Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus

Episode 7

Can I just say how relieved I am that I more or less correctly figured out what was going on in last week's review? While this series is tightly written, it's still possible to misinterpret the clues, as supernatural mysteries don't necessarily follow real-world logic. There was a non-zero chance that I had wandered into the proverbial cornfield by accident this time.

That said, the one thing I didn't foresee was that Sakuta's Ikumi had a plan for coming back (though, in retrospect, all the clues were there). Basically, she laid a trap not only for her middle school classmates but for Sakuta as well. For the former, she lured them in with the promise of meeting up with them all and ignoring the drama. For the latter, she used the dreaming hashtag to imply that a stabbing would occur there. Moreover, she hinted that she would be the perpetrator—thus someone other than her would have to be there to play hero.

In reality, the class reunion was Ikumi's attempt to make peace with the past, with her inaction and how the class treated Sakuta back in the day. Using her own Puberty Syndrome as an example, she confronts her classmates with the truth—with undeniable proof that they were in the wrong for doubting and shunning Sakuta. However, things are never quite that simple.

Her classmates see themselves as the victims. Sakuta's breakdown “ruined” their middle school lives. This is the narrative that they have told themselves—that he was crazy and dangerous. Now, to be told that they were in the wrong—that he wasn't insane and they all abandoned someone in need, they're not going to accept that even when faced with proof. It doesn't fit what they believe, nor what they want to believe. And Sakuta understands this.

He knows why Puberty Syndrome remains an urban legend despite how common it seems to be: you have to experience it to believe it. In the moment, seeing Ikumi pop out of thin air, they might doubt things—but once they get some distance, they won't believe. They'll convince themselves that they misread or that it was a trick. They'll return to their old way of thinking because it's safe and comfortable. Or, to put it another way, Sakuta's old classmates are not capable of atoning for what happened because their logical minds will inevitably conclude that they're not in the wrong because the supernatural isn't real.

So Sakuta, knowing all this, relieves them of having to do any self-introspection beyond what they've already done in the moment. He pretends it was all a trick—a practical joke. It was just his light-hearted revenge for their shunning of him, ending by saying it was no big deal, and they may forget about it. However, he does this not for them or even for himself but to get Ikumi off the hook.

Yet, despite defusing the situation, he is still human and can't help but get revenge for the isolation he suffered. So he name-drops Mai. He implies that all of them are losers still stuck worrying about middle school events despite being in college. Meanwhile, he has moved on completely and has found love, dating a celebrity—the prettiest girl in all of Japan. Sucks to suck!

And in the cutest moment of the season so far, he apologizes to Mai for doing so. His love for her is something true and pure—not a bat with which to bludgeon those who wronged him. Yet, Mai turns it around and asks if what he said wasn't true. Because to her, if using their relationship in such a way brings him vindication or peace, she is more than willing to swing the proverbial bat herself.

Rating:

Random Thoughts:

• So… who or what is young Mai? Because she seems to be more than just an aspect of Sakuta's Puberty Syndrome. Is she actually Touko Kirishima? Or perhaps another person like her?

• It's important to note that the “Perfect World” is not objectively perfect. It's “perfect” for Sakuta—it contains his best possible life and version of himself. People other than Sakuta, however, can still have terrible, unfulfilling lives—hence Ikumi's life.

• It's nice that we got to learn about how exactly Perfect World Sakuta helped his sister and resolved her case so quickly.

• Perfect World Sakuta is such an enigmatic character. Even just a day in the normal world and he seemingly figured out the whole Touko Kirishima mystery. Too bad he's not sharing things beyond a few cryptic remarks.

Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

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Disclosure: Kadokawa World Entertainment (KWE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, is the majority owner of Anime News Network, LLC. One or more of the companies mentioned in this article are part of the Kadokawa Group of Companies.