Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’re dropping back in on 100 Girlfriends at a moment of crisis, with Hakari having been cruelly stolen from her beloved Rentaro and his four other girlfriends. Upon learning that Hakari had taken up with a five-timing Lothario who was clearly up to no good, her mother stole her away from school altogether, and now plans to abscond with her daughter to god knows where. It’s thus up to Rentaro and his four committed compatriots to infiltrate Hakari’s mansion, confront Hakari’s mother, and convince her that Rentaro is actually a pretty nice guy.
Admittedly, the nature of Rentaro’s relationships would likely have any parent side-eyeing the situation, but that’s simply because they don’t understand how fulfilling a bond with Rentaro and roughly thirty to fifty other women can be. 100 Girlfriends’ essential insight is that for this story to work, the audience has to also be sort of in love with Rentaro, and he’s certainly worked his charms on me at least. With nothing but a spirit of pure mutual love in their hearts, let’s join the team as they set off to rescue Hakari!
Episode 10
“The members of the Rentaro Family all vowed to bring Hakari back.” Welp, apparently we’re sticking with that for the team name
“Their love, and the strength of their bonds, shall now be tested.” The narrator is clearly saying this with an edge of sarcasm, but it’s nonetheless funny to consider how well this show actually has built up the bonds between its characters, even in the context of this ridiculous premise. 100 Girlfriends must in part attribute its success to the weakness of its competition – so many romance dramas, and particularly romcom or harem shows, basically assume chemistry and mutual love without ever demonstrating or fostering it. In contrast, Rentaro and his various girlfriends are constantly discussing mutual interests, gauging mutual comfort levels, and compromising for the sake of the people they love. 100 Girlfriends shines because it actually takes romance more seriously than many more traditional anime romances
And of course, that’s accompanied by persistent excellent sight gags like poor Shizuka hanging helplessly from the mansion’s fence. Hang in there, Shizuka
The gag is compounded by her still being stuck there as we cut to the other girls assessing the yard, only for Rentaro to eventually turn back and grab her
“You’ve still got that little boy in you, huh?” Karane riffs on Rentaro for taking this spy mission setup so seriously. We get constant little flourishes like this demonstrating their overall mutual comfort level, the ease with which they bicker and make jokes
The crew are swiftly defeated by a fluffy house cat
Lovely smears as they all dash into a bush at a guard’s approach
Oh my god, this Long Cat Nano stretched to hide behind the tree trunk. Nano’s deadpan humor has become one of the ensemble’s greatest comedic weapons
She demonstrates even more of her talents by flicking pebbles through the cat door in order to unlock the patio door. Impressive!
Nano actually splits her nail performing this trick, which Rentaro notices immediately. Profound attentiveness and concern, two of Rentaro’s most admirable qualities. He’ll often realize when one of his girlfriends is hurting even before they do
“I owe Hakari a favor… no, I want to help her.” And then a beat demonstrating the particular bond between Nano and Hakari, as well as how Hakari’s philosophy has actually changed Nano. From considering their relationship in a transactional sense, Hakari has helped Nano come to see these relationships as expressions of her true feelings, with no sense of “favors owed,” simply a desire to help the people she cares about
Next up is Shizuka, as she finds herself crouching before a scary guard dog. Her immediate thoughts of “of course I shouldn’t come, I’d only be useless,” are swiftly challenged by her recollection of Rentaro himself admitting he wasn’t sure how far they could go. A key lesson she’s learned from Rentaro: even if she thinks she’s weak and helpless, she can only discover or push beyond her limitations by actually challenging them, rather than just accepting she’ll fail. They’re playing these beats as directly as possible, but this is indeed one of the key facets of convincing romantic writing: demonstrating not just how much one character likes another, but how that object of affection actually makes them feel stronger, more complete, or more valued as a person
“Dogs have a natural instinct to protect weak animals such as infants.” Nano explains Shizuka’s defeat of this animal in the most brutal possible terms
“Stop suggesting animal cruelty against Hakari’s pets!” Bless Nano
Kusuri passes Shizuka a sleeping drug for the dog, which she of course chugs herself. About on par for our littlest warrior
“How many times have you tripped the infrared sensor here already?” Yeah, you really can’t have a cat and also an infrared security grid. Even if they know where they’re not supposed to walk, they’ll do it intentionally just to prove they can
“Kusuri brought infrared vision eye drops!” She really does have the power to have all powers, which would be annoying if any of these conflicts were load-bearing, but that’s simply not where 100 Girlfriends places its priorities. All of the important conflicts that require genuine work to solve here are emotional, so Kusuri is free to pull out whatever obstacle-solving magic juice some external conflict requires
Nano notes that the address she was originally posting that medicine to was for the dream research team she was hoping to join
Kusuri replies that in spite of her faults and tantrums, Hakari accepted her completely. She has found a place where she belongs right here at home. This is turning out to be a crucial episode for this original core group, again emphasizing how they are not just all attached to Rentaro, but also deeply loyal to each other
“A rich person’s house’s infrared sensors…” Excellent payoff to the running gag of Karane marveling at all of Hakari’s impressive accommodations
“If you aren’t perfectly matched and in sync, the chances of success…” “We’re fine then. It’s me and Karane, after all.” Rentaro doesn’t even do it intentionally, he just believes in these bonds with all his heart, and feels no awkwardness or shame in admitting as such. Another lesson for healthy relationships in that: don’t just assume your partner knows you trust them and believe in their abilities, actually say so, and don’t act like it’s some sign of “weakness” to admit you care
Rentaro and Karane go on ahead, having been gracefully separated from the group by this infrared challenge. A smart choice, returning us to the three characters who started this whole bizarre scenario, while also emphasizing that trust demands believing in others when you can’t help them personally
After all that, they immediately trip the alarm set on Hakari’s bedroom door
Hakari’s mother’s name is Hahari Hanazono, which is basically just “Mommy Hanazono”
“I was 13 and in my second year of middle school when I gave birth to Hakari.” Yep, as expected, Hahari’s perspective stems from her own premature romance
She says she had Hakari as a keepsake of her doomed lover, something she now realizes is reflective of their familial recklessness when it comes to romance
“I don’t ever want Hakari to experience this heart-wrenching regret.”
Unsurprisingly, Rentaro is just overwhelmed with sympathy for Hahari’s story. That’s our boy
Ahaha, and of course they used that infrared trick to delay the moment when Rentaro and Hahari actually make eye contact, so now we get the sudden True Love Connection
“Rentaro-chan, please go out with me!” God damnit
And Done
Well team, we’ve done it. After some key contributions courtesy of Nano’s efficiency, Kusuri’s concoctions, Karane’s strength, and Shizuka’s helplessness, it turns out the final push came from the power that was inside Rentaro all along: his profound, inescapable romantic magnetism. I very much appreciated this episode’s consistent emphasis on the distinct, numerous bonds that have come to connect Rentaro and his various girlfriends, which made it all the funnier when things ultimately resolved in the most preposterously 100 Girlfriends-appropriate way possible. Be warned, all who would challenge Rentaro and his many lovers, for you might just fall in love with him too.
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