Hyakka Ryouran Samurai Bride – 03

(Ai to Tadashi)”Love and Kiss”Its true every dog has its day, even the ones at the bottom of the food chain. Kanetsugu finally joins Muneakiras harem as his new Master Samurai this week and the moment of truth was certainly well worth the wait. Hyakka Ryourans personalized version of Hatsune Miku has always been a riot to watch and its hard not to take a little delight in hearing Toyosaki Aki sink her teeth into such a snooty and audacious role. There could hardly be a person less suited to be an honorable samurai than Kanetsugu she is clumsy, petty and extremely loud, just to put it mildly. Laughing at her misfortune is the root of many humors in this show and the self-proclaimed warrior of love is chiefly the subject of derision for the other female leads. Such a character does not always work in anime, but what makes Hyakka Ryouran ticks is its shameless humor (and mouthwatering fanservice), and Kanetsugu fits neatly into the box as the lead character that draws out the comedic moments of the show. Shes obviously a polarizing figure and Im not at all surprised that the fan base is split about the portrayal of her character. As for me, I have always been extremely fond of Kanetsugu and clearly, Im not the only one she tops the list of the last Hyakka Ryouran Samurai Girls popularity poll, even Juubei was no match for her crackbrained charm!This episode couldnt have been simpler, but theres a frenzied and happenstance-like atmosphere that makes the show such a blast to watch. The Shinkage Meido Caf popularity contest screamed bad idea right from the very first moment and indeed, Kanetsugus plan backfired hilariously on herself. The comical effect was fantastic and similar to the pantsu-thief gag last week, this one played up the eccentricities of all the characters the S&M relationship between Sen Hime and Hanzou, Sasukes moeblob allure and what I would describe as a very peculiar bond between Juubei and Musashi. It wouldnt be Hyakka Ryouran without the usual nastiness and verbal abuse, but this show can also be guilefully sentimental at times and such warmth to the material is what we saw in Kanetsugus journey to Master Samurai-hood. For starters, it looks like we have a great friendship brewing in the backdrop as both Sasuke and Kanetsugu stood up for each other when they confronted a seemingly berserk Mataemon. In fact, I was ecstatic to see things not working against Kanetsugu this week its not like the poor girl doesnt try hard enough. It felt like a well-deserved reward to finally see Muneakira and Kanetsugu kiss, and the over-the-top action sequences that ensued were truly a remarkable sight to behold especially Kanetsugus Naoe-Style Warhammer Technique!With Muneakira locking lips left and right so frequently, I wouldnt be completely taken aback if Matabe or Hanzou forms a kissing-pact with him sooner or later. They certainly seem to be interested in the idea, or maybe its just the frustration seeping through as they realized Kanetsugu has somehow leapfrog ahead of them. No question, I continue to be very impressed with this show andfor my money, its probably the best comedy of the spring season. The Samurai Girls former foe, Yagyuu Gisen (Mizuhara Kaoru) will likely pay the Shinkage dojo a visit next week and judging from the sheer hilarity that she brought during season one, that can only be good news!tl;dr: @SeishunRC Kanetsugu has been added to Muneakira’s harem. I caught a #HatsuneMiku! #HyakkaRyouran #AnimeShameless Plug: Im on twitter now! Follow me @SeishunRC for comments on anime (18 shows this spring) and manga (Magi, Fairy Tail, Claymore etc). If you have any feedbacks or simply wish to have a chat, you can also reach me at Seishun@randomc.net. I promise I wont bite!Full-length images: 10, 13, 17, 23.Preview

Show 42 Comments

42 Comments

  1. agr0n

    Just out curiosity and some pervyness, does anyone else know why it suddenly went from uncensored to censored?

    • SQA

      The uncensored version that airs on A-TX I think is 2 days behind the streaming/over-air release. So it’s actually available “censored” first. (It’s actually pretty light censoring, which is kind of hilarious in that regard) Uncensored version is normally available a few days after.

      • SDFSDG

        Asides from the opening sequence and two inkblots over her breasts while transforming, there wasn’t much a difference for a censored version this week.

      • agr0n

        @SDF Ikr, I also noticed they put flowers on all the girls in the end sequence; personally I like how the inkblots look its a funny yet cool way to censor so I don’t really mind.

    • Seishun

      Hmm… you probably got the wrong version. The one I have is uncensored 😉

  2. Omni

    Grade A fap material….

  3. EmD

    I don’t usually watch this show, but I skimmed an episode. I just wanted to comment that the only other time I’ve heard the MC’s VA is in hentai.Which is hilarious to me.Tis all lol

    • Seishun

      Yuuki Aoi? Are you sure? She’s the Kaname Madoka from Madoka Magica 😉

    • ukato

      He’s also Makoto from School Days if you’ve seen that

  4. Stilts

    I actually felt bad for Kanetsugu for a while there. I enjoy the jokes at her expense, but sometimes they’re just too mean! Be nice to the warrior of love, dammit ;_;

    • Seishun

      Heh, you’re just a sucker for twin-tails 😛

      • Zhinvu

        Hehe well Stilts isn’t the only twintail lover out there. While my favorites are ponytails I too like the occasional twintail (looking at you Nyaruko-san’s Kuuko). But if I were to list down why I like Naoe, it’s because of her ojou-sama speech pattern, and despite not being too bright she looks sharp in that uniform(especially her tie).

    • Zhinvu

      Ditto. Since episode 1 of Samurai Bride the hating on Kanetsugu by the others(well mainly Sen and Yukimura) was going a bit too far, even with her personality. So I also like this episode for the fact Naoe finally gets to Master Samurai status.

    • Patsuan

      Yeah, finally gutsugutsu-san got a chance to be cool and not just the butt of all the jokes. After a little more than season I think she deserved some development.

  5. Dunn

    Kanetsugu centric episode, entertaining as usual nonetheless. No surprise from Sen Hime, sadly. She’s fine in her meido uniform though.

    • Seishun

      Sen Hime looks pretty awesome in her sleeping robe (seems like one) too 😉

  6. ewok40k

    I really liked how Kanetsugu for once was capable of hoding her own in battle.http://images.randomc.net/Hyakka%20Ryouran%20Samurai%20Girls/Hyakka%20Ryouran%20Samurai%20Bride%20-%2003%20-%20Large%2036.jpgThose two when realised Kanetsugu has beaten them to become Master Samurai…Just a sidenote: Kanetsugu – a butt monkey for jokes – is forming quite a relationship with real monkey aka Satchin. Satchin, contrary to rest of the girls (save Jyubei harmless form) is easily accepting everyone, and Kanetsugu in her tsundere way welcomes it.

    • Seishun

      Kanetsugu and Sasuke are BBFs. A dog and a monkey, it’s like Momotarou in the making XD

  7. HalfDemonInuyasha

    Yay! Naoe-ism for the win!I wouldn’t be surprised if Hanzo and/or Matabe eventually form contracts. I mean, Yukimura and Sen DID try to get them to do it in Season 1 only this time, they’re actually showing their own interest when they were quite hesitant before. I guess it also doesn’t help that, sadly, without Master Samurai powers themselves, as demonstrated, they’re probably not going to be of much use against the Dark Samurai. Especially when Yukimura and Sen were soundly defeated even WITH their Master Samurai powers, and even Naoe ended up cracking her Master Samurai-powered hammer against Mataemon (whose own blade didn’t have a scratch on it), and all Naoe did was “wake her up”.

    • Seishun

      Golden-eyed Juubei will take care of all the Dark Samurai ;)I actually felt bad for Matabe and Hanzou, now that they’ve sunk even lower than Kanetsugu 😡

  8. Owaranai

    YES! Always loved rooting for the underdog (pun intended), and so glad the dog really had her day.Though it was simple, the episode played up the pity factor pretty well and served a reminder as to why she was being looked down upon. Plenty of humor to go around whenever Naoe’s involved, though.Other than the over-the-top action sequence (That ‘Love’ insignia showing up in the sky after her special move – awesome!) and the favorite of yours truly showing up in her casual/sleeping robe (Sen Hime), I suppose the one other thing that piqued my interest was whether ALL the Dark Samurai had the dangerous tendency to go berserk at certain intervals like Mataemon did.It’s +1 to Muneakira’s unintended harem. Wonder how many more he will add at the end of everything. :p

    • Seishun

      +50 Seishun Points. The “Ai” insignia that shoots up to the sky is pretty awesome ;)Oh yes, Sen Hime looks absolutely gorgeous in that sleeping robe, too bad there wasn’t a good cap for it >.>

  9. Dude

    Wasn’t there a seal on the General’s powers? How did Muneakira keep producing Master Samurai even on a curse deadline?

    • Seishun

      We’re not entirely sure how the curse works. It seems like Muneakira can’t lift his sword and take an active role in battles at the moment, and… that’s about it 😡

  10. MgMaster

    Here it is!The show that will keep me from sinking in the dark depths of (delicious)lolies(crap!it’s becoming worst by the day…)and make me stay on the “path of the righteous”!………is what I’d like to say but this episode wasn’t one for it.If anything,Sasuke actually helped me down the dark path.On a more serious note…..ah hell,I can’t be serious with this anime.My sides end up hurting whenever Kanetsugu takes the spotlight.I’m glad to see the producers took notice of her popularity and decided to give her more screentime than the 1st season as well as let her do what she does best.So withouth further ado: All hail Kanetsugu,the Master Samurai of comedy!

    • Seishun

      Heh, of course Kanetsugu’s popular. She won the last popularity contest ;)Moving on from loli to animal girls? Still not something to be very proud of 😛

  11. SDFSDG

    What I don’t get is how people *animeultima* complain that this season has less action and is more boring than the first. Because only 3 eps have been shown so far so its unfair to compare three eps to an entire season, plus if you were to look at it this way, the first 3 eps in teh first season had the same amount of fighting as the first 3 eps here….that’s why I just don’t get people sometimes. Anyways~! Gotta love all of the BGM used here in this ep, I don’t know why, I feel sad for the Dark Samurai’s everytime they show up (despite them doing nothing really) because of the depressing-ass BGM they play in all their graveyard scenes.

    • Seishun

      The OST of Hyakka Ryouran has always been pretty amazing. I got goosebumps during Kanetsugu’s transformation scenes 😉

      • SDFSDG

        ikr?! I loved the track they used in the PV for it! (though Sasuke’s fight scene seems different from what was foreshadowed…so I’m guessing they have a rematch?)

  12. That episode was really good, I love Kannetsugu even more now. I always feel bad for her as everyone makes fun of her but it’s so funny I can’t help but forget this feeling. This time though, that side of the coin won over, especially when the episode switched from the usual humor to sadness with Kannetsugu overhearing Sen Hime and Yukimura. It’s true there’s not many clumsy and barks-more-than-bite type of characters that work that well. In the end, it was quite a heartwarming episode, and the fight was pretty good, with Kannetsugus NEW HAMMAA.Can’t wait for next week.

    • Seishun

      Oh goodie, another Kanetsugu fan ;)Now that she’s become a Master Samurai, I expect her ojou-sama attitude to worsen and that could only mean more laughs XD

  13. The Moondoggie

    Sorry SeiI’m not really feeling it anymore. Dropped.

    • Seishun

      Missing out big time my friend 😉

  14. Annyms

    FINALLY, my favorite character is a master samurai. The episode was simplistic and all of the events were expected, but I still liked it nonetheless. Can’t get enough of a snobby Toyosaki Aki.

  15. ion62

    As long as there’s no more strange vagina sniffing, I’m good.

    • Seishun

      Oh come on, that scene had me laughing out loud! Then again, my taste in humor is nowhere near classy 😛

  16. Mesousa2877

    Stop, stop…This show is not a Harem.This is a Nakama. Get it right, Seishun.

    • Seishun

      LOL So that’s that the secret to polugamy huh? Calling your harem nakama XD

  17. chaosdemon06

    My fav girl of the series got to be a master samuari finally. lol. She was actually able to fight on par with the crazy bad girl too. Of course they gotta train but currently Kanetsugu is the strongest of the good girls lol. Jubei will come back and of course be the strongest again but until then I hope the other girls get there asses kicked by Kanetsugu for awhile. They deserve it for always looking down on her. I know she was the comedy relief for most of the series but dunno she always stuck out to me as one of the better characters of this series. ^^Also had no idea Kanetsugu was so popular I guess my taste at 31 years old isnt off yet lol. I’ll have my gf watch this series from the start so she can watch season 2 with me. So far I’m loving it. I think the maid cafe thing is kinda not needed but its ok. I’m sure they’ll turn serious and train for these “dark samuari” soon enough. But again go Kanetsugu! You deserve it girl!

    • Seishun

      Kanetsugu is extremely popular, she’s the samurai girl with the largest fan art collection ;)I’m not sure if she’s any stronger than Sen Hime or Yukimura. She broke her hammer, but didn’t manage to inflict so much as a scratch on Mataemon 😡

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