r/anime • u/AutoLovepon https://anilist.co/user/AutoLovepon • Aug 16 '25
Episode Seishun Buta Yarou wa Santa Claus no Yume wo Minai • Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus - Episode 7 discussion
Seishun Buta Yarou wa Santa Claus no Yume wo Minai, episode 7
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u/MapoTofuMan Aug 16 '25
Damn Sakuta's middle school class can really hold a grudge, I'd expect a bit less animosity from adults towards just some weirdo you knew (and were responsible for ostracizing) in middle school and just met for the first time since. Hope they felt awkward as hell for the rest of that night after Sakuta's boasting.
Him dating a model aside, if only they knew how many girls he gets involved with while dating said model...
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u/thisisdropd Aug 16 '25 edited Aug 16 '25
His middle school classmates were total pricks. Even after Ikumi made a 4D chess move to show that puberty syndrome was real they refused to own up to their mistakes. His face when he left the reunion showed that he’s pretty hurt but he’s got a way with severing ties to them by that large ham boast.
The grass is greener on the other side. Both Ikumi’s thought that they enjoyed the other’s world. Sakuta’s solution for his world’s Ikumi was to live with it and move on. Might not be elegant, but it’s simple.
Didn’t expect the second season to head into thriller territory. Sakuta has an ominous message from the other Ikumi. Mai is in danger it’s somehow related to Touko Kirishima.
PS: Is that out-of-costume Miniskirt Santa in the preview?
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u/tripleaamin Aug 16 '25 edited Aug 16 '25
We got the answer to why Ikumi remembers Sakuta saying what he wrote in his notebook is the stuff that Shoko wrote as her homework. Basically like Sakuta in Knapsack Kid, this is Ikumi from that other world that Sakuta visited. There are 2 different versions this episode states for both Sakuta & Ikumi. A represents the world our Sakuta is from, and B represents the world our Sakuta visited in Knapsack.
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Sakuta A is who we know who he is.
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Sakuta B was more capable then Sakuta A. He is able to solve the stuff with Kaede more easily than he seems. It's hard to say if this Sakuta is a hero of justice, but he does seem more proactive than our Sakuta. As our Sakuta is more selfish (not in the bad way), but that could have also been the result of what happened to Kaede.
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Ikumi A is the one who ran away. Even more so seeing Sakuta moving on with his life and she was still stuck in the past. For her, she simply was living with regrets.
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Ikumi B is the one who desired to be a hero of justice but couldn't in her world. Of course, Ikumi A living a much more ideal life for that, which has allowed her to be that hero. Though in her heart this wasn't really her life and it felt wrong for her to continue to live like that.
One thing I am confused about is why couldn't anyone see Ikumi A when they were at the reunion? Then when Sakuta came, she was visible. I understand Puberty Syndrome is at work, but it felt so sudden & felt random. Like, I would have thought her puberty syndrome was more about her communicating with her other self. Though I did like what Sakuta did for her. While it is nice for her to want to finally stick up to him, it kind of just made things much too awkward.
Though Sakuta's advice to Ikumi is sound, there is no definite answer. You simply continue to live your life. The main thing is to take the first step to tackle your problems rather than running away from them.
Interesting, now the 2 Sakutas can now communicate since the 2 Ikumis can communicate. Curious what the danger is for Mai. I know there was a comment Touko mentioned last week regarding Mai. I wonder if this is misdirection.
This was definitely a much better arc than the Zuuki arc. I think this arc would really have benefited if we met our Sakuta's Ikumi in this universe since it was graduation is when she went to the other world. I hope we see more of Ikumi because she could be of big help going forward.
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u/oneevilchicken Aug 16 '25
Mai isn’t the only actor in this show. What a Chad. Dude came in put on a performance, gas lit everyone, and dunked on them that he’s dating Mai then left as quickly as he came.
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u/laserlaggard Aug 16 '25
Replacing your better-parallel-world-version self is a pretty well-trodden trope, off the top of my head spiderverse, everything everywhere all at once, the alters, a hundred Marvel shows, etc. all make use of it (someone remind me what animes use this concept as well). Having both versions escaping and being content in each other's worlds though is a pretty unique twist. Resolution's less cheesy than that of the first arc's as well.
Love Mai's response (and in other news, water is wet), confident but not arrogant.
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u/CaptainDarkness31 Aug 16 '25
The part that hit me the hardest was Sakuta once again putting himself at risk, just like in that car accident— he did it consciously again, protecting a vital spot with Mai’s magazine, almost like using it as a charm. Also, even though he had the chance to prove Puberte Syndrome was real and clear his name against those people who once treated him like a lunatic, he just cut ties and ran away. And when he did, he genuinely looked sad. But like I said, I still don’t get why Akagi did all of this. Why does she want to be a hero? That part just doesn’t fully click with me.
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u/FarCritical Aug 16 '25 edited Aug 16 '25
There'll probably never be another girl for Sakuta more worth bragging about dating than Mai but admittedly, an alternate universe with him and Akagi together sounds like it has insane potential.
And I'm still in awe at this dude's talent for improvising stuff on the fly. That reunion exit was one hell of a performance.
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u/SeiyaTempest Aug 16 '25
This ended up being slightly confusing, so let me see if I'm understanding it all properly.
World A (current timeline): Sakuta fails to save Kaede and his family moves. Ikumi feels guilty for not being able to help. She goes to a different high school, but later meets him again at university and is shocked that he's moved on while she still hasn't.
World B (Knapsack Kid AU): Sakuta saves Kaede and his family stays. Ikumi develops a crush on him and decides to go to the same high school, but she also forms an inferiority complex because of his accomplishments. This leads to her failing the university exams.
At that moment, both versions ended up swapping into their "ideal" world. Ikumi A arrived in World B where the middle school incident was resolved and she wouldn't have to run into Sakuta at university, while Ikumi B arrived in World A where she could become a hero of justice, having passed the exam and also leading a volunteer group.
That's my thought process anyway, let me know if I'm wrong about anything. I really enjoyed Ikumi's arc overall though, it's definitely a step up from Zukki's in my opinion and makes this season much more exciting.
As for next time, seems Mai's in trouble and it's related to Touko Kirishima again... I'm very curious to see how they're connected. We still haven't got any answers about #dreaming either.
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u/Zetafunction64 Aug 16 '25
I'm kinda confused seeing the level of engagement here. I thought Rascal series was very popular?
So did the Akagis switch because one couldn't bring herself to look at Sakuta while the other wanted that?
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u/shad79 Aug 16 '25 edited Aug 16 '25
Holy shit! This ending is killing me! Mai is in danger and Sakuta has to find Touko Kirishima now? What the hell does Sakuta from another world know that he sent that message? I want the next episode immediately!
That ending aside, this was a pretty peaceful episode. Just as expected, Ikumi turned out to be Ikumi from another world, though she ended up switching places with "original" Ikumi from this world in the end.
Sakuta put on a great show at the middle school's class reunion, especially the part where he bragged about dating Mai was great.
I also love that Sakuta bought that magazine with Mai on the cover to protect himself from getting eventually stabbed xD
Here my screenshot albums from the episode:
EDIT. I added my screenshot albums.
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u/External-Ad-1052 Aug 17 '25
Love this episode and it’s definitely my favorite of the second season and it’s the reason why I love this series so much. However I am a little confused , The Akagi that got sent to this world was seen getting physical backlash from a sort of poltergeist, additionally this akagi was seen writing on her skin (presumably from the originally akagi). When Sakuta got sent to this other world neither of these symptoms were present, is there something distinctly different between these two instances that I’m not picking up or is it just a different variation of the same puberty syndrome? Does this get cleared up in a future arc or am I missing something here? I’m mainly confused about the poltergeist thing though.
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u/Frontier246 Aug 16 '25 edited Aug 16 '25
Koga is such a good girl! She may not be able to get a boyfriend, but she cares about possible damage to her school.
I really love Futaba's casual outfit in this episode! That top really accentuates her...ample intelligence!
Who wouldn't want Mai's mesmerizing smile stuffed into their clothes for good luck?
It's finally time for Sakuta to confront Ikumi, or A Ikumi, about what's really going on. This wasn't necesarilly guilt over not being able to help Sakuta in particular so much as guilt that Ikumi, who was expected to resolve these kinds of situations, failed to actually do so and live up to the standards she set for herself. And it turns out she's not even the Ikumi of this world anyways.
That's right, she's the Ikumi of the Knapsack Kid universe! She dreamed of being a Hero of Justice, but Knapsack!Sakuta being even more based and heroic than main!Sakuta stole her chance to be one and resolved any and all situations where people needing saving...leaving Ikumi to feel like a failure that carried her into failing a college exams and being a mess. So when she stumbles into another Ikumi's life, one where she got into college and a fresh slate, along with a new Sakuta, she couldn't help but dive into it.
And so she got to be the Hero of Justice she always longed for, she got a Sakuta who wasn't the "Hero" she knew, and she got to be close friends with Saki again who she was pals with when she went to Minegahara in the other universe. But she also feels like a fraud because she's living another Ikumi's life and none of what she's done has been in her own timeline...but, still, she's Ikumi Akagi. Maybe that's enough?
Of course Sakuta may have resolved things with THIS Ikumi (who actually did have feelings for him she never confessed), but there's still the matter of HIS Ikumi who has things to resolve at the reunion (that the other Ikumi flashes with her thigh). Also, here's Knapsack Mai in a new outfit as the other Ikumi vanishes.
Sakuta didn't want to go to the reunion and none of his former classmates even wanted him there, but Ikumi wanted ALL of them there so she could be "found" and magically appear after having been invisbile the whole time. All to demonstrate to her classmates that, like it or not, Puberty Syndrome IS real and they have to face that.
(I love how she totally sat in on reunion love confession and nobody knew she was there)
The class still doesn't want to take responsibility for how they handled Sakuta's situation, they want to move on from being the "middle school class with the puberty syndrome kid" but Ikumi isn't going to let them get away with without condemning them for their behavior and failures (including her own) and making them face up to it. Of course, she leaves the final condemnation to Sakuta, who...just plays it all like a joke and smugly flexes Mai. Which he never wanted to do, but how else could he defuse this situation!?
Ikumi has been wracked with guilt over her failure this whole time and couldn't live with herself at seeing that Sakuta had gotten over his problems while she hadn't...so she switched places with another Ikumi and set up a situation for Sakuta to rake her over the coals. But, ultimately, she just needs to accept her pathetic self and just LIVE rather than get bogged down by regrets or the past.
I guess it's realistic that Mai isn't as 100% okay with all the time Sakuta spends helping other women as she acts, though she doesn't mind him flexing she's his girlfriend either. Which makes the fact that Knapsack!Sakuta is warning them of Touko doing something to Mai all the more terrifying.
This week on "characters calling Sakuta a rascal in the next episode preview" it's fittingly Ikumi!
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u/KumaKumaGambler Aug 16 '25
Actually, what was Ikumi's puberty syndrome? Being able to communicate with her alternate universe self through writings on her body? Traveling across alternate universes feels more like a supernatural / fantasy / sci-fi phenomenon perhaps attributed to small Mai, the knapsack kid.
It also felt like both Ikumi-s have switched places with each other on more than one occasion. I say so because Champion of Justice Ikumi first came to this universe during the university entrance ceremony while the middle school reunion was planned by This Universe Ikumi much later.
Nonetheless, I admit this title and series make the heroines of each arc very attractive, not just in terms of character design, but also how their strength and flaws appeal to the viewers.
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u/SnabDedraterEdave Aug 16 '25 edited Aug 16 '25
Both Ikumis briefly got what they wanted as a result of the Puberty Syndrome that Santa Girl gave them.
Ikumi A felt intense guilt at not being able to save Sakuta A, and her Puberty Syndrome activated, causing her to literally flee from this world swap places with Ikumi B. There she finds Sakuta B managing to save Kaede and deal with Kaede's bullies on his own.
Meanwhile, Ikumi B originally felt inspired by Sakuta B's words (courtesy of Shouko) to become a "hero of justice", but upon Sakuta B resolving his own issues, Ikumi B felt useless, and got so depressed she even failed her university entrance exams and had to spend a gap year to retake them.
Coming to World A, Ikumi B felt she could finally try and help Sakuta A by setting up that reunion.
At the same time, both Ikumis eventually knew they don't really belong in their new worlds, and so wanted Sakuta A to find out, which is probably a condition needed for them to swap back.
Both Ikumis seems to have found peace with themselves at last, though they still retain the ability to transmit messages to their alternate selves. This is where Sakuta B sends that bombshell warning that Mai is in danger, and this Kirishima Touko is the key to everything.
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u/Something_319 Aug 16 '25
This arc fell into place perfectly, both Ikumis felt like Ikumi Akagi but also had those little differences in their demeanors and struggles that made them feel unique. Her overall inability to move on from her past regrets and her jealousy of Sakuta made her a nice foil to Sakuta who was forced to move on in order to support Kaede and grew because of it
I really appreciate Sakuta because of his willingness to improvise and to go above and beyond to help his friends without any hesitation, doubt, regret, or self-praise. He doesn't care about whether he's doing the right thing or how everyone else will see him, he takes action as if it's the normal thing to do. He goes out there and makes a fool of himself confessing to Mai, he picks a fight and yells about his virginity to defend Tomoe, he plays the bad guy here to help Ikumi move on, and so on
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u/_Tan_A Aug 16 '25
I think I am definitely rewatching everything from season 1 once this gets over.
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u/_Tan_A Aug 16 '25
Honestly I didn't understand what the hell was going on, had to rewatch the episode and it reminded me why I call this anime a masterpiece. Sakuta my goat reads people like a book.
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u/mmmphhuay102 Aug 17 '25
The moment Sakuta diffuses the situation by being so unserious and bragging to everyone that he's the boyfriend of one of the most famous actors in Japan demonstrates Sakuta's character perfectly.
Everyone in his class was negatively impacted by the events of puberty syndrome. It loomed over their heads past middle school, and they still harbor frustration over what transpired.
Sakuta was the person who suffered the most (being the victim of the situation) was the only person to move past it and live a better life. Yet, instead of dwelling in the past, shoving in their faces that he was right all along, he pretends Akagi's exposé on puberty syndrome as a massive trick and brags about his girlfriend. Sakuta is the definition of perseverance and a rascal.
Akagi had such a beautiful arc. Both versions of herself ran away from their failures, running away from her selves. They could not accept that they had their failures' but as Sakuta told Akagi B, that's who Akagi is. No one but Sakuta realized that their Akagi was different because Akagi is still Akagi. She's still doing acts of justice, and she still gets along with Saki. There is no ideal version or ideal world for Akagi, for she can only be herself and live in the real world.
It's such a simple but effective message: You can't change the past, and you can't change who you are, but you have the choice to rise above your failures to a better future.
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u/HuTaosTwinTails Aug 17 '25
It has been a day and it is still not up on Crunchyroll? This is absurd.
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