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Let me start by saying, I fully appreciate the witty writing and characterization in this show, but for me, I did not enjoy it.


My biggest problem was relateable-ness. Even though I used to be a very self-conscious kid with very minimal friends that actively distanced myself from other people to avoid getting into problems, I never experienced any of the mental struggles depicted. Not wanting to be a no-body when you are popular, not getting so engrossed with reading the situation that resulted in an inability to be myself, not unrequited love, cyber bullying, inferior complex or mental confliction between two personas. The closest I ... have ever experienced was perhaps a slightly overbearing mother. So naturally, without the experience, I failed to connect and empathise with a lot of the characters in the story.


But you could say, a lot of emotionally-driven stories that have themes like losing a loved one for example, also appeal to a lot of people who have not been physically gone through those experiences in life themselves, but they are still able to relate and resonate with the story. This is when the complexity and commonness of the struggles above come into play. Problems like losing close one are more rooted in our human nature, so they take less explaining and display to let the audience connect and understand what is the struggle. While for the problems the characters face in this show, they are usually more subtle, complex and not that obvious when they first meet the eye. This is not a bad thing on itself. If anything, it is great seeing shows tackling these more complex mental struggles. But they require more time for viewers to understand and feel what the characters are feeling, which this show's rather quick pacing did not help with, at least for me.


Another point I would like to point out is the sometimes irrational dialogue/decisions some characters make, even given their hardships. Although it is very sensible and in certain cases, commendable to portray the inner thinkings of the characters in the mindset you would expect a character of that age would have. that is in this case, the rather confused and chaotic, and sometimes illogical minds of a teenager that is desperately trying to take in as much information of the world as possible with their brain still developing at the same time, it was a pretty major source of confusion and hence turnoff for me as a person who have past that period of mental turmoil. I oftentimes find myself pausing the episode, only to scratch my head making out the logic of the characters' speech, rewinding a bit to rewatch only to get more confused. I did not come for a Steins Gate level mystery puzzle when I wanted to watch this show.


Now with all that being said, I must add some certain caveats. I have a certain mental problem that hinders my ability to understand the hidden layer of meaning to words and actions, which leads to me being horrible at understanding sarcasm and people who don't speak their own mind. Which is why it usually takes longer for me to understand and connect with a character. This also leads to me enjoying slow-burning shows more than most people, and this show's fast pace did not sit well with my enjoyment.


With the help of my friend who recommended this show to me, and after hours of explaining, I was able to mostly understand the reasoning behind the characters and come to objectively appreciate the writing and characterization. But at that point, I was doing a mental workout rather than being entertained.


And that is just my 2 cents on Bunny Girl Senpai.