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

Episode 9

The longer this show goes on, the less apt it feels to call the cast a harem. Sure, our central group meets all the criteria for the taxonomy of the term. You've got a gaggle of girls grappling for one guy's gonads, and damn near every character interaction relies on that fact. This certainly is not not a harem. Yet with each new addition and adventure this group shares, “harem” feels like an increasingly deficient descriptor. It would seem the show agrees, as it firmly declares that this is no longer a harem, but the Rentaro Family, each girl united not only through their relationship with their lover boy but through their connections with each other.

That's more or less the thesis of this group date to the flower garden, and it's as adorable as it is funny. The bouquet toss is pure cartoon nonsense, combining ridiculous physics and over-the-top characters (shout-out to Yuu-kun for living the dream). What puts that over the top is how it allows the whole group to work together for a common goal. Whether it's Karane protecting Hakari from harm, or the whole crew saving Shizuka through the power of their “god-given airbags”, there's a sense of camaraderie between all involved that makes this crew feel genuinely loving and cohesive. For all its meta-humor, self-aware fanservice, and wish-fulfillment premise, that earnest connection is what keeps this show from feeling like meaningless farce or crass indulgence.

Take the argument over who gets to wear that wedding dress. While there's plenty of humor mined from Hakari's scheming to win, and the tiniest bit of drama with Kusuri's tantrum, the ultimate resolution comes from everyone involved choosing the most inclusive and generous, because making the people you love happy can easily outclass the joy of singular satisfaction. So while there might only be one dress (this time), there's no reason they can't all be in the picture together, as a physical reminder that the most joyous solution is when everyone can share this happiness collectively. As always, I would never claim this series as a realistic or accurate portrayal of polyamory, but there's still something aspirational about all these characters coming together to support and cherish one another.

Of course, just because everyone within the family is happy doesn't mean they'll be easily accepted by the world around them. Enter Hakari's domineering and over-protective mother, who certainly goes overboard, but from an outsider's perspective, I can certainly see her point. If I suddenly found out my daughter was dating a guy who was also seeing four other girls, I'd be pretty suspicious too, especially if I found out one of them has made crystal meth. From her perspective, it's more like Hakari's been seduced into the Rentaro Crime Family. She's still out of line for trying to force a breakup, but I can at least sympathize with her initial suspicion, and more importantly it provides a conflict that the rest of our cast can rally against as we head into the final quarter of the season.

This Family isn't about to let something as banal as a fabulously rich helicopter parent break them up. It's a given that Rentaro will do anything to bring Hakari back, but it's all the more touching that every other girlfriend is on the same page. Once upon a time, Karane might have leaped at the chance to wave goodbye to her competition, but now she's not about to let a member of her family be torn away from them. They're all at their happiest together, and they're ready to prove that family isn't something you're born into, but something you build with the people you love.

As the full Family has been represented in today's review image, I have provided a limited edition Villain review image instead.

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