Posted by OP Sequence
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OP: 「AI DO.」 by 橋本みゆき (Hashimoto Miyuki)
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「剣妃、誕生」 (Tsurugi Kisaki , Tanjou)
“Birth of Samurai Bride”
It seems fitting that Juubei was the character that ties everything together in the end – after all, the series started with the same mysterious girl appearing out of nowhere and affectionately greeting Muneakira as her “Onii chan”. Juubei has certainly come a long way since the premiere of the first season – she has now come to terms with both of her distinct personas, and the amiable connection that she shares with those at Yagyuu dojo is utterly beyond doubt. The fact that Juubei was chosen to be Muneakira’s Samurai Bride shouldn’t come as a huge surprise to anyone, and I’m not at all taken aback by the ensuing upshot that involved both the liberation of the Dark Samurai and the ultimate defeat of the Evil Spirit. The finale wasn’t especially groundbreaking – that much is clear, but the ending was undeniably the happily-ever-after resolution that we have all hoped for, and nothing would make me more contented than to see the bright smiles on everyone’s face as the curtain of the series finally draws down.
But before we can reap the harvest, there was certainly more than a whiff in the air of anguish and hopelessness – the Master Samurai were clearly no match for such an overwhelming foe and it was not until the appearance of the Samurai Bride that they even stood a chance. The first half of the finale was about as overtly sentimental as the series gets – for starters, we have one of the great misunderstandings of the show finally straightened out and it appears that Sen Hime is, indeed, the one true love for Hanzou! The induction of Hanzou into Muneakira’s harem has somewhat obscured the status of this beautiful yuri relationship and I’ll be the first to admit I find the recent development decidedly worrying. But to my greatest delight, all my concerns turned out to be for naught and Hanzou’s valiant attempt to protect her loved one was more than enough a testament of her undying devotion for Sen Hime – and no yuri-haters out there can convince me otherwise! Of course, it wasn’t just the two of them who were at the forefront of this grand showdown, everyone pretty much had their fair share of the spotlight this week and the over-the-top action sequences that ensued were truly a remarkable sight to behold – especially Yukimura’s Qi-enhanced “Adamant Yin-Yang Barrier”!
That said, it was Juubei’s grand entrance that marked the turn of tide for this legendary battle and the birth of the Samurai Bride was certainly the pinnacle of this finale – if not the entire series. I’ve mentioned before that this is a show that features some of the best-looking female leads and with the much-anticipated introduction of the Samurai Bride, it appears that Hyakka Ryouran has just one-upped itself! I’m not even sure why I like Juubei’s latest reincarnation this much – I’ve never been a huge fan of nekomimi, and the fact that Yuuki Aoi is no longer using her badass-voice hit me as somewhat of a disappointment. Still, I have to admit that Juubei has never looked this gorgeous, and it could be the combination of her long silver hair and the sparkling shiny aura that somehow makes her brand new image ticks. After all, Juubei has always exuded a childlike charm to her temperament and the cat-like attire has, no question, brought out the best of such saccharine allure! As so often is the case in Hyakka Ryouran, the non-stop action didn’t disappoint me the slightest and the incorporation of mecha elements – a jet pack, an eye-scouter and a massive gun-blade – into the Samurai Bride’s get-up makes the final clash seem all the more epic. The larger-than-life dogfight between Samurai Bride Juubei and Evil Spirit Musashi serves as a continuation to the brief face-off last week and their all-consuming showdown was most certainly a feast for the eyes – not to mention a perfect way to end this series!
It should go without saying that I’m very pleased with how things turned out and I don’t think anybody could have asked for a better wrap-up than this one. The finale has just about everything a fan of the series could ever want – there was action, ecchi, comedic lines, and most importantly, all of the main characters played their parts in the limelight this week. If this is, indeed, the ultimate full-stop, then so be it – it’s been a great ride and I hope you had as much fun as I did with the “Samurai Girls’ Story of Love, Courage and Kisses”!
Random tidbits:
- Is it just me, or does it look like he’s sucking on Juubei’s boobs – Yes, I know I have a pretty wild imagination!
- Some fine camel toes as your parting gifts – As much as I like Juubei in all her badassery, Sen Hime is still my favorite!
- Mandotory boob shot for the Samurai Bride transformation – Even I have to admit that those two are a pretty good match! Muneakira looks pretty dashing as the groom.
- Inko chan’s pretty busty for a loli – Yukimura would not be pleased to learn about that!
- “That’s a pretty fine ass, ufufu!” – Keiji is, indeed, a fine dandy, just look at where her hand is!
- Gisen wants to be a Samurai Bride too – Perhaps Keiji could become her General and while they’re at it, she should invite Nia along!
- A dere dere Musashi is pretty cute – No goodbye kisses for Juubei? Come on, you can do better than that!
- “I’m invincible, ohohoho!” – I’m going to miss you, Kanetsugu. And for what it’s worth, I think Kanetsugu’s way hotter than Hatsune Miku!
tl;dr: @SeishunRC – #HyakkaRyouran Samurai Bride 12: It’s been a great ride and I hope you had as much fun as I did! #Anime
Full-length images: 01, 07, 11, 15, 17, 19, 29, 31, 35, 39, 42, 45.
Epilogue:
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Final Impressions:
I loved the first season of Hyakka Ryouran – and apparently so did Divine who of course, selected the show as his choice for “Best of Anime 2010 – Exceeded Expectations”. It’s easy to pick out things that I like about the second season – for one, all of the major characters are now a Master Samurai and I don’t think there’s any question that they looked absolutely stunning in the new get-up! Hanzou, in particular, was a standout in this respect and her brand new image was undoubtedly a delight for the eyes – a traditional Japanese garment coupled with a zettai ryouiki (uncovered thigh) and a side ponytail! Then there’s the grand entrance of a new character and the re-introduction of an old friend, who have brought a handful of new sparks and some of the biggest laughs to the second season. I’ll be honest – I’m a huge fan of Maeda Keiji and the fact that she is a proud yuri-loving dandy just makes it all the more better. The return of Yagyuu Gisen was also marked with intense sexual intensity and her revel in the fine art of troll has made the series such a blast to watch – in fact, I wouldn’t think twice about calling her the funniest character of the second season!
Of course, it wouldn’t be Hyakka Ryouran without the usual mouthwatering fanservice and to that end, the show has exceeded my expectations in pretty much every way! There’s something to be said about ecchi that is so shameless and unapologetic – and more so than ever, the second season of Hyakka Ryouran doesn’t pretend to be anything else but just that. It wasn’t just the venerable Swimsuit Episode that had the fanservice on steroids, there were bounteous naked females featured in almost every episode, taking part in what I presumed to be pretty normal daily routines – massage, crotch-sniffing, motor-boating, tuning in Tokyo, splashing, jiggling and hugging! The ever-so-gorgeous Sen Hime was at the forefront of its fanservice exploitation and her exquisite body was quite a sight to behold to say the least – the fact that all the serious conversations had to occur in the bathtub certainly helps the cause! As if that wasn’t exciting enough, Gisen has also shown a tendency to misconstrue any thick and long objects as some sort of phallic eroticism, and her many attempts to sex up Muneakira was by far, the best laugh-out-loud moments of this season!
That said, there’s more to Hyakka Ryouran than just sex jokes, and the show can also be guilefully sentimental in the character drama department. Whether it was Juubei’s interaction with Inko chan, or Kanetsugu’s budding friendship with Sasuke, there was no shortage of warmth and emotional honesty to the material that succeeded at tugging our heartstrings. It’s amazing how much I like all of these characters – even as obnoxious as they can be. Sen Hime will always be my absolute favorite – her tsundere-like antics and S&M relationship with Hanzou hit my soft spot just right! But clearly, it’s not just the Tokugawa princess who sticks out, the entire cast – including the newly introduced Dark Samurai – was noticeably weird and wonderful, and it goes without saying that I’m going to miss all of them!
Production-wise, the second season encapsulated everything that a great ecchi comedy stands for – with their own unique twist, of course! There were copious amount of fanservice, great side-splitting moments, lovely character designs, a star-studded cast of seiyuu, terrific soundtrack by Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon’s Katou Tatsuya, a distinct visual style that features frequent ink-splatters, and as a cherry on top, non-stop Samurai action that keeps our adrenaline pumping! Suffice to say, I’m a big fan of the second season, and for those of you who has an acquired taste for ecchi comedy, I have no doubt you’ll find something to like Hyakka Ryouran – just remember to shut the door, put on the headphones, and be prepared to laugh longer and louder than you ever have!
Random tidbits:
- Hyakka Ryouran is the first series that I’ve completed as a writer of RandomC – I would like give myself a pat on the back for a job well done!
- This might come as a surprise to some – but Hyakka Ryouran is actually one of the more popular posts at RandomC and sometimes, the viewcounts even surpass that of Kakumeiki Valvrave. Clearly, I’m not the only one who’s obsessed with ecchi and fanservice!
- I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of you – yes, even those who just look at the screen caps. My blogging experience wouldn’t be complete without your input and nothing gets me more excited than to hear from all of you!
Congrats on your first finished series!
Now please provide us with more softcore anime. XD
LOL How does DxD sound? 😉
Hmm.. I never really liked the character design on DxD too much but you get extra Seishun points if you can make it as interesting as your posts about Hyakka Rouran.
Hah,I wouldn’t have it any other way.I wasn’t even that much into ecchi shows until you started blogging here.I actually watched the 1st season of Hyakka Ryouran after you blogged the 1st episode of this 2nd season,thinking that it look’s fun and might as well give it a shot.Suffice to say,t’was fun indeed – looking forward to DxD!
I think that sounds awesome!
Yes please :3
BEST IDEA EVER.
Let’s sing the Chichiryutei Oppai Dragon theme song now!
Ufufu~ keikaku doori :3
It managed to be even worse than the first season, which was damn awful by the end, on almost every aspect.
I’m just impressed that with the exception of Kanetsugu (spin-off when?) every character is a nonentity that’s nothing more than background noise leaving no lasting impression whatsoever. Hanzou and the monkey had a few moments though.
Sen Hime made the strongest impression on me, but you know that already 😛
-Sayonara , Dark Samurai… you were friendliest enemies our girls coud have… Particularly Inko-chan and Muttan were close to Jyubei!
-Keiji and her strategic hand placing – truly she’s finest dandy in the DaiNippon!
What can I say, there was drama – nobody could have foreseen the resurrectionat the end, there were bittersweet partings with Frienemies of team Dark Samurai, there was badassness a lot, and as much niceassness if you know what I mean.
Seishun, I am awaiting eagerly your DxD reports, if you can beat down Stilts to it…
+10 Seishun Points for “niceassness”!
Strategic hand-placing indeed! It’s too bad Keiji didn’t get to kick some ass in the finale, she did get to grope some pretty fine ass though :3
Superb episode and finale for an excellent show! Long live ecchi samurai harem!
In all seriousness, I am gonna miss this show on Saturday mornings. Alongside Date A Live, they made me look forward to actually waking up early on Saturdays 😛
Thanks for blogging this Seishun and congrats on finishing your first series here at RandomC. Truly enjoyed your posts!
+1000 points if what you seem to tease about DxD becomes reality. I have poked you about DxD in other posts as well 😉
Thanks for saying such nice things. It was indeed a great finale, Ecchi Samurai Harem Banzai!
Trust me, I would have loved to blog Date A Live if I could. You’ll find out who’s blogging DxD when the schedule comes up nishishi~ :3
DxD!!! Well, you could smell it from miles away! 😛
+50 Seishun Points. You’re a smart kid. Thanks for rooting for me 😉
It was a fun ride and your posts definitely contributed to that – a whole lot even.However,if I’m to compare this season to the 1st,I can say that it to me at least,it felt slightly weaker.My reason for that is that they introduced too many characters for a 12 episode show that already had plenty.Some of them were a most welcomed addition that had plenty to add to the series but others(Sasuke & some of the Dark Samurai) felt like they took some screentime from certain characters(I think Sen and/or Yukimura even mentioned that in an episode preview :P).
To it’s credit however,it did manage to surpass the 2nd season in certain areas.Besides the already mentioned introduction of the awesome Maeda Keiji,Gisen was given more time to go on a rampage and I can say that for this season,she made me laugh even more than Kanetsugu did(Sorry Gutsugutsu-san!You still get 2nd place here and 1st in the previous season though so don’t be greedy!…oh what am I saying,she’ll always be greedy – but we love her for it <3).
Thanks! I’m glad you like my posts.
I agree, Gisen is definitely the funniest character in season 2. She was especially raunchy and sexy this time around – gotta love her tendency to motorboat Muneakira at every chance she gets! 😉
Happy to tag along on the ride, thanks for covering this, Seishun!
Samurai Bride can make a strong case but I’m still on the Sen-Hime bandwagon all teh way! 🙂
Looking forward to your next non-mecha series like this one.
Dunn!!! My fellow Sen Hime fanboy, where have you been? XD
Sen Hime is the best, ’nuff said!
Ahh, no more Beta-saaan~ I will truly treasure every screenshot of her and her gorgeous … everything. I’m such a sucker for tall, white-haired girls but what caused her to hit my ‘moe’ was waaaay back in the first season just after she complimented Muneakira on his skill at disarming her, she turns her head and *WHAM* walks right into the door.
And since everyone is focused on Sen or Gisen, my chances of making off with her have increased.
And so I shall.
Thanks for having the unique ‘courage’ to blog this ecchi show – not everyone can blog ‘ecchi’. XD
I know right?It’s so easy to bash on these and it’s what you’ll probably see on most other anime blogs if they decide to blog them at all.But bringing out the best in them requires a special skill & talent which Seishun has definitely shown.Take pride in it Seishun,be THE ecchi blogger!
LOL, thanks :3
You give me too much credit – all you need is the ability to talk dirty and an undying love for fanservice ufufu~
Ecchi will always be the punching bag for the anime connoisseurs – but hey, judging by how popular Hyakka Ryouran is at RandomC, we’re clearly not the only perverts over here 😛
I have a soft-spot for Beta-san too, nobody wears a fundoshi like Matabei! Oh man, that scene that you referenced was hilarious, good times indeed! But she had some great ones in the second season as well – that one scene where she blushes during the swimsuit episode was too precious :3
It was a good run for this show. Grats on your full series blog.
Got a small question/plot hole though …
Show Spoiler ▼
Anyway really enjoy it this time and will miss them. I really liked we got more in dept stories for all the girls that didn;t get any in the first season. If I have to pick a flaw it will be not enough Gisen. But who knows maybe season 3 ?!!! Ikkitousen got 4 so we can only hope!
Muneakira did collect the Qi from his Master Samurai. He then transferred all of them to Juubei with a kiss, making her the Samurai Bride. I thought it was pretty obvious, which is why I didn’t see the need to make any mentions of that in my post, sorry about that 😡
I like to think everyone was revived, all the girls had a smile on their faces and that’s what matters to me the most :3
They KILLED everyone! Unless they got DBZ ressurected, all my girls are nothing, but spirits now T-T
Juubei just went Inuyasha D:, Genderbent Inuyasha with a jetpack and a Gunbladed Tetsaiga lol
I like that Groom Outfit Muneakira was wearing. Looked like something Jet Li or Donnie Yen wore in one of their action films.
Inko is an oppai loli, omg, I can feel the jealousy stares coming from Yukimura, but at least Yuki still has the best ass ;p.
Speaking of ass, looks like Keiji was grabbing a handful of Juubei’s XD. Muneakira looks like he wants to fight, with his fist balled up LOL.
I demand a season 3. This can’t be the end! Gisen and Nia are stranded somewhere, they might not even be in the same world anymore, but they’re definitely not dead.
I’m going to miss this show ;/. Highschool DxD will fill the Ecchi spot for now, but I need moaaaarrrrr!
LOL Now that you mention it, her latest get-up does look pretty similar to Inuyasha’s XD
Was it mentioned that Gisen and Nia are stranded in another dimension? I didn’t catch any of that 😡
Well, they are still using their Qi, even though the battle is over and throughout the whole series, there’s never been a place that looks like that. They may not be in another world, but this sure ain’t Kansas anymore ;p
But we don’t even know what the landscape of Japan looks like in Hyakka Ryouran, most of the action were concentrated at the Yagyuu dojo, the graveyard and ahem the bathroom. That said, you could be right though, who knows XD
I think I’m in love with Nekomimi Samurai Bride Juubei~
Me too, she looks gorgeous! The nekomimi and long silver hair fits Juubei really well, and that’s coming from someone who doesn’t like nekomimi – or animals in general 😡
I honestly can’t say whether this show was good, bad or in between
Is this some dirty joke that I’m not getting? 😛
Well, it’s not a masterpiece but it was good enough for me – in fact, I had a blast with it!
I thought Jubei was a fox, not a cat (seriously).
Hmmm… good question. It could be a fox-mimi, who knows! All I know is she looks gorgeous :3
Honestly they had too many characters going on for a 12 ep season (some shows have even more and manageto get all of them equal enough screen time….Kyokai Senjou Horizon). I really likedthe final ep and the majority of the 2nd season…but at the same time looking at this objectively, I can see when people say the 1st was better than the second. GrantedI did enjoy the maid cafe but it did take too much time away from the actual plot that they decided to actualy give us in thefinal two eps, before that they were basically dangling pieces of the plot on a string in front of us and pullingit away when we got too close….plus that ending went too fast, like I get that people are happy that they’re alive (I am too) but they literally just popped out of nowhere saying “We’re ressurected!!!” If anything I hope that there is a third season so we can finally see the revived form of(DO NOT CLICK ON THE SPOILER IF YOU DON’T WANT TO BE SPOILED!) Show Spoiler ▼
I kinda like the first half of the series too – it was lighthearted and really funny, not to mention filled with fanservice. The second episode was one of the best in terms of delivering the big laughs and that crotch-sniffing scene has been imprinted into my mind for eternity LOL
Need more. More Kanetsugu and Keiji, and Matabei and Hanzou and Sen-hime.
’nuff said.
+100 Seishun Points!
It seems like we have similar taste in woman. Well done, my good sir ufufu~ :3
I’m really glad this anime has ended because i hate this anime for no reason really…
LOL I’m sure you’re not the only one, which is very unfortunate 😡
Congratulations on a series well posted Seishun! Glad to have you writing for RC and look forward to Fairy Tail, DxD and all of your other future posts. Anyway, now that the series has finished it’s finally time to watch it. Can’t wait!
Thanks, I’m glad you liked my work. Love reading your comments, keep them comin’ :3
I hope you have fun, both seasons of Hyakka Ryouran are blogged at RandomC, so make this site your companion while you’re watching it 😉
That was a really good ending for a really good show. It’s in time like these I’m really glad I don’t judge shows by their covers and didn’t dismiss it because of boobs. Speaking of which, I know not many are going to trust me but the first reasons I watch Hyakka Ryouran isn’t the fanservice but the action and comedy and this 2nd season was hilarious and had lots of great fights so I’m glad I saw it through the end.
I think the thing that marked me the most is how this second season managed to introduce new characters and made them entertaining and interesting, all while giving some screentime to the older ones, especially Hanzou, Matabei and Kannetsugu. I’m still surprised at how fast (2 episodes) Keiji climbed up my favorite character ranking. I’m also a Sen Hime fan and liked her the most after the first season but now she’s sharing the post with Kannetsugu, Keiji and Koujiro.
Congrats Seishun for finishing blogging your first show.
Thanks Rockmanshii and I’m glad you enjoyed the series as much I did 😉
I completely agree, even if the fanservice were toned down, I’ll still be watching Hyakka Ryouran just for its action-packed adventure, lovely character designs and great comedic moments!
I had no idea Sen Hime was your favorite character too, you have great taste, my friend :3