The first trailer for the Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus TV anime has been released. The preview of Sakuta Azusagawa’s university life includes a look at Manaka Iwami‘s Miori Mito and Konomi Kohara‘s Sara Himeji, as well as a taste of Conton Candy‘s opening song “Snow Drop.”
Aside from the new cast additions and opening theme reveal, another new piece of info that was announced is the anime’s July 2025 premiere window.
Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus is the latest continuation of the Rascal Does Not Dream anime series, which is based on the supernatural teen/young adult drama light novel series written by Hajime Kamoshida and illustrated by Keji Mizoguchi. Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus is the title of the 13th volume, while the “University Arc” that the anime is now adapting begins with the 10th volume.
Yen Press describes Volume 10 of the light novels as:
Becoming a college student means starting a whole new life…right? Sakuta honestly isn’t sure. Some things have changed, but some things are still the same. His reputation definitely precedes him just like before. Of course, it’s because the entire school knows he’s dating Mai, who’s as busy as ever with her acting career. Sakuta also still lives in Fujisawa with Kaede, but now his sister regularly attends school remotely and splits her time between the apartment and their parents’ home. And Sweet Bullet is giving it their all to reach stardom together, just like always. Except Uzuki’s been acting a little funny, and maybe, just maybe, Adolescence Syndrome might be the culprit again…
The Rascal Does Not Dream light novels started in 2014 and ended in October 2024. It is published under the Dengeki Bunko label. Yen Press describes its 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 anime adaptation began in 2018 with the Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai TV series. It was followed by 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.
Some of the light novels have been adapted into manga.
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
