Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus: Worth watching or a letdown?

Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus, also called Seishun Buta Yarou wa Santa Claus no Yume wo Minai, is the highly anticipated anime sequel of the Rascal Does Not Dream series. Having started airing on July 5, 2025, the anime is scheduled for a 13-episode run.

Since Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus marks the return of the series to its episodic format, following the initial season and three movies, fans have been eagerly waiting to dive back into the deep and fascinating world of Puberty Syndrome.

With the anime now officially underway and nearly half the season completed, curious onlookers may wonder whether it lives up to the hype. Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus is an intriguing and engaging addition that does an excellent job of carrying forward the franchise’s legacy, making it well worth a watch.

Why you should be watching Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus

Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus starts by adapting volume 10 of the light novel, with Sakuta having become a university student. While balancing student life and his long-distance relationship with Mai, trouble soon strikes as Touko Kirishima, a mysterious girl in a Santa Claus costume, begins handing out Puberty Syndromes to all those around her.

Her first target, Uzuki Hirokawa, suddenly loses her air-headed demeanor and gains the ability to read the room, filling her with fear and anxiousness about her girl group’s future. Following this, Touko's involvement in the lives of Sakuta’s acquaintances only grows further, as she turns Ikumi Akagi into a flawed hero who helps others using a trend called Dreaming.

Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus strikes the perfect balance between exploring creative supernatural elements and remaining a relatable tale of adolescence. The anime begins with grounded themes such as social conformity and the psychological strain caused by a lack of clarity about the future.

Nevertheless, the message of courage, honesty, and staying true to oneself steals the spotlight, making for a touching experience. Following volume 10’s Lost Singer Arc, the adaptation of volume 11’s Nightingale Arc highlights what the series does best: delivering a confusing and suspenseful storyline that is both melancholic and engaging.

The Dreaming trend is an ingenious twist on the series’ usual paranormal events, where individuals can make future predictions through social media. As Ikumi Akagi uses this to play a hero, she mirrors Sakuta, bringing back the moral grey area of intervening in the future and the cost of knowledge.

Apart from the emotional payoffs, the uncanny tone of the episodes, and the complex, layered character development, everyone’s favorite couple, Sakuta and Mai, also make a triumphant return.

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While the previous movies did not have enough bandwidth to focus much on Sakuta and Mai, instead choosing to emphasize only the serious and dramatic themes, Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus offers enough content to justify its romance tag while making viewers remember why they fell in love with the series in the first place.

Therefore, for fans of the Seishun Buta Yarou series, Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus is far from a letdown, offering some of the best and most consistent storytelling in the entire franchise. The production helps elevate the narrative, while the music and voice acting breathe additional life into the show.

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