Rent-a-Girlfriend
“Season Two”
Is there someone your heart yearns for more than anyone else? Perhaps it defies all reason and makes no logical sense whatsoever, but that’s just simply who you want, and there’s no sign of that attraction going away. Of course, there are two people in a relationship, and it simply won’t work out if both of them don’t have feelings for each other. But there may be times where either party is willing to work on it and see what unfolds, even if they aren’t feeling the magic now. In the battle to earn what the heart wants, one will try everything they can to make the other feel loved and cared for, even if it comes at personal detriment at times.
“Rent-a-Girlfriend Season 2,” also known as “Kanojo, Okarishimasu 2nd Season” or simply “Kanokari,” is a 12-episode TV Anime series that aired from July 2nd to September 17th in Summer 2022. Mainichi Broadcasting System, Kodansha, DMM Pictures, and DMM Music produced it; it was licensed by Crunchyroll and brought to life by Studio TMS Entertainment. The main staff behind it includes Simone Jamie, Yamazaki Hiroaki, Terao Yuri, and Tachibana Kou as producers. It features the genres of Comedy and Romance, alongside the themes of Adult Cast and Harem, targeting the Shounen demographic. Each episode has a runtime of 24 minutes and is rated PG-13 for teenagers 13 years or older. This season was released on Blu-ray in Japan from October 2022 to January 2023.
The Anime is based on the Manga series of the same title, which began publication on July 12, 2017, and is still ongoing. Built around the School theme, it is the work of author and artist Miyajima Reiji, which got serialized in Shounen Magazine (Weekly). It was even published in English by Kodansha Comics USA on June 2, 2020, while being simulpubbed via K Manga. Finally, it was published in Brazilian Portuguese via Panini Comics on June 21, 2021. The prequel Anime series “Rent-a-Girlfriend” began airing from July 11th to September 26th in Summer 2020, and was produced by the same Studio.
The sequel series “Rent-a-Girlfriend Season 3” ran for a total of 12 episodes from July 8th to September 30th in Summer 2023. Mainichi Broadcasting System, Kodansha, and DMM.com produced it, with the same studio handling the project, and it had 23-minute episodes. A stage event featuring the voice actors of the characters was held at the AnimeJapan 2023 festival on March 25, 2023, in anticipation of this series. Two ONA series were released, titled “Rent-a-Girlfriend: Date Movie” and “Rent-a-Girlfriend Petit”; the former is a series of 32 episodes done by studio AQUA ARIS, where each episode was just 1 minute long, focusing on Date Movie shorts posted on the official Twitter account. The latter is a 14-episode series also by Studio AQUA ARIS, which features 1-minute episodes showcasing chibi characters posted on the official Twitter account.
A whole year has passed since the fateful meeting between protagonists Kazuya Kinoshita and Chizuru Mizuhara, who are still regularly seeing each other via the Rental Girlfriend app. But things are not going to remain steady anymore, because Chizuru reveals that she is ready to quit being a rental girlfriend to pursue her true ambition: acting. While this decision would surely drive a wedge into their “relationship,” Kazuya chooses the selfless path of supporting her dream regardless. When the highly anticipated day of Chizuru’s first play arrives, our MC makes his way to the theater and is blown away by her talents and skill to captivate the entire audience.
However, this dazzling display also makes him sadly realize that the famous director will undoubtedly scout her on the spot. But to his surprise, he learns that the director had actually chosen a different actress, and Chizuru is left lamenting her inability. Now frustrated on her behalf, Kazuya selflessly promises to rent her every week so that her financial needs are met. But things get complicated again when his ex-girlfriend Mami Nanami continues to linger around for whatever reason, causing him to hesitate and become unsure of his own feelings. As things stand, will he be able to keep his promises to Chizuru? Or will he lose what they have forever?
If you have read my Season One review, you already know I’m not a big fan of this show. However, this season pleasantly surprised me because it actually had a plot, albeit one that wasn't particularly great. Considering how much of a trainwreck the “story” of the prequel was, this is an improvement. It is now a harem with an okay-ish story, and the main reasons for this are Mami and Ruka’s more prominent roles. Kazuya is nothing more than a pathetic self-insert MC through whom we can experience these girls and the cute situations they get into. Still, it kind of sucks that we experience it as a pitiful loser. This guy’s grandmother is probably one big reason why he’s such a traumatized wimp, and he spends every episode lying like a pro to everyone in sight. The only thing of substance this MC has ever done in his life is deciding to help Chizuru with her career, while everything else he does makes me hate him more.
This man has no reservations about making insensitive comments, self-deprecating statements, or having extremely perverted thoughts. Nothing is redeeming about him, but Chizuru somehow seems to care about him. Why would a girl like her even blush over something such a useless human being said or did? The only reason you’ll be given is that he is the MC. Their “relationship” is utter garbage that is unhealthy for everyone within a kilometer radius, but the story tries to paint it as some great necessity for all those involved.
In the character department, Kazuya is an absolute degenerate beyond redemption, and he shows no signs of improvement. He gets turned on by the slightest things, has the intellect of a walnut, and overthinks everything beyond the boundaries of practicality. What's even more ridiculous is how the four heroines all seem to like this loser, despite being attractive and great individuals in their own right. This series would be leagues better with an extremely average but functional male MC, so I'm curious about the nonexistent standards these girls are held to. Meanwhile, Ruka was much more endearing to me this season, and I truly enjoyed her presence, albeit with all the “annoying” allegations. Mami, on the other hand, may be the only person with a proper human brain in this series, but apparently, that is taboo in a show like this.
Similar to the prequel, the Art and Animation department is the best aspect of this show. The color palette is vibrant and diverse, and all the moments are animated with such fluidity and life. I particularly enjoy the light-hearted feel of all the visuals and the way they make everyday occurrences look vibrant and colorful. The character designs are also clean, cute, and quirky, with each girl having such a unique yet stunning wardrobe to match every occasion. Meanwhile, Kazuya is stuck looking like an imbecile for eternity….
The Sounds and Music department is decent, but there’s nothing noteworthy in it. The opening theme is "Himitsu Koi Gokoro" by CHiCO with HoneyWorks, and the ending theme is "Ienai feat. asmi" by MIMiNARI, the latter of which actually becomes a banger the more you listen to it. The OSTs are not very diverse, but they are very fitting for all the awkwardness this show has to propagate. There must have been 3-4 tracks at maximum, and I felt they recycled this way too much, but they didn’t exactly ruin anything for me, so it’s fine. Voice acting is on point again. All these VAs are big names, and I feel they bring out the characters’ strengths and weaknesses perfectly.
Overall, “Rent-a-Girlfriend Season Two” has some entertaining aspects, and it is considerably better than the prequel. It is still a guilty pleasure show that torments you for watching it, but you just can’t stop because you’re waiting for something worthwhile to happen to these characters. There’s always a new lie, misunderstanding, accident, or perverse moment just waiting to happen to throw everything into chaos again, and somehow, people just want to see Kazuya suffer for being the absolute trash he is. Season 03 is definitely there, but I know for sure it will only get worse without any real progress. If you are already on this dumpster fire destined for hell, I recommend you keep watching; if not, save yourself and never even start this series.
