Rent-a-Girlfriend
Rent-a-Girlfriend
Now Showing

Rent-a-Girlfriend

8.3
Yr 2020
Rt 25m
Status Returning Series
Your Verdict
Unrated

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Series Brief

Overview

Kinoshita Kazuya is a 20-year-old failure of a college student. He managed to kiss his girlfriend once, but was dumped after a month. Completely spiteful, Kazuya uses a certain method to date a girl. He goes to their meeting place and a beautiful girl brushing her long, black hair behind her ear was there, smiling at him. Her name was Mizuhara Chizuru. Something real is born after just a single rental! A reckless rom-com filled with love and excitement is about to begin!

Critical Reception

What critics are saying

Score 65 /100

Rent-a-Girlfriend has generated a mixed-to-positive response from critics, who frequently describe it as a chaotic and addictive guilty pleasure. Reviewers appreciate its college-aged setting, which provides a welcome break from typical high school tropes, along with its colorful cast of deeply flawed characters navigating messy, dramatic relationships.

Several commentators noted that the series unexpectedly offers more substance than its low-brow premise suggests. Outlets praised its ability to deliver genuine emotional weight, character progression, and comedy behind the web of lies and romance tropes. Later coverage similarly commended the show for adding depth and personal growth alongside vibrant art.

On the other hand, the series is not without sharp criticism. Some reviewers found the production and animation fairly standard, while detractors took aim at classic romantic comedy clichés, citing frustrating coincidences, endless misunderstandings, and painful delays in romantic resolution as signs of formulaic writing.

“an anime packed with chaotic romance, flawed characters, and undeniable guilty pleasure appeal”

“This is a series that often comes off as a surprise, as it has the feeling of a typical low-brow cheesy romantic comedy, but it has a lot more to say than you would expect”

“emotionally jarring and beautifully crafted romance animes with a nice comedic twist”

Transmission Paths

Where to Watch

Crunchyroll
US • CA • UK
Crunchyroll Amazon Channel
US • CA • UK
Show 1 more
Why fans love it

Rent-a-Girlfriend turns the traditional rom-com dynamic on its head by centering on a transaction rather than chemistry. Kazuya, a college student fresh off a breakup, decides to pay for company instead of navigating the standard dating scene. The series leans into the awkward humor and social complications that arise when artificial boundaries between people start to blur.

Sora Amamiya plays Chizuru, whose role as a professional girlfriend creates a friction that fuels the narrative. The show navigates the tropes of a harem comedy while keeping its focus on the messy, often frustrating side of dating. By blending slice of life elements with a premise built on deception, the animation explores how genuine connections can grow from the most transactional beginnings.

Featured Players

Cast

Credited 50
Regulars 5
Longest run 23 eps
Show 42 more
Masayuki Akasaka as Yoshiaki Kibe (voice) Gakuto Kajiwara as Shun Kuribayashi (voice) Hisako Tojo as Miharu Imai (voice) 4 episodes Naoya Miyase as Playboy (voice) 2 episodes Yu Kohanai as User (voice) 1 episode Hayato Fujii as Iwafune (voice) 1 episode Saika Kitamori as Lungfish (voice) 23 episodes Ryuji Yamamoto as Surfer (voice) 8 episodes Kaito Ishikawa as Umi Nakano (voice) 6 episodes Yui Ogura as Shiori (voice) 3 episodes Yuuki Sanpei as Kazuo Kinoshita (voice) 14 episodes Miki Natsutani as Harumi Kinoshita (voice) 16 episodes Naho Shimada as Merchandise Salesperson (voice) 2 episodes Takahiro Yoshino as Takeshi Sasano (voice) 14 episodes Shoumaru Zouza as Hiroshi Ushiide (voice) 10 episodes Hitomi Sasaki as Yoko Shinbo (voice) 11 episodes Minami Kurisaka as Yuki Kawanaka (voice) 23 episodes Ryusei Nakao as Katsuhito Ichinose (voice) 7 episodes Akira Kuwabara as Grandmother (voice) 3 episodes Wataru Tsuyuzaki as Mami's Father (voice) 3 episodes Rin Kusumi as Female University Student (voice) 1 episode Takuma Terashima as Tabuse (voice) 3 episodes Fumihiro Kojima as Passerby (voice) 1 episode Wakana Kowaka as Landlady (voice) 2 episodes Hiroki Ichinomiya as Passerby (voice) 1 episode Haruna Kakiage as Girl (voice) 2 episodes Ayaka Ohnishi as High School Girl (voice) 2 episodes Satoshi Inomata as Yudai (voice) 7 episodes Shoya Ishige as Passerby (voice) 8 episodes Genki Muro as Male Customer (voice) 7 episodes Sakura Kimura as Tourist (voice) 3 episodes Keita Tada as Young Person (voice) 1 episode Yuki Kyoka as Hotel Staff (voice) 2 episodes Hinako Takahashi as Nozomi (voice) 5 episodes Kenyu Horiuchi as Narration (voice) 1 episode Nozomi as Mami's Mother (voice) 3 episodes Shuto Hagiwara as Man (voice) 5 episodes Satsuki Kokubu as Game Voice (voice) 1 episode Takanori Miyazaki as Staff (voice) 11 episodes Emi Sasaki as Yumi (voice) 2 episodes 汐見理生 as Female Customer (voice) 1 episode Kato Kazumasa as Man (voice) 1 episode
Signal Match

Similarity

Where Rent-a-Girlfriend overlaps with other shows, and exactly what they have in common.

Keyword Cloud

Keywords

harem based on comic romcom romance slice of life based on manga school life shounen anime
Technical Sheet

Details

First Aired
July 11, 2020
Status
Returning Series
Episode Runtime
25 minutes
Origin
JP
TMDB Votes
971