Rent-a-Girlfriend
“Season 4”
We can discuss a wide variety of Anime, Manga, Games, and more. Still, we always seem to return to an uncomfortable title that is either controversial or a strange series, which we continue to enjoy as a guilty pleasure—a series we “love to hate.” I have seen so much hate and disdain for the “Rent-a-Girlfriend” franchise that I must address it. One of my favorite memes to come out of this fiasco was one showing Chainsaw Man’s Denji in never-ending suffering, with the caption, “Please take all of Denji’s pain and suffering and bestow it upon Kinoshita Kazuya instead.” My first thought was an unbridled “Yes.”
“Rent-a-Girlfriend Season 4,” also known as “Kanojo, Okarishimasu 4th Season” or simply “Kanokari S4,” is a 12-episode TV anime series that aired from the 5th of July until the 20th of September in Summer 2025. It was produced by Mainichi Broadcasting System, Kodansha, and DMM.com and brought to life by studio TMS Entertainment. Targeted at the Shounen demographic, it featured Comedy and Romance genres, along with Adult Cast and Harem themes. Each episode runs 24 minutes and is rated PG-13 for teenagers 13 years or older.
The anime is based on a manga series of the same title, which began publication on July 12th, 2017, and is still ongoing. Built around the School theme and serialized in Shounen Magazine (Weekly), author and artist Miyajima Reiji is a troll when it comes to the story's direction and has a crush on the female lead, Ichinose Chizuru, himself. While the male main character reached new lows in the canon story, the creator even drew himself alongside the heroine instead. He had stated in an interview that the characters have long since left his control and are doing things their way, making the series drag out, but I can’t help but feel they could’ve had a better narrative path to follow from the onset. Meanwhile, the series' detractors, unable to let go of it no matter what, continue to support it, enabling the anime to continue its journey for four seasons, with a fifth season scheduled for release in 2026.
The story picks up after the ending of Season 3, following the success of the crowdfunded movie featuring Chizuru Ichinose, the woman of Kazuya Kinoshita’s dreams. But none of that can change the fact that this university student’s life is full of lies and deception that he carries with each passing day. While he and Chizuru have been pretending to have an “ideal romantic relationship” for over a year now, he still mostly sees her through the rental-girlfriend company's services, which is just as pathetic as it sounds. However, after attending a private party together, he finally decides to confess his true feelings to her, ending the charade. Unfortunately for both Kazuya and the audience, his trial girlfriend, Ruka Sarashina, and his ex-girlfriend, Mami Nanami, have their own plans to maintain the chaotic harem at all costs. As they continue to complicate Kazuya’s already terrible attempts at legit romance, he is “forced” to keep up this painful facade, feeling more and more pressured to untangle his chaotic love life once and for all. But will he…?
The story department is like an endless hamster wheel spinning across different backdrops, with Kazuya being the pathetic rodent who will never win the object of his affections. We have seen the pattern play out since Season 1, and the actual development of the characters' relationship moves at the usual snail's pace. Everyone is still fake-dating with pretend feelings, pushed to the breaking point by forced misunderstandings and a drive to please others at the expense of oneself. If you want to enjoy this show, you must get used to Kazuya crying and being pathetic in the corner of shame. While Season 3 was a considerable improvement, this time’s “Paradise Arc” drops the ball as mere filler content parading as romance. It even tries to appeal to teen/adult audiences with its sexual innuendos and excessive fan service, but at its core lies a juvenile, repetitive narrative. The karmic cycle of this tale is as follows: Fake relationship, legit feelings, another misunderstanding, being miserable, and then repeat.
The biggest issue in this series is Kazuya himself. He is pitiful and indecisive, unable to make the right moves to get what he wants, while Chizuru remains emotionally unavailable and narcissistic. Even after all this time, Kazuya continues to stutter, whimper, drool, cry, and embarrass himself in front of Chizuru, to the point where everyone is screaming for him to have some self-respect. He serves as a prime example of just how low a male MC can go and is masculinity in reverse. This obsessive, hopeless simp makes the dumbest decisions while refusing to grow. So let's embark on another season of stalking with him as he wanders through self-inflicted misery, a journey that is no longer entertaining but rather cringe-worthy.
The remaining characters, who were the silver lining in some cases, feel like husks of their former selves. They have regressed into overused archetypes, despite looking prettier each season, gathering around Kazuya like flies that are just in it for the thrill of the chase. Chizuru is just living out a tragedy by even being remotely involved with this male lead while continuously showing disinterest toward him. Meanwhile, Ruka Sarashina is a kind, sunny, and loyal girl who is more than ready for a serious relationship with him, but is completely ignored because he is too busy obsessing over Chizuru. Although Ruka Sarashina can be highly annoying at times, and her archetype is not new, it would be a relief if her dedication were rewarded. There’s not much to say about every female character here, but they’re doing a decent job of keeping the show afloat, at least, and there’s always the fan service to consider.
The Art and Animation department is excellent, well-polished, and high-quality. The show is narratively hollow, but you can see the effort put into each frame. The show simply doesn’t deserve visuals this good; it becomes an avant-garde comedy at best, with the audience merely waiting to see how low the quality can go. Character-wise, the girls and their wardrobes continue to improve, while Kazuya remains a waste of the production budget. We must give special recognition to the girls' hair and the water effects, which continue to improve, providing at least some captivating shots.
The Sounds and Music department has maintained a constant theme and vibe since the first season, and it's nothing new this time. The Opening theme, “Umitsuki" by ClariS, is a decent piece, with its hopeful, upbeat music, alongside visuals that portray a fairy tale in which the shoddy prince Kazuya attempts to reach the "perfect" Princess Chizuru. It's actually hopeful to see some development between the leading duo, but don’t fall for it. Regal Lily's "Boku no Vega" ending theme is just an average, feminine, and upbeat piece, featuring stills of the female characters going about their daily lives. The OSTs are easily forgettable; I didn’t notice them once, but at least they don't detract from the show. The voice acting is excellent, particularly for the female cast, but it doesn't stand out from the previous seasons either.
Overall, “Rent-a-Girlfriend Season 4” prompts one to reconsider the reasons for continuing to engage with this show. It would’ve been fine if the series were a one-season show that everyone watched, laughed at, and moved on from, but now even Season 5 has been announced, and viewership is still high, as you can imagine. Why? I can only imagine we enjoy seeing Kazuya grow more and more pathetic every time, surrounded by lovely girls who deliver plenty of fan service while being the most common stereotypes in Anime. The story isn’t a romance, and I’m not even laughing anymore, just questioning why this meaningless tale gets so much traction regardless. I hope Season 5 yields something worthwhile, with these characters finally showing some growth.
