100 Girlfriends

17 Girlfriends Down, 83 to Go

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The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You Season 3 Ep 12 Review

All right, 100 Girlfriends, you finished your third season, but it might be the most chaotic season to date, and you missed out on a lot of fun, one-off adventures. I plan to go over some of them later, but for now, it’s time to get serious. As you’ll recall, in the second half of the last episode, Shizuka’s mom took her phone away because she didn’t want her daughter to keep talking with it so she can be “normal.” Nano figured something was up and got Rentaro on the wire so that he can take care of business. And now, we get to see the thrilling conclusion.

LESSONS ON PARENTING

Look, I’m not going to beat around the bush when it comes to this since a.) I read the manga, and b.) we all know how this will end. Mrs. Yoshimoto tries the whole spiel about how Shizuka needs to act normal if she wants to fit in with society. That she will be seen as a freak if she can’t speak for herself. Honestly, though, I wasn’t even listening because I saw this for what it was: misguided parenting.

First off, why does Shizuka need to talk to communicate? People who are mute or unable to communicate verbally have been able to speak up for themselves for decades thanks to computers. Secondly, even if we don’t know exactly it is, it’s rather obvious that Shizuka has special needs. Fans of the series have even debated about whether she’s neurodivergent or not. Speaking as someone who has ADHD and is on the Autism Spectrum and who spent a lot of time around other special needs people in school (a friend of mine even needed a TTS device), I can tell that she is and people need to be respectful of that. Lastly, did her mom ever ask her daughter what she wanted?

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my life, it’s that there is no universal definition of what’s right or normal. One person’s normal is weird for others. Not only that, but no one in the Rentaro Family has a problem with Shizuka talking the way she does. Far from it, they find it only adding onto her natural cuteness. And as we have seen before, making her cry is a surefire way to make them declare war. As far as everyone else is concerned, Shizuka’s mom is the only one with the problem.

And so, thanks to the CHADness of Rentaro, Shizuka is finally able to get through to her mother. And all is right with the world, with their relationship repaired.

And then the manga jumps back fifty chapters to where it should be: a day in the life of Rentaro.

A Day in the Life of Rentaro

The second half of the episode is basically a montage showing just what Rentaro does every day with the Rentaro family. It’s honestly one of the sweeter moments in the series, because it shows just how much care he gives each of them. It also reminds us once again just how amazing a boyfriend he is with all of the over-the-top stuff he does. Whether it’s helping Iku with her training, giving Yaku and Kishika piggyback rides, giving sexy polaroids to the Hanazonos, or writing entire books for Shizuka, Nano, and Karane…yeah this kid has to be superhuman. He’s lucky he’s in a gag manga so this can make sense.

He also ends wind up back at the shrine of the Love God that started this whole mess, and he makes it clear in no uncertain terms that he hates him. He hates him for putting his girlfriend’s lives in danger, and, it’s implied that he hates him for making suffer fifteen years worth of rejection until he met Hakari and Karane. Both valid reasons to not like the unlikeable Love God, if you ask me.

Ultimately, the season ends with Rentaro waking up in the prescence of his girlfriends, who, after finding him passed out from exhaustion, all gave him a collective lap pillow. Which is another callback to a manga chapter that we skipped over! And as the credits roll with the S1 OP, we are left wondering whether or not we will be getting a season 4. We had better get one, because the next girlfriend to be introduced is one of the most popular ones in the series. Until then, though, I’m taking matters into my own hands.

That’s right. I’m going to be covering all of the one-off adventures that the anime decided to skip over, and I will not be stopped!

I Give “The 17 Girlfriends Who I Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love (83 to Go)” a 4/5

Hahari gets the High School Date She Wanted!

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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

Hahari Got her Hands on Kishika

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The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You Season 3 Ep 10 Review

Doggone it. I knew that things were going to go south for Kishika the second Hahari got her hands on her.

But how did we get to this situation? Let me explain.

So, the episode opens up with the traditional introduction of the girlfriend to the Family, followed by the traditional ice-breaking activity. In this case, it’s a kendo fight. All of the girlfriends against Kishika in a battle royale with paper balloons. Pop your balloon, and you’re out. Winner gets a kiss from Rentaro.

Girlfriend Slayer: Kanojo Hametsu no Yaiba

Now, fighting 16 on one might not sound like a fair fight, but this is Kishika and an anime. Have you seen how crazy sword users are in anime? Let’s just rate how each person does.

Yeah, we should’ve thought that Iku would lose first on purpose. But Nano was unexpected. And I’m pretty sure at this point that Kusuri is a certified fan of Zoro from One Piece.

Mei and Karane went down faster!

Hakari and Yamame’s plan was great on paper but poor in execution.

The real fight, though, is against Naddy, Yaku, Mimimi, Meme, Momiji, and Kurumi. They turn the whole thing into a parody of Demon Slayer and the anime isn’t ashamed of it and give Kishika a run for her money…but she still wins.

…is what you’d think I’d say! Cue the punchline as the real winner is Hahari. It’s easy to forget just how devious she can be at times.

And once Hahari has won, she doesn’t hesitate to use her mommy powers on the poor girl. Which leads to…this.

And with that, Kishika has lost her cool image as a knight. But she gets a family of fellow weirdos.

COMEDY SKETCH TIME!

Now, with two episodes left in the season, I was left wondering what’s going to be covered. And I really want to know what they could cover in those episodes. Well, of all the things they chose to do, it was basically a comedy sketch: the Rentaro Family versus an eating challenge.

So, there’s this chapter right afterwards where the is woman who lost an eating challenge and got humiliated has made this impossible ramen challenge as revenge on the world. Unfortunately for her, every single one of her challengers is a member of the Rentaro Family.

What follows is pretty much one of those comedy sketches that relies on the absurdity of escalation to make it funny. Every time a Family Member manages to one up her, she comes up with some ridiculous new challenge, only for it to get progressively stupider. This pretty much everything that we want to see in a Japanese comedy sketch and I love it. And having Kurumi be the final boss is just the icing on the cake. I suggest that you guys just watch the episode for yourselves and enjoy the pairings of the girlfriends, because they are hilarious.

We only have two episodes left of the season, and I have no idea what they will be doing. If I’m lucky, we’ll get another baby episode. That was funny!

I Give “The Rise and Fall of the Proud Girlfriend” a 4/5

Oh man, Kishika is Awesome!

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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

We’re really doing this, huh? We’re going into GILF Territory?

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The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You Season 3 Ep 8 Review

If you guys thought that Hahari and Chiyo were going to be a problem, then you’re gonna hate this: Rentaro’s next soulmate is a grandma! KUSURI’S GRANDMA!!! THIS SERIES DOESN’T GIVE ANY F’s!

Yes, Yes

Everyone, meet Yaku Yakuzen, our 16th soulmate! Yep, this is Yaku Yakuzen.

She’s 89 years old, and like the rest of her family, she took Kusuri’s imperfect immortality drug. Unlike Kusuri or her parents, though, not even the reversing medicine will turn her back to normal. Which is good, because Kusuri only started working on the drug so she wouldn’t see her grammy die. Which is…absolutely sweet and something I totally understand. If I were her, I would give that drug to my parents in a heartbeat.

So, from the getgo, it’s made clear that Yaku is in an entirely different league than the formerly oldest girlfriend, Hahari. Hahari is still in the prime of her life with anywhere from 60-80 years of life ahead of her. But Yaku was old enough to have served in World War II! She’s already experienced love with Kusuri’s grandpa, who the anime depicts as being this Japanese Rambo! And whereas Hahari never got to enjoy a life with her first love, Yaku did. So the main problem that Rentaro faces is trying to get her to take him seriously.

Listen, I know how weird this sounds, even by harem anime standards. However, we have no right to judge it. We already lost the right to do that with Hahari and Chiyo. Plus, having Yaku in the group means we can make jokes about the elderly trying to understand current tech and the like. It works a lot more than you think in the manga!

But we all know that Rentaro was going to win over Yaku. He’s Rentaro! It’s physically impossible for him to not do so.

This is fun

The second half of the episode is then dedicated to the traditional rooftop introduction of the newest member to the others. And the show doesn’t not hesitate to milk the jokes about Yaku’s age. It’s all in good fun, though. She’s the sweet old grandma that everyone loves because she’s nice and gives us candy.

What’s even funnier, though, is seeing her mix up all the girlfriends and their personalities. I also found the way they used each girlfriend’s image song to be a nice touch. Oh, and, just so you know, the scene with Chiyo is actually the censored version. The manga one wasn’t going to make it past the censors, so it didn’t even bother. Go figure!

And with that, we welcome Yaku to the Rentaro family and officially update the ED to include the secret girlfriend.

We have about four episodes left in the season, and only one more girlfriend. So we’re either saving them for last or they’re gonna cram a bunch of the funnier misadventures in for those episodes. Either way, I’m happy.

I Give “Kusuri-senpai’s Grandmother” 3/5

SMOL NANO AND KUSURIVANIAN FAMILY!

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The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You S3 Ep 7 Review

You know, when this season of 100 Girlfriends is over, I think I’m going to go back and recap all the whacky adventures that the anime doesn’t cover. Why? Because as time passes and more girlfriends join, the time between then becomes longer and I don’t want you guys to miss out on the fun! But at least we got to see one of my favorite stories make it into the anime. And then, we get the setup for yet another soulmate that is going to make people question their sanity.

SMOL NANO IS SO CUTE!

So, the Rentaro Family is hanging out on the rooftop (which I assume is reserved for them) one day, when Nano accidentally drinks one of Kusuri’s drugs. And it’s the craziest one yet: it shrinks her down to the size of Thumbelina, much to everyone’s surprise. And since taking Kusuri’s reversing drug would be fatal, she has no choice but to wait for it to wear off. Which means we get to spend an entire half episode fawning over the absolute gift from the heavens that is Nanobelina!

This show just has absolutely zero f’s to give, and I love it! The entire first half is all about jokes about smol Nano. From Rentaro and the other girls fawning over her newfound cuteness to seeing her try and continue her daily routine while smol, it’s so funny. But it also gets pretty harrowing. A gust of wind almost blows Nano away to her death, and if it wasn’t for Rentaro (and Mei’s driving) she wouldn’t have made it. Good thing this anime doesn’t linger on trauma!

The payoff is absolutely amazing, though. When Rentaro wakes up the next morning, Nano is back to normal…and without any clothes. And when Nano kisses him as thanks for the previous day, his poor brain short-circuits!

https://twitter.com/Eternal_Anime22/status/2089052431493554184?s=20

The second half of the episode is even funnier, though.

Wait for it…

So, Kusuri has been telling her parents all about Rentaro and the Rentaro Family at home. So, Kusuri’s dad wants him to come over to their house so he “talk” to him. (He wants to beat him up for fifteen-timing her.) And Rentaro braces for the potential of zinging with Kusuri’s mom…only for it to fall flat. I guess the show draws the line at soulmates with still living partners, though I didn’t like that they took out the joke about calling Hahari the show’s Mother It Loves to Feature (get it?) from the manga.

But it makes up for it with the reveal that her parents are just as tiny as Kusuri! They took her failed immortality drug and are stuck like that. And then their meeting goes awry because this spy poisons the parents and tries to kidnap Kusuri to abuse her powers, and the anime makes it into a joke about it being a whole flashback! It’s just so fun!

Oh, and of course, there’s the part where Kusuri’s dad turns into the Hulk and sends the spy blasting off.

By the way, if you guys want to learn how Kusuri’s parents met and fell in love, there is an ongoing side-manga covering the daily lives of the Rentaro Family’s members. Spoilers since there are more girlfriends, but it’s worth it!

And then, just when we think that everything’s ending on a wholesome note, we get the punchline that was set up earlier. Kusuri’s grandma comes back from whatever it was she was doing, and…ZING!

THE PUNCHLINE!

Yes, ZING! Rentaro just zinged with a grandma. Kusuri’s grandma, the secret girlfriend of the season that I had to keep quiet about for the sake of the joke. If anyone was upset about Hahari or Naddy since they’re adults, this next one is going to drive them up the wall! And we have to wait a whole week in suspense.

I love this show. I really do!

I Give “Thumbelinano and the Kusurivanian Family” a 3.5/5

Momiji Momi, the The Gr***pling, Joins the Family

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The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You S3 Ep 6 Review

Well, at this point, I can safely say that the third season of 100 Girlfriends is speedrunning the manga. Either that, or the studio decided to rearrange all the stories between meeting new girlfriends so they can actually introduce said new girlfriends. If that’s the case, then I’ll likely do a lightning round of all the stories missed, but I’m not complaining. Especially since this means that we get to meet my second-favorite girlfriend of the season. Why? Because I love massages.

I, Momiji, Have Joined

It all starts when Rentaro is looking into this urban legend at school. Word is that this mystery girl is going around giving massages to female athletes that are so good, their brains short-circuit. Wanting to do something nice for his girlfriends, Rentaro tries tracking her down when he hears a scream! And when he gets to the tennis court…ZING!

Meet girlfriend number fifteen, Momiji Momi, a third year in middle school (she sits right next to Kurumi.) I love Momiji. She is one of my favorites of the girlfriends in the series, easily one of my top five personal faves. And it all has to do with the joke about her: she likes groping. A lot.

https://twitter.com/OtakuSpirited/status/2086475552781648371?s=20

Momiji likes touching anything soft and supple, especially women. So much so that she’s dedicated her life to become the worlds best masseuse to ensure that all women grow to be beautiful and soft. Basically, she’s killing two birds with one stone by turning her perverted need for groping into a career. It’s gotten to the point where she can tell when a person needs muscle relief just by looking at them, which is why she takes an interest in Rentaro. His body has gotten so stiff from running everywhere to find dating spots that she compares it directly to Astro Boy!

All of the girlfriends have their own unique quirks that are meant to be used for comedy, but it’s easier to tell jokes for some more than others. In Momiji’s case, she’s a twist on the classic trope of beautiful women in anime getting groped by others. She can get away with it thanks to her masseuse skills and because she’s a girl, which allows for many instances where she creates physical humor for us. For example, in a future chapter, we see get small and proceed to Lupin dive into Hahari’s chest, pose and everything. And im glad that the anime keeps the spirit of this intact, even if it changes the translation a bit.

Also, i loved the joke of Rentaro intentionally getting his body stiff again by becoming the assistant of Nozawa, the illustrator for the 100 Girlfriends manga. Being a mangaka can be agonizingly stressful, and im glad they kept the thank you to her in the anime. What an epic fourth wall joke!!!

And then we get to the introduction on the rooftop. Or massage appointment.

This. THIS IS PEAK

I did like how Karane’s tsundereness released into ecstasy with acupressure, but I think my favorite reaction was Iku’s. It was like using a phoenix down on a zombie!!

How Momiji Met her First Love (Women’s Bodies)

By the way, the anime doesn’t go into it, but there’s a funny story that explains why Momiji is into groping soft things. She’s always liked them, but when she was a toddler, her mom took her to this bounce house. As she was enjoying herself, she bumped into a toddler Hakari and started smooshing her.

It gets crazier. When Hahari comes to pick up her daughter (she should only be 16, but she looks like an adult), Momiji sees her chest, and can’t resist feeling her. Because…evolution! And…ZING!

That’s right. Momiji’s other soulmate is Hahari’s bosom! She doesn’t remember it, but her hands certainly do! The anime takes the joke a step further with that oppai mousepad. In the manga, it’s explicitly Nami, but the anime switches it to Hahari. Either they couldn’t get the rights to do that (which I doubt because they got Rentaro cosplaying as Luffy), or they thought it was funnier. And it was.

I Give “Momiji-chan’s Squishy Festival” a 4/5

Rentaro’s New Girlfriend is Mother Nature Incarnate!

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The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You S3 Ep 5 Review

ZING! KRRACK!! The newest episode of 100 Girlfriends only just started, and Rentaro has already met his fourteenth soulmate! And yes, it happens just as fast in the manga, something that gets lampshaded. Buh golly, meet our goddess of nature, our very own Nausicaa, Yamame Yasashiki!

Let’s back up a quick second. So, Rentaro decided that his girlfriends would look adorable if they were wearing crowns made out of flowers, and Iku suggested he go see the head of the school gardening club. And that’s where we start the episode.

Yamame Yasashiki, Mother Nature Herself

Meet Yamame Yasashiki, or as I like to call her, the living incarnation of Mother Nature. Standing at over 200 cm, she is taller than even Jotaro Kujo, and, according to the wiki, beats even Karane in strength. Not that she would ever use it to harm anyone. For Yamame is a gentle giant, who loves nature more than anything in the world, and has dedicated her life to helping nature grow and thrive. She’s so kindhearted that she even has a separate garden for weeds. She’s so kindhearted that when butterflies started hanging around the flowers in her hair, she let them stay. And over the years, she has used her size to help her protect any plants or animals that are in trouble. She loves nature, and nature loves her back.

So, she’s basically every nature goddess rolled into one. Or Nausicaa, if you’re an anime fan. By the way, if you didn’t know, there is a Nausicaa manga series that I recommend you check out!

Yamame is the incarnation of Mother Nature, no doubt about it. But she has a troubled past. When she was little, her size made her the target for a lot of bullying. It wasn’t until she realized she could use that to help the plants and animals that she started to love herself. Also, she wasn’t joking about walking with stilts around nature. In a bonus chapter of the manga from when she was little, she stepped on a bug by accident. She was so traumatized by it that she almost gave up on going outside. Her pa had to hypnotize her into thinking the bug was visiting her to tell her to forgive herself, and somehow that escalated into her using stilts. The point is, she’s pure enough to ride Goku’s Nimbus!

Oh, and she’s also deathly afraid of fire, as we see when the Vice Principal comes running after her hair catches fire.

It’s this moment that seals the deal for Yamame, as she becomes his fourteenth girlfriend.

GARDENING PARTY

And now, we get the traditional introduction to the Rentaro Family, brought to you by the Gardening Club!

In case you guys haven’t noticed at this point, this show is very open when it comes to referencing other anime. Especially if it’s an anime based on manga published by Shueshia, the company that owns Shonen Jump. In this episode alone, we get multiple references to Yu-Gi-Oh!, which I loved. What I loved almost as much though was seeing the Rentaro Family dressing like nature goddesses and tending to Yamame’s garden. Especially the way that Kurumi was shoveling down those strawberries like there was no tomorrow. I love strawberries, so I get why she’s so into them.

But what I loved even more was how Rentaro made Yamame feel less insecure about the height difference. I know that in real life, not a lot of guys would want to date a girl who’s taller than them. I think it’s because it makes us feel insecure about our manliness. But you have to remember this: in nature, there are plenty of examples where the female is bigger than the male. That, and Rentaro doesn’t discriminate. Kisses for all!

By the way, that ending gag is meant to be a parody of Attack on Titan. It’s way more obvious in the manga.

I Give “Yasashiki-San’s Gardening Club Tour” a 4/5

The Rentaro Family Idol Arc!

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

The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You S3 Ep 4

Idols are huge in Japan. J-pop may not have the same reach as K-Pop, but it’s got its fair share of fans, especially among us weebs. But it’s also a grueling and unforgiving environment that will set you alive! But as long as you have a good support system, then it can be just fine, as the Rentaro Family finds for themselves!

It all starts with Hahari being inspired by this insurance commercial about how you only live once. So on a whim, she decides to throw a spring festival (it’s forever spring!) Unfortunately, the week before the festival, the idol group she hired gets injured while rehearsing, so she asks the Family to cover. It’s the start of the idol arc!

https://twitter.com/LoKoKaBoosTeR69/status/2081531157850595631?s=20

Idol Life Sucks

First rule about being an idol, though: it sucks. The coach Hahari hired is brutal, pointing out how only half of them (Nano, Mei, Mimimi, Iku, and Karane) are able to perform. Hahari, Hakari, and Meme are weighed down by their boobs (two words: sports bras)! Kurumi keeps getting hungry! Shizuka, Chiyo and Kusuri are just bad at dancing, and that’s not even getting into the singing. So the coach is at the end of her rope, and resorts to the cutthroat nature of the idol industry.

I haven’t watched Oshi No Ko in its entirety, and I have no real interest in doing so. But if some of the things that they show about how cutthroat showbiz is in Japan, then this is the norm. Hell, the coach experienced that herself when she had to leave her friend in the lurch. But this is a romcom, not whatever genre Oshi No Ko is. So when the good half is asked to bail on their friends, they all refuse and tell her to get lost. So, Rentaro becomes their coach because he’s such a CHAD!

And then comes the day of the festival when the family is supposed to perform. They sing and dance their hearts out for their boyfriend, but it turns out that idol coach decided to get even. She brought that injured idol group to the festival to sign autographs just to spite them all, which is a horrible thing to do. Good thing Rentaro and Uncle Hiro came prepared with dummies of themselves. And Rentaro sent out flyers that brought a bunch of supporting characters there to watch.

Full disclosure: I have no idea what separates a good idol performance from a bad one. I don’t really care that much as long as the songs are good. But even so, I’m glad that Rentaro got all those people there to watch them perform. Even the idol coach is moved by how hard they’re trying to perform, and in the end, the performance is a huge success.

So much so that the Rentaro Family is actually scouted by a famous music producer who thinks they’ve got the gift and wants to turn them into an actual idol group. And the anime makes it seem like there’s going to be this big arc ahead of us…but it doesn’t happen.

I Think the ‘No Romance’ Thing is Real

The second rule of being an idol: no romance allowed. And this is actually a real thing. The idol business in Japan and Korea insists on their idols being relationship-free to maintain an image of purity and…oh, who am I kidding. They do it because they know that more people will be fans if they can hold onto the fantasy of dating them.

They don’t even hesitate to walk away, LOL. Besides, a ton of them are probably going to be famous anyway one day.

By the way, it should be noted that the anime has skipped over a bunch of manga chapters about one-off misadventures the Rentaro Family gets up to. So I’d recommend that you go give it a read. Plus, there’s also a spin-off about their actual families.   

I Give “The Rentaro Family Idol Legend” a 5/5. And that’s definitely not because Rentaro is threatening me or anything!

Well, that went as well as I thought, Rentaro

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

The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You S3 Ep 2 Review

Gather round, folks, gather round! It is time for more 100 Girlfriends! And to say that this next girlfriend is controversial is probably underselling it. I still question how whatever Japan uses for standards and practices let this pass. And I will not lie, I do think the concept of Chiyo is cringe. But I’m just along for the ride, and I know better than to question Rentaro. It was still funny to see Chiyo meeting everyone, though.

Oh, boy.

So, Chiyo’s introduction to the Rentaro Family goes about as well as you’d expect: Karane’s straight man compels her to question how this was allowed, and Hahari says “thanks for the meal.” Good lord, thank god this is a comedy, or Hahari would be on some list of predators. But things go south when Chiyo’s OCD kicks in and she starts “tidying up” everything “wrong” with the Family. I’m just going to show it instead of describing it.

I think I almost lost it when Chiyo said Hahari and Iku’s existence was a problem.

Fortunately for everyone, Chiyo is quick to realize the chaos she has wrought and starts feeling bad about it. I’m gonna be honest: it was funny, but she was also trying to force her ideals on people that didn’t need nor want them. And when she starts crying, everyone is quick to comfort her, showing just how welcoming they all are. It’s honestly heartwarming to see how close they’ve become as a makeshift family. And yes, they are a bunch of weirdos.

Now, the second half of the episode is actually what surprised me, as it completely skips over what happens in the manga. In the manga, Chiyo’s introduction is followed (after an ad for keychains) by a chapter where, upon learning how kiss-happy the Rentaro family is, she bans them from kissing during school hours. And their plan to get her to loosen up almost turns her into a kissing zombie.

I will be blunt: I didn’t like that chapter. I thought it was repetitive considering how Chiyo had just learned to accept the Family’s oddities. I didnt like how they had the youngest member do that to them. It was just a forgettable chapter. Though, that makes the second half of the episode even stranger since it changes gears to Mimimi and Meme.

This Was Way Better

So, there’s this noisy photographer from the school paper who’s obsessed with getting a photo of Meme, and she mastered this Demon Slayer breathing technique to do it. Rentaro, naturally, is prepared to burn the newspaper club to the ground, saying this constitutes terrorism. And Hahari can’t stop her because she’s being blackmailed with proof of how much of a freak she is.

The entire second half is more or less the Family trying to help Meme protect her privacy, with predictable results. They have her dressed in a bunny girl outfit to train her evasiveness up, but really, it’s just so Hahari can enjoy the view. But in the end, they come up with an even stronger version of Meme’s substitution jutsu: they swap out Meme for Mimimi! And Mimimi is just so good at posing!

I like this. I like this very much. And if I’m correct with my math, then the next episode is going to introduce one of my personal favorites in the entire series! I can’t wait for more laughs next week!

I Give “Chiyo’s Family Coaching” a 3/5