There’s something fairly brilliant about this show when it delivers what I worried it would do and yet manages to make me appreciate it anyway. Sakurajima Mai is in fact sidelined quite substantially this episode, being sent off to film on location elsewhere after an early scene with Sakuta and then literally just getting to phone it in for the remainder of the episode. And yet, this didn’t hurt the show as much as I feared it would.
Also, Sakuta is definitely the protagonist who is going to rescue all the girls from their various problems just by being the selfless male protagonist that we’ve seen in so many of these kinds of shows. It isn’t just the main girls. He even stops to help random classmates find phone straps on the beach. He’s a walking monument to selflessness when it comes to helping all those defenceless girls, and normally that would annoy me to no end. Yet, he’s so incredibly likeable as a character. You certainly can’t relate to him because he’s so incredibly unbelievable as a character, and yet I can’t help enjoying every minute he’s on the screen. And not just because he stomps on the face of arrogant athletes who spread disgusting rumours about the girls who turn them down (though I must admit that was a pretty fantastic moment).
Tomoe as well really stepped up. She still can’t match Mai for chemistry with the male lead, and I don’t think they are trying to. It seems that this is not going to be a harem where the protagonist allows there to be ambiguity about whether he’s made a choice or not. Sakuta has clearly chosen Mai and is settled even if her accepting his confession got reset by Tomoe (and wow, I just realised that could be a serious future complication if Tomoe decides to replay a day until Sakuta accepts her confession, because ouch). But Tomoe, in her own insecure way has charm, and she’s certainly no slouch when it comes to holding up her end on the interesting dialogue this show has been delivering since episode one.
So while this episode did dive headlong into a path I kind of wished it wouldn’t, I’m really glad it did. This episode was another solid effort and one that was highly entertaining. Clearly Tomoe’s arc isn’t done just yet and there’s clearly more to the whole Laplace’s Demon idea that is yet to be uncovered, but overall the charm of this series hasn’t worn off just yet.
- Episode 1 – Ignoring the Title This One Seems Actually Interesting
- Episode 2 – When Life Makes you Disappear
- Episode 3 – Snuggle Bunnies
- Episode 4 – Time Loops and Laplace’s Demon
- Episode 5 – The Real Fake
- Episodes 6 + 7 – How To Build a Fascinating Harem Starting With A Bunny Girl
- Episode 8 – Bunny Girl Isn’t About Getting What You Want
- Episode 9 – The Grass Might Look Greener From Your Side of the Fence
- Episode 10 – It’s Simple, It’s Complicated, It’s Like Life
- Episode 11 – The Panda Girl Removes Her Armour
- Episode 12 – A Journey Forward = The You Now Being Abandoned
- Episode 13 – Awakening From A Dream and Life Goes On
“I just realised that could be a serious future complication if Tomoe decides to replay a day until Sakuta accepts her confession”
Seems to be a growing consensus that that’s what we’re headed towards.
That didn’t actually occur to me while watching the episode but writing the review I suddenly wondered if that’s where it would go. I kind of don’t want it to, but at the same time that could be really well done by this show so maybe it will all work out.
Every week I find that this show is making me change my perception of it, but man is it just getting better and better. Last week I was like “Oh so this is the Twilight Zone” but now I think I might have finally figured it out.
What I do like is that Bunny Girl Senpai seems to mix realistic high school problems with some supernatural elements that act as metaphors for that problem. So the show feels much like an anime about high school, but not an anime about an ANIME high school, and that’s very refreshing for me. Sakuta is still a blast, and that final scene just made me go “Ohhh shit dramaaaaa”
Pumped for next week.
I’m really looking forward to more of this story. And I think you are right. It is definitely an anime high school but not an anime about an ANIME high school. That’s probably the best way to describe it really.
Even though Mai was sidelined, I still the think the moments that she was in this episode were great. Especially the very touching one where she brought the outfit for Sakuta’s younger sister.
But yeah Sakuta kicking the crap out of that bully was a very satisfying moment (for me it was anyway 😂😂). Overall though this was again another amazing episode, for a show that so far has been one quality episode after another. One can only hope it will keep being as good as it’s been the past few weeks. For me it’s been (gasp) the best anime I have seen all year 😊
I’d probably agree except that the second season of March Comes in Like a Lion concluded during the winter season. That feels like a lifetime ago, but really, nothing has come along to top that yet. Though, this one is pretty great.
I have to get back to that show… I loved it so much. But a lot of crap happened in real life, and things interrupted it. I really want to just restart watching it. Probably restart with it because it’s really been a while since I have seen it last 😊