THE GREATEST HAREM MANGA… OF ALL TIME!
This manga is written by Rikito Nakamura, illustrated by Yukiko Nozawa and has been publishing since 2019. The anime adaption started in 2023 at Bibury Animation Studios directed by Hikaru Satou.
WHAT’S THE BIG IDEA
The harem genre has been vanquished and it’s The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You(100GFS) that killed it. In this series our protagonist Rentaro, the bestest boy ever born, is faced with a serious problem thanks to God, he’s given him 100 perfect soulmates instead of the usual one. Rentaro is left with the hard choice of picking THE one… waitaminute this isn’t a normal harem because by golly he’s gonna pick them all, Pokemon style. And so begins the grand polygamous adventure to bag every girl in sight and make them blissful beyond reason, truly a all timer premise by any standard of the imagination though maybe not fit for moral standards but eh what are those even good for.
I specifically am the least qualified person to declare the death of a genre that I’ve only read 2.5(one got axed)other entries of as of this moment but I am confident in the superior quality of this series, which through its sharp writing successfully parodies common genre tropes and displays a better version of them, all backed up by a level of craft most manga in general can’t match.
Nakamura(the writer) actually cares about this work and it shows from the get-go. His ballsy ambition to reach 100 unique girlfriends that for the most part are well defined and novel characters screams confidence and gives this silly romcom a concrete endgoal, a pleasant rarity for this type of fiction. His plotting makes sure every girl gets attention as individuals and in fun pairings while unleashing a never-ending stream of gags that will have you dying of laughter. Heck, even the fanservice was acceptable and I generally bemoan Japanese media for their intrusive pervasiveness, but when it’s done like this I guess it works. The only thing this man doesn’t care about is logic, this manga is extremely ridiculous and stupid so if you can’t vibe with that type of story then I can already tell you to stop reading this post, because this manga is not for you. Of course manga artist Nozawa(the artist) and the anime staff are similarly passionate about this material and the lengths they go to execute on his ideas is deserving of every ounce of praise which this review is very liberal in. Before diving into the content I’m going to be fully upfront here and say this is one of the best manga I have ever read and I really have nothing significant to fault with it, so don’t get mad at this wall of positivity I’ve got here.
THE POINT OF 100GFS
The cast is the first thing that should be mentioned because the appeal of this series is that there’s someone for everyone, most harems try to balance a handful or 2 worth of girls but not 100GFS(it’s in the name hehe). The 27 that currently exist cover all the bases already, so you got the tomboys, the pretty girls, the best ever tsundere, the hornbags, mommys, grannies, 2 maids, drug dealers, heck one even identifies as a cat so yeah, we got a catgirl.
The most important part of this story is that it’s not a traditional harem with 1 winner, our protagonist is on a literal life or death quest to bag every girl that likes him. Together they create the polygamous paradise known as the Rentaro Family and that unique dynamic changes the nature of the harem style because now every single girl is on the same side and 1 succeeding at anything romance related means everyone wins, generally involving kisses. This positive dynamic between them all gives this manga its main superpower and is certainly the reason it could hypothetically run long enough to reach the 100 girlfriend mark without growing totally stale on the way. Rentaro x (insert girlfriend here) is not the only material that exists and many friendships between them all have formed, from the bisexual pairing in Hakari and Karane to the weirdly maternal like Hahari and Kishika, there’s normal platonic friendships like Nano and Shizuka, and Mimimi and Meme, plus the literal familial connections that are inherently weird but whatever.
To me some of the best delivered dramatic material comes from these relationships because they’re more grounded than anything cartoonish ultra boyfriend Rentaro can achieve, not that I fault the lad. Speaking of Rentaro he truly is the boyfriend to end all boyfriends, a person that exists solely to bring endless joy and happiness to his partners and his committed personality makes him a very endearing character, plus he’s ridiculously funny especially so in the anime where his VA Wataru Katou gives an unhinged performance that will have you in stitches
THE BEST GIRL(OF ALL TIME?)
In any harem series the title of best girl is an extremely prestigious one, they are the character that any individual reader will attach themselves to and be most invested in. Since everyone wins in 100GFS there can be no disappointment with your girl losing, except that each one of comprehensively loses to Karane who the first girlfriend introduced alongside Hakari and the resident tsundere. She is extremely overpowered as a character thanks to her extremely endearing take on the tsundere archetype, the way her personality brings out the best from the other girls and contributes significantly to their developments, plus her cute as a button design. On several occasions she straight up steals the spotlight in other characters introductory arcs, her screen presence is so strong I’d go as far as to wager she’s the authors favorite. She was mine too and technically I’d still say she’s the best overall, but halfway through the current material of the series Nakamura dropped the single cutest manga(and anime) girl of all time, Ahko.
Ahko doesn’t have the depth or versatility of Karane but my god she is unmatchably adorable, with her derpy smile and dumb gal dialogue that would be grating if her main trait was that she is a low key chill chick, which I find extremely cute. She is a good caring person that also brings the best out of the others but I won’t lie and pretend she’s got the depth of Karane, same as I won’t deny that I love her just a smidge more. I think she’s the most unique caharcter from a visual and conceptual level, she’s a true scene stealer. Ahko brings me joy in every moment, she is my best girl.
CHARACTERIZATION THROUGH PARODY 101
This series parodying of tired character tropes is a big highlight thanks to how successful it presents them true to form but in a more endearing fashion, for the most part that is. Obviously the tsundere Karane would be an easy example to pick because she is the best… so I won’t.
Mimimi is the archetypal narcissistic pretty girl that thinks she’s just the best thing ever and everyone should be blessed to just be in her presence, and yet she is also one of the most supportive people in the family. She got her good looks through hard and constant work, literally earning her own narcissism but that perspective means she’s the best in seeing the beauty in others, uplifting characters like Meme and helping them recognize their own value, which for a character archetype that screams bitchy it’s really refreshing seeing it in this form, Mimimi is one of the best. Not every trope is treated the same though with Iku the masochist being an example of a character trope played completely straight with no special selling point as an individual, this series has had a few misses so far but it’s easy to ignore when the hits work so well. There’s also admittedly the unwelcome aspect to some of them being extremely young but the story does treat them like children and avoids sexualizing them like they do the rest of the cast, a bare minimum level of morals I know but unfortunately Japanese media doesn’t have a good track record with this type of thing. Also there’s some semi incesty stuff, 2 sets of girlfriend’s are blood related to each other and the worst character Chiyo is Rentaro’s cousin… fun(I hate it). There, in just 3 sentences I have declared my only issues with this series though so let this hype train resume as we go into an aspect that I should hate but somehow is a highlight, the fanservice
FANSERVICE DONE RIGHT
Lets get 1 thing clear, the ecchi form of fanservice is not my cup of tea but this series isn’t very egregious on the actively gross or weird material, it’s fine. There’s a lot of ample chests that the anime in particular has given significant time to animate every conceivable boing of(to the point of legitimate body horror) with quite a few characters which are built around being degenerates, some of whom have kinks such as masochism and… breastfeeding!? This being a seinen title gives them the freedom to be a bit more direct with their desires, the innuendo does get pretty explicit in its descriptions but visually the manga is still PG13 so eh, prudish as it sounds this is basically the limit in which I accept ecchi material.
The real fanservice this manga offers is in all of the ridiculous situations and results of them that give us glimpses of our favourite characters acting or dressing differently, from the hijinks involved in body swap arcs(drugs were definitely involved) where the character designs come to life in exciting ways thanks to everyone’s differing personalities, to the times a dress code is instituted so we get to see everyone in maid uniforms and best if all, glasses. Okay that last one may have just been a personal preference but I think the range of fanservice in all of its forms is definitely a big part of why I think this manga has a bit of something for anyone and personally I felt catered to, which given how much I dislike fanservice in general is an achievement all on its own.
DAMN GOOD GAGS, DAMN GOOD STORYTELLING
This is a manga that can and will do anything no matter how outlandish, stupid, or surprisingly brilliant the concepts may be, because at its heart this is a gag manga above all else. Nakamura uses that freedom from logic to craft an endless supply of 1 to 2 chapter arcs ranging from the normal like a school festival all the way to a characters hair literally taking over the world in all its tentacle approximate glory(yes even you weirdos are served by this series). This manga’s freshness and continued entertainment value after over 160 chapters is in large part thanks to this flexible storytelling style where only Nakamura’s creativity is the limit, and this man wants to write a story with 100 heroines so I have faith he’s got the necessary level of insanity to keep up.
The more focused character building material is also great, every new girlfriend gets a introductory chapter for them and Rentaro alone and than a group chapter that displays what sorta antics they bring, there are several characters whose only notable material was those chapters but that can be rectified in future with the other character focused material, the date chapters. These chapters usually include a single girl or a random mix of a few characters that may not interact regularly so it’s always a joy seeing what sorta dynamics form, on top of making sure there’s never a neglected character in this cast. They might have peaked forever with the Ahko chapter though, whoopsie.
This is also a manga that knows it’s one, by which I mean the 4th wall only exists for the characters to tear down in hilarious fashion. I can’t say I’ve seen an manga(and anime) this dedicated to the bit, Rentaro quite often rejects whatever Nakamura has written and will tear out pages to achieve his aims, every single character berates the writer because of the situations he puts them in, and they treat Nozawa like a god figure. Rentaro loves her so much that he broke into her office to lend her a hand which is very weird but kinda sweet, I think the creators are having fun making this series.
FINE ART INDEED
Speaking of that I think we should go into the craftsmanship of this franchise because both manga and anime are very high quality and I can strongly recommend both, just pick your poison and you’ll be served. Nozawa earns the reverence her characters have for her because she is a fantastic artist whose talents shine brightest in her character art, everyone’s designs are super polished with a great mix of facial features, heights(not something I generally notice getting utilised), which in conjunction with everyone’s distinct speech patterns makes sure that even with their backs turned and/or bodies swapped you know whose who. This is pretty important when there’s several characters on a page and even a few out of sight providing commentary, Nozawa skills are tailor made for this project.
The anime hasn’t been truly tested yet as only 6 girlfriends have been introduced but Akane Yana as character designer and chief animation director has absolutely crushed it, everyone’s designs pop with the bright colours and detailed artwork on display, it’s a great adaptation. Both versions execute on the comedy very well too, Nozawa goes nuts with her manic artwork and the adaptation injects over the top animations and even more over the top voicework, and both have sharp panelling/editing to make the jokes that bit tighter. Above all else though is the glee in which Nozawa flexes her muscles through glorious 2 page spreads, a tool most romcoms/gag manga I’ve read don’t utilise very often. These spreads are equal parts gorgeous and hilarious, either showcasing all the girls at once in their best forms or… well everyone’s seen that Rentaro one, it’s beautiful in its own way.
TIS THE END
The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really Love You is by any measure a great series that overcomes the usual gripes I have with its genre through effective parody and rejigging of content that doesn’t work. The writing is top notch and extremely versatile, and Nakamura’s vision is elevated by the superb craftsmanship of Nozawa and the anime’s staff. This story is hilarious, downright stupid, and totally endearing, I think anyone can enjoy it so I wholeheartedly recommend it.
FINAL RATING 9.5/10
100GFS can currently be streamed on Crunchyroll or purchased from Seven Seas as single volumes.
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