the 100 girlfriends who really really really really really love you

Until Next We Meet, 100 Girlfriends!

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

The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You S2 Ep 12 Review

Last time on 100 Girlfriends Z, Karane Inda willingly gave up her tsundere-ness due to her own insecurities. But everyone quickly agreed that they preferred Karane the way she was and tried to restore her former self. When Kusuri’s reversing drug failed to solve the problem, it was up to Rentaro to come up with a way to restore the Karane everyone knows and loves. Will his solution make any sense, or will it parody one of the greatest shonen anime of all time? What sort of crazy hijinks will ensue on the season finale? And will we get a third season? All of those questions, except for that last one, get answered now!

Operation: Get Our Tsun On

If the above introduction sounded like the intro to an episode of Dragon Ball Z, then that was the point. The 100 Girlfriends has already garnered attention by its parody of DBZ earlier in the season. However, it’s not done; instead, it double dips in the finale with the Rentaro Family’s attempts to return Karane to normal. Instead of trying to explain it myself, lets just have the anime sum things up:

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That’s right. They’re going to make a tsundere spirit bomb and throw it at Karane. And it is as hilarious as it sounds! But since 100 Girlfriends is a parody, they can do this sort of thing!

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In all seriousness, though, this episode does a good job of continuing the series’ deconstruction of the tsundere. While the last episode showed us how hard being a tsundere can be on one’s mental state, this episode shows us just how amazing Karane is. When Rentaro is holding the tsundere spirit bomb, he’s barely able to withstand the sheer power it radiates and starts saying the opposite of what he really means. The fact that Karane has to overcome this sort of thing every time she expresses her love for Rentaro is nothing short of superhuman. To put it simply, Karane isn’t just a tsundere; she’s the Queen of Tsunderes! And it is great to have her back halfway through the episode.

We Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love Rentaro

The remainder of the season finale can be best described as the anime just having fun with itself and breaking the fourth wall like never before. The fact that the show acknowledges its doing a chapter out of order so it can include Meme and Mimimi, who weren’t there in the manga, is hilarious. The series gives absolutely no f’s about what its doing; it just wants to have fun with its ridiculous premise.

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However, nothing can compare to the final moments of the episode as the anime recreates one of the greatest moments from the entire manga.

This is one of the greatest moments in the history of the harem and rom-com genres. If we had to make a comparison, this is harem equivalent to the legendary Seven-Page-Muda from JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. Some people openly criticized the anime for apparently skipping over this scene. However, having it wait to use until the finale was genius. And yes, this actually happened in the manga, cementing Rentaro as a CHAD among CHADS!! The ultimate boyfriend that every woman deserves!

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Here’s Hoping We Get a Season Three

Sadly, this is where we must part ways with the 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You. Unfortunately, there is no news as to whether or not the anime will be getting a third season. Which is sad, because that means we won’t get to see all the girlfriends that have yet to be revealed. Then again, if they tried to follow the series to the end, the anime industry might not have enough people to voice everyone.

If this is the end, though, I’d recommend going to read the manga. Because the girlfriends are going to get even crazier from here on out. Some of them you will absolutely adore, while others you will end up hating. However, that’s part of the fun for this series! And I, for one, Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You.

I Give “100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You (89 to go)” a 4/5

Karane Lost her Tsundere?!?

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

The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You Season 2 Ep 11 Review

It’s sad to say it, but the second season of The 100 Girlfriends is almost at an end. We’ve met all the new girlfriends, ranging from the big eater to the super shy girl, as they’ve joined the Rentaro Family. However, the show would be remiss to end its sophomore outing without another big arc. Last season ended with the Family saving Hakari…and having her mother join the Family. However, this season is ending with a potentially greater crisis that could change Karane forever: she loses her tsundere-ness!

Karane’s Insecurities Boil Over

Karane Inda was one of the first two girlfriends and serves as the Rentaro Family’s resident tsundere. Whenever she gets flustered or embarrassed, she reacts in a defensive manner and goes, “It’s not like I *insert whatever she is being a tsundere about*!” In keeping with the series deconstructing waifu archetypes, she also serves as the Family’s straight man. She will not hesitate to call out everyone when their nonsense goes too far, and biting remarks are legendary. She is, frankly, the both the ultimate personification and antithesis of the tsundere, an archetype that I adore…but Karane herself hates.

One of the recurring themes surrounding Karane is how deeply insecure she is about herself. Whenever she gets flustered, she says the opposite of what she really feels, and she fears that this might drive Rentaro and the others away for good. And the more she falls in love with Rentaro, the harder it gets for her to express herself, and the worse her insecurities get. So much so that when Kusuri leaves a drug meant to un-tsundereify a person, she takes it. The result? Karane becomes…super nice and normal?!?!

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We Want our Karane Back

After getting over their initial shock (and Hakari enjoying Karane’s newfound honesty), everyone quickly agrees they hate this new, timid Karane—so much so that they want to get started on making a reversing drug right away. However, they’re even more shocked when Karane adamantly refuses to consider taking such a drug. She thinks that she, and everyone else, would be better off if she wasn’t a tsundere, showing just how little self-esteem she really has.

While 100 Girlfriends is first and foremost a comedy/parody, what makes it stand out is its willingness to deconstruct the pitfalls of different waifu archetypes. In this case, Karane is a strong example of how being a tsundere can potentially negatively impact one’s self-esteem. They have to try even harder than most people to express themselves properly. Even then, many protagonists have often been unable to pick up on a tsundere’s true feelings, which only makes things worse.

Thankfully, Rentaro is built different from most harem protagonists. He’s genre-savvy enough to understand that when Karane says she hates something, she usually means the opposite. More importantly, he finds her mixture of pride and shyness to be incredibly endearing, which I wholeheartedly agree with. So, using his CHADtaro powers to remind her that he fell in love with her despite her flaws, Rentaro convinces Karane to restore her normal self.

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There’s one problem: the drug doesn’t work.

This is Going to be Tougher than we Thought

In an interesting twist, the reversing drug doesn’t work. In order for it to take affect, the others need to subject Karane to enough external stimuli to provoke the proper response from her brain. In other words, they have to get her so flustered that she starts tsund-ing again. Sadly, all their efforts while staying at the Hanazono home manage to do is prove two things:

  1. Hakari’s body is incredibly sensitive to touch.
  2. Hahari gets so many nosebleeds, her staff has blood transfusion equipment on standby.
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This is going to be harder than the Family thought, but with one episode left in the season, they’re bound to help Karane return to her usual, lovable self. Without her, the Family won’t have its straight man, which could be disastrous with how they are.

I Give “Tsundere Lost” a 4.5/5

Wait, Does Kissing Really Do That to People?

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

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.

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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.

CHADtaro humiliates himself for his Family

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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!

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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!

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Or this!

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This one got crazy!

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And this one was a straight-up shoutout to Food Wars and its infamous Foodgasms.

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And look at how what happened afterwards!

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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!

I Give “The Beautiful and the Bold” a 4/5

Karaoke Cuteness Chaos

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

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.

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Shizuka’s Flooflness Made everyone Yamcha Pose

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.

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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!

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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.

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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!

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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.

I Give “Karaoke Crisis” a 4.5/5

Behold, the Power of Anime Baseball!

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime, Anime Reviews, Blogging, Crunchyroll, DBZ, Uncategorized , , , , , , , , , , ,

The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You S2 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.

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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.

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<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>Dragon Ball Reference in a harem anime 😭 <a href=”https://t.co/K5vqe705Pt”>pic.twitter.com/K5vqe705Pt</a></p>&mdash; Prince Vegeta (@SSGPrinceVegeta) <a href=”https://twitter.com/SSGPrinceVegeta/status/1891286768822943764?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>February 17, 2025</a></blockquote> https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

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.

I Give “A Homerun Promise” a 4/5

Megumin Took a Page from Darkness for 100 Girlfriends Audition

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

The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You Season 2 Ep 5 Review

Masochism is a noun describing the act of deriving pleasure from one’s pain. And in the anime world, no masochist is more famous than Darkness from KonoSuba. Darkness will throw herself in front of enemy attacks to experience pain. She regularly (and openly) fantasizes about painful and humiliating scenarios she can go through. She might be the ultimate masochist, but 100 Girlfriends may have just given us someone who rivals her interest. And for extra irony, this new girl is voiced by the seiyuu of Darkness’ party member, Megumin!

Also, good on the anime for updating the OP to now include Mei Meido.

Megumin Joins the Family!

As Rentaro is walking near the entrance to his high school, he sees a girl in a baseball uniform asking other girls to join the baseball team. But then, the two’s eyes meet and…zing!

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Meet girlfriend #9 Iku Sutou, a tomboy and only member of the girl’s baseball team. She loves the sport and is determined to be the best at it. She’s so determined, in fact, that she will practice until every part of her body is screaming at her to stop. And she likes it! She’s a colossal masochist!

Most of the girlfriends have quirks that viewers and readers will consider funny, but Iku might be among the funniest. Rentaro sees her have hearts in her eyes while dealing with the pain of swinging the bat 10,000. And when she finds out Rentaro already has a girlfriend(s), she’s heartbroken…and loves it!

The funniest part about Iku isn’t even something found in the manga; it comes from anime. Her seiyuu is Rie Takahashi, AKA the seiyuu of Megumin from KonoSuba. This was a brilliant casting choice, and it cannot have been a coincidence. Someone must have realized how hilarious it would be to have a character that takes after Darkness’ looks and personality but has Megumin’s voice. She’s easily the funniest character to join the cast since Hahari’s reveal as one of Rentaro’s soulmates, and the same goes for her love confession. He pretends to reject her confession because he knows she’ll love it.

Doing that is so painful it makes Rentaro vomit blood. Peak comedy, and girlfriend #9 is now secured.

Masochism+Determination=COMPLETE DISASTER

Iku’s masochism might be used for laughs, but her determination is very genuine. With all her teammates training in America, the girl’s baseball team is in danger of being shut down. Hence why she’s spent every day asking girls to join the team for an upcoming practice game so it can stay open. Once the Rentaro Family accepts her, though, they all agree to help. Partly because they’ve been trying to burn off the calories from the eating contest but mostly so they can exercise with Rentaro.

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As expected, the girl’s practice is full of jokes and visual gags centered around how their quirks affect their practice. They’re all pretty funny, ranging from Kurumi trying to eat the ball (it reminded her of a candy,) Nano throwing the ball like a pitching machine, and Kusuri copying Zoro’s three-sword-style with bats. If you like the jokes about each girl, you’ll like the training. However, things do take a serious turn when Iku stays up practicing all night, only to collapse from exhaustion!

Like every girl, Iku deconstructs an archetype found in fiction. In this case, her determination to do better, combined with her masochism, feed into this loop that could quickly become self-destructive. She is what would happen if Goku or Vegeta trained themselves past their limits but never gave themselves the time to rest. It’s not something one should always do, and it moves the Rentaro Family enough to stay overnight to look after her.

This is gonna be fun

Black comedy points for the reason they found it being Hahari overhearing Iku underneath the bed in the nurse’s office. The anime even shows her doing this!

Iku might be one of the best girlfriends to join the Rentaro Family thus far. Her determination is endearing, she gets extra points for being a tomboy (#tomboysupremacy), and her quirks, combined with her seiyuu, are hilarious. Welcome to the family, Iku, and good luck at the game.

I Give “Most Athletes are Masochists” a 5/5

The maids must be crazy

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

The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You Season 2 Ep 4 Review

Of all the waifu archetypes in anime, one of the oldest and most respected is that of the maid. The cute outfits, the respectful behavior, the willingness to serve their masters loyally. Many a male anime fan has dreamed of having a cute maid as their girlfriend! However, there’s the expectations, and then there’s the reality of what that’s like. And as Rentaro finds out when he starts a relationship with the Hanazono’s maid, Mei Meido, being a perfect maid does not immediately correlate to being a girlfriend.

Also, I would like to amend my review for the season premiere. It turns out that the first half of the episode wasn’t anime-original. It was a chapter that I had forgotten about.

Mei has some serious issues!

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So, having gotten Hahari’s blessing to date Rentaro, Mei shows up at his house so that they can have their first real date. As said before, many young guys would kill for the chance to date a pretty maid girl like Mei. However, Rentaro soon discovers that Mei…has some issues.

Mei is so devoted to her life as Hahari’s maid that she has no interests outside of serving her mistress. When he asks her what she likes, all she can answer with are himself and lady Hahari. Then she tries to drive to both their residences, despite just leaving his!

It gets worse. While she does endear herself with a pre-made lunch, her maid mentality is so thoroughly ingrained into her that Mei needs someone to give her a command. If she had fallen in love with someone with fewer scruples, she could be asked to do things that some might seem indecent. The anime even lampshades how fortunate it is that Rentaro’s love far outweighs his lust. Its pretty clear, though, that, like many of the other girlfriends, Mei has her own, deep-seated issues. And while the anime tries to make light of it with a joke in the stinger, the accompanying flashback makes it clear that Mei’s problems should be taken seriously.

Spoiler alert: Mei’s deadbeat, debt-ridden parents abandoned her in the cold. If Hahari hadn’t found her in time, she would’ve died. Thankfully, not only did Hahari find her, she even offered to adopt her as her daughter. In other words, her non-existent self-esteem led Mei to become slavishly loyal to Hahari.

CHADtaro powers, ACTIVATE!

This looks like a job for…CHADtaro! In this case, he gives Mei thus command to not be of any use to him whatsoever, only to then point out how thats impossible. Why? Because her very existence is helpful to him!

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The logic and execution behind it seems crazy, but you can understand what Rentaro is going for. He’s trying to build up Mei’s self-esteem by showing her that she doesn’t need to do anything for him to make him happy. Just existing is enough for him because he’s a CHAD among CHADS. It doesn’t fully snap her out of this way of thinking, but none of the other girlfriends have fully gotten rid of their issues. Nor do they need to, because Rentaro accepts them, faults and all.

And with that, girlfriend #8 has been secured. On to the celebration.

Squirt Gun Fight!

It should be a recognizable formula by one: once Rentaro secures a girlfriend, the Rentaro Family will spend half an episode or a whole episode attempting to integrate the newcomer through comedic hijinks. In this case, Hahari has them all dress up as maids and have a water gun shootout. The winner gets a hug and kiss from Butler Rentaro!

The fight itself is funny due to how seriously (or not) the girls take it. The anime really leans into each girlfriends unique quirks to demonstrate how they win or lose. And, since this is a rom-com harem, each girl gets a gratuitous money shot of them soaked in their maid outfits. Unfortunately, Mei’s loyalty to Hahari leads to none of the girls winning…wait, that’s not unfortunate. They all get a kiss from the best boyfriend in harem anime…and a money shot of Butler Rentaro.

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One might think that having the series down to a formula would get boring, but what matters more is the execution. And with how many girlfriends with different personalities will be joining the Family, this isn’t going to get old anytime soon.

Though, admitedly, some of Hahari’s motivations can get grating if they’re not used in moderation. The fact that Hahari saved Mei mainly because she was cute is not something we needed to know!

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By the way, they updated the ED since they don’t need to hide Mei anymore! Secret route UNLOCKED!!!

I Give “Super Soaked Maid Party” a 4/5

100 Girlfriends is BACK!!!

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

The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You Season 2 Premiere Review

Everyone, the GOAT harem anime where no one loses has returned! After what felt like an eternity, The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You has returned to grace our screens once more!

It should come as no secret by now, but I am a big fan of 100 Girlfriends. Of all the harem anime that I’ve seen over the years, it’s one of the funniest and most wholesome in the entire genre. More importantly, it’s about a protagonist who’s got an actual personality, but who is proactive in how he treats his girlfriends. Rentaro is the gold standard that every boyfriend should aspire to be, and I love seeing him and his growing family enjoying their lives together.

So, despite it not being my intention, I’m going to be reviewing every episode of this new season as we watch and laugh at all the hilarity. And the show comes out of the gate swinging like it’s Karane’s killer left hook.

Freaky Friday or Your Name?

After the new OP (which is one of the series best parts), rather than jump into the story of the manga, the series decides to come up with an original story for the first half of the premiere. And it doesn’t hesitate to resume its fourth-wall-breaking by having the girlfriends acknowledge that it’s been a year since the last episode. So, to shake things up, Hakari had Kusuri develop a drug to alter their personalities…only for it to somehow make them switch bodies. It’s a scenario straight out of Your Name, and not only does the anime acknowledge this, it even recreates it one of its famous montages.

If that wasn’t funny enough, what makes it funnier is the fact that they try to avoid getting sued for name-dropping it. As well as Rentaro trying to figure out who’s in what body based on their mannerisms.

I think what makes it even better is that they didn’t switch seiyuu’s for this like other anime would. They got to act out of character as much as they wanted, and I can’t wait to hear this in dub.

In any event, it’s up to Rentaro to figure out how to get them back in their bodies, and this is one of those moments where the show just chooses to ignore realism in the name of comedy. In this case, the girlfriends each have to kiss Rentaro, making them feel so ecstatic that their souls leave their bodies. I cannot make this up!

Girlfriend #7 Comes to Feast!

Once that’s done, though, the anime gets back to following the plot of the manga. That means that it’s time for Rentaro to get his seventh soulmate. And the winner is…

Meet Kurumi Haraga, a third-year middle schooler and the big eater girlfriend. She and Rentaro meet when she sneaks into high school cafeteria to get some lunch. And, as with all the other girls, Kurumi has her own issues that serve to make her unique amongst the growing Rentaro Family. In this case, her big eater tendencies are not by choice. She suffers from an abnormally high metabolism, meaning she burns through calories like crazy, so she has to eat a lot to keep going. Worse, whenever someone mentions a specific food, she’ll start craving it and will remain grumpy until she has it. In other words, combine the eating habits of a Saiyan with the eating disorder that Big Mom from One Piece has, but without destructive tendencies.

Because of her unique issue, Kurumi has a hard time opening up to people, as she will lash out at others when she’s hungry. And since she’s hungry all the time, she has no friends. Thus, despite bonding over lunch with Rentaro after they meet, she lashes out at him the next day when she can’t get the food she wants.

Thankfully, Rentaro, being the CHAD he is, manages to soothe her hunger pains…and win her heart.

Did I mention I like her design? The headphones and hoodie are a cool combo.

Prepare for Lots of Foodservice Next Episode

The episode ends with Rentaro introducing Kurumi to the Family, only for Kurumi to say she’s not interested in being friends with them. So, to break the ice, Rentaro has them all sign up for an eating contest with a special gelato as the prize, setting us up for the next episode!

This entire episode, from start to finish, was an absolute blast. I love 100 Girlfriends for how unhinged it can be with its premise, and it’s the comedic moments in this episode that provide a good example of why. It doesn’t care about being hated; it’s only interested in having a good time. I’m really glad it’s back…and I love the ED just as much as the OP.

I Give “Her Name” a 5/5

CHADtaro Strikes Back

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

RJ Writing Ink’s Recap of Season 1 of The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You, Pt 2

Welcome back to our three-part recapping of the first season of 100 Girlfriends. In the first part, we met our protagonist, Rentaro Aijo, a boy who just wants to find love only to be rejected over 100 times. It’s then that he learns that he’s destined to meet 100 soulmates in high school, only to learn that if he doesn’t date them all, they will die. Thus, he doesn’t hesitate to make them all his girlfriends and ensure they’re all happy. He currently has three girlfriends: Hakari, the first girl who acts sweet but is a massive pervert. Karane, the insecure tsundere who acts as the group’s straight man. Lastly, there’s Shizuka, the natural-born smol floof who communicates using books and a text-to-speech app due to her shyness. But there are still 97 girlfriends left for Renataro to find and make happy as the story continues.

Girlfriend #4-The Kuudere

The school exam results are being posted, with everyone being eager to see how they did. The one who ends up taking the top spot, though, is Nano Eiai, a kuudere who lives up to her surname by eschewing emotion in favor of logic and efficiency. Unfortunately for her, she winds up being the next of Rentaro’s soulmates, something she tries to reject since she thinks love is meaningless. So Rentaro asks her to go on one date to prove her wrong, with the two heading to an amusement park. Despite Nano not seeing the point behind the rides, the two do end up bonding, and Nano does admit that she had fun.

However, when she still sees the whole thing as meaningless, Rentaro activates his CHADtaro powers. By threatening to burn the photos he took of their date, he makes Nano stop him, proving that, contrary to her beliefs, Nano does care about love and bonds.

Having come to realize how much she has to learn about being human, Nano surrenders to her feelings and becomes Rentaro’s fourth girlfriend.

Water Park Antics

To celebrate their growing group, Hakari suggests they all head to a water park that just opened to get closer with each other. However, things don’t go the way they planned at first. Karane begins getting cold feet due to feeling insecure about her body after seeing how developed Hakari and Nano are. Shizuka gets swept away by the lazy river and winds up stranded on an island when her inner tube breaks. When Nano and Hakari try to get Rentaro to choose who has the best body, he passes out from blood loss.

And when the two try to find a lifeguard, theyre accosted by a trio of gawkers who try hitting on them.

Thankfully, when Karane sees what’s going on, she looks for Rentaro, finds him half-dead, and revives him by mentioning how Hakari and Nani are in trouble.

After the two girls prove they’re both dating the man, the unwanted men back down to Rentaro’s CHADness. After that, Rentaro rescues Shizuka, helps Karane stop feeling insecure about herself, and the group finally enjoys their day out in peace.

Girlfriend #5-The Child(?) Prodigy

At a later date, the group is headed to enjoy a special event in the lunchroom when they pass by a lab. There, Rentaro locks eyes with a beautiful red-head in a lab coat, and gets the familiar zing. However, when he returns the next day, the only person present is a little girl named Kusuri Yakuzen. Kusuri is an example of the child prodigy archetype. She is to chemistry what Tony Stark is to engineering, being an unparalleled genius able to create drugs that defy common sense, like a drug that can magnetize the iron in one’s blood. She also wears diapers since she doesn’t want to be bothered going to the bathroom during an experiment…and gives Rentaro a love potion because she’s in love with him.

Rentaro winds up overdosing on the love potion, though, forcing Kusuri to force-feed him the antidote via mouth-to-mouth. That’s when Rentaro learns that Kusuri is actually the woman he saw yesterday, his senior at age 18, and the chem club’s president/only member. The reason why she looks like she’s 8 is because she was trying to create a drug that could grant immortality, only for it to leave stuck as a kid unless she takes a neutralizer. And contrary to most child prodigies, she’s very friendly, but her eagerness to let others use her drugs made all the other chem members leave. Rentaro, though, doesn’t hesitate to make her his fifth girlfriend and introduce her to the growing family.

It doesn’t take long for Kusuri to accidentally cause chaos, though. Not learning her lesson, she tries again to give Rentaro a love potion, only for the girls to drink it instead. As a result, their minds become focused on kissing Rentaro and they become kiss zombies.

With the drug in danger of permanently destroying their personalities, Rentaro and Kusuri race against time to reverse the effects, leading to even more comedic moments. Thankfully, they manage to cure the others in the nick of time, and everyone happily forgives Kusuri, who finally finds acceptance.

Wait, What Just Happened?

For their next outing, the group goes to this flower park for this event involving a bouquet toss. Whoever catches the bouquet will receive a special prize: a couple’s photoshoot surrounded by the park’s finest flowers! Unfortunately, they face stiff competition in the form of the Gorilla Alliance, whose leader wants the bouquet for herself and her boyfriend. While Karane winds up going toe-to-toe with the leader, Shizuka gets blown into the sky where she manages to catch the bouquet…only to fall back to the ground.

Rentaro catches her in time, though, Karane befriends the leader, and Hakari winds up winning the honor of getting the wedding photoshoot. All seems right with the world…until Hakari drops a bombshell by asking Rentaro to break up with her.

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As it turns out, Hakari’s mother learned that her daughter, an extremely wealthy CEO, was dating a guy who was five-timing on her. Since she’s a good mom, she told her daughter to break up with Rentaro and planned to have her transfer to another school. However, since their situation isn’t typical, and because the whole “the girls will die if they don’t date Rentaro” issue remains in effect, Rentaro and the others cannot allow this to happen. Despite how many resources Hakari’s mom has at her disposal, they all agree to get Hakari back by breaking into the mansion and rescuing her.

And that is where we will be ending part two of this recap. Tune for part three as we see how things turn out as Rentaro meets his sixth soulmate.

Yes, 100 Girlfriends Just Went There

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime, Anime Reviews, Anime REvisited, Blogging , , , , , , , , ,

RJ Writing Ink’s Recap of Season 1 of The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You, Pt 3

Last time on 100 Girlfriends, Rentaro continued to meet more soulmates and grow his family of lovers. First, there was Nano Eiai, the kuudere who values logic and efficiency only to discover the value of bonds and emotions. Then, there was Kusuri Yakuzen, the genius chemistry girl who looks young most of the time, but was actually this beautiful 18-year old! Just as the Rentaro Family was enjoying their growing bonds, Hakari asked Rentaro to break up with her. Having learned her daughter was dating a five-timer, her mother decided to forcibly separate the two. Not wanting this to happen, the Rentaro family mounts a daring rescue mission straight out of Mission Impossible, complete with similar music and everything!

Mission: Girlfriend Impossible

As the group arrives at the Hanazono family mansion, they work together to overcome the security and make it inside. Shizuka offers herself up as bait to distract the guard dog, quoting Gandalf in the process. Thankfully, her natural smolness means the dog refuses to harm her, licking her instead. Next, they must get past a hallway with infrared sensors, prompting Kusuri to use a drug that lets someone see in infrared (and only infrared). She was going to use it to apply for a big pharma company, but this was more important. With Rentaro and Karane working together Tom Cruise style, they get past the sensors with minimal issues!

Sadly, as soon as they reach Hakari  they get caught by her mother’s security guards. After that, they are forced to meet face-to-face with Hahari Hanazono, Hakari’s mother at 29 years old.

Hahari’s age is important because it doesn’t just make her an example of the absurdly youthful mother. Hakari is 16 years old, meaning that Hahari had her daughter at the tender age of 13, which in and of itself is terrifying. The reason why is just as tragic, though. When she was 13 and fell in love with Hakari’s father (who was the same age), he was dying from a terminal illness. She was so desperate to have something to remember him by that she used her family’s wealth to artifically inseminate herself with his DNA. Tragically, he died before Hakari was born, leaving Hahari to raise her daughter alone. Which she could do since she was super rich. But she could never replace her deceased lover, and she knew how much Hakari was like her, so she didn’t want her daughter to fall in love with someone who would take advantage of her.

To put it simply, Hahari is being a good parent and trying to look out for her daughter’s well-being. Rentaro is reduced to tears, washing out the eyedrops and letting him see again. And the second he and Hahari’s eyes meet…ZING!

Girlfriend #6-The Absurdly Youthful Mother

Yes, the sixth of Rentaro’s soulmates is the mother of another one of his soulmates. And by this point, it becomes obvious that 100 Girlfriends is different from other harem anime. It’s not afraid to do things that others would find controversial, like pairing up the underage protagonist with an actual mother. As for Hahari, how does she respond to this new feeling?

She was blinded again by love. It takes Karane’s straight-man routine to bring the two to their senses, at which point Hahari still refuses to let Rentaro date her daughter. To prove his sincerity, she forces him to take a lie detector test, even using Karane as a guinea pig to prove its validity. After Karane embarrasses herself at the others expense, Rentaro passes the test so easily that the anime decides to abridge it. However, things grow dire when word reaches them that Hakari is threatening to throw herself out the window!

Karane restrains Hahari so Rentaro can make it in time, and he manages to convince her that ending her life not going to solve anything, only create more misery. Unfortunately, Hakari winds up slipping and falling out anyway. But thanks to Rentaro diving after her and using his CHADtaro powers, he protects her from the impact and manages to land them both in a fountain below, saving their lives.

Seeing him save her daughters life, Hahari is now convinced that Rentaro’s feelings for her daughter are real. Thus, she gives him her blessing to date Hakari. Rentaro, in turn, sees how good of a mom that Hahari is, and vows to make them both happy.  Which means that Hahari now joins the Rentaro Family as girlfriend #6, much to Hakari’s utter exasperation. She now has to share her boyfriend with her own mother! A literal mommy-daughter double whopper!

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And to make it even crazier, the episode she starts dating Rentaro has a special ending dedicated entirely to her and how much she loves Rentaro-Chan! Complete and utter chaos!

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Well, this is Happening Now

Hahari wastes no time in joining in on the family’s antics, allowing them to stay the night so they can bond. And she proves to be as perverted as her daughter is, as she uses the night to try and get closer to her new boyfriend. She dresses up all the girls in pajamas and costumes she has, and then makes Rentaro dress like a girl for her own enjoyment! He winds up fainting from embarassment, and has to be woken up by Nano dressed as a prince like a reverse Sleeping Beauty!

Then, Hahari and Hakari convince all the girls to try and peep on Rentaro while he’s bathing, with Shizuka being the only one who refuses. Both their attempts fail miserably, though, but because she was trying to stop it, Shizuka winds up being the only one who sees by complete accident.

Her lack of emotional maturity aside, though, Hahari is shown to have been deeply scarred by the loss of her first love. It gets to the point where Rentaro has to reassure her it’s not wrong for her to find happiness with someone else, which leads to their first kiss. Get used to it; this is how things will be.

Oh, and Rentaro meets the ghost of Hakari’s father, who’s been watching over the two girls all this time. Having seen how Rentaro has saved them both, Hakari’s father thanks him before finally moving on to the afterlife.

The day after the ordeal, everyone leaves the Hanazono mansion to head to school, with life returning to normal…is what you’d think would happen. Not wanting to be apart from Rentaro, Hahari used her money to buy their entire school, becoming its new chairwoman. All of this just so she can see Rentaro more!!

And with that, we reach the end of the first season of the peak of harem anime, The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You. It’s uncertain whether or not we will cover the next season on here. However, if you haven’t watched this anime yet, I recommend you do. Even if you think that harem anime are trash, the great thing about this series is that it knows it’s trash and embraces it. Every girl in this series is going to be best girl, and you can’t help but admire how absurdly dedicated he is to making his girlfriends happy. If the world had more people willing to do that much for their lovers, there would be no such thing as incels anymore.

And yes, I like this anime. It’s funny.