Movie Review: Rascal Does Not Dream of A Dreaming Girl

The pressure of making an impossible choice that is neither wrong but
would make you suffer immensely. This is the burden that Sakuta needs to
carry due to the phenomenon “Puberty Syndrome” which still remains a
mystery

Rascal Does Not Dream of A Dreaming Girl Movie revolves around the mystery of Sakutas’ first love Makinohara Shoko – his first love and confidant when Puberty Syndrome first hit him. She was there to listen to him and believed his story. Here in the movie, he meets a second Shoko, a younger version of her that is still in middle school: sick and confined in the hospital.

The Technicalities

The art is basically the same as the series, do not expect an upgrade as
the movie focused on the story flow and plot. The music used was molded
with the scenes to perfection, the emotions felt with the music were
strong but not overbearing. It is not something you should be critical
about in this film as this is a continuation of the drama series, but
the sound just fits everything, nothing special about it.

The Plot

As I have mentioned earlier, the movie is about Sakuta’s first love, a Makinohara Shoko arc. The first part of the movie is fast paced, even my co-staff Zachary was wondering why the story is moving so quickly. Then Zachary realized that the backstory about Shoko’s surname was not shown in the movie which is not a major factor, making it fast-paced.

We get to see new sides of the three main characters: Sakuta, Mai, and
Shoko. Their emotional connection was so good and they remained true to
themselves. The pressure Sakuta felt in making decisions, Mai expressing
her frustrations on Sakuta on why does he need to do these things, and
Shoko expressing what she really wants to do with life.

The climax and the ending of the movie were memorable to me. This has been one of the best films I experienced, where the crowd was interacting with what’s happening in the movie. There were laughter, shock, sadness and satisfaction.

Overall Verdict

You’ll laugh, cry, and feel emotions you have not felt for a while. This
is what made the series stand out when it was released way back Fall
2018. The mixture of comedy, anticipation, and sadness we saw in the
series are what you are still going to have here in this movie- just add
heavier amount of feels in the middle and the end. The voice acting, as
always, was spot on– especially on Mai and Sakutas moment. As for its
adaptation from the Light Novel, fans said that it didn’t stray from
where it should flow.

There were drawbacks in the movie, but the emotional rollercoaster ride would give you a satisfying sigh of relief at the end with how things went in Shoko’s arc. If you loved the series, this movie continuation from season 1 would leave you on the edge of your seat.

Rascal Does Not Dream of A Dreaming Girl is slated to premiere on November 13, 2019!

SetsuAni would like to thank Pioneer
Films and Anime Movies Philippines for the opportunity and invitation to
be one of the first to watch Rascal Does Not Dream of A Dreaming Girl
here in the Philippines through the fan-screening held in SM Cinemas
Megamall in Mandaluyong City on the 09th of November 2019.

Watch the Trailer here

Originally Published on Setsu-Ani by Franz Rivera, Anime Corner’s Philippine Media Platform with minor editing and updates.