“Puberty syndrome—abnormal experiences rumored on the internet to be caused by sensitivity and instability during adolescence. This year, Sakuta Azusagawa, a second-year student at a high school near Enoshima, meets several girls that are experiencing this “puberty syndrome.” For instance, he meets a wild bunny girl in the library. She turns out to be an actress on hiatus, Mai Sakurajima, who is also his senior at the school. For some reason, no one else can see this enchanting girl. How did she become invisible…? As Sakuta searches for answers to help Mai, they spend more time together, and he eventually learns of her hidden feelings… This is an unusual story that takes place in a town of bright skies and glistening seas, where Sakuta encounters various intriguing girls.” -Aniplex USA

Story:

Seishun Buta Yarou wa Bunny Girl Senpai no Yume wo Minai (I’ll refer to as Seishun Bunny to save my fingers) is a title that could be somewhat misleading. At first glance, it sounds like a generic harem and ecchi filled anime but it’s anything but that. Seishun Bunny is has a well-written story with very three dimensional and down to earth characters. The supernatural aspect (puberty syndrome) acts as an emphasize to further magnify the problems of daily life for a modern teenager. This makes the petty problem of a teenager a much more compelling to watch and also creates tension and interest to the characters themselves because the answer to their problem relies on understanding themselves. The dialogue of Seishun Bunny is remarkable (besides some of the questionable quote by Futaba but we’ll save that for another time.) and creates this sort of tension that keeps the viewers wanting more and more.

Artwork & Animation:

CloverWorks has been known to produce very high-quality shows and Seishun Bunny is no exception. From the character design to the background art, nothing is left unnoticed and detailed to the teeth. Seishun Bunny has one of the greatest use of CGI I’ve ever seen to date. The excellent position and added effect make them hardly noticeable and through the use of CGI, it reduced the amount of work needed which they can then add more workforce to the main cast art and animation instead! The environment around the cast is always lively, there’s always something happening outside of their little bubble, making the world of Seishun Bunny much more interesting and compelling.

Character(s):

I could write a 50-page essay on why the characters of Seishun Bunny are so good but I’ll try to keep it as short as possible. As mentioned in the story section, Seishun Bunny is all about teen angst but in a more exaggerated way. It’s all about “reading the atmosphere” or reworded “going with the flow”. The characters in this show go against that flow which in turn manifests itself as puberty syndrome. Sakuta’s, our main protagonist, personality is laid back and doesn’t care about the “flow”, making him one of the few people that can actually solve these supernatural phenomena because he doesn’t necessarily conform to the social norms. As the story progresses we meet new characters, each going against the flow in their own way accompanied by their puberty syndrome and that’s as far as I can take it without spoilers!

Sound (OST & Voice Acting):

Aside from the iconic KIMI NO SEI KIMI NO SEI KIMI NO SEI DE WATASHI UWU from the opening theme, the soundtrack is fairly simple. Featuring a large number of melodramatic pieces, it’s a calming and aesthetically pleasing OST featuring a lot of excellent piano melodies.

Enjoyment:

The pain of waiting a week for each episode was excruciating, let me tell you. Seishun Bunny is one of my favorite anime and I really hope it gets to continue because I need to know more about Shoko and Kaede! Also Sakuta x Mai is too pure for this world.

Overall: Score

10

Seishun Buta Yarou wa Bunny Girl Senpai no Yume wo Minai may sound like ecchi shenanigans but it’s much more than that. The well-written story and deep, complex characters create an idea of “going against the flow”. The excellent art and composition make this show one of the best of 2018.

Best Girl: Sakurajima Mai

I feel like I don’t need to explain myself of this one but Mai-senpai is and forever will be best girl of Seishun Bunny