The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You Season 2, Episode 10 Review
Shy girls; there’s just something about them in anime that makes them endearing. Their lack of confidence in themselves and what they can do makes many anime fans naturally want to root for them. We want to see them break out of their shells and achieve whatever goal they have in life, whether it’s to make a hundred friends like Komi or get the boy they like, like Hinata or Sylphie. The 100 Girlfriends already has a shy girl in the form of Shizuka, but Rentaro’s next girlfriend makes her look like a social butterfly in comparison!
Also, that comparison to Hinata is very accurate.
Girlfriend #11-Meme Kakure
As the Family is having a class on maintaining beauty, Rentaro is headed home when he runs into a girl in his class. A girl who normally keeps her face hidden underneath her bangs, until the wind (and a runaway sign) give Rentaro a look at what’s underneath and…ZING!
Everyone, meet our 11th soulmate, Meme Kakure, AKA the super, super, super shy girl. She wants nothing more than to spend her life acting like she’s a background character, never standing out or attracting attention. Unfortunately for her, her appearance deliberately invokes the kind of attractive, faceless girl you would find in a trashy doujinshi. Complete with a figure that would make readers drool and girls envious. She actually has to bind her chest to keep it under control, and even then, it matches Hakari’s in size. In reality, she’s big enough to make even Hakari jealous!!
Meme takes the shy girl archetype to new levels, making Komi and Hinata look like the most social people ever. The Hinata comparison isn’t arbitrary, either. She’s mastered the substitution jutsu to the point where she’ll vanish even when someone is looking at her! All that you’ll find is a cute toy she knitted in her place!
Meme proves to be a challenge for Rentaro to win over, as she keeps vanishing whenever he talks to her. It gets to the point where the story has a fake-out ending, acting like he’s the one girl that Rentaro couldn’t save. In true CHADtaro fashion, though, he flips the script and manages to beat her in a battle of attrition. One quick talk using his max level charisma, and Meme is convinced to give their love a chance.
Who Doesn’t Love Hide and Seek
The second half of the episode sees the Rentaro Family’s traditional welcoming of their newest member. And it might be the sweetest one yet, as all the girls are quickly enamored by Meme’s shyness and talent at knitting. So, to help her become more comfortable, everyone decides to play the most hardcore game of hide-and-seek. Rentaro has to find everyone, and the winner will get a kiss from him (that was Hahari’s idea.)
For me, the parts where the newest girlfriend integrates into the group are some of the best parts to the series. As more and more of them join, we get to see the entertaining interactions between them as they have fun. In this case, getting to see them try and hide from Rentaro, only to get caught in weird positions is hilarious.
Of course Hakari and Karane would end up in this kind of situation. I’m fully convinced that if it weren’t for Rentaro, the two of them would be soulmates.
And with that, we now have every girlfriend meant to be introduced this season. However, the season still has 2-3 episodes left, meaning that it’s got something big planned. I don’t know what it could be, but I’m looking forward to seeing it play out!!
The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You Season 2, Episode 9 Review
Tentacle p***. Of the 18+ concepts to come out of Japan, few are as storied or infamous as tentacle p***. The sight of tentacles or something similar has been a popular subject to parody in anime, especially in the ecchi/harem genres. Knowing that, and knowing that 100 Girlfriends illustrator, Yukiko Nozawa has done doujinshis, it was only a matter of time before 100 Girlfriends did it. Being the ultimate harem anime, it decides to go all out on this.
When Hair Attacks
So, viewers may recall how during the beauty search contest, Rentaro resorted to shaving his head and eyebrows to force a draw. Despite looking like it came back, this episode reveals he was wearing a wig and tape-on eyebrows. So the girls decide to have a hair-styling day, and the cuteness makes Rentaro’s hair grow back. It’s the rule of funny in effect.
However, things turn when Hahari chooses to down Kusuri’s hair-controlling and it proceeds to come to life. Then, acting on instinct, it proceeds to act out Hahari’s deepest desire: pet anything and everything she considers cute!
Which leads to some incredibly suggestive scenes that can only be described as softcore tentacle p***. The characters acknowledge how whats happening feels like something of To-Love-Ru, another ecchi/harem that Shonen Jump published.
Full disclosure: I am not a big fan of the concept of tentacle p***. I think it’s too out there for me and I dont get why some people like it so much. That said, I appreciate how 100 Girlfriends has the guts to take something often parodied and use it to full effect. In this case, the sight of Hahari’s hair covering the entire world is some next-level ridiculousness. Some people may not like it, but I appreciate the humor behind how silly this is.
An entire episode dedicated to the first world-scale disaster in The 100 Girlfriends. Such commitment. #アニメ100カノ #21 pic.twitter.com/vhRAU60aq3
— Heart-Under-Blade 🍉 アニメ研究者✨ (@andryzoun) March 9, 2025
In the end, the hair manages to get almost everyone except Rentaro, Mei, and Shizuka. They grab the Hanazono family helicopter (because, of course, Hahari has one), and Rentaro dives in and uses his CHADtaro powers to save the day.
#hyakkano#100Girlfriends ep.21 -Great ep. -Irwin Allen would've been proud of this tentacle hair disaster flick. -Shizuka & Mei looked cool piloting the copter. -If fully clothed tentacle fantasies are your thing, this is for you! 🤣 -Rentaro saving Hahari remined me of G-Gundam pic.twitter.com/tdGavq3VwN
They also somehow manage to send all the excess hair into the sun. That doesn’t really make sense, but this is still a comedy series operating on the rule of funny. According to the rule of funny, anything that violates the laws of the universe is permissible so long as the end result is considered humorous. And as much as I dont like tentacle p***, seeing Hahari’s hair give everyone in the world a collective hug is pretty funny.
Don’t…Don’t Question This
As a bonus, the excess hair somehow refuels the sun and prevents a new ice age. Again, it doesn’t make sense but doesn’t have to.
thought i downloaded the wrong episode for a sec but then i noticed this comedy. that's 100 girlfriends for you. pic.twitter.com/zh0QXQnXjL
— that one EZ gintama fanboy | uma musume brainrot (@berserker144) March 9, 2025
So, thanks to Hahari’s impulses and Kusuri’s drug, the world is saved. Hahari does spend several days feeling guilt-ridden, but the Family helps her by pointing out no one got hurt. Some even liked what happened.
And that was the day that Hahari Hanazono became a mother to the entire world. And it was all thanks to the power of SFW tentacle p***.
I can’t lie: I didn’t think they would adapt this little arc from the manga. I thought we would slip this part and head straight to the next girlfriend. However, I cannot complain with how things turned out!
Hope you enjoyed the episode! By the way, WatchMojo recently acknowledged this as one of the best anime of the winter 2025 season. Congrats!
Solo Leveling: Arise from the Shadows S2 Ep 11 Review
Menaces: a person, people, or entities whose very existence can be considered a threat to one’s health, well-being, and life in general. They are the ones who will end your existence solely for the heck of it. There have been plenty of menaces throughout anime, from Kid Buu to Sukuna to Yujiro Hanma. And now, Solo Leveling has its own menace ready to inflict nightmare fuel upon the whole of Korea. The Ant King has risen, and he is ready to make mincemeat out of everyone in a moment I’ve been waiting to see for a year!
Everything Was Going Fine…
At first glance, the Jeju Island Raid seems to be going well. Throughout the first half, the Korean Hunters manage to make it to the final boss room of the Dungeon, and they’re feeling good about themselves. They think this is going to be their moment to end this threat forever. From an outsider’s perspective, they have everything they need, too! Thanks to their teamwork and, more importantly, the skill of their S-Rank Healer, Byung-Gu, they can handle even the S-Ranked Ants of the royal guard. It’s like watching that one elite team of MMO gamers getting ready to beat the big Dungeon the developer just added!
The fight between the Hunters and the Ant Queen’s guard is fairly entertaining to watch. It’s nothing compared to the fights we’ve seen Jin-woo take part in, but it gives us a good look at why these are the strongest Hunters in Korea. They may not be able to solo the Dungeon like Jin-woo, but they fight like a well-oiled machine. We see Cha Hae-in get the honor of dealing the final blow, providing more evidence for why she’s the best girl in the series. Afterward, everyone starts to celebrate, thinking this 4-year-long nightmare is ending. Little do they know that the Ant Queen wasn’t even the final boss. The real final boss is about to make their debut.
The Ant King Solos Everyone
Despite the anime ruining the suspense in the last episode by showing us what the Queen’s greatest child looks like, it made up for it near the end. The fact that we never see it as it starts killing the Japanese Hunters helps rebuild the tension, which continues at the start of this episode. Without breaking a sweat, the Ant King manages to slaughter that entire team, and then does the same to the ones who came to investigate. However, this moment isn’t what makes this beast a true menace. It’s what he does next.
The Ant King calls all the remaining ants back to the nest, because it knows their mom is dead, and they have to avenge her. So while the other ants start to make their way back, the Ant King walks right in and, through his aura farming alone, manages to make Cha Hae-in drop to her knees in horror.
Then, we hear the same music that played when Jin-woo killed those Hunters in the Dungeon. Even though I read the manwha in advance, my jaw still dropped when I saw what happened next. It was even worse than I remembered!
The Ant King is a Menace!
Byung-Gu’s death was like something out of a horror movie. However, what made it worse was that he had already retired as a Hunter. He quit after the last Jeju raid because he knew if he kept being a Hunter, he’d die gruesome. He was all set to get his certification to be a teacher, but chose to come back because he cared too much about his comrades!
This Ant King is the second coming of Meruem. If he is not stopped, he will lead his army to conquer all of Asia. He’s so strong that he even disrespects the Hunters by telling them they’re not even worth the effort for him to kill. He lets the rest of the Ants finish them while he leaves to find their King and kill them.
So, what are the Japanese Hunters doing during this time? They’re getting ready to leave.
Japan’s Scheming Backfired
Japan never intended to work with Korea to clear out the Ants. Their plan was to use Korea’s S-Ranks as cannon fodder to soften the ants up so they could clear it themselves. Once Goto Ryuji did this, he would meet the requirements to ascend to the one rank beyond S-Rank: the National Rank. They’re Hunters that are so strong they rival an entire country’s military, and they all cleared S-Rank Dungeons. Ryuji had the chance to help clear one in America years ago, but he turned it down to stay in Japan, something that he’s always regretted.
In other words, this entire plan was a scheme to gain control over Korea and satisfy a single man’s ego. But not even Japan’s strongest Hunter is enough to handle the Ant King. We don’t even see him die; just his blade breaking.
Jin-woo like “Fine, I’ll do it myself.”
The episode looks like it’s about to end on a very bleak note, with all the Hunters about to be devoured by the horde. However, that is Jin-woo decides to make his move.
Planting his Shadows on most of the Korean Hunters was a smart move. It allows him to instantaneously teleport to Jeju Island in time to save everyone. However, it does beg the question why he didn’t do this as soon as the Ant King appeared. Better yet, why didn’t he let them know that he could have his Shadows provide backup earlier? He could have planted them on every Hunter taking part and have them provide support! It feels like a bit of an oversight by the story.
What’s done is done, though. Now that Jin-woo is about to appear, we are going to get the fight that I’ve been waiting an entire year to see in animated form. Hopefully, this fight will be as good as it is in the gacha game Solo Leveling: Arise. Which, by the way, is in the middle of its spring event.
I Give “It’s Going to Get Even More Intense” a 4.5/5
By this point in the story, it’s evident that Natsuko Hirose was brought to the World of Perishing for a reason. She’s not just there to turn the tragic ending into a potentially happy one. She’s also been sent to that world so she can learn to overcome her negative character traits. I.E., to teach her the values of friendship and love. While the last two episodes have seen success on getting her to work with others, when it comes to love, she remains clueless. As this episode dives into Natusko’s past through the eyes of others, it’s revealed that her inability to understand love is something she’s dealt with her entire life. And, for extra irony, she’s made more than just Luke fall for her without even trying!
Also, this episode likely gave us the identity of the overall antagonist, AKA that mysterious bird that keeps appearing.
Natsuko is Winning Over Everyone…
Through a series of flashbacks, this episode gives us a look at Natsuko’s life from the perspective of four people. Each of them ranges from a childhood friend of hers all the way up to her boss at her animation studio, but they all have one thing in common. That thing being that Natsuko manages to evoke strong, often romantic, feelings from each of them. Granted, one of them, a senpai from a college, uses those feelings to fuel his (failed) attempts to surpass her, but that’s beside the point. The point is that Natsuko has been capable of making people fall for her, and never realized it.
As the main protagonist, Zenshu has given viewers a pretty good grasp of Natsuko’s personality by now. She can come off as rude and abrasive at times, but, as it should be evident by now, it’s less out of malice and more out of not understanding social cues or personal space. Yet despite these shortcomings, her upfront nature, dedication to her craft, and overall passion also make her very charismatic without even trying. Enough to make multiple people fall in love with her.
Which makes her own inability to understand what it’s like being in love all the more ironic.
…But Has 0 ROMANTIC XP!
As the final flashback of the episode demonstrates, Natsuko is utterly clueless on what it’s like to be in love. So what does she do? She turns to romance manga, harasses people on their own first loves, and attempts to play out romcom tropes in real life. Including “the running into someone while carrying breakfast in your mouth” routine! But if finding love could be forced to happen like that, then nobody would be single in this world. Sadly, it doesn’t work like that, and all she does is annoy her coworkers.
The funny part to all of this is that Natsuko doesn’t even need to force romance. If she had paid more attention to the people around her, she would see how many people of both genders are attracted to her. Though truth be told, it seems like the events of Zenshu are setting her up for her own first love: Luke. In fact, given her obsession with A Tale of Perishing, it seems like she was always in love with Luke but didn’t realize it. But as the episode ends in the present day, with Natsuko celebrating with the Nine Soldiers, there might still be hope for her.
Assuming that the mysterious bird that’s been appearing doesn’t have anything to say about it.
Who is that Weird Bird?
Over the past few episodes, Natsuko has been repeatedly visited by this mysterious-looking bird with big eyes. It keeps saying that all her attempts to give the story a happier ending won’t work, and it seems to be the one actively changing the story to ensure it returns to its “correct” path. And this episode might have revealed who this being might be.
We don’t get a good enough look at her, but based on the drawings of the creator of A Tale of Perishing that Natsuko looks at, this bird might be the avatar for the film’s own creator. And for whatever reason, she seems to be bent on ensuring things play out as she envisioned them. Which in and of itself could be seen as meta-commentary on creators who actively shut down any and all attempts by fans to improve their story. Or it could all just be a coincidence. Either way, with Zenshu now in the back half of its episodes, things are going to start ramping up. Will Natsuko find a way home? Will she understand the meaning of love? Is all of this a dream as she’s recovering in a hospital bed? Here’s hoping we find out!
It was going to happen sooner or later, but that doesn’t make it any less painful: Natsuko has screwed up. Big time. Because she insisted on handling the Voids by herself, she failed to stop them during their last fight. As a result, she came dangerously close to dying, possibly for good! With the Void now poised to get the last Soul Future (the crystal MacGuffin preventing the end of the world), Natsuko needs to get her act together. It’s long overdue for her to learn…how to work in a team.
If this is all a dream or she gets sent back to Japan when this is all over, this will be an important life lesson.
Given how the last episode ended right as the Void were about to attack Natsuko, one would expect its follow-up to pick up immediately from there. However, for some reason, Zenshu never actually shows us exactly how Natsuko escaped certain death. All that is known is that Luke and the others saved her, and then spent days trying to heal her injuries with their magic.
What the show does do, though, is start the episode by revealing the other members of the Nine Soldiers. Save for Justice, the missing members are deceased, a sobering reminder of how bleak A Tale of Perishing was before Natsuko arrived.
Regardless of what happened, the liquid Void embedded itself next to the tower containing the last Soul Future and placed itself into a chrysalis. When it emerges, it will attempt to consume the one thing keeping the world from ending.
And worst of all? Natsuko didn’t seem to learn anything from her failure.
Reality Check, Natsuko!
This episode’s name is particularly meaningful, as it marks a big change in Natsuko. At first, she says she will handle the Void like she always does, but the Nine Soldiers aren’t having any of it. Everyone (except Unio) does everything from yell at her for being reckless (Luke) to patiently reassuring her she’s not alone. However, it’s QJ, the robot and character who’s had the least impact on the story, that manages to get through to her. In a very sobering moment, QJ plays back footage revealing how hard the others worked to save her life.
The anime has yet to explain why Natsuko developed this mindset of doing everything herself, but it has shown how detrimental it is. Back in Japan, her stubbornness put the entire studio in jeopardy, which is bad enough. But in A World of Perishing? It almost got her killed. It has to stop, and thankfully, the message sticks with Natsuko. She finally learns the importance of working with a team.
When the Nine Soldiers next fight the Void near the Soul Future itself, this time, it’s not just Natsuko who saves the day. The entire group uses a plan that Luke comes up with that requires all of them. And it works! They manage to stop the Void and save the Soul Future, thus preventing the end of the world once more!
Another Crisis Solved
The best part, though, is that the fight prompts Justice to get back into the fray. And after helping Natsuko pull things off, Luke sees for himself how Justice’s wings were mangled, preventing them from flying to their full extent. And that makes Luke realize that he was so caught up in his own problems that he never realized how Justice was feeling. So, it looks like Justice is going to end up rejoining the Nine Soldiers.
#ZENSHU Ep 06, "Maybe I can't fly, but you can."😂 The whole flying sequence of Justice with Natsuko was great. The final strike was heroic.🔥🔥Justice & Luke finally get along. Natsuko accepted that she doesn’t have to do everything alone, she can rely on others. #全修#MAPPApic.twitter.com/bRZVIBuNrX
The timing couldn’t be better. With the Voids now taking on forms that Natsuko doesn’t know about, they need to up their game. They need to change how they work.
And with that, Zenshu has reached its halfway point. Sorry for the delay, but more reviews will be out soon!
The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You Season 2, Episode 8 Review
Last time on The 100 Girlfriends, the Rentaro Family was facing its biggest crisis since the incident with Hahari! Rentaro’s tenth soulmate, the beautiful Mimimi Utsukushisugi, refuses to be part of any group with Nano in it due to a past transgression. Thus, the newcomer challenges Nano to a contest where the loser must leave the Family! How will Rentaro use his CHADtaro powers to resolve this conflict? What sort of antics will Mimimi bring to the Rentaro Family? And how saucy can this anime make the simple act of kissing?
That last question will make sense soon enough.
Mimimi’s Problem with Nano
So, after Mimimi threw down the gauntlet last time, this episode reveals the exact circumstances that led to her grudge against Nano. After winning a beauty paegant they were both in, Mimimi tried to be a good sport and extend a hand to Nano. In response, Nano rejected her, saying friendship was a waste of time. What made things worse was that Mimimi secretly entered Nano in the pageant all so the two of them could become friends, only to get spat on.
The first half of this episode is as much about Nano’s character development as it is about Mimimi joining the Family. Before she met Rentaro, love and friendship were utterly foreign to her. Her willingness to accept Mimimi’s challenge speaks volumes to her character development. Something that becomes more obvious over the course of their “beauty search” contest.
COME ON, CALL 🗣️ YES, BEAUTY! 🗣️
I swear Rentarou's VA makes this even funnier than it already was in the manga pic.twitter.com/L4v3zMq8No
Instead of judging each other by what makes them beautiful, they point out everything they find beautiful in the rest of the family. This leads to some very fun moments where everything that makes the others attractive. However, it’s when they get to Rentaro himself that the real funny moment of the episode takes place.
Rentaro uses his CHADtaro powers to turn himself into the least attractive person they can possibly find. He shaves his eyebrows, hair, and puts on a humiliating costume all so they can’t get an edge, and call the entire contest a draw! That’s how far Rentaro is willing to go to keep his girlfriends happy!
100 Girlfriends S2 Ep 8
Well that contest was definitely.. interesting, Rentarou deformed his entire character Lmao. But anyways, that was wholesome between Nano and Mimimi, I realised how much Nano truly has grown a lot since being in the family. Also 10/100 gfs acquired! https://t.co/zPGCVvNF1Xpic.twitter.com/DQx7SPi2Bg
Mimimi almost takes this moment as another loss, but again, this episode demonstrates Nano’s character development. She may not be able to make up for her past slight, but she makes it clear that she finally understands the value of love and friendship. Which is one of the great things about this series. The girl’s problems aren’t fixed overnight, but thanks to the supportive environment Rentaro gives them, they’re able to work on them together! And it’s enough to convince Mimimi to drop her grudge and officially join the Family.
Kissing Galore
In what is now a tradition for the series, the second half of the episode is centered on Mimimi integrating into the Rentaro Family through an activity. In this case, it’s helping each of the girls reach their most beautiful selves by partaking in activities that will aid them. In this case, kissing. Lots and lots and lots of kissing.
This entire half of the episode is primarily an excuse for the anime to skirt the line between SFW and full-on ecchi. Using a new lip balm to stimulate the pleasure centers of the brain, the girls each take turns kissing Rentaro. The moments that come out of this are, suitably, hilarious. Like this!
And with that, we now sit at ten girlfriends, with ninety more to go. And this season only has one girlfriend left to introduce, so there’s no telling what might happen! At least the girls will be able to remain beautiful, though!
The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You Season 2, Episode 7 Review
It feels like only yesterday that Rentaro met his first two girlfriends. Now, he’s sitting at nine, with ninety-one girlfriends left to meet and win over! And the more girlfriends join the Rentaro Family, the more chaotic and sillier things will get. Case in point, this next episode has the Family go on another group date. Then, Rentaro finally hits double digits as his tenth girlfriend appears! And she happens to already have history with another girlfriend!
Who Doesn’t Love Karaoke?
The episode starts off making us think Rentaro’s about to meet his soulmate #10, but it’s a fakeout. In truth, the Rentaro Family’s out on a group karaoke date!
The entire date is a demonstration of one advantage that the anime has over the manga it’s adapting. In the manga, readers have to imagine what everyone sounds like when they’re singing. Because it’s an anime, the show lets us hear each girl belt out songs in all their glory. Even better, you can actually hear the OP and ED amongst the songs being played for a few moments. Considering how good they were, it’s a welcomed callback.
This account is a fan of Shizuka Yoshimoto.
Watch The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You.
The real show, though, starts when Shizuka plucks up the courage to get up there and start singing. And thanks to another one of Kusuri’s drugs, her natural cuteness gets amplified to the point where it physically overwhelms the Family.
I don’t know what’s funnier: how each of the girls tries to tank this onslaught of cuteness, or how each of them does the famous Yamcha pose when they can’t take it anymore.
That’s one of the great things about The 100 Girlfriends. It regularly includes parodies of pop culture to the point where you could spend each episode trying to figure out reference. Special mention goes to Rentaro and Shizuka’s duet (first CHADtaro moment of the episode) leading to a recreation of the “girl falling from the sky” scene from Castle in the Sky.
NEW GIRLFRIEND APPROACHES
The second half of the episode starts with Rentaro heading to a high-class mall to scout out date spots. That’s when he crosses paths with this girl who’s boasting about how beautiful she is and…ZING!
New character teaser for ‘The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really Love You’ Season 2!
Meet girlfriend #10, Mimimi Utsukushisugi, AKA the narcissistic beauty. She is an incredibly beautiful young woman capable of making heads turn as she walks by. Not only does she know this, but she revels in it. She considers herself the most beautiful woman in the world and will not accept anything less. And when she becomes smitten with Rentaro, she immediately gives him a makeover to conform to her beauty standards.
Normally, a character like Mimimi would be seen as toxic. Since this is The 100 Girlfriends, though, she deconstructs the narcissist. She actively puts in the work to being beautiful and maintaining it. She works hard to earn money, does daily maintenance on her face, and taught herself how to speak eloquently. She’s even capable of recognizing how one’s personality traits make them beautiful.
Case in point, when another couple jealously tries to ruin her outfit via spilled boba, Rentaro has his second CHADtaro moment of the episode. He willingly shields Mimimi with his body and ruining the new clothes he got.
Another episode, another reminder why Rentarou is a man who deserves 100 girlfriends pic.twitter.com/ELcrwmxsCd
And then, when that guy almost slips on his own drink, he doesn’t hesitate to save him. Because, according to him, he was just trying to stand up for his own lady, something he can respect.
Thus, Rentaro gains his tenth girlfriend. His selflessness so moves Mimimi that she says he’s already beautiful as he is and begs him to go out with her. She even takes the news that she’s his tenth girlfriend as a compliment. So all seems right with the world…
…then Nano shows up, and Mimimi goes off.
Uh-oh.
As it turns out, despite calling herself the most beautiful, there was one black mark on her record. She and Nano competed in a beauty pageant in the past, and Nano won! Mimimi hasn’t forgotten this slight, and can’t tolerate joining any group with that has Nano! So she challenges her to a rematch, with the penalty being the loser will have to leave the Family. FOREVER!
Damn, the 100 girlfriends episode ended on a cliffhanger… Well, as usual, another peak episode, karaoke episode was done incredibly. And Mimimi's first chapter's adaptation was fucking incredible as well, Lynn's a perfect casting for her, I loved that episode a lot. pic.twitter.com/Q3qdTwPlFz
So, the episode ends on the biggest crisis the Rentaro Family has faced since the day they met Hahari! And Rentaro seems powerless to stop this coming duel! Remember, if any of his soulmates don’t date him, they’ll eventually die. This is serious business to him! How will he get out of this mess?
Find out in the next review, which will hopefully be up soon. Also, it should be noted that I had to look up the reference that Nano made at the end. A rare instance where I didn’t get the reference.
The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love YouS2 Ep 6 Review
Next to its birthplace in the land of the Stars and Stripes, the country that loves baseball the most is Japan. Baseball is incredibly popular in Japan, and it has been for more than a century. Hence why Iku Sutou is obsessed with the sport and why she’s determined to keep the school’s baseball team running. Were this any other anime, it would treat the big practice game that Iku and the Rentaro Family has to win seriously. However, since 100 Girlfriends is a comedic parody that loves using meta-humor, this baseball episode winds up being equal parts silly and serious. But mostly silly.
PLAY BALL!
It’s the day of the big practice game to determine if the high school girls baseball team will survive. And, by the rule of funny, Rentaro’s stand-ins wind up sick, conveniently allowing Hahari, Kurumi, and Mei the chance to play. But this is not the first example of how silly the anime is treating this baseball game.
The second example stems from the fact that their opponents, the Jurassic High Team, are all based on dinosaurs. Right down to their names being puns on dinosaur names.
The episode makes it clear from the start that it’s not trying to treat this game seriously unless it has to. Thus, it has free reign to parody the over-the-top nature of sports anime. From the opposing team coming up with flashy names for moves to said moves breaking the girl’s bats, anime logic is in full effect here. Unfortunately, that also means that the relatively inexperienced Rentaro Family is unable to do much, especially after Iku injures her pitching hand. Before long, they’re at the bottom of the seventh inning and have yet to score a point.
But then, the opposing team does the last thing they could hope to do. Their leader messes with Shizuka’s head, making her mess up so bad, the poor girl is reduced to tears.
To paraphrase Saruman from Lord of the Rings, “So you have chosen death.”
No one. Hurts. SHIZUKA
As saddening as it is to see Shizuka reduced to tears over the enemy’s dirty playing, the episode veers right back into the realm of hilarious with what happens next. Something that, with the Internet still recovering from the high of the end of Dragon Ball Daima, has to be seen to be believed.
Say what you want about 100 Girlfriends, but if you’re a fan of Dragon Ball, you can at least appreciate the affectionate parody that this is. Right down to the iconic eye-catchers. The fact that they got this riled up because the enemy made their precious cinnamon bun Shizuka cry only makes this even funnier.
Anyone who purposefully makes Shizuka cry is deserving of death!
The Perfect Catch
By the time they end their rampage, the Rentaro Family is only four points away from winning the game. That’s when Iku gets up to bat, and when things turn serious once more. While the story has already shown Iku dealing with her masochism, the climax of this episode has her dealing with another fear. In this case, it’s her fear of hitting someone in the stands by accident.
Cue the episode’s CHADtaro moment!
And with that, Iku secured the future of the girls baseball team. The anime got to have fun with a sports episode. And the fans got to see Rentaro make out with a cool tomboy!
In a series that gives us plenty of funny moments and is all about enjoying its premise, this episode might be one of the best thus far. Top five episodes just for the Dragon Ball reference.
Solo Leveling: Arise from the Shadows S2 Ep 9 Review
From the day he became a Hunter, Sung Jin-woo had only one goal: to look after his family. Thanks to becoming a Player, the idea of curing his comatose mother no longer felt like an impossible dream. He’s fought, struggled, and risked his life time and again to gain the materials needed to create a cure capable of saving his Mom. Now, at long last, he’s done it. He’s managed to bring his Mom back. And it makes the absolute hell that he’s been through over his time being a Hunter worth it.
Miracle Cure, Acquired!
With the battle against Baran won, Jin-woo has the ingredients to make the medicine that could save his mom. And despite how much he’s managed to accomplish, the viewers can tell that he’s still nervous as he’s crafting it. He knows that if it were to go wrong, he’d lose his only chance to do so. The relief on his face is palpable as he sees it succeeds. And so, he returns to his world, his quest at an end! And he manages to revive Baran’s dragon as part of his army!
As for Esil, she has to walk herself back home. Unfortunately, she doesn’t appear again after this. Anyone who was a fan of hers that wishes she got more screen time can go play Solo Leveling: Arise, where she’s one of the recruitable Hunters.
A Heartfelt Reunion With Mom
At last, we arrive at the moment of truth. This was one of the most important moments in the manwha, and one that the anime couldn’t afford to mess up. Thankfully, not only did the anime rise to meet the emotional impact of Jin-woo’s mother waking up after four long years, it went above and beyond. Jin-woo, who we’ve gotten so used to seeing as a stoic man by this point, starts crying his eyes out in joy as he gets to talk to his mom again. And you can’t blame him! If you went through everything he has all so he could have a chance of saving one of your parents, you’d end up crying tears of joy and relief, too!
The next few days of Jin-woo’s life are joyous ones. For the first time in years, he has his family back together (except for his missing Dad.) However, now that his Mom is back, doubts begin to set in about his future. He doesn’t say it out loud, but he even questions the need to continue getting stronger as a Hunter.
The timing could not be worse.
The Jeju Island Raid is Coming
Since the first season, Solo Leveling has been steadily building up to the Jeju Island Raid Arc. There’s an army of giant, man-eating ants that’s made the island its home that’s getting ready to invade the mainland. If that happens, everyone in Korea will die. And since all previous attempts to retake the island have failed, Korea and Japan are teaming up to ensure this fourth attempt succeeds. To do that, they’re calling for all hands on deck. Most of Korea and Japan’s S-Rank Hunters will be taking part in this raid, and Chairman Go is hoping that Jin-woo will join in.
To be fair, having Jin-woo there would turn this dangerous mission into an absolute curb-stomp. However, before he can even decide, they get interrupted by the sheer aura of the S-Ranks training together!
A few months ago, the idea of Jin-woo stepping into a world like this would feel crazy. Yet here he now stands, with the strongest Hunters in Korea as they spar together. And then the Japanese Hunters show up, led by Goto Ryuji, the strongest Hunter in Japan.
Can Korea and Japan Work Together?
Japan and Korea have had a complicated history over the years, so the two countries aren’t exactly on the best terms. That enmity seems to bleed over into the Hunters as the two start wanting to scrap with each other. So, to ease the tensions, most of the S-Ranks decide to have some sparring sessions together! Which means that the next episode is going to see what the Hunting Elite are capable of doing!
While it is sad to see that the anime brought an end to the Demon Castle Arc so quickly (the manwha had it last longer), hopefully the season can stick the landing with the Jeju Island Raid Arc. And, despite some people complaining about Jin-woo crying (which will be addressed), the reunion of mother and son was genuinely heartfelt. Congrats, Jin-woo. You’ve earned this!
One year ago, the anime workd was devastated by the news of Akira Toriyama’s death. Toriyama, the man many consider the godfather of the modern Shonen manga, was gone. Millions of people around the world, from his friends and family all the way up to world leaders, all mourned his passing. However, his death would not be the end of his story. At least, not yet.
Less than a year earlier, Toei animation had announced that Dragon Ball would be returning with a new anime series to celebrate its 40th birthday. Even better, though, was the fact that Toriyama himself had written the story for this new anime, Dragon Ball Daima. Now, by fate or chance, Daima had become the last thing Toriyama worked on for the world that he created. If fans were already excited as it was for Dragon Ball to return in anime form, now they wanted to see how his final story would play out.
Now that Goku’s untold adventure had come to an end, though, how does Daima hold up? Did it meet fans expectations? Could it have done anything better? Is it even canon? While that last question will likely be debated for a while, the first two have an actual answer to them: yes and yes.
What is Daima About?
If you didn’t keep up with Daima during its run, here’s a quick synopsis.
Taking place shortly after the defeat of Majin Buu, Goku and his family are enjoying their lives now that peace has returned (and Goku’s alive again.) Unbeknownst to them, Gomah, the new Supreme King of the Demon Realm that Dabura ruled before his death, has been watching them for a while. Terrified at how Goku and the others defeated Majin Buu and seeing them as a threat to his rule, Gomah hatches a plan. Traveling under the radar to Earth, he uses the Dragon Balls to turn Goku and all his allies into kids, thinking they won’t be a threat in that state. And, for good measure, he kidnaps Dende to make even more Dragon Balls in the future.
Naturally, Goku and the others can’t let this stand, and when someone from the Demon Realm comes saying they were sent to bring the ones who beat Buu, they embark on a quest to rescue Dende and return to their normal ages. This quest will take them to the Demon Realm, a part of the cosmos that has never been fully explored in the history of Dragon Ball!
This is Like GT but with Better Writing
In case it’s not obvious, Dragon Ball Daima takes a lot of inspiration from another anime in the franchise, Dragon Ball GT. Released back in the 90s by Toei as a sequel to DBZ, GT told a completely original story that starts with Goku being reduced to a child by a set of Dragon Balls. The initial arc would see him, Trunks, and his granddaughter Pan travel the galaxy to retrieve these Dragon Balls in the hopes of saving Earth from being destroyed. Because…reasons!
In hindsight, GT felt like an attempt by Toei to fuse the original adventure genre of Dragon Ball with the more popular Shonen fighting genre that most people know the franchise for. Unfortunately, while it did have its good points, most notably Super Saiyan 4, GT wasn’t as good as DBZ. Toriyama himself had little to no involvement beyond some character designs, and it showed! The plot tried too hard to be funny, only to come off as cringe. Several of the characters became unlikable. And the less said about Dolltaki, the better! It’s for these and many other reasons that fans debate whether or not GT is even canon or part of another timeline!
Daima is Toei’s second attempt to tell a story that returns Dragon Ball to its adventurous roots. And unlike before, Toriyama was fully on board. In a recent interview with Akio Iyoku, Daima’s exec producer, it was confirmed that the series was a deliberate attempt to evoke the feeling of GT. Funnily enough, that same interview confirmed that Toriyama was only meant to have limited involvement. But Toriyama found it so exciting, he pretty much handled it all by himself.
In hindsight, that might partly why he died so young, but at least he died doing what he loved. And it also explains yet another thing he worked on being a big influence on Daima.
Good Old JRPG Action!
Outside of his work as a mangaka, Toriyama is famous for his work in another medium of entertainment: video games. He was the character designer for the Dragon Quest and Chrono Trigger series, the latter being one of the greatest JRPGs ever made. Whether he intended to or not, it seems that his experiences with those games helped to influence how he wrote Daima, because it feels an awful lot like a JRPG.
It’s been stated several times throughout this blog’s reviews for this series, but Daima feels like the Dragon Ball equivalent to Dragon Quest. The quest to save an entire world from a tyrannical king. The ragtag party of heroes that add more members as the adventure goes on. The concept of the Medi Bugs even sounds a lot like items you find in an RPG!
It doesn’t stop with the story and gameplay mechanics. Up until the final battle against Gomah, the fights give off the feeling of a classic JRPG fight. And this blog isn’t the only one who’s noticed the similarities. Plenty of other fans have noticed the comparisons between Daima and Dragon Quest. One article from Screenrant even says that it only serves to make Daima an even bigger tribute to the legacy of Toriyama. It combines his magnum opus for both manga and video games into a fairly entertaining story that could easily work as a standalone video game! It’s funny enough to be one!
Toriyama Never Lost his Sense of Humor
When it comes to the action, Dragon Ball Daima can feel a tad lackluster when compared to Z and Super. However, there is a good reason for that: Dragon Ball didn’t start out as a franchise focused solely on fighting. Fighting and martial arts were always a part of the story, but in the beginning, Dragon Ball was more concerned about the adventure. The entire story starts because Goku and Bulma go on an adventure to find the rest of the Dragon Balls together. Daima was an attempt to return to the franchise roots as a story inspired by Journey to the West, best exemplified by Goku’s retrieval of his Power Pole. By focusing more on the adventure aspects, this meant that the series could also focus more on the comedic aspects.
Toriyama was a man with a pretty good sense of humor. His first big manga, Dr. Slump, was a gag comedy. And while it would come to be best known for the fights, Dragon Ball never really lost its sense of humor. Thanks to its premise, Daima was able to bring the comedy back in full. From the oaf and straight-man routine that Goku and Glorio established to even the villains proving to be fairly goofy, you can tell Toriyama wanted to make his fans laugh. And it largely worked. Special mention goes to Hybis and his absolute deadpan attitude towards everything!
Thankfully, Daima never forgot about the action, and when it wanted to focus on that, it went HARD! By the time the final episodes rolled around, it had already returned to the same levels of action from DBZ before starting to edge closer to what comes in Super. And judging by the Internet’s reaction, fans were more than satisfied with what we got.
SUCH EPIC FANSERVICE!
Speaking of which, can we just bring up the fact that Daima was amazing at delivering fanservice? Most people associate that concept with images of attractive anime characters, but in a broader sense, it’s about giving the fans what they want to see. In the case of Dragon Ball Daima, it was getting to see things that plenty of fans wanted to see. The return of Goku’s Power Pole was a good example of fanservice for those who like the earlier Dragon Ball adventures, but there’s more than that.
Exhibit A: Super Saiyan 3 Vegeta. Vegeta was only ever shown achieving this form in video games, which were, by their nature, non-canon. Getting to see that form appear in the anime, albeit as Kid Vegeta, was a big deal. However, that would end up paling in comparison to what we would get next.
Exhibit B: Super Saiyan 4 Goku. Say what you want about GT, but you cannot deny that SSJ 4 was cool! The red fur and wild hair may feel super-edgy these days, but that can be chalked up to it coming from the 90s. That decade was all about being edgy! What was more important is that this marked the first time in decades that fans got to see the fabled SSJ 4 in the anime, and we just ate it up! People are already saying that Goku’s transformation into SSJ 4 is the second coming of the legendary first time we saw SSJ 3. And they’re right!
Just don’t expect any explanation as to why this form never comes up in Super.
They Shouldn’t Have Rushed Things so Much
When it comes to it, there are two main problems regarding Dragon Ball Daima. One seriously affects the overall story, while the other is something that mainly concerns hardcore fans.
The big problem is the length and pacing of the series. The first nine episodes are focused on the setup and then Goku and the others’ journey through the first of the three worlds making up the Demon Realm. The time spent in the Second World amounts to around five episodes, with the last five focusing on the final battle against Gomah and his army. No matter how you look at it, that’s some pretty uneven levels of focus! The show spends so much time in the Third World and expanding it, the lack of attention the Second World gets is a problem. Especially when you consider that it was hinting at parts of the Demon Realm we may never get to see!
The other problem is regarding whether or not Daima counts as canon. Since none of what happens gets mentioned in Super, some fans wonder if it counts as canon. The fact that Super Saiyan 4 never gets brought up doesn’t help matter. However, that same interview with Ikoyu confirms that, yes, Daima is canon, mainly because it was written by Toriyama. That answer, though, does imply that anything made for the franchise following his passing may be non-canon.
My thoughts? Who cares?
Let’s be Happy We got more Dragon Ball
Who cares if Dragon Ball Daima is canon or not? Who cares if might contradict the established lore for Dragon Ball in a few ways. And who cares that none of this ever comes up in Super (yet.) At the end of the day, I don’t think whether Daima is even canon should be what’s important. What’s important is that we got more Dragon Ball.
It’s not something that fans want to think about, but the passing of Toriyama marks the end of an era for Dragon Ball. From now on, the franchise will have to continue without its creator, and while plenty of franchises have managed to do so, there’s always the concern that things won’t be the same. What’s more, many of the people who voice the characters aren’t getting any younger. Sooner or later, they’re going to have to retire or will eventually pass away. Masako will let her voice live on through AI, but there’s no telling what will others will do. Even Bulma’s original seiyuu passed away years ago!
The bottom line is that Dragon Ball may not last forever, as much as we may want it. Sooner or later, it’s going to have to end or end up like The Simpsons: a pale shadow of its former self. So the way I see it, we should enjoy Dragon Ball as much as we can while we still have it.
A Worthy Send-off for a Legend
So, was Dragon Ball Daima a perfect series? No! It had its ups and downs, and I do think it could’ve benefitted from more episodes. However, the idea of a perfect story doesn’t exist, and if it did, that would just mean mankind couldn’t tell anything better. At the end of the day, though, Daima wasn’t trying to be a perfect story. It was just trying to entertain people, either by making them laugh or squealing in joy. And it largely succeeded, with most of the people I know and follow online loving it.
What’s most important, though, is that this series was the final gift that we got from Akira Toriyama. There’s no telling if he knew that his life was coming to an end, but if he did, then he chose to spend his final days pouring his heart and soul into making Daima the best that he could make it. And it paid off! Most fans seemed to love Daima, and consider it a worthy final work from a man who helped change the world. Dragon Ball will likely go on for years to come, and it might not be the same without Toriyama, but he’s already given us everything he had. He’s more than earned the right to go to that big studio in the sky where all the great storytellers in human history get to chill for the rest of eternity. The least we could do as fans was make sure he got the sendoff he deserved.
And we did. Arigato, Toriyama-Sama. You’ve earned the rest.
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