| Episodes: 1 | Score: 8.6 (473045)
Updated every at | Status: Finished Airing
Type: Movie
Producers:Aniplex | Tokyo MX | Hakuhodo DY Music & Pictures | Nagoya Broadcasting Network | BS11 | ABC Animation | Kadokawa
Streaming: Netflix | Shahid
Synopsis
Six months ago, Sakuta Azusagawa had a chance encounter with a bunny girl in a library. Ever since then, he's been blissfully happy with his girlfriend: Mai Sakurajima, that same bunny girl. However, the reappearance of his mysterious first crush, the now-adult Shouko Makinohara, adds a new complication to his relationship with Mai. To make matters worse, he then encounters a middle school Shouko in the hospital, suffering from a grave illness. Mysteriously, his old scars begin throbbing whenever he's near her. With Shouko's bizarre situation somehow revolving around him, Sakuta will need to come to terms with his own conflicting feelings, for better or worse. With a girl's life in his hands, just what can he do? [Written by MAL Rewrite]
Voice Actors
Ishikawa, Kaito
Minase, Inori
Seto, Asami
News
09/24/2022, 01:58 AM
The Aniplex Online Fest 2022 event announced a sequel for the anime series adapting Hajime Kamoshida's Seishun Buta Yarou Series (Rascal Does Not Dream) light ...
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05/19/2019, 10:23 AM
Here is a collection of promotional videos (PVs), TV ads (CMs), and trailers for the last week. This thread excludes videos that have already been featured in an art...
04/21/2019, 03:22 PM
Here is a collection of promotional videos (PVs), TV ads (CMs), and trailers for the last week. This thread excludes videos that have already been featured in an art...
01/20/2019, 01:55 PM
Here is a collection of promotional videos (PVs), TV ads (CMs), and trailers for the last week. This thread excludes videos that have already been featured in an art...
12/30/2018, 04:20 PM
Here is a collection of promotional videos (PVs), TV ads (CMs), and trailers for the last week. This thread excludes videos that have already been featured in an art...
10/21/2018, 03:10 PM
Here is a collection of promotional videos (PVs), TV ads (CMs), and trailers for the last week. This thread excludes videos that have already been featured in an art...
09/15/2018, 07:04 AM
An event to pre-screen the first two episodes of the Seishun Buta Yarou wa Bunny Girl Senpai no Yume wo Minai TV anime on Saturday has announced that the sixth and s...
Reviews
AevitasX
Story: 1/10 They erased all their problems with timey wimey bullshit and there was no emotional impact. Art: 5/10 Mediocre for a movie, had cgi all over the place. Basically the same quality as the anime. Sound: 6/10 Nothing amazing, slightly above average. Character: 4/10 Basically no character development, and any potential character development was erased along with the consequences of any of their choices.Enjoyment: 1/10 The first half of the movie was interesting, it had good setup for real impact. Then the second half happened, and it ended. Then It ended again. And then it ended for real, and through the power of friendship everything works out. Overall: 0/10 The worst movie I have ever seen. I wish I could time travel and erase this movie, similar to how they erased all their problems, and any emotional impact they could have had. The ending might has well been, "And then they all woke up, and It turns out it was all just a dream. They all lived happily ever after." Would rate it on my MAL 0/10 if I physically could. I am massively disappointed.
dreetdreet
This movie destroys the MC. He went from one of my most liked to an idiotic dickhead. The art, etc. is as good as ever, but not only has this movie not added anything of value to this series, but it destroyed a lot of my enjoyment of it. I don't understand at all what they were going for. I can't get into details without spoilers, but if you're a fan of these characters, don't even watch. I wish I could go back and not watch it. If you're a fan of character assassination and senseless melodrama, then go right ahead.
Action_Man
Don't you dare to buy the merch. Story: There's no Time-travel B movie I've seen that couldn't pale in comparison of this crap. It's a clusterfuck where characters constantly contradict themselves and the movie doesn't follow its own rules. Everything keeps happening randomly and you start scrolling your phone. The climax was so weak and mediocre that I said thought: SPOILER "Whatever, they're gonna do an asspull and everyone is gonna live happily in the end". Guess what. END OF THE SPOILER The drama could be solved in 30 minutes but the author was able to stretch it in 1h 30 mins. Congratulations, whoever you are. Art: Meh. Sound: Meh Character:Makinohara being a thoth and Sakuta being a simp. Enjoyment: Best part of the movie? 1:26. The credits
Kyokui
When I finished the series of this movie, I feel like something is missing from the show. This movie solved that plot hole problem. This movie explains why this and that happened in the series and continue the plot from where it ended. Throughout watching the whole movie, I cried few times and I am very satisfied with the ending to the point that I am craving for more. I love everything about this movie from character development to the story line. I would definitely recommend everyone to watch the series first before watching this movie to get the whole package. 10/10 would recommend and rewatch
Reach1028
What started as a cheap way to get viewers hooked on “just another supernatural school anime” became one of the most highly regarded anime of its time, sparking loads of discussion. Many regard the original anime as having power in its emotional payoffs but incredibly painful with its broken and inconsistent plot. Having been built upon that already established world, there are two types of people that watched this movie: the type that ignores plot holes and contrivances to focus on character and themes, and the type that look for intellectual consistency in a story. You either looked forward to enjoying thecharacter moments or you looked forward to picking it apart. Because the movie is fairly new, let it be known that its current rating does not emulate its quality. I’ve made a review of the anime itself and this will follow the same structure. This first part will be an overall assessment of the work on an objective level with no spoilers. The second part will include spoilers and my subjective take of them. Proceed with caution if spoilers matter to you. The universe shared between this movie and its anime permit a lot of crazy things to happen. An actress disappears from the public eye. A school girl wields the power to replay days. A young girl gets brutally cut, sliced, and bruised from online cyberbullying. A scientist’s split decision splits herself into two. Two sisters swap bodies. No explanation is given for any of these occurrences except for one loathed term; “quantum theory.” This is the writer’s excuse for everything happening in the anime. None of it gets explained to a satisfactory degree, and what attempts there are at an explanation end up boring, convoluted, and rather hard to follow. Keep this in mind. With a story of that explained above, a level of complexity is necessary to fully flesh out the details for each of these occurrences. “Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dreaming Girl” dug its grave even deeper with elements of time travel that largely went unexplained. There’s no investment in the concept. It’s shown in this movie simply because it benefits the narrative. Aside from time, many of the events that take place are blatantly contrived in favor of emotional payoffs. This movie deviates from the comedic nature of the anime so as to take certain themes and stakes more seriously. This is a respectable shift, considering how incredibly serious the tonal shift was from episode thirteen of the anime to the beginning of this movie. However, this did not come without its consequences. Nothing felt real, or at least connected with the anime. The characters didn’t really show their colors the same way they once did. To call it all “unique” is both accurate and inaccurate. It’s inaccurate because the theme and setup is an amalgamation of many things that are a staple of its genre. It’s accurate because it’s not often that audiences see an anime movie so highly regarded fail so terribly in the aspect of story. To illustrate, so many questions are asked about what happened at the end of this movie that could have been quelled if the writers had more time. However, there’s still a lot to enjoy. Character moments and interactions are reminiscent of how the anime handled them, that being very well and meaningful. Still, it’s occasionally seen that some characters get more screen time with little bearing on the plot. Some might take this thought and likely conclude “it was very rushed, and it resulted in some rather unrelated clips getting sewn together like patchwork.” Let this say something about its pacing. Perhaps the individual elements of the story can say something about its story as a craft. Largely, it underperformed, but let’s take it one-by-one. The comedic shift as previously mentioned means that Sakuta is now less abrasive over all, but he still makes a good joke here and there. Because this movie is much more climactic, there’s a sense of mystery behind the reveal at the end. Many people approach mystery differently, but for the most part the way it revealed itself over time was interesting. Fanservice can negate the previously mentioned points if the audience goes in looking to enjoy it. The romance and character bonds are really the only interactions that fall into this category for the movie. The romance is rather basic, and nothing really comes together in the end with a grand payoff. Character interaction and bonding started in the parent anime, which was quite well done and strong as a start. Now, because the characters act and react nearly contrary to their setup, the interactions seem faked. For instance, randomly inserted throughout the movie are five to ten second clips that don’t serve to support the narrative whatsoever. One of such can be found at 25:15. Despite unnecessary filler, there are some deus ex machina moments that really frustrate the plot. Beyond that, even with all of the contrivances that this work is littered with, it’s still full of holes. The writers attempts to fix the plot can be likened to fixing a broken bridge with string cheese. It’s ludicrously terrible. While the ending did “wrap everything up,” it didn’t answer important questions regarding the plot. Why is Sakuta surrounded by a series of girls who have exceedingly supernatural problems? Since people know about “puberty syndrome,” why hasn’t there been any research (by scientists who get paid to science) or awareness of the issue yet? There’s SO much more to go over story-wise in the spoilers section. I can barely scratch the surface with these basic claims. Did you like the simple and basic art style of the anime? Good, because you’re getting another hour and a half of the same exact thing. This is a feature-length film; the least that the studio could have done was spend more time animating or stylistically change it from the anime. They did none of that. As far as you should be concerned, the story arc told in this movie is a direct continuation of the anime. The complexity and inconsistencies with art are on par with what the anime displayed (although there are no direct .jpg files slapped on screen). It isn’t memorable or even remotely interesting. It has all the flaws that a “normal” animated story would have. CGI cars and vehicles occasionally pop up, reminding the audience that this studio is still cutting corners. Some animations are choppy and stand out while others are rather fluid. Needless to say, the style is fitting for the story because it’s fitting for just about any story. There were no vistas or settings that were memorable or breathtaking. The only thing that relatively comes close to this description is a location at the end of the film. It wasn’t necessary to have a locale that meant something special to each of the characters, but it would’ve helped immensely to show how meaningful some scenes would be. The character designs are all appealing and unique, along with matching their respective personalities. Ultimately, the character designs didn’t foreshadow plot events while still being special to themselves. Really, the only upside to art is that it isn’t nearly as appalling as other categories. Unlike the anime, the voice acting performance had no major issues. All of the same voice actors participated in their same roles from the anime. Everything in this department could be considered “normal.” None of the characters were really “out there,” so it’s hard to see the voice actors significantly improving with the roles they were given. Aside from voice actors, the music says a lot about the movie. There are no new groundbreaking tracks introduced from the anime, but the movie rather takes a lot of the previous songs and reskins them. All of the tracks with exception to the overused opening and ending tracks were so incredibly basic that it’s no wonder that the soundtrack isn’t memorable in any capacity. Only a select few moments really benefited heavily from the music, which usually consisted of five different instruments playing the same overture in a different tempo. Beyond this, the OST isn’t anything to write home about, especially to those who haven’t watched the movie yet. As far as opening and ending songs are concerned, there’s only a credits track. The song that plays at the end of the movie is nearly an exact copy of the ED format from the anime. The only difference is that all of the voice actors for the main girls alternate singing. As the outro was average to start with, it can easily be concluded that a small variation of the song with all the singers is a bit underwhelming. Still, the audience can appreciate how meaningful that slight variation is since it incorporates characters in the music instead of just “another vocalist.” Overall, the musical performances and compositions are par at best. Some people like listening to this soundtrack, and if nothing else, it’s probably due to its popularity. The reason this anime series is so popular can mostly be attributed to character development. Because of the serious tones in this movie, does this have any sort of effect on these characters? Here’s a brief run-down on the character changes from the anime to this movie: Sakuta still makes some good jokes, but for some reason he takes himself far more serious than is necessary. Mai becomes less sure of herself, which makes sense considering the events that take place, but several scenes take her clear to the breaking point and this makes her character seem partly contrived for heavy feels. Shouko is rather consistent as a character, and appears as charming and level-headed throughout. How she gets from the beginning to the end scenes makes little sense, but she never falters from who she is. If one were to criticize her for anything, it would be related to how perfect she is. Tomoe doesn’t stray from her core character either. Kaede is interesting because the audience can finally see this side of her that is normal. Even so, she can go to public places in this movie but a throwaway line indicates that she can’t attend school yet. Rio gets a lot of screen time that is used to further develop her character rather than explain events through quantum mechanics and theory. Nodoka gets tacked on to the story so her voice actor has some dialogue. Yuuma gets three 5-10 second scenes that have no bearing on the story, but include him regardless. Sometimes these characters act a certain way to move the story in a direction that the writers would like. This is okay if the characters build up to different “load bearing” parts of the plot. For the most part, the characters act and react the way the audience expects them to. There are some writing flaws with the characters themselves as well as some of the actions they take. It isn’t perfect, but several times Sakuta or Mai will jump out of character either to progress the plot or create emotional instability. Whatever choices these characters make, their personalities are relatable to many. That was one of the biggest draws to the anime and some of that same charm was lost in this movie to focus on the climax to this series. Understandably, when the stakes are higher, humanity comes before personality, meaning that it’s more important to be serious in dire times than to be casual or silly. Some enjoyment may have been lost in the satire or lighthearted nature of the characters interacting but it was to support a more serious narrative. As is made apparent in the synopsis for the movie, Shouko is the primary focus. She doesn’t “grow” as a character, but she does deal with the problems she’s faced with. The same can be said about each other character, even Sakuta. The challenges they faced didn’t change the main characters in a big way. It didn’t have to, but that icing on the cake really shows that the writers care about the characters that they’ve spent an entire season developing. Based on the series as a whole, the amount of supporting characters versus the time spent fleshing them out was well done using the story arc format. There were a lot of questions regarding Shouko after the end of the anime, and her story gets explained to a satisfactory degree in this movie. No characters fell flat per se, with one exception. Yuuma is only in this movie to acknowledge that he’s still a part of the series. Beyond that, sometimes the plot placed characters in spots that helped Sakuta progress in a contrived manner. Many gloss over the flaws in character if the cast is likable. In general, all the characters are likable to a point; this statement applies even to Sakuta, who appeared rather abrasive and savage in the anime series. With those jokes dialed down, his personality throughout this movie is sarcastic, yet feeling. He clearly cares about what’s going on. Ultimately, these characters are memorable because of the expressions they make, interactions they have, and problems they share. However convoluted and problematic the story is, these characters come from a base that the audience can take away from and admire. That last statement can be a testament to the quality of this movie as a whole. If you prefer to look for the memorable moments that characters share and what it means to them, then you will like this film. If you think about literally anything else, this whole story will start to fall apart. This series is like an ornate glass house. It looks beautiful, but even throwing the smallest of stones at it will cause it to crack and shatter. What the writers wanted to do and what they really accomplished are two very different things. Intellectual consistency was clearly neglected to favor that sweet emotional payoff that “makes anime great.” All they needed was a little more time to make the finale something amazing. Perhaps next time they won’t spend just eight months constructing a plot and scenes for a movie after its parent story premiered. The popularity of this film is understandable, but not deserved in most respects. Easily, the most infuriating thing about this movie is that it occupies a popularity spot that should be taken by a better written anime. Popularity does not equal quality. THE FOLLOWING IS THE SPOILER SECTION! This spoiler-rigged review section will feature my personal thoughts on the quality of the writing and the craft itself. I am so done with this. If I had a dollar for every problem raised in the series, I could easily buy all the parts for a custom-built gaming computer to replace the craptop that I’m writing this review on. Even Hellen Keller could SEE the amount of obvious flaws this show has. Most of these issues lie in story, while essentially every aspect of this movie is notably imperfect. Let’s start with the basics. Let me premise all of this by stating that Sakuta not having a cell phone really makes things convenient for certain events in the plot. Keep this in mind. Sakuta’s reason for being in this film stems from a ticking clock element to his fate. The middle school version of Shouko supposedly gets a heart transplant on the same day one of these main characters die. On this fatal day, Sakuta is supposed to die. His heart should get transplanted into Shouko’s chest so that she goes on living. First things first, that “puberty syndrome” scratch is a three-lined scar. It looks cool but it doesn’t make any sense. No surgeon would make an incision like that unless they are a grizzly bear. I know it’s called puberty syndrome and all, but why does it take at least fifteen years for these scars to spontaneously show up? Should he not have these scars from birth if his future was planned for him by the universe? Enough about Sakuta, what’s the justification for his adolescent heart getting put in Shouko’s body? When her incision scar is shown, it’s several inches below where the cut should have been made for the surgery to be successful. Open heart surgery and transplants require the doctors to literally cut through the sternum to open the chest cavity. The movie shows this mark just above her breast line when it should slit clear up to the same height as her armpits. Aside from medical points, but what explains a middle-school Shouko living at the same time as Sakuta? Shouldn’t she be his age? This doesn’t even mention how the older version is a time traveller but the middle school one just lives with her parents, but there’s yet another still in elementary school and somehow all of these events play out in “real” time. The only potential explanation is that of a shared mind which is literally impossible, and also not given in the movie. Let’s slow down for a second. Somehow, events that play out in the “present” can manipulate the past. That’s not how time works, but it’s what happens and the “future plans” paper actively changes without anyone messing with what was written. This is only okay if my “shared mind” theory is correct. Even if it were the explanation the movie gave, it wouldn’t be satisfying enough as a “quantum entanglement” thing. How does the movie qualify how Shouko got in the future in the first place? Sakuta clarifies with her that she came from the future. Then after, Futaba claims that “it would be more accurate to say that Shouko arrived at the future.” This makes no sense, because in a late portion of the movie she hints that Kaede’s grandparents will want to see her during the holidays. This was before the grandparents call Kaede. We also know that this older version of Shouko first came to the Azusagawa residence when she appeared at this future, so which is it? Did she arrive at the future or come from it? If she did come from the future, how much does she know? Can the plot decide what it wants to be yet? I’m here to enjoy the story, not revise it. Because all three Shoukos are individual, intelligent beings, there are some problems with what the middle school her knows. She somehow realized by the end of the film that a future her was mucking about. This is really bad for the universe, because now she has unnatural information about the world that she has no logical reason to know. Side rant: wouldn’t Sakuta have to talk to elementary school Shouko and change her mind for the college Shouko to change as well, since her future person is a living and breathing copy of the person she wants to be? Not only that, but when the future plans paper does change, seemingly nothing happens to middle or college Shouko. I’m not sure why this magical paper has this level of power over this girl’s future life. I guess it doesn’t matter to the writers and I’ll just throw this idea in with the “ideas that don’t matter” wastebasket. In the scenes after Sakuta bleeds out because of his scars acting up (which still made little sense, mind you), Shouko came to visit him with a super clever disguise, that being a newsboy type hat and glasses. She does this so that she isn’t recognized by her younger self or her parents. Here’s the thing, the moment these two versions catch each other's gaze, disguise or not, the universe (which has been beautifully contrived already) knows that these two versions of the same person are staring at each other. Looking into the eyes of YOUR copy means that this information changes the state of the future you. Therefore, the future you may be somewhere else the moment you saw them. But that can’t happen because now you have this information, and that version of you that came to this timeline now has to live through specific linear events which are now corrupted. The universe, in effect, should get an impossible error code that halts all life and time in that one moment because none of this should have happened. This is the theory of the paradox. Because this movie does not define its rules for time travel, we are stuck with lazy writers that have no investment in anything time travel related. Now, before you go on saying that “this doesn’t happen in the movie, idiot,” I have an exact scene where Sakuta from the future talks to Sakuta from the past over the phone. Future Sakuta expresses to present Sakuta that Mai will die if he doesn’t do anything to change the events that are supposed to happen. The universe has a set day and we see it played out that Sakuta is supposed to die on December 24th. When Mai dies instead, the universe just goes with it. Mai had no reason to be waiting for him in the same place that Shouko was. Then after, Sakuta goes into this “insanely long” (/s) seven-minute emotional low because his girlfriend died instead of him. Then, perfect ol’ Shouko comes in to save the day and shows Sakuta that to change the past, you must BELIEVE that this is the future. All it takes is a little nap and believing hard enough to go back in time to the EXACT time he needed to be in. This sounds as anime as anime can be and it is so poorly done. If this was all that was needed, why hasn’t someone else discovered the power to go back in time by believing and sleeping? Because Sakuta goes by himself to the past, this means that it was on his own volition and with his own power. This is unrelated to puberty syndrome, people can just do this now, it’s canon, don’t think about it too hard. As a minor distraction from the time travel thing, I need to bring up something. The only two love interests this kid Sakuta ever had drugged him against his will. Mai, when she willed him to sleep and he wouldn’t because he wanted to see her, and Shouko, because she needed him to sleep in order to go back in time. It’s easy to believe that with Mai, he went to sleep so quickly. She drugged him when he was already incredibly tired. In the case of Shouko, Sakuta was completely awake, and when she drugged him, he was out in fifteen seconds at most. To possess a drug this powerful legally is impossible. Note that in the scene, she gives him “plum soda for adults” with a “DOSE” in it. “Only in your dreams can you cast the ordinary aside” is the most annoying explanation for time travel being possible in this world. It seems like the story is being arbitrary on purpose here. It's the little things like these that make you realize that Sakuta is a “Gary-Stu,” and he’s supported by the perfect “Mary-Sue”, Shouko. The world rules that should be established bend to whatever supports the narrative, and whatever these main characters need. I’m sure you’ll find this true as I continue… Let’s bring it back to when Sakuta found out his fate. If you knew your fate, you would do something to change it, would you not? Sakuta knows something must change, and still everything plays out like the world said it should. Shouko requested that Mai and Sakuta “spend a quiet Christmas with a stay-at-home date this year.” She literally tells Sakuta to “have faith in modern medicine.” It was her choice to tell him what he should do since her future was involved. Mai wants to change those plans as well so that Sakuta is safe. He even entertains the thought of staying safe by going to the aquarium instead of the original plan. He’s told Shouko the day before his accident that “[he] want[s] to keep living.” There is absolutely NO REASON for Sakuta to go head-on into his fate, especially considering what might happen. The characters deliberately go against the worlds’ laws so many times that you have to wonder if the writers actually cared about their own works. Upon travelling back in time, Sakuta understands that to be recognized as a part of this universe as a copy now, he needs to find someone who will recognize him. This is a cool callback to what Mai dealt with, but it isn’t handled right. For one thing, doors and items phase after he interacts with them. Sakuta should not have any power over the world as he’s there, considering the world hasn’t accepted that he’s real. What are the limitations on this? Can he just phase through the world? Are objects and matter solid until he proves himself? Shouldn’t the very clothes on his back not move the moment he wakes up? The “rules” are very lenient here. Speaking of rules, what’s the deal with the pink bunny outfit? He should not be wearing it by the terms that were established, unless that’s another exception. Also, when he talks to Shouko with the head of the suit off, he has a jumpsuit on underneath whereas he was wearing his school uniform before. This is more of a nitpick but when did he have time to change if he had the bunny suit on the whole time? On a different point, the fact that the suit he randomly finds in a hallway is the same color and animal as Mai’s trademark is incredibly on the nose. It cannot be more obvious that this shows’ “themes” are getting shoved down your throat. Later on, Sakuta is discovered by Tomoe. This makes enough sense given that her arc involved him looking for the same person who was looping a specific day. I’m just infuriated that the way that they explain it is through “quantum entanglement” again. The way Sakuta solves the problem of him accepting his fate is by pushing his original self out of the way while wearing the bunny suit. After the future him gets hit, he “fuzes together” with himself, safe and sound. What makes sense about this? The guy spontaneously disappears after getting hit by the car. Granted, the future him knows exactly when to save himself but fuzing together is really just a simple way to take care of this future Sakuta’s existence so as not to create a paradox. There’s no reason for it to happen, and yet it does. That sentence seems to sum up a lot about this movie, doesn’t it? Another point to note about this scene is that the bunny suit is all that’s left, but we should expect to see the jumpsuit he had lying on the ground. The major climatic events have already been discussed and there is still more to talk about. The main characters find out from looking at the future plans paper that the previously written plans have been erased, not just gone. Did 4th grade Shouko just take it all back because older her told her or something? In a similar vein, the way that Sakuta and Mai deal with the emotional trauma of the events is in a thirty second scene of him drawing a flower on Shouko’s homework and both of them laughing. It is easily the most bizarre scene in the movie because I have absolutely no clue what set up the way they act. They proved that they are strong enough to have taken all of that serious stuff head on, it might have been a better option to have Mai and Sakuta embrace one another for a while with some meaningful dialogue. They are together now at the end of the movie and they can finally live peacefully without the puberty syndrome worries they once had. The ending spawned at least five different discussions regarding how this series ended in the forum below. It was confusing and rather hard to follow. Firstly, when Sakuta is talking with Shouko about what will happen and what she intends to change, she says herself that she wants to create a future that doesn’t bring Sakuta any sorrow. By doing so she is theoretically getting rid of Sakuta’s memories of her and by extension the mess that this whole ordeal was. This meant that after time was reversed and she did what she wanted to, Sakuta and Mai would have no recollection of Shouko. However, this is ENTIRELY UNDERMINED because the last scene before the credits roll shows that Sakuta recognizes that middle-school Shouko, alive and well on the beach. He calls out to her, and she recognizes him. I suppose it’s just okay to keep information from one timeline to the next. Because Sakuta recognizes her, would he not also remember all of the pain he suffered through to get back to this one place? Did he ever truly forget her? Why does this ending contradict itself? Because she’s healthy, this means that Shouko got the necessary help anyway. This completely undermines Sakuta’s fate, because if Shouko was saved anyway by “modern medicine,” why would she need to time travel in the first place? His heart is not needed for all of this to have worked! There were alternatives! There were implications at the end of the film that a movie that Mai starred in called “Spring Comes, Winter Leaves” would raise awareness for the issue and Shouko would get the help she would need. It was supposedly about a girl awaiting a heart donor. However, it’s improbable that Mai had the time to help film this whole movie in the eleven days between Shouko going back and Sakuta recognizing her again. This means that the past changed, and important events happened offscreen. Let me make it painfully clear that this is NOT how you should tell your audience what happens. Throwaway lines and time travel are a confusing mix and there are a lot of necessary details that need more development. It is incredibly hard to make a quality story and movie in eight months. Take the time, make it worthwhile. Not that they had to do that because all the producers needed was fanservice and major feels. Everything I’ve mentioned so far has only been about story. That alone breaks the film to a heavy degree. Here are some extra notes I made while watching this disaster: OTHER WRITING ELEMENTS: Random side characters get nightmares of things happening in different timelines! Unnecessary clip! (25:15) Throwaway line for how long it’s been since the anime! (37:00) [<6 months] Cringe dialogue! Mai of all people should not be acting this clingy and both characters seem to know what they’re talking about despite not saying anything of substance! (39:00) For how long Sakuta runs on fresh snow for, it’s amazing that he doesn’t slip even once! (~45:00) Sakuta awkwardly sits Koga down! (58:15) Nodoka decides not to ask why Sakuta is dressed in a bunny suit! (1:00:30) Futaba is at school while it’s closed for some reason! (1:08:45) ART: CGI cars, trains, and crowds are back! Random cuts in the camerawork are inaccurate to where Mai and Sakuta are in relation to one another! (38:15) Inconsistent snow prints! (45:00) Choppy Rio walk! (1:12:30) My friend and I agreed that the best part of this whole movie is when Rio shows she cared about Sakuta after he got into grave danger. It showed a human side to her. This was one of the only takeaways we got after we finished the movie. So much is either a contrived mess or an arbitrary excuse to move the plot forward in the realm of story, and there is little else to latch onto. Allow me to reiterate. This show is an OUTLIER. It does not deserve the respect it has gotten. It’s time to move along to a different anime that actually deserves your time.
I_am_sad_man
Quick note - I mentioned one spoiler in the pacing section and this is also my first review. So please bare with whatever errors, typos, or problems that you may find in my writing. So this movie is rated unbelievably high on MAL. A lot of people love it and a good amount of people hate it. I've read the reviews and comments from both sides and I've come to a conclusion as to why this movie is so high on the rankings. That conclusion being, people are either going into this with a lot of bias from the tv series, or they are willingly ignoringthe flaws that are present. Story - 6/10 I thought the premise itself had a lot of potential. The tv series always hinted at the mystery surrounding Shouko Makinohara and hearing this would be the focus intrigued me. Add some time travel stuff in there and there you go. So how was the execution? Terrible. The time travel aspect was completely glanced over and made very little sense. They explained it over a small number of exchanges and it almost feels as though the writers are saying, "blah blah blah. Don't think too hard about it and just trust what we are saying." Well the problem is, this aspect which is actually a major and I mean major plot point isn't explained in a coherent manner nor is it properly developed which is just completely off putting. In the end, my reaction was just ok… nothing special. Art - 4/10 There is absolutely no change from the tv series to the movie. You're telling me that one of the most trending anime during its airing couldn't improve the art quality even by a little for a movie release. Is that a joke? Like I get that what makes bunny girl senpai so compelling is the story and characters, but at the very least, for a movie, I would expect some improvement. I simply cannot rate this any higher and I can't see why fans themselves would rate it higher than a 5. The art has always been average maybe even less and the movie does nothing to improve on that. Characters - 7/10 The characters are the same. The one thing worth noting though is Mai and Sakuta's relationship gets focused on/developed so if you wanna see those two interact with each other (which I personally did) then yea the movie might be worth at least trying. Sound - 5/10 To be honest, the soundtrack wasn't memorable for me. The voice acting was pretty good. Pacing - 4/10 The pacing is very very weird for the opening scenes. Things kinda seem out of nowhere and I felt lost as to why certain scenes were the way they were. The pacing gets better over time, but throughout my entire experience, it never felt right. Probably because the pacing is jumpy and inconsistent. As an additional note, this movie lacked emotion. Not in the sense that it didn't have emotional scenes, but rather it failed to evoke emotion out of me. For example when certain characters supposedly died, I felt nothing. Like legitimately nothing. My reaction was mainly oh… that happened. I knew they would come back and the movie was simply being dramatic to make the situation more tense than it actually was. Now, being dramatic isn't a bad thing, but the way it was handled alongside the pacing was just bad. If I may compare, thinking back to the Kaede arc in the tv series. That arc was easily my favorite, and the final moments when Kaede "died" and the old Kaede came back made me tear up. From the way Kaede's manner of speaking changed to the slight shift in Sakuta's voice. In that scene, we the viewers knew what had occurred and we also knew how much it hurt Sakuta. But in the movie, as I've already said, it doesn't reach that same effect. In fact, it's nowhere close to it. Enjoyment - 5/10 If I haven't made this clear already, this movie is meh. The story had potential, but turned out meh. The art is still meh. The sound is meh. The pacing is bleh. The one thing that's good is the characters and that's mainly because I ship Mai and Sakuta. Final Thoughts - 5/10 I'm a fan of the original series and seeing this movie was a huge disappointment. Apparently the top reviews loved this movie going as far as to rate 9 or 10, which it clearly is not. But maybe you'll like it idk. From my perspective, this movie was bad, but I rated higher because of my bias to the original. Personally, I wouldn't recommend this unless you really love the tv series. And even then, you might not really enjoy it. My suggestion would be to turn your brain off and maybe you won't get annoyed by the terrible pacing and lack of detail. In the end, MAL rating are driven by its users. And those users are fans of this show. Hence, there is bias and a whole lot apparently as I thought the first and last arcs of the tv series were far greater than what the movie offered. Hopefully the rating changes in the future when fans come to their senses.
KurenaiK
This movie insulted my intelligence. I really enjoyed the anime series, so going into this movie I had some pretty high expectations. Well, it trampled over them and them set them on fire. Instead of a nice sequel to the popular anime, what I got was a sentimental tear-jerker with no substance at all. None of the characters acted real - I won't go into detail to avoid spoilers but none of it made any sense. And that's the worst thing about this movie - nothing is ever explained. They just throw some 2-seconds long scenes at you and expect you to cry about how deepit actually is, but it really is not. If this was a standalone movie, I would give it around 5/10 I think. But because the tv series already established these characters, them acting so OOC made it 5x times worse. Really, if I could, I would never watch this shitty fanfiction again. The music choices were terrible as well, but that was probably because there weren't really any happy scenes at all. There were literally 0 gags in a comedy anime, wow. The animation wasn't even anything special either, I would expect more from a MOVIE with such a high budget. Overall, please, don't.
SakuraFrost
Story :10 Art :10 Sound: 10 Character :9 Enjoyment: 10 Overall:10 Keeping this a brief overview Rascal does not dream of a dreaming girl was an excellent movie, and one of the only ones where I actually shed tears. It is a perfect follow up of the anime, and the character development was really in depth and actually created an atmosphere that correctly portrays the character's feelings and actions. The puberty syndrome is very well displayed in the scenes and the various problems that occurred were exceptionally described. I would definitely recommend watching this especially for the fans of the anime, since this will be really enjoyable for those people
paradi_GM
"Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dreaming Girl" is the sequel to the 13-episode anime series "Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai" that took the internet and otaku world by storm in the forth quarter of 2018 with its flabbergasting title and premise. Adapted from the light novel series with the same name, at first glance it seemed as if it would be another adaptation of an unreasonably long and clickbait title, however it turned out to actually have a beating heart and an interesting direction to take its viewers to. The chemistry between Azusagawa Sakuta and Sakurajima Mai was reminiscing ofthat of Araragi and Senjougahara from the "Monogatari Series " and the paranormal activities seemed to be inspired from "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya", however those would not be the only elements the series borrows from its predecessors, but I digress. The movie-sequel aims to tackle the arc of Makinohara Shouko, an important character in the life of our bickering protagonist as she was his saviour in time of need during his early years, as well as the catalyst for Sakuta's chest scars to reopen. A truly enigmatic figure, as she was restricted to the sidelines in the main adaptation, given little to none importance until the end of the final arc, when she once again comes to the aid of Sakuta. Come this movie, Shoko is the one in need of assistance from our snarky protagonist as he tries unravel the truth behind her puberty syndrome and find an alternative path to the excruciating choice he's forced to make. The opening shots send us back to when Shoko was in fourth grade and is shown having troubles completing a paper sheet with her plans and dreams for the future. It is established that her difficulty for filling in the sheet would play an important role as the movie progresses. The movie then cuts back to the present day and the problems arise. Firstly, the pacing is all over the place as the days are skipped by in order for the movie to just arrive from point A to point B, without much reflection to the events that would unfold. This greatly hinders the emotional revelation during its climax as it leaves the viewer with a sense of "well that happened" instead of "this had an impact on me". It is to be mentioned that the pacing is not always poor, in fact, the beginning of the movie fits perfectly as it steadily builds towards the mid section of the movie. Unfortunately, it does not maintain the same steadiness as it advances and by the end of the movie it finishes in a satisfactory, if abrupt manner. Secondly, the existence of this movie itself does not justify itself as it achieves nothing that cinematography does. The whole arc gives the impression of an overly extended episode of the original anime. The animation, while good, was nothing spectacular as it remained one the same level as the 13-episode anime series. The scene composition did not improve either and the use of realistic background elements, while it was a nice touch, it did not reach the same artistic expression as other films did. As it stands, "Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dreaming Girl" is a quick money grab designed to lure the fanbase into watching it under the guise of offering a cinematic experience, but delivering an OVA worth of excitement. At least that way it would have fixed the pacing issues. The final problem with this movie is the convoluted story leading into a redundant conclusion. Throughout its runtime it is given extraordinary importance to the choice that Sakuta is forced to make and it is one that severely affects him when makes up his mind. However, this is immediately dismissed as he gets another chance and Shouko does what she could have done from the beginning, as the movie decides that all the drama the characters went through was all for naught. The story advances in an obvious way, but tries to hide it with empty misdirection so that when the twist happens, the viewer is caught off-guard leaving him in a state of fabricated sorrow thanks to the emotional manipulation of the movie. It tries to replicate what "Steins;Gate" or "The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya" did with its main lead, however it results in a watered down copy of the two. This is not to say the film is just one giant mess. There are some good moments as well. The chemistry between the characters is back better than ever and the dialogues are just as entertaining and diverting. There is also a very heartfelt conversation between Sakuta and Futaba which proved more emotional than the main twist, thanks to how it was shot and the splendid work of the voice actors. Another upside is present on the audio front. The background music was perfectly fit throughout the film, especially at the end with the insertion of the ED song, as well as the magnificent work of the voice actors. In conclusion, "Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dreaming Girl" is a heavily flawed movie which little to no reason for existing as it borrows elements from two other more critically acclaimed IPs, which ultimately fails to become its own thing. The film is not a must-watch unless you are a big fan of the original series and desperately want to see more content.
Mythologically
What is this low budget powerpoint presentation with an incoherent plot? Seriously, besides sound, what redeemable aspect is there here? I'm not even really sure why I watched this; I knew it would be completely terrible. After the shameless plagiarism, non-existent characterization, and bizarre pseudoscience of the parent show, literally no one with any shred of self-respect or decency wanted a sequel. Yet here it is, and it's somehow exponentially worse than its already terrible prequel. Let's start off with characters, shall we? The focus character of this movie is nobody's favorite character, Mai Sakurajima But She Doesn't Have a Rabbit Hair Clip. Seriously though, they justrecycled Mai's character design for Makinohara's grown-up version. Nice! In terms of characterization, there's not much to say. None of the characters even remotely resemble real humans. They're completely contrived to do whatever is needed to progress the plot. Nothing they do is based on human emotion, and rarely is it ever based on rationality. Although this was a problem in the original show, it's even worse in the movie; none of the characters have any defining character traits whatsoever. Mai really likes Sakuta, Sakuta really likes making sex jokes that no one above the age of 11 finds funny, and that's about it. Instead of giving the characters any sort of personality, hack faux-author Hajime Kamoshida instead decides to have them break down into tears every 4 minutes, because crying is sad, and sad is good. Clearly, he's learning from other successful faux-authors like Makoto Shinkai. The plot is fucking terrible. Like, who came up with this? Did someone just go, "Hey, you know how Steins;Gate is super successful? What if we just completely ripped off the end of Steins;Gate, except instead of Sci-Fi we just explain it away with a bullshit surface-level interpretation of quantum mechanics?" Time travel isn't something I'd usually complain about since shows usually don't try to explain it with actual science. As with all the scientific explanations of the parent show, Futaba gives you some sort of vague bullshit, and you have to accept it because the author said so. Moving away from the science aspect, the movie's plot completely falls apart due to abhorrent execution. There's no transitioning between scenes; there's no flow. Things just kinda happen. It's already impossible to be emotionally invested in this pathetically written tearjerker due to how horribly characterized the characters are, but this makes it even worse. The plot follows a fairly simple time-travel formula: nothing happens for the entire first half of the movie, some really bad thing happens out of nowhere, and now the MC has to undo the bad thing. There's nothing interesting about it. The hugely shocking scene about halfway into the movie is just dropped onto you out of nowhere, and literally only serves as a plot device for the MC to realize that his previous attitude was wrong (I'm keeping this in vague terms to avoid spoilers). Despite all of its flaws, with decent execution, the plot could be alright at best. Unfortunately, considering that this movie literally has the flow of a powerpoint presentation, the execution is far, far below decent. The complete lack of competent pacing makes the already confusing plot even more difficult to follow. Think about what Steins;Gate would've been like if all the worldline stuff wasn't properly explained. You'd have no idea what's going on, right? That's exactly how it feels to watch this entire movie. "Oh, this is happening because of puberty syndrome" is pretty much the only explanation you're ever given. These aren't just the ramblings of someone who hates the franchise; two of my friends, who both enjoyed the movie a good amount, both admitted they had no clue what was happening. There are also like 4 threads asking for explanations about the plot/ending in the movie's forum section. The art is pretty much the same as the parent show, meaning that it still isn't good. The throw-up-in-your-mouth CGI crowds are also still here, which is really nice. The OST is unmemorable; the voice acting is pretty good. Overall, barring episode 7 of Babylon, this movie was the least enjoyable experience of my entire life. The entire 90 minutes of this abhorrently paced, incoherent, and ugly insult to cinematography evoked in me not even a single emotion. Even KimiSui was sadder than this disgrace to Japanese cartoons.
Agent_Redacted
When you think of the best time travelling anime. The anime that will most likely pop up in your mind is "The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya". Why? because the movie was fantastic, brilliant and it perfectly completed the puzzles of life ( referring to the confusionness of the show ) in which made me feel enlightened. Well, what if I told you that the movie no longer has the number #1 spot as the best time travelling anime movie? Or perhaps, to put this in a less offensive term. Does The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya have a newly emerged competitor that is as or betterthan itself? Yes. The time has come ladies an gentlemen. The movie that we've been waiting for a long time has finally been released on Kissanime and is now watchable with HD quality and sub. Seishun Buta Yarou wa Yumemiru Shoujo no Yume wo Minai! I don't want to make this review long. So I'll just cut the chase. This. Movie. Was. Utter. Masterpiece.. Fantastic. I am speechless after watching the movie. Although I am incredibly saddened of the fact that I didn't cry at all ( probably because I'm sick ). The movie gave off the same "complete" feeling that I got after I completed The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya although not as great ( probably because I'm sick.. Damn it! ). Anyways, I know I've repeated this so many times already but this movie was perfect.. Okay.. I'm lost for words.. Eto.. CloverWorks, thank you for making such a great series and I hope you continue to make new ones that are as good as this movie and not as bad as.. *cough* ..Thank you for giving me a contented experience. I was coughing and sneezing all day today so I was in a grumpy mood. But this masterpiece really lightened up my mood and made me feel better. Thank you, again. Thank you for this absolute astonishing experience. That is all. P.S. Sorry if this review was really weird. I'm lost for words and I'm sick so I couldn't write a really good review.
Yorozuyaaaaa
Rascal Does Not Dream of Dreaming Girl Movie Review A movie themed with: "Do you remember your first love? Remember finding a new love? What if your past love comes back?" Sequel movie of "Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai" anime series Story/Plot: 10/10The movie showed the truth and story of Shouko very well at a very entertaining phase. Very touching scenes, can't help but cry and cry over again. A lot of emotional scenes. Romance is 10/10, Drama is 10/10 as well but what lowkey like about the movie is the comedy they put in some scenes where you can only do is laugh like they did in the series. Depression at its finest. Romantic drama scenes that all you can feel is either your heart's throbbing or breaking. I can feel and relate to the story even tho I don't have a girlfriend (LMAOOO) 💔💘 The movie is too pure ❤ Characters/Casts: 10/10 The only anime where all the girls are best girl (aside from 5-toubun no Hanayome) imo. They did each of their own roles very well. Sakuta is really one of my favorite male protagonist, his personality is somehow what I really admire him the most, very straightforward, loyal and devoted man. He's on a harem situation yet he still picks Mai-san over the other girls which was proven already on the series. Sakuta: "My heart is only for Mai-san" Casts: 10/10 About voice actors, Asami Seto (voice of Mai-san and a lot of great anime characters) really fits into this role, has a very mature voice and a feminine voice. Kaito Ishikawa, this man is one of my favorite underrated seiyuu in the industry, he can do it all. Voice acting overall was excellent, they did a pretty well job. Art: 8/10 The animation and art was almost beautiful. I love the sceneries, familiar Japan landmarks, places and locations. Sounds: 10/10 Beautiful soundtracks. Very touching and emotional bgm that fits into dramatic and emotional scenes. The ED「Fukashigi no Carte」which came from the series is used here as well and is one of my favorite ED of all time. The ED where the actual voice characters are singing it is very heartwarming. I really love it ❤ Enjoyment: 10/10 I highly recommend this movie. I really enjoyed watching the whole movie, exceeded my expectations too. I cried almost 85% while watching the movie. To be honest, I'm taking this movie over "Weathering With You" combined in terms of drama and romance it gave combined. One of my favorite anime movies this year!! Sakuta best boy!! P.S. Good thing I watched the series before watching the movie. It was refreshing to me while watching and I thought the depression was gone after watching the series but it came back after watching the movie. 😭
Cheesefry1
Every now and then I will be so excited about something coming out only to be let down by the adaptation. After not knowing what to expect from the Bunny Girl anime going into it initially, like most i thought fan service, I was blown away by the show and everything about it, only wanting to delve deeper into the story. As someone who had knowledge of what was going to happen going into the theater last night to watch the movie. I was skeptical that it wouldn't live up to what I wanted. Lets just say my skepticism was way off the mark. CloverWorks has outdone what they did in the anime with this spectacular piece of art. It perfectly portrays what I wanted to see on screen. Story - Hard 10 The story leading into the movie was one of the most engaging stories i had ever watched on screen and the movie was no different. I laughed, i cried, i felt tings in my chest and i felt it ever time Mai stomped on his foot. This part of the story delves deeper into the love side being the two mains in this are his first love and the person he wants to spend forever with. You empathize with each character and even the girls who are not the mains in this story get their fair share of screen time and you truly feel what they feel throughout the entire film. There are obviously some cliche moments, but there is hardly a love story anymore that doesn't have them. Overall this is exactly what i wanted to see adapted from the light novel. Art - Beautiful as always 10 Clover works did an amazing job in the initial series and it is no different in this one. The consistency throughout the entire movie is something you can really appreciate and the beautiful scenery moments with the sea and each girl, done perfectly. Even though it is your normal run of the mill city, it still draws you in and makes you want to walk to school in the morning with Mai and Sakuta. Sound - What it needed to be 10 If i had to pick something to change it would be this. The initial theme song for the show was one of the greats OP from last year. There was no OP for this movie and they used the same ending from the Anime. However, the songs used during the film itself were molded to perfection, the emotions felt from the music mixed with what I was seeing on screen were strong, yet not overbearing. Sound is something you notice but shouldn't necessarily stand out in a film like this one and it fit very, very well. Characters - Perfection 10 The characters were the best part of the anime and this remains true in every since of the word, for the movie. Sometimes between anime and OVAs/movies, you see personality traits differ or people acting out of character. Here, every character is portrayed exactly as they should be and we get to see new sides to the three mains. The emotional connection between Sakuta, Mai and Shoko makes this movie flow incredibly well. Slight Spoiler: If you know the show and the story, you know that they frequently go between old Shoko and young Shoko, this is done seamlessly and never seems out of place. Every character remains true to themselves keeping the interactions authentic and moving. I wouldn't change a thing. Enjoyment - Is there any question 10 As you may have surmised from the above comments, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. The movie is not only a great sequal, but it could easily stand alone as one of the greatest of all time, in terms of Rom-Com. Honestly though how can you not enjoy something like Mai-san being on the big screen. Overall - Perfection 10 As i said before it makes you laugh, it makes you cry, it makes you feel emotions you probably haven't felt in a while. While it does have a much darker tone the the anime, it didn't feel that way as the movie went on. The mixture of comedy and sadness was done to perfection and made it flow seamlessly. The movie was an hour and 40 minutes and it felt like it was only 20. I was so engaged in what i was watching that I didn't care that i had to get up and go to work the next morning. It draws you in, takes you on an emotional roller coaster ride that most would enjoy to the fullest and then leaves you with a very, very good taste in your mouth. I recommend this to anyone. Same for the anime itself.
RavarathTV
Story: 8 Art: 10 Sound: 10 Character: 10 Enjoyment: 8 Overall: 9 This review should be spoiler free. Overall, the film performed above my own expectations coming in. It's hard to explain the nitpicks that I have with the film without delving too far into spoiler territory, however. Let's just say the film utilizes a narrative plot device that can go much too wrong far too quickly. However, I do believe the film emulated its tone perfectly, despite obvious plot holes or cliches.This series is a very character driven one, and the characters really carry their own emotional burdens with them, and act upon them believably. I sense the naivete in every character's understanding of Sakuta's situation in the story, and it really pulls out every ounce of emotion from the characters...so much so that I was genuinely impressed at Mai's performance as a main heroine, despite getting sidelined for much of the original anime run. It was refreshing to see her in a new light as she is forced to break out of her "matured" outlook on life and genuinely display the type of affection she speaks so highly of that she has for Sakuta in her actions instead of only playing the "doting tsundere" (don't get me wrong though, this is the reason I love Mai so much haha). Sakuta also plays the part of someone who has to make an impossible choice, in which neither is wrong, but either one will make him suffer immensely. The tragedy of this film easily moved me to the edge of tears. However, as much as I enjoyed it, it isn't without it's own caveats. If you're the type of person who reads too much into details, this anime will most likely disappoint you. It creates plot holes for itself, not intentionally, but because of the plot device that drives the film. I'm not exactly a huge fan of these types of plots, but within the universe of this series, I can justify my own way of accepting it. Personally, I want to give the series a 6 for the story, but I was genuinely absorbed by the tragedy of Sakuta's position within the film of having to make a choice. Reflecting back is also a part of the enjoyment process, in my opinion, and I have decided to give it an 8. OVERALL: If you're the type of person to let small things build and bother you, you will probably dislike a lot about this movie. However, if you can get past them, it was actually a really enjoyable movie.
PriusKiller2
This will be the first review I have ever written so forgive me if it might not be the most professional or well written review you've seen on this site like in the case of Lyter or Ryuseishun but regardless here goes nothing. The sequel to the original TV series that aired in Fall 2018 Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dreaming Girl is certain a marvelous movie and a must watch if you're a fan of the Bunny Girl Senpai movie. This movie is to Bunny Girl Senpai fans what the Disappearance of Haruhi movie is to Haruhi fans. (By the way one of myfavorite anime movies of all time). While it might not be as good as well that, it certainly reaches heights that can rival some of the best anime I've ever seen. Story: The story will send you on a roller coaster of emotions, it'll make you cry, laugh, be angry, and everything else you can think of. It works so well as a way to tie in some of the loose ends that the original show left and it ties it in so beautifully and answers a lot of questions. It also does a very nice job of fleshing out Sakuta, Mai, and of course Shouko Makinohara. The story is definitely very competent. Art: The art is certainly better than the show. 90% of the time it is gorgeous to look at. My only gripes with it were the poor implementation of CGI, although it wasn't as bad as the original show and one moment where the animation could've been a lot better. Still it holds up really well so I don't have much to complain about. Sound: The OST is the same as last time, just some piano beats in the background meant to be in the background. It wasn't really much of a standout in the show nonetheless the movie. The reason why I'm giving this a ridiculously high score is the impeccable voice acting. Inori Minase, Kaito Ishikawa, and Asami Seto as the principle characters Shouko, Sakuta, and Mai respectively do a phenomenal job at bringing their characters to life, especially in some of the more emotional moments this show has and this is crucial as it'll tug on your heartstrings more than the show. Character: I can now safely say without a doubt Sakuta is a man amongst men and one of the most well written MCs in anime. It's hard not to like the dude which is good and he goes through some of the hardest struggles he has had yet. You genuinely feel for every character in the anime you're supposed to and there is no one you can hate. All the motivations are believable and you feel as though you're right there with them. The writing is absolutely on point. Also some of the gags the characters had in the show return in the movie and they're always a joy to see. Enjoyment: The subjective part of any scoring and seeing as I enjoyed it as much as everyone else in the theater I watched it in. There's no doubt I'll give it a 10 here. There was never a moment, even with some of the minor flaws the movie had, where I felt bored. The witty writing and emotional beats did so much to suck me in it's unreal. It also helps that I'm of course invested into the series, but regardless it certain excels in this department. Overall: 9/10. While it could've used a better OST and animation, the story and characters more than make up for it. It's certainly a property I won't forget for a long time and now Bunny Girl Senpai is one of my favorite anime of all time. Side Note: Feel free to criticize my review but don't be a jerk about. It's my first and I might do more of these in the future if I feel I can go somewhere with it.
Krispier
This movie is just as good as the first two arcs of the show. The show did get weaker in the later arcs, but this one didn't follow that. It has a lot of good moments and reveals, although it does get confusing. Very strong film, but the ending feels weak. Mai-san is as waifu as ever, and most of the other girls have solid moments. It's dialogue heavy, but it's worth it to pay attention. Still don't understand why this arc needed to be made into a movie, but the length feels about right. Overall, a good addition to the Bunny Girl Senpai story.
Prefixed
Most of the girls are in this show but the two main characters would be Sakuta and Shouko, which was left sorely lacking in the TV series. A moderate development is left to Mai. This show explores the link between them and the paradoxical nature of Shouko's version of Puberty Syndrome. The show further develops Sakuta's nature(as if he's not fleshed out enough) and Shouko. The VA is well done, with the character's personality and emotions being brought out by simple vocal sounds. Furthermore, this show depicts out a side that you've never seen before in Sakurajima Mai. For the most part, this show iswildly engaging and has a few scenes that gets deeper into the romance aspect which has never been explored before in the TV series. There are a few humorous parts at the beginning and it is great that it was mostly not executed by Sakuta. However, the show itself is heavy, goes to the extreme multiple times and might leave you shocked, forcing yourself into disbelief. Good news is that the heavy aspect of the show passes quickly. This roller coaster ride that the show provides is an excellent way of concluding the movie, but leaves me unsatisfied with how it concludes the series. Furthermore, at some point of the show, it becomes predictable and they reused the ED lyrics (still good though), albeit sung a bit differently. Generally, a well executed show that is worth watching but I would not say it is a masterpiece. TLDR:(8/10) Well directed, great VA, great development, introduces new personalities in Sakuta, Shouko and Mai which are worth going to the theatre for. Some minor disappointing drawbacks. Side notes: As it might get confusing to those who have not watched enough, one must understand when the suffixes -chan and -san, as the show will refer to characters with the same names but are different.
Moooldaccount
Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dreaming Girl was an exceptional adaption. I went to the fan preview of this event and if I'm being honest I came into the cinema with not the worlds highest expectations, expecting the movie to be fan service. However, I was gratefully shocked. The story of the movie was very well versed in its ever-present wit while continuing along with a similar path to the anime, however, it did not get constrained by the events within the anime instead taking its own direction. The constant humour displayed a conscious self-awareness of itself and the animes own limitations/flaws making asilent cinema lively yet superbly managing not to contract from the gravity of the plot avoiding a grave potential disaster. The exploration of a different character to the direction the anime took was also very enjoyable. At some points, we cried, at other points, we couldn't stop laughing. All of these emotions my friend that I had invited who had never watched the anime partook in without prior knowledge ranking it in his top 4 movies showing a great side to the movie as an independent. Contrary to the story the art was decent and simplistic, while simpler than the anime the movie made up for it by using its simplicity to highlight the dialogue and interactions superbly of the characters; the movies minimalism brings out the best of itself. Not to mention how the characters face's avidly displayed there every facial contraction. However, it was by no means exceptional, rather it got the job done well. Furthering the efforts of the facial art the movie encompassed the best of what the anime had, it took the superb character dialogue between Mai and Sakuta and made it the norm, while encompassing the same degree of excellence with Shouku added into the fray. The voice acting as ever was spot on, Mai expressed the same excellent tones making you just almost want her to step on your feet, while I wanted to punch Sakuta slightly less. Overall Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dreaming Girl exceeded expectations by a mile, the directors did an excellent job in making a superbly excellent movie that always had me on the edge of my seat whether from laughter or anticipation, not too long that I didn't yearn for more, but not too short that I didn't get my fill. Story(10) Enjoymentl(10) Character and Sound(10) Art(7) Overall(10)
YuukiTanaka2019
From Japanese fan. Plz forgive my poor English. I'd like to avoid spoilers as well as I can. Everything was awesome. Truths about Shouko are told with comfortable speed, with absorbing mood,with beautiful musics. And those truths are so touching... I could't help shedding tears over and over again. Most of audience was looked moved and weeping like me. I really liked protagonist Sakuta already then, but I even respected Sakuta after he knew Shouko's truth and behaved for her sake. And Mai, she already said 'I love Sakuta than he thinks so' in series, but I almost cried how she showed her love for Sakuta among thismovie. Every persons are great, I can say this is a culmination of series. I recommend this movie from the bottom of my heart, and strongly wish fans of this series oversea also can watch this outstanding work. Thanks for reading.
TCTriangle
Going to keep this review short. For those who watched the anime series, you already know what you're getting yourself into. All the girls make an appearance and have some sort of role in the story. The main stars, however, are main girl Mai and the mysterious Shouko. And boy, do both of these girls know just what to say and do to pull on the heartstrings of not only MC Sakuta, but also the audience. Both of the girls get fully fleshed out over the course of the movie, and satisfied fans may gain (or keep) some waifus by the end. As for the story,it was overall satisfying but felt a little bit emotionally manipulative at times. Can't say too much without getting into spoiler territory, but there is lots of melodrama to be experienced here. Lots of Korean drama/soap opera-level things happen to make the viewer as sympathetic to the characters as possible. Outside of a few jokes towards the beginning of the film, most of the story was very dark and heavy in tone. In fact, a grown man sitting behind me in the theater was bawling his eyes out during the last act. Things also get somewhat cliche and contrived to make sure all the character arcs have a fairly satisfying conclusion. It will be a good ending for diehard fans, while more cynical viewers may just roll their eyes at all the melodrama that happens. I'd say give it a watch and decide for yourself! As an aside, I was somewhat disappointed that there were no new songs made for this movie. They reused the ending theme from the anime, which as much as I liked, I would have appreciated something new. TL;DR: 7/10 - Great character moments, emotional storyline, but nitpickers may get frustrated (and/or totally turned on) by the abundant plot holes, cliches, and melodrama. If you like the original series, or also like Key anime (Clannad, Angel Beats, etc.), then this should be right up your alley. Compared to the other story arcs from the anime, this was a well above-average story arc.
Animanga