Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dreaming Girl is a direct sequel to the first season of the anime, and based on the light novel series Rascal Does Not Dream of a Bunny Girl Senpai. The film adapts the sixth and seventh light novel, adapting the whole arc involving Makinohara Shoko. Shoko was always a mysterious character in the first season, and you notice all the foreshadowing that takes place, and her arc doesn't disappoint. One of the neat things about the anime is how to tries to wrap in quantum physics into its phenomenon known as the Puberty Syndrome (which is pretty much a catch all to explain the unusual and supernatural events that keep happening around Sakuta). The pacing is slow for the first half, but once the penny drops on the big revelation at the middle, you will realize the significance of a lot of events. It gives Sakuta a dilemma where there is no solution that will make everyone happy. It perfectly captures the agony that he must be feeling, and topping it all off is the relationship between Sakuta and Mai. Instead of a lovey-dovey relationship, the pair has to go through this tough trial and it brings out the best of both. It makes their characters endearing and for the viewer to support them. As the film reaches its ending, you wonder how it will end after all the shocking twists and turns. While it is a happy ending, it was a bit of an idealistic one that doesn't go far enough to explain how this happy ending was achieved. Overall, this is still a solid film that feels like a natural extension to the first season, and is filled with clever and endearing moments.
