"Rent-A-Girlfriend" has become popular thanks to its many fascinating characters, including the protagonist Kazuya, the heroine Chizuru, and his ex-girlfriend Asami. Among these many popular characters, one character who has garnered passionate support from some fans is Sumi, a junior colleague at the rental girlfriend agency for heroine Chizuru. While many of the female characters in the series, including Chizuru, tend to have quirky personalities and thus tend to be divided in their opinions, Sumi is relatively quiet and has few haters. However, because she's not particularly edgy, she's treated as a somewhat unremarkable character in the story. For this reason, it could be said that this work is frustrating for fans hoping to see her in action. Today, I'd like to introduce "My Girlfriend is Shy," a work starring Sumi, who is often overlooked as an unremarkable character in the series!
Spin-off of "Rent-A-Girlfriend"
Many readers were surprised to see a spin-off coming out, considering that Sumi wasn't particularly prominent in the main story. Sumi, who appears in the series, is a frustrating character who admires the main character, Kazuya, but is unable to actively approach him. She rarely gets much attention, but in "Rent-A-Girlfriend," she takes on the role of the main protagonist.
Sumi's personality remains unchanged from the main story
Although Sumi is the protagonist of the spin-off, her personality remains unchanged, so she doesn't perform any energetic actions or experience any emotionally stirring or moving events. However, this absolute stability and heartwarming enjoyment are what make this series so appealing.
Interactions with Other Characters
Of course, many other characters who play an important role in the main story will appear in this spin-off, so it will be interesting to see what other sides they will show in the spin-off. You may even be able to enjoy some unexpected pairings that were not even possible in the main story.
There are still only a few volumes left!
However, compared to the main series, this work has fewer volumes, and its reviews have yet to be fully established. Therefore, for readers who want to experience the true appeal of this work, it may take some time before they can truly see what makes it so interesting.
Drawn by Miyajima!!
While spin-off works are often created by manga artists other than the original creator, this work was illustrated by Miyajima, just like the main story. This means you can immerse yourself in the story without any of the vague "Huh? Something's not right with the art?" feeling you might get when reading a spin-off work drawn by a different artist.
The Protagonist: Sumi Sakurazawa
So what kind of character is Sumi Sakurazawa, the protagonist of this work? She barely appears in the first season of the anime, and only becomes more active in the original manga from the middle onwards. Even among readers who have come across this work, there may be some who are unfamiliar with her character. From here, we will delve deeper into Sumi Sakurazawa, the least assertive character in the series.
Ultimate Shyness
If we were to describe the characters in this series in one word—Chizuru is "tsundere," Asami is "sick," and Ruka is "pure"—then the protagonist, Sumi, would definitely be "shy." This word encompasses her entire personality. As the title of the series suggests, she is extremely shy. In one scene in the series, she is so shy that she can barely speak to the protagonist, Kazuya, at the beginning of the story.
Change Your Life with "Rental Girlfriend"!!
Despite her shyness, Sumi herself is eager to overcome it, and has taken numerous actions. Her job as a rental girlfriend was also a way to overcome her shyness. For this reason, the story explores the theme of "How does Sumi confront her own weakness, her shyness?" (Well, I don't think the average person would choose to rent a girlfriend to overcome their shyness, though...)
Moving forward little by little!!
Just like in the original work, Sumi is a bit introverted and struggles with being unable to take bold action. However, this work depicts the process of her gradually overcoming her weakness, her shyness. Because Sumi appears infrequently in the main story, her development isn't depicted in detail, but the spinoff puts the spotlight on her, allowing us to carefully observe her growth.
Meeting Chizuru
The encounter between Sumi and Chizuru, the heroine of the main story, which was not depicted in the main story, is particularly well-detailed. How did the shy Sumi get to know Chizuru, the promising new rental girlfriend? This was one of the big mysteries in the main story, so it's great to see this mystery solved.
The appeal of this work!!
As such, this work carefully depicts Sumi's growth, a process never depicted in the main story. As a result, this work allows viewers to enjoy the story while focusing on Sumi, the second most popular character, who was not mentioned in "Rent-A-Girlfriend." However, the appeal of this work is not limited to the fact that you can see Sumi, a character not seen in the main story.
Many characters, including Sumi, appear!
In addition to the main character Sumi, this work also features many characters from the original work, including the original protagonist Kazuya and original heroines Chizuru, Asami, and Ruka.
You might even get to see some behind-the-scenes stories!
Enjoy the behind-the-scenes exploits of characters from the original work and the interactions between characters never before seen in the main story. This is truly a fantastic work that can be enjoyed as an extension of the story of the original "Rent-A-Girlfriend."
Be Healed by Sumi
While the main character, Sumi, retains the timid girl side of the original, she takes proactive action to overcome her weaknesses, gradually overcoming them in a way not seen in the original.
Characters
Now, I'd like to introduce the fascinating characters that appear in this work. As mentioned earlier, this work features many popular characters from the main series, "Rent-A-Girlfriend," and you can see the exploits of characters not seen in the original work.
Kinoshita Kazuya
In this work, the protagonist Kazuya often tells silly lies in unavoidable situations, and readers often see him as uncool. However, with Sumi as the protagonist, his cool scenes suddenly increase. While he often behaves in a pathetic manner in the main story, it's easy to see how each of his actions appears cool to the younger Sumi.
Mizuhara Chizuru
Similarly, the heroine Chizuru, who is often portrayed as a tsundere in the main story, is portrayed as a truly reliable older sister in this work. Throughout the story, Chizuru is portrayed as a senior whom Sumi truly respects, allowing us to see how she is usually perceived by those around her.
Asami Nanami
Meanwhile, Kazuya's ex-girlfriend, Asami, whose devious personality wasn't revealed until the end of the main story, has her true nature revealed early on in this work. Asami thoroughly conceals her devious nature from those she doesn't want to reveal her true nature, but conversely, she is a character who doesn't hide her true nature from those she doesn't care about, so we get a good look at how she normally behaves when Chizuru and Kazuya aren't around.
Check out the second season of the "Rent-A-Girlfriend" anime before it airs!!
Through the character of Sumi, this work depicts the hidden personalities and daily behavior of the characters from the main series, "Rent-A-Girlfriend," that you wouldn't know until you've finished the original manga. For this reason, this work is highly recommended for readers who are looking forward to enjoying the second season of the anime!
Recommended for those who have already read the original manga!!
I would especially recommend this work to readers who loved "Rent-A-Girlfriend" so much that they read the entire original! Just like the original, this work is illustrated by Miyajima, so readers who enjoyed the original will no doubt find this work enjoyable! It's truly a guaranteed masterpiece.
Recommended for fans of Sumire!!
And above all, this work is highly recommended for fans of Sumi, who are particularly fond of Sumi among the many heroines who appear in the series. It's a work that contains such detailed information about Sumi that you can't call yourself a Sumi fan without reading it, so if you've become interested in the character through the story, be sure to check it out!
Summary
What did you think? This time, I've not introduced "Rent-A-Girlfriend," but its spin-off, "She's Shy." The story is structured around ink, and is a dream come true for ink-loving fans of this work, so if you're a fan of ink, be sure to read it before the second season of the anime airs.
