Kanojo, Okarishimasu

Kazuya Kinoshita is a 20-year-old college student who has a wonderful girlfriend: the bright and sunny Mami Nanami. But suddenly, he does not. 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]

Ichinose, Chizuru Main

Amamiya, Sora Japanese

Kinoshita, Kazuya Main

Horie, Shun Japanese

Sakurasawa, Sumi Supporting

Takahashi, Rie Japanese

Sarashina, Ruka Supporting

Touyama, Nao Japanese

Nanami, Mami Supporting

Yuuki, Aoi Japanese

Kibe, Yoshiaki Supporting

Akasaka, Masayuki Japanese

Kinoshita, Nagomi Supporting

Nozawa, Yukari Japanese

Ichinose, Sayuri Supporting

Sadaoka, Sayuri Japanese

Flea Market Saleswoman Supporting

Kowaka, Wakana Japanese

Kuribayashi, Shun Supporting

Kajiwara, Gakuto Japanese

Aoi, Hiroyuki Producer

Simone, Jamie Producer

Matsuzaki, Yoshiyuki Producer

Terao, Yuri Producer

Reviews

May 7, 2025

CHaoz6097

Recommended

Rent-A-Girlfriend Season 1 – A Fun, Heartfelt Romantic Comedy with a Dash of Drama
“A quirky, entertaining ride filled with romance, humor, and personal growth… even if the main character is a bit frustrating.”

Rent-A-Girlfriend (or Kanojo, Okarishimasu) Season 1 is a romantic comedy that strikes a delicate balance between humor, emotional depth, and romantic misunderstandings. The series takes a unique premise—a guy who hires a rental girlfriend—and turns it into an exploration of relationships, personal growth, and heartfelt moments. While the show definitely leans into some familiar rom-com tropes, its charming characters and unexpected moments of emotional vulnerability elevate it above the typical fare.
For its entertaining ... dynamics, emotional beats, and charming cast of characters, Rent-A-Girlfriend Season 1 earns a solid 8/10.

Story: Love, Lies, and Personal Growth
The plot follows Kazuya Kinoshita, a 20-year-old college student who, after being dumped by his girlfriend, decides to hire a rental girlfriend—someone he can hire for companionship, dates, and emotional support. He chooses Chizuru Mizuhara, an elegant and charismatic young woman who excels at her job as a rental girlfriend. However, as Kazuya quickly learns, things are not as simple as they seem, and his feelings for Chizuru begin to develop. The situation becomes even more complicated when Kazuya’s family and friends become involved, forcing him to maintain the lie of his relationship with Chizuru.
The central premise of hiring a fake girlfriend could easily be a formula for shallow humor and misunderstandings, but the show smartly mixes in emotional development, particularly for Kazuya. His character goes through significant personal growth throughout the season, learning to become more responsible and understanding the complexities of relationships beyond the surface level. While the series does occasionally dive into unrealistic scenarios or contrived misunderstandings, it manages to keep things engaging and often heartwarming.

Comedy: Relatable and Hilariously Awkward
The humor in Rent-A-Girlfriend is where the show really shines. The dynamic between Kazuya and Chizuru is full of comedic gold, especially due to their awkward interactions and the ever-growing lie they have to maintain. Much of the comedy is derived from misunderstandings, embarrassing situations, and the characters’ reactions to the bizarre situations they find themselves in.
What makes the comedy work is how relatable it can be. Kazuya’s cringe-worthy moments (often of his own making) are something many viewers will recognize from their own experiences with awkwardness in relationships or their lack of confidence. The exaggerated comedic reactions—especially from the supporting characters—add to the fun. Mami Nanami, Kazuya's ex-girlfriend, also provides a fair amount of dramatic tension, adding layers to the otherwise comedic premise.
However, it’s not all just humor and awkward moments. The show also cleverly uses situational comedy to explore the emotional side of Kazuya and Chizuru’s relationship, particularly in the more vulnerable moments when their masks slip.

Characters: A Mixed Bag of Charming and Frustrating
Kazuya Kinoshita: Kazuya is a character you’ll either love or hate. On one hand, his awkwardness, self-doubt, and growing maturity make him relatable and, at times, endearing. On the other hand, his lack of confidence and immature decisions can be frustrating to watch, especially when his actions harm those around him. His character development is slow, but by the end of Season 1, you can see that he’s starting to learn more about himself and what it means to form a genuine relationship.
Chizuru Mizuhara: Chizuru, as the main female lead, is the most intriguing character of the show. As a rental girlfriend, she maintains a perfect facade, but beneath that surface, she’s a complex, sensitive person. While she is initially portrayed as a cool and composed professional, there’s a vulnerable side to her that slowly becomes more evident as the show progresses. Her chemistry with Kazuya is key to the series’ emotional appeal, even if the romance is not fully developed by the end of Season 1.
Mami Nanami: The ex-girlfriend who continues to weave drama into Kazuya’s life, Mami is the perfect antagonist—cunning, manipulative, but with a layer of complexity that makes her more than just a "villain." She’s a fun character to watch, even if you can’t help but dislike her at times.
Ruka Sarashina: Introduced later in the season, Ruka adds an interesting layer of complexity to the romantic dynamic. Her persistent affections for Kazuya lead to some humorous and frustrating moments, and her jealousy and determination to win his heart create an entertaining (and often dramatic) love triangle.

Animation & Art: Bright and Lively
The animation in Rent-A-Girlfriend is vibrant and clean, with a lot of focus on facial expressions, especially during the more comedic or emotional scenes. The art style is charming, and the character designs are appealing, capturing the personalities of the leads well. There’s a certain smoothness to the animation that helps bring out the comedic timing and awkward interactions between the characters.
While the show isn’t known for jaw-dropping action or complex animation sequences, the expressive character designs and vivid backgrounds create an inviting atmosphere that enhances the emotional beats.

Soundtrack & Voice Acting: Fun and Catchy
The music is catchy and light, fitting the overall tone of the show. The opening theme, "Centimeter" by the group Miku Nakashima, sets the perfect mood for the series—playful yet with a hint of emotional undercurrent. The soundtrack helps set the pace, adding tension or lightening the mood during pivotal moments.
Voice acting is top-notch, with Shun Horie bringing Kazuya’s character to life with a perfect balance of awkwardness and growing maturity. Sora Amamiya’s portrayal of Chizuru captures both her elegance and hidden vulnerability. The supporting cast does an excellent job of bringing their respective characters to life, with Rie Takahashi’s portrayal of Ruka and Azusa Tadokoro’s voice work for Mami standing out.

Why It’s an 8/10 (Not a 10)
Kazuya’s Frustrating Behavior: While Kazuya’s growth is one of the key themes of the show, his immaturity and poor decision-making can be exasperating at times. His constant lack of self-awareness can sometimes make the show feel more frustrating than funny.
Romantic Tropes: Rent-A-Girlfriend relies on many familiar rom-com tropes, like love triangles, misunderstandings, and “will-they-won’t-they” tension. While it does these tropes well, it doesn’t always break new ground, which might be a downside for some viewers.
Slow Development: The romance takes time to build, which is realistic, but at times it can feel a bit too drawn out, especially if you’re hoping for faster resolutions to the various love interests.

Final Verdict: 8/10 – A Fun and Heartwarming Rom-Com with Emotional Depth
Rent-A-Girlfriend Season 1 is a charming romantic comedy that offers an entertaining mix of humor, romance, and emotional growth. The main character’s struggles with self-confidence and the slow-burning romance between him and Chizuru provide both comedic and heartfelt moments, even if it sometimes feels bogged down by clichés. If you enjoy romantic comedies with quirky characters, awkward interactions, and a good amount of heart, this show is definitely worth checking out.

“A story about love, lies, and personal growth, with plenty of awkwardness to keep you entertained.”

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by CHaoz6097 (46)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

May 3, 2025

darth_kaiser_x

Mixed Feelings

I had dropped this anime for a while but I decided to give it another chance. If you watch it solely from the standpoint of comedy, it works very well. There are moments that will make you cry with laughter and the characters are good. Kazuya (aka Cuckzuya) is the king of the idiot characters, even above Denji. In his defense, he has zero experience and maybe it should be forgiven, but his lack of attitude, indecision and cowardice are infuriating at certain points in the story. That's what made me drop it since I was watching it solely from the standpoint of romance. I ... still have the theory that in the end, Mommy will ruin Kazuya's relationship out of jealousy of Chizuru in an attempt to appear as a "savior of the nation", and that will be the point where Kazuya will stop being an idiot. I hope he ends up with Ruka if that happens. The author uses comedy a lot to drag things out and extend the story, leaving expectations very high. and then you get frustrated and for those who really like romance this is torture, if you are a fan of romance I don't recommend this anime because you will get frustrated unless you don't mind the delay, but if you like a good comedy with hints of romance then it might be interesting

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by darth_kaiser_x (40)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

Mar 8, 2025

Supersonic_Pain

Not Recommended

I mean... it's Rent-a-Girlfriend. You probably already know what you're getting yourself into.

If you don't, I'll briefly explain why it's not really all that noteworthy.

People who are calling it CRINGE and THE WORST ROMANCE ANIME OF ALL TIME or whatever are kind of overexaggerating but it's a show where, for me, one girl is a clear winner (in my eyes... also in the anime itself but that's besides the point) and the rest are kinda bleh.

The male cast kinda sucks. Kazuya is a big, stinky loser who is the choosiest of beggars. He's supposed to be this big loser that cannot ~acquire female companionship~ and ... after losing his one opportunity, he rents a girlfriend (he did the thing! He Rented-a-Girlfriend!) and blah blah blah now God and everyone thinks Chizuru is his girlfriend, right

And Chizuru's like "okay, I'll just help you until you find a girlfriend"

And around episode 7, he finds a girl who is just desperate, pleading, BEGGING for a morsel of his attention... and then he just goes "yeah, but I don't like her"

And, like, bro, you're a loser.

You just had your first girlfriend (of a month) ever break up with you and you are renting girlfriends out of desperation and a girl asks you out and you're like "hmm... no, I don't care for it"

She is publicly acknowledged, by Kazuya himself, to be a hottie on the level of the girl he actually wants, so it's not like she's ugly. She's just slightly too possessive. But, like, he even says "shouldn't a guy like a possessive girl?"

It's not like she's a yandere and going around trying to stab people (which would still be based and it would be cringe of Kazuya to deny her), she just wants him to like her social media posts and not ignore her text messages.

Oh no.

The horror.

We see him peeling the banana multiple times and he just is thinking with the wrong head a lot. Like, one of the other girls starts licking some ice cream and he imagines her French kissing him and bro, my guy, LOCK IN

One of the other friends also tries to rent a girlfriend and as soon as Kazuya tries to make something up for him, he rubs it all over Kazuya's face.

I guess the guy who physically assaulted Kazuya was okay?

But let me put it this way, I never questioned why these guys were hanging with Kazuya. Birds of a feather and all that.

But who cares about the male cast in a harem show, how are the girls?

Let's talk about Chizuru first. Clearly the main girl, clearly the author's favorite. Idk, I guess I didn't hate her but other than her design, I don't see the vision. It's kind of like Kirino from Oreimo where I understand why she's being a tsundere bitch to the MC (not to mention Kazuya's a way bigger loser than Kyousuke, especially if you aren't taking Kyousuke's... choice of waifu into consideration) but unlike Kirino, idk, I never really found a reason to like her either.

If you don't like tsunderes, you probably won't care for Chizuru.

That does bring me to another big problem I have with this series, The Lie. Throughout the season, the lie that Kazuya and Chizuru are dating snowballs to where everyone at one point thinks they are dating for real and it's just exhausting to watch rather than funny or cute. It feels more like a forced way to keep Kazuya and Chizuru interacting than anything, which isn't fun to watch.

Next, Mami! I... I also didn't hate her. She was fine. I did not care for her one way or the other, she kind of gets replaced as the "antagonist" of the season for a few episodes and she was already kind of cold for me by that point and by the time she comes back, she's kinda ice cold. She never really presents a serious threat to Kazuya and Chizuru's relationship and the one time she might have, An Event happens and she just kind of pouts and that takes care of that, I guess?

By character introduction order (I guess Mami'd be first anyway), someone else should be next but let me get the last girl out of the way first. Sumi... I literally could not care less. I know I was also cold on Chizuru and Mami but Sumi is just "moe" dandere fluff to me. Chizuru and Mami are nothing but Sumi is AGGRESSIVELY nothing.

Let's talk about the one good character in the show, Ruka!

She's introduced in kind of an antagonistic way but thanks to ~reasons~ (another one of my big issues, let me put a pin in this for a second), she falls in actual love with Kazuya.

Ruka does not fuck around. The only reason Kazuya isn't interested in her is because the marriage would already be consummated by episode 12 if Ruka had her way. It's kind of frustrating to see Kazuya reject her when she is a girlfriend who is willing to be the girlfriend he wants but she can't be the girlfriend he wants because Kazuya doesn't want her because the story demands to go on.

She'll go out of her way to tell Kazuya's family that they're dating, she is willing to cut the crap and she's willing and she's attentive. She has a sort of energy and willingness to be the clingy, possessive, bratty member of the cast and it makes her interesting to watch for me.

I'll admit this is my personal taste climbing in and if you don't like girls like that, you'll probably find Ruka annoying, but Ruka adds at least one point to the score alone, probably more.

However, one thing bothers me about her

Kazuya ends up making both Chizuru and Ruka fall for him by saving them from falling.

Kazuya doesn't attract any of these girls (except arguably Sumi?) through, like, being a nice guy

I know it's a harem and they hardly have the best reasons to date in the best case scenarios but Kazuya seems particularly lame in comparison.

The show looks decent enough, I like the little crayon sketch or whatever you'd call that fuzz on certain objects.

The OP is really good, way better than the other Peggies OP I've heard (although I have to admit Bunny Girl Senpai has a catchy OP, even if I don't particularly like it)

It's just not a particularly good show.

It's not even particularly noteworthy in how bad it is, despite its relative infamy. 3 of the 4 girls aren't very interesting and Kazuya, while bad and a loser, it's not really aggravating enough to be annoying, he's just an unpleasant protagonist.

Even if you like tsunderes or danderes and Chizuru or Sumi do it for you, unless you like all 3 a lot or something, I don't really see why you'd continue watching this, even to hate-watch it.

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by Supersonic_Pain (62)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

50 Anime Dubbed in French - Doublages VF

by Grahnolax

50 Entries · 1 Restacks

Life and experience of young adult characters

by RobertBobert

38 Entries · 37 Restacks

Recommend Animes you can watch on Muse Asia YouTube (Part 1)

by PinoyAnime_365

50 Entries · 4 Restacks

North American Anime & Manga Releases for August

Here are the North American anime, manga, and light novel releases for August. Week 1: August 2 - 8 Anime Releases Fushigi no Umi no Nadia (Nadia: The Secret of Blue...read more

Aug 1, 2022 9:16 AM by Aiimee | Discuss (2 comments)

'Kanojo, Okarishimasu' Receives Second Season

The 12th and final episode of the Kanojo, Okarishimasu (Rent-a-Girlfriend) anime series ended with a second season announcement on Saturday. Synopsis Dumped by his ...read more

Sep 25, 2020 10:27 AM by Vindstot | Discuss (75 comments)

	Poll: Kanojo, Okarishimasu Episode 12 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page ) Stark700 - Sep 25, 2020	348 replies	by tarz_dragneel »» May 16, 10:19 AM
	Poll: Kanojo, Okarishimasu Episode 7 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ) Stark700 - Aug 21, 2020	216 replies	by chronicwebemo »» Apr 26, 3:09 AM
	Poll: Does this show deserve hate due to MC? ( 1 2 3 4 5 ) UsernAme3126 - Aug 16, 2020	207 replies	by NoviSun »» Apr 24, 11:27 PM
	Poll: Kanojo, Okarishimasu Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page ) Stark700 - Jul 10, 2020	323 replies	by chronicwebemo »» Apr 23, 5:27 AM
	Poll: Kanojo, Okarishimasu Episode 5 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 ) Usopp8000 - Aug 7, 2020	198 replies	by kuzeycix »» Mar 9, 8:23 AM

The Most (and Least) Popular Anime of Summer 2020

In this second of a three-part series, I look at which anime caught people's eye and which provoked their ire!

by Shymander

107,339 views

The Best and Worst Anime of Summer 2020

And finally... the Summer 2020 Anime of the Season and how we got there!

by Shymander

136,548 views