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 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.
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.
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.
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. 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.
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.
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)
@MiNiSoTaN
47.5 out of 61 users liked this review
