"Rent-A-Girlfriend" is a series based on the somewhat unusual real-life job of renting a girlfriend, but what exactly is its appeal? The appeal of this series could be endless, with the many adorable characters that appear and the entertaining premise of the rental girlfriend. In fact, the highly anticipated first season of the anime was well-received by many anime fans, and the production of a second season was quickly confirmed. This time, I'd like to introduce the slightly more esoteric appeal of this flawless series, "Rent-A-Girlfriend." While we tend to focus on analyzing the mainstream appeal, if we take a step back, we'll see that its greatest appeal lies in its rather esoteric appeal.
Most of the main characters are quirky!!
First of all, one of the nerdy charms of this work is that, if you take a step back, you'll see that it's full of strange characters. Many of you may be thinking, "If it's the characters that are appealing, then surely that doesn't make it nerdy?" But here, I won't be introducing the characters in the usual way like in previous articles. I'd like to delve into the slightly strange aspects of the characters and introduce them in a nerdy way.
The main character has some cool qualities, too.
First, I'd like to introduce the main character, Kazuya, in a more nerdy way. While he may seem timid at first glance, he also has a manly side, as he gives his all for the heroine, Chizuru, when the time comes.
Telling silly lies
However, throughout the story, he actually tells a series of "extremely silly lies" quite frequently! At the beginning of the story, he introduces his rental girlfriend to his grandmother as his real girlfriend, and that lie continues to torment him throughout the story.
A heroine who has mastered the tsundere style!!
Next up, a more nerdy introduction: the heroine, Chizuru. In one word, she's "super tsundere," but her tsundere level seems to be a bit over the top. That's because she's so tsundere that she constantly displays behavior that's way beyond what we normally imagine a "tsundere" to be. There have even been reports of people becoming annoyed by her extreme tsundere level in the story.
Grandma barges in on her grandson's love life!
And above all, the most bizarre character is the grandmother who is constantly meddling in her granddaughter's love affairs. Her aggressiveness in this story really messes with the protagonists Kazuya and Chizuru. Despite her advanced age, she enjoys hobbies popular with young people, such as FPS games and smartphone games, making her the kind of grandmother who loves new things. She's portrayed as a very interesting grandmother in the story, but it can be a little awkward to imagine her as your own grandmother...
A multitude of fascinating characters appear!
As you can see, when you look closely, the characters in this series tend to be somewhat quirky compared to other works. While it's easy to mistake this for a typical romantic comedy, one of the show's charms lies in the bold settings and rich personalities not found in typical romantic comedies.
Kibe, the only scruple and best friend, is just so cool!!
While this series is full of eccentric characters, there is one character who is truly a "good guy" at heart. He's often forgotten about in the story because he looks like an older man despite being a college student, but the more you pay attention to Kibe, the protagonist Kazuya's childhood friend, the more you realize he's a "good guy." I hope many people will experience his saintly side!
Every single one of his actions is cool
Although he looks like an old man and doesn't really stand out, Kibe seems to be a beloved character from the author, and at crucial moments he always utters a cool line that takes the protagonist by surprise.
It's annoying when a handsome guy says it!
Even comments that might be nasty when said by a handsome guy sound cool when said by Kibe. Kibe is the character who embodies this ideal image that unpopular guys should strive for.
Actually, she cares about Kazuya more than the heroine
Though she usually appears listless, she not only has the coolest, snappy words when it's time to make a decision, but she also cares about Kazuya more than anyone else in this series, and whenever Kazuya behaves in a problematic manner, she gives him a serious scolding.
True heroine!?
It seems they even exchange fists at times. There's no other character in this series who cares so much for Kazuya from the very beginning, so perhaps we can say she's the true heroine of this work?
She's also close friends with Kazuya's grandmother.
In particular, in the debate over who should be the living heroine, the Chizuru camp often asserts, "Chizuru is the main heroine because she has a connection to her family through her grandmother!" However, in terms of family connections, Kibe has been associated with the Kinoshita family since childhood and is close not only with Kazuya's grandmother but also with Kazuya's parents. From that perspective, isn't it fair to say that Kibe is the one who truly cares about Kazuya, is truly integrated into the family, and is the true heroine?
Perfect except for a lot of dirty jokes
Kibe may seem flawless, but his only weakness is his frequent use of dirty jokes. That's part of his charm, but there's also a scene in the series where he makes a dirty joke in front of Kazuya's family that even Kazuya finds creepy.
The older men who appear are just so cool!!
In addition to Kibe, there are other characters in this work that I would like to draw your attention to in particular. They are the older men who appear in this work. In a romantic comedy, there are probably no characters more insignificant than older men, but in this work, these older men are portrayed as incredibly cool.
A Father Speaks with His Fists
Kazuya's father, in particular, is so passionate that when he sees Kazuya handing money to Chizuru, he mistakenly assumes that she is borrowing money from him and goes out of his way to his house to lecture him.
Teaching Kazuya Many Things
Although his glasses obscure his true face and make it hard to understand what he's thinking, Kazuya shows off his many cool sides, such as talking to him about love and giving him money, telling him to borrow money himself rather than borrow it from his girlfriend.
Chizuru's Grandfather Who Continued to Support Her
Though this man is more of a grandfather than an uncle, Chizuru's grandfather is also portrayed as a cool man. Although he's always depicted drinking, he believed in Chizuru's dreams more than anyone else and supported them, greatly influencing her outlook on the future. Chizuru became a rental girlfriend in order to fulfill her own dreams, so he not only inspired Chizuru's future dreams, but also served as the catalyst for Kazuya and Chizuru's meeting in this work.
The manager of the karaoke bar where Kazuya and Ruka work is just so cool with his words
And the one character who tends to be forgotten above all else is the manager of the karaoke bar where Kazuya and Ruka work. He also hides his face behind glasses, so we don't get to see much of his face, but towards the end of the story, he shares his own experiences and teaches Kazuya how a man should live his life.
Suddenly he's cool!?
After learning about his love life, many readers may have started to think of the karaoke bar manager as cool, even though they hadn't thought much of him before.
Isn't it good that he's not a cool guy...?
As you can see, this work features many cool older men, but none of them are exactly the kind of handsome older men that have become popular recently. However, while the older men in this work may not be particularly good-looking, perhaps what makes them so cool is that they speak important words to the main character, Kazuya.
Kazuya's Ideal Self
Kazuya's looks are by no means an excuse, so perhaps as he gets older, he aims to be more like the handsome older men in other works, rather than the ones featured in this series, who are ordinary-looking on the outside but exceptionally cool on the inside?
Summary
What did you think? This article explores the deep appeal of "Rent-A-Girlfriend." While the series is entertaining enough on its own, digging deeper reveals a deeper charm that's unique to this series. This work is particularly well-balanced thanks to the unimpressive childhood friend and the unimpressive older man who is her senior in life, so be sure to pay attention to the characters other than the heroines as well!
