A Strange "100 Kanojo" Reread - Chapter 075 (Anyone Here See "Harold and Maude"?)

Last time on the reread:

Isn't Mrs. Yakuzen lovely; I get her daughter and mother(-in-law?), but she deserves more love too.

Chp. 075: Kusuri-senpai's Grandmother

So where were we last chapter...oh yeah...Kusuri's grandma "zinged" with Rentarou. I have...so many questions about this...(the worst part: after Hahari and Chiyo, this really isn't that surprising anymore)

Oh and as some other meme-obsessed manga would joke, she's...89-YEARS OLD! (and considering the family background in medicine, I wouldn't be surprised if she ran a hospital...or was some rock monster that is eternally young)

So time for the reveal and...

I mean...she's got eternal youth...but yeah, Yakuzen drugs, not Morioh Rock Creature.

I do admit that even with her being another "eternal 8-year old", I do like that this one's just "It's Kusuri, only she's from way earlier in time and spends her time wearing kimonos with a formal Japanese hairstyle." It fits. (especially with the idea that Rentarou thinks they're twins born 70+ years apart)

And her name is Yaku...which is literally just "drugs". This family...

No wait, it's based on cedars from their birthplace. (did some research: Japanese cedars are said to live 500 years; but the ones on the island of Yakushima, which is just off the coast of Kyushu that they're still part of Kyushu and not Okinawa, live to 1000...which considering her, makes a lot of sense...and makes me wonder if she'll be dubbed with a Kyushu/Kagoshima dialect)

So same Immortality Drug, but it's still a failure...but closer to success because she can't turn back. Then again when you're 89 and can have the eternal body of an 8-year old, why would you?

Suddenly I have an image of Kusuri having issues of understanding \"death\" and thus her defiance of nature; could be an arc for her.

Yeah, Yaku doesn't act like an 8 year old with the actual age of an 18yo, so maybe there's more to the drug than that.

So Kusuri's brain is the reason why she still acts like an 8 year old in that form. I suppose the moment she can't play Pentarou anymore even as an 8 year old (see chapter 29), she'll be mature.

Oh great, I think the fact that she looks like a little girl and acts like an old woman flirting with Rentarou is going to be...awkward...

And now...grandpa...hoo boy...

I guess when you've actually been in love before, it gets all the harder...

And I guess that's where my aside finally needs to be spoken: >!The Yaku situation and the fact she did fall in love, get married and even had a kid while still eventually being one of Rentarou's Soulmates...is probably one of the most confusing things that still hasn't been sorted out by this manga even by this point. The biggest problem being "if someone did fall in love and meet someone who essentially was close to a soulmate, but still "zinged" with Rentarou...how does it even work? Does it mean that Yaku's eternal soulmate was always meant to be Rentarou and not the literal husband she had that has passed away that gave her a massive portion of her life and even a child; does this mean he was never her soulmate yet Rentarou was even when her life was written? And the same goes for Hahari: she loved the boy who gave her Hakari; does this mean they were never soulmates to begin with because of Rentarou!? I know there is factors of falling in love with the wrong person or "not meeting the right one until you're already taken", but it's something that is just confusing and messy to think about. Making it worse: one idea I already had in my head is that maybe Yaku was "reassigned" Rentarou as a soulmate after her husband died; she's old enough that he could have died before Rentarou was born and thus she was able to get someone to give her a new life beyond her first husband for her later years. That would be fine for Yaku since she lived that long life...but on the other hand, there's Hahari; and I bring Hahari up because...Hakari was born over a month after Rentarou (he was born May 1st, and Hakari was born June 22nd, over a month and a half later...and as revealed in Hahari's origins, Hakari's father only died after his daughter was born! Combine that with the Love God assigning Rentarou's 100 Soulmates the day he was born, and it just makes it feel all the more messy and disturbing and bizarre. I know we're supposed to not think about it because it is a comedy series, but Hahari and Yaku are the only GFs up to now that actually have had actual love and even given birth and yet they're now tied to Rentarou under different circumstances and I want to reason how the "zing" situation even works and if there is a lot of problems that is caused by it, especially considering their lives prior to Rentarou. But...I think I bored you with all my ranting, let's get back to Rentarou and Yaku as is.!<

And Kusuri just goes "hey grandma, join the family!" like it's nothing.

Is this faster or slower than Mimimi...slower, Mimimi literally jumped him from the get-go.

And thus it's an entire journey of Rentarou and his two related girlfriends discovering their...

No wait, it's time for Pentarou; I guess Rentarou's stuck playing babysitter to a senior citizen today.

"Yeah I did make drugs too, but my granddaughter is...special."

Yakuzens just seem to have this look to them in their youth.

And then there's the factor of "which war"? If the manga began in 2019, then Yaku would have been born in 1930; meaning either she was a teen helping the Japanese Empire during WWII (though with the little we know, I'd expect her to be more like Jiro Horikoshi than just a Tojo/Hirohito fanatic), or she assisted on some other battlefield later at a slightly older age since I think Japan did help the US with the Korean War.

What even is a "paragon of masculinity"? Or is that just "manliness" as personified in that era?

Yeah I'm not sure Rentarou wants to hear about "the war".

Yaku really has this devilish charm, doesn't she?

Huh, Mugwort; you usually hear about that in a manga like this.

We do need to appreciate nature...really we need Yaku and Yamame to trade secrets.

She's so ancient she uses "suni" instead of "centimeters".

And she makes a point: when you live in abundance, you forget about the little things you need to survive; considering her harsh upbringing and even the war, Yaku really does have greater intelligence than you'd think about survival necessities (something that sadly seems to get lost a lot later on)

And Rentarou makes a good point too: it was the sacrifices and skills of Yaku's generation that allowed for Rentarou to live in peace.

I guess some plants aren't that good for him.

And another usage...

She's like a living ghost of what could have been...decades ago...

(It's like looking at a living ghost of what could have been...)

And...8-year old again. I guess Rentarou is too used to Kusuri that he thinks Yaku does it too.

And the next charm is...a forehead kiss. I mean...that works...

So what healed him, the kiss or the mugwort?

This really is a different sort of date...I like it.

And thus the "date" ends...I mean it was more taking a granny out than anything but...

And Rentarou...um...

Natural cures: perfect knowledge. Tech...I mean she's 89 years old.

So no app...no cell phone...not even a home phone...tin cans. We're reduced to tin cans to talk?

Yeah, just send a postcard, she'll read it.

And...she doesn't want to join. Oh great...this is like Mimimi too.

So...um...

Such is the problem zinging with one who has lived her life.

Live in the present? But sometimes the past has knowledge you can use to help the present, think of that?

Think of him as a kid...I mean, there's a 73 year gap so...

It's a weird situation: you may think you're mature, but you're not 89 years old; she is despite her appearance. So...you're sort of in a bad situation.

So what to do?

Time to man up I suppose!

You want manly Rentarou, you get manly Rentarou!

And Yaku's just...confused...

And now he's just yelling at her. Rentarou, don't you respect the ears of the elderly?

And time for the lessons of manliness.

Let's play on a seesaw...that...um..why would an 89 year old woman do that?

He's really just being more of a jerk than a man.

I think Yaku's just playing along knowing this is a phase.

Never play "the floor is lava" unless you commit to it.

And Rentarou realizes...yeah, he's being even more childish!

And then he...um..

Is this a way to get a first kiss?

No...wait...he almost did it; but the impression looked too good.

At least Rentarou realizes he needs to be himself; sure "himself" is super-uber-powerful due to girlfriends but that's besides the point.

No wait, she actually does kiss him!

And I think she caught on to the idea that this was all just fake play.

And Yaku has a point: she had her "man", so why not fall for something new considering the life she's lead up to now?

So then it really is just a thought of her thinking that the performance was "cute" and not about falling for him...or did she fall for him really and is playing along making him think...eh, it's hard to tell with someone as old as her.

Many lifetimes over...sure she isn't just a yokai disguised as a Yakuzen?

And she just...leaves him, all while Rentarou's just confused.

She really is a mystery wrapped in an enigma sprinkled with Yakuzen drugs, isn't she?

You got your work cut out for you, Rentarou.

Review ("newtimer version"): Despite how bizarre the whole situation is...the whole manga is bizarre...and shockingly Yaku is one of the least bizarre GFs we've met, even with the age difference and...her former husband...she's not too bad and I can't wait to see more with her. (though it does lead to way too many questions...)

Serious Version (My Current Thoughts): >!It's tough to say if we're supposed to feel shock and outrage with Yaku compared to the other out-there zings we've had up to now, especially because...she makes way more sense once you finally meet her compared to others. She's not a "what were they thinking" moment ala Hahari or Chiyo, and her "zing" scenario was even way less bizarre than what we just had with Momiji a few chapters ago or dealing with things like Mimimi or Meme. Considering that the whole story of the arc prior to her first appearance is that the Yakuzens are all basically immortal 8-year-olds and the factor of how much Kusuri kept talking about "granny", then it was logical that she too would be an "immortal 8-year-old" and thus the ease of bringing her into the harem in that regards. Yes there are controversies still regarding how "zings" even work that even allowed Yaku to join in the first place (I already went into them and the weird thing is the scenario could line up where her situation is still way less controversial than Hahari), but she's not a bad character and it's nice to have a character like her, an older woman who acts like a little girl but still has her moments of mystery...and senility. The sad thing is that while I love the "mystery" aspect of Yaku hiding so much about who she is and the fact she is an enigma even with her being Kusuri's grandmother...we only see this side whenever she and Rentarou are alone. This side never seems to come out when Yaku is with the rest of the "Family" or even just her and Kusuri; it's something that she really just feels like she is acting in her goofier elements or playing along when she really is way more fascinating than what she's usually depicted as. I sort of wish we got more of that Yaku...but we got it here and we'll get more of that later so it's not too bad.!<

!And of course the general lesson of this whole chapter is simply...yeah, either we're used to the weird choices now...or Yaku really isn't that controversial. And I think both fits.!<

Next Time: A secret ingredient jacks up the family's average age! Also, matching pairs in color! (I'd say "drugs" as usual, but at least Yaku appreciates just using plants and not just "combine chemicals" like her granddaughter)

My Next Time:

Immortality Drugs: as if the government needed another worry for fleecing the system.