The Story
This week you saw more than your fair share of “Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai is Oregairu x Monogatari” takes. Hell, you might have even seen the video floating around calling it their child.
Yes, help!
While the comparison definitely has valid roots; What Sakuta and Mai bring to the table as a duo has shades of Monogatari’s iconic pair of Araragi x Senjougahara, and Sakuta himself does have enough wit to his dialogue along with the overall demeanor to be in Hachiman’s book, it’s only that. Just shades and a book. Not an exact color match or the same page.
Well yeah, they’re not exact. But how close are they really?
So far, enough to reasonably sell this take without feeling too shallow. Bunny Girl Senpai being some sort of Oregairu and Monogatari mashup is passable – there’s enough going on to confidently say that without much (if any) contention.
Don’t you think that this type of comparison sets the bar kind of high?
Yeah, it’s actually our main concern with it. While the level of legitimacy will vary from viewer to viewer, the comparison at face value is already a very real draw that puts stress on the show’s reception. Bunny Girl Senpai being billed by viewers as Oregairu x Monogatari is going to cause a lot of high expectations right from the start – especially for viewers that are looking for more of the textual touchpoints of those two shows in this one. We’re never really happy when a title receives additional pressure like this.
Where do things go from here?
There are two ways we see this playing out. Let’s break them down:
One…hopefully, the comparisons simmer down and critics/viewers converse and evaluate Bunny Girl Senpai’s elements more in a vacuum. Bunny Girl Senpai builds an audience of its own construction and praise rather than the company it keeps. This feels unlikely at the moment, but it would be nice to see its conversation forming around its own merits not drenched in a shadow.
Two…we get more of the same. Critics continue to measure it against titles it’s not intending on competing against, and its success or failure is heavily associated with how much it lives up or mirrors them. The show never really gets examined by itself, staying in the box that it’s already in.
Only time will tell.
The Bottom Line
While reasonable to make, this common early comparison does run its own issues. Oregairu and Monogatari come with pretty big shoes and Bunny Girl Senpai will easily be in an uphill battle with viewers looking for it to even remotely fill them. Bunny Girl Senpai has enough fundamental tools going for it, it can certainly be an enjoyable work with the right approach and expectations. Just be level headed with what you’re getting into if you’re picking it up. It’s not nearly as related to those works and their respective quality as some are making it out to be.
“QUOTE OF THE WEEK”
–One commenter after Sora to Umi no Aida’s first epiosde. Same.
SEASONAL PRATTLE
Find what you’re looking for fast
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 5: Golden Wind
Yagate Kimi ni Naru
Kaze ga Tsuyoku Fuiteiru
Tonari no Kyuuketsuki-san
Zombieland Saga
Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai
Sora to Umi no Aida
Irozuku Sekai no Ashita kara
Goblin Slayer
Double Decker! Doug & Kirill
Tensei shitara Slime Datta Ken
Akanesasu Shoujo
Release the Spyce
SSSS.Gridman
Sword Art Online: Alicization
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 5: Golden Wind (1)
Even beyond the stylish embellishments upfront, Golden Wind still had plenty to celebrate in this first episode. I often preach how the best works are birthed from strong craft and storytelling fundamentals: The way scenes flow into one another, how the cast is imagined to land particular emotive notes, how dialogue can be layered to feel lived in etc – They’re all crucial pieces for an embraceable performance. Golden Wind doesn’t check all of these boxes, but it certainly has enough of them textually and directionally where my confidence is riding high moving forward.
Please Put Some Respect On Naokatsu Tsuda’s Name
Yagate Kimi ni Naru (1)
Conversations in Yagate Kimi ni Naru are almost routinely elevated by appropriate pauses, smooth cuts, and generally responsive character acting – all great touchstones to be clearly illustrating in an intimate work like this. I had my concerns with Troyca coming into this premiere, specifically Makoto Kato as his vision can be pretty bold in a costly way, but it looks like he’s working out well here. Applaudable entry from start to finish.
Kaze ga Tsuyoku Fuiteiru (1)
Solid showing from Kaze ga Tsuyoku Fuiteiru, demonstrating what sturdy storytelling fundamentals plus a very capable staff can bring to the table. This first episode was highly functional and confident – nothing too glamours in its presentation or writing but coming across with a clear vision of the cast and the series’ goals. Having Yuuki Hayashi on the soundtrack is already paying dividends, so is the inclusion of key personnel from Haikyuu and Welcome To The Ballroom. Production I.G is definitely not a stranger to sports, and Kaze’s positioned with a high ceiling given the hands involved.
Tonari no Kyuuketsuki-san (1)
Planet With is another case of an accumulation of details creating something greater than the sum of its parts. The look, the tone, the character interactions – all of that came across in this premiere with fine execution and oozes Mizukami’s style. Some of the beats are pretty standarish, but this episode has more than enough flavor to compensate when it’s all said and done. Combine that with Mizukami being a top tier writer and I’m easily looking forward to riding this one out
Worthwhile Prattle:
Zombieland Saga (1)
Zombieland Saga actually landed a lot cleaner than I expected; Sakura is already coming across as versatile as a lead, carrying tension well when needed but not falling flat when she’s a source of comedy, and structurally, the series keeps its mash of tones from feeling too combative. All in all, this was a pretty fun start that’s more than reasonably composed.
Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai (1)
Cared for works make the little ins outs of storytelling seem effortless, and while it doesn’t have every detailed polished to this degree, Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai has plenty going for it in its foundation. Inherently the narrative is intriguing, with a brisk enough pace to deter any lulls in the story thus far, but also mysterious enough to keep viewers around. Where this premiere really shines though is when it plays to its genre space: Good Rom-Coms absolutely need palpable chemistry between the leads, and Sakuta and Mai are already showing lots of healthy signs of that. Their dynamic could potentially carry this one by itself.
Sora to Umi no Aida (1)
Sora to Umi no Aida’s first episode is a special one, mixing everything that is mediocre about smartphone game adaptations into an underwhelming, twenty-three-minute blob. “Space fishing” is a premise that’s shaky at best to genuinely entice viewers with, but when your lead in Haru is a generic, overly energetic airhead that comes across as more annoying than not – you’re just setting yourself up to struggle. Toss in the rest of the cast being roughly as unique and a pile of all too convenient writing and here we are.
Irozuku Sekai no Ashita kara (1)
This work was always a visual marvel since the PV, making excellent use of shadow, color, and just overall layout to construct one immersive scene after another. But now with the full episode here, even I’m impressed with Irozuku Sekai no Ashita kara’s craft despite knowing what was coming. It’s clear that Irozuku is already showing a nuanced vision – it has a firm grasp of what it wants from its world and characters and consistently puts them in a good position to accomplish that. Even better, the writing is sound here. Yuuko Kakihara is competent at close character reading after her time on Tsuki ga Kirei, and it’s showing up through her portrayal of Hitomi. Having her on the composition should keep this out of muddy water and make this an enjoyable ride.
Goblin Slayer (1)
Content-wise, it really doesn’t help that Goblin Slayer’s opening episode purely lives off of needy grimdark plot beats. Once you get beyond their inherent shock value and come to terms with the visceral tone they bring, the rest of what Goblin Slayer provides here is actually surprisingly thin when you examine it. There’s very little in the ways of worldbuilding and characterization to the point that its brash approach is really its only defining trait. Which without that, we would easily be consuming another cookie cutter modern fantasy light novel adaptation. Very shallow start.
Double Decker! Doug & Kirill (1&2)
Outside of a handful of colorful moments from Kirill and splashes of visual proficiency during the more action intensive sequences, Double Decker feels pretty mediocre in its premiere and follow up. The writing is fairly limited – mixed in its delivery of information with spotty at best humor rounding it out, and tonally it struggles to maintain consistency largely due to the narration. For a work that’s anticipated as a spiritual successor to Tiger & Bunny, it feels more in the wheelhouse of Active Raid in terms of telling and execution. Hopefully, that changes in its third showing.
Tensei shitara Slime Datta Ken (1)
Tensei shitara Slime Datta Ken should be thankful to have a talent like Ryouma Ebata on the project with the way his sequences carried. Ebata is just too sharp not to stand out in a premiere that was fairly safe – one which rolled out Satou’s reincarnation in a grind that virtually consumed half of the episode and closed out the remainder with a straightforward intro to Veldora. Ebata’s work on the OP after all that was said and done wasn’t just the most accomplished part but also acted as the primary hook to tune in next week. You’ve been saved 8bit.
Anime Taste Testing: Kaze ga Tsuyoku Fuiteiru
Akanesasu Shoujo (1)
At the very least Akanesasu Shoujo provided an interesting floor. This start certainly isn’t the most competent: You can point to awkward bits of CGI and predictable patches in the writing that makes this episode feel lukewarm. It’s nothing the series can’t overcome with a tighter approach and heavier focus on its strengths moving forward. Akanesas’s narrative holds a reasonable amount of intrigue, and Asuka isn’t exactly dead weight when a scene primarily leans on her – If we can just build from that base then this has a chance to be a decent fall watch.
Release the Spyce (1)
Release the Spyce certainly has elements that are admirable, namely the sound design and the major nods it takes from YuruYuri and Dogakobo series in general. Be that as it may, there’s still a lot that feels undercooked here and Spyce’s storytelling suffers notably from it. You can point to the loose flow of the introduction, Momo’s rushed incorporation with Tsukikage and various spots that came off as all too manufactured to keep things running. Spyce is definitely in need of tightening its writing up, and I can only hope it does just that moving forward.
SSSS.Gridman (1)
Outside of some shot comps here and there, it’s hard to say Gridman was anything but mediocre at best, and often, underwhelming during this debut. There are some really poor craft choices that standout early – the ball scene in the classroom that hangs notably too long is the most immediate offender, but there’s also a fistful of cuts and transitions that feel clunky to give it some company. Worst, however, is Gridman’s character work. While there’s hopefully good reason for this to be made clear later on, the entire cast treats Yuuta’s memory loss like it’s a runny nose. There’s hardly any urgency in their performance or concern. The same can be said about their reaction to the Kaiju attack and Yuuta speaking to Gridman that they can’t see. Hopefully Trigger has a reason for this, but currently, it comes across as really awkward and drags this episode down a bunch.
Sword Art Online: Alicization (1)
A large part of why Alicization’s premiere works so well is simply due to how balanced it is in its delivery – being reliably propulsive when needed all while not sacrificing texture to its characters, world or information for the viewer on a whole. Given its near hour run length, this is more of a juggling act that takes a good deal of finesse than a lot of people would immediately think. Kirito’s exposition of STL could have easily been overwrought, and it’s certainly tempting to let Yoshihiro Kanno and Tetsuya Takeuchibe’s action sequences run wild. However none of the issues really emerged, and the mixture of restraint and engagement proved to be a pretty enjoyable combination.
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