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.