“Sakuta may have cured Mai's Adolescence Syndrome in the nick of time, but now he faces a no-less-harrowing task: convincing her to officially date him. After managing to win that round of verbal fencing, he gets some well-deserved rest…only to wake up “yesterday,” with all his progress reset. This inexplicable phenomenon seems to be caused by Tomoe Koga—the self-righteous yet self-conscious schoolgirl who offered up her own butt to be kicked after mistakenly assaulting Sakuta's—and the only cure is to…pretend to be her boyfriend?!” (Yen Press)
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The continuation of “Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai“, sees Sakuta confronted, once again, by the reality bending ‘adolescence syndrome'. Largely, the re-visitation of the same themes gives the reader a deeper insight into the world altering phenomenon, building off the comedic charm and drama of the first volume. However, the trip is not entirely smooth giving the title one tragic shortcoming.
Marking a disappointment from the first volume is the treatment of the ‘adolescence syndrome', a condition that manifested in the insecurities of its subjects causing world altering scenarios. In the case of the first volume, the phenomena addressed the fear of irrelevancy and going unnoticed in a society obsessed with social media. Unfortunately, the second volume focuses this idea of misplaced fear in a simplified concept of wanting a boyfriend and lying about feelings causing time to repeat. In comparison to the first volume, the ‘syndrome' comes across as shallow and uninspired.
While the ‘adolescence syndrome' may have turned from apt social commentary to convenient plot device, the second volume is allowed to spend more time developing its characters in lieu of having to establish the world building. As a result, Sakuta's persona approaches the concept with a kind of mild annoyance which allows him to navigate the situation with snarky charm. Sakuta proves to be a strong lead in the series, alternating between chivalrous and too nonchalant to the girls in his life with a dry wit that gives the series a delightful comedic sting. You can really see this in his interactions with Tomoe Koga, the ‘petite devil kohai', as moments of teasing are offset by selfless acts like Sakuta claiming he is a virgin to a class to repel a rumour of promiscuity aimed at Koga. Ultimately, the popularity of “Rascal”, as created by author Hajime Kamoshida, feels realized in the adaptations' strong knack for conveying drama and comedy.
Complimenting the series, Tsukumo Asakusa's art remains on point, wonderfully capturing the emotion of each character. Stating to be a fan of the original work long before becoming a mangaka in the releases epilogue, Asakusa's passion for the project resonates in the design. This particularly comes across in the mangaka's ability to find a nice balance with the narrative that fluctuates between comedy, light action and serious drama.
Admittedly, I was first let down by the simplicity of the ‘adolescence syndrome' and how it developed for the second act. However, as I made my way through the volume the charm of Kamoshida's characters became an endearing draw into the story. Fans of the first volume and the “Rascal” series will certainly enjoy “Petite Devil Kohai”.
