Once over the fence, the Rentarou Family puts their hands together, ready to rescue their beloved partner Hakari from the clutches of her overbearing, stinking rich mom. Karane delivers the running joke of putting the prefix “rich people’s-” before...
Once over the fence, the Rentarou Family puts their hands together, ready to rescue their beloved partner Hakari from the clutches of her overbearing, stinking rich mom. Karane delivers the running joke of putting the prefix “rich people’s-” before everything they see.
In addition to being helped out by a fluffy white rich people’s cat who the guards assume is the one sneaking around and tripping alarms, each girl contributes towards achieving the goal of getting to Hakari, starting with Nano firing pebbles at a lock to open it, splitting her nail until it bleeds.
Karane scolds her for taking things so far, but this is more than just Nano wanting to repay Hakari for saving her from bros at the pool. She wants to save Hakari.
Shizuka is the same way, so when a huge rich person’s guard dog confronts them and she’s too paralyzed with fear to escape, she quotes Gandalf (“Fly, you fools!”) and literally lays down to await her fate. However, as Nano explains, the dog’s instinct to protect the weak and cute (e.g. puppies, babies, and Shizuka) overrode its territorial instincts.
Kasuri rolls Shizuka a vial of sleeping drug for the dog, but Shizuka misunderstands and drinks it, passing out instantly. Fortunately, the affectionate dog licks some of the drug that spilled from her lips and passes out as well, allowing everyone to re-enter the house.
Kusuri’s drugs also play a role in the next obstacle: a Mission: Impossible-style laser trap that even Tom Cruise could navigate. She opens a piece of air mail and gives Rentarou some infrared eye drops (which also makes him blind to the rest of the visual spectrum until they wear off).
The others notice that the envelope was addressed to America, and was for her admittance to the dream research job. Nano sacrificed a nail and Shizuka simulated a puppy, and now Kusuri is sacrificing something precious to her because getting Hakari back is more important.
With his creepy-looking infrared eyes, Rentarou notices the lasers only go up to the bottom of the gaudy chandeliers. If it were a narrower corridor, he could shimmy up alone, but this means it’s time for Karane to shine. Thanks to innate strength that, if we’re honest, probably far exceeds Rentarou’s, Nano lashes them together in a not-quite 69 position; let’s call it a 34.5!
It was at this point that the challenge was the two of them being in perfect sync, which called to mind Shinji and Asuka in Eva, but Rentarou doesn’t have any doubt, and sure enough, they do fine traversing the red beams. The only issue that presents itself is when Karane’s shirt rides up and Rentarou’s cheek presses rhythmically into her tummy, making for a far more stimulating trip across the lasers than she had bargained for.
Once they’re across, Rentarou asks Nano, Shizuka and Kusuri to head back outside, stay hidden, and await their return … and he promises he and Karane will return with Hakari. They open the door to find her crying as she’s looking at the family photos they took at the flower park.
Alas, the door to Hakari’s room is rigged with a “Hakari is escaping” alarm, and within moments Rentarou and Karane are surrounded by guards who then give way to their boss: Hanazono Hahari (voiced imperiously by Uesaka Sumire)
Hakari despairs in her bedroom, knowing that Rentarou will never stop trying to make her happy and her mom will never stop trying to stop him. Thus they’ll forever be a millstone around his neck. What she doesn’t realize is that Rentarou wouldn’t have it any other way. He loves her, and won’t let her go, come what may.
That said, with no more physical obstacles to overcome and no more tricks up his sleeve, all that’s left is for Rentarou to try to convince Hahari to give them her blessing with his words. Hahari asks about his eyes, he assures her they’re not Mystic Eyes of Perception. But the fact of the matter is, he can’t see her yet.
Hahari assures him mere words won’t work, for she’s not doing this out of blind rage. When she learned the love of her life was doomed to die young, she underwent artificial insemination and pregnancy at the tender age of 13. Hakari was born healthy, and Hahari doted upon her not just as her daughter but as a “keepsake” of the person she lost. Hakari could never totally replace her first love in her heart.
Hahari knows that her daughter, like her, is one to fall completely head-over-heels in love and become blind to all else—though we know Hakari’s love isn’t just limited to Rentarou, but the rest of the Family. But because her mom thinks they’re the same, she wants to protect her from the pain, grief that will inevitably come if she goes with a “five-timer” like Rentaoru.
Then something happens that neither Hahari nor Karane expect: the story moves him to tears. This comes as no surprise to us, as we know him to be a deeply empathetic person. Tell him a sad story, and he will surely become sad! He cries so much, it washes the infrared drops out of his eyes, and his normal vision is restored.
This happens just in time for him to lock eyes with Hahari and KRRACK!, she’s suddenly head-over-heels in love. Sumippe breaks out a different voice (one more akin to her Nagatoro-san) to express Hahari’s intense love for and desire to go out with Rentarou.
While it remains to be seen how the 29-year-old mother of one of his existing girlfriends fits into the Rentarou Family, whatever comes next, the number of GFs has suddenly but inevitably grown to six, and I have zero doubt Rentaro will love her as much as everyone else.
