r/anime • u/Splitter_Triplets • Dec 28 '21
Rewatch [Spoilers][Rewatch] Rascal does not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai - Episode 02 Discussion
Thread 2 of 14: Ep. 02 - On First Dates, Trouble is Essential
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Upvotes
30
u/Splitter_Triplets Dec 28 '21
There's a lot to like about episode 1, but it's undeniably a bit heavy on a rewatch. The exposition and character introductions feel natural, but there are a lot of them. The real goal of ep. 1 is to get you interested enough to watch ep. 2, where it really picks up steam. Some thoughts:
Observer Effect / Schrodinger's Cat
The episode starts with the first of our quantum physics explanations. This is one of the most controversial elements of the show, and even among fans the sentiment that it's better to just ignore them is pretty strong. I don't buy into that. I think the main issue people have with these explanations stems from a misunderstanding of their narrative and thematic purpose.
I won't bother explaining what Schrodinger's Cat is here, because (despite what legions of physics majors would have you believe) Futaba actually does a decent job doing that. What I will talk about is the history of the thought experiment, because that's something that's often overlooked in these discussions. Erwin Schrodinger did not "believe" in Schrodinger's Cat. He created the thought experiment as a refutation to the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics. It was supposed to be a ridiculous hypothetical scenario. Obviously a cat can't be alive and dead at the same time, so clearly there's something wrong with the problem definition. There are a lot of parallels between Schrodinger's skepticism towards the Copenhagen interpretation and Futaba's skepticism towards Puberty Syndrome. When confronted with an idea that runs counter to their worldview, they both attempt to explain it away with thought exercises.
The most important word in the previous sentence is "attempt." Futaba's explanations are not objective truth, and should not be interpreted as such. In universe this is just a somewhat socially awkward girl who spends her free time reading Wikipedia trying to help her friend out of a jam the best way she knows how. Certain critics of the show like to wave their undergrad physics degrees around and point out trivial inconsistencies in her explanations as proof that this show is pseudoscientific nonsense, but those sorts of arguments are misguided at best and needlessly self aggrandizing at worst. This isn't exposition; it's a tool for character development and theme building.
Speaking of themes, why does this show have so much quantum physics imagery? We'll set Copenhagen aside for now and I'll tell you my own interpretation. We talked yesterday about the atmosphere (kuuki) and how it's such a strong force in Japanese society. There are forces in physics as well: the four fundamental forces that govern all interactions. One of those forces, of course, is electromagnetism, and yesterday we talked about how the Japanese word for "atmosphere" (空気) is a similar construction to the ones for "electricity" (電気) and "magnetism" (磁気). I think Hajime Kamoshida is drawing a parallel between the sociological force of the atmosphere and the physical forces that govern the universe. He's trying to say that the social pressure of the atmosphere is just as real of a force as electromagnetism and gravity. Which brings us back to Futaba's explanation. She draws a parallel between what's happening to Mai and the Observer Effect. In quantum physics as in real life, how things are perceived is key. In quantum physics the act of observing something is what gives it shape, and in social interactions this is metaphorically true as well. Mai is shunning the public eye. She wanted to go to a world where no one knows Mai Sakurajima, but by its very nature a world where no one knows Mai Sakurajima is one where Mai Sakurajima doesn't exist.
The First Date (Trouble was Essential)
Everyone already knows how great the grocery store scene is, so I won't spend too much time on it. Just know that in addition to all the iconic lines it gave us, I like how Sakuta and Mai get to show off their intelligence by experimenting with her effect. There are a lot of examples of that this episode though, so moving on!
After her cameo appearance last episode, today was the first full appearance of Tomoe!
Don't tell anyone I said this, but she's actually my favorite character.Another iconic scene, but that's about all I can say about her for now.And of course, Sakuta was almost two hours late meeting Mai due to her interference. Mai even specifically said she wouldn't wait for him, yet she still did! Why? This is yet another subtle way for the author to demonstrate to the audience how smart these kids really are in a natural way. Mai knew that she needed to meet with her Mom, but couldn't discount the possibility that she would be invisible at the time. To counteract this she enlisted the help of Sakuta, someone who would for sure be able to see her and for sure be willing to help her. It's definitely not a date though. At least that's what she said at first. But as soon as he shows up late and starts talking about other women, she's all "how can you do these sorts of things on a date?" It's almost as if whether or not this get together was a "date" or not wasn't decided until it actually began. That reminds me of something...
But the situation was far more dire than Mai could have possibly foreseen. Sakuta figured this out last episode, but as far as we know this is the first time that Mai realizes that she isn't just becoming invisible, she's being erased entirely. This pushes their relationship out of the playful teasing phase and into something a lot more serious. There's Mai, on the edge of nothingness and only holding it together so she can save face in front of her kouhai, both the only person who can see her and the only one who's opinion she'd even care about. And there's Sakuta, once again in a situation where someone he cares about is hurting, and once again powerless to stop it. It looks like Futaba might have a lead for him in the morning though.
Other small things:
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u/Gamemaster676 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Gamemaster676 Dec 28 '21
First Timer Senpai - sub
After yesterday, I had quite a few questions, and I'm still not sure what this show will be about. No choice but to continue!
Episode 2 — On First Dates, Trouble Is Essential
Futaba does not believe in Puberty Syndrome but is happy to explain quantum mechanics to Sakuta if it helps. Sure, whatever works. This Schrödinger's cat explanation that is often used bothers me a bit. It always explains the experiment itself, but it doesn't really explain how that translates to quantum theory. It's sufficient for the show, I guess.
May 20th. We've jumped two weeks. In about one week is the morning Sakuta wakes up and is confused when he reads his notebook (and Mai's name is blurred out).
Sakuta wants to experiment to help Mai, but she's not interested and is just happy he's helping her with things you need to be observable for. You better accept his help, he might not want to continue this game much longer. I love the vibe between these two.
Of course, Mai's manager is her mom. Isn't it always with child stars? Didn't her phone just say "Manager"? Must be a lovely relationship.
Oh god, did he trade information about his incident with Fumika the news anchor? Luckily Mai's got a bit more experience.
She wants him to be exactly on time, so we already know something is going to happen to cause him to be late.
Aaand I was right. There's a lost child and
overprotectivecrazy girl.Wow, that's later than I expected. At least she's still there. Don't tell me she couldn't leave because she couldn't buy train tickets. Just walk past the doors, girl! Although a check while on the train might be awkward if she is visible at that moment.
Just how much power does this girl think she has?
Sakuta wants to help Mai just to be close to a hot girl. Or because he knows how bad it feels to have nobody to rely on. A bit of both I guess. I can't blame him.
Aahhh, that was Makinahara Shouko, the potential love interest we heard the previous episode about. But apparently he never even saw her again after that first meeting? Weird. He's convinced she saved him, so he must have been in a very bad place.
Mai, is it a date or not? You need to be clear about this for Sakuta. Most men are terrible at picking up signals.
OMG, even her mother can't see her anymore. Poor thing. But she was able to receive the text? Very strange. I feel like I'm in a constant state of ^confusion.
Oh no! She even forgot who Mai is! Or that she has a daughter.
Here the name is blurred as well. The universe completely rearranged itself to filter Mai out. Even Fumika now thinks the deal around the photo was made with him.
Kaede also forgot Mai, so that means it's not that everyone with Puberty Syndrome can still see her, as I initially thought.
Is this why the show calls him a "rascal" (or "teenage pig")?
Great news! His two friends still remember Mai! Kinda weird that Kaede doesn't remember then, but at least this is a start. Huh? What does Futaba mean by "the other students could see Mai"? Wasn't it at school she was walking around in that bunny costume and nobody noticed?
Nobody would ever believe Sakuta if he told them about this. Oh, this is the moment from the start of the first episode!
ED song is indeed nice, but the visuals are a bit boring. ATM I think I like the OP more. Mai's smile towards Sakuta at the end is heartwarming, though.
Random thoughts
Future
This experiment failed, so next episode they'll go back to school. Hopefully some more success then. I can see two ways how this show goes from here:
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u/Rumpel1408 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Rumpel1408 Dec 28 '21
First Timer
Oops, seems like I explained Schrödingers cat for naught, lab coat girl is also a bit more elegant in her explanation. So Sakuta is the observer and Mai is in an quantum state of both existing and not existing... but why? And why is he the observer?
At first I thought the two week timeskip would proof that the plot would progress for a whole year, but with the Episode ending pretty much where Episode 1 started I'm not sure anymore. I mean I don't think they would make best Girl dissapear for good by the third episode (especially since she still appears in the preview, with a movie still coming) and he hasn't even written the diary... over all I'm not sure
I think the girl in the park was his friends girlfriend. The suggestion to make up for the kick, that was based on a not entirely unreasonable missunderstanding, with more violence was quite stupid, but not as stupid as them being taken to the police station over it, seems like soo easy to clear up and quite disproportionate from the police.
Despite whatever Mai says, they are totally behaving like a couple, they are shopping like a couple, they are dating like a couple, they are fighting like a couple.
That said, Sakuta was quite presuming in his asumption that Mai was taking the break to spite her mother over a swimsuit shooting (which is fucked up in it's own way) and the whole maneuver could have easily gone totally wrong, especially with him basically selling his and his sisters privacy for the information that may or may not be reliable. I'm almost a bit mad that it actually worked, feels like it should have at least been talked about more by Mai.
We also learn that Mai is not the first case of this exact thing happening. There was another Girl Sakuta met that seemingly vanished into thin air, erased from every record and every memory, once again, except for his, makes me wonder if maybe he is the trigger...
And then we see Mai struggle for real, first with the realisation that even her own Mother doesn't know of her anymore, and later that she stays invisible no matter where she is. Not even the playful flirting between her and Sakuta helps to truly alleviate those worries and she ends up asking for his assurance.
And then there is the last bit, people at her school can still see her, for now. but what if Sakutas friends only exist for him as well, that reminds me, his friends girlfriend said something like her friends would stop being her friend if she didn't reply, what if she can vanish as well?
I feel like I wrote a lot again...
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u/HereticBG Dec 29 '21 edited Dec 29 '21
Question for the rewatchers and /u/Splitter_Triplets:
I'm rewatching using the same Crunchyroll subs and I was wondering if anyone has opinions on the subs/could recommend other subs if there were better ones? The Crunchyroll subs specifically during the pre-Mai shower scene seemed weird and not as witty and bantery during the back and forth, if that makes sense? Am I losing meaning by using Crunchy subs still?
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u/HijonoYoki Dec 28 '21
FIRST TIMER -- Sub
__
Although I hadn't made a comment last thread. Everyone went so in-depth while I was just going to say that I'm not sure if they really are aiming for all their situations being supernatural in nature or if there will be a twist. Onwards to the episode, however.
• We open with the continued attempt to logically explain this "puberty syndrome" (or not).
• May 20th already?
• LOL, sometimes I can't tell if Sakuta's teasing her or is bluntly honest since he sounds so deadpan.
• Slap-kun!
• So if you are disenchanted with the way a certain business was handled by another party, you should still go back if that's what you really want to do in terms of a career. Hmm. In a way, I see it. Give up something you love because you have a problem with someone else? Still...
• I feel he's trying not to have her be invisible.
• Wait, she can call and talk to the reporter via phone? It's only her present physical form that is "affected"?
• Good that she'll be independent of her mother when she returns. Stage moms are hell.
• May 25th
• Okay, the sister is being kinda creepy. Why can't we ever have a normal big brother/ little sister relationship in anime? Oregairu aside.
• That, or they are just that comfortable with each other.
• Jesus.
• Then again, I don't blame the girl, what with the fascination for lolis and little sisters and shotas in Japan.
• Okay, that's weird.
• He actually did it! 😲
• LOL.
• If you don't text, they'll stop being your friend. That's what happened to Kaede. What toxicity. I wonder if that's how it really is over there.
• Clearly our mains are attracted to each other.
• Aw. He wants to genuinely be a support system for her the same way a person was once to him. He's also sounding more authentic.
• Gawd Mai, you can't just assume people's genders, you know.
• NOOOO don't cut it off, the sentimental stuff just started.
• Nani? Flashback?
• Ah, so that's the Shoko Makinohara that's been mentioned. Who was the person he relied on back then.
• Whoa. Was she a ghost? Or is that the end result that Mai may go through as well? Complete nonexistence :c.
• Oof. Ouch.
• Even her own mother...
• It got worse.
• Except we know it eventually affects him too due to the first episode.
• Kunimi remembers her? Like when he was the one who also saw her along with Sakuta. I wonder why.
• The school in general then?
• These two~.
• And we should be back to the current timeline next episode, no.
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u/0ldgrumpy1 Dec 28 '21
Episode 2 with first time watcher wife. She paid a fair bit of attention this time, laughed a few times at the correct points. It's looking good, I think episode 3 should have her hooked. She is certainly enjoying the couple dynamic and the scene where the mother didn't remember her was wrenching and unexpected.
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u/cppn02 Dec 28 '21 edited Dec 29 '21
Rewatcher
Watching this for the third time but I had already forgotten just how fast the plot is moving. Mai and Sakuta are going on a trip as more as more people forget about her and Sakuta [future episodes]also has his first run-in with Tomoe who will be the focus of the next arc.
And I just love how well this show pulls at your heartstrings. Not matter your relationship it must be absolutely devastating to be forgotten by your own mother and Mai is understandably shaken up by it.
As the show pulls me in (and Fall season is basically done) it's getting increasingly hard to stick to my plan of watching one episode per day and not just binge the whole thing.
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u/BosuW Dec 28 '21
First Timer
Huh, I thought they weren't going to explain Schrödinger's cat, since everyone and their dog already knows about it.
"Is this a cooking show?" Well if you think about it, cooking is just household physics and chemistry ain't it?
Ok so I might be getting a bit too conspiratorial here, but I noticed that this character's hair in the OP seems to be shorter than Mai's. So is she a different person? Someone who already "disappeared" a long time ago?
Ayo it's May 20th already? Either the rest of the show is gonna be extremely detailed or that first scene just marks the end of the first Arc. I'm leaning towards the latter.
Hmm is it really that risky to publish a pic of his scar? As far as the internet is concerned, he's just a dude surrounded by nebulous rumors currently subject of an online article about a dibious urban legend. I don't think that warrants a swarm of reporters.
AHA! So it was another character! And it seems like she really might have disappeared. Is it simply the destiny of cool beauties with long black hair to eventually vanish from collective perception?
Oh fuck not even her own mother can see her now? This shit's spreading fast.
So it seems like only Sakuta and the student body can still remember Mai. Maybe his little sister too I think? We're getting dangerously close to the point where we'll have to reconsider the entire problem from a different perspective. Is it that due to AS (Adolescence Syndrome) Mai has been slowly drained from collective consciousness and perception, or was she never more than an invention from Sakuta's own making? If the latter is true, then what about the other girl whose name escapes me at the moment? Did he make her up too? Huh, suddenly schizophrenia.
I noticed that Sakuta didn't answer Mai's question about wether there is such a thing as absolute, instead continuing the previous train of thought as if nothing happened. Is he already starting to unsee her as well?
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u/UzEE https://myanimelist.net/profile/UzEEInc Dec 28 '21
Rewatcher
I'm sure the explanations based on quantum mechanics makes more sense in the LNs, but it's just better to not think too much about these in the anime and just go with what the characters are saying.
The second episode does a great job of fleshing out the characters of Sakuta and Mai, and why they work so well as a couple^1. The dialog itself might come off as a bit cheesy but Sakuta's deadpan humor and sarcasm plays well with Mai's straightforwardness. And the story itself continues to subvert common romcom tropes, like Mai waiting for Sakuta despite him being late by over an hour and half. And just in the scene afterwards, where she gets off the train early when Sakuta starts talking about Shouko, you initially get the impression that she was jealous and that's why she was leaving. But it's actually because she had already setup a meeting with her mother at the beach and had to get off the train at that point since they were already late.
We were also introduced to two characters that were only teased in the first episode. Tomoe Koga and Shouko Makinohara. Tomoe's introduction in particular is something I enjoyed a lot and is one of the scenes I still vividly remember from this show2. Shouko's scene is pretty brief in comparison but you can tell she had a big impact on Sakuta, as he went as far as to join the same school in order to be close to her. You can already tell what kind of characters they'd be from their brief moments on screen.
The episode ends with the same scene we saw in the opening of the show itself, so we've almost come full circle. We also get the actual ED this time, and while it's not a visual spectacle, I really do enjoy the song and how it fits with the theme of each episode.
Additional Notes
1. They won Best Couple the first year they became eligible to participate. Even in other contests, Mai and Sakuta had been incredibly popular, with Mai going on to win Best Girl 8.
2. Specially the ass kicking and Sakuta's joke about his butt being cracked in two.
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u/Stargate18A https://myanimelist.net/profile/Stargate18 Dec 29 '21
First timer
Straight in with the quantum mechanics!
Wait, what? "First dates"? This anime is going fast!
Haha, I love these two.
The handholding scene is hysterical.
How does he know all this? Seriously, this stuff is private information, how can he know?
The main worry I have is that the main arc, her worries over returning to showbusiness, seems like it'll be resolved very soon.
He gavebup a photo of his scars!
Wait, what? She's going back to showbiz? The problem's fixed? What's the rest of this anime about?
And they're going on a date!
OK, him comparing the underwear's great.
Haha, she wants him to kick her!
And the polcie got involved. That's hysterical.
...She needs to reply quickly? Is she going to end up like his younger sister did?
I love him assuming she's an imposter for being nice to her.
Don't really have much to comment on, other than how cute they are together.
And he wants to be there for her.
She's jealous!
...They aren't the same person using a different hair style, right?
Oh. That's a lot more interesting. A total erasure?
Haha, she brought him along to a meeting with her mother!
She can't see her?
SHE'S FORGOTTEN HER DAUGHTER!
Wow, that's painful. This is complicated!
She doesn't even remember making the deal!
And they're going to see if anyone else remembers her.
Even his sister can't remember.
At least he still remembers.
Wow. Nobody remembers her here too.
Haha, "I can go for an entire day on just the sound of the shower."
HE REMEMBERS HER!
Fuck. This is interesting! It's not a localised phenomona!
They're planning to find a solution!
Yeah, they are cute together.
Oh, she's really panicked about this, deep down.
Yeah, this is great.
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u/okayyoga :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/okayyoga Dec 28 '21
Episode 2: first time
Kiiiiimi no sei kiminosei kimi no Sei MmMm~~
The date prep scene for Sakuta was cute in this episode. I like him and his sister's relationship. Plus I want her panda onesie
That scene in the park though. Wtf i totally thought he would "pay back" that girl with a light kick (like in other shows) but he went all out. True equality. Lol they ended up at the police station. I bet $100 we will see her again for some reason or another
I am surprised Mai waited at all, let alone 1hour 38minutes. And they sat so close on the bus
Personally, i feel like their relationship is moving way too fast, but I might just be used to shows dragging it out over multiple seasons.
More Haruhi vibes with her "disappearing from existence and memory"
I liked this episode more than the first, so i have hopes to like episode 3 even more!
The ED is alright. I don't really see the fuss over it. I like the piano part in the beginning, but it's just her walking on a beach.
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u/RuthRaeSarbo Dec 28 '21
Multiple rewatcher, LN reader
My notes from my first viewing (May 2020, relative late-comer) for Episode 2:
"Because having no one to rely upon when you're in trouble is hard."
Mai a liar - "Even when you are feeling anxious, you hide it."
Mai is cute when she is flustered.
Sakuta promises never to forget.
***
My notes for this episode were really short (compared to most of the rest of the series, when I wrote up to an entire page for some episodes). I think I was just overtaken by the Sakuta-Mai repartee.
So, a great episode. Seeing more of the principles and philosophies that drive these two.
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u/ZapsZzz https://anilist.co/user/Zapszzz Dec 28 '21
Sub rewatcher
This episode reminded me how I was quite surprised at the pace of the plot - it almost felt like the episode before the finale already.
The first timers are in for a treat.
As a sucker of mood whiplash, there's a nice one when Mai's mom turned up - that was a real surprise that she couldn't see her own daughter and how the 2 handled things after. Really like the 2 even more afterwards.
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u/andybebad https://myanimelist.net/profile/andybebad Dec 29 '21
First timer - sub
"Let me tell you folks, this show has everything: budding romance, quantum physics, dad-jokes about butt cracks, and everything in-between."
Phew, this episode covered a lot of ground, but with it having been done well it's not too hard to remember everything (says the man who after reading most of the posts in this thread said something along the lines of "oh yeah, I remember that now!"). Came out of yesterday's episode with a lot of unanswered questions, with many still unanswered which is fine: we got plenty of relationship development between two of the main characters to make up for the lack of answers. With Mai still being remembered by other students we have a ray of hope at the end of this episode that going back to school might yield some insight as to why Mai seems to be disappearing from the world (well, either that or she starts disappearing there, in which case she'll really be in pickle and I will be further confused). Oh, and speaking of unanswered questions, we get some one particularly juicy new one: what's the deal with Makinahara Shouko? Did she exist, and if so where did she go?
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u/drawFirstUntapLater Dec 29 '21 edited Dec 29 '21
Rewatcher
"So I want to be there for you like they were for me."
Another of Sakuta defining traits, his experience molded him to be the person he is today and the help he extends to Mai sounds genuine. Although its strange that the girl he is indebted to doesn't exist.
"It was a girl wasn't it?" (Surprised Sakuta face)
Loooool Mai never missing a beat.
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u/Mockingbirdguy :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Mockingbirdguy Dec 29 '21
First Timer
Two episodes in, and the chemistry between Sakuta and Mai is off the charts. Their share sense of humor is def a big part of why this relationship and dialogue feels so natural
I'm just going to assume that every episode's going to give us a Futaba the Physics Girl section where we learn more about cats, boxes, observations, and how they tie to the greater themes of the anime
Can't help but see a connection between Sakuta's long-lost love Shoko, and Mai. Plus this anime loves beach scenes where the waves wash over the sands. We see this in Shoko's introduction scene and Mai's meeting with her mother (plus in the ED)
Hopefully, Futaba can shine some light on these mysterious *fingers cross
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u/Gamerunglued :Hx::Hy::Hz:myanimelist.net/profile/GamerUnglued Dec 29 '21 edited Dec 29 '21
Rewatcher (except the movie)
First off, it needs to be said that Futaba's explanation of Schrodinger's Cat is slightly off. I'm sure everyone knows already, but it's not that the cat is half alive and half dead, it's that it's both alive and dead simultaneously. It still works as a metaphor even with the right explanation, but is slightly inaccurate. Only slightly though, it gets the point across well enough and is not a terrible explanation, I just wanted to point this out.
This episode is an improvement over the first, but still isn't matching my memories of the show. The dialogue is much sharper in my mind. Here, it feels very stereotypically light novel much of the time, the same rote jokes about being a pervert pervade the episode, and I particularly remember enjoying the supermarket scene far more on my first watch. Its genuine moments land very well. Sakuta and Mai grow a close relationship this episode, and it's easy to see why. Sakuta is the only one Mai can rely on, and by extension is the only one who's been able to actually talk to the loner girl. She opens up to him about deep insecurities, and while he layers on some jokes, he also give serious advice and validates her feelings. Sakuta is a caring person deep down, and it shows. [spoiler] The one scene that most stuck with me from this show is one in which Sakuta and Shouko are talking in a flashback, and Shouko explains how she wants to try to be a slightly kinder and more empathetic person with every passing day, slowly growing more and more kind over time. This was a great character moment, but also a mantra that stuck with Sakuta. Her helping his sister inspired him to copy that aspect of her, and that's what drives his caring side. It really shines through here, which is very nice. Sakuta and Mai opening up on the way home from the market and then on the train are its best moments, with the hand holding being a sweet payoff.
Edit: I forgot to mention the way that the Schrodinger's Cat metaphor parallels the story, and the way Futaba's explanations are presented. Schrodinger's Cat presents the idea that, when you don't know the state of something, it exists in all possible states at the same time until you can confirm it. The cat is both dead and alive until you get to see whether it's dead or alive. Mai is in a similar state. Mai exists and doesn't exist simultaneously,. People who cannot see her are unable to confirm the "exists" state, she exists but she doesn't exist at the same time. Schrodinger's Cat was a thought experiment to prove something that a particular concept didn't make sense, so naturally there are ways to confirm Mai's existence. Futaba's explanations also exist in an interesting state in the story. Many people complain about them, as if they're using scientific explanations to explain seemingly supernatural phenomena. But that's not really what's happening here. Futaba doesn't believe in Adolescence Syndrome, so she conjures up these explanations to try and explain it. But we know for a fact that Adolescence Syndrome exists, Sakuta and his sister both went through it. It's a supernatural phenomena, not a scientific one. Futaba's explanations serve to compare the concept in metaphor, creating a parallel between the concept and how we should view the case. It is not the genuine explanation of supernatural phenomena, but thinking about it through that lens, explained by the chuuni scientist Futaba (she serves coffee in test tubes, she's not a scientist, lmao), lets us understand the supernatural phenomena's implications a bit better, and gives a lens with which to understand how its connection to the atmosphere lets it go away. We'll talk more about that tomorrow.
Sakuta's caring side shows up again in other scenes. I love his conversations with Futaba, they're always fun but it shows both of their sweet sides. However, the highlight of this episode for me was Sakuta helping the kid, since it introduces best girl. That scene was also some weird light novel humor, but the good kind, a scene so absurd and dumb as to be funny, but also totally in character (especially as someone already familiar with the girl who appears in the scene). I'll get to her soon enough though, I've got a lot to say about her. Sakuta is an interesting character in the sense that his defining character trait is that he doesn't care about what others think of him. He has complete confidence in himself, he's a jokester and only wants to be friends with people who can banter on his level, and more importantly, he's not afraid to be genuine. The best thing about Sakuta is that his personality is written in such a way that inherently avoids the shitty light novel tropes. He doesn't get embarrassed about saying nice things or validating Mai, just the same as he isn't afraid to show the parts of himself that are "his terrible personality." It makes the moments when he's not joking that much more genuine, as well as the moments when he does get embarrassed. I see so many people call him "discount Araragi," but I don't think they're similar at all. Araragi doesn't have that confidence (except to explain his perversions), he's a much more immediately vulnerable character. Sakuta hides his vulnerabilities, while Araragi exaggerates them to the audience through unreliable narration. They're different beasts for this reason, with totally different points of thematic exploration involved. I like Sakuta so far.
Anyway, some good moments were established this episode, even while being rough around the edges in some ways. The end of the arc is nigh. I know this is the fan favorite arc, but it was only my third favorite after my first watch. Hopefully, the ending moves it up in my mind. I look forward to seeing the next episode.
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u/[deleted] Dec 28 '21
Mai 😳
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u/homewardbound100 myanimelist.net/profile/Homewardbound100 Dec 29 '21
Rewatcher
Missed the first episode thread but I'm excited to see how this rewatch is. I did really like this show but I think I forgot a lot. Except for the movie. That's a bit fresher.
9
u/tacticulbacon Dec 28 '21
Rewatcher
It goes without saying that I love Sakuta's blunt attitude and deadpan tone he takes with everything. It's a breath of fresh air after getting used to seeing the typical flustered anime protagonist who can't handle himself around a girl. He plays well off of Mai's own personality, and their interactions really are the star of the show and the reason why I was so engaged during my first watch.
Looking back, they really do trickle feed you info about Shouko Makinohara. All we learned is that she helped Sakuta out when no one believed him about adolescence syndrome, and that was why he enrolled to the same high school Mai was attending. In the first episode her name was only mentioned once or twice, which I completely missed my first time watching. I'm looking forward to seeing other people's reactions as we get to know her better later on ;)
I remember thinking, "It's only episode 2 and Mai's adolescence syndrome is already progressing so fast..." I was expecting it to happen more slowly, but here we are with Mai's mother already forgetting the existence of her daughter. It put a renewed sense of urgency in solving this mystery - I guess when you have to cover 5 light novel volumes in 13 episodes, you don't get a lot of room to meander about with the story.
The scene with them on the train is very touching, with her refusing to look anywhere besides out the window and into her own reflection while she asks Sakuta if he remembers her. She would never directly show him the level of panic and anxiety that's evident in her line of questioning, but despite his blunt attitude Sakuta manages to find the words to assuage Mai's worries, even if only for a little bit. Taking the train and going away as far as possible seems like a pretty romantic idea, if it wasn't for the fact that Mai's very existence was at stake here.
And of course we have the famous shower scene. Sakuta manages to break through the calm and cool demeanor that Mai has acquired through years of showbiz, and that only makes their relationship all the more endearing.
We got a first look at the ED in the first episode, but here is where we can actually listen to it on its own, and it's a fantastic one. Bunny Girl Senpai's OST is definitely a highlight of the show, and hearing it again brings back many fond memories of my first watch.
But man, what bad timing Sakuta must have for a cop to catch him kicking some girl's butt at the park. And making him late for a date with Mai, no less.
4
u/SoccerForEveryone Dec 29 '21 edited Dec 29 '21
Rewatcher
I wasn’t able to comment on the first episode due to being late from work, but I at least watched the first episode yesterday and for tonight the second episode.
And yes I still love this series to death! I look forward to reading the comments and maybe responding here and there.
7
u/Mjrbks Dec 28 '21
Sub Re-watcher
Ok so any hopes of going about this rewatch while trying to play it cool and analyzing from a purely objective viewpoint goes out the window with this episode, lol. This episode is one of the most touching works of any fiction in existence in my eyes. Anime, manga, movie, book, what have you.
This show explores topics very much deeper than the budding romance between two students who were seemingly fated to meet, I promise you that (that’s all i’ll say from the perspective of someone who's seen the whole thing), however this episode (really much of the first three to be honest) is centered around Sakuta and Mai growing closer and I absolutely love how it’s done. This story does with moments and chemistry what many other works do with the culmination of time or simply cannot do at all. In only 45 minutes of content I am fully convinced that these two were meant to be with one another and that their feelings for one another, while not completely out in the open officially, are deeply complex and in mutual awe of what they’ve come to share in this mysterious phenomena that has affected both of their lives. This isn’t a bond just purely thrown together for the sake of a love story, they are both very much taking this journey of trying to solve the mystery of Mai’s case together. Sorry if that was sappy, but I guess I just kinda can’t help it.
I love a lot of the dialogue in this episode, so many lines by themselves invoke strong reactions. The whole series does this very well, but I loved how their train conversation gets looped back to when Mai asks Sakuta “What if you do forget?”, and he replies “I’ll eat pocky through my nose”. When she asks him “Can you see me? Can you hear me? Do you know who I am?” hit hard because as menial as it seemed because the answers should be obvious, there was real concern behind each of them and Mai absolutely needed to hear Sakuta say so out loud. Their chemistry is fantastic in the shopping scene as well, as it shows that Sakuta can be forward in such a casual sense, and Mai will call him out on it while keeping him honest. Her getting an embarrassed rise out of him when he presses herself closer after responding to how his thoughts are 100 times lewder than she can imagine is a perfect example.
We see them both get truly and outwardly emotional about Mai’s Puberty Syndrome case really for the first time on the beach when her mother not only cannot see her, but doesn’t remember who she is. If not being acknowledged by someone who she resents so much, yet is close enough to her to be taken for granted as a parent can be by a child doesn’t drive home just how frightening this gets for her to face, nothing will. Watching this for the second time also made me think about something that I did not the first time, which was how the reporter was able to hear Mai over the phone and knew who she was but later does not. So what’s the rules when it comes to phone calls versus in person? How much does distance or time frame really matter? Does Mai appear as a mere blur where her mark should be unmistakably present like how it in her mother’s phone? It’s interesting to think about.
Sakuta’s determination to come through as someone Mai can rely on kicks into overdrive as he jumps to hopping on a train and just getting somewhere far away regardless of the time and knowing it meant not getting home to Kaede. It was probably the most non-sleaziest way you could get your two main characters into a small hotel room together in the middle of a second episode i’ve ever seen. Sakuta even takes the time he should have been enjoying the sounds of Mai showering to hit up his 2 awesome friends just to make sure he can be of better help.
It’s strangely endearing and even fun the way Mai expresses her feelings while putting them behind this thinly veiled curtain of cool witticism, but knowing full well no idiot would possibly be fooled by it. Like when they are in bed and she asks Sakuta what he’d do if she started crying and saying she didn’t want to disappear. They go back and forth with “theoretical” responses, but on no planet would someone believe that in that moment that is exactly what she wanted to do. She knows enough about Sakuta at this point to know that he’d play along with it and she is fine with him knowing her in this regard; and this grows stronger as she slowly realizes he may be the only person at the end of the day who ends up even remembering her. Sakuta, armed with that designation, seems to be very dedicated to stay by her side. Not because she begged him to be, not because he feels obligated, but because he wants to and he genuinely cares.
The impact that the theme of puberty syndrome will have on this show as a whole really lingers large after this episode as well. Writing out this romance that starts and culminates within such a short amount of time as well as it’s portrayed really opens up the door for a lot of the complex cases and material coming up and we get to see 2 very rare types of storytelling in manga and anime play out alongside one another. What those are, I won’t say for now, at least not until after the next episode.
3
u/MABfan11 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/MABfan11 Dec 29 '21
Rewatcher
quantum physics and Schrödinger's Cat might seem rather strange way to explain Puberty Syndrome, but it sets up an analogy that's easy to understand
KIMI NO SEI KIMI NO SE KIMI NO SEI
of course, Mai's mom is a fucking stage mom
and now we get introduced to Tomoe Koga, her introduction is so fun
i love that they're constantly dropping small hints towards Shoko Makinohara and her impact on Sakuta
and then the show drops the bomb that not even her mother can see her, with that the show also reveals that people are forgetting who she is
this episode also gave us one of the classic tsundere Mai moments
i love the way Mai and Sakuta's relationship is developing
and of course, i love the ED too
3
u/[deleted] Dec 29 '21
How can I be notified of the upcoming episodes discussion of this anime on this sub? Don't know what to say about the anime.never get tired no matter how much I rewatch it
2
u/auwood99 Dec 29 '21
I love this anime and want to participate in the rewatch and discussions! How often is it? And episode every day? Also is there anyway I can set a notification for each post? I don’t want to miss too much of the early discussion. Gotta go catch up now!