"Rental Girlfriend" is a part-time job where you can reserve your ideal girlfriend through an app. The heroine, Mizuhara Chizuru, works there, and the protagonist, Kinoshita Kazuya, rents her. Their relationship was meant to be nothing more than a simple rental girlfriend and her client, but a series of unexpected events lead to their relationship being recognized as "real lovers" by both of their grandmothers. Due to the poor health of both Chizuru and Kazuya's grandmothers, they are unable to reveal the truth to their grandmothers, and so the two continue to live their lives as "fake lovers." Have you seen the first season of the anime "Rent-A-Girlfriend"? While the first season has been a hot topic, the most highly acclaimed content of the series begins with volume 10 of the manga, which will be covered in the second season. So, even if you're interested in the series but haven't seen the first season, you're still missing out on some truly fascinating aspects! In fact, this is where the series really gets going! What do you think? Why not start watching the second season? This article will provide a brief overview of the first season of the anime, so if you're a reader who wants to start enjoying the series from season two, please read on!
Kazuya, Heartbroken!
This series begins with the protagonist, Kazuya, breaking up with his first girlfriend. The opening scene shows Kazuya in a state of despair that even viewers are shocked by, but it's from this rock bottom moment, dumped by his girlfriend, that his love comedy begins.
It all begins with a breakup with Asami
The girl who dumped Kazuya was Asami, a popular, laid-back girl at university. She plays a particularly important role in the story's progression.
Common Breakup Experiences for College Students
This work depicts Kazuya's romantic relationships with various girls throughout the story. However, at the beginning of the story, there is no ideal beautiful woman to comfort Kazuya, and the story depicts common post-breakup pains, such as running into an ex-girlfriend at a drinking party. The sense of hopeless despair in this situation adds a nice touch to the story.
Meeting Chizuru
It was during this despair-filled college life that Kazuya met Chizuru, the stunningly beautiful woman who becomes the heroine of his story.
Dissolving the loneliness of a broken heart with a rental girlfriend
The two first met when Kazuya rented Chizuru, who was working as a rental girlfriend, to help him heal from the pain of a broken heart.
A Hot New Rental Girlfriend
Chizuru is a promising new rental girlfriend who is attracting particular attention among the many available, and Kazuya is stunned by her sheer beauty.
Will his first rental end in disaster?
After being dumped by his girlfriend and then renting out a stunningly beautiful girlfriend, Kazuya loses all composure and ends up taking out his anger on Chizuru while renting her out. Kazuya is so out of his mind at the time that he even yells during their date.
He ends up having to regularly rent out his girlfriend as a rental!?
As a result, our protagonist Kazuya's date with his rental girlfriend ended disastrously, and his reputation with readers plummeted. However, a series of unexpected events led to the two's relationship continuing to drag on.
They end up being recognized as lovers by both of their grandmothers!?
Among the many factors that kept their relationship going, the presence of their respective grandmothers was perhaps the biggest catalyst. While they were renting girlfriends, their grandmothers mistakenly thought they were dating. Because they cared deeply for their grandmothers, the two were unable to confess that they were actually renting girlfriends.
They went to the same university!?
Furthermore, midway through the story, it is revealed that the two attended the same university. It is also later revealed that their rooms were next to each other in private, making their relationship physically inseparable.
The second heroine?! Sarashina Ruka makes her appearance!!
As this situation continues, our protagonist Kazuya gradually begins to develop feelings for Chizuru. Then, a beautiful young woman named Ruka appears before him, and she is truly in love with him.
Kazuya, who was supposed to be forever unpopular?!
Kazuya, who was never the popular type, is suddenly visited by the mysterious Runa, who has a serious crush on Kinoshita Kazuya. At first, Kazuya is confused by Runa's abnormal love for him, but as time passes, his thoughts about Runa gradually begin to change.
To Haruna's (Temporary) Girlfriend
At first, Kazuya was hesitant about Haruna's advances, but with a final word from Chizuru, he decided to make Ruka his (temporary) girlfriend. Even though she had feelings for Kazuya, she was still a high school student, so Kazuya couldn't immediately agree to a serious relationship. Therefore, their relationship continued as a tentative one.
A terrifying scheme from his grandmother!?
(Temporary) Kazuya has a girlfriend, and he's enjoying a life where he can go on dates with Chizuru whenever he visits his grandmother. However, Kazuya's grandmother uses all sorts of schemes to further his relationship with Chizuru. The first season of the anime also depicted the grandmother's numerous schemes.
Kazuya and Chizuru go on a hot spring trip!
One of the most memorable episodes is Kazuya and Chizuru's hot spring trip. Even though it was a trick by his grandmother, Kazuya ends up spending the night alone with Chizuru, and he's so nervous he can't sleep a wink.
Kazuya's ex-girlfriend, Asami, rents Chizuru!?
Though the relationship between Kazuya and Chizuru saw a turbulent development in the first season of the anime, a dark cloud began to hang over their relationship at the climax of the first season. The true identity of that dark cloud was Kazuya's ex-girlfriend, Asami. For some reason, Asami, upon realizing that Chizuru, whom she thought was Kazuya's girlfriend, was actually a rental girlfriend, rented her out and attempted to have a direct conversation with her.
Karaoke Box: Living Hell
Chizuru is taken to a karaoke box by Asami, but it turns out to be the karaoke box where Haruka and Kazuya work part-time. Unbeknownst to her, she finds two rental girlfriends and one ex-girlfriend having a terrifying conversation about Kazuya. Kazuya is on edge as he watches, and Ruka, overcome with jealousy, threatens him. The final stretch of the anime is truly a living hell.
Chizuru and Asami
Through this conversation, it becomes clear that Asami and Chizuru have differences in values that can never be bridged. It will be interesting to see how these two will each embark on their own paths in the future.
Eventually, the relationship between these two characters begins to derail the story...
All we can say is that their conversation in the karaoke booth will gradually shake up their relationship and the lies they've told to their grandmother in order to make her happy.
Points to look out for!!
So, that's the general outline of the first season of this anime. While it's easy to think of this series as one in which Kazuya is constantly at the mercy of love, a closer analysis of each episode reveals that it actually contains a deeper theme.
The Differences Between Showa and Reiwa Eras of Love
Think about it. Why are the generation of Chizuru and Kazuya's grandparents the focus of particular attention among the characters featured in this work? This is because the existence of "rental girlfriends" in this work contrasts Showa and Reiwa eras of love.
Modern Society and Showa-Era Values
In today's world, the values of owning and monopolizing things are fading, as seen in rental girlfriends and the trend toward music subscriptions rather than buying CDs. Perhaps the author is trying to appeal to today's young people by contrasting this modern trend with the sensibilities of Showa-era people. This theme continues in the second season of the anime, so be sure to pay attention to this theme as well.
Summary
What did you think? This time, we've looked at the first season of the "Rent-A-Girlfriend" anime and introduced some of the themes of the series that will be exciting to watch in the second season. This work is not just a romantic comedy, but also raises questions about the state of modern society. As you watch the second season of the anime, be sure to consider the profound depths of this work.
