A visual for Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus‘ “Nightingale Arc” has been released ahead of the arc’s July 26 JST premiere.
“Nightingale” is part of the title of Rascal Does Not Dream light novel series’ 11th volume, Rascal Does Not Dream of a Nightingale. Yen Press describes the premise as:
A miniskirt-wearing Santa appears before Sakuta, calling herself Touko Kirishima and cheerfully informing him that she’s been handing out presents—Adolescence Syndrome. Apparently, one of the lucky winners is Sakuta’s classmate from middle school, Ikumi Akagi. According to urban legend, posts tagged #dreaming are filled with prophetic visions, and Ikumi is using those posts to play hero. Sakuta sees the results of this first hand when he spots her saving someone. And then apoltergeist suddenly attacks, and this is somehow his fault?! Solving all this might require delving into Sakuta’s unpleasant past…
The Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus TV anime is the latest entry in the Rascal Does Not Dream anime series, marking the start of the “University Arc.” It succeeds 2018’s Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai TV series and three movies: 2019’s Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dreaming Girl and 2023’s Rascal Does Not Dream of a Sister Venturing Out and Rascal Does Not Dream of a Knapsack Kid. The new show premiered on July 5.
The original light novel series written by Hajime Kamoshida and illustrated by Keji Mizoguchi started publication in 2014 under the Dengeki Bunko label and released its final main volume in October 2024. (A short story collection was released in July 2025.) Yen Press describes the premise as:
Bunny girls do not live in libraries. This is simply common sense. And yet, that’s exactly where Sakuta finds one in the wild. More bewildering is who the bunny girl is: Mai Sakurajima, a girl one year older than Sakuta, famous at their school for her acting career even though she’s currently on break. To top it all off, it seems like no one else in the library can see Mai at all, no matter what she does or…wears. Wanting to find out more about this mystery and maybe get a little closer to this beautiful upperclassman in the process, Sakuta launches an investigation to discover why an unforgettable bunny girl keeps becoming totally invisible.
The light novel series has also inspired manga adaptations of its volumes.
Staff (returning)
• Director: Soichi Masui
• Series composer Masahiro Yokotani
• Character designer Satomi Tamura
• Music composer fox capture plan
• Animation production: CloverWorks
Cast
• Kaito Ishikawa as Sakuta Azusagawa
• Asami Seto as Mai Sakurajima
• Reina Ueda as Miniskirt Santa/Toko Kirishima
• Sora Amamiya as Uzuki Hirokawa
Source: @aobuta_anime
