I do not think it would be a stretch to say that Rent-a-Girlfriend is this year’s premiere rom-com behind Kaguya-sama: Love is War Season 2. Heck, maybe it has garnered more attention than Kaguya-sama. Regardless of your opinion on the show, none would deny that it is the farthest thing from a standard rom-com. It would also not be a stretch to say that it has become a laughingstock of the anime community for a few reasons. But enough of the exposition. I am here to present my case as to why Rent-a-Girlfriend, against popular belief, is a pretty great show.
Story: 7.5/10
There is no need for a synopsis of this series. If you haven’t seen it, the title explains all you need to know. On paper, the concept of renting a girlfriend is a convenient veil for many of the expected tropes to hide behind. However, for lack of a better term, it’s smart. Rental services such as these do exist in the real word. As such, there are many aspects of it that this show can incorporate into its plot. I’m not going to say Rent-a-Girlfriend exposes the industry secrets of the rental industry (because it doesn’t), but it presents many questions and conflicts, which are realistic given the circumstances, that would not arise in a standard romcom. Heck, the first few minutes of the first episode present to us a cringeworthy and ugly, yet all too realistic portrayal of coping with a rejection. While this specific scenario is not exclusive to Rent-a-Girlfriend, the premise the show creates makes it all the more engaging.
Everything I have stated only covers the premise of the show and the ideas it entertains. The actual storyline and how it is both paced and executed is another matter. The first episode wastes no time establishing the characters and conflict. Furthermore, it establishes a short-term goal, being Kazuya rekindling his relationship with Mami, which eventually evolves into a broader, long-term goal. That long-term goal would be Kazuya improving himself as a person and acquiring a girlfriend, only with Chizuru instead. I’ll cut to the chase and say that this goal is not achieved by the season’s end – well, not completely anyway. By the final episode, Kazuya largely exhibits many of the same behaviors he showcased earlier in the show. Nevertheless, we do see throughout the course of the show that he is not an ill-meaning person. Far from it in fact. This is knowledge that we acquire throughout the series instead of being made immediately aware at the beginning. If the show portrayed Kazuya as a selfless and upstanding person in the first episode, we would not feel that anything has changed by the show’s end. In other words, the show aims to make you dislike, if not completely hate Kazuya from the onset. Instead of concerning itself with the latter half of the previously mentioned long-term goal (acquiring a relationship with Chizuru), it dedicates the majority of the show to Kazuya both improving, and proving himself to not only his romantic interest, but the viewer. Don’t get me wrong, very few will walk away from the final episode thinking that Kazuya is a great person. But hopefully most will recognize that he isn’t a bad one. I argue that Rent-a-Girlfriend does not see itself as a series that primarily concerns itself with having its male protagonist work towards a romantic relationship. That takes a backseat to the main protagonist going on a journey of personal growth. I believe that is both the main intention, and main appeal of Rent-a-Girlfriend, at least in regard to this season.
That said, there’s a reason this aspect of the show did not receive a 10/10. Despite Kazuya moving forward in his journey, he does so as if he is tripping himself whilst climbing a flight of stairs. And while some aspects of that definitely make the journey worth watching, some… Aren’t. A prime example? Kazuya stalking Chizuru while she is on a “date” with a mysterious individual. What makes it worse is that he receives little to no consequences for such a thing. As much as that episode is entertaining, it’s hard to argue that it fits in with the rest of the show. Luckily, that is the most severe example of the show disrupting its own momentum. I suppose another, albeit far less consequential example of odd pacing is the inclusion of episode eleven. The episode in question focuses largely on Sumi, a character who has no impact on the events we see in this season. On the other hand, the show at least takes the time to ensure that it sets up the conflict for the final episode. But again, like it does with the other flaws this show contains, Rent-a-Girlfriend is able to put band-aids over the wounds in the form of remaining consistently humorous. While not all of the humor is particularly creative or unique, the show doubles down on the vast majority of it resulting in memorable and enjoyable moments.
"Kazuya is pretty sympathetic. Dare I say... SIMPathetic?"
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Characters – 8/10
As mentioned above, Kazuya serves as a strong protagonist. The show’s willingness to portray him as someone who makes plenty of poor choices, as well as someone who wants to be seen as someone who’s greater than he currently is makes him a central driving force for much of the events that take place in this show. There’s a reason why people, who despite disliking Kazuya’s character, continued watching Rent-a-Girlfriend. He is quite simply, a captivating protagonist, just not in the conventional sense. Furthermore, Kazuya’s character is almost scarily similar to those of real people that might be around his age and have a similar outlook on their (lack of) relationships. While I’m not claiming that all young males who are desperate for companionship after a breakup will go out and rent a girlfriend or stalk a girl, but it’s hard deny that Kazuya’s character doesn’t show some parallels to someone you might see in the real world. None of this inherently makes his character better, but it certainly works to make both Kazuya and the show as a whole more engrossing. A great character doesn’t need to be a great person. In fact, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that Kazuya also serves as the primary antagonist of the show.
I have yet to mention Chizuru prominently in this review. While I do not believe she is as well-written of a character as Kazuya is, she nonetheless fulfills her role well. Her brazen attitude toward Kazuya (while not acting as his girlfriend that is) serves as a good foil that ensures Kazuya is made aware of the errors of his ways (even if it does not always result in concrete consequences). That said, her unwillingness to completely commit to cutting ties with Kazuya, despite her constant disdain with early in the series, is rather frustrating to watch at times. Much of the conflict could be resolved in Chizuru remained firm on her beliefs, but the show insists that she wavers instead. This would be acceptable if the show itself was aware of her somewhat inconsistent tolerance of Kazuya. Luckily, this becomes less of a problem as the show continues as she, for better or worse, accepts that her “relationship” with Kazuya is here to say. Nevertheless, her actions in the final episode serve both her and Kazuya’s character well. It works as a payoff for Kazuya’s journey up until this point, and thoroughly convinces the viewer that her perception of him has changed.
Mami is a character I continue to find very fascinating. Much of her motives are left a mystery, yet like Kazuya, her character is unendingly convincing. She is mostly present in the first third of the show and kickstarts the rest of Kazuya’s journey for personal growth, even if she herself is no longer the destination. Furthermore, she is a parallel to Chizuru. They are each upfront regarding some subjects but remain silent for others. For the most part, Mami is indeed a plot device. But I do not believe that to be a bad thing. Mami is able to seamlessly pop in and out of the story while continuing to be a natural inclusion. While my opinion of this show is not judged by the potential it has going forward, Mami definitely opens a door of possibilities for future installments of Rent-a-Girlfriend.
The show features a few more characters that while not as prominent as our protagonists and Mami (who though not always present, is a looming figure in the story), bolster the cast. Ruka, who unlike Kazuya and Chizuru, is completely aware of what she wants and how she will achieve it. While not necessarily an antagonist, she is undeniably a roadblock for Kazuya. She receives a backstory that is just deep enough to make the viewer appreciate her inclusion. Ultimately, she serves as a character that pushes Kazuya to take action even when he does not wish to. As mentioned earlier, Sumi is featured in episode eleven and is mostly inconsequential to the story at large. There isn’t much to say here, but perhaps it is best she was delegated to one episode as her gimmick would likely lose its endearing charm if it were utilized anymore. The final character worth mentioning is Kibe, Kazuya’s close friend. He is hardly a character that is expanded upon much, but his character contrasts so much with the rest of the cast that he doesn’t need it. Regardless, he makes a convincing case for why someone would want to be friends with Kazuya to begin with.
All in all, the cast of Rent-a-Girlfriend is an enjoyable one. The characters bounce off each other well, are entertaining, and contribute to the bigger picture of the series.
Everyone when I say that Mami is a legitimately good character.
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Art – 8/10
Finally, the in-depth parts of this review are over. The rest should be smooth sailing from here. The art and animation in Rent-a-Girlfriend is relatively simple, but very polished and pleasant to the eye. The show utilizes a very pastel-like color scheme and the backgrounds have a sketch-like feel to them. The round and soft character designs mesh well with it and proves to be very cohesive. If I have any complaints regarding this aspect of the show, it would be that the animation is sometimes too defined when compared to the background. Despite both parts being very polished, I feel the show sometimes drew out a scene for too long, resulting in me becoming distracted by the static background in contrast to the animated characters.
This is a minor thing, but I'd like to give props to the original author. The outfits he designed for the characters are really great and nice to look at. In an anime format, it keeps things interesting to look at.
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Sound – 7.5/10
I’ll take a moment to comment on the opening and ending credits respectively. While they do play a part in my opinion of the show overall, they do not factor into my score for this category.
“Centimeter” by the peggies is an insanely catchy song paired with a great opening sequence. The opening credits showcases some animation that remarkably fluid and ask that you re-watch it several times. “Kokuhaku Bungee Jump”, while maybe not as memorable as it’s opening counterpart, is enjoyable all the same. Furthermore, the ending sequence it is paired with is hardly impressive on a technical level, but satisfactory by directional standards. At the very least, the final shot of the ending sequence is enough to make you internally chuckle at its unapologetic crudeness.
That aside, the soundtrack that plays throughout the course of the series is very distinct. It definitely draws inspiration from soundtracks of 80’s-90’s video games. While I wouldn’t go back to listen to it on my own time, you’ll definitely take note of it and most likely appreciate it. Though there are a few instances in the show where I find it to be somewhat out of place for the scenes it accompanies.
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Enjoyment – 8.5/10
It takes a lot for a show that is able to make viewers that are generally displeased with it to return for the next episode. Rent-a-Girlfriend finds itself with an immense amount of charm that is simply too difficult to pass up. Whether the show is metaphorically dunking on Kazuya’s life or creating conflicts on par with dumpster fires you can’t help but look at, the show is endearing with charisma alone. On top of that, the characters are mostly well-written, and the series provides an interesting storyline that you can’t necessarily predict.
When it’s all said and done, Rent-a-Girlfriend does more things right than most people would like to give it credit for. Heck, I was never anticipating this show to portray a character who is simultaneously a loser, but also a sympathetic young adult who is misguided by his own woe. The show does take a couple of hard falls, but it continues to climb up the metaphorical staircase with relative grace regardless.
