Words from the Rascal Director to the Author

[AI ERROR / SAFETY BLOCK - RAW ENGLISH RETAINED]

I forget what my first impression of the boy named Sakuta Azusagawa was, but by the time I finished readingRascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai, I remember being very curious about him.

I dug how he adamantly refused to read the room. Looking back on my own high school years, I wasn’t quite as aggressive as Sakuta, but I did vaguely wonder why I couldn’t just do what everyone else was. Students are supposed to study, but I sure never did and just frittered my time away. I think I sympathized with the way he stayed apart from the crowd.

That’s why I got so intoRascal—it was my job to be, but I also took great personal satisfaction in the years I’ve spent involved with the series.

There’s a stage in the production of any anime called breaking the script, where we meet to discuss the development of the screenplays. Kamoshida was at every one of these meetings, happily answering countless questions that I and the screenwriter, Yokotani, had for him.

In other words, on a weekly basis, I got to interview Hajime Kamoshida in person. I’m sure any reader would envy that. This was a necessary process—Rascalrequires specific depictions and does not allow for ambiguity, and we needed these talks to successfully re-create that in animated form.

It was as if he’d left a guidebook—in the form of a novel—to hissuccessful solo ascent of the highest peak without supplementary oxygen, and the anime staff were trying to follow the same route he did. He was at every script meeting, but he had already descended to the base of the mountain again—even as we climbed. It was like he was with us and not, at the same time. Schrödinger’s Kamoshida.

TheRascalnovels may have ended, but Sakuta’s and Mai’s lives are just getting started.

What do I have to say to Kamoshida now that he’s done writing about them?

“Hajime Kamoshida-sensei, congratulations on ending theRascalseries. Thank you for bringing this into the world. You did a great job.”

…is what I probably should say, but come on. Back it up here.

You know that ain’t right.

“You should have shown them on their honeymoon!”

Or “No, wait, what’s gonna happen to Rio?” or “What will Tomoe do after graduation?” or “Is Nodoka gonna teach, too?” “Can Kaede find a job?” “Er, what about Miori, though?”

We are readers, and we always want to know more.

I am one of you.

Rascal Does Not Dreamanime directorSouichi Masui