Kanojo, Okarishimasu (Rent-a-Girlfriend)

Kazuya Kinoshita is a 20-year-old college student who has a wonderful girlfriend: the bright and sunny Mami Nanami. But suddenly, he doesn't. Without warning, Mami breaks up with him, leaving him utterly heartbroken and lonely. Seeking to soothe the pain, he hires a rental girlfriend through an online app. His partner is Chizuru Mizuhara, who through her unparalleled beauty and cute demeanor, manages to gain Kazuya's affection.

But after reading similar experiences other customers had had with Chizuru, Kazuya believes her warm smile and caring personality were all just an act to toy with his heart, and he rates her poorly. Aggravated, Chizuru lambastes him for his shameless hypocrisy, revealing her true pert and hot-tempered self. This one-sided exchange is cut short, however, when Kazuya finds out that his grandmother has collapsed.

They dash toward the hospital and find Kazuya's grandmother already in good condition. Baffled by Chizuru's presence, she asks who this girl might be. On impulse, Kazuya promptly declares that they are lovers, forcing Chizuru to play the part. But with Kazuya still hung up on his previous relationship with Mami, how long can this difficult client and reluctant rental girlfriend keep up their act?

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Adaptation:	Kanojo, Okarishimasu
Other:	Kanojo, Okarishimasu Petit, Kanojo, Okarishimasu: Date Movie
Sequel:	Kanojo, Okarishimasu 2nd Season

More characters

Characters & Voice Actors

Ichinose, Chizuru

Main

Amamiya, Sora
Japanese

Kinoshita, Kazuya

Main

Horie, Shun
Japanese

Nanami, Mami

Supporting

Yuuki, Aoi
Japanese

Sakurasawa, Sumi

Supporting

Takahashi, Rie
Japanese

Sarashina, Ruka

Supporting

Touyama, Nao
Japanese

Kibe, Yoshiaki

Supporting

Akasaka, Masayuki
Japanese

Kinoshita, Nagomi

Supporting

Nozawa, Yukari
Japanese

Flea Market Saleswoman

Supporting

Kowaka, Wakana
Japanese

Ichinose, Sayuri

Supporting

Sadaoka, Sayuri
Japanese

Kuribayashi, Shun

Supporting

Kajiwara, Gakuto
Japanese

More staff

Staff

Simone, Jamie

Producer

Aoi, Hiroyuki

Producer

Sawada, Airi

Producer

Koga, Kazuomi

Director, Episode Director, Storyboard

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Opening Theme

"Centimeter (センチメートル)" by the peggies

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Ending Theme

	1: "Centimeter (センチメートル)" by the peggies (eps 1, 12)
	2: "Kokuhaku Bungee Jump (告白バンジージャンプ)" by halca (eps 2-6, 8-11)
	3: "First Drop" by halca (eps 7)

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Reviews

Sep 25, 2020

Stark700

Not Recommended

If there’s one anime character this year that I want to punch, one character that I want to throw off a bridge, or one character that I simply want to say ‘you’re pathetic’ to their face, it would be Kazuya Kinoshita.

Imagine living in your neighborhood and all of a certain, there’s a hot girl living right next door to you. What’s the first thing you’d say to her? For Kazuya, his first conversation with Chizuru Mizuhara doesn’t exactly go his way. He’s far from an alpha male and his social experience is far from his set of skills. In fact, his girlfriend Mami even dumped ... him from the very first episode. Not more than 10 minutes into the show, Kazuya is single again and he got so desperate that he decided to rent a girlfriend. Talk about being pathetic.

You’re probably asking yourself if Kazuya is worth the time watching at all judging from the first few minutes of the very first episode. If you want to save the time, do yourself a favor and drop the anime altogether. If you’re a curious animal, then Kanojo, Okarishimasu will offer the type of guilty pleasure experience of following the life of Kazuya. It doesn’t take a genius to see that he is a thirsty guy. Even his friends falls into this category with their daydream fantasies. Unfortunately, Kazuya is the biggest culprit of being a pervert. It seems the show can’t go on without a single episode of him dreaming up some perverted fantasy, whether it’s between him or other individuals with some pretty girl. Oh and Kazuya represents the insecurity of a manchild. I could say this more than once because throughout the show, he suffers from a deep inferiority complex. When comparing himself to the girls, they seem way out of his league. He is so insecure that he had to resort to blackmail to impress his friends and grandmother.

Now, watching Mizuhara is a different story. She’s the complete opposite of Kazuya, or at least on the surface. Representing the perfect female role model, she’s beautiful, intelligent, and polite with great manners. But that’s just the tip of iceberg. Deep down, Mizuhara is shown to be a short tempered girl who seems to also be insecure about her own life. I’m not going to lie, seeing Mizuhara’s 180 degree personality change is satisfying. The words she says to Kazuya’s face after her broken façade is exactly what I’d say to him. Their relationship throughout the show is built on lies. It gets to the point where they resort to lying to their families in order to make them happy. In reality, it’s easy to see why since they made their choices. But how long can it go on? Will they take these lies to their graves?

Storytelling also seems to coincide with fate. Kazuya’s meeting with Mizuhara is just one example but later on, he also encounters Ruka, another rental girlfriend. This brings up complicated manners when she decides to be Kazuya’s girlfriend. She even knows the truth about Mizuhara being a fake and it complicates the story altogether. Kazuya himself realizes the hole he dug himself into and has little choice than to comply with Ruka’s wishes. The irony here is that Kazuya himself gets blackmailed after he blackmailed Mizuhara. Kazuya and Chizuru’s relationship also gets more complicated as it takes on a toll for both characters. At first, it’s somewhat easy to feel sympathetic for either of them. But in truth, there should be no pity. They made their choices on their own. No one really forced them to be in a fake relationship. They chose to make their decisions and the consequences of their actions is their own responsibility. That’s some real life drama that can be applied to any relationship. Only here, it just makes both characters look weak and vulnerable.

It’s rather comedic the show is tagged with romance. Of course, the catch is that the romance in this anime is fake built on deception since the first episode. Most characters don’t realize this between Kazuya and Chizuru. Ruka’s entry into the story also adds herself as a rival. Mami, Kazuya’s ex-girlfriend, also shows that she is more manipulative than meets the eye. As such, the series injects many scenes of misunderstandings. Some of these are close calls where Kazuya and Chizuru’s secret almost ends being exposed to public. It’s beyond pathetic to watch some of these scenes although such circumstances naturally fits with this anime’s themes. Still, I do want to admire the show’s integrity to keep up with its main premise. Kazuya and Chizuru represents how two very different individuals manage to come together. They are so different that they’re almost like different species. I’m not going to lie, watching this pair’s strange character chemistry sometimes can be mildly entertaining. And if anything else, Kazuya sometimes makes me laugh unintentionally for just being Kazuya.

Despite the show’s degenerate cast of characters, the artwork style is vibrant with energy. Almost every female character makes the male population turn their heads with their beauty. Mizuhara is the biggest example as she represents the iconic girlfriend, someone who you’d want to show off like a trophy wife. With a slim figure, lavish long hair, and charming smile, Mizuhara serves as the poster girl of the show. Similarly, Mami, Ruka, and Sumi all have their own feminine characteristics that is easily alluring. But if we talk about Kazuya, he just looks like your average guy with his pathetic little smirk and endless fantasies. When applying to the voice acting, I also do applaud Mizuhara’s VA during her personality changes. It’s not always easy to play a character this way but it is convincing. And if we talk about Mami, then she represents the bitch you won’t know what hit you before it’s too late.

If every relationship was built on a lie like Kazuya and Mizuhara, then we would be living in a world of illusions. I hope that’s not the case for you if you’re in a relationship. Fake relationships almost always have its consequences and this anime shows why. Discarding the real life comparisons, this anime itself is one that’s is deceptive to the core. Romance? Forget that because we’re not getting a real storyteller. Every episode makes me despise the main protagonist and he doesn’t get any better. If anything else, this anime taught me not to be like Kazuya.

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Sep 25, 2020

Marinate1016

Mixed Feelings

Look, I like a lot stuff that most people would consider trash. Some of the many 10s I've given out have gone to series that most of MAL, reddit and the rest of the anime community brushed off as bad. I'm easy to please. So when something doesn't please me, it's gotta be subterranean level garbage. That's what KanoKari is. At least in this first season, I've not read the manga so I can't comment on the MC's eventual development blah blah. What I can comment on is the absolute dumpster fire of a first season that this show got. The only. And I mean ...

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Sep 25, 2020

Grusomhed

Not Recommended

Japan is weird. You can rent dads, mothers, children, even a girlfriend. When Kazuya's love rejects him, he is just as desperate to try the service. Good for him, the girlfriend he hires is very cute, but he wants to hide his relationship from his acquaintances. Too bad, his new girlfriend goes to his university, their grandmothers are good friends, and they are neighbors. Kazuya also finds out that his new girlfriend is not as sweet as in the real life. How will their romance turn out?

Rent A Girlfriend has been on my radar for a while, since the storyline alone was enough to make ... me interested. Maybe it is because of the fact that there is a grain of uniqueness in the storyline of this anime, maybe I am just a sucker for romantic comedies, maybe both. Either way, it can either be a masterpiece, or I will enjoy seeing it burn. Anyways it does not matter. What matters is that Rent A Girlfriend has an okay storyline and with, pay attention to what I am about to say, minimal effort you can make an eye candy out of this series.

Story wise, it is quite good. Think for a second, do you know any other series that use the idea of rental girlfriends? By the way, it is a thing in Japan, where you can even rent a mother, who will cook for you and you will discuss your life problems with her. Here, however, the anime uses the idea of renting a girlfriend and there is such a service in Japan, too; you choose a girl to your liking, pay for her service, agree to pay for drinks, meals and transportation and it will cost you from 5, 000 to 8, 000 yen an hour. Indeed, all you can hope for will be a kiss.

However, all the problems begin the moment you take a closer look at the characters. The main and only problem of this anime is Kazuya, who is also called Kazu-kun by his ex, but I call him Kuzu-kun, so do not be surprised. Kuzu breaks up with his girlfriend, because of the fact, well, he is not the man Mami, his girlfriend, has been looking for. But, please, wait a little bit, since all the fun is about to begin and I am going to explain you the reason for calling him Kuzu, instead of Kazu. Having lost his girlfriend, Kuzu-kun starts to fantasize how his ex-girlfriend is having sexual relation with her new boyfriend. However, from all the feelings that any normal human being would have, for example: rage, grievance, indifference, what he feels is sexual arousal; you do know how such people are called, do not you? That is Kuzu, that is the person that does not change at all, a person that does not want to change. He claims that his family is poor, yet he is ready to spend the money of his parents to rent a girlfriend. Of course, I can make this list endless, but I do not see it needed.

What is funny about it, however, is the fact that Kazuya’s friends make more sense that he does and they have quite interesting personalities, when they are only supporting characters. Hell! Even Mami, who is, let us say, not the best girlfriend to have, makes more sense than Kazuya. Finally, the last character for me to touch upon is the rental girlfriend, Chizuru Mizuhara, who is the only well-written character in the whole series and with every episode you only start to respect her more and more.

All in all, this is the anime that you should watch. For boys, this is a perfect example of who you should never be in a relationship with, for girls it might also be an example of what boys you should never date. However, if you are pressed for time and are looking for a somewhat good romantic comedy, I would not recommend you to waste even a second of your free time on Rent A Girlfriend. In the end, it is for you to decide.

P.S. I apologize to all Kazuya that are reading and will read this review. I am sure that you are much better than the Kazuya from this series, hence it has nothing to do with you.

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Poll: Kanojo, Okarishimasu Episode 3 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ) Syureria - Jul 24, 2020	243 replies	by cnbb132001 »» Feb 5, 12:38 PM
Poll: Kanojo, Okarishimasu Episode 10 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) Stark700 - Sep 11, 2020	126 replies	by Cheferoyal »» Jan 31, 11:20 AM
Poll: Kanojo, Okarishimasu Episode 11 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 ) Stark700 - Sep 18, 2020	181 replies	by Cheferoyal »» Jan 31, 11:19 AM
Poll: Kanojo, Okarishimasu Episode 12 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page ) Stark700 - Sep 25, 2020	305 replies	by Cheferoyal »» Jan 31, 11:18 AM
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Kanojo, Okarishimasu

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Ichinose, Chizuru

Kinoshita, Kazuya

Nanami, Mami

Sakurasawa, Sumi

Sarashina, Ruka

Kibe, Yoshiaki

Kinoshita, Nagomi

Flea Market Saleswoman

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Kanojo, Okarishimasu

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