"Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai" by Kamoshida Hajime tells the story of boys and girls who face a mysterious phenomenon called adolescent syndrome. Azusagawa Kaede, the younger sister of the protagonist Azusagawa Sakuta, is a girl who has been withdrawn since being bullied in middle school. What kind of character is Azusagawa Kaede? We will list 10 charms of her, so be sure to check it out until the end.
Who is Azusagawa Kaede, Sakuta Azusagawa's younger sister?
Source: Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai © Kamoshida Hajime/KADOKAWA ASCII Media Works/Aobuta Project
The protagonist of "Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai", Azusagawa Sakuta, has one younger sister, Azusagawa Kaede. She lives with her brother in an apartment in Fujisawa City, and is a young girl who always wears panda-patterned pajamas. She loves Sakuta very much, and her behavior in everyday life and other aspects of her love are depicted throughout the story. Let's start with a brief character introduction of Azusagawa Kaede.
Adolescent syndrome leads to reclusion
Source: Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai © Kamoshida Hajime/KADOKAWA ASCII Media Works/Aobuta Project
Azusagawa Kaede is another girl who has developed adolescent syndrome. When he sees the slanderous comments posted online, such as on social media, his own body is hurt at the same time, which is painful, and he becomes a recluse. Even if he tries to go out, the stress causes him to develop a fever, and he ends up with bruises and cuts. When Sakuta sees this and explains the situation to his conscience, he can't help but see it as self-harm, so he decides that the two of them should live together in order to protect Kaede.
She usually spends her time with her pet cat, Nasuno
Source: Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai © Kamoshida Hajime/KADOKAWA ASCII Media Works/Aobuta Project
Azusagawa Kaede, who lives a reclusive life at home, spends her time with her pet cat, Nasuno. It seems that Sakuta is in charge of all the household chores, and Kaede lives a life where she never leaves the house. However, Sakuta starts bringing his friends over, including Sakurajima Mai, and although he seems a bit timid at first, we see him gradually opening up to them. They are then shown having fun, such as eating dinner together.
What is the impact of Puberty Syndrome on Azusagawa Kaede?
Source: Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai © Kamoshida Hajime/KADOKAWA ASCII Media Works/Aobuta Project
Kaede Azusagawa has become a reclusive girl due to adolescent syndrome. She also has other problems that could be called aftereffects, and not only is she afraid of electronic devices, but she even reacts sensitively to the vibration sound of her smartphone. When Sakurajima Mai receives a call from her agency and picks up her phone, she looks frightened at that moment, and it is clear that she has been severely traumatized. It is only natural to think that this is understandable, as a girl of this age would be covered in scars just from looking at a phone.
Sakuta threw away his smartphone for Kaede
Source: Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai © Kamoshida Hajime/KADOKAWA ASCII Media Works/Aobuta Project
Sakuta is a rare person in modern society who does not own any electronic devices such as a smartphone, and his junior Koga Tomoe describes him as a "primitive man." Sakuta used to have a smartphone, but when Kaede Azusagawa became afraid of smartphones, he threw his smartphone into the sea for her sake. Since then, he has never carried a mobile phone, but he seems to be able to live without any inconvenience.
What is his relationship with Kaede Azusagawa?
Source: Seishun Buta Yarou wa Bunny Girl Senpai no Yume wo Minai © Kamoshida Hajime/KADOKAWA ASCII Media Works/Aobuta Project
In "Seishun Buta Yarou wa Orusuban Imouto no Yume wo Minai", a character named Azusagawa Kaede appears, but what is her relationship with Azusagawa Kaede? In fact, Azusagawa Hanafude is her real sister, and is a completely different person from the Azusagawa Kaede we've seen up until now. Since Azusagawa Kaede had been featured a lot up until that point, this sudden turn of events must have come as a surprise to many. Let's take a closer look at how these two personalities came about and learn more about them.
Kaede was born when she developed a dissociative disorder at the age of 13
Source: Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai © Kamoshida Hajime/KADOKAWA ASCII Media Works/Aobuta Project
The "Kaede" personality was born to Azusagawa Kaede due to adolescent syndrome, when she was bullied by her classmates on social media. This, combined with the onset of adolescent syndrome, put a great burden on her mind, and at the age of 13, she suffered from dissociative disorder. As a result, a different personality was born from Kaede, and Sakuta suggested that she live as "Kaede". From then on, a new daily life began for Azusagawa Sakuta and Azusagawa Kaede.
The new personality does not share the memories of Kaede Hanakaede
Source: Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai © Kamoshida Hajime/KADOKAWA ASCII Media Works/Aobuta Project
Sakuta's younger sister, who now lives as Kaede Azusagawa, does not share the memories of her original personality, Kaede Hanakaede. He has also changed his dominant hand from left to right, showing that he is a completely different person. He has also forgotten all of his memories of his family, and Sakuta is the only family Kaede has. Because of this, he wakes her up every morning and occasionally sneaks into her bed, showing his sister complex, and he has become completely dependent on her.
Azusagawa Kaede disappears the day after November 26th
Source: Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai © Kamoshida Hajime/KADOKAWA ASCII Media Works/Aobuta Project
She spends most of her middle school years living as Azusagawa Kaede, but on November 27th, her Kaede personality disappears. She has been showing signs of trying to move forward on her own, such as trying on her middle school uniform, and in mid-October she sets goals for the year such as "going to see the pandas with my brother" and "going to school." She somehow manages to achieve those goals, and Azusagawa Kaede disappears, awakening Azusagawa Hana Kaede.
Kaede worked hard so that Sakuta would be proud of her
Source: Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai © Kamoshida Hajime/KADOKAWA ASCII Media Works/Aobuta Project
Until then, Kaede Azusagawa had been a reclusive girl who hadn't been able to do anything. Thinking that Sakuta would regret it if he disappeared like that, he sets goals like going to school and tries to move forward. Kaede learns about this later from his diary, and a major part of his motivation is wanting Sakuta to be proud of having made many of her dreams come true, and Kaede also thinks of him as a brother she can be proud of for behaving like a real brother.
Charm of Azusagawa Kaede 1: A brocon who loves Sakuta
Source: Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai © Kamoshida Hajime/KADOKAWA ASCII Media Works/Aobuta Project
From here on, we will touch on the charms of each of Azusagawa Kaede and Azusagawa Hana Kaede, but the first charm of Kaede that I will introduce is that she absolutely loves her brother Sakuta. Simply put, she is a siscon, but not only does she show her dedication by waking him up every morning when he has school or a part-time job, she also shows her love everywhere. Kaede says that she does this to "master the way of being a sister," but as always, Sakuta calmly ignores her and doesn't pay her any attention.
Sneaking into Sakuta's bed in the morning
Source: Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai © Kamoshida Hajime/KADOKAWA ASCII Media Works/Aobuta Project
Kaede's bro-complex is clearly shown by the way she frequently sneaks into his bed and sleeps with him. Perhaps Sakuta has gotten used to it, so he only gives her a quick warning, but Kaede shows no signs of stopping. In this scene, it seems as if they are about to cross the line between brother and sister, but since Sakuta has no intention of doing so, you can see that Kaede is a little dissatisfied. Kaede's slightly sulky appearance is also adorable, and you can really feel that Sakuta is blessed with the women around him.
Azusagawa Kaede's charm 2: She always wears pajamas with a panda pattern
Source: Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai © Kamoshida Hajime/KADOKAWA ASCII Media Works/Aobuta Project
Azusagawa Kaede's trademark is the pajamas with a panda pattern that she always wears. The hood is decorated with panda eyes and nose, and even has ears, giving it a cute appearance. Combined with Kaede's sister complex, her charm is multiplied several times over. Therefore, the moment she tried on the Fukuya Junior High School uniform given to her by Sakurajima Mai, it was a very refreshing scene, and even her brother, Sakuta, couldn't hide his surprise.
She's also cute holding Nasuno
Source: Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai © Kamoshida Hajime/KADOKAWA ASCII Media Works/Aobuta Project
Another factor that makes Kaede even cuter is her beloved cat Nasuno. She also seems to be attached to Sakuta, but she is especially affectionate towards Kaede, and there are many scenes where they appear together. In "Rascal Does Not Dream of a Logical Witch," she is seen temporarily taking care of Hayate, who was picked up by Shoko Makinohara, and seems lonely when she is finally given up, which suggests that she is a cat lover.
Charm of Azusagawa Kaede 3: She's cute even when she's nervous
Source: Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai © Kamoshida Hajime/KADOKAWA ASCII Media Works/Aobuta Project
Maybe because of the bullying she experienced in middle school, Kaede has a hard time interacting with others. The first time Sakurajima Mai visits Sakuta's house, there is a scene where she sneaks a peek through the door, and even seems to eavesdrop on their conversation. She seems curious, perhaps because it is the first time her beloved brother has brought a woman over, or perhaps because she is afraid that their days as siblings will come to an end. However, once they have had the opportunity to become close, they are seen spending time together happily from then on.
She also seems to show some rivalry towards Shoko Makinohara
Source: Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai © Kamoshida Hajime/KADOKAWA ASCII Media Works/Aobuta Project
When Mai Sakurajima and Rio Futaba were staying with her, she was initially scared, but after that, they were shown eating breakfast together. However, Makinohara Shoko is an exception, and she doesn't seem too happy about a girl her age coming and going. She expresses her jealousy to Sakuta, asking if Shoko is more of a little sister than him, but when Sakuta convinces her that "Kaede is the only little sister he has," she shows a happy expression and the situation is resolved.
Charm of Azusagawa Kaede 4: Aiming for independence through interactions with others
In "Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dreaming Girl," Kaede is shown becoming independent, and you may find yourself shedding a tear. After interacting with characters such as Sakurajima Mai, Kaede sets goals such as "going to see pandas with my brother." The reason for this is to create the fact that Sakuta has made many of Kaede's dreams come true, and her wish for her to be proud of that is also included.
Setting going to school as the final goal
Source: Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai © Kamoshida Hajime/KADOKAWA ASCII Media Works/Aobuta Project
Kaede sets her "goals for this year" in mid-October, and her final goal is to "go to school." Even just going outside was extremely tough for Kaede, but she somehow managed to go to school in the evening and achieve her goal. However, she said, "I wasn't able to go to school during the day, so it was a △", and Kaname set the next goal. However, the day after she achieved her goal on November 26th, it was not Kaede who woke up, but Hanakaede, and at that moment, Kaede's existence vanished.
The charm of Azusagawa Kaede: Taking action to make Kaede's wish come true
Source: Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai © Kamoshida Hajime/KADOKAWA ASCII Media Works/Aobuta Project
When she woke up as Azusagawa Kaede on November 27th, she had no memories of being Kaede. Therefore, the two years he spent as Kaede are a blank period, but he still tries to carry out what Kaede wished for. That is to attend the same high school as Sakuta, and he works hard to study for the entrance exams until then. Eventually, he takes the entrance exam for Minegahara High School, and the story depicts him taking on Kaede's feelings and taking the exam.
She somehow passes the entrance exam for Minegahara High School where her brother attends, but...
Source: Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai © Kamoshida Hajime/KADOKAWA ASCII Media Works/Aobuta Project
Although Kaede was able to take the exam, she was unable to take the afternoon exam and interview due to poor health, and her exams ended there. However, due to an under-enrollment situation, she managed to get accepted at the last minute, but after meeting Sweet Bullet member Hirokawa Uzuki, she decided not to go to Minegahara High School. Instead, Hanakaede chose to go to a correspondence high school and decided to start a new life as Hanakaede, not Kaede.
Summary
Source: Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai © Kamoshida Hajime/KADOKAWA ASCII Media Works/Aobuta Project
We introduced the characteristics and charms of Kaede Azusagawa, who appears in the "Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai" series from the beginning, and Kaede Azusagawa, who returns from "Orusuban Imouto". Kaede's behavior is typical of a brocon, so I don't think it would have felt strange to the reader. However, looking back, there are some parts that make you think, "Oh?", and they hint at the presence of Hanakaede. The way Kaede tries to move forward and become independent is so moving that it's impossible to watch without crying. Hanakaede doesn't appear often in the TV anime, but pay attention to whether she still behaves in the same way.
