I don’t usually watch harem anime, but this one is more than that. Aside from the outrageously long title, The 100 Girlfriends Who Really Really Really Really Really Love You is a comedy gold in fall 2023. You know what, I’ll just call it by its Japanese title, Hyakkano, for this review.

I actually watched this anime since its premiere. It was an uneventful night, and then I stumbled on this anime on some anime subreddits. I said, “meh… Why not?” But, I decided to make chapter reviews of anime that caught my attention the most. I thought Hyakkano was going to be one of those that I’d drop.

We already have Girlfriend Girlfriend season two for this season’s harem anime, and I thought Hyakkano would fall pale in comparison. Boy, was I wrong.

A Textbook Harem But Crank It To 100!

This anime has a simple premise, just like any other harem anime. Have the guy surrounded by girls that want him, put him in some funny situation, and follow the typical slice of life formula. But, no, this anime twists the clichés that often happen in a harem anime.

First of all, I never expected the anime would actually aim for one hundred girls. I guess the author was serious about the number rather than making it a gimmick. After a bit of digging, I found that the manga is inching to the 30th girlfriend by the time I am writing this. When usually five girls are enough, Hyakkano‘s author says, “rookie number” and decided to crank it to one hundred.

The density of girls population isn’t the only one that stands out. The comedy in this anime is designed to be as outlandish as possible. It doesn’t lazily put common plot lines, like the long and dragged out first confession. I mean, heck, by the time it reached episode seven, we got to know the fifth girlfriend.

Putting A Simple Premise To The Test

Also, what I like about the premise of this anime is its stake on each girl. The protagonist, Aijo Rentarou, has to date every single one of the one hundred girls, or they would die. Even though it might be considered as a comedic turn, I think it’s a great twist.

A harem anime rarely has a grave consequence for its branching romance. The conflicts usually come from the world around them, not the romance itself. Even if the harem breeds a romantic conflict, at most it will be how the girls find out they are being two (or more)-timed. So, putting a fatal outcome if Rentarou fail to date even only one girl gives a fresh, exciting basis, and pushes Rentarou to never say no to love.

Fan Service, Of Course

You don’t have to wait for long to get to the first fan service. Although, this is where the anime split the audience. I understand that fan service can be a dealbreaker, especially when it comes with some raunchy and spicy scenes.

However, that’s not all fan service supposed to be. Often in romance anime, we have to wait grudgingly for so many episodes only to get a kissing scene or even a simple confession. For how much I like Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, it’s still important to point out how they drag out the romance can frustrate some first timers.

Hyakkano got a very glaring contrast in this regard. Right from the start we have, not one, but two confessions. This anime certainly doesn’t hold back in this department. But, because of this, the romance between Rentarou and each girl are quickly established, allowing for different girls to shine.

Unexpected Depth Into Each Girl

As I mentioned before, how we understand each girl’s story is one key point of this anime. Other harem anime failed to do it, but Hyakkano does it impeccably.

Yes, the premise seemingly leads us into thinking there are virtually too many girls to highlight. However, the anime succeeds in setting up the perfect pace and the timing for each girl to step into the spotlight.

What’s great about it is that each time one of the girls got her time, it’s exclusively not about her and Rentarou. The anime also shows how the girls are taking care of each other. And you know what, it’s their dynamics that won me over, really.

Each Girl Is Unique And Not Just Another Girl For The Protagonist

While it’s typical for a harem anime to focus on how the girls are swooning over the guy, Hyakkano subtly but not subtly gives a lot of development among the girls.

For example, Hakari Hanazono makes her introduction alongside with Karane Inda. They contrast each other really well, with Hakari being the shameless but shrewd horndog, and Karane as the definition of a violent tsundere.

However, with each episode, I saw how Hakari evolves along every girl Rentarou is dating. It slowly became obvious how she balances out Karane. And then, I see her being the veteran of dating Rentarou for the others, especially for Eiai.

And now, Hakari has her first major conflict line in the tenth episode. Yet, the anime doesn’t lose its pace and manages to introduce another girl, who is Hakari’s mom… What in the world!?

But, So Many Types Of Girls

Well, it’s easy to say that there are so many variations of the girls. We have usual tropes like the tsundere, the love-crazed, and the quiet girl. But, there are also some who stand on the weirder end of the spectrum. I guess this anime doesn’t want to left anyone behind.

I want to make a point about Eiai Nano, though. I thought at first she would be a secondary quiet girl in Rentarou’s harem roster. We already have Shizuka, so maybe Eiai is the cold and confident type. So glad that she wasn’t a carbon copy of Shizuka. It would be boring if we got two of the same type.

Unlike Shizuka’s battle with her own shyness and lack of confidence. But, I think there will be more to unwrap in Shizuka’s story. Eiai’s journey with Rentarou is more about enabling ourselves to be wrapped by emotions, to be more honest about what we feel. This kind of story has its own soft spot in my heart, I guess.

Eiai’s initial love discovery with Rentarou really reminds me of Frieren coming into realization of what she feels about Himmel. Both are cold and emotionless women, initially. Although, Eiai took a 180-degree turn to love Rentarou rather quickly.

The Wacky Types

Also, we have Kusuri and Hahari. These last two girls are on the wacky side as far as I’m concerned. Like, who even has considered dating a chemically-induced shapeshifter, and the mom of the girl you’re dating? Wait… After a brief internet dive, I regret what I said. Man, there IS a market for every one!

Anyhow, it’s both a good and bad thing that this anime isn’t shy to showcases so many girls and dating tropes. Good, because they actually explore these tropes and not just showcase them. Bad, because some of them are just plain weird, and will attract certain niches but potentially alienate some viewers.

My Final Say

Okay, after all the odd anime that I’ve watched all these times, I think Hyakkano still don’t fall into an absurd comedy. I think it doesn’t take too much energy to digest its humor. If we compare it to Nichijou, Hyakkano has way less Japanese specific jokes, which make Nichijou falls short for some. Rather, I think its humor has the same continuous shock effect as Bochi The Rock!‘s elaborate visual comedy.

What I am trying to say is that this anime has a really approachable comedic taste, even for a gaijin. It’s a good thing, since Hyakkano barely gives you a breather in between jokes. I often found myself not able to continue watching this anime in cafés or my college library. Every time, my face would turn red like a freshly cooked lobster from holding back laughter.

I love how they constantly break the fourth wall. Like when Hakari’s mom actually bought the ending for the eleventh episode, all for how down bad she is for Rentarou. Also, I love that they put a wide range of pop-culture references, not just from other anime. What’s stood out for me was Eiai making a reference to The Shining. I was a fool for not seeing that coming.

The only downside is that you probably wouldn’t watch it out in the public. It’s best to have a separated private time to take a look at this anime. Since it’s full of fan service too, maybe not every one of your anime loving friend would buy into it. There are some scenes that are simply too NSFW for newcomers. However, the anime does a good job of actually telling compelling plots, backstories, and comedy. Suffice to say, people might think Hyakkano is a pure degen-bait, but not really.