First Impressions / Hyakka Ryouran Samurai Girls

「冥土争覇」 (Meido sōha )
“Otherworldly Clash of Maids”

After hundreds of analogous iterations, you would think anime creators have run out of ideas to offer something new in a swimsuit episode – that’s clearly not the case for this show. In fact, Hyakka Ryouran’s latest take on the swimwear theme was just as hilariously over-the-top as the one from its first season – both of which featured a tentacle monster that has a penchant for Kanetsugu!

I hardly know where to begin to praise this effort – it was ecchi comedy at its very best! The level of absurdity presented was completely off-the-charts and when it comes to mind-screw, Sen Hime takes a back seat to no one in this episode. I knew from day one Yukimura had some mischief up her sleeve – it’s in her Sanada blood, but who knew there was so much deviousness in the Tokugawa princess. The ploy she introduced was truly ingenious and diabolical – a meido kissa tournament that was rigged right from the start, not to mention the fact that she can use the name of the next Shogun however she please. It was supposed to be convenient way to kill two birds with one stone – enhance the reputation of the Shinkage Meido Kissa and puzzle out the true extent of the Dark Samurai’s abilities – but as we all know, things in Hyakka Ryouran almost never worked out according to the plan, especially when a highly contentious rivalry with the Dark Samurai was already in situ. Their own eccentricities seemed to constantly stand in the way, but it’s also such idiosyncratic personas that brought about some of best laugh-out-loud moments. For starters, if Gisen’s shameless effort to sex up Munekira didn’t get you going, Kenetsugu’s various endeavors to flaunt her nakedness – roped in bondage style, no less – must have set you over the edge. Gisen’s eyes remained laser focused on Muneakira’s crotch and her barefaced attempt to misconstrue any thick and long objects as some sort of phallic eroticism was simply too funny. Another character worthy of note is Mataemon who was so proficient at hula-hooping that she created a tornado which not only blew off everyone’s top handily, but also sent the loli duo flying in circles! The entire premise was, no question, Hyakka Ryouran is at its finest, outrageously funny and enticingly erotic, but there’s a catch – the ongoing plot device continued to move forward and it was made clear this week that Musashi has finally figured out that the person she calls “fake” Juubei is indeed the the real thing.

Where the story goes from here is anyone’s guess, but there’s a feeling in the air that the inevitable clash with the Dark Samurai might be occurring sooner than we thought. That’s something we can all look forward to but as things stand, it seemed like the weekly doses of delicious fanservice and bizarre humor will remain the focus of the show – such a choice of narrative sits perfectly well with me, just to be plain clear. This is a show that features some of the best-looking female character designs and that makes episodes such as this one a spectacular visual feat – Sen Hime and Juubei were clearly a stand out with those revealing swimwear, but a self-conscious Kojirou and a seemingly less-butch Mataemon also made their mark in this swimsuit iteration. It’s all good entertainment and with the introduction of yet another Samurai Girl next week – who might or might not be part of Muneakira’s harem, things will only get crazier from here on out and I can’t wait to see what kind of weird antics she brings to the team!

Random tidbits:

  • The sight of Sen Hime and Yukimura complimenting each other for being such wily schemers got me thinking – maybe they’re secretly in love with each other?
  • A sleeping competition? I would totally ace this game!
  • If you haven’t noticed, I’m a huge sucker for the onee-san type, and an embarrassed Matabei is definitely right down my alley.
  • That’s the second motorboat ride which Muneakira has gotten from Gisen, lucky bastard!
  • A different kind of voyeurism?
  • That’s how you avoid being blown away by a tornado!
  • It was hilarious to hear Yoshihiko (Sakurai Takahiro) do the monkey voice!
  • Bikini-wearing girls are always vulnerable to tentacle monsters. A keen observation, indeed.

tl;dr: @SeishunRC – Hyakka Ryouran Samurai Bride 05: Tentacle monsters, hula-hooping girls and pole licking. Who says you can’t offer something new in a swimsuit episode?

Full-length images: 05, 12, 18, 28, 32, 35.

 

Preview

35 Comments

  1. Geez, it says something when swimsuits actually covered more of the skin of the girls than usual fansevice shots… But Kanetsugu in rope bondage really takes the cake and runs away with it!

    ewok40k
    Reply

  5. Had a hard time deciding on who has the sexiest swimsuit between Juubei,Sen & Gisen but in the end I gotta give this one to Gisen.

    Also,special mentions to our 2 side characters Hanzou & Matabei that looked absolutely gorgeous here:
    https://randomc.net/image/Hyakka%20Ryouran%20Samurai%20Girls/Hyakka%20Ryouran%20Samurai%20Bride%20-%2005%20-%20Large%2005.jpg

    https://randomc.net/image/Hyakka%20Ryouran%20Samurai%20Girls/Hyakka%20Ryouran%20Samurai%20Bride%20-%2005%20-%20Large%2012.jpg

    MgMaster
    Reply

  8. Hanzou and Matabei need more beautiful screentime! <3<3<3

    That's another thing about this anime that's great. It's just difficult to NOT like any of the characters, whether they're main characters or side characters.

    HalfDemonInuyasha
    Reply

    3. I still think we should get a Matabei focused episode as she’s been a bit left in the dark up till now,even as a side character.I mean Hanzou had her ep in the 1st season,so Matabei needs some attention as well!

      MgMaster
      Reply

    4. I always thought Matabei (and Hanzou) were quite gorgeous since Season 1 and kept hoping they’d end up becoming Master Samurai so they can get more screentime with the others.

      HalfDemonInuyasha
      Reply

  13. This episode was so much fun. All of the Kanetsugu attempts to participate had me in stitches.
    I was really glad that Juubei had started to awaken at the end there. I can’t wait to see the return of badass Juubei and hear that sexy voice Yuuki Aoi uses for her.

    Oh and totally agree Seishun, this show absolutely has some of the best female character designs.

    RifuloftheWest
    Reply

  14. Aww, no individual shot of Sen-Hime in her red bikini. (Or you’ve captured so many that you decide to keep it to yourself Seishun?) ;p
    Gisen’s was nice too.

    The sleeping competition cracked me up. Hah.
    The Dark Samurai should appear already, for the more ‘serious’ stuff.

    Dunn
    Reply

    1. Her individual shots didn’t pan out as nicely unfortunately T__T
      But that’s alright, the gorgeous shots of Matabei and Hanzou more than made up for the lack of Sen Hime in this episode 😉

      Seishun
      Reply

  19. Strangely, I think the level of ecchi in this episode is less compared to last week’s episode. Well anyway I’m looking forward next week since it featured the bath scene in the previews. lol
    I can’t wait for the scene where Juubei was groped in the bath. XD

    Fap Master
    Reply

  20. Seems like this season seems to focus on is slapstick stupidity. Turning Muneakira’s dojo into a maid cafe? Seriously!? Gotta love the Japanese and their fetishes.

    Might consider dropping this, cause I haven’t watched anything past the 1st episode.

    someone
    Reply

    1. You’re missing out big time!
      There’s no other show from this season that makes me laugh as often as this one, but ecchi comedy is probably not for everyone and I get that 😉

      Seishun
      Reply

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