100 Girlfriends Season 3

EVERYTHING 100 Girlfriends Missed in Season 3

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime, Anime Reviews, Crunchyroll , , , , , , , , , ,

All right, 100 Girlfriends! Since you guys decided to skip over a bunch of the story so that you could focus on the main beats in season 3, I’ve taken it upon myself to pick up the slack. So here’s everything that the anime either chose to ignore or didn’t get to cover! And for extra insurance, I’m adding links to scanlations.

100 Girlfriends Merch (Chapter 53)

This is exactly as it sounds. The manga got its first round of merch the week this chapter came out, so the Rentaro Family decided to promote the heck out of them to get more merch. The manga will end up doing this to promote stuff every now and then, including the anime.

Chiyo’s Kissing Ban and Return of Kissing Zombie (Chapter 54)

So remember that chapter in Chiyo’s intro that the anime skipped? After Chiyo finds the family kissing Rentaro like crazy, her OCD kicks in and she somehow bans them from doing it on school grounds. Because apparently, excessive PDA is cringe in Japan. And since Rentaro is so respectful, Kusuri takes matters into her own hands and ends up using that “kissing zombie drug” that girls aren’t supposed to take and Chiyo became a kiss zombie. So everyone had to distract her while Kusuri made the antidote.

Lap Pillow Battle Royale (Chapter 56)

That group lap pillow at the end of the anime was a nod to this chapter. When the girls see Rentaro is tuckered out from caring for them, they all decide to give him lap pillows. And so we get a delightful montage of each dream Rentaro has in their laps. Here are my thoughts!

If Mimimi doesn’t become a beauty queen in the future, Rentaro is going to riot.

Rentaro and Nano’s stargazing nap was adorably efficient.

Iku is just what I was expecting.

Mei is a puppy that can turn into a jet, and is adorable.

But the one with Karane was just so sweet!

I also had no idea that Shizuka could have such dirty thoughts. Then again, we saw how she reacted when she saw him in the bath.

The less said about Hahari’s, the better.

Less than a second with Hakari!

Kusuri’s just made me realize something: if Kusuri finishes that immortality drug and shares it with everyone, where are they gonna live when the sun goes nova?

Poor Kurumi. Rentaro will always be with you.

Chiyo’s was weird.

And Meme’s? Yeah, I wish we could have gotten that Evangelion joke.

Trapped in a Photo Booth (Chapter 59)

The family takes a group photo at the mall one day, but there are so many of them, they get trapped inside like sardines. Hilarity ensues as they try to find a way to get out (or at least get Kusuri out) or call for help, only to fail. It’s also discovered that Chiyo is particualrly fond of Kusuri’s adult form, as it reminds her of her late mother. In the end, the Gorilla Syndicate finds them and pulls them out.

Iku’s Girly Date With Rentaro (Chapter 60)

Iku and Rentaro go on a movie date, but because she’s feeling insecure about being a tomboy, she ditches her shorts for a skirt to impress Rentaro. After that, they try out a batting cage and try to win a bat signed by Iku’s favorite player (and I googled the name, and it’s a pretty nice joke), but end up competing with this other couple. It’s a very heartwarming date, and while they win the bat, they give it to the other couple because the girl’s sister is getting surgery.

Also, let me remind you guys that I believe in tomboy supremacy!

Shopping Day with the Lolis (Chapter 61)

Rentaro, Shizuka, Chiyo, and Kusuri all need stuff at the market, so they all go on a shopping date. This is yet another example of why the series works, showing how the girls interact with each other as friends and comrades, making their bizarre relationship work. Rentaro gets to bask in their combined cuteness. And when these two jerks start yelling at them, we get to see them have each other’s backs.

Sleepover Hot Pot turned Sumo Wrestling Match (CHAPTERS 66-68.5)

The anime hinted at it in the OP, but this little mini-arc was pretty fun. Hahari decides to invite the family over to the Hanazono’s mansion for a sleepover hot pot party where everyone has to bring a secret ingredient. It starts out innocent at first, as we get to see what each girlfriend added and how it reflects their personality and quirks (Naddy put in a Big Mac!) But then we learn what Hakari added: beef soaked in an aphrodisiac she had Kusuri make. You can guess what she’s up to.

So to keep everything wholesome and wear them all out, Rentaro challenges them all to sumo wrestling: himself vs all the girlfriends. The winner can make the loser do whatever they say. What follows is a gauntlet of sumo wrestling as the girls keep trying to beat Rentaro, only to fail against his wholesomeness. Well, there are a few near wins. Especially with Karane. In the end, Rentaro just uses the whole thing as an excuse to kiss everyone like crazy.

Chiyo and Naddy’s Epic Team Up (Chapter 71)

Miss Naddy learns that Chiyo has a problem: these two delinquents in her class keep smoking in the park, and she feels compelled to try and get them to stop. But they keep refusing because they want to be rebels and pissing her off is the biggest way to rebel that they know. So Naddy takes it upon herself to try and scare them straight by lassoing them with her “justice rope.” So Chiyo has to stop her. Then they get into this heartfelt talk about how Chiyo being allowed to live for herself, because Naddy doesn’t want to see her end up having a miserable childhood like she did. Then the cops come and they have to bail.

Oh, and Rentaro was going to be a DJ to teach them not to smoke.

Rentaro Family Fairy Tail (Chapter 77.5)

This is one of those extra chapters that comes at the end of some of the manga volumes. In this one, the girls take on the roles of various heroines in fairy tales, complete with everything bad that could happen to them. And then Prince Rentaromeo sees that they’re in trouble, goes around the land like a runaway train and beats up everyone giving them problems.

Hakari Teaches Yamame about Feminine Charms (Chapter 78)

As thanks for all the help that Yamame gives them with her flowers and gardening, Hakari tries to teach her how to use her feminine charms to seduce Rentaro. Easier said than done, though, since Yamame is so pure and wholesome that it’s hard for her to be deliberately sexy. But when Hakari has a wardrobe malfunction, she actually manages to save the day. Also, we learn

Hiking Date (chapter 80)

The gang goes on a hiking trip to some hills and are trying to get to the top, but then the weather goes crazy and splits them all up into pairs. So now they have to work together to make it to safety. Once again, the entertainment from this chapter stems from the pairing off of the girlfriends and how their quirks play off each other. Well, at least the pairs that we see.

BABY EPISODE PART 2 (Chapter 84)

Hahari has made some more baby clothes, this time for all the Family Members that weren’t part of the incident last time. And thanks to Kishika, all of the girlfriends who have joined since the last baby chapter (plus Hakari) have been turned into babies. So the rest of the family has to look after them until then.

I know the baby chapter was super weird, but I couldn’t help but find it funny. And that extends to this chapter as we get to see the babified girlfriends show off their personalities even as toddlers. Hahari gets to enjoy her daughter being a baby all over again at an age where most people would expect her to be a mom (no judgement. She knew what she was getting into and could financially afford it.) Baby Mimimi runs to the most dazzling thing she can find in the form of Nano. Shizuka tries to protect Yamame from danger, only to get dragged along and having to be saved by Nano. Karane is overwhelmed by baby Hakari’s sheer cuteness. Everything’s going great until poor Chiyo sees her glasses and starts crying for her mom, and all the other babies start crying for mom. And then Rentaro gets upset because they’re upset and starts crying. And the babies just stop crying and take pity on him!

By the way, this is only the second part of the baby chapters. By the time this goes up, there are already two more chapters. And I’m betting that the mangaka and artist will be making more when there are more girlfriends added.

Hahari gets the High School Date She Wanted!

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime, Anime Reviews, Crunchyroll , , , , , , , ,

The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You Season 3 Ep 11 Review

Okay, 100 Girlfriends, you have two episodes left in the season, and all the girlfriends have been introduced. There are a lot of one-shot adventures that can be covered, so it’s not like the show is lacking for content. And while there are plenty of stories that I would love for the anime to adapt, I’m surprised at the ones that they chose. Well, mostly the second one.

High School Date for Hahari

So, Hahari was walking down the halls one day when she overheard one of the students talk about how the manager at his job asked him out. Which is fine, except she’s 29 and has a kid, which makes things awkward. Sensing that this is bothering her, CHADtaro decides to take her out on a date. Not just any date, though: she’s going on a date as a high schooler!

Remember how Hahari admitted that she would’ve liked to be a high schooler again, and got that cosplay of her daughters uniform and pulled it off even better than Hakari? Well, Rentaro decides to have her fulfill her dream. Which is, honestly, way more adorable than weird, if you ask me. Don’t forget, Hahari had to give up on her teen years to have Hakari, so she never got to enjoy her youth like she should’ve. It’s why she’s acts more like a teenager or kid than most of the people who are actually teens; she’s making up for lost time. Needless to say, she deserves this treat. That, and I wasn’t joking earlier. Hahari manages to pull tbe high school senior look better than her daughter, and I know there will be fanart of her in that getup.

The date itself is also super sweet, as they go to a museum dedicated to this teddy bear toy her family sponsored that she adored. It’s cute to see her get so passionate about it. What is concerning, though, is the revelation that she gave her teddy French kisses before bed as a kid. So, she’s always been this affectionate, it seems. Not that I don’t blame her. I still have the stuffed baby doll I loved as a kid in storage.

The date is pretty cute as a whole, and I really like how Hahari got to enjoy a taste of what could’ve been had she been younger, like Hakari’s sister instead of her mom. But I think it’s for the best that she is the family mom. It’s thanks to her that the Rentaro Family can even afford to do all the things they do. Heck, I’m pretty sure she’s secured positions at one of her companies for all of them when they graduate, so they’re financially secure.

Well, that was fun! So what will the second half of the episode be-wait a second? What do you mean it’s not another baby episode? But that is supposed to be the next chapter! Oh…oh, they’re doing this little story arc.

They just skipped 50 chapters!

So, you know how one of the best parts about 100 Girlfriends as it continues is that the girlfriends start to do activities that don’t necessarily involve Rentaro? It’s a way for the series to play them off each other and show how their quirks can interact, and one of the best pairings is between Shizuka and Nano. Nano is super protective of Shizuka, seeing how fragile she can be as a sign that she needs to be protected at all costs. And as the good book says, “If thou shalt make thine angel Shizuka Yoshimoto shed tears, thou shalt be smote with supreme wrath by the Rentaro Family.” And when Shizuka shows up at school one day without her phone, Nano immediately senses something is wrong.

Again, it must be said that when it comes to cuteness, Shizuka is the most adorable member of the Rentaro Family. Even the logic-driven Nano is enamored by her cuteness. But she’s right. Something is very wrong.

Shizuka’s Mom vs Rentaro

So, I’m not sure if you remember this, but Shizuka’s mom is one of those misguided parents who wants her daughter to be “normal” when she clearly displays signs of some kind of anxiety, not to mention her stammer. So she took her phone to get her to talk, but that only causes more harm than good. I should know. I am on the autism spectrum, so I had to spend my years in public school around people who needed other ways to communicate. I myself do a better job communicating by writing than by speaking at times and nobody has questioned it. So now, it’s up to Rentaro to get through to her mother. Oh, and to highlight how serious this is, there is no zing. So I guess the series draws the line at women who already have a living spouse.

The crazy thing about this, though, is the fact that the anime does this. This arc doesn’t happen for another fifty chapters in the manga. Why is the anime jumping to this out of nowhere? Do they really need to have a serious arc at the end of every season! Not to mention how I was hoping that the anime would cover the second of the baby chapters! Yes, there are more of them! Four, as of the manga!

Give me my expectations, you guys! This season has been all over the place with the stories and it’s starting to get on my nerves. At least I’ll still have the dub to watch .

I Give “Of Children, Adults, Ladies, and Mothers” a 3/5

Oh man, Kishika is Awesome!

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime, Anime Reviews, Crunchyroll , , , , , , , ,

The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You Season 3 Ep 9 Review

Hey, Bibury Studios. I want to know how you guys decided on what to include in the third season of 100 Girlfriends, because you are skipping out on a lot!

I wasn’t going to say anything about it until after the season ended, but at this point, I have to draw attention to how this season is being structured. They are jumping all over the place with the one-off adventures, and they are either cramming a girlfriend’s introduction into half an episode, or breaking it out over multiple episodes. It’s very inconsistent! They’re just lucky that this episode included one of my favorite one-off adventures and introduced us to one of my favorite girlfriends in the series.

HOT SPRINGS EPISODE!

In the first half of the episode, the Rentaro Family wins a free trip to this new hot spring before it’s opened (they’re wearing swimsuits). That sounds nice and all, except the hot spring is owned by this company called the Hardcore (or Serious) Group (and Iku is distantly related to them for some reason.) They are like the ACME Corporation from the Looney Tunes, making these weird products that are always hardcore, no matter how absurd. And it doesn’t take long for the Rentaro Family to get into trouble when the bath bubbles end up separating them.

The rest of the first half of the episode can, I think, be best described as an exercise in absurd slapstick. Which is good, because I happen to love slapstick comedy. And it just so happens that one of the biggest strengths of the series is its ability to pair each girlfriend off with each other. This allows them to play to their various quirks in fun ways. Like Shizuka and Nano’s close friendship enabling them to escape a waterspout. Or Mimimi and Meme trying to get out from underneath a jet faucet.

But I think my favorite moment was the bit with Hakari and Karane. Hakari finds Karane in a bath that somehow enlarged her chest, and she’s so enamored with it that she refuses to leave. Then we get this speech that is supposed to be emotional and heartfelt, but swings back into comedy when Karane sees what the bath did to Hakari.

Poor Karane! Even in her dreams, she keeps losing to Hakari!

The other great joke was how, when the Family reunites, they soak in the one hot spring that isn’t too crazy. Though it ends up being so good, their souls almost ascend to heaven from happiness. This company might have just invented the most humane form of execution of all time!

KISHIKA IS SOOO COOL!

In the second half of the episode, Rentaro is being accosted by boys who are mad at him for hoarding these rare keychains. And I’m kind of with them on assuming Rentaro was a scalper. Most guys don’t have 16 girlfriends! But then he is saved by what I can only describe as a female knight straight out of a fairy tale. Oh, and they zing!

Meet Girlfriend #17, Kishika Torotoro! She’s 18 years old, a classmate of Kusuri’s, and captain of the female kendo club at school. And she conducts herself with the nobility and steadfastness of one of those noble knights you read about in fiction. Or Erza Scarlet, if you’ve ever read Fairy Tail.

As a matter of fact, the moment I got to her in the manga, I looked at her swordsmanship and reddish hair, and was reminded of Erza’s. She’s just cool like that. But from the get go, there’s something wrong with her. When Rentaro tries to brush some dust off her head, she gets very upset about it. And this isn’t a one-time thing, either. Her own teammates say she gets like that sometimes.

Now, if this were a more serious manga, you would think that this is a sign that she had some sort of traumatic past that has left her averse to touch. But this is 100 Girlfriends, a gag anime. And this was just a way to build up to the joke about her character as we are led to witness…this.

BABOOO

As Kishika herself admits, being born the eldest of six siblings to busy parents meant that she had to take on a lot of responsibility while young. That means she never got to enjoy the stage of her childhood where most parents pamper and coddle their kids, leading her to secretly long for that. And she suppressed this desire for so long that when she lets it out, she mentally regresses to a childish state.

This is…honestly brilliant. In fact, I think that out of the gags for each of the Girlfriends, Kishika’s might be one of the best. The contrast between her normal serious self and when she lets loose makes it funny. And while there are going to be people who will cringe at this, we need to keep an open mind with this series. There are people who incorporate ageplay into their love lives. And since Rentaro is a CHAD, he accepts that Kishika needs the chance to enjoy herself. Plus, it’s funny seeing her act like this!

Just, just don’t let Hahari anywhere near her! Seriously, don’t!

And with that, we’ve got the last girlfriend of the season, and with three episodes to go! So I really hope that the anime is going to go back to some of those one-off misadventures but with the extra Girlfriends. I don’t want to have to go back and talk about every last one they missed!

I Give “Hardcore Hot Springs Hopping with a Chance of Heaven” a 4/5

Really, 100 Girlfriends? How did the Producers Approve this?

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime, Anime Reviews, Crunchyroll , , , , , , , , ,

The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You S3 Ep 1 Review

That’s right, I’m back with more 100 Girlfriends as we move to season three! I have to admit, I was almost tempted to skip reviewing the new season of the ultimate harem anime because of my busy writing schedule (I write for more than just this blog), but then I remembered that this is one of my comfort anime. I’m way too invested in the laughs to stop now! And the first episode made it clear that we were going to get plenty of laughs from the start. Why? Because the Love God is trying to do this serious exposition dump to catch people up on the story…and the show ends up spoiling some of the girlfriends joining this season! The eye pop the foolish God does is hilarious!

Which is good, because the next soulmate joining is going to be…controversial.

Wait, are we Jumping Ahead?

Wait, did the anime just skip a few chapters? And are they adding some of the spoiled girlfriends to the gathering?

Yes, it seems that for the first episode of the season, the show director decided to mess with us. So they skipped to a future incident in which some of the new girlfriends have already joined the family, and they’re being interviewed by this show about dating, and they’re telling stories about Rentaro’s CHAD powers. And it’s freaking the host and crew out. It’s nothing but the show leaning into its gag status, and it’s pretty hilarious. And then Rentaro gets interviewed and they make the mistake of insulting his girlfriends.

It is very likely that this will become a lost episode creepypasta. But I do like how the show staff doesn’t give two cents at this point and is just doing what they think is funny. And now we have the new OP.

Welcome to the church of Rentaro.

Now, here’s the controversial part.

Really? Are we Really Going Here?

It all starts when Rentaro is asked to look his cousin that he’s never met before while his uncle is out. He thinks it’s going to a romance-free day. But then…

Yes. This is real. This is actually happening. And yes, Rentaro in the manga asked the same question to Shueshia about whether they were really doing this. How the mangaka managed to talk his publishers into letting this slide is beyond me, as this is going to attract controversy. But if Shueshia was willing to approve Hahari, they must have been willing to approve…dating your cousin.

Maybe Shueshia approved this because they thought it would be funny to see people freak out about it. Also, it should be noted that in Mushoku Tensei, Rudeus and Eris are distant cousins. We’ve got no right to judge 100 Girlfriends.

Chiyo Iin, the Loli-Cousin With OCD

Anyway, meet Chiyo Iin, Rentaro’s 12-year-old cousin. She just started middle school recently, and is a class rep who is considered super responsible and dependable by everyone around her. So, besides the very specific niche she fills, what quirks does she have that set her apart?

OCD. She has OCD, and whenever she sees something disorderly, she gets upset and tries to fix it while growling like a puppy, as she does after various mishaps befall Rentaro. Oh, and whenever she loses her glasses, she starts crying like a baby.

I’ll be honest: Chiyo was always going to be a landmine for me, but I think that was the joke. Nakamura wanted to do this to mess with us and remind us that he is willing to go there. What I thought was even funnier, though, was the reveal that her father set all of this up to make the two fall for each other. Why? Because he’s an overprotective father who only considers Rentaro worthy of dating Chiyo because he saved him from Truck-Kun as a kid.

Is this entire family looney?

Look, it’s best not to take anything that happens seriously. The anime and manga have already established that they are not taking the story seriously. If you don’t like it, don’t watch. Otherwise, enjoy.

I Give “Cousin and Girlfriend” a 3/5