- Director: Soichi Masui
- Year: 2018
Overview
Sakuta meets Mai, a famous actress who wears a bunny girl outfit in a library because people are losing the ability to see her. This phenomenon, known as Puberty Syndrome, affects teenagers who experience extreme social stress. Sakuta decides to help Mai by investigating why her classmates are forgetting she exists. He discovers that the atmosphere of conformity forces people to ignore anything that doesn't fit in. Sakuta publicly declares his love for Mai in front of the entire school, breaking the collective silence. This act forces everyone to acknowledge her existence, saving her from disappearing completely.
Takeaways
Puberty Syndrome is basically a supernatural version of what happens when a crowd ignores someone until they feel completely invisible. The school is filled with kids who are so terrified of standing out that they just go along with the crowd, even if it means pretending Mai doesn't exist. Mai fading away is the tragic result of this group isolation. Sakuta breaks the spell by causing a huge scene and declaring his feelings for her in public, forcing everyone to look at him and remember her. It proves that it only takes one brave person to stand up, take the heat, and snap everyone else out of their uncaring attitude.