Degeneracy Perfected: The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love you

My God… They’ve done it. The mad men actually did it! They pushed the harem genre even further beyond! But were these maniacal geniuses so busy asking if they could do it that they forgot to ask if they should?

‘The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You’ (if you’re gonna hit us with the all-caps, maybe consider cutting out the other four) is quite possibly the most absurd rom-com harem anime ever made. You’d think the title alone would say it all. But oh, no! There is so much more to this ridiculous escapist fantasy then meets the eye!

But is all that hidden substance a good thing? Or is this show purely a degenerate’s ultimate escapist dream? Let’s have a look, shall we?

The premise is simple. In middle-school, protagonist Renataro Aijo was rejected by one hundred girls (you gotta admire his tenacity). Going into high school, he visits a shrine to pray for greater romantic success. Apparently he picked a good day for it, because the God of Love appears before him, promising that he’ll find one hundred girls he’s destined to date. But if he or they should ever fail to truly love each other, they’ll die!

Well. That escalated quickly.

If you’re the type of anime viewer to argue over “Best Girl,” then this show will be your final battleground. Purely on a visual front, all the different waifus are pretty nice. They’ve each got a unique and distinct design that fits their character pretty well.

It’s when you get into their actual characters that things start to get crazy. Things start out pretty simple with a tsundere and a pervert. Then we get an emotionless ice queen. Then a librarian loli. Then a shape-shifting scientist who goes from babe to loli and back and forth.

Around this point is where this show dives head-first into the deep end of utter degeneracy. Potions that melt clothing or send the girls into kiss-crazed frenzies? Sure, why not. Lesbian make-out sessions? You know it. Just about everything short of becoming actual hentai, this show will do.

Honestly, I have to respect it. This show knows what it is and doesn’t pretend otherwise. It wears its insanity on its shirt like a medal of honor. It’s so self-aware that it’s episodes have titles such as, and I shit you not, “Just When You Think It’s a Hanky-Panky Episode” and “Everyone’s Favorite: The Swimsuit Episode.” Shame is not in this show’s vocabulary, and I kind of admire that.

This show is so insane that it occasionally loops back around to being entertaining. Sometimes it was hard to tell if I was laughing at the show or with it. Dumb as this show is, it does have a few fun gags here and there.

Also, the animation is pretty good. Like, concerningly good. These guys are a few short steps away from making a very different kind of show.

‘The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You’ (that title, I swear to God…) is a show that knows exactly what it is, what it’s trying to do, and who it’s for. It isn’t trying to become the next all-time classic. It’s a dumb show about anime girls meant for entertainment and blatant wish-fulfillment and it goes all-in without an ounce of shame.

Say what you will about it’s quality. You’ve got to respect its dedication to the bit.