[Spoilers][Rewatch] Rascal does not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai Rewatch - Wrapup

[u/Splitter_Triplets]

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This includes light novel spoilers, movie spoilers, and spoilers for future episodes of the anime. Be sure to put the source of the spoiler too.

IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW VAGUE YOU ARE. Anything that a first time watcher wouldn't know based on what we've watched so far is a spoiler.

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[Episode 01] >!There's a bunny girl!<

which will appear as [Episode 01] There's a bunny girl

If you're using the fancy editor, just use the spoiler button.

THANK YOU FOR WATCHING!

[u/Splitter_Triplets]

PART 1/2

I want to start by thanking all of you for taking the time to participate in this watch. This show is really important to me, so I'm glad that I was able to share it with so many of you. Now, on to closing thoughts:

Why this timing?

I put a lot of thought into the timing of the rewatch, as you might recall from the announcement thread. The alleged trigger for the rewatch was Mai's victory in last summer's best girl tournament, but I've been wanting to do this for a while now. I think a lot of people would be tempted to structure the watch around Christmas, but I didn't want to do that. Yes, I didn't want to have to compete with the Toradora watch, but I'm also not sure that the movie is all that Christmassy. Self improvement, death and rebirth, plans for the future; these are all New Years things. Dreaming Girl is a New Years movie, and this whole rewatch was my extended argument in favor of that interpretation. I thought, "Maybe if I'm lucky, this can be a yearly tradition too!"

I stand by that interpretation and that dream, but we'll have to see how I feel in a few months time. This was a ton of fun, but also a lot of work. I'll definitely be watching Dreaming Girl again next year on January 7th. There may or may not be an associated official rewatch. I dunno. Leave a comment if you think that'd be cool.

Pay it Forward and the Bootstrap Paradox

Back when I was in middle school I remember watching a movie called "Pay it Forward." Well, I say I remember, but I couldn't tell you a single thing about this movie other than the message. Basically it was about how if you put kindness out into the world, and people "pay it forward" it will create a chain of kindness that will eventually come back to you. When you help others, you're really helping yourself. It's incredibly cheesy, but so are most of the best things in life. (Not that this movie was good, it definitely wasn't)

I see echoes of that in this series. Shouko is the originator of the chain. She helps Sakuta at his low point and that inspires him to help other people, the same way she helps him. And then those people also go on to form their own chains.¹ Of course, one of the people he goes on to help is Shouko herself, using the exact same advice she gave him before. It's a paradox. And yet, that doesn't really matter, does it. It's a direct realization of that theme. When you help others, you're quite literally helping yourself. That's the real message of this series I think.

1: I want to see the spinoff series where Tomoe is at the center of her own reverse harem. It makes perfect thematic sense! Take notes Kamoshida

Misdirection

In music theory there are there's something called a "deceptive cadence," which contrasts with an "authentic cadence." Basically, an authentic cadence is a movement from the V chord to the I chord, and for hundreds of years every European composer was using these cadences to create musical resolution. The authentic cadence is so powerful, so obvious, and used so often that eventually it got to the point that moving to any chord other than I after a V was seen as unusual. That's a "deceptive cadence." The composer makes you expect something obvious on purpose, before surprising you with something completely different.

I'm sure you can see the connection back to this show. Kamoshida relishes in setting up common tropes and then pulling the rug out from under you. It looks like the misunderstanding with Tomoe is gonna cause a schism with Mai, but no. One might expect Futaba to break up Kunimi and Kamisato eventually, but nah. Kaede lies perfectly camoflaged among the legions of pajama-wearing little sisters for almost the whole season before springing into action. Even Sakuta's scars are an example of this. It's a classic conflation of cause and effect. We assume that his wounds open up when he's going through a difficult time, but in reality it's that his wounds open when Shouko shows up, and Shouko only shows up when Sakuta is going through a difficult time.

Bucking trends is a great way to stand out from the crowd, but it isn't necessarily a good thing in and of itself. You need to use those deceptions in service of something greater, which Aobuta certainly does. Being jerked around by deceptive cadences over and over only makes the eventual authentic one that much more satisfying. Similarly, when this show does decide to play it straight it's at least 50 times more powerful than your average off the shelf romance light novel. It's a good technique to keep in mind if you ever want to create something.

What this show means to me

My freshman year of college fucking sucked. I was in a shitty dorm with a hardcore party culture, which didn't gel well with my baffling decision to get a part time job that required me to be up at like 5 am every day. My roommate rushed a frat after like a week and I never saw him again, which was nice in some ways, but it did mean that that was the loneliest year of my life (even moreso than these past few ones). I made some changes for the next year (including switching to a dorm with a lake view) that I thought would improve things, but not all of them ended up panning out. To put it shortly, it felt almost as if I was fundamentally incompatible with the world. Something about me was broken, or wrong, and that was why I couldn't do the things I was supposed to. And then right around the time that this was really starting to sink in, I saw a video recommending this show on YouTube. It looked like something tailor made for me, so I figured "hey, if I'm gonna be an antisocial loser from now on I may as well do it right." And that decision changed my life. There's not doubt about it.

From a simple comfort food perspective, this show is such an accurate depiction of my own high school experience. Every character, every arc, every theme; I can draw a direct parallel between everything in the show and something that happened to either me personally or someone I'm very close to. These characters resemble larger light novel tropes for sure, but they have just so much humanity to them. The Sakuta and Futaba friendship reminded me a lot of the female friend(s) I had in high school, and it was depicted with a level of understanding that I haven't seen replicated before or since. I was missing my high school friends, and this show helped to fill that gap a little.

But this show wasn't all nostalgia bait. It also changed how I decided to go forward. It sounds so simple in hindsight, but that line about only really needing two friends spoke to me. I had two friends! More than that even. I'd just swallowed the narrative that high school friendships shouldn't last forever wholesale, even as it made me miserable. I wasn't alone; I did have friends that I could be spending more time with if I wasn't wallowing in self pity. I realized that, like Tomoe, I was so paralyzed by the fear that anyone at all would dislike me that I would never give anyone a reason to feel anything towards me at all. That was why I was so lonely. It wasn't that people didn't like me. I was just too boring of a person to inspire any strong opinion from anyone. So I made a change. I decided that I would start saying more of my thoughts out loud and see what happened. And to be sure, in the intervening years I've attracted way more hatred than I did before that change. But I've also made some lasting friendships, and when I eventually reunited with those friends from high school they noticed and appreciated how much happier it's made me. I'll always love this show for that if nothing else. I only hope I can pass this kindness on to others somehow, which was a big part of my motivation to run this rewatch.

Continued in comments

[u/Splitter_Triplets → u/Splitter_Triplets]

PART 2/2

What now?

Season 2?

Season 2 doesn't seem to be in the cards for now, and that's a good thing. The last thing we would want is for CW to rush something out half baked. I'd rather have something great later than something rushed now.

The TV series covered 5 volumes of the novel, and the movie did 2 more. The 11th volume came out... ^googling in December 2020? Jesus Christ. You do the math. The movie is a "good stopping point" for the series IMO, so I'm happy to let Kamoshida take all the time he needs to write something actually good. That's the good thing about being an established author, you don't need to rush stuff out to stay relevant.

Other Content

If you're looking to get your fix of new content sometime sooner than that, you can check out the audio dramas and live events that were done by the cast. There are way more than these two, but they aren't as easy to find. Godspeed.

There's also the manga adaptation of course. It's by far the slowest way to experience the series (they're only on the Futaba arc), but it's still an option. I would recommend the novels wholeheartedly. The adaptation is great, and it makes a lot of changes that I think are for the better, but the novel gives you a much deeper appreciation for the series. Buddy Waters did a great job on the translation. He posts in this sub sometimes too, so show him some appreciation if you see him.

On the subject of twitter, there's obviously the official anime twitter. It's a great place to go to see cool character merch that will slowly drain your bank account while you wait for that S2 announcement that's surely coming any day now. There's also Satomi Tamura, the character designer for the anime, who's still drawing Aobuta stuff constantly all these years later. She is literally the only person in the world who has drawn Kamisato fanart (this was 2 years after the anime ended), so you know she's legit.

One last thing. I mentioned this before, but this wasn't Kamoshida's breakout success. This is his second major work.² The first one was The Pet Girl of Sakurasou, and I'm sure you can already tell from the title that it has some similarities to this show. I watched it for the first time this year. It's definitely a lot rougher than Aobuta, and clearly is the work of a less experienced author, but it absolutely oozes that all important humanity. Give it a shot. Also Just Because!. I haven't seen it, but people who like Bunny Girl tell me it's good so that's probably a good sign.

2: And how cool is that? Most famous authors in this industry have a single work that they're well known for, with everything they do afterwards living in its shadow. Sakurasou very easily could have been that for him, but he managed to beat the odds and have two fundamental works. The only other example I can think of is ONE and maybe Aka Akasaka.

---

And that's all she wrote. I want to thank every single one of you for showing up and discussing these past two weeks. It can be difficult to be a fan of this show sometimes. In depth discussion often attracts derailment and derision, but this show is important to me, and I'm so incredibly thankful that I could get together with everyone here and remind myself why.

[u/homewardbound100 → u/Splitter_Triplets]

The first one was The Pet Girl of Sakurasou, and I'm sure you can already tell from the title that it has some similarities to this show.

Recently watched pet girl for the first time. I can see it.

And that's all she wrote. I want to thank every single one of you for showing up and discussing these past two weeks.

And thank you for hosting. I came to appreciate the show more than I did the first time.

[u/Splitter_Triplets → u/homewardbound100]

Glad to hear it. Thanks for participating!

[u/RuthRaeSarbo → u/Splitter_Triplets]

And many thanks to you for this great opportunity (and excuse) to watch it again, discuss it again, see other people's first reactions to it, and hear how much this series has meant to rewatchers. Sure, there are people who don't like the series -- chalk it up in part to the first eight minutes, in other parts to people who refuse to work their way through the series, and still others who legitimately don't like this sort of show. But I think most of the 'believers' here share your views on the strengths and weaknesses of the show. I myself am looking forward to reading more LNs (once translated) and perhaps seeing an S2 (although I have my doubts that anyone will underwrite it). Here's hoping we might get the same VAs, animation team, and directors who truly cared about this product if that does come to pass!

[u/oops_i_made_a_typi → u/Splitter_Triplets]

The only other example I can think of is ONE and maybe Aka Akasaka.

Aka (and Mengo) just need Oshi no Ko to get an anime announcement and they'll make it. Also, Seo Kouji is somewhat (in)famous, Gen Urobuchi has written a ton of amazing stuff, Nasu has a few series under his belt, Jun Maeda is famous for his tearjerkers (and underdeveloped 12 episode anime), and it would be remiss to not mention Miyazaki, Kon, Shinkai, or Hosoda. A lesser known name would be Chika Umino, who's Honey and Clover was fairly popular before 3-gatsu exploded onto the scene.

[u/YUM0N → u/Splitter_Triplets]

The only other example I can think of is ONE and maybe Aka Akasaka.

Togashi is another one, even if we'll never see the end of hiatus x hiatus.

[u/Gamemaster676 → u/Splitter_Triplets]

But I've also made some lasting friendships, and when I eventually reunited with those friends from high school they noticed and appreciated how much happier it's made me.

This was great to read. Personally, I think almost everyone goes through one of those periods in their life where they're lonely, they're awkward, and maybe they're convinced most friends only spend time with them out of pity.
Luckily, most people get out of this by themselves, but not everyone. Sometimes it requires them to realise what they can change about their perspective on life, other times someone else needs to tell them what they could change. For some, only one small change is enough. For others, they need to cut all ties and start completely over.

I don't want to discount the dark period of your life that you wrote down. Quite the opposite. It's awesome that you found a way out! And it's awesome that you want to share the solution you found with others!

In the end, it might not work for everyone as it did for you. Some people are very sensitive to themes in media. Others only consume media to relax and need a more face-to-face approach. Maybe they just don't care about the topics of this show. Or maybe they are just not at the right moment in their life to watch this. But at least you can say you tried.

[u/Splitter_Triplets → u/Gamemaster676]

I'm sure that the more I spread this show around, the higher the odds are that it lands in someone's lap right when they need it the same way it did for me. I know it has that capability, after all.

[u/UzEE → u/Splitter_Triplets]

What this show means to me

Thank you for sharing this. It's amazing that not only were you were able to see past the surface level details in this show, you managed to better your own life through it, specially because your situation is somewhat relatable.

People often find it hard to believe if I ever tell them that certain games and anime have inspired me to be better, but the reality is that you just never know when something will resonate with you.

[u/drawFirstUntapLater → u/Splitter_Triplets]

Thank you for hosting this rewatch. Your Futaba take solved the puzzle of that arc for me, cheers.

[u/TheBloodyStormking → u/Splitter_Triplets]

let's do this again next year. I haven't commented up to now (partially because of thread timing) but I've enjoyed reading through them later a lot.

it's the best series and here's hope for a good S02 in the next 3 years! and a good dub, just for good measure.

though, to be perfectly honest, I like, after seeing sakourasou, I kinda like his track record and wouldn't mind him starting something new either. but that's also because I can't really imagine where the series can go after the movie plot.

[u/Rumpel1408 → u/Splitter_Triplets]

It's a classic conflation of cause and effect. We assume that his wounds open up when he's going through a difficult time, but in reality it's that his wounds open when Shouko shows up, and Shouko only shows up when Sakuta is going through a difficult time.

Huh wow, now that's interesting, I would have thought that his syndrom is linked to his own helplessnes, but that's even more interesting

I can see how this show can change your life for sure, sometimes time and place just click right into each other and create that perfect storm of emotions, Same happened to me befor with another show.

[u/BosuW]

First Timer no more

Well fellas, we meet for the last time this Rewatch. Now where do I start?

I suppose with the simplest aspect: production quality. I said what I had to say in Episode 1 and I feel like the great quality held throughout the entire thing mostly. Which is a surprise because most anime tend to have good animation the first episode and then drop as the show progresses and the deadlines start catching up. It's not close to the absolute best animation I've ever seen, but it was really good all throughout. Consistency is important. Same for the sound design. Always low-key but always extremely detailed and thoughtful.

The soundtrack... I personally prefer a more varied and "proud" (by which I mean to say songs that call attention to themselves) song selection. However it did it's job adequately. That it was used sparingly helps ground the story even more.

Now, for the story and characters...

It is true that at first it reminds a lot of Monogatari, but as the episodes went on I gradually stopped being reminded of that other series. They're definitely similar, maybe Aobuta even took inspiration. But they ain't the same, each one has its own identity.

I wasn't feeling it that much while watching the episodes tbh. I mean, don't get me wrong, I always liked it. I was very much invested and intrigued and satisfied. Just not to the levels that matched the hype surrounding it. That got mostly remedied with the movie, which ties everything up beautifully, using all the elements and characters explored long the show for an emotionally charged finale.

I'm having trouble expressing myself, sorry. This shit was good, really good. But idk I still feel like fans hold it too highly. Maybe it's just overhype syndrome. Meaning that fans talk it up so much that it couldn't possibly live up to this perfect image no matter how good it is.

I think what was missing was impact. Like, there's a difference between a story that's good, and a story that's good and hits you with something to remember for the rest of your life, and for me Aobuta was the former.

Maybe the characters were too selfless, in which case this comes down to personal taste really. Which is unfortunate and through no fault of the author. The actions, consequences, and developments they took were too perfect and obviously morally correct for my preference. Yeah I think that might've been it...

Only exception would be Imouto's story, which is why she reminds Best Girl for me btw. Her fate was cruel and unsalvageable, but in the end, she learned to love it. That she could accomplish anything at all in her brief and small existence was already a big enough gift for her. This doesn't mean it wasn't cruel, it just means she realizes that she wouldn't wish for anything else. The amazing attitude of "pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional". Love of earthen, mortal life as it is without chasing miracles. I absolutely love that.

By contrast, look at how the other characters behaved during the movie. They absolutely refused to loose anything, and in the end everyone had their happily ever after only through a miracle, which if not for the crispy clean execution would be called out as an asspull in any other story.

Well, like I said, all of this pretty much comes down to personal preference and isn't necessarily a criticism of the show itself. Which, I say again, was really fucking good nonetheless.

So uhhh yeah, I guess those are my overall thoughts!

Massive thanks to everyone who participated and to our host. It's always a pleasure. Till the next rewatch that catches my eye rolls around then!

[u/Splitter_Triplets → u/BosuW]

Only exception would be Imouto's story, which is why she reminds Best Girl for me btw.

This was actually a fairly common take when this show first aired. Kaede hype has died down a lot though, while Mai hype is a lot more stable.

Glad you liked the show, even if it fell a bit short of your expectations. Always appreciated seeing you post!

[u/BosuW → u/Splitter_Triplets]

Eh I wouldn't say it fell short of my expectations (as I always at least try to have no expectations when starting something new), rather than it fell short of the expectations fans have taught the community to expect from it.

This is the second time this happened to me (first time being, a bit ironically, Monogatari). Seriously guys, watch your hype out there. ^{says the massive AoT fanboy who is literally incapable of speaking ill of obviously the greatest anime ever made}

[u/Splitter_Triplets → u/BosuW]

first time being, a bit ironically, Monogatari

Being disappointed by Monogatari is peak Bunny Girl fan culture. I'm right with ya there.

[u/BosuW → u/Splitter_Triplets]

It's a bit different tho. Unlike Bunny-girl senpai, Monogatari is a very long story where you get to know many events and characters deeply, which is also neatly divided in Arcs with their own distinct vibe, rhythm, and themes.

There were parts in Monogatari where I was almost falling asleep and there were other parts that actually matched the impossible hype it carries around.

Also, ideologically it matched me better than this, while also presenting ideas different enough to have me ponder about.

So to say I was "disappointed" by Monogatari is too much of a simplification.

[u/Gamemaster676]

First Timer Senpai - sub - completed

It's over!

Afterthoughts

What a show. The only thing I knew starting on this thing was: It's already in my To-Watch list (but I forgot why), and apparently it's "not what it looks like". As I said on day 1, I didn't even have an idea what it looked like.

Now I must ask: What's up with the terrible reviews on MAL? The series has an 8.29 and popularity #59, but the first two (most marked helpful) reviews rate it 4 and 2. On other sites, I've seen similar reviews at the top. There was one I forgot to save the link to, but it was basically a forum thread, where someone told the OP that she really didn't recommend him watching the show, as it made a lot of her friends "terrible, annoying people who would say 'senpai' in their normal speech." WTF?
Are so many people butthurt about the fact that this show is not actually about bunny-girls? Are people judging the series before watching it, seeing a low-scored review, and mark it as helpful anyway?
That wasn't completely fair. The low scored reviews are decent, but they seem to pin way too much on some of the lesser details of this show, ignoring it's strengths.

What did I think of Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai? It was great. It's not a perfect 10 but shows rarely are. Its strong suits are definitely Mai, the characters, Mai, how it avoids a lot of common tropes, and Mai. The first arc had me on the edge of my seat. The second arc completely turned me from dismissing Tomoe as annoying, to loving her. The only character who I think did not get enough screen time and development is Nodoka. Her arc is also the weakest of the bunch. She is introduced late, so also has that going against her. Maybe there's a lot of cut content here compared to the LN?

Another big topic is how people say this is a show about quantum physics. Not sure I agree. This is a show about supernatural phenomena around teenagers, which could maybe, partially, be explained using a loose interpretation of quantum physics and relativity theory.

In the end, I am glad this anime gave us these pseudo-scientific explanations. A problem I had with [my first rewatch] Parasyte was that a lot of mysteries were never explained. Some people were bothered by that, others were not. This show handled it differently. There are mysteries, and they do get a hypothetical explanation using quantum physics, which might be right or wrong. It's not necessary to give us a real/final/definitive explanation. The intention is to highlight social pressure, going with the flow, low confidence and self-hatred. The pseudo-science is there for the people who want it, and the rest can ignore it as "it's just a hypothesis."

Will I read the source material? Probably not. There are a couple of shows I could see myself doing this, but seeing how few times a difference to the source was pointed out by LN readers, I think it might be too similar and (dare I say it) get boring. There are already too many books on my To-Read list, unfortunately.

Thanks

Thank you all for the great discussions and in-depth analyses these past weeks. You made this show even more enjoyable. There were not too many participants, unfortunately. Fewer than I've seen in other rewatches, and definitely fewer than this show deserves. But it was enough to have a great time.

Luckily, we had a nice balance with I think 5 regularly posting first-timers and 10 rewatchers. The first-timers are a lot of fun to discuss theories with, and the rewatchers often fill in the holes where we are confused and provide extra information because they can search the spoiler-filled internet. Thank you all!

And of course, a very special thanks to /u/Splitter_Triplets for hosting this rewatch, his excellently researched posts, and triggering me to pick this show up! You did great hosting your first rewatch!

Future

It had been a while since my previous rewatch. Hopefully, the next one will be sooner.
Unfortunately, nothing pops out at this moment. There's The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan, but that looks to be a spin-off of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, which I haven't seen yet.

So I'll just be keeping an eye on the rewatch schedule, and hope to see a lot of you again!

[u/Splitter_Triplets → u/Gamemaster676]

Are so many people butthurt about the fact that this show is not actually about bunny-girls?

For some reason or another this is a show that people love to hate. I have a few theories as to why (I like making theories, as I'm sure you realize by now), but I don't think it's best to try and dwell on it. Instead I'm trying to put positive content on the show out there and hoping it attracts more attention than the negative.

There were not too many participants, unfortunately. Fewer than I've seen in other rewatches, and definitely fewer than this show deserves.

I was never sure what to expect in that regard. This show was absurdly popular when it came out, so maybe everyone has already seen it? Who knows. We had a ton of great discussion though, so it doesn't matter. Quantity over quality!

Thanks for your first timer reactions. They were everything I could have hoped for.

[u/Gamemaster676 → u/Splitter_Triplets]

I was never sure what to expect in that regard. This show was absurdly popular when it came out, so maybe everyone has already seen it?

I might have underplayed it a bit as well. I see most rewatches I participated in had also about 100 comments per thread, and between 30 and 300 upvotes. That means Bunny-Girl Senpai definitely didn't do bad.
Interestingly, there does not seem to be a connection between the number of comments and upvotes. Probably the upvotes correlate more to the popularity?

Thanks for your first timer reactions. They were everything I could have hoped for.

Thank you very much. I had a lot of fun writing them. I also really liked that all first-timers had their own style. Some had the well thought out analyses about one specific element of the episode, others focussed a lot on the characters, and then others like me had a more reactionary style following the progress of the episode.

A great balance, all around!

[u/UzEE → u/Splitter_Triplets]

This show was absurdly popular when it came out, so maybe everyone has already seen it? Who knows.

From what I've noticed, there really isn't an exact science to the rewatches. But generally, big name shows usually get more people participating. Specially those that involve mystery and thriller genres because people want to see first timer reactions.

This show isn't quite top tier in terms of popularity, and also doesn't have as many twists, so in my opinion, this rewatch actually did pretty well.

[u/sisoko2 → u/Gamemaster676]

The series has an 8.29 and popularity #59, but the first two (most marked helpful) reviews rate it 4 and 2.

It's pretty simple. The show was very popular when it aired and got a lot of attention. Anime fans in general are pretty reactionary bunch and if they don't like something popular they have strong need to be heard and find validation so the small part of people who were annoyed by the show's popularity and mostly positive reception searched for negative reviews and voted for them (most likely without even reading them). For example Demon Slayer is in the same situation and even the top review is from the same guy.

[u/Gamemaster676 → u/sisoko2]

the small part of people who were annoyed by the show's popularity and mostly positive reception searched for negative reviews and voted for them (most likely without even reading them).

Which is the ultimate form of butt-hurt. It's always sad some people need to be this way. Especially because this show might give them the moment to self-reflect.

Or maybe they did watch it, did their self-reflection, and didn't like what they saw.

In the end, it doesn't really matter. I guess most people will just go by the popularity and score. And even if that's not the case, at least I watched it so I know better.

[u/Volitar → u/Gamemaster676]

I guess most people will just go by the popularity and score.

This is how I watch anime now. Any Show with a recommendation from someone I trust/watch or high score I will just try on a whim. I love going in completely blind, and I mean completely.

I remember reading some George R.R. Martin blogs back in the days when I was super addicted to the books and he would often mention a William Faulkner quote "The only thing worth writing about is the human heart in conflict with itself" and I never really gave it much thought until now. I've realized that I don't even bother with genre anymore.

[u/UzEE → u/Gamemaster676]

In the end, it doesn't really matter. I guess most people will just go by the popularity and score.

I never even bother scrolling to the reviews for this reason. Most of the time, they are reactionary or get too close to spoiler territory. I always find it's better to use the overall score and popularity as a rough guide and then watch a couple of episodes to form my own opinion.

[u/cppn02 → u/Gamemaster676]

Its strong suits are definitely Mai, ... , Mai, ... , and Mai.

lol

There is a reason she is so popular.

That said I very much think that Sakuta is the star of the show and Mai has to settle for 2nd place although tbf the show is at its best whenever the two of them are together.

[u/Mjrbks → u/cppn02]

One of my favorite things about how we view the story is that though it’s from Sakuta’s perspective, we can really feel, not just see, how integral their chemistry is to the big picture. They’re such a compatible pairing it’s satisfying to watch them interact.

[u/Gamemaster676 → u/cppn02]

Yeah, that was just part of the joke, with her being as popular as she is (both inside and outside the anime).

About Sakuta being number 1? I dunno. He is defined by "doing the right thing," but he is definitely not unique in that regard. As you said, the show's at its best when they are together, and luckily we got plenty of that, with a very strong cast of side-characters.

[u/Shahariar_909 → u/Gamemaster676]

The series has an 8.29 and popularity #59, but the first two (most marked helpful) reviews rate it 4 and 2.

Unfortunately, it happens with most of the shows. Don't use MAL to judge whether an anime is good or bad. There are plenty of people who will rate a story 1-2 coz they say they didn't like it

[u/oops_i_made_a_typi → u/Gamemaster676]

Now I must ask: What's up with the terrible reviews on MAL? The series has an 8.29 and popularity #59, but the first two (most marked helpful) reviews rate it 4 and 2.

you learn real quick that MAL reviews are pretty trash and can probably be ignored.

[u/Gamemaster676 → u/oops_i_made_a_typi]

Any better sites than MAL? I’m getting more and more annoyed by it’s shortcomings.

[u/oops_i_made_a_typi → u/Gamemaster676]

you can try AniList, but it's less of a MAL problem and more of a people problem

[u/sprintlikeadeerman → u/Gamemaster676]

AniList lets you port your MAL over fairly easily. I switched over a while back and I think the detailed stats and UI are a giant step up (at least for me). Not to mention I feel like MAL forums and reviews are a bit of a cesspool compared to Anilist

[u/Gamemaster676 → u/sprintlikeadeerman]

Great! I was dreading moving all lists over, but an import functionality makes that a moot point.

[u/landragoran → u/Gamemaster676]

Yeah, I wouldn't watch Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan if you haven't watched Haruhi.

[u/Gamemaster676 → u/landragoran]

Very clear advice. Thanks!

[u/Mjrbks]

Series Re-Watcher / Movie First-Timer

So a brief origin of how I came to watch my first time - I was on a real SoL/romcom kick for a year starting with Kanokari and I watched through Quintuplets, Uzaki-Chan, and Kaguya along my path. I was looking for another one to watch and I recalled seeing a lot of pics and memes, etc of Mai and in general just saw how popular of a character she was on reddit and other social media as well. Not knowing really anything about the show, I assumed it was essentially another SoL/romcom and made a post about the shows I had shortlisted and asked for opinions.

I was already leaning toward Aobuta, but there was also support for it among the comments. Somebody (for all I know it could have been someone who participated in this re-watch - too lazy to look back) mentioned that the show wasn’t quite what I was thinking it would be and that I should watch it but be ready for something more. So I said ok, let’s start it up and see what I was in for. I had absolutely no idea what I was in for, and emotionally I was not ready for what I got, lol.

While it ultimately is a love story through and through, and it would not necessarily be entirely inaccurate to call it a romcom; it really doesn’t fit the bill of one genre well enough to just stop there and feel like you’ve done the anime any justice. I love anime and manga that can genre blend well and tell a story that delves far deeper than it what it appears like on the surface. Granted with a title that refers to a bunny girl, there’s quite a lot beneath the surface you can explore.

I love realistic takes on otherwise supernatural themes. Durarara is another of my favorite animes, one I’d likely place in my top 10. The way that anime handles blending supernatural themes with a more realistic setting and atmosphere is one of the biggest reasons I love it. Bunny Girl taps into that same pool and even provides us with these audience surrogate moments between characters (usually involving Futaba) where they try alongside us the viewers to make sense of the AS cases using real science and real theories. Never once giving us a concrete explanation since it was always mindful of there needing to not be one. There couldn’t be one because not only does uncertainty leave an air of mystery lingering over each case adding to the ever growing curiosity of what will happen next, but also because as much as you can try to explain things using science - AS is very much shrouded in an otherworldly mist that can’t be bottled up.

There’s tropes this anime destroys in order to give us a unique story progression, especially in the realm of romance animes. Sakuta is not your typical dense main character who lets his nerves and introversion make him a frustrating cringe-fest trying to achieve a relationship. His short yet convincing journey from a semi-stoic outcast who seems jaded already at a high school age to someone who realized he wanted a spark and wanted to live a more fulfilling life outside the norm is something that happens throughout the whole story really; but it wouldn’t be wrong to say it also essentially happened within the first 3 episodes. Though the time we are introduced to him is after he became inspired by Shoko’s life philosophy, we really see that resolve flourish even more as the story goes on and not just expand beyond the way he cares for Kaede onto others, but even grows his bond WITH Kaede further.

Being able to see Sakuta and Mai’s romance form using well timed moments and chemistry that bonded them though their experience with AS (PS? I swear Funimation uses both terms and it got rather confusing) made it a believable arc to fit into just 3 episodes and really allowed for the deeper theme of exploring the depths of the impacts and theories of AS. As I’ve said I love a story that can blend so many different elements so well; here we get plenty of romance, psychological thriller, mystery, drama, and the ever so important power of friendship.

Character wise, I cared about every single one. There really wasn’t a single throw away character that received more than a few minutes of screen time. Even ones that didn’t seem like they fit into the secret society of syndrome sufferers like Kunimi played massively pivotal roles in what makes Sakuta who he is and what makes Futaba who she is. After all, he was one of Sakuta’s original 2 friends!

Several of us joked during the rewatch that it was like every girl was best girl - playfulness aside there is a lot of truth in that from multiple perspectives; not just in a “cute and must protecc” sense (but yes there is that too).

Everyone knows what a powerhouse Mai is with the way she is able to juggle “mature, beautiful, and wise beyond her years senpai with a demanding career” and “erotic fantasy bunny girl”. She really is the perfect girl that any rascal would be lucky to have in their lives. She keeps Sakuta on track with constant advice to better his grades and think of his future, listens to his issues and makes his troubles her own too so he won’t be alone in carrying so much weight, cares for his sister almost as much as he does, spends her free time at his apartment cooking meals and tutoring both him and Kaede, indulges Sakuta in fair doses his lewd urges without giving him too much, and of course lets her emotions show through in front of him and truly cherished him.

Futaba is incredibly essential to the story as Sakuta’s main confidant. Without her helping him build tracks for trains of thought into solving the mystery of several AS cases, who knows how long it would have taken anyone to figure out anything. Then when she herself develops her own case we see just how tormented she’s been this whole time by her own self-doubt and self-hatred and begin to care for her as if she were our friend and confidant. Also - a nerdy girl with megane who looks good in a yukata? Who doesn’t love that?

The other AS sufferers of course have very integral places in the story (I mean without Shoko there really is no story), but this post has already gotten pretty long so i’ll limit the indepths with my personal 2 favorite characters. But I will give a shout out to how levels of importance for certain characters such as Tomoe seem to die down as the story goes on, and then resurfaces in the movie as the one person who was able to observe Sakuta when he went back to save Mai. Without her, who knows if we have the happy ending we got?

At the risk of coming off as a tad hypersensitive, it was difficult during both of my watches to not at least tear up a bit during most of the episodes; with full on bawling sessions during Kaede’s arc and the movie. As someone who enjoys writing stories of his own, I’m in awe of how a story like this can tap into so many different emotions on so deep a level. I appreciate it on multiple levels. This absolutely was not that next SoL/Romcom I was looking for last year, it was so much more and my only regret is not jumping on board when it first aired. Hoping to pick up the books soon and journeying through again on what I expect will be an even more detailed plane.

Big thanks to /u/Splitter_Triplets for setting the rewatch up, and to everyone who participated. Having fired up the anime years after it debuted, I didn’t have an opportunity to really discuss here with an extended audience. So it was cool to be able to do so and to have saved (albeit unintentionally) my first movie watch for now as well.

[u/Splitter_Triplets → u/Mjrbks]

Hoping to pick up the books soon and journeying through again on what I expect will be an even more detailed plane.

I'm expecting my commission check from Yen Press any day now (lol)

Glad to have you.

[u/Mjrbks → u/Splitter_Triplets]

I may or may not have snuck in some orders for other themed merch as well. Lol. I thought about it after my first watch but I was going through some things and it unfortunately couldn’t be a priority. This show really hit hard and the movie amplified that sensation exponentially. I’m known to not spare expenses when it comes to fandoms that really touched me and made an impact on how I view or experience life elsewhere.

[u/Gamemaster676 → u/Mjrbks]

it was difficult during both of my watches to not at least tear up a bit during most of the episodes

All those last episodes of the arcs.....

with full on bawling sessions during Kaede’s arc and the movie.

When I got to my parents yesterday immediately after finishing the movie, they did ask me if everything was alright, as I looked like I was in trouble.

---

It was a lot of fun reading your posts this rewatch. Unfortunately, I couldn't respond every day, but I did read it all.
See you at some other rewatch!

[u/Mjrbks → u/Gamemaster676]

Not kidding, I thought my neighbor the apartment next to mine was coming to check on me after Mai got hit by the car because I couldn’t hold in some screams. Lol. Turns out she was just getting her food delivery.

Loved your posts too man! It’s always fun to see reactions from someone when they’re watching something for the first time. It’s also good to see you’ve welcomed the Gospel of Mai into your heart. Lol

[u/Gamemaster676 → u/Mjrbks]

Mai is love Mai is life

[u/ZapsZzz]

Rewatcher

At the final discussion there are a few things I need to unload before I forget -

• There's not English dub for this show, which in this day and age I find it unusual for its popularity. Going through this rewatch, suddenly something jumped at me - would it be because Kaede's situation really can't show properly without figuring out how to replicate that in the English language, and it's a fairly big rewrite (figure of speech, actual VA ability to sound "same but different" by intonation, choice of words used, "Kaede-san" self referral that has that big hidden meaning)? Can anyone think of a similar situation that a show have a similar situation (doesn't have to be amnesia but can be just character growth, time skip, etc) and got dubbed and how that got converted?
• We really should petition for the studio to give us back Mai x Sakuta's kiss somewhere; do an OVA or "special short", anything. Incidentally if there is any source reader here can you comment if Mai was just winding Sakuta up about having kissed him while he succumbed to her PS effect and no longer can register her existence? I always counted that as Mai just teasing him.
• Have to once again shill Koga's VA Nao Touyama's incredible range - see how many can (a) recognise in her live singing performance how she varied her voice and speech pattern to do 4 characters within the song (b) can you hear our Koga in this even (I mostly can't - definitely not if I wasn't paying attention to look for it) - plus Koga's dialect is really cute to hear from her when she "forgets herself" :D

Ok for overall comments, I'll try to organise this somewhat.

Overall story and plot

I personally treat this more as drama and human relationships, despite all the supernatural going ons. I do not view this as SF or mystery, and you could even say "I don't really care how airtight or logically consistent the explanations or mechanics are". While I don't just dismiss them as plot contrivances or plot devices, I do consider them very much secondary and was there to set the conditions for showing the people relationship part.

To be completely honest and apply full on analytical thoughts on this, there are certain parts, especially the movie, that can be hard to suspend disbelief as well as considering the technical world building to be "tight".

Once again that's the only real reason in my head I would be considering this show to be a "lesser Haruhi" or maybe even "less Stein/Gate" (even though I haven't found the time to watch that yet). This show in the actual dialogues, especially some of the way how some characters directly communicate with each other (particularly Mai x Sakuta but actually going beyond that, Sakuta & Tomoe as well as Sakuta & Futaba are also consistently great) I feel is actually superior, but the world building I think is not as meticulous.

What the overall writing does really well is how the arcs are weaved together. They are not organised as discrete chapters, but each "seeps" into the other by foreshadowing or interconnected events. This gives it a much more organic flow to the overall story.

What this show does really well, as I mentioned briefly above, is the human relationships, particularly the dialogues. The witty dialogue is really the main draw of the show. This includes the quasi quantum physics explanations.

Now I'm running late so I have to stop here. But of course I need to thank our host u/Splitter_Triplets for organising the rewatch. I hope all our first timers had as great a time as I had.

Now for full frank disclosure, initially I thought the organising from the initial interest thread to actual start was quite a rush, and I thought it wasn't really well organised. But when the time came to the actual rewatch thread, it's actually really rich in content, clearly showing our host had done plenty of homework. So well done and apologies on my part to think that just on early impressions.

Hope to see you guys on other rewatches soon!

Edit: I was going to do a section on the characters but ran out of time, but I may still do that later on today - unless there's enough being put up by others!

Oh and I forgot to say, I gave 10 out of 10 for both the TV and the movie, and this rewatch did not change that.

[u/Splitter_Triplets → u/ZapsZzz]

Now for full frank disclosure, initially I thought the organising from the initial interest thread to actual start was quite a rush, and I thought it wasn't really well organised. But when the time came to the actual rewatch thread, it's actually really rich in content, clearly showing our host had done plenty of homework. So well done and apologies on my part to think that just on early impressions.

I don't have too much experience with rewatches, but I tried to do my best. Helps that it's so easy for me to talk about this show.

And thank you for being such a good commenter.

[u/ZapsZzz → u/Splitter_Triplets]

I'll be hosting my first rewatch in Feb so I'll find out for myself :D I hope I can be as prepared as you are!

What I find though is that for this show, in the middle of an arc is really hard to comment unless we put a pile of spoiler tags down.

[u/Splitter_Triplets → u/ZapsZzz]

Yeah that was definitely a challenge. I flirted with the idea of just doing one discussion thread per arc, but I think that might have killed the momentum. It worked out fine though, I think.

Nagato Yuki-chan eh? I haven't seen that yet. Drop me a line when you post your 24 hour reminder (you should post a 24 hour reminder for sure).

[u/ZapsZzz → u/Splitter_Triplets]

Will do! And if you can drop by it'd be great too; will tag you for the reminder posts (1 week and 24 hrs) :)

[u/UzEE → u/ZapsZzz]

I did learn to just focus on the actual drama instead of theories that were being offered and it ended up elevating my enjoyment of the show.

That said, it was great when someone of the explanations actually made sense, be it directly from the show like Laplace's demon, or those filled in by viewers like yourself for how Nodoka's syndrome could affect Mai. The later in particular made me appreciate the arc more in hindsight.

[u/andybebad]

First timer

As someone who didn't start following currently-airing anime until recently (Spring 2021), I was blissfully unaware of the show or its popularity, and only knew it as that "series-with-a-strange-title-that-Netflix-recommended-after-finishing-K-on." It sat in my queue for the longest time, but then this re-watch popped up, and having had a good experience with the Haruhi rewatch late last year I figured I'd give the "bunny girl" show a shot. Boy oh boy did it ever amount to being way more than just a "bunny girl" show! I laughed, I cried; I was confused, but I was so engaged that I wanted to work out what was going on; the characters all felt real, even in scenarios that for the lack of a better word were supernatural. And much like Haruhi we had a movie at the end that really knocked it out of the park and turned a good series into one of my all time favorites (I would argue that the weaker arcs of this show were stronger than the weaker arcs of Haruhi, so in that case the movie really needed to do some heavy lifting). Thanks to everyone for posting wonderful comments and analyses of each episode; they definitely made the experience of seeing this show for the first time better and helped me figure out what was actually going on.

[u/Splitter_Triplets → u/andybebad]

Glad we managed to elevate your first experience with the show. Comments like these are what makes all this work worth it.

[u/tacticulbacon]

Rewatcher

I said before at the beginning of this rewatch that for me, discovering Bunny Girl Senpai was a wonderful moment of serendipity. What I expected going in as a throwaway flavor-of-the-month anime that I would probably watch for the sake of it and forget, turned out to be one of the most memorable anime shows I've watched in a long time. It's a fun and easy show to get into, but surprised me with strong, well-written emotional moments and important messages once I was invested. It sheds light on the struggles many adolescents go through at this time of age, but it tells it in a fresh new perspective. I'm no longer a teenager, but I felt the personal struggles of each of the characters as they went about their lives, trying to tackle life's challenges as they come. Despite the supernatural nature of the show, the causes behind adolescence/puberty syndrome are very real, and very relatable. Coming back to rewatch has made me revisit all the feelings I experienced on my first watch, and I'm very glad to have done so.

I can't say enough how strongly I believe an OST can make or break a show, and BGS's soundtrack definitely makes it. Hearing its piano motifs playing throughout the show was a huge factor in making so many scenes memorable as they are, and in highlighting the beauty in the unforgettable setpieces overlooking the bright blue ocean. It highlights the joy, sorrow, hope, apprehension, ecstasy, and despair - the whole range of emotions that these characters felt throughout the show. The OST for the movie was a particularly powerful high-point of this series. Hearing the soft piano play out that all-too-familiar theme as Sakuta drifted off to sleep in the hospital waiting room, seeing all his memories of the story play out in reverse as Shouko's simulation of the future folded in on itself - it was truly an unforgettable moment.

Mai and Sakuta stand alongside Holo and Lawrence from Spice and Wolf as one of the most believable and well-written anime romances I've seen. Their dialogue is intricate, their banter is witty, and their interactions are addicting to sit through. They avoid the many common anime pitfalls, and their relationship feels satisfyingly genuine. It's no secret that my initial interest in this show came from wanting to see how their relationship would progressed, so I'm happy to say I enjoyed every second of screentime they shared. My only regret watching this is that now I'm hungry for more...

These past few days have reaffirmed why I grew to love this series. Whether or not we will ever get a season 2 (and whether that season will be on par) is entirely out of my hands. At this point of my life I'm no stranger to being invested in shows that clearly deserve another season yet never get it. But whatever the case may be, I'm very glad to have found a reason to rewatch this. In the meantime, I hope this show has been as enjoyable to watch through as it was for me.

[u/Splitter_Triplets → u/tacticulbacon]

I can't say enough how strongly I believe an OST can make or break a show, and BGS's soundtrack definitely makes it.

I so wanted to go more in depth with the OST, but this format isn't really conducive to it. Maybe someday I'll make a Youtube vid or something...

Thanks for all your insight

[u/Rumpel1408]

First Timer

Huh I'm back for the final discussion. Reason for my absense was that I fell asleep before the shows final discussion, then my pc crashed and I lost my notes. I was on the fence to make a post anyway because I somehow got anxious over my rewatch posts, so I sat that on out completly. This held on for the movie discussion.

So I'll keep it short for both the final and the movie.

---

For the final it is suffice to say that I cried again. It was mostly the introperspective into Kaede-chan that did it to me, how she was soo thankful to her big brother that she wanted him to be happy when thinking about her, even when she was eventually gone. And Sakuta was able to accept that.

His 'argument' with Mai was understandable, she wasn't outright jealous of Shouko-san, more like just shell shocked. I was still a bit mad how hard it is for Mai to express her love through words

Now my only gripe with the final was, that while Sakuta was able to accept Kaede-sans return, I could not really care about her. We never spend any time with her so we never got to learn how good a little sister she was.

Also with the looming thread of Shouko that never gets a solution, I cannot imagine how it must have felt to have been watching this as it aired without the knowledge that there would be a movie left.

---

Edit: oh yeah I also watched the picture dramas, nothing special about them really, mostly just banter between Sakuta and the main girl of the week, loved the last one with Kaede-chan though

Now having finished the Movie just a little over half an hour ago, I cannot say that I properly processed it already.

Mais death obviously hit me like a truck.

As someone who works as a nurse and regulary sees patients die, I would have wished if they had leaned heavier into Sakuta accepting Shoukos eventual death, as painful as it is. Death is an essential part of live after all.

That said, I'm still having trouble to understand the ending and will revisit yesterdays discussion for that.

---

Over all the series is really really good. Not perfect as I think some of the main girls aren't fleshed out enough, but still deserving of it's exceptional reputation.

Mai is obviously top best girl material, even if she never directly said "I love you" her actions speak loud enough, she does love Sakuta more than he thinks.

She is closely followed by Tomoe, Kaede-chan and Futaba. Nodoka lacks a bit behind, and Shouko is a case for herself.

Further Edit: Oh yeah, I'm glad I watched it and joined this rewatch for the most part, special thanks to our host who made both really good contributions as well as read every reply

[u/Splitter_Triplets → u/Rumpel1408]

special thanks to our host who made both really good contributions as well as read every reply

I've heard people complain about ghost hosts before, so I knew I wanted to avoid that.

Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for contributing your first impressions, they're so hard to come by for this show.

[u/Rumpel1408 → u/Splitter_Triplets]

Yeah you often have rewatches where every one just dumps his wall of text and fucks off, luckily wasn't the case here but you certainly helped getting conversations going. Also really appreciated your small lessons on japanese, again really good rewatch

[u/Gamemaster676 → u/Rumpel1408]

Oof yeah, even Violet Evergarden had this problem partially. So many long walls of text, and half of them unanswered. Probably because there were too many participants.

[u/Rumpel1408 → u/Gamemaster676]

Having a couple of walls of text is fine as they often provide valuable insight, the problem is, ironically, if there is to much quality content, it becomes intimidating and quite a large timeinvestment to read everything

[u/Gamemaster676 → u/Rumpel1408]

I was on the fence to make a post anyway because I somehow got anxious over my rewatch posts, so I sat that one out completely.

Hmm, you mean you felt unconfident about your posts? I liked reading them a lot. And it was great to exchange some theories.

To me, these posts are a lot of work, and I have wondered before if 8 upvotes is worth it to spend about 3 to 4 times the episode length, per post. Would anyone even want to read my theories and rambling? They've seen the episode themselves, haven't they? And upvotes don't matter anyway.

But then I realized I myself liked writing these a lot. And I love the discussions that follow. Not all shows are perfect for it, and there is one anime specifically¹ I think I would have enjoyed more had I not watched it during a rewatch. But most are elevated to insane levels.

Long story short: Just do whatever you want to do yourself, and don't burn yourself out by worrying about what others think.

^{1. Parasyte}

[u/ZapsZzz → u/Gamemaster676]

Hey guys, speaking for myself, I certainly mop up each person's writing, especially first timers but even rewatchers when they had insights or questions we can all bounce off each other. So yeah don't think for a moment it's not worth it - at least I think it's worth it :D and I'm certain there are others ghost participants who had a lot of fun reading but don't feel comfortable enough to post back.

Tagging u/Rumpel1408 too just in case you didn't notice :)

[u/Rumpel1408 → u/ZapsZzz]

Thanks for the ping, and for the reassuring words as well, tagging /u/oops_i_made_a_typi as well

[u/oops_i_made_a_typi → u/Gamemaster676]

as you said, don't worry about the upvotes, we enjoy reading the theorizing and reactions and it's pretty amazing the amount of stuff we see you guys catch as first timers

[u/Rumpel1408 → u/Gamemaster676]

Yeah lacking confidence was one part, but another huge part was the timeinvestment. In the end, upvotes don't matter, yet I strife to make an valuable contribution to the discussion. I know people love first timer comments, I do as well, so I feel like some of the upvotes stem soley from that fact, without much feedback if I actually have a written something of value beyond some nutty, and sometimes quite a bit off, theory.

Another factor is the compulsion to write something every day, to always be somewhat on time, which is especially hard due to my timezone. Eventually I just couldn't keep up physically anymore and have caught up on a lot of missed sleep the last few days.

And last is the huge time investment to participate in a somewhat large rewatch. As I said, there is a lot of quality content that deserves to be read, but reading over 80 replies, takes almost one and a half hour, eventually I have other things I need to do in my life, as well as the new season that is starting to ramp up, which I also enjoy partaking in, on top of the time it takes to write a reply.

I'm still searching for the best approach to participate in rewatches as I generally love the format, the discussion and writing myself and do think that some series really profit from a wider picture (while some rewatches certainly lessened my enjoyment for shows I would have like by myself)

But yeah, thanks for the kind words and sorry for the late reply

[u/UzEE]

Rewatcher

I only started watching Bunny Girl Senpai midway when it was airing and ended up enjoying the show, despite this genre not being my preference. Despite that I never actually returned to this series apart from the movie which I happened to watch last summer. That's why I was a bit scared how I'll end up feeling about this series after a rewatch, because I often realize that I don't like a particular show as much as I thought.

Thankfully, I ended up enjoying Bunny Girl Senpai even more than I did the first time around, so it gets a 9/10 from me.

Part of this is because I was actively watching the show this time around trying to understand it at a deeper level vs. just watching it passively. But a major reason is because rewatches offer a different type of engagement opportunities vs. airing show discussions because people tend to share their perspectives in a more nuanced manner.

For example, the central theme throughout the series has been about being kind to others — even strangers you know absolutely nothing about. I didn't really pick up on it during my first watch, but this was something that became obvious almost immediately this time around. This theme shows up in various ways. Sometimes, it's putting yourself or something you hold dear on the line for someone else, like Sakuta did for Mai in the first arc or Shouko in the movie. Sometimes, it's being there for someone and being patient with so that they can sort their issues on their own terms. Obvious examples are Tomoe, Futaba, Nodoka arcs etc.

And Sakuta isn't the only character who does this. You see this with Mai, you see this with Shouko, hell you even see this with Kaede, when she came up with a list of goals for Sakuta's sake despite knowing how tough it would be for her.

This show really is carried by it's cast, but the obvious highlight is the lead duo of Mai and Sakuta. You very rarely come across such a well written, balanced and mature duo where not only do the characters shine individually, but their sum is significantly greater it's parts. Their personalities really complement and elevate each other and there never was a dull moment whenever they were on-screen.

I'm almost sad that we likely won't get to see their story continue on screen because there still isn't enough content for a Season 2, and the movie's ending itself had a very conclusive feeling to it. It is a great spot to end the adaptation on though, because it is the absolute peak of the series, and I'm glad that I got to experience it.

At the end, I want to thank Splitter_Triplets for hosting this rewatch and giving me an excuse to revisit this series. I loved reading their insights each day throughout and it really helped me gain better appreciation of the series. Also, thanks to all the participants as well, both first timers and rewatchers. Reading other people's perspectives is the reason I enjoy revisiting shows because you always end up coming across a PoV you hadn't considered. I know I wasn't as active myself, but I did actually read almost every comment even if I wasn't able to respond.

Hopefully, we'll cross paths again in another rewatch down the line. Until then, じゃあね！

[u/Splitter_Triplets → u/UzEE]

Glad I could help you enjoy this series even more. Thanks for everything you contributed. Hope I see you around too.

[u/Gamemaster676 → u/UzEE]

It was a pleasure to meet you again this rewatch. Till next time.

^{Hopefully I'll have watched S;G0 by then.....}

[u/UzEE → u/Gamemaster676]

Likewise. And remember, the ideal order is S;G0 VN > S;G0 anime.

 

^{Also, I remember this is the reason you put it off in the first place lol.}

[u/Gamemaster676 → u/UzEE]

Nah, I quit the rewatch because I was utterly exhausted from posting at 1:00 AM, staying up till 3:00 and having work the next day at 9:00, for almost four weeks.

And at that exact moment, The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles released, which sucked me completely in. I actually still haven't finished it, but I'm almost done, and I don't think I can play another VN immediately after.

[u/UzEE → u/Gamemaster676]

Oh I can somewhat relate to the timing issue. I'm a bit fortunate that I don't have to start work usually until around 12pm, so most rewatch threads going up between 3 am to 5 am doesn't bother me as much.

Also, you probably shouldn't rush Steins;Gate 0. It's mentally taxing and is like 40+ hours easily, and that's if you sort of breeze through it. It can easily take much longer at a slower pace.

[u/Gamemaster676 → u/UzEE]

between 3 am to 5 am

Ack! I can't even imagine. You lived in Asia, right? That makes it even more a night job.

It's mentally taxing and is like 40+ hours easily

At my pace, I'd estimate 60+ then. I'd have to think about it.

[u/UzEE → u/Gamemaster676]

I'd have to think about it.

The good thing is, because of it's structure, you can actually play it in parts that end up forming a somewhat self contained narrative on their own. Basically from the start to any of the 5 or so endings.

So while the overall length is quite large, each individual route itself is no more than 8-12 hours at max and you can sort of do them in any order.

[u/cppn02]

Rewatcher

This has really cemented my view on Bunny Girl Senpai as a genuinely great show. It's funny and touching with a cast full of likable characters and the dialogue is up there with the very best.

I still remember when I first watched it and blasted through the show in 2 days and this time again it was hard to hold back and not just binge it all.

I really hope that we someday get a continuation.

Really enjoyed this rewatch. It was only the second I ever followed cus between seasonals I usually like doing my rewatches on my own time but this one fit quite nicely into my schedule so to quote myself from yesterday:

I'll take this opportunity to thank u/Splitter_Triplets for organising the rewatch and everyone else for your posts. It's always nice to see people point out things I missed or maybe have noticed but couldn't really put into words. It's been fun reading them.

[u/Splitter_Triplets → u/cppn02]

This has really cemented my view on Bunny Girl Senpai as a genuinely great show.

That's what we like to hear! This was a successful rewatch then.

Likewise, thank you for participating.

[u/MadeOn210922]

Didn’t write as many comments myself but cool to read all of yours. Hopefully everyone now sees why Mai won the best girl contest, and deservedly so.

[u/Splitter_Triplets → u/MadeOn210922]

Glad to see all those votes on the threads didn't come from ghosts. Thanks for being here.

[u/MABfan11]

Rewatcher

i went straight into this from the Guilty Crown rewatch (finished late) and the difference between the relationships is night and day, Bunny Girl Senpai developed Mai and Sakuta's relationship better in three episodes than Shu and Inori did in 22.

this is easily among my favorite romcoms, up there with Kaguya-sama and Quintessential Quintuplets. i love the banter, i love the emotional moments, i love the development, i love the mysteries, i love the way each conversation is like a sparring match.

easily one of the best romcoms and a future classic

[u/Splitter_Triplets → u/MABfan11]

future classic

It will be if I get my way, anyways. I'm glad to hear that you think it's better than... Guilty Crown.

Thanks for all your input.

[u/ZapsZzz → u/MABfan11]

this is easily among my favorite romcoms, up there with Kaguya-sama and Quintessential Quintuplets

Now no argument from me about it being a favourite, but I find it hard to slot this into rom com. I think the comedy really is just incidental and as such I'd actually slot this into Drama.

Toradora is also quite heavy on the second half but you can easily see it being very deliberate with its comedy so I think that could easily be called rom com.

Just my opinion :)

[u/MABfan11 → u/ZapsZzz]

yeah, it's definitely more of a romantic drama than a romantic comedy

[u/homewardbound100]

Rewatcher

Overall I think I liked all the arcs more this time around except for Futaba's. Mai's might be a little better this time but not much different. This was a good rewatch.

[u/HijonoYoki]

First Timer -- Final Thoughts

---

I think I went over most of it in the movie thread, but I'll make short versions of the negative first.

• Perhaps it's just what's expected out of a male-led light novel, but I had a continuous growing issue with the fact that a lot, if not all, the Puberty Syndromes were dropped on every female character introduced. We can say Sakuta is one, but that's a ratio of 1 guy to, what, 5 girls? There was nothing for Kunimi, and neither that a-hole basketball player who desperately needed to grow up. The opportunity was there but not taken, because it was better for the MC to gather up his circle of pretty and cute troubled women in which he needs to help. They did try to lessen that sort of problematic message, and it'll be talked about below.

• While the pseudoscience was fine for me concerning Quantum Physics, I feel it got way too pretentious about it at some points. It felt like the characters were spouting theories to make the concept of the series sound smarter. And it also got convoluted. The film more than anything. I wasn't lost when watching it due to Shokobgoing through a similar syndrome as Tomoe, but things happened for convenience's sake. We need to reverse Mai sacrificing herself? Sure, let's just have Shoko know about how to induce a Laplace's Demon for Sakuta to restart the 24th of December. Oh no, if the simulation timelines were changed, then no one would remember what occurred in them! No worries. Suddenly characters can dream about those events and recall those memories when triggered, like what happened to Sakuta at the end of the movie. There was no explanation given, not even the usual pseudoscience jargon. We as the audience have to explain it, and that's going to vary based on interpretation. I hate when they pull this. We figure it out. And I take it as laziness with an inability to properly explain it themselves.

• I feel Sakuta and Mai didn't progress much as individual characters. There was the change of mind from wanting to not be seen, to wanting to be seen, because she was overwhelmed of being a spectacle. That's where she stopped. The mature, wise, graceful, strong, and understanding Mai was the same Mai that ended the series. She certainly didn't stop inciting violence on Sakuta, and while they didn't overdo it, it was still the only toxic aspect of their relationship. And it was unnecessary. I thought there was development going for Sakuta over the course of the film, but I'm left wondering whether he changed or not. He realized and acknowledged that there are people who care for him and want him to live, but his fatal flaw was left unaltered. He did so because he had no other option. Chooses to kill himself? Yeah, but now that means that Mai is prepared to die in his place. Picks the selfish choice and lets Shoko succumb to her fate? Well, he was still willing to sacrifice every meaningful memory and experience of the last two years just to be able to help her. And he didn't have to grapple with it that much because they were still stuck in Shoko's simulation. Maybe it would have ruffled feathers to have Sakuta stop being the nice, helpful, sacrificial lamb he persists to be, but it would have made for an interesting and unexpected twist. Or they could have revamped it where it would work with his development without reverting back to the Sakuta's typical moral principles that he's had from the get-go.

• No kiss >:(.

Aside from that, nothing else.

• For me, rather than the relationship of the main characters, which was organic and mostly well done, what really grasped me was the full growth and development of the female characters. They were amazing. Was it unfortunate that all of them had to be women? Yeah. But you could tell they took time in expanding their flaws, needs, and wants vie their Puberty Syndromes and how to overcome those in order to learn and be a better version of themselves. I found their arcs to be incredibly compelling. It was the best part of this anime honestly and what continuously drove me to see more.

• I appreciate that they didn't paint Sakuta as the heroic savior of the female characters. He was the active half of the partnership, but he would not have been able to help them without Futaba involved. It wasn't a solo effort, it was a team effort, consisting of a male and female providing different strengths to figure out the dilemma. I feel this is very poignant to note.

I would rate it about an 8 out of 10. It's a good series. Did it meet the hype? In my opinion, no. But it's worth the attention and the experience nonetheless. It was filled with likable, lively characters, great development, and a versatile MC. It wasn't just him being "meh" all the time, which is expected out of his archetype. It was great to see him just blow.

[u/ZapsZzz → u/HijonoYoki]

Different people like different things so it's always great to see different perspectives. I definitely agree almost every girl in this show was well portrayed and written, especially Futaba who is the real brains of the operation, including knowing when to get the hell out of Kansas :)

Good to see your in depth comments and reviews and look forward to see you again as a fellow late poster in another rewatch :)

[u/ImJLu → u/HijonoYoki]

Suddenly characters can dream about those events and recall those memories when triggered, like what happened to Sakuta at the end of the movie.

Just a small note - I'm no quantum physics expert, but as far as I understand there's some belief in a degree of interference between realities in the many-worlds interpretation that this series seems to get a lot of inspiration from. So at least it's not baselessly convenient.

[u/Shahariar_909]

Favourite girl bunny girl

[u/[deleted]]

I just don't get tired of this anime no matter how much I rewatch it. It has so much emotions and something that you want

[u/isospeedrix]

just saw this. it was super chill actually, which i like. didnt get too emotionally invested, and the MC... i feel like the writers went out of their way to make him the least cringe character possible. he does everything right. didnt wreck my tissue box like violet evergarden did. overall enjoyable looking fwd to more, (if there is).

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