Autumn 2018 First Impressions – Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai

There’s a rumor about a mysterious phenomenon call “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 Mai Sakurajima, Sakuta’s upperclassman and 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. – ANN

Streaming: Crunchyroll and Funimation

Episodes: TBA

Source: Light Novel

Episode Summary: Sakuta Azusagawa is a bit of a loner. A misunderstanding that morphed into a rumor turned him into something of a pariah among his classmates, so he has very few friends and spends most of his days on his own. One day when he’s in the library, he sees something entirely out of the ordinary – former child star Mai Sakurajima, now one of Sakuta’s upperclassmen, dressed in a bunny suit. None of the other patrons seem to see what he’s seeing. Once Mai realizes that Sakuta is aware of her presence, she orders him to forget everything and leave her alone.

Life doesn’t work out that way, however; the two keep encountering one-another around town. Mai eventually reveals that, since going on hiatus from her acting work, she’s noticed that more and more people are unable to see her. Sakuta even witnesses firsthand when a bakery employee acts as though Mai isn’t there at all. He believes that this might be a case of an urban legend called “Adolescence Syndrome,” if only because he and his sister are also victims – she was bullied and the painful words hurled at her manifested as physical wounds, and Sakuta woke up one day with huge gashes on his chest. Whatever the cause, Sakuta and Mai start to recognize one-another as kindred spirits.

Impressions: After just one episode, I feel like I’m standing at a fork in the road with this show. To the left is a more thoughtful anime series, one which blends the psychological roller-coaster of adolescence with a sprinkling of fantasy elements and a unique relationship between its protagonists. One which is sensitive to the concerns of misfit teens and has something to say about the effects of bullying. To the right is something more cynical and self-indulgent, which hides behind snappy dialog and deadpan humor to tell yet another story of an isolated (or self-isolating) teenage boy who’s “too good” to participate in society with those other bozos. An anime series that uses its heroine’s snarky attitude to distract from the fact that she’s yet another manic pixie dream girl provided so that the hero can learn something and become a superficially better man.

I don’t know which direction we’re traveling, which isn’t an uncommon experience when reviewing first episodes and doesn’t normally concern me too much. However, I tend to have trouble with anime series that take this snide tone from the get-go. Honestly, I have a very low tolerance for cynicism or the illusion of it, and I’m not generally on board with teenage boy characters whose primary identifiable trait is being too smart and too dispassionate for the world around them. It’s not that it’s unrealistic, because I think taking an uninterested attitude is a self-defense mechanism that a lot of people employ when they’re at an age and in an environment where they feel isolated. But I do think it’s used too much as a fallback in cases where depression, anxiety, and their related disorders are considered too difficult or complicated to portray, and I find that annoying.

I’m reminded of Kyou from Haruhi (the comedic version of this character type) or better yet, the high-school mystery series Hyouka which stars a similar protagonist – a teenage guy named Hotaro whose M.O. is to utilize the least amount of energy possible in his every day life. The thing about Hyouka (and also Haruhi, which I don’t like nearly as much) is that it has an ensemble cast of characters with their own social problems, but who also offset the protagonist’s sullen attitude and who eventually convince him that certain aspects of life and some amount of effort can be rewarding rather than an inconvenience. We meet a few other characters throughout this episode of Bunny Girl Senpai, and aside from another male acquaintance (who’s quickly isolated from Sakuta by his insufferable, overbearing girlfriend) they seem to be cut from the same cloth to some extent. Mai seems beaten down similarly disengaged due to her experiences as a child star on hiatus and the continued spread of people’s inability to see her. To be honest, I’d probably feel the same way (only with some more depression thrown in for good measure) – but this “misery loves company” scenario that’s compounded when Sakuta’s sister Kaede joins the mix doesn’t, in my opinion, do the overall atmosphere any favors.

Though I don’t mean to dwell on it, this episode does take some misogynist low-blows that made me cringe a little. Sakuta doesn’t create any sympathy for himself when he asks a girl who’s angry with him whether she’s “on her period.” You want to know how to make me angry? By de-legitimizing a girl’s feelings and attributing them to a biological function out of her control. I’m also not a fan of the backpedaling Mai does while she’s speaking to Sakuta on the train; she first accuses him of masturbating to her, and then quickly claims not to care about young men utilizing her as “inspiration.” I wouldn’t vilify someone saying “I don’t care if guys think I’m hot and want to jack-it while thinking about me,” but I think the character saying as much does serve to reveal the series’ hand a little bit – this is a story about a guy, aimed at straight guys. Mai is the “cool girl” who’s sexually available but not too much so. She occupies that position between “desirable” and “slutty” which seems to be roughly impossible for women to navigate in real life (not that they should have to). Though I can accept when an anime series isn’t aimed at me, I’m not a big fan of media that serves to perpetuate subtle (and not-so-subtle) sexism.

What’s kept me from writing the show off completely is the fact that there genuinely seems to be something supernatural at play, which gives some weight to the show it might not otherwise have. I can absolutely tolerate reliving the trials and tribulations of adolescence if, in doing so, there’s the potential for examining them in a genuine and interesting way. That’s the kicker, though – “interesting” might not be as high a bar to clear as “genuine” is. Take away Sakuta’s claw mark scars and he’s just another romanticized picture of teenage boyhood, sullen and self-congratulatory. One that, as many other reviewers have already observed, is informed by Holden Caulfield but which misses the point of A Catcher in the Rye. Holden Caulfield wasn’t created to be a model of behavior to which people should aspire, and yet so many people seem to do so anyway. What I’m trying to say it that it’s a disingenuous ideal that will have to be addressed through the narrative and resolved in some way, whether we go down a psychological rabbit hole or not.

I’d also like to make note of the show’s key art, which implies a level of fanservice that isn’t present in the show. I think Mai’s choice of outfit is interesting, because it’s not only flashy but has the added angle of being sexy and fetishized – definitely something that ought to get people’s attention if they were actually able to see her. I like how the framing of the episode doesn’t even pull the “I’m strong and I choose to wear this because *titties bounce for the camera* it’s just what I feel comfortable in!” garbage line of justification. The scene in the library where Mai makes her first appearance is very matter-of-fact. So at least the show has that going for it.

Does the anime have to be heavy for me to take it seriously? No, absolutely not. But in order to fulfill the promise of its own uniqueness it really has to put in the work to push its characters past their frustrating teenage stereotypes. I would also be happy if, considering the gender balance of its characters, it ended up being less about one guy and the other damaged young women that surround/enable him and more a story of mutual growth. I hope that isn’t an unrealistic desire.

Pros: The episode isn’t fanservicey like it might appear to be. There’s the germ of an interesting examination of adolescent psychology here.

Cons: The main characters seem to perpetuate this sense of idealized/damaged adolescent “too good for this world” psychology, especially Sakuta.

Grade: C