Hundred (Episode 4) – Bodyguard

Little Garden is on high alert due to several missing Savages. Hayato, however, has been assigned a mission to protect the pop idol, Sakura Kirishima. Seems like an easy assignment, but why did she ask for him by name?
Hundred (Episode 4) – Bodyguard
What happened?
Hayato has been selected for a mission to protect a VIP and he was requested by name. He will be accompanying Sakura Kirishima, the famous idol as she makes preparations for her coming concert. Before leaving for the islands, Claire brings Hayato up to speed with the current state of affairs. It turns out that seven Savages were tracked entering the atmosphere. It was believed that four were shot down, but only one body has been recovered. So, taking off the three they dispatched earlier, there are three more unaccounted for.
That’s a lot to take on, but Hayato needs to try to focus on his assignment. Sakura is surprisingly friendly and insists that Hayato call her Sakura. Then, after getting him alone in her room she tells him that they will get married and comes up with quite an elaborate plan for the two of them. Hayato snaps her out of it by insisting that they seal the deal with a kiss… After a long day with Sakura, Hayato returns to Little Garden and finds the place deserted. It’s a chance to have a nice long bath alone… or is it?

What did you think?
There was a lot less action in this episode, but that didn’t matter one bit. I loved the way it focused more on developing the characters and surprisingly, it was really well done. There were no complaints about the lack of subtlety in this one. I liked the awkward excitement from Claire when she realised Hayato would have to see her at her house when his job conflicted with a brief she needed to give him. I thought Sakura was interesting and a little high strung… interesting nonetheless though.
However, my favourite moment in the episode was when Hayato entered the baths expecting to be all alone and found Emilia there. Rather than telling him to get lost, she invited him in. They sat back to back and talked. It was a sweet moment and showed quite a bit of growth from the two. Then, Emilia made him look at the scar on her chest from when they were kids. It felt like a genuine moment and did a lot to cement these two as the primary couple of the series. Claire is still the best girl though…

What have you learnt?
I liked that it gave us a tiny glimpse into where the Savages come from and that was more than enough. We certainly didn’t need to see their planet or any more than the fact that they came from space. I like that they didn’t go overboard. It was exactly what was needed. They also showed us that Hundreds have even more potential than we had first been shown with Sakura’s Hundred giving her the ability to fly and create illusions.
If I may return to the scene in the baths, I liked that it was quite revealing in both aspects. The fact that they were both naked and vulnerable made the openness between them that much more sincere. It made me like both of them more as characters. Sure, it ended with a goofy slip and accidental boob grab, but that didn’t sour the moment. I think the only thing missing was Emilia making Hayato touch the scar. That would have brought them even closer.

Other posts in the series
- Season One
- Episode 1 – Little Garden
- Episode 2 – The Invincible Queen
- Episode 3 – Variant Awakening
- Episode 4 – Bodyguard
- Episode 5 – Imitation Girl
- Episode 6 – The Diva’s Love Song
- Episode 7 – The Captured Sleeping Beauty
- Episode 8 – Night at the Lake
- Episode 9 – Dragon Type
- Episode 10 – School Festa
- Episode 11 – Garden’s Crisis
- Episode 12 – Friends

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