reaction. Sakuta is the only one who can see her. Together, they try to solve the mystery of Mai’s adolescent syndrome. 

The first thing I must praise this show for is Mai and Sakuta’s relationship. The show is very fresh and original; a large part of this is thanks to the main characters. Sakuta is snarky, mild-mannered, perverted, and somewhat irreverent. He doesn’t really let anything fluster him, and unlike many MCs in anime, he isn’t ashamed about his sexuality. Overall, I’d describe him as a cynical character (at least in the beginning), yet not to the point where it’s emotionally draining. While some might not like his “don’t-give-two-shits” attitude, I found it hilarious. Admittedly, my love for Sakuta’s character is in large part due to how subversive he is in terms of main characters. It’s just one way that Bunny Girl stands out in the crowd of slice-of-life anime. Due to how well his personality was established, it’s all the more noteworthy and exciting when he acts out of character, such as when he cries.

 Mai is a great counter to Sakuta, matching his snark. Under a somewhat aloof exterior is a sweet, friendly person. I was happy as their relationship progressed because Mai is subversive as well. She isn’t prone to dumb misunderstandings and in general, her actions just felt real. No getting mad at Sakuta for stupid reasons such as him talking to another girl.  There are many tropes and cliches in anime, and I’m pleased to say that Bunny Girl senpai doesn’t rely on them...for the most part.

img520(https://i.imgur.com/WXdtQiy.png)

Even structurally, Bunny Girl Senpai sets itself apart. The show doesn’t drag its feet in terms of progressing its character or story, and as a result, no arc overstays its welcome. As a testament to how brisk the show is, episode three is very conclusive and satisfying; feeling like the end of a one-cour show. After this, the arc revolving around Mai and Sakuta comes to an end. However, the creators clearly know what made the first part of the story so engaging, because Mai sticks around. She’s not given as much focus as she once was, but she still is a primary character. 

Each arc focuses on another character dealing with their personal flavor of adolescent syndrome. In each arc, we see the character that the story is focusing on undergo development and ultimately overcome their anxieties, the syndrome disappearing along with their dilemma. The adolescent syndrome is another thing which really makes the show shine. The adolescent syndrome is terrific because it allows viewers to understand what the characters are going through in a unique way. 

While it’s not bad, the character designs are somewhat generic and the OST is quite low-key and sparse. While this would normally hurt the show, Bunny Girl senpai uses these elements to highlight the supernatural adolescent syndrome. Against the backdrop of the art and music which paint the picture of a “normal” world, the adolescence syndrome sticks out. Paradoxically, the art direction of the anime makes it so the adolescence syndrome isn’t depicted as completely farfetched. Together, these attributes characterize adolescence syndrome as a force that is grandiose, yet common — perfect for describing the seemingly insurmountable struggles that youths go through, time and time again.

img320(https://i.imgur.com/RUS22IX.jpg)

The adolescent syndrome is just a manifestation of teen anxiety, and as such, it doesn’t require an explanation. There are two reasons it shouldn’t be explained. For one, it loses some of its charm as something you just have to deal with. Two, it would fall apart as soon as you try to explain it. For this reason, I groaned everytime recurring character, Futaba ,would try to explain the occurrences with technobabble. Her attempts at explaining the phenomena didn’t add anything to the show and just bogged it down, trying to explain what can’t really be explained and boring viewers. The only explanation I liked was when she explained Schrodinger's cat, just because it was informative, was actually somewhat relevant to the syndrome at hand, and was easy to follow.

img520(https://i.imgur.com/34tfrRt.png)

I found Kaede to be another weak part of the show. After so many subversions, it felt like Sakuta’s younger sister, Kaede  — with her obsession with her brother and overly cutesy personality — was added to remind viewers that, yes, this is an anime. At the very least, I was glad that she didn’t end up being clingy and jealous, but nevertheless, the referring to herself in third person and the idol worship of her brother schtick got old *fast*. Luckily, there’s a revelation that makes me appreciate her character more, but hindsight is 20/20.

While it's a bit unrealistic that an actor gets so chummy with just a random guy, Sakuta and Mai are just too cute for me to care too much.

While the character in each arc get development, Sakuta himself doesn’t have that big of a character arc. It's there, but it's subtle and I wish we saw him change a bit more.

There are a few loose ends that aren’t tied, leaving the last episode feeling slightly unsatisfying. Still, there’s a movie coming up, so I’m sure everything will be concluded then.

And boy, am I glad there will be a movie. With how much I loved this show, at the end of the thirteenth episode, I was clamoring for a second season. Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl exceeds expectations and handles anxiety in an engaging way with characters who feel like real people. It is a brilliant coming of age story.

9/10

A-




Bunny Girl Senpai is this season's sleeper hit; it's fresh characters help push an engaging coming of age story.

Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai was not what anyone expected at first glance. I for one, came to see a cute girl in a bunny outfit and I am pretty sure that goes for most of us who decided to watch the show. I expected a harem, ecchi story but instead received a well written, interesting story. The harem setup is there but the show is not a harem at all. Bunny Girl Senpai is entertaining, fun and at the same time tackles mature and realistic situations.

"Puberty Syndrome- abnormal experiences rumored on the internet to be caused by sensitivity and instability during adolescence". This is what the story in Bunny Girl revolves around. Teens going through the hardships of adolescence but abnormal things occur to them. For some reason I decided to check if it was an actual illness after seeing the first episode so I can assure you it is not an actual illness, just something made up for the plot of the story.

__Story__
The story starts off with Sakuta Azusagawa, a high school student who one day sees a bunny girl at the library appear in front of him. That girl is Mai Sakurajima, Sakuta's upperclassman and popular celebrity actress on hiatus. She is experiencing puberty syndrome and is invisible to most people around her. Sakuta is on a mission to help her overcome the problem that is causing this phenomenon. Mai is not the only one experiencing this. Throughout the story, other girls start appearing with puberty syndrome and Sakuta is the one who helps them.

Besides the attractive girls in the show, the concept of puberty syndrome is what kept me watching the show every week. As stated earlier, each of the characters are going through the hardships of adolescence but abnormal things are occurring to them. For example, Mai's effect from puberty syndrome is that she is invisible to nearly everyone around her and forgotten about. This is due to the her being overwhelmed by the show biz and hates that her mother forced her to do things and unconsciously wishes to not be known at all. Tomoe Koga has this effect of repeating the current day she is in and living in a simulated future. This is because she is unhappy with how situations turn out for her. She wants things to go her way, wants to be liked and accepted by everyone and does not want to have a bad reputation. We have all gone through something similar that the characters are going through. Adolescence is one of the most significant points in our lives. We are developing not only physically but psychologically as well. We have a lot going on during this period and I believe the show captures it appropriately. I guess that is why I found it so appealing.

__Character__
In addition to Mai being my favorite character, I really enjoyed Sakuta as well. He is cheeky and smug and makes sarcastic remarks most of the time. Even with all the rumors about him going around school, he doesn't seem to care. Besides all this, Sakuta is a person who sincerely cares about others. Before the events of the story, Sakuta and his sister, Kaede, go through puberty syndrome themselves. Seeing his sister in a bad state made Sakuta feel terrible. At his lowest point, he meets Shoko Makinohara, his first love if I am correct. She is there for Sakuta when he needs support and helps him get through his situation. Shoko is the one who sort of shapes Sakuta into the person he is in the present. He understands what it feels like to be in a situation where you feel almost incapable of doing anything. Just like Shoko was there for him in his time of need, Sakuta wants to be there for his friends who are feeling emotionally unstable. I believe this is what makes Sakuta a great character and that is why I like him as well.

__Music and Animation__
The OST for this anime was nice and the animation was done well. I really liked the character designs for all the girls and that's most likely a reason that I kept watching this show. The dialogue is nothing special but it is really intriguing. Of course, my favorite interaction is between Sakuta and Mai. Their interactions feel authentic. The romance between them is good too. By that, I mean how they behave. It is not over the top. It feels natural. It's not seem cliche crap. I'd like to say it is a pretty good representation of how some relationships actually are. Apart from the fact that Sakuta is with a new girl every other week and Mai does her best not to be bothered by it. Do that in real life and you are getting dumped pretty quickly...Unless you have someone as loyal and understanding as Mai, in which that case you are one lucky person and I envy you for finding true love.

__Concerns__
I have seen people have trouble with the explanations given by Futaba about the abnormal situations the characters face due to puberty syndrome. They say it is nonsense and vague. To those people I would like to say: IT IS AN ANIME. If you really expect an in depth explanation to each phenomenon happening then you really have high standards and probably did not enjoy this anime as much as others. Just go with what they give you. I don't think the exposition is what you should be focusing on in this show. The main focus should be on the characters, their emotions and situation. That is what this anime is about. Adolescence. The exposition is secondary and not as important.

I have to end with some criticism I believe. I would have liked the story more if the characters didn't just seem to disappear after their stories ended. I kind of completely forgot Koga existed a few episodes after her arc ended. If Futaba had not been important to the story, then I would have forgotten about her too. Each character did have their time to shine and it was done well so it is not that big of a deal. Also the ending did feel sort of open ended and rushed. It felt jammed and I feel like an extra episode or two could have made it better. Apparently a movie is coming out some time in the future so it might answer some questions left unanswered.

__Final Thoughts__
I enjoyed this anime more than I should have and I am guessing that is because of the lack luster summer season. This is probably my favorite anime of the fall season. If you are looking to watch a beautiful girl wander around in a bunny outfit for 13 episodes straight, then this is not the show for you. Believe me, I was also disappointed at the lack of appearances made by my bunny girl waifu. If you are looking for an entertaining show with a good story and a great cast of characters, then yes I do recommend that you watch Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai.

~~~<a href="https://ibb.co/Bwd6MYT"><img src="https://i.ibb.co/KmRsv8V/Screenshot-981.png" alt="Screenshot-981" border="0"></a>~~~

Guy falls in love with a bunny girl and so did I. A story that tackles the hardships of adolescence.

__Story: 9/10__
Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai (aka Seishun Buta Yarou wa Bunny Girl-senpai no Yume wo Minai) has a realistic plot in which one can see the troubles teens get through today. Apart from the social anxiety everyone is talking about, there are other teen issues that come up in the series if you pay attention. One is the pressure a working teen has and can be seen through Mai's case. Another one is the discovery of one's self and the stress it might cause, just like in Futaba's case. One more (that I didn't notice until the end of the series) is the burden Sakuta carries for his sister's case Kaede.The effects each case has on the individual is shown with physical damages and supernatural phenomena, a thing done well by the producers because they managed to make us feel the confusion and pain the characters were feeling.I put a 9 on the story because I wanted it to last longer and provide more explanation regarding the scientific part. Other than that the story was unique, with many messages, realistic and meaningful.

__Art: 10/10__
I have no words to express how much I enjoyed the art on the series. The colours were beautiful and the characters well-made. The producers did an awesome job on that part.

__Music: 8/10__
The music is pretty chill and matches the scenes perfectly, but personally I have heard better OST. That's why I put an 8.

__Characters: 10/10__
Each and every character has their own personality and story.There aren't characters that are too rude or dramatic. They are balanced and mature on the level they have to be. I don't have many things to say here so I want to focus on two characters. I've read some reviews in which Kaede and Mai aren't that great as characters but I don't agree. When Mai gets over her issues she may seem dull after some episodes but that's not the case. She continues her life and supports those around her that helped her, leaving us the message that we should not forget thouse that are there for us. As for Kaede, she seems pretty immature and overreacts in some situations yet she doesn't give up on getting over her issues.

__Overall: 9/10__
Undoubtly one of the best anime I've ever seen. If you are into drama and slice-of-life you will enjoy this one. However, I must point out that if you are from the people that don't like thinking and analyzing much a series then this might not be for you. 

A unique story that will make you realize how teen psychological pain & stress feel like 

_”I’m just enthusiastic for a chance to get to know a beautiful senpai.” -Sakuta Azusagawa_

This anime is a key example of why you don’t judge a book by its cover, and I’m glad I followed that advice. I had the great pleasure of watching it when it first came out, and I remember saying to myself “Now this one is a hidden gem for sure.” Aside from the more than odd title, Rascal Doesn’t Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai has an even more interesting and deep storyline as it tackles the social problems that many teens face. For those of you who are into slice of life, this anime delivers in such a unique way by incorporating supernatural and psychological elements to tie the story together. I found a reason to connect with a lot of the characters as their problems were presented with a sense of urgency. It had ultimately given them a lot more depth, which also made character interactions so interesting to witness. Overall, Bunny Girl Senpai is an anime that no one should sleep on! It definitely deserves a lot more love and attention due to its interesting storyline and lovable characters. Let’s get on with the review!

Art and Animation: 9.1/10
- The art and animation in this anime made it such a joy to watch. I really enjoyed most of the character designs because it had fit their personalities so well. There were just so many parts that really set the mood and pace of the storyline, which made for a truly unique environment that felt almost dream-like. I rarely felt as if the animation quality was bad or rushed, because it all had such a natural feel to it. Nothing had ever distracted or taken away from the mood, but rather, it was saved for key moments when it mattered most.

Storyline and Character Progression: 9.4/10
- As far as storyline goes, it’s definitely easy to get lost in the psychological and social problems that Sakuta is faced with solving. Luckily, this anime provides Rio for us! She definitely helped in explaining the situation at hand with great detail to clarify what you might not understand. And each problem became more and more interesting and deep as Sakuta immersed himself in assisting each one of them. What I appreciated a lot was that the romance didn’t feel as though it were just thrown in there. It didn’t distract or take away from the storyline, but rather, it was presented in a natural way. When it came to character interactions, it was always so entertaining to watch Sakutas open and honest personality. This made for some hilarious moments that came out of nowhere, which was a good change of pace from all the emotion and drama. It was really unique how Sakuta solved each person problems, because it never felt like he was doing the same thing over and over again. Each problem was different, and each person was treated different. This had really helped in keeping the anime from feeling staled or repetitive. Be sure to bring some tissues for this one, it definitely has some intense emotional moments.

Soundtrack and Audio: 9.2/10
- I can’t express how much I LOVED the voice cast for this one. Everyone was just so pleasing to listen to, it all felt so natural and fitted the characters. I’ve seen very few anime that don’t have any “annoying-to-listen-to” characters, and this one was one of the few exceptions. The music was used sparingly as well, and you could tell that they were saving this too for just the right moments. Some may have mixed feelings on the OP, but what can I say? (KIMI NO SE, KIMI NO SE...) It grew on me. This anime also has one of my favorites EDs as well! It’s just such a beautiful song that really represents the anime as a whole. All in all, the soundtrack was really good at complementing the many strengths that the storyline had. And it was coupled with such amazing vocal talent as well.

Moral of the story? Don’t judge a book by its cover! Bunny Girl Senpai is definitely one that I would recommend to anyone looking for a good slice of life full of emotion and unexpected laughs. Just be sure to be a little patient with the plot, as it isn’t one you typically see in a romance/drama. With a lovable cast of characters with their own unique problems, you’ll always be wanting more as they work to find a solution to prevent themselves from being forgotten. I can definitely see this one becoming a classic for many in the future, as it already is for me. The almost raw feel of this anime really touched me and succeeded in keeping my interest in the story. With all the strong points of this anime, it’s no surprise that it should get a score of 9.2/10. Writing this review in particular was very fun because of the things I remembered while watching, I’ll always enjoy the little moments in this anime that made me crack up. Thank you all who’ve read this far and I’ll see y’all in the next one!

~~~Streaming Platform: Crunchyroll~~~

Bunny Girl Senpai Fun Fact:
- The singer for the ED changes with each character arc! Next time, be sure to give a listen to the different singers of each character as you progress through the anime, it’s such a beautiful ED! My two personal favorites are when either Mai or Kaede are singing, it sounds so amazing!

A supernatural/slice of life that deserves a lot more attention because of its heartfelt storytelling

One night, I took it on myself to do something I'd been putting off for a while due to exams and homework and just a general sense of apathy, which was to watch an anime series. The series I picked was one that many may know already from memes or screenshots or just from general reputation, but it was a choice that I felt would not let me down in my search for entertainment. It more than succeeded in that respect, though it left a much deeper impression on me that I would have expected.

_Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai_ has the usual hyper-long light novel title to go with its seemingly lighthearted and quirky themes, yet the execution of its story, a surprisingly evocative tale about a seemingly arbitrary supernatural occurrence that threatens to pull the fabric of its characters' lives apart, is played to near-perfection in the anime. It's a splendid watch, and I highly recommend it to anyone who might have doubts about whether it will prove to be more than advertised.

_(Each major aspect of the anime is given a rating in brackets, followed by an explanation of that rating.)_

__Premise (4/5):__ The manner in which each character is developed in their respective arcs is always consistent with the way the arcs themselves play out - there is no forcing of drama or inexplicable coincidences to drive the story forward. Viewers are always eased into establishing an emotional connection with each character, which makes those moments when those characters suffer from ailments or circumstances that they can ostensibly do little about all the more heart-wrenching. It is hence exceedingly easy to cheer for them as they find it in themselves to address any faults or traumas that they may previously not have noticed, issues that are brought to light thanks to their unwavering faith in their friends and their willingness to air their dirty laundry to the people who can truly help them. It is a simple concept, one that has been rehashed and remade thousands of times before, and yet here it feels fresh, not least in part because of the...

__Characters (5/5):__ The main character is about as refreshing a protagonist as you could get from an anime about high-school students. Considering the weak and generic main characters that populate the current sphere of high-school anime, there is little better than one who isn't afraid to speak their mind, who is genuinely witty, interesting, and above all, relatable. In fact, many of the characters seem to share these traits, though they all have their own unique twists on what it means to be honest and straightforward - some are shy or reticent but eventually find it in themselves to be more courageous, while others can only say what first comes to their heads, and end up having to either change the way they think, or risk the destruction of their relationships. The interchange of dialogue between the characters, always in context of the social and mental distances that separate them, means that there are essentially no cringe-worthy moments (save for that one bit where the main character yells at the entire school during an exam, but that's entirely understandable since it is a more than necessary part of the conclusion for that particular arc's climax).

__Audiovisuals (4/5):__ Not much can be said about the look and sound of the anime itself that can't be said about just any other anime of its ilk. The characters are cute and well-animated, with the occasional long-distance mini-figurine drawing here or there, but nothing really out of place. The background art is beautiful, but it's still essentially of the standard expected from a lot of anime nowadays. The music is barely noticeable, which, in an anime that contains little to no action, is actually commendable, since in a relatively peaceful series like this, the music should be nothing but a backdrop, a device with which to establish mood, and nothing more. If the music were at all inappropriate, it would have been jarring and entirely unpleasant even if the mistake were small, but that never happened, and so the story was allowed to run its course as smoothly as possible. The one part of the music that stuck in my mind was the opening theme, an upbeat, cheerful rock piece that has fast become one of my favorite anisong tunes.

__Execution (5/5):__ A combination of excellent story-telling and a more than sufficient audiovisual container with which to hold it meant that the series never felt stale at any point, and always had something new for viewers to mull over, especially regarding things such as how the problems that were occurring could end up being solved. The show's regular willingness to interject with bouts of casual effervescence and snippets of daily life that tied in and around the more somber overarching story-lines meant that there was always something to hold on to, something grounded that both developed the characters' bonds with each other and increased my personal goodwill towards them. Everything had an inherent purpose, and served those purposes well. Maybe it isn't quite the perfect anime - no series ever is - but it subverted my initial expectations of it in simultaneously the most pleasant and most bittersweet ways possible. That, in itself, makes it a show to savor.

A heartfelt adaptation that more than does its stellar story justice.

# __~~~MiNiSoTaN's Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai Review~~~__

~~~img220(https://i.imgur.com/fOwznD0.jpg)~~~

~~~__Introduction:__~~~ Hello. My name is Neill or "MiNi." This will be my in depth review of Rascal does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai, the hit adaption of  Hajime Kamoshida's light novel series. With all my reviews I will score the anime discussed based upon 5 categories that include: Story, Characters, Art, Music, and Personal Enjoyment. Each category will be given a score between 0 and 10. The ending score will be what I determine the show deserves overall. Keep in mind I will be talking about spoilers that occurred during the anime. Now, without further ado, let's get into this.

~~~__Story (8/10):__~~~
~~~img220(https://i.imgur.com/DeT18cY.jpg)~~~
The story of Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai is one of supernatural elements, something you wouldn't normally expect to find in your typical slice of life anime. The plot exposes Sakuta Azusagawa to the phenomenon known as "puberty syndrome". A ailment which mysteriously plagues him and other people around him including one Mai Sakurajima. Through their relationship the two become a couple and help resolve the puberty syndrome of others in their lives.

The story of Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai isn't one to watch if you can't keep up with complex story lines and overlapping elements. It can be very confusing at times, but this isn't necessarily a weakness of it. Because no dub is available you have to read the subtitles on screen to make out what is happening and this can be difficult for some to keep up with what it going on. I had to rewind and rewatch a few parts just to make sense of them. The main issue that I see with Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai is it's portrayal of common anime tropes. RebelPanda I think said it best in his [review ](https://myanimelist.net/anime/37450/Seishun_Buta_Yarou_wa_Bunny_Girl_Senpai_no_Yume_wo_Minai?q=rascal)stating: 

"_Bunny Girl Senpai is full of the same issues commonly criticized in most light novel adaptations, so why does it get a free pass? Harem tropes, waifu bait, incest teasing, thin characterization, vague pseudoscience, and an asshole deadpan protagonist who solves a bunch of girls’ problems for them._"

Although I do believe that Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai does a better job at combating some of these dry takes on modern anime, it still includes them which can be a turn off to some people.

I think what Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai does best is using the outline of a traditional high school slice of life anime but enforces it with its own creative selling point.

Instead of having the entire anime focus on the boy getting the girl, the boy and girl are already together halfway through the anime. The rest of the story is focusing on their own personal issues along with the supernatural phenomenon happening around them.

Instead of having each episode have a certain them (ie fireworks episode, camping episode, music episode etc...). The anime focuses on different people per episode, similar to Clannad. This way we get to learn more about each character through their actions and dialogue rather than how they work thorough the theme of that particular episode.

These are just two small details throughout the anime which I noticed it derails from the traditional slice of life. I found it extremely enjoyable and a breath of fresh air to focus on other things rather than the cliche "boy to scared to confess to girl" trope. This is one of the main selling points of the anime and something I greatly enjoyed.

~~~__Characters (8/10):__~~~
~~~img220(https://i.imgur.com/qKU0oPq.jpg)~~~

__Sakuta Azusagawa:__ Sakuta is the focal point of the anime. Every intertwined story somehow revolves around him. Whether it deals with him, his friends, or friends of his friends, the story of Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai is the story about Sakuta. Others play a role in shaping his view and how to resolve issues, but he is the center of every issue. That being said he is written well. As I expressed before he does express some typical behavior of other gloomy, self centered protagonists, but I think it works out in his favor more than any other character. His quips and fast comebacks are always enjoyable to watch. How he interacts with other characters is all the same, he never puts on a mask to talk to someone, he is always himself and that is something I respect about how he is portrayed.

__Mai Sakurajima__ The titular bunny girl. A little ironic for mow much emphasis the title puts on the words "bunny girl" Mai is in the outfit for probably less than 5 minutes of the 13 episode long season. But I digress. Mai is also a very well written character, probably more so than Sakuta. She exhibits the same assholish personality when dealing with people she doesn't care about, but when opening up to people like Sakuta she can express real and raw emotion which is probably my favorite part of this entire show. Watching Mai and Sakuta interact and talk back and forth is extremely entertaining and I wish we got to see more of it. They are so comfortable with each other it leaves any person without their own significant other slowly cry while they watch along. Although I believe Sakuta is more of a complex character, I believe Mai is better written.

Because the rest of the cast are considered minor characters I'll wrap them all up in this paragraph because they all just about fit in to what I'm going to say. Now after looking back and watching a lot more slice of life anime I appreciate how flourished the characters are in Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai. These are probably the most relatable characters you'll find in anime. I know that phrase gets thrown around a lot and has basically lost its meaning, but what I'm trying to say is that they actually act human. They don't do non-ordinary things just for the sake of the plot. Nothing happens for convince, it is all done through normally which is rare to see in a slice of life anime. Everything plays out how you'd expect it to in your head which you may think would be predictable, but this is where they pull out their ace in the hole. The supernatural element is where they throw a wrench into things and make everything whack. Although admittedly some of the characters follow their typical anime tropes, I find them much more enjoyable than other shows.

~~~__Art (7/10):__~~~
~~~img220(https://i.imgur.com/PZIbAyG.jpg)~~~

The art of Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai isn't anything to write home about, it works. I feel like with today's technology and talent it's very hard to have a lot of valid criticisms of the look of modern anime. Yes, some shows may use too much CGI or cut corners, but I don't feel that's the case with Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai. The attention to detail is there and there are some frankly beautiful shots. One of the things I noticed most about each character was their eyes. Normally you see anime characters with very large eyes with a lot of detail on the inside in the iris. That isn't necessarily the case here. In fact the eyes are basically a copy and paste for each character with only the color changed. It think this is meant to symbolize how they are all connected by the puberty syndrome. The intro and title sequence also have some cool and good looking parts within them as well. Again the art and animation is fine, but nothing groundbreaking.

~~~__Music (9/10):__~~~
~~~img220(https://i.imgur.com/XGlc4Ip.jpg)~~~

This is the one area that surprised me most about the show. The music and sound design works extremely well for this anime. Fukashigi no Carte is an _instant_ classic. The way the song changes singer based on the current arc is a small detail but I adored. If you haven't listened to the song in full please take the time to do so. You can find it [here. ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1PCl5D-IpU) It has such a beautiful and catchy jazz melody with mixed in strings. It fully erupts into an electric and hormonizing chorus. One of my favorite songs not only from it's singing but also its design. 

Kimi no Sei, the opener is also another great song. Although not as powerful in my eyes as the one proceeding it, it has poppy and rhythmic elements which will leave it stuck in your head for days.

The intertwined sound design for each episode is perfect as well. The music complements the atmosphere very well and I was very pleased after rewatching it and noticing how much it added to the feel and the dialogue. Although strange to some, the Music of Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai might be one of its most redeeming qualities.

~~~__Personal Enjoyment (8/10):__~~~
~~~img220(https://i.imgur.com/0BUGA92.jpg)~~~

I found myself really enjoying the show. Although it's been almost a year since I watched it I rewatched it before writing this review and honestly I appreciate it now more than I did before. You pickup small details after each watch and I'm glad I got to experience it again. I know I'm a year late on my review of the anime, but even after reading all the praise it got I wanted to make my review as personal as possible. Although I don't believe its perfect and I have my gripes with it, I believe it objectively tells a story and was a breath of fresh air in the slice of life genre. Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai shows the world how original stories can still be told in a fun interesting and emotional way.

~~~ __Final Thoughts and Score:__~~~Thank you all for reading. Make sure to follow my page for updates for future anime reviews!

__Favorite Episodes__
Ep 1. _My Senpai is a Bunny Girl_
Ep 2. _On First Dates, Trouble Is Essential_
Ep 3. _The World Without You_
Ep 6. _This World You Chose_
Ep 10. _Complex Congratulations_
Ep 13. _The Dawn After an Endless Night_

__Official Scores__
Story: (8/10)
Characters: (8/10)
Art: (7/10)
Music: (9/10)
Personal Enjoyment: (8/10)

# __~~~FINAL SCORE: (8/10) GREAT~~~__

@MiNiSoTaN

~~~Did you really read the review, or are you just looking at the score?~~~

Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai is a breath of fresh air in the slice of life genre

So...Bunny Girl. Big hit of the Fall 2018 season. You know this show. 

The first thing I'd like to get out of the way is the issues it attempts to tackle. Many fans of the show claim that its good because its "about social anxiety" and "tackles the hardships of adolescence". Well if you had similar problems and Bunny Girl helped you tackle those issues, I can't really stand to invalidate your feelings towards this show.  I've been through that and I believe you're justified in forming an attachment to anything that helps. So to make this as clear as possible, I'm not here to invalidate those feelings. I'm here to tell you why the rest of the show is bad.

Bunny Girl's topics may come from a place of emotional earnestness, but its premise and plot structure were not born of intentions quite so pure. Let's just go through the various pieces of Bunny Girl's story and plot choices and see if you catch my drift:

~~~__The Characters__~~~

Our protagonist is Sakuta Azusagawa, a teenage male who has few friends and is initially portrayed as being rather anti-social.

He has a sister named Kaede, and their initial interactions reveal an oddly flirtatious dynamic, with certain scenes giving off a blatantly sexual vibe.

He has a girlfriend named Mai Sakurajima, who Sakuta sticks with despite his interactions with the rest of the girls he meets becoming very romantic.

Sakuta meets several other girls around or under his age as he explores Puberty Syndrome, including Tomoe Koga, Rio Futaba, Nodoka Toyohama, and Shoko Makinohara. Each girl, along with Mai and Kaede, each have some personal issue that manifests some sort of supernatural phenomenon that's explored in small arcs of 2-3 episodes. Now, does that sound familiar?

A teenage male who has few friends and is initially portrayed as being rather anti-social.
~~~img(https://i.imgur.com/PrI9Zqu.png)~~~

Sister character whose interactions with the protagonist seem strangely flirtatious and even sexual at times.
~~~img(https://i.imgur.com/R7quFCb.jpg)~~~

A girlfriend who the protagonist sticks with despite relations with the girls he later meets becoming very romantic.
~~~img(https://i.imgur.com/OMKbcBQ.jpg)~~~

The protagonist meets several other girls around or under his age experiencing some sort of paranormal phenomenon, explored in small arcs of 2-3 episodes.
~~~img(https://i.imgur.com/GagaluY.jpg)~~~

I'm not the first person to point out that Bunny Girl takes a lot from Monogatari Series. And borrowing heavily from another series isn't necessary a terrible thing if you improve upon the series you're borrowing from. But if you are borrowing heavily from another series, you should put a spin on it or improve it. But in the case of Bunny Girl, it isn’t done nearly as well as it was in Monogatari Series. To illustrate this, let's compare and contrast the different characters arcs in both series:

~~~__Plot Comparison/Analysis__~~~
(Parts of summaries taken from wiki articles, I did not write most of the following summaries)
__(ALSO MAJOR SPOILERS FOR MONOGATARI SERIES AND BUNNY GIRL FROM HERE ON OUT)__

~~~_Girlfriend Character_~~~
MONOGATARI SERIES:
-Hitagi Senjougahara. 
Cause of phenomenon: she was inflicted by an oddity called a Heavy Stone Crab, who took away her weight in a past encounter with it. 
Result: Weightlessness.

BUNNY GIRL: 
-Mai Sakurajima. 
Cause of phenomenon: Mai being overwhelmed by show business. 
Result: Invisibility.

~~~_Sister Character_~~~
MONOGATARI SERIES:
-Karen Araragi. 
Cause of phenomenon: Karen pursues a known scammer, and is given a curse by the scammer. 
Result: Karen is inflicted with the curse of a flame-wreathe bee, which gave her a burning fever that lasted for three days.
-Tsukihi Araragi. 
Cause of phenomenon: Well...the onmyouji-shikigami team of Yozuru Kagenui and Yotsugi Ononoki overwhelm Tsukihi and completely destroys Tsukihi's upper half, causing Koyomi to lose himself in a fit of rage, although Yozuru was able to disarm him before he could hurt anyone. It was there that Yozuru reveals that Tsukihi is a "fake" sister and is an immortal oddity called the phoenix. 
Result: Tsukihi is actually not a phoenix, but a supernatural cuckoo called the "Dying Bird", who reincarnates itself as a child in the womb of a chosen mother, which in this case is Koyomi's mother.

BUNNY GIRL:
-Kaede Azusagawa. 
Cause of phenomenon: Kaede was a victim of online bullying and death threats. 
Result: Amnesia.

~~~_Supporting Characters_~~~
MONOGATARI SERIES:
-Mayoi Hachikuji. 
Cause of phenomenon: she was killed in a traffic accident while trying to reach her mother's home. Result: Since her death, she became an oddity who has haunted people that have the urge to avoid going home.
-Suruga Kanbaru. 
Cause of phenomenon: Back in elementary school, she inherited what she thought was a monkey's paw but was really a Rainy Devil's. At this time, she had been teased at for being slow in track. Because of this, Suruga decides to use the monkey's paw to grant her wish to become the fastest among her classmates. 
Result: Her tendency to be jealous of others to the point of subconsciously wanting to harm them eventually begins to fuel her killing intent as the Rainy Devil.
-Nadeko Sengoku. 
Cause of phenomenon: During middle school, she rejected the feelings of a classmate of hers, causing her to be targeted by the jagirinawa, which came in the form of a charm handed over by a mysterious person. 
Result: The curse causes an invisible snake to coil around her and manifest scars that resemble snake scales.
-Tsubasa Hanekawa. 
Cause of phenomenon: She was bewitched by an oddity on the first day of Golden Week, giving birth to her "alternate self" called Black Hanekawa. 
Result: For some time she was responsible for a series of attacks on various people in town.

BUNNY GIRL:
-Tomoe Koga. 
Cause of phenomenon: On June 27, Tomoe found herself being asked out by Maezawa, but felt too uneasy to give him a definite reply. 
Result: Stemming from her desire to fit in, Tomoe was capable of evoking a simulated future in which she could rewind and restart the current day.
-Rio Futaba. 
Cause of phenomenon: insecurity over her body. 
Result: Rio had split into two versions of herself on July 30; one who craved attention and one who hated the fact that her body was used to obtain that attention.
-Nodoka Toyohama. 
Cause of phenomenon: her inferiority complex towards her sister, which had lasted since her mother began comparing her success to Mai's. 
Result: On the morning of September 1, Nodoka and Mai switched bodies.

So lets do a tally of each show's choice of plot device:

Monogatari Series: Weightlessness, Curse, Being born a phoenix, A ghost child haunting people, Monkey's Paw killing spree, Snake curse, Werewolf catgirl.

Bunny Girl: Turning invisible, amnesia, time loop, body splitting, body swapping.

Basically, Monogatari's choices are much more interesting. The "ghost child" thing is a bit overdone, but Monogatari deflects the cliche way of playing this by never trying to make Hachikuji a resentful or hostile spirit. She is not a tragic antagonistic ghost. She's a confused lost ghost child. And yes, even the confused lost ghost thing is overdone. Ever seen the Sixth Sense? But Monogatari plays it well and Hachikuji has great chemistry with Araragi. Maybe a little _too_ good. The rest of the arcs are mostly just some sort of curse being afflicted; but again Monogatari Series plays them well enough to feel natural alongside each other by utilizing a theme (curses and the paranormal), as well as feel different from what came before it.

As for Bunny Girl...all of those tropes are really overdone and stale. Mai turning invisible is only interesting the first time you see her in a bunny girl costume in a public library walking around. Once you know what's happening, its "oh, she's invisible. okay." Time loops are overdone. Seen Groundhog Day? Edge of Tomorrow? Maybe the Bites the Dust part of Diamond is Unbreakable? Amnesia at the plot's convenience is so overdone I won't even bother getting into it. Body swapping is also overdone. Freaky Friday does it better.

The ideas in Bunny Girl just aren’t nearly as compelling and the phenomenon feel like they're picked at random from a hat filled with overused tropes. But that isn’t the main problem here. Obviously using tropes here and there is fine as long as you, like I said before, put a new spin on it or improve upon what something else has done. But the one thing you can’t do is horde overdone tropes together into one series like a squirrel storing acorns for the winter.

It reminds me of those creative writing exercises they have you do in high school where the teacher asks you to decipher a normal sentence that’s been turned into nothing but overused idioms. Its honestly rather difficult to even determine what the original sentences are, as using so many idioms dilutes the message. The idea is that the more you use idioms, the more your initial meaning is lost. Which is kinda what happens to Bunny Girl. Whatever messages it wanted to convey are lost in the hackiness and unoriginality of its plot devices and execution.

~~~__Visuals/Sound__~~~

As for the visuals and music, this was an area where Monogatari Series needed to shine and does. A show with a very dense script that relies heavily on dialogue needs to be packed with fun lines, good music, and great visuals. And Monogatari series has those in spades.

~~~youtube(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13PoxPS3a_c)~~~
~~~youtube(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wl3JS3y6_M)~~~
~~~img(https://i.imgur.com/G1y8bJZ.jpg)~~~
~~~img(https://i.imgur.com/0d2uquh.jpg)~~~
~~~img(https://i.imgur.com/m9l7gA0.jpg)~~~
~~~img(https://i.imgur.com/Mz5U6YE.png)~~~
As for Bunny Girl…well…
~~~img(https://i.imgur.com/6DYsQBv.png)~~~
~~~img(https://i.imgur.com/04WNQOC.png)~~~
~~~img(https://i.imgur.com/qLInVPB.jpg)~~~
~~~img(https://i.imgur.com/dWK1Cq1.png)~~~

Monogatari Series is a joy to look at and watch. It has gorgeous shot composition, lovely coloring, great framing, and  excellent music, which is important because at times the conversations drag. In Bunny Girl the visuals are very weak and uninteresting, and as a result when conversations drag…the entire show feels like a drag.

Overall Bunny Girl’s anime adaptation is kind of a chore. It has something to say but getting to that message is a boring slog. And again, I would like to emphasize that I am not attacking the message it has or the attachment people have to it. That attachment is valid. I am attacking this adaptation for being boring, and the writer’s overuse of tired plot devices that wash out the message they’re attempting to convey.

Overall rating: 3/10

Just read the light novel or watch Monogatari Series instead.


The series may resonate with some and those feelings are valid, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's good.

Bunny Girl Senpai is clearly derivative of the hundreds of preceding high school rom-coms that came before it. In fact, it's structure is so similar to the Monogatari series, it's pretty hard to talk about Bunny Girl Senpai without referencing Monogatari somewhere. Both anime build a pseudo harem through supernatural problems each of the girls are having. The main character dates the first one he finds, but still goes through the motions for the others. While monogatari leans heavily into ecchi and supernatural elements, bunny girl senpai uses it's supernatural elements to frame it's melodrama, which it focuses most of it's time.

The actual story is tolerable. Nothing revolutionary in the story department but thankfully it moves pretty quick. I'm not sure what adolescence syndrome is supposed to be. Perhaps an over-dramatization of puberty? It's funny how the anime tries pretty hard to relate the syndromes to some philosophic theory but drops that shtick after 2 arcs. The core theme of bunny girl senpai is that high school is hard. More specifically dealing with people in high school (or by extension anywhere in life) is hard. They can bully you, isolate you, or just flat out ignore you. It feels terrible, but having someone there for you will make it sting a heck of a lot less. This really is a sweet idea, and I definitely agree! My biggest problem is the way it's presented. It's so derivative of shows that simply do this better. Characters crying it out for 10 minutes, then they're good, is a lazy and unrealistic resolution. If you check my list, you'll see how much I hate this. If this sounds like it's up your alley, I'm sure you'll love this a lot more than me.

The real meat of this show is in the girls, and the main character's quips. These girls are CUTE. Character design, while not as memorable as the giants of high school anime, like Monogatari or Haruhi, was very well done. If you are looking for some cute girls to gawk over, this holds up very well. The main character is hilarious. He will tell girls straight to their face "I'm only doing this because your hot", or ask to get sandwiched between their legs (like we're all thinking). He is an exceptional audience surrogate. The lighthearted elements of this anime are a great break from the overly emotional melodrama it loves to dive into.

The author side steps the harem elements brilliantly. His editors get to sell figures of the other girls while keeping their relationships as platonic as possible. MC always goes back to the first girl. The back and forth between Sakuta (I had to look that up) and Mai is great. They work as a team to solve most of the problems other girls are having, and Mai actually acts like a normal person when we delve into harem bs.

Overall, pretty sub-par story. But a hilarious rom-com when it it's not taking itself too seriously.

Some anime attempt to subvert expectations through some outwardly shallow or wacky title that's intended to catch an unsuspecting viewer by surprise. Bunny Girl Senpai certainly does that, and much, much, more.

Bunny Girl Senpai is about mental illness. Dancing around with the metaphorical _Adolescence Syndrome_, it charts a path through the heart of teen angst and leaves nothing but warmth in its wake.

A phrase often touted about certain anime is that "it portrays mental illness _realistically_." Then you watch it and the male protagonist cries (God forbid) and gets a little depressed then approximately 60 seconds later he's back to his old self and never has any emotional issues ever again because he's _stronger_ now. There's no nuance, they use trauma like a blunt force object to get a reaction and leave it in the dust as soon as it's used up.

Bunny Girl Senpai does anything but.

In 13 episodes it runs the gamut between wholesome, depressing, terrifying, bittersweet, and just about everything between. The characters aren't mere 2D typecasts with nothing more to them than the description of the word "tsundere." They exemplify many of the situations and feelings that we've all gone through in our lives, and the show remains relentlessly positive, even when the main character himself is struck by despair. It doesn't glorify suicidal ideation or how _awful_ everything is like some other "realistic" anime, it also doesn't gloss over reality and how sometimes it sucks.

All the little things are done right, here. The dialogue is consistently witty, with good delivery. Even things that seem like they'd become annoying after a while, like constant jokes about the protagonist's masochism, never do, because they're used appropriately and in a way that's natural. The animation takes a backseat in such a down-to-earth setting, but that doesn't mean it's bad or an afterthought, far from it. All of the characters are very nice looking and never once did I once anything off putting or unintentionally hilarious. I also very much enjoyed the intro and outro songs.

If you're in need of an anime that makes you feel _good_ about enjoying anime, in need of a sweet, innocent, romance, or just want to know that something more subtle can be created in the medium, Bunny Girl Senpai is your anime.


A surprisingly wholesome look at mental illness through the lens of a boy who can't help but help.

Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai, quite a mouthful isn't it? I'll just refer to it as Rascal. In short, this series was very good. I can't see many places where it faults, and I can happily say I thoroughly enjoyed my experience watching this series.

After finishing the series, not the movie (watching as soon as I'm finished this review) Rascal very much reminded me of Kokoro Connect. Both have very similar concepts, the ideas of various phenomena happening at any given time. However, I think Rascal does a far better rendition of this. While I haven't read the Kokoro Connect or Rascal manga's, Rascal tends to explain the reasonings and science behind everything that's going on, whereas in the anime series of Kokoro Connect, it just sort of happens with no explanation. The story in Rascal was also much more enjoyable than that of Kokoro Connect, and the relationships felt more real. Sakuta is one of my new favourite slice-of-life protagonists, I loved his straightforward attitude and sense of humor, holding back no shame. It's a different pace in terms of protagonists, and I liked it.

The story didn't bring me to tears, however it did have it's moments that had me holding back a bit. The romance wasn't too much, but I think it was a good level for this anime. The characters were all fairly memorable, except I found Kunimi's character to be quite bland, although that may have to do with the lack of much screen-time. The animation was very good, you could say I was impressed, although we didn't get to see Mai in that bunny outfit NEARLY as much as I initially thought we would before I started the series. Given the series' name, you would think so, but it's not anything new for Manga/LN/Animes to have long and strange names, huh?

I can't really say much bad about this series, which kind of makes it difficult to write a review. I guess if I had to nitpick anything, I'd say maybe dumb down the explanations for all of the phenomena, as I had a hard time understand why everything was happening from the lengthy and confusing explanations Futaba gave. Although, I think that was the whole point. It's phenomena after all, it just can't be explained away that easily. Yeah, I can't give any solid criticism for this series, it's very good. 

Would I recommend this to anybody? Absolutely. Go watch this series, then the movie! Speaking of the movie, I got to get to it! 

__Surprisingly good anime with an impactful story and great animation. Romance, comedy, drama and supernatural themes are perfectly balanced and complete each other, making it enjoyable, entertaining and also deep.__

For those who are planning to watch this anime, you need to know that this anime is composed of several individual stories that experience a supernatural phenomenon known as “Puberty Syndrome”. The MC acts as the main subject that connects all the stories together. 

The first story is about Mai Sakurajima that was having her “Puberty Syndrome” and starting to disappear from everyone else except from the memories of students from their school and the MC (Sakuta Azusagawa). This is the story that set the tone to the rest of the series and become the cornerstone to this anime.

This story helps to establish the relationship between MC and Heroine and the general theme of this anime. The first story is well-crafted. Romance and dere elements between these two is really entertaining. You could say that this story manages to set the tone for this anime and helps to amplify the tones for the following stories.

The relationship between the MC and Heroine does become one of the crucial factors that help this anime to become more entertaining as we explore the puberty syndrome experience by characters in the anime.

Even without action and grand supernatural power involved, the MC still gives the vibe of Hero and saves those who are in need, especially the main characters in each story. 

The personalities of Mai Sakurajima between her dere, jealousy, romance and clingy as a girlfriend is so good that contribute to most of the entertaining scenes in the anime. Even though Mai Sakurajima has not as much expected screen time for the heroine, her appearance and the scene that she is involved in is well crafted and can be said among the best scenes in the anime.

Other characters are also well-defined and serve its purpose and not just a side character to help improve the story in the anime. In short, each character has its purpose in the development of the anime from one story to another.

This is one of the anime that I don’t mind re-watching for a few times in the future. It’s quite heavy but entertaining and enjoyable. I would highly recommend this anime to those who are looking for a good romance in high school with balanced comedy and supernatural themes.


Great anime with a good balance of romance, comedy and drama with impactful stories.

I finished this season in an afternoon; obviously it's great. What I love about anime is its shameless desire to "cut to the point": each arc (of a few episodes each) deals with one of the characters' internal struggles with trying to be themselves. How do we learn about this emotional turmoil? Not through subtle changes in mood or dialogue, since that would take far too long. No, the emotions literally _distort reality_ in the obvious metaphorical way, with the protagonist being the only one who can fix it. A girl is struggling going unnoticed in school? She literally disappears from people's views. It's a perfect way of getting inside characters' emotions, I love it. It helps that the characters are well-written, the issues are subtle, interesting, and treated delicately, and the girls are cute as hell. Obviously I recommend it, and below I'm just going to talk about some of the things about this anime that I find cool.

First, despite the contrivances that I mentioned in my introduction, the characters and plot development stay surprisingly believable. I've been watching American sitcoms lately, and there it's common for an emotional thread to resolve in the universe's equivalent of a couple days, and the sitcom equivalent of an episode. This show gives the conflict so much more time to breathe, which I think gives it a totally unique pacing and atmosphere. Perhaps with the exception of the first arc, whose pacing is similar to that of a movie (e.g. A Silent Voice), this show takes significant time to live with the problem before working towards fixing it. For example, in Koga's arc, none of the characters do that much, and the character exploration that comes with spending time with Koga is only tied back into her Puberty Syndrome (what the show calls the world distortion) fairly late, in just the final episode. Sakuta (the protagonist) simply goes along with Koga and doesn't question her more unhealthy behaviors, even as she leads them into a silly web of lies. This allows us to take a couple of episodes to experience the world as she sees it, without judgment, before she takes the step to grow and acknowledge her issues, fixing the Puberty Syndrome.

As I alluded to above, the relaxed pace is primarily because of how passive our protagonist acts. Whenever Sakuta recognizes a case of Puberty Syndrome, he doesn't immediately move to fixing it: he'll just feel things out and try to understand the girl afflicted until she's ready to deal with it (with his support). When Futaba splits into two people, he doesn't do much more than just talk to each of them and hear them out on how they're feeling, and this goes on for weeks. I really like that narrative choice, to have the protagonist not cast judgment on other characters, and just act as a supportive friend. This choice recasts the aspects of growing up that Puberty Syndrome encapsulates as experiences to empathize with and not problems to be solved. I think the anime feels surprisingly kind and considerate as a result, in a way no one-episode plotline could convey. I also think the way these plots resolve and characters progress feels very real, despite all contrivances. When you have a problem with yourself, whether from anxiety, self-hatred, jealousy, ennui, or whatever, you don't fix it in a couple days with a life-changing experience. You live with the feeling for a while, and then with the right support you see and acknowledge why you feel the way you do. The girls here fix Puberty Syndrome in the same way. It's earnest and true-to-life.

By the way, I should mention that the "canon" explanation for Puberty Syndrome (often some odd interpretation of quantum physics) is by far the weakest part of this anime. I'm okay with suspending my disbelief and being okay with this "magical-realism" type premise that when teenage girls get stressed weird stuff happens to reality: the explanations that use physics are unneeded and serve no purpose. (The explanations of "hey, she's probably under some mental stress" are fine, of course.)

Besides that, this anime shines in its minor details. Sakuta and Mai's dialogue is top-notch in both its serious and comedic moments, and their feelings are more often conveyed by what they don't say, instead of what they do say. It's nice how their relationship is maintained throughout other arcs, and how the events affect how they feel about each other (like how Mai gets a bit jealous of Koga over time). It's probably the strongest facet of this anime. The tragedy of Kaede's predicament slowly builds before hitting all at once, giving serious depth to her behavior in previous episodes. (To be honest I kinda wish this arc was earlier so Sakuta's personality could be fleshed out earlier? I find him a bit bland relative to the girls, since he has to keep his own emotions on a tight leash to help the others.) And did I mention how cute the girls are? Mai's bunny suit isn't even her cutest outfit, honestly. Good stuff.

Reviewer Does Not Care That Senpai Isn't Really A Bunny Girl (And Watches For The Literal Plot (Senpai Is Cute Though))

Instead of the schlock I expected, the story had one of the best sets of characters in 2018. I’m a bit saddened that the publisher didn’t think the story could’ve succeeded without such a fan-service focused title. But I’m pleased that the whole bunny girl thing didn’t end up demeaning Mai’s character. In fact, the few scenes that uses it emphasizes her desperation and Sakuta’s character.

Sakuta is a great character. All too often shonen anime features dense, impulsive characters as I’ve bemoaned for years. Sakuta, finally, offers an emotionally astute and thoughtful alternative. Sakuta doesn’t hesitate to do what is necessary to help people, all the while disparaging himself. He confidently pursues a relationship with Mai. When dealing with the problems of the supporting cast, he plans and executes those plans instead of just impulsively muddling. His level of confidence and his set of priorities label him as a rascal–a norm breaker. But this label isn’t deserved. He doesn’t really act as a rascal, playing pranks and being otherwise disruptive. Rather, he acts as a reasonable, confident guy who has his own issues he wants to keep hidden. Yet he also doesn’t hesitate to act according to the rascal expectations when it benefits someone else.

Sakuta doesn’t steal glances at underwear or do other demeaning things. He makes lewd comments to Mai, but again, never in a way that demeans her. Rather, he uses the comments to express how much he cares for her and finds her sexy. Often he makes the comments whenever Mai is feeling self-conscience. In short, he seeks to build her up instead of reducing her to an object. He wants to make her laugh or give her a chance to lash out with her frustration and anger. Granted, he remains a teen guy and makes mistakes. His bluntness and calculated disregard for what others think of him shows his strength and his weakness. He uses the facade to hide his troubles with his sister and his own emotional problems.

For her part, Mai balances her strength with her desire to connect to someone. She has a similar personality to Sakuta, only she doesn’t buck society as he does. She too is confident and capable. Although as the story progresses, she begins to prioritize her relationship with Sakuta over the social demands on her; she stops hiding their relationship. Mai’s guarded attitude attracted Sakuta in the first place. Well, her bunny girl outfit helped too.

The story opens with Mai taking the role of the “drop-in girl” and turns the old call to adventure, as Joseph Campbell calls it, around. It’s common for a strange girl to appear (literally falling from the sky in many stories) and change the protagonist’s world. Mai does this with her Playboy bunny outfit. However, this call to adventure reverses. Mai is called to adventure by Sakuta. While his life also changes, Mai’s encounter with him starts an adventure that leaves her changed. At the same time, Sakuta gains a pillar of emotional strength and a safe place for his emotional life in her. The encounter repeats with several other characters. These mini adventures progress Mai and Sakuta’s relationship while exploring various other issues people face.

Behind all of this is the plot device called Puberty Syndrome. While the idea is a bit goofy (and explained through quantum physics), it serves well for what it needs to do. It gives the characters a chance to explore the difficulties and insecurities they’ve suppressed. The Syndrome’s lack of realism contrasts against the too-real emotional issues the characters face. It also provides some levity. The Syndrome allows the story to avoid using people as plot devices outside of Mai’s initial appearance. You don’t see a character appear merely to push the story forward. Each character has their own story that weaves into Sakuta’s life in some way. He gains friends. The characters feel rounded, human, because they don’t serve the ends of some overarching plot.

My apologies for remaining vague, by the way. I’m trying to avoid spoilers. Rather, Sakuta helps these characters solve their issues. It’s not like swoops in and saves the day. He assists the characters and provides support for their difficult decisions. He doesn’t solve the problems for them. He can’t. At the same time, he learns a little more about himself with each arc. However, Mai remains his focus and his lifeline in his own concerns.

This anime is super good and had me captivated the entire time. It has a bakemonogatari vibe if your into that anime. 

Bunny Girl Senpai - 97/100

when i look at bunny girl senpai as the first anime ive ever watched on a complete whim cuz tomoe and mai were hot enough to say fuck it ima do some weeb shit the show will always have a lot of personal bias. Originally i was offput by the name of the show it makes it sound... weird but really the show has nothing to do with a bunny girl although it is a fun gimmick, i actually kinda love how the show decieves you before youve actually watched it, really a pleasant surprise.

 

one of the strongest parts on bunny girl sepai are the characters and their interactions the voice acting the animation and the writing in the show is just breathtaking even as my first anime id ever watched i could tell how much i enjoyed the art style of BGS i think one of the strongest parts of the character design is the hair, when i look at the cast of charactres they all have very interesting shades and colorings in their hair sakuta he has really light and dark shades but overall his brown hair is still pretty distingushing from alot of the other characters ive seen in anime. characters like tomoe do a great job of showing a very light brown/dirty blonde color that reminds me of serena from pokemon x & y. Mai's hair is almost certainly my favorite in the show, she has black hair but i would almost describe the color as a dark gray with shades of purple/violet quietly added in.

img220(https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/aobuta/images/f/fb/SBY_Episode_6_Screenshot_1.png/revision/latest?cb=20181113020141)

continuing on with the characters, every single character in the show to some degree is extremely interesting and hard not to get attached too after their own arc
the only character i can even feasibly seeing someone say they dont care for too much is nodoka as alot of her arc is focused on mai but she still shines alot and i still like her. the character interaction is fantastic in BGS sakuta rolls off of all the other characters perfectly and really holds down the fort for a MC who never really gets a full arc to himself but is rather the 2nd character in all of them, hes extremely likable one of best written characters ive seen in anime thus far. I think what is really impressive in that regard is how realistically and yet funny his comedy is througout the show the occansioal dirty joke the occasional missed joke. 

the show goes in a order of arcs where the first three episodes are about Mai's adolencense syndrome and then moving on to Tomoe for the next three Futaba has 2 episodes 2 for nodoka and 3 for kaede for the total 13 epsidoes sakuta is almost always the 2nd most relavent character at any given point and arguably only the focus of an episode in the last 2 and even then thats pushing it

img220(https://animamo.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/maxresdefault-6-840x560.jpg)

quick summary and thoughts for each arc

the mai arc 1-3 

mai sakurajima had by far my favorite arc in the show and is such a powerful opener for the show when i watched it the very first time i was upset that they put one of the most important characters arc so early in the show but after thinking and reviewing it it was perfect for them to do it that was and actually ends up maximizing her screen time which is a win-win for everyone its hard to smoothly implement a chracter who is a celebrety into basic ass sakutas life but because of her adolencense syndrome it works in seemlessly their romance doesnt feel forced at all and everything makes enough sense even for someone as overly critical and analytical as me. this arc had the most personal meaning behind it more me and is what really really hooked me on the show and i dont know if without it i would be still watching anime today. in this arc in particular i could relate an absolute ass ton with sakuta and ugh its just so good bro.

tomoe arc 4-6

the tomoe arc is a big step down from the mai arc in terms of intensity and severity but plot wise is still really powerful tomoe is one of the main reasons i watched the show but honestly by the end she was one of my least favorite characters STILL LOVED HER THO ITS TOMOE TUESDAY RN AS IM WRITING THIS DONT GET IT MIXED BITCH but yeah her arc is powerful in its own way and one of the most universally relatable plots and the show i think for the average viewer i believe right at the end of episode 6 is when shoko gets introduced as well who ends up as a very important character

 

futaba arc 7-8 

this is easily my personal least favorite arc in the show it feels like mai takes a real back seat and futaba was just never that interesting of a chracter for me personally and shes not even that hot tbh worst girl tbh shoko gets a stronger presence and explanation in here too

 

nodoka arc 9-10

this arc was overall very strong but the first time i watched it i specifically remember getting upset because i wanted actual mai back and felt like the body swap shit lasted a little too long BUT by the end of ep 10 it had such a strong conclusion that it made up for every single moment also the beach scene started out really fire with sakuta talking about thick thighs but nadoka's suicide attempt feels really rushed and out of nowhere and quickly resolved idk that one just didnt sit right with me YO BUT when mai is ddoing the preformance for nodoka that is one of the most fire scenes in the show WHEN SHE CATCHES THAT MFN MIC i lost my shit real time watching the show, this is a strong arc for mai, but i dont feel like nodoka gets to shine too much until the movie and we get her actual character

 

kaede arc 11-13

the kaede arc is a strong contender for the best in the show right up there with mais the show starts so strong and ends so strong like its just perfect

kaede doesnt feel like she needs an arc at first like we still didnt know alot about her backstory of cyberbullying and adolencense syndrome but the rest of the show was so good i wouldnt have needed this arc but oh my god is it so so good we get the multiple of the most emotional moments in the entire show back to back to back to back her whole journey from working her way to getting out of the house and almost going to school is so cute and the viewer is rooting for her the whole time through eps 10-11 and then in 12 we get her whole backstory and it clears so much up regarding kaede sakuta and shokos backstory and relavence to each other and then right at the end of ep 12 when kaede is almost ready to go back to school HER FUCKING MEMORIES COME BACK what an absolute stab in the balls by the show and ep 13 is a masterpiece this is the first time sakuta has cured someones adolencence syndrome but at a price it took so long that kaede became to diffrent people and one of them had to disapear eventually and overall this is the best option for her well-being but the new kaede was such a wholesome being and is who the viewer grew up with watching the show and it you just feel so betrayed that the show would fuck her up like that and THE FUCKING HOSPITAL PANDA SCENE IS SO FUCKING TOUGH and i cried ngl and then sakuta has his scene with adult shoko and its really emotionally powerful too, honestly though the show doesnt finish on a strong note it feels like theres more that has to happen to resolve the story especially regarding mai and shoko and BOOM THEN THERES A MOVIE AND IT DOES IT PERFECTLY but we just talking about the show so thats where the points come off the board unfortunatly.

img220(https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/aobuta/images/7/7f/Kaede_Azuzugawa_anime.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20181025214659) 

i want to touch on the music of the show really quick as well the OP is really cute and jaden likes it alot you can see how it alludes to the order of each arc in the show and is unskippable imo and most importantly the outro song of every episode fukashari no carte IS A FUCKING MASTERPIECE AND IF YOU DISAGREE YOURE WRONG GO WASH THE POOP OUT OF UR HAIR KID such a goddamn banger. not to mention just like actual background music in the show is done very very well.

 

the only reason im docking points to a 97 is for -1 for the futaba arc really good just not a masterpiece like the rest of the show and -2 for not as satisfying finish until the movie

 

hey i kinda feel like i didnt talk about mai and sakuta enough so ima just shoehorn this here and idrc what u think noob - mai is such an amazing character and is the top waifu of all time in my book idc if ive only seen like 10 animes its litteraly unbeatable gg women u lose. what i love about her so much is her caring but savage personality and undying loyalty and she cute as fuck duh, sakuta is like the perfect dude too you live through his personality while watching the show dude does not give a FUCK like ever but when he does he fucking does sakuta cares about shit that matters he doesnt get involved in petty small shit but dude carries everyone in the show without taking any mfn credit sakuta is just a legend bruh. the goat brother and he pulls women like sokka, hes dragged into so much shit never complains once is extemly caring but still got the dont give a fuck personality and hes hot. mai and sakutas romance is so good too i mean i be screaming at the computer screen when anything goes wrong with them like when sakuta doesnt get to ask her out in ep 4 because of tomoes bullshit time travel i feel for a man cuz that lunch scene was so cute and i know it all works out for the guy but man am i rooting for them together so hard the whole ass show they have there constant cute at home shenanigans too which are amplyfied in the movie but are still super sick you see how much shit mai puts up with too sakuta be talking to mad women she helps with kaede but ultimatley fails to be there when sakuta needs her most in ep 13 and its really tragic cuz you feel she shoulda been the one but god the movie makes up for it.

 img220(https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/aobuta/images/2/26/Mai_hugging_Sakuta.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/340?cb=20181107002254)

in conclusion this shit fire and u really gotta watch it if u havent :) WATCH THE FUCKING MOVIE TOO THAT SHIT IS JUST THE 14TH EPISODE

97/100 mai best girl of all time

Mai Sakurajima | Seishun Buta Yarou wa Bunny Girl Senpai no Yume wo Minai  Wiki | Fandom

**warning Spoilers**
"Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai"


There is something about this show that is much deeper than I or anyone else can see and that is the entire point of this show. 
The fictional universe where “Puberty Syndrome” controls the physical world through a bridge of emotions is the closest I have seen an anime get to the realism of a high school world.  The new events caused by Puberty Syndrome which I will refer to as “PS” in this review are what keeps you watching, you stay to find out what each character's unique common struggle is and how it will be solved.  For Mai Sakurajima she wants to have a private life away from acting and show business that she tries to become figuratively invisible and becomes invisible and rapidly fades from the world as nothing more than a spec of sand on the beach, this is till Sakuta Azusagawa realizes he is the only one who can still see “Mai San” and does his best to hold on to her as he is the last one keeping her from flying away from the world forever but his efforts do not last long and soon he too forgets about Mai san the famous actress but in the few days he knew who he found the one girl who he can connect with because Mai San is exactly what Sakuta is deep inside and Sakuta is exactly what Mai san is deep inside and they understand that about each other without having to say it directly.  To save someone from PS you must stop what is causing their internal struggle and Sakuta does this by confessing in front of the whole school that he “Loves'' Mai San and once again Mai san is brought back down to earth not as an invisible speck of sand but as the famous actor that everyone knew before.  It's moments in the series like the ones mentioned before that make this series so wonderful, it's knowing each character's struggle and how to help with that.  
Sakura's sister Kaede Azusagawa is a young girl who dropped out of school because of bullying and PS, out of the entire series this is the clearest example of PS because Kaede being bullied online shows up in the physical world as of deep cuts all over her body causing extreme trauma and memory loss of anything before that moment, this is hard for Kaede’s older brother Sakura as he built up a relationship with his sister and just like that she forgot everything and he gets three large open wounds across his chest as a sign of his pain.  Many months later Kaede and Sakura begin to try to heal their past struggles together and work towards a better future them both becoming more attached to each other as family Kaede even becomes brave enough to go back to school where her struggle started and Sakura is there to support her but with this change, the PS begins to disappear and with that, any events before her cuts are restored and any memories during her cuts and with her brother are lost.  Sakura is dealing with this all over again his sister that he built a relationship with disappearing from him once again this extreme loss causes Sakura's wounds to open up once again and only with the help of all his friends does he come back to reality.
So what does this all mean you may be asking, it means everyone has struggles that they are hiding and this story portrays that in a beautiful yet sad masterpiece and that is why this story is so much deeper than what is directly shown to us it's because everyone in the series has their own unique common struggle, struggles that will never be explored and resolved and while PS is a fictional syndrome in everyday life real peoples struggles affect the world around you in ways you will never notice.

-youAmuse

I hope you enjoyed my review please consider liking it helps a lot ♥

Introduction

One of the things that continues to surprise me with anime is just how much content can be packed into such a short time. Many of the most memorable moments to come out of anime are not the resolutions to hundred-episode shounen rivalries, but short, self-contained arcs that say their piece and move on.

Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai is a collection of such arcs. The series comes in easily digestible bundles of 3 episodes that can be enjoyed relatively independently of each other. There is overarching development in the relationship of the main couple, but it often takes a backseat to the current problem at hand.

What makes Bunny Girl notable is that it never wastes time. It always keeps sight of exactly what it's trying to say and delivers a solid conclusion for every character. It manages to create a level of emotional investment comparable to shows twice its length. And it makes powerful statements using the bare minimum number of actions or words.

Synopsis

The plot of Bunny Girl is completely lifted from the Monogatari series. There is a massive difference in presentation, but the similarities are too common to ignore. Protagonist Sakuta Azusagawa lives apart from his parents with his little sister Kaede. He has remarkably few friends at school, and no social life to speak of.

Each month or so in the chronology, he encounters a new female character with some identity crisis. These problems manifest themselves in the physical world as supernaturally unexplainable phenomena. The nature of these occurrences, dubbed "puberty syndrome," often correlate directly to the problem itself.

For example, those with conflicted or dissociative identities may see themselves as another person entirely. In such cases, puberty syndrome acts by creating a new person who behaves identically to the original. Bodies and minds are swapped, duplicated, and replaced until Sakuta can get to the root cause of their stress and help alleviate it.

Often, the girls would prefer to run away from their problems and abandon the life they led before to prevent the pain of confronting their innermost conflicts. For one reason or another, it's always Sakuta that becomes embroiled in such situations. Fortunately, his own past experiences with puberty syndrome and utterly stoic mindset equip him fantastically to play psychiatrist.

Strengths

I, doubtlessly alongside many others, was introduced to this series through the interesting choice of title and cover art. This has proved misleading, but is not necessarily a bad thing, as you may not be expecting the journey this series will take you on, thus increasing the impact of certain scenes when they occur.

Speaking of certain scenes, this is definitely a show that excels in highlights. Each character arc lasts a maximum of three episodes, and with so many characters to get through in such a short time, each has to make a lasting impact. Each arc ends with a memorable confrontation of the girl with her problem, and watching each agonizing to accept their regrets before puberty syndrome takes its hold is never an insipid matter.

While not primarily a romance, the relationship between Sakuta and his girlfriend Mai Sakurajima develops nicely at a consistent pace throughout the show. There is some expected teasing of the viewer, but like many other facts of Bunny Girl, its titular character does not waste time with trivialities. Her feelings towards Sakuta are obvious and reciprocated, to the point that it almost seems off that the main love interest is not a tsundere type.

The only real omnipresence throughout the show is Sakuta, and on my first viewing I never thought too much of him. After all, it feels like we get a new one of these shows every year, and I always just assumed he was quiet and uncaring like Oreki Houtarou or Hachiman Hikigaya. How wrong I was.

Upon closer inspection, Sakuta carries the series with his unflinchingly relatable morality and perfect mastery of the high school social system. After an unfortunate manifestation of puberty syndrome branded him an outcast from his peers, and being forced to care for Kaede alone at such a young age, Sakuta matured near-instantaneously.

He avoids the trap of similar protagonists who become jaded and pessimistic, separating from and ultimately forgetting what meaningful pursuits are in life. Sakuta never loses sight of his values, and his encouraging wit and quiet optimism serve to naturally inspire the afflicted girls without a heavy reliance on "protagonist powers."

Sakuta is always there when someone needs him, a stable rock in a whirling storm of emotions as his friends are dragged into self-acceptance just as he was before. He understands the importance of responsibility in life, as a brother, boyfriend, and human being. He prioritizes those around him but realizes when to put himself first, and overall serves as a truly inspiring person to look up to in all aspects of a successful life.

Weaknesses

Bunny Girl's biggest problem is its most obvious one. The girl-of-the-week formula that the show is based on is one that most anime fans will already be intimately familiar with. On top of this, the manifestations of puberty syndrome are terribly bland, consisting almost exclusively of body-swapping in some form or another.

While not actively detracting from the show, the music could have been utilized much better. The background music, while a standout strength in many other shows of similar composition, is barely present and entirely pedestrian. Especially egregious is the opening song, a poorly chosen track that often grates on the atmosphere that the show works so hard to establish.

Conclusion

Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai is entirely inseparable from its comparisons. The plot is just so unanimous with the genre that it appears in that it is easy to get washed away with the tide of shows that tried to ride on the coattails of Monogatari's success.

Fortunately, I think Bunny Girl is the most successful attempt yet at replicating this formula. While Monogatari presented its harem girls in a surreal and fantastical setting, this latest iteration finds more success in a grounded sense of realism.

I did not mention any of the girls specifically in this review because (other than the obvious intent to avoid spoilers) I don't find them particularly relevant. They make up the majority of the plot but ultimately, as I said above, this show deals in highlights. The moments of quiet resolution, after tears have been shed and relationships repaired anew, are when Sakuta sees the fruits of his labor and all his struggles are justified.

Just as this series deals with the self-acceptance of its characters, it is important for every viewer to accept this series as what it is: not a blatant ripoff of what came before, but a newly imagined take on a classic recipe. In my eyes, Bunny Girl is a welcome improvement and an example for yet greater shows to follow.

A victorious new spin on a distilled formula.

Pour le lycéen Sakuta, la puberté n'est pas juste un simple passage de l'existence. C'est un syndrome dont les tenants et aboutissants sont mystérieux et nébuleux,et qui provoque des événements surnaturels justifiant tout les maux de l'adolescence. 

En usant de mécaniques fantastiques, il est alors possible pour notre personnage de mieux comprendre les problèmes qui traversent nombres de ses amis. Sinon, comment expliquer la présence de cette fille invisible aux yeux de tous, en tenue de lapin sexy ? 

L'anime a donc toutes les clés pour développer de véritables métaphores et pistes de réflexion sur le vaste monde des troubles sociaux et psychologiques adolescents. Il en exploite habilement certains :

Le principe de la fille en tenue de lapin invisible aux yeux de tous, symbole de l'épée de Damoclès qui sévit au dessus de la tête de chaque adolescents : A t'on envie d'être quelqu'un de remarqué ? Ou préférons nous rester dans l'ombre, invisible ? C'est dans ce complexe jeu d'équilibriste qu'il faut pourtant trouver le sien. 

Le thème des réseaux sociaux nous amenant à devenir une autre personne, qui se retrouve mêlé au thème de l'intriquation quantique, relève du génie. C'est l'une des premières "enquêtes" qui cimente réellement l'appartenance de ce syndrome à la mythologie de l'anime. 

D'autres, cependant, le traite avec un aspect plus classique et convenu : le principe de vivre le même jour en boucle car on ne veut pas qu'il s'achève est un simple rappel à la première idylle amoureuse que nous avons pu connaître.

L'anime est donc découpé en cinq arcs et dont les transitions entre sont très fluides car parsemées d'un fil rouge constant qui jalonne le tout. 

On suit donc les aventures de ce lycéen, pris dans les filets du syndrome de la puberté, et prêt à tout risquer pour sauver ceux qu'il aime. La plupart des thèmes sont traités avec grande justesse, et le casting des personnages est tordant, notamment dans leur façon d'interagir entre eux sans artifices ou détour, toujours allant à l'essentiel quitte à surprendre ! 

La façon qu'a l'anime d'user d'un phénomène fantastique comme d'un porte étendard pour tout les maux de chaque adolescent...relève du génie. Malgré tout, il perd un brin de cohérence et se précipite trop dans ses deux derniers arcs, quitte à franchir le cap du fantastique et foutre les deux pieds dedans. 

L'affaire reste cependant à suivre avec le film de 2019 qui offre, selon moi, une conclusion en grande demi teinte... 

LE FILM:

Alors que l'anime nous faisait bien comprendre que l'histoire autour de Shoko était loin d'être conclue, nous étions alors en droit d'espérer une conclusion digne de ce nom.

Malheureusement pour nous, la fin aura duré cinq minutes de trop. En voulant trop user de ses concepts et de sa mythologie, on passe d'un syndrome de la puberté qui sert avant tout de porte étendard de maux psychologiques bien tangible à "baguette magique qui fait la pluie et le beau temps".

Malgré tout, le lot de scènes émouvantes (non sans rappeler Steins Gate) suffisent à nous satisfaire et à se sentir mal pour notre pauvre lycéen. Sa lutte désespérée pour sauver deux êtres qui lui tienne à cœur nous déchire davantage à chaque seconde, malgré certaines actions de sa part complètement illogiques et irréfléchies.

Et puis arrive cette fin. Émouvante. Douce amère. Qui met un point. On voit disparaître nos deux personnages dans un trait devenu vaporeux et laiteux, on pleure à chaudes larmes car on imagine alors tout ce qu'il a pu se passer. On repense à leurs dernières paroles.

Malheureusement, le film décide que proposer une fin triste et libre d'interprétation, c'est pour les brêles, et on a le droit à un épilogue incompréhensible et rentré au chaussé pied comme pas permis.

On voit alors que cette Happy end n'a aucun sens, et on décide simplement d'en oublier son existence. En tout cas, c'est ce que j'ai fais.

Métaphysique de l'environnement d'un lycéen durant la puberté

Story - When Sakuta finds himself an attractive former celebrity wearing in a sultry bunny girl uniform. He finds himself being involved with her and her situations. The synopsis is pretty typical for an anime however you will not find yourself bored when watching the series. The series explores a rather strange phenomenon where the teenagers are affected with supernatural abilities. You may be thinking this is exactly like (lists some anime). However the beauty of Bunny girl is how the story is more character driven than most others. If we were to strip the characters, it would be pretty boring. Seeing how character XYZ became this, how she got this power, what she's going to do with it, how everything is relates is caused due to Bunny girl's character driven plot. Though I wouldn't say the synopsis isn't unique or mind blowing, the character driven plot is very interesting to see and executed correctly. Props to the light novel author and the script writer of the anime! 8/10

Art - As expected of the former sub-division of A-1 pictures. Clover works animation is pretty mesmerising to see. Shots of the scenery, characters shots are executed higher than standard. Each frame is done with precision which is clearly seen by the audience and the character design is very similar to the original, light novel. Although there are other anime with better animation than Bunny girl, yet Bunny girl art doesn't slack off and keeps with the standard through each episodes. 8/10

Sound- Though I'm not a huge fan of the opening or ending. The anime does have some pretty good soundtracks during the best moments. The background sound is kept to a standard, and settles the mood. If I were to enjoy the opening and ending I would've rated it a 7 since the background soundtracks are very up to standard. As for the ost most of it consists of typical piano beats to relax the mood or for emotional moments. Hearing the OST felt repetitive I had to turn it off. 5/10

Character - When I say Bunny girl has the best dialogues in anime. I'm not exaggerating it is only done due to the characters. I'm personally a huge fan of most of the characters baring a few however even with my 'disliked' characters I still find them very neutral not even disliking them despite me calling them disliked. (Yes I'm a hypocrite.) The characters in Bunny girl are very 3 dimensional and very realistic which makes me think, this really is a realistic show about teenagers despite it's supernatural themes. In my opinion bunny girl has one of the uniquest personalities for a main character like Sakuta. I've never came across a character who's perverted yet smooth with it and being cool when he said 'I'm a virgin.' Plus the character dynamics especially with Mai and Sakuta are so intriguing and enjoying to see. Therefore it deserves a nine. 9/10

Enjoyment - Now I'm not a huge fan of the plot, I'm not fan of supernatural themes due to a lack of scientific explanation. However I really enjoyed Bunny girl due to the characters, their dynamics/relationships that it made me actually care about the plot which is helping the girls from the adolescence syndrome. As well as seeing characters on screen or rooting for someone, I am intrigued to see how they solve the syndrome and the characters backstory. Futaba being my favourite, the poor girl T_T. Along with other factors it's refreshing to see some scientific explanations (mainly pseudo-science) behind the supernatural themes. I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoyed each episode. 8/10

Some may say it's a Monogatari ripoff or a carbon copy of it, I'll explain it's not.

Runners know the importance of pacing. Start out too fast they’ll see people blow by them when the finish line is coming into sight, start out too slow and they’ll be crossing that finish line staring at a dozen people who they never caught up to. While it might not be exactly the same, when it comes to storytelling proper pacing is just as vital; rushing a story simply pulls the audience along by the ear and creates apathy, while dragging out a story just creates boredom. Poor pacing also happens to be the primary source of my frustration with _Rascal Does Not Dream of a Bunny Girl Senpai_. Even though the premise is interesting and the story tries to explore some universal themes centered around adolescence and being a teenager, so much of the show’s potential is squandered by a plot that should be a marathon being treated like a sprint.

The story of Bunny Girl Senpai revolves around Sakuta Azusagawa, a second year high school student who primarily does two things: pursue a romance with Mai Sakurajima, a famous model who is a year older than him, and help (cute) girls deal with “puberty syndrome”. Although supernatural, nebulous, and at times a little pretentious, puberty syndrome is a serviceable plot device used to examine some of the universal struggles of growing up. To that end the show splits itself into five arcs, each dealing with a unique iteration of the disorder; one manifestation of puberty syndrome involves a _Groundhog Day_-esque time loop, while another inflicts total amnesia and dissociative identity disorder. Although many people have compared the plot to Monogatari (and some influence from Haruhi shines through as well), the content and themes of the story are generally good, and are the best things Bunny Girl Senpai has going for it. 

~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/rZuLfmP.jpg)~~~

Despite the strength of the premise, however, the story is still where the major flaw with Bunny Girl Senpai begins to rear its head. The pacing is honestly a mess, in large part because the show tries to do too much in too little time. With 13 episodes that each have a 25 minute duration, this has a longer runtime than almost every other one cour show but it still doesn’t feel like the plot or characters have any room to breathe. Other coming of age dramas are paced in such a way that you’ll get multiple episodes that serve build attachment to characters and show development. There aren’t massive plot reveals or cliffhangers happening left and right, it’s a gradual crescendo into an emotional climax – that is not the case with Bunny Girl Senpai. Instead, there are no buildup episodes. The first four arcs mostly consist of a quick introduction to a character, followed by an episode or two of plot with some kind of reveal or twist, and then a cheap climax that doesn’t feel earned. Combine that with the fact that the story is so tight on time that two of the girls Sakuta helps essentially vanish from the story after their arcs are finished, and what you’re left with just feels unsatisfactory.

~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/OnMAnnW.jpg)~~~
~~~_The emotional climax of a two episode long arc felt a little flat_~~~

That unsatisfactory feeling unfortunately extends past the plot. Sakuta and Mai are the titular “Rascal” and “Bunny Girl” respectively, and their relationship is very much at the forefront of the show – but it’s hard to care about characters who are unlikable. There are a few reasons for this, including the fact that their blunt, often obnoxious dialogue consists of things that could be expected from people who are half as smart as they think they are, but again it stems primarily from the rushed pacing that plagues the story.

~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/IrTN89U.jpg)~~~

Sakuta and Mai are introduced in the first episode, when Mai is dealing with her own unique version of puberty syndrome which Sakuta helps her out with. After being pressured into doing a swimsuit photoshoot by her mom, Mai desired nothing more than to be out of the public eye and stopped modeling as a result. Like a kind of perverse genie, puberty syndrome strikes and she begins fading from people’s perception entirely, to the point where nobody can see her, interact with her, or even remember her. It’s representative of the kind of anxieties and fears so many young people have, and the idea of a model literally fading out of existence because of an internal struggle with their public façade is an idea worth exploring in its own right. Mai’s story, experience with puberty syndrome, and the resolution of this plot thread is something that should have gradually occurred, either by giving the arc dedicated to it more time or by making it an overarching dilemma in the background of the rest of the series. Instead by episode three it’s totally resolved when Sakuta confesses his love for her in front of the entire school, forcing people to remember Mai forever because of how embarrassing his actions were. This is a moment that should be touching – Sakuta sacrifices his public image to protect the existence of the girl he has a crush on – but because it happens so early on it just falls flat and feels cheap.

~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/vMYwNbQ.jpg)~~~
~~~_This scene did make me feel something - secondhand embarrassment_~~~

The issues with Sakuta go beyond pacing however. Initially portrayed as simply asocial, it quickly becomes clear that his mixture of self-awareness, self-confidence, and rationality make him essentially what most anxious teenagers dream of being – someone who just doesn't care what people think about them. In a story about young people struggling with their own personal trauma, however, having the lead character be totally comfortable with who they are from the start and feel no need to ever change just feels out of place. While throughout the story information about Sakuta’s past is revealed that contextualizes him for the audience, it can’t really be called development. Over the course of 13 episodes Sakuta gets a girlfriend and bonds with people as he helps them resolve their issues, but other than skin deep changes the character remains static.

It’s not all bad though. The final arc revolving around Sakuta’s sister Kaede and her situation was, from start to finish, fantastic. Kaede is a shut-in middle schooler who initially can be easily written off as the obligatory “imouto” character, but because she had been around in some capacity since episode one there was ample time for the audience to really understand the trauma she went through, see the beginnings of her development and the effort she put into bettering herself, and to be shown how much Sakuta cares for her. It’s also around the start of this arc that Sakuta and Mai have been together long enough that their dialogue and relationship feels much less artificial and much more natural – the audience has learned more about them, they’ve experienced some very whacky shenanigans together and bonded, and they’ve become more likeable as a result. Really everything starts to click into place at once; the characters are there, the dialogue is there, the exploration of themes is there, and the emotional climaxes are there. This arc finally reaches the potential that Bunny Girl Senpai clearly had from the start, but it only does so 80% of the way through the show. 

~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/WgTDFOt.png)~~~
~~~_Genuinely touching and without a doubt the best arc of the series_~~~

Bunny Girl Senpai is, without a doubt, ambitious – it’s just a little too ambitious. The series takes clear influence from similar stories that came before, and tries to take an introspective look at the struggles of growing up in today’s world. There are times when it absolutely succeeds at doing this. However, more often than not Rascal Does Not Dream of a Bunny Girl Senpai fails to stand out from a host of similar shows, and a revolving door of characters with their own unique issues doesn’t leave any time for introspection, resulting in a show that ends up feeling shallow. Going back to running, it’s wrong to compare Bunny Girl Senpai to a sprint; this show is the equivalent of running a 5k when everyone else in the race is trying to run a marathon. Yeah, it’s still distance running, it’s just a fraction how long it should have been.

TL;DR - Despite its long, deceptively ecchi title, supernatural elements, and presence of 6 main girls ("harem!?") in the story, _Bunny Girl Senpai_ is at its very core a simple story of how high schoolers deal with societal, parental, and whatever pressures and status quos that distressingly permeate in their context that thus affect them in more ways than one. 

---

You may think of the likes of _TWGOK_ in the ‘guy helps many girls in a supernatural setting’ angle, but I’d like to think it’s also the simple, deadpan humor; lack of exaggerated scenarios (e.g. girl throws guy into the sky for accidentally groping her); and overall sweet storylines of how these girls bring themselves to overcome their problem or insecurities (with some push by the main character) that may make or break the anime.

When you read up the synopsis of _Bunny Girl Senpai_, you might just ask, “what.” Don’t let that deceive you, though. This anime is very simple: when someone experiences some emotional distress and instability, the rumored ‘Adolescence Syndrome’ occurs wherein abnormal things happen to the person that has it or to the environment in which the person is inhabiting. Thus, the main character named Sakuta Azusagawa finds himself helping girls who’ve contracted this syndrome by essentially figuring out what it is that’s causing the distress and doing what he can so these girls could get through their predicaments.

Is it a harem? Surprisingly, no, even though a few episodes are allotted for a certain girl. If you’ve watched/read _TWGOK_, they’re similar in the premise of a character arc per certain episodes (for the most part of _TWGOK_), but _Bunny Girl Senpai_ has continuity: the girl characters don’t get discarded or aren’t forgotten, and they appear somehow and somewhere after their respective arcs. The outcomes don’t necessarily conclude to romance either.

Personally, I think the continuity is a plus. I like seeing the main character be friends (or be better friends) with the girls he’s helped, without them forgetting or being awkward for having caught feelings for the guy. 

How about the characters themselves? They’re actually pretty great and well-designed. As far as I can tell, most don’t fall under overused character tropes. Their problems range from not wanting to disrupt the status quo (or as aptly used in the anime, ‘atmosphere’), insecurities, and whatnot. They may seem simple, sure, but I personally liked how each of them get dealt with and concluded given the supernatural aspects of the show.

How about humor and tone? Well, this may or may not be a dealbreaker for you. _Bunny Girl Senpai_ is known for the humor being either deadpan with the sprinkle of not-really-serious lewdness or just plain old snark. The characters and their actions aren’t as ‘loud’ as like in shows with comedic elements, so you’d have to find entertainment in their choice of humor. But still, don’t go to _Bunny Girl Senpai_ expecting to laugh.

__Even then, each character has their own defining, unique traits that would make you love them for sure, and it is their interactions with Sakuta (clashes, retorts, and all) that make it fun to watch through.__

Also, as far as I can remember anyway, the animation is good and fairly consistent, but not so much that you’d be able to avoid awkward CG background characters. Unfortunately, my ears aren’t trained enough to pick up on whether or not the music direction is any good. 

But hey, the OP and ED are very great. _“Kimi no Sei”_ by the peggies is absolutely catchy especially when listened to with the actual animation, and _“Fukashigi no Karte”_ is quite soothing. I love how the latter changes per character arc, as it depicts the person(s) central to their arc. (Also, my favorite out of the bunch is Futaba’s.)

A main con I can think of, though, is its being an adaptation consisting of 13 episodes, which usually and inevitably have loose ends. The existence of and background behind the Adolescence Syndrome were never dealt with. Even if the sequel movie deals with it, I don’t personally find the end of the anime itself as satisfying as the entire rollercoaster-like ride the other episodes have given me, souring the overall experience ever so slightly.

Nevertheless, I can recommend Bunny Girl Senpai with a certain degree of confidence if you’re into girls (seriously speaking) being cute and dealing with realistic problems and if you don’t mind the humor and tone—most especially from Sakuta—being relatively simple, not-so-serious, and deadpan, albeit with the sprinkle of lewdness and/or snark.

Deceptively bland, but good depth in character and story is found beyond the simple tone and deadpan, snarky humor.

__~~~I'll write this in my native language, so if you don't understand just don't ~~~~~~call~~~~~~__img220(https://i.imgur.com/FZQsbHa.jpg)~~~
Considere a nota que classifiquei no geral ser um reconhecimento generoso de suas características básicas. Foi doloroso assistir. A história segue Sakuta, um segundo ano do ensino médio, enquanto ele tenta ajudar meninas afetadas por um fenômeno sobrenatural conhecido como Síndrome da Adolescência. Se isso soa como um distúrbio psicológico inventado por um adolescente pretensioso tentando parecer inteligente, é porque é. Se um personagem de repente se tornar invisível ou se todos estiverem presos em um loop de três dias de duração, o autor vai chamá-lo de Síndrome da Adolescência e deixar o resto para nossa imaginação. Em outras palavras, é a maneira do autor de mascarar um dispositivo de enredo barato. Em vez de nos dar uma explicação coerente para a síndrome, o autor apenas a manipula com a mecânica quântica comum, como o gato de Schrõdinger e o demônio de Laplace. É vagamente definido como uma aflição sobrenatural que se manifesta em pessoas que estão passando por forte estresse, seja por cyberbullying causando cortes físicos ou ficando invisível porque você está cansado de atenção.

~~~img220(https://i.imgur.com/z9XuAIF.jpg)
~~~
Eu não fiquei encantada com a animação e o estilo de arte, eu achei a paleta de cores totalmente morta, é sempre cinza e definitivamente não tem um tom alegre, os personagens tem praticamente os mesmos rostos, as cores dos cabelos praticamente iguais, parece que pegaram um personagem e só fizeram pequenas alterações.

Ao falar do som, eu amo as músicas e não vejo problema nenhum, as vozes são fofas e todos os dubladores se encaixaram corretamente.

~~~img220(https://i.imgur.com/TLSPAVE.jpg)~~~

Agora ao que interessa, Sakuta é um personagem onde as pessoas o chamam de sarcástico, eu odeio os personagens, todos, sakuta é um personagem que fala sempre no mesmo tom de voz, sem empolgação, sem combinar com a situação, ele faz qualquer coisa ser entediante, parece que o roteiro foi feito por uma criança de 12 anos, muito pouco o deixa preocupado ou impressionado, ele tem uma personalidade horrível, ele faz piadas de mal gosto e da encima de todas as garotas que ele vai ajudar na síndrome de adolescência, mas as pessoas disfarçam isso falando que ele é sarcástico, além disso tudo ele é frio, cínico e indiferente comum, inexpressivo, é apenas vulgar, grosseiro e desagradável.

__~~~"Você está menstruada ou algo assim?"~~~__

Enfim Sakuta foi ajudar a Mai, o diálogo com ela é ainda pior, ela é tão seca e cínica quanto Sakuta, Mai é o arquétipo típico do tsundere, com a fantasia de coelhinha aparecendo mais no episódio um, raramente aparecendo no resto da série.

Nada em Bunny Girl Senpai parece real, mai e o resto das personagens femininas não são personagens com grandes personalidades, raramente elas mostram personalidade, mas isso raramente transparece em suas personalidades. Eles são todos arquétipos pré-embalados de plástico, não afetados por nada pelo que passam, os arcos são basicamente um hárem, quando o autor decide que está entediado com uma garota, ele simplesmente encerra o arco, em favor de um novo caso de Síndrome da Adolescência, claro com a típica garota padrão, ele junta uma garota com o protagonista e os deixa flertar um pouco, e antes que ele tenha que se comprometer e realmente desenvolver essa garota, ele fica entediado dela, eventualmente, ele termina em um sem fim. 

~~~
img220(https://i.imgur.com/3141T12.jpg)~~~

Look, this was not a title that gave me high hopes. But I read a description and thought, _hey, maybe I’ll give it a shot._

~~~_Sakuta Azusagawa, a high school nobody, never expected to find a bunny girl in the library. What’s more, the girl he meets isn’t just anyone—she’s a former actress and popular upperclassman—or at least she was, until, somehow, she disappeared from everyone’s view. Now, Sakuta is the only one who can see her or even remember that she existed. Perhaps going unnoticed is just a symptom of puberty._~~~

This was…weird. And often charming. There are fantastic elements, but it’s not really a fantasy. Maybe closer to magic realism, the kind of setting where everything is almost the same as normal, but there are just a few weird things.
<img src="https://64.media.tumblr.com/84f371600acc71fded4fbd89ba7189af/704b761c191b0f1b-3b/s500x750/ffbd76552fecb82b4baf30038266a958eaed69aa.gifv"> 

Obviously, the first weird thing is the upperclassman (the bunny girl senpai of the title) who notices that increasingly, people don’t realize she exists. And she decides the best way to test that this is _actually_ happening is to dress up like a Playboy bunny and head to the library.
<img src="https://64.media.tumblr.com/1e365cb183f8e6c67ab80453bea7efc3/704b761c191b0f1b-ea/s500x750/5322c938e276926cfca6da3b8445fa91ddc6f65a.gifv">

I liked Mai (senpai) and Sakuta. Among all the characters but especially these two, there’s often snappy dialogue, and both of them are masters of delivering it with deadpan expressions. That dialogue is what pushed the show into “this is good” territory for me. They’re not _resigned_, but they approach (or talk about) a lot of the events with an air of slightly snarky acceptance.

<img src="https://64.media.tumblr.com/c7bc5e9def91704f257c83a65851f5d2/704b761c191b0f1b-d7/s500x750/3fbba68cde819bd5733f85ea9e08611a1d5d475a.gifv"> 

There were times I wondered if I was missing context that might’ve made more sense to a Japanese person. For example, one of the themes is about how the status quo affects people. Mai keeps herself apart from people at school, and at one point they theorize that she’s becoming forgotten and invisible because that’s just what people are used to…so it’s becoming more literal in the wider world. Other characters also have their own status quo/passive peer pressure problems that start to have more tangible effects.

Obviously I understood what was _said_ in the show, and understand that Japanese culture is much more group-oriented than American culture, but I wonder if there were tones to things that were more understandable if you’ve lived in that culture. (Whereas I’m sitting on the couch yelling at a 15-year-old to _just tell your friends that you’re out and will be unavailable for a couple hours I SWEAR your friendship is not contingent on you answering texts within 45 seconds_.)

Also, I greatly enjoyed the very accurate portrayal of cats.
<img src="https://64.media.tumblr.com/9903348d2d11728cc7d21fccd9b838e2/704b761c191b0f1b-a5/s500x750/cefa94be73ffc23cb934f81dcecf4f6b12f2f228.gifv">

___Verdict___

_English dub?_ No

_Visuals:_ Standard for modern anime (this is from 2018). Notice in the gifs that everyone has black or brown hair–this isn’t a brightly-colored fantasy world, it’s supposed to be a school/life story with some fantastic elements, and it conveys that pretty well.

_Worth watching?_ I think so, I definitely enjoyed it, plus it’s only 12 episodes.

Magical realism meets adolescence: the series

Vamos começar separando essa review em 2 partes,  __A Review sem Spoiler__, para você que ainda não assistiu o anime mas que buscou por alguma coisa ja que achou suspeito a estranha diferença entre a capa e a sinopse do anime, e antes de se ``meter numa furada, pensou em pegar uma opinião.
E a __Review com Spoilers__, pra você que já assistiu e que agora quer ver o que algum estranho escreveu sobre essa OBRA PRIMA.

#__Review sem Spoiler__
Vamos começar com a capa, que você viu, viu de novo e uma terceira vez com certeza, caso esteja acostumado com ecchi e pesou "a mais um ecchi ruim e bem apelativo pra assistir...", e quem sabe você ate goste de ecchi (não vou te julgar) e caiu nesse anime como muitos outros exploradores do catalogo do site que você esta assistindo.
Para começar, esse anime é diferente de qualquer um que tenha visto, mesmo pela capa (que honestamente não ajuda muito) e a sinopse que ainda ajuda descrevendo a capa ne.
Bom, esse anime é uma obra bem distinta, pois traz uma narrativa, com um choque inicial (que você já teve com a capa), e um desenvolvimento incrivelmente interessante, tanto de personagem quanto de construção histórica e narrativa, claro com o toque de mistério quântico(acredite, isso vai fazer sentido) e uma boa comedia, que eu aprecio muito.
Logo recomendo muito que assista esse anime tranquilamente, evite assistir o primeiro episodio perto de alguém (por causa de você sabe o que), e tente entender essa bela historia que desafia ate os limites da física. 
PS: Fiz muitos trocadilhos nessa mini review.

~!!~#__Review com Spoiler__
De novo, se você já assistiu o anime pode ler essa review, se não, larga de ser preguiçoso e vai assistir oras.

vamos iniciar com o obvio... VOCE FOI BAITADO, aposto que você viu a capa e pensou "hm anime legal pra gente ver umas coisas hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm", pois bem você foi trollado, assim como eu né, e quase todas as pessoas que não assistiram por uma recomendação.
Primeiramente, depois de cair no bait, podemos agora discorrer sobre a trama ne.
__enredo__
temos então a seguinte cena histórica, uma doença misteriosa, que por algum motivo tem a ver com, se comporta de uma maneira totalmente diferente em cada pessoa. essa doença tem algo a ver com física quântica, o que não faz nenhum sentido aparente ne, vamos chamar essa doença de Síndrome da Adolescência, que é o nome nos dado pelo próprio enredo, mas isso vai se mostrar em meio ao desenvolvimento de personagens, que é o que vamos ver agora, então vamos dar uma pausa aqui no fundo histórico.
__personagens__
agora temos finalmente o verdadeiro desenvolvimento da trama, que são os peculiares personagens desse anime.
começando pelo protagonista, Azusagawa Sakuta , que possui um certo histórico interessante, e sua irmã Kaede, que também sofre da tal __"Síndrome da Adolescência"__, praticamente pelo mesmo motivo de sua irmã, algum tipo de boato, ligado ao passado, que não veremos por enquanto, a síndrome se manifestou nele a partir de uma estranha cicatriz, e na sua irmã, um grave caso de perda de memoria e infantilidade.
este estava tranquilamente andando pela cidade, numa biblioteca ele encontra....
Sakurajima Mai, uma garota estranha, vestindo uma roupa "nada reveladora", e sem que ninguém a notasse, e por uma conveniência aparente do destino(enredo, pq isso é geralmente o genérico de todo ecchi ne), só o sakuta pode vê-la, o que gera uma ótima situação de comedia, é claro.
Mai é uma senpai do mesmo colégio, e que sofre da mesma síndrome, que faz com que ela se torne invísivel a todos em volta, e por isso sua atitude inusitada.

__porque__
tá, aposto que foi um tedio ler esse textão introduzindo o anime, mas agora começa mesmo a opinião, bunny girl é um anime distinto, exatamente por seu incrível desenvolvimento e mistério de personagem, que já se mostra no protagonista, com essa cicatriz horrível nele, e é claro, na querida heroína principal, Mai que claramente ganhou a atenção de todos (por um motivo obvio não?), e sua estranha manifestação invisível, o que torna isso ainda mais engraçado.

a relação "amorosa" entre os dois inicia ótimas piadas por parte do sakuta, e os vários foras que toma, ate tomar uma boa atitude, expor para toda a escola suas intenções, que fez com que a Mai deixasse de sofrer da síndrome.

acho que foi interessante saber que a Mai era uma famosa atriz, e guardem essa informação para a teoria de explicação da síndrome, e também da ótima explicação dada pela amiga do sakuta, levando em consideração referencias da física quântica, ao começar pela teoria do Gato de Schrodinger, que também ajuda na ideia da explicação dessa teoria.

com isso vamos para a próxima personagem, a irmã da Mai, que por causa da síndrome, troca de corpo com ela, o que novamente, rende muita piada e momento de comedia com o nosso prota.
isso também tem algo a ver com a física quântica, mas como não estou muito lembrado do que aconteceu, não especificarei.
podemos entender mais um pouco sobre a teoria com esse fato, e que com certeza vai ser mais esclarecido em breve.

próxima trama, alguém que se perdeu nas memorias e no tempo, uma garota que nosso prota tem certeza que conhece, pois ela mudou sua vida, por causa do tal ocorrido com a tal cicatriz.
esta por sua vez nem sabe o que tá acontecendo, mas que de alguma forma volta no tempo e volta a ser aquela tinha ajudado o prota.
guarde mais um componente da historia ai ok?

 próximo, a amiga do protagonista, acaba também adquirindo o problema da síndrome, com a característica estranha do emaranhamento quântico, e com a divisão de sua personalidade, e isso também vai interferir na nossa teoria.

por ultimo temos agora sim, o protagonista e sua síndrome, o que causou todo o distúrbio na sua vida e de sua irmã mais nova, e.......... o anime acaba com ele indo direto para o hospital.

não falarei do filme porque o filme é muito mais uma experiência própria do que algo que possa ser descrito.

__#A Síndrome da Adolescência__
Agora sim, com tudo o que você guardou e se lembrou do anime, vamos a uma teoria que eu mesmo montei ao terminar o anime, a síndrome é muito mais algo ligado ao psicológico, por isso o nome é muito adequado, analisando o caso de Sakurajima Mai, temos uma artista, famosa e extremamente conhecida, mas que presencialmente é invisível, o que pode ser explicado pela ideia de uma duvida: ela está mesmo aqui?
o gato de Schrodinger é a perfeita alegoria, não é possível determinar se o gato esta vivo ou morto, já que você não consegue vê-lo diretamente, o fato de existir uma variável de morte, que no caso do experimento mental, era o decaimento radioativo, esse gato esta vivo e morto dentro da caixa, ate que se prove apenas um estado, a quebra da superposição. no caso da Mai, ela é o gato, a caixa é sua própria existência, e a variável, o fato de que ela era uma celebridade.
pense, você, ao ver o Elon Musk atravessando a rua com um saco de pão, você acreditaria? se eu te dissesse que vi isso, você duvidaria né?
pois bem, Mai passava por isso, ninguém, mesmo vendo ela, independente de sua roupa, conseguia vê-la, pois considerava que isso não era possível, por isso ela era invisível, aliado ao fator "sobrenatural" da síndrome, que também piorava o caso.
mas como o Sakuta viu ela? isso é explicado pelo passado dele, e o fato de não saber, por isso, que ela era famosa.

o caso da irmã da Mai, pois bem, Mai era famosa, mas sua irmã apenas uma idol iniciante, o que desperta o sentimento de inveja, mas aliado ao passado conturbado entre as duas, e a síndrome, fez com que elas trocassem de corpo, para experienciarem o que cada uma passava.

a amiga do protagonista, exatamente por não conseguir segurar sua ambiguidade sentimental e de personalidade, literalmente se dividiu em 2, aonde uma estava, a outra não estava, mas mesmo assim, como o emaranhamento quântico, sabiam o que uma a outra faziam, e por isso não podiam estar no mesmo lugar ao mesmo tempo.

por ultimo o protagonista e sua irmã, que sofreram por causa de boatos da internet, por causa do que as pessoas falavam deles, em choque com tudo isso,  a Kaede perdeu a memoria e seu crescimento emocional, e o Sakuta sentia na pele o que acontecia junto com o sofrimento de sua irmã.
foi por isso que, quando tinham um problema, a síndrome atacava, o que aconteceu com o sakuta no final do anime, e por isso a atitude dele, desconectar completamente a si e sua irmã de qualquer coisa do mundo, como TVs, internet, etc. por isso também não conhecia a Mai, já que tinha optado por não ter acesso a nada disso.

como superaram todas as situações causadas pela síndrome?
simples, combatendo-a indiretamente.... Mai, invisível por todos porque era considerada impossível estar ali, foi evidenciada pelo sakuta, o único que podia vê-la, com uma declaração publica de algo que seria considerado extremamente vergonhoso para ele; uma declaração de amor.

a irmã, por um lapso de memoria ligado ao seu animal favorito, a amiga, quebrando a duvida e seus sentimentos divididos, de um só lado( assim como diz a física quântica com o emaranhamento, onde a informação entre as partículas é obtida apenas com uma delas), e assim continua, ate mesmo o próprio protagonista, que se culpava de não conseguir salvar sua irmã daquela situação, resolveu seu problema no filme.

__#Recomendação__

Bunny girl é um anime muito interessante, o desenvolvimento de personagens estimula o apego a eles, as atitudes do protagonista provoca aquele orgulho de assistir, e a relação entre o casal é muito interessante e engraçada, o que mostra que não é algo forçado pelo enredo nem algo artificial e irreal, mas uma trama que se desenvolve organicamente junto dos personagens e seus conflitos.
__Recomendo muito assistir esse anime pois é uma experiência ótima de desenvolvimento, cativante e curioso, que te faz ate mesmo tentar investigar o que esta acontecendo, como se você fosse um dos personagens. é uma Obra Prima de desenvolvimento, experiência e imersão que vale a pena ter.__

Bunny Girl é um anime diferente do que parece, inicialmente voce pode cair no "bait", mas com certeza vale a pena.

<center>https://anilist.co/anime/101291/Rascal-Does-Not-Dream-of-Bunny-Girl-Senpai/
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I kinda wanted to check this out because I was told to that this is similar to Anime like Monogatari & Oregairu, heard it's so similar that some even deem this as a copy or beta version of those Anime. There are parts I agree and disagree in that statement so I'll just give my plain thoughts about the similarities and differences "Bunny Girl" carries with "Monogatari" & "Oregairu". I'm not going to demerit any of these Anime to hell or praising them to heaven or trying to convince what's better or worse (but I'll give my thoughts on Bunny Girl, after all this is my review for it). I'm just trying to convey few things that I found these Anime share, and if possible give my opinion at the end. The comparison here is meant to understand each Anime, not to shit on something I disliked or praise what I liked.

#<a>**Similarities** with</a>;
1) **Monogatari**
- The Premise

Both Anime showcases some major problems among adolescents (mainly Bake). Monogatari calls it 'Abbreviations' while Buuny Girl calls it 'Puberty Syndrome'. They both are just highlighting problems faced by teenagers but the aim is a little different. Monogatari uses it's plot points (abbreviations) to construct the characters while Bunny Girl uses it's character problems (Adolescent Syndrome) to construct it's plot.

- The Dynamic between the main duo

Both Anime shows that main leads are already in love with each other and are also progressing in their relationship further, even though it only goes in the speed of a snail. The characters are different but the vibe is still the same.

2) **Oregairu**

- The Dialogue

Both series has some witty dialogue with the pessimistic undertone to it. It sounds casual but has a little more than just the surface meaning of it.

- The Cast

I think this is the main reason this looks so similar to Oregairu. I really thought these are just characters of Oregairu in another world, even though the structure is slightly different. Mai is just Yukino if she's a model, Futaba is just Hiratsuka if she's in the same year as the MC, Tomoe is just Iroha if she's a little tall (?), Saki and Yuuma are just Yumiko and Hayato. The only characters I found different are Nadoko and Shouko.

#<a>**Differences**</a>
There are many plain differences like direction, art style choice and other technical aspects but the main difference is;
- The Male Protagonist

Sakuta feels a lot like an combination of Araragi's perviness and Hachiman's "don't care" attitude. Sakuta has pervy thoughts but is highly against incest (unlike Araragi, who probably doesn't mind). Even though, both are in a relationship, Araragi feels a lot like Harem MC while Sakuta feels like your typical edgy teenager who found himself a girlfriend. As for with 8man; Hachiman resolves his problems by self hurt, like a sacrificial pawn who bears all the blame on himself in order to resolve the problem, while Sakuta resolve the problem by the straightforward approach, i.e., talking.

*It's dumb to demerit a show just because it's similar to other series. Just enjoy it for what it is*.
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Now with that aside, I'll give 'my' opinions on **Rascal doesn't dream of Bunny Girl Senpai**.
#<a>**Likes**</a>
- **The Ending Song**

<center>youtube(https://youtu.be/jf1jnJGNYfs)</center>
Undoubtedly, my favourite thing about the Anime. I started this Anime at 11:30 PM yesterday night (It was sat night after all) and when this song kicked in at the end of episode 1, it was a bliss. I took a 30 minute break and just rewound the song over many times until I felt satisfied.
- **Casualness in Drama**

I like how casual & refreshing the drama is. Nothing overly dramatic but very calm and straight-forward with it's characters without unnecessarily excessive shouting or crying. It's generally a little overblown whenever horny highschoolers involve but it kept it to a minimum so I kinda liked it.
- **Character designs**

I don't think I need to explain that.
img(https://i.imgur.com/JfXh2K7.jpeg)
- **Mai & Sakuta's Converstaions**

There conversations are just so entertaining to watch.
#<a>**Dislikes**</a>
- **Unengaging drama**

Don't get confused. Not having overblown and overdramatic drama sure helped it to portray itself refreshing but not having engaging drama is as much of problem too. There isn't a single emotion that reciprocated while watching these characters going through troubles, even when the mood is so perfectly set.
- **Pretentious Dialogue**

It only felt like the series is just trying to be intelligent whenever it brings up this Quantum Physics. I can see that the creators might inspired by it but it definitely sounded more pretentious than inspired intelligence.
- **More words than visuals**

I'm not too fond of dialogue heavy Anime. They break the "show, not tell" rule of visual media and most of the time, I find them boring than anything else. I'm not saying it's bad but you have to atleast show the important events instead of just sliding them off into dialogues that I already wasn't interested in.
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#<a>Summary</a>
Not bad but far from great.
Different but far from unique.
Interesting but not engaging
Enjoyable but forgettable.

How 'Bunny Girl' is similar (& different) to Monogatari & Oregairu and What I think about the series

Rascal Does Not Dream of a Bunny Girl Senpai Series Watch Order

Season 1