Fans first meet Mai Sakurajima as a faceless voice, enticing Sakuta Azusagawa at the suggestion of a kiss inRascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai. They are later exposed to the gorgeous girl in all of her glory, wandering around a library in a seductive bunny suitexuding strongPlayboyvibes.
Afflicted by Puberty Syndrome, the unfortunate Mai is slowly becoming invisible to almost everyone in Fujisawa, all except for Sakuta. He quickly realizes that not only is this girl arbitrarily dressed, but she is also an acclaimed celebrity, not to mention his senpai at Minegahara High School. After a brief interaction, Sakuta is instructed to forget ever meeting Mai and the pair attempt to carry on with their lives, however, the loom of fate has other plans in store.
RELATED:A Beginner’s Guide To The Monogatari Series
Mai the Model
After spending her childhood in the spotlight, Mai decided to go on a hiatus and attempt to live a normal life, but the transition did not as smoothly as she hoped. The poor girl is ostracized due to her late arrival in the school year combined with the intimidating celebrity status, and the extreme shift in lifestyle initiates the Puberty Syndrome. It turns out that Mai is not ready to leave the entertainment industry, but she feels forced to withdraw due tobeing objectified and sexualizedby her manager and mother, who approved an inappropriate photoshoot and force the underage unwilling youngster to go through with it.
Once Mai has begrudgingly exposed her body to the world, she takes a step back from her mother and her career, violated and ashamed of how things have panned out. As a child actress prodigy, Mai isfully aware of how influentialshe is for young girls and does not wish to promote the wrong ideologies, and hopes to never again be bound by a contract that puts her in such a compromising position. Mai gives up everything to stand up for her beliefs and refuses to be a money-making puppet for her mother any longer.
According to Mai, she chose to wear that particular bunny suit in episode 1 so that she could test her theory; that she indeed is disappearing. If this was somehow an elaborate hoax, nobody could resist staring at the alluring girl, pom-pom tail, bowtie and all, but sadly, Mai did not get the desired response. Her story continues to explain that if someonedid in fact notice the child starin the bunny suit, she planned to simply explain it away as part of a promotional stint. Makes sense right? Maybe not.
Why would someone who has proven to possess intense modesty volunteer to wear a provocative ensemble that objectifies her own sexuality? If Mai wanted to attract attention, she could have also done so in an elaborate princess gown, an absurd hat, peculiar cosplay, anything really, but apparently, the bunny suit was her first choice. True, Mai is slightly obsessed with the fuzzy little creatures but other than her affection for rabbits, the outfit choice does not align with her personality in any way, shape, or form.
What Bunny Suit?
Very little is seen of Mai actually wearing the bunny suit again after the debut episode, however, the actual garments themselves play a role in the development of the storyline. As Mai and Sakuta’srelationship progresses, the modeluses the idea of paraphernalia to reward her admirer for a job well done, particularly when it comes to hitting the books. The shopping bag with the bunny suit subsequently hangs around Sakuta’s apartment for a while, causing a bit of trouble in the process, and becomes almost like an inside joke between Mai and Sakuta, another secret to help them bond and learn how to trust again. Overall, the idea of thePlayboyensemble holds more weight than the actual presence of the garment in the series.
RELATED:Are Fans Too Hyped Up For The Chainsaw Man Anime Adaptation?
It becomes obvious very quickly that, with regards toRascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai, the title, promotional art and content do not completely align. At face value,this fantasy anime boastsabout containing a great amount of sex appeal, and many bunny girl enthusiasts are left greatly disappointed. There are but a few minutes out of 13 episodes where Mai is a sexy pin-up, suggesting that the choice to include a bunny girl was done as clickbait to entice viewership. The chosen title correlates to chapter one’s name in the Manga, but it was still a bold choice. The fact that the show has not been renewed for a second season since ending in 2018 could be indicative of a disappointed audience.
Will There Be A Season 2?
AlthoughRascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpaipushes the boundaries of false advertising in its presentation of the anime, the series still earned high ratings from viewers, with8,1/10 on IMDb;4,9/5 on Crunchyroll, and8,3/10 on MyAnimeList.net. Those who tune in for some eye candy cannot complain as the story quickly alignswith harem anime tropes, presenting a plethora of appealing waifus as things progress. While waiting for the bunny suit to make a reappearance, most fans cannot help but be captivated by the storyline as the intricacies of Puberty Syndrome are slowly uncovered.
It is widely believed that the show has not yet been renewed for a second season, not because of the lack of interest from audiences, but due to the busy schedule that CloverWorks has had for the past few years. The production studio is responsible forhits such asSpy X Family, Fate Grand Order, andMy Dress-Up Darling, and presumably does not have the resources at this point to continue Mai and Sakuta’s story inRascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai.THe does not mean that hope should be lost, as this thought-provoking anime has not been canceled either, leaving an opening to continue with production in the future.
