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

Episode 24

One of the more critically minded questions I've had about this second season of 100 Girlfriends was how they might go about finagling that finale-level feeling for its end, especially compared to everything that went down at the end of the first season. The dramatic de-tsundere-fication of Karane certainly stretched for some sort of story arc, and dressing it up in all the Dragon Ball Z parody livery this season has lived with certainly gets things close. But is that enough pizazz, enough panache, enough polyamorous power to carry all these girlfriends home? And if not, what else could it do?

Turns out, they just needed to make me look like an idiot.

Back to Karane, even if she ought to appreciate a review starting by acting like I-I-I-I'm not actually talking about her or anything, okay? Rentaro's tsundere solution is, as mentioned, meant to be carried out in the stupendous Shonen Jump style, cobbling together everyone else's latent tsundere tendencies into one big sweet-and-sour Spirit Bomb. So I was one-tenth right about just getting a tsundere transfusion from Kurumi. There are other details as well to faux-scientifically make it all work. Not that this show needs to, but I get a kick out of the idea of Rentaro taking both de-and-re-tsundere-fying drugs, like when you take probiotics and antibiotics at the same time and let them duke it out in your gut just to see what happens.

It's nice that the writing references points like Kurumi's status as the beta tsundere of the Rentaro Family pack, or gags like Nano's downright depressing nihilist-flavored tsundere taunting. Granted, everyone else's energy-donating outbursts of charming insincerity necessarily can't land as effectively as they would from a pro like Karane, and they're stock even by the tropey standards this material is already playing in. But that's sort of the point, after all, especially as Rentaro realizes the true weight of constantly carrying this comic character that Karane has been working with. It's a nice way to come around to the main idea of this story closing out the season: even as he keeps amassing new amorous additions, Rentaro will also keep learning new things about the partners he already loves—his affection will continue to grow within and without all girlfriends.

Also shouldering the tsundere Spirit Bomb causes Rentaro to momentarily loose his own tsundere outburst, and that's pretty cute and funny.

The other driving idea of all this effort being expended on bringing back the classic Karane is that all the other girlfriends love her about as much as Rentaro does (especially Hakari, getting the big, final, charging outburst at her). But as fun as the "family" aspect of the Rentaro Family is, they are still ostensibly romantically partnered with this bushy-browed boy, and all these adventures might make it easy for those affections to fall by the wayside, ironic as that would be. Fortunately, the anime realizes this point right at the end here, in exactly the right place a segment spotlighting those feelings should belong. No sooner, no later.

No, what are you talking about, this isn't something they originally skipped over halfway through the season. Didn't you hear the girls talking about it? The timeline hasn't shifted, you're imagining things!

Gaslighting girlfriends aside, this is an instance where I really, really, really, really, really shouldn't have doubted the standards of this anime's staff. Of course they wouldn't actually skip over one of the most iconic parts of the original manga. And if they needed a way to close out their second season in style, then could there be any better choice? Placing it here even lets them pull off the impressive task of one-upping themselves; as noted by the characters, Mimimi and Meme aren't even supposed to be here at this point, meaning Rentaro's motor-mouthed monologue gets to include new material spotlighting their characteristic charm points. This is the appeal of adaptation across mediums: seeing what choices they make to better suit the format and release schedule of the material, then problem-solving for changes that arise as a result. Placing it here after a halfway-through fake-out just ensures that even members of the audience who might have seen it coming before get to enjoy being roundhouse kicked by the moment again in this refreshed context.

It's also all appropriate for the point of 100 Girlfriends, and how Rentaro has earned the affections of his plentiful paramours. The guy works genuinely hard at being a good boyfriend, and seeing the superpower-slinging stuff he got up to in saving one of them less than ten minutes ago, this transplanted topic honestly works even better. He's also got more simply appreciable appeals like the way Hakari loves his big hands. That one makes sense for her, since you know what they say about guys with big hands. They've got biiiiiig…propensities for providing pats on heads.

It is a really nice and exceedingly fun way to close this season. The storyline switch-up demonstrates an understanding of the manga-reading audience alongside the anime-onlys, being as inclusive to different viewers as Rentaro is to his different girlfriends. Here at the end, it reconfirms 100 Girlfriends not just as the farcical-yet-functionally sincere ultimate evolution of the harem anime genre, but a masterclass in adaptational sensibilities. Here's hoping we get to watch them apply those sensibilities to all 89 remaining girlfriends.

Rentaro gets the final review image slot for this season, as he deserves in delivering that long-delayed monologue. As well, enjoy one more round of alternate girlfriend review images for the road.

Rating:

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The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You Season 2 is currently streaming on Crunchyroll on Sundays.

Chris has watched at least 100 anime, and really really really really really thought most of them were at least okay. You can peruse his thoughts on those and other subjects over on his blog, or see which cartoon girlfriends he's reposting art of over on his BlueSky.