Hiya of us, and welcome again to Incorrect Each Time. In the present day we return to the amorous battlefield of 100 Girlfriends, having crossed right into a courageous new world from which I can see no hope of return. I had actually thought Kusuri was going to outline the height of lunacy for this present, however “Rentaro rescues Hakari from her mom by agreeing to additionally date stated mom” has outdone her after which some. I’m sorry Rikito Nakamura, I used to be clearly unfamiliar along with your recreation.
With Hahari now adopted into the Completely happy Rentaro Household, I think about this new threshold of madness will likely be subsumed into the group’s basic dynamic with preposterous effectivity. Happily, there’s at all times the post-girlfriend cooldown episode to have fun what some particular new arrival brings to the group, so buckle your seatbelts, of us. Will Rentaro relationship each Hakari and her mom in some way illustrate this present’s basic emphasis on open communication and attending to your accomplice’s emotions? I actually can’t see how, however this manufacturing is nothing if not stunning, so let’s get again to the insanity and discover out!
Episode 12
Oh proper, we opened on Hahari declaring her intent to presumably bone Rentaro, given she’s the one precise grownup within the group. Regardless of its premise, 100 Girlfriends is mostly fairly chaste so far as harems go – it’s mild on nudity and attractive panning pictures of the women, and many of the sexual innuendo is simply performed for laughs. Conserving the implication of real sexual intimacy distant helps preserve its tone as extra of a straight comedy, so I think about Hahari’s provocations will likely be swiftly defused in some preposterous tone-reasserting method
Yeah, we get a sequence that’s framed to appear to be the 2 of them having intercourse, however is presumably simply Rentaro giving her a again therapeutic massage or one thing
It’s an odd stability this form of harem makes an attempt to strike, the place sexual longing is omnipresent, however the relationships stay basically chaste and unfulfilled. Precise intercourse introduces a component of actuality and consequence that these tales are deliberately avoiding; they’re fantasies of what having a relationship may be like, and thus they persist with the nascent adolescent desires of holding fingers and happening dates and perhaps sneaking a kiss
This perpetual rigidity of unfulfillment is in fact additionally an enormous a part of their dramatic gas – relationships unconsummated are relationships in flux, the place every new flourish of intimacy is a grand and terrifying journey. By breaking intimacy down into these fragments of alleged “progress,” the stress may be drawn out for for much longer, and extra “will they or received’t they” episodic conceits may be employed
For these causes and extra, I are likely to make a psychological partition between harem tales and romance tales. Characters in harems don’t act like characters truly falling in love, for clear dramatic structural causes
I’d forgotten Kusuri and Shizuka’s cute pajamas. Hahari is aware of her stuff
“No chopping in line, Mom!” Hakari has in fact acclimated to this new actuality with scary effectivity
Because it seems, Hahari is simply dressing up Rentaro in women’ garments
“Mom! I’m so glad I used to be born your daughter!” Don’t you suppose a little hesitation can be acceptable right here, Hakari?
Rentaro swiftly passes out from embarrassment, and thus Hahari attire Nano because the prince to wake him with a kiss, incomes wild applause from the remainder of the household. Looks like Hahari is swiftly establishing herself because the costume queen, whereas additionally supporting the overall implication that this can be a collectively loving polycule, not only a swathe of unbiased traces all main solely to Rentaro. The bonds between Rentaro’s girlfriends are fairly doubtless this present’s best energy, the X-factor that makes it really feel extra like a attractive, absurdist slice of life than a normal harem
Oh my god, all their drooling faces as Nano leans in for the kiss. One other key component of this present’s enchantment: nobody right here is ashamed of embracing their sexuality. It is a judgment-free attractive zone
Hakari and Hahari then instantly declare their intent to peep on Rentaro. You realize, perhaps slightly judgment isn’t such a foul factor
“Kusuri by no means seen dong earlier than!” KUSURI STOP IT, DON’T LISTEN TO THOSE TWO
It falls to Shizuka to try to protect Rentaro’s dignity. Sadly, Shizuka could be very small, and is thus effortlessly rolled right into a blanket sushi roll
Terrific flailing smears as Kusuri is hung the other way up from an higher window. Her unfastened pajamas naturally help these goofy distortions of type
And Shizuka stays trapped in her sushi roll. Nakamura appeared to determine early on that “Shizuka is tiny and imperiled” is an especially good dynamic, and has thus constantly inflicted conditions like this on her, whether or not she’s floating away on the pool, hung from a hanger by her coat, or carried off by a sudden breeze
The genius animators behind this episode additionally perceive that “Shizuka flailing in a blanket roll” might be the strongest visible idea in human historical past, and thus rightfully dedicate loads of time to observing her flap round attempting to free herself, then finally resolve to easily roll herself down the hallway
Whereas the cat terrifies our would-be snoops as they sneak by way of the attic for an aerial view, Shizuka confronts her subsequent problem: the grand staircase
Glorious gag as the women all preserve the identical lie with a view to deny their snooping, however Karane can’t assist however append the gag with an “it’s not like I used to be attempting to snoop” tsundere protest-too-much. In the event you’re going to be hatching schemes like this, you’ll want to hold a lid on the group tsundere!
The proliferation of jokes like that can also be a big component of 100 Girlfriends’ genius – taking these canned archetypal tropes out of their pure habitat, and seeing how they is perhaps used and abused in varied different capers. “Tsundere in a lie detector take a look at” was one other stable instance
“Stop with the cliched romcom schtick, you two.” “No, if something, the remainder of us needs to be romcom-ing it up extra.” Nano speaks knowledge
And once more, them getting flustered at fingers brushing in opposition to one another embodies the dance this present should carry out, sustaining that rigidity of first romantic expertise at the same time as their romantic experiences pile up
Hahari excuses herself to mild incense for her past love, and Rentaro joins her
Rentaro urges Hahari to share her burdens with him, and communicate of the ache that prompted her to separate herself from others after her first lover’s dying. Superb that this present manages to stability “the significance of speaking actually and interesting along with your accomplice’s anxieties” with “even when that accomplice is your different girlfriend’s mom”
“Hakari’s dad and I… who says you’ll be able to’t love two individuals directly!?” An assurance that carries much more weight coming from Rentaro, of all individuals. Intelligent in its stupidity, the 100 Girlfriends promise
“If my love for you ever stops feeling actual, please inform me. In return, I promise to do the identical for you.” On this method, 100 Girlfriends is definitely extra practical to real, wholesome romance than most romcoms. Canned misunderstandings are a simple strategy to provoke narrative drama, however they inherently suggest a profound fragility within the relationships in query, a complete lack of belief and open communication
Later that night time, Hakari eventually admits to her prior anxieties, sneaking over to sleep in Rentaro’s arms. In fact, by morning she and Karane find yourself “unintentionally” making out on the following cot over. They’re such good buddies
Rentaro is then visited by the ghost of Hakari’s father, who gives his blessing to Rentaro’s simultaneous romancing of his lover and daughter
We finish on a suitably preposterous stinger, as Hahari’s love prompts her to purchase and take cost of the entire rattling faculty
And Performed
My god. What a activity, what a person, and what a pleasant assortment of insane girlfriends. Regardless of that includes maybe essentially the most ridiculous premise of any romcom I’ve skilled, 100 Girlfriends managed to ship a genuinely charming, heartfelt assortment of episodes, digging deeper into the basics of mutually enriching relationships than numerous reveals with much more grounded premises. In fact, all these moments of endearing intimacy had been generously furnished with numerous glorious gags, starting from intelligent manipulations of style conference to easy, hilarious bullshit like Kusuri’s potions and Shizuka floating away on the breeze. 100 Girlfriends understands that love needs to be enjoyable, and thru its god-given polyamorous mandate insists that the extra love you share, the extra love you obtain. I’m trying ahead to the persevering with adventures of the ever-growing Rentaro Household!
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