Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dreaming Girl
Anime Info
Synopsis
Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dreaming Girl picks up with Sakuta Azusagawa well into his second year of high school, now happily dating his upperclassman Mai Sakurajima. Their comfortable everyday life gets shaken up when Sakuta's first love, Shoko Makinohara, comes back into the picture.
Things get stranger from there: while accompanying his younger sister to the hospital, Sakuta realizes there are two versions of Shoko, a middle-schooler struggling with a serious heart condition, and the older Shoko who once helped him through a difficult time in his own past. That contradiction points to yet another case of the supernatural "Puberty Syndrome" that's followed Sakuta and the people around him throughout the series.
As Sakuta tries to untangle which memories and timelines are real, the film becomes a heartfelt story about first loves, growing up, and the choices Sakuta has to make between the two people who matter most to him.
Images & Key Visual
Teaser Trailer & PV
Characters
Our Review
Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dreaming Girl is one of the strongest films in the franchise. Bringing Shoko Makinohara's storyline to a proper close gives the movie real emotional weight, and the way it plays with two versions of the same character across timelines is handled with a lot of care.
CloverWorks' animation looks fantastic on the big screen, and the quieter, more personal focus on Sakuta and Mai's relationship makes this feel like a natural, satisfying continuation of the TV series rather than a random side story.
If you loved the first season, this movie is essential viewing, and easily one of the emotional high points of the whole Rascal Does Not Dream series.
