Rent-A-Girlfriend
| Ι pretty much find this show to be a fine romcom with really good character designs and art for both the anime and the manga. The writing can be kinda dumb sometimes and the pacing be weak but that doesn't make me enjoy less of the show |
 |
| This premise could’ve worked and the character designs are great. Unfortunately for me I just had a bad feeling on the final episode that it was going to be a dog chasing it’s tail. So I decided to walk away and pass on this new season. I will say that regardless of how awful the MC can be, until he commits an actual heinous crime he will always be redeemable. Him doing what he did in whichever chapter that picture earlier in the thread shows is not my cup of tea but to each their own. The author might be into that sort of thing. |
 |
| Cringe , cringe and more cringe. Season 1 was bearable, this is not |
My candies:   |
| bruh if i enjoy it that doesn't mean that I'm a lonely man |
 |
| Asking myself why, every time Kazuya does something 90% of times. |
| It's Morbin' Time! |
Moxxyyyyy said: yes cuz it's an animeKyoketski said: bruh if i enjoy it that doesn't mean that I'm a lonely man you enjoy watching show about a dumbass main character who wants to fuck every single female he sees |
| |
Moxxyyyyy said: bruh so Naruto pfps are bad now ?Kyoketski said: yes cuz it's an anime what kind of excuse is this? nevermind I can't expect anything better from a Naruto pfp, keep enjoying this shit anime all you want, I ain't gonna force you to dislike it. Bye |
| |
| Thank you all for all the responses! Reading through all this has been insightful and very entertaining. I love that everyone disagrees! Seriously, I think that's one of the great things about the anime community. Civility is another matter, but that's another story for another day; plus mostly everything here has been pretty good in that regard. So again, thank you all. I see "cringe" a lot. This was one of my reactions to this anime. I wondered whether this show could be categorized as "cringe comedy." When I compare it something that's really effective as cringe comedy like Watamote (which I saw one of you mentioned btw; right on), I don't see it fitting that category. Kanojo, Kanojo is more cringe comedy than this is. Nonetheless, I still 100% agree with the cringe feeling people are getting, and I have felt the same thing myself. My core reaction, however, is much more in line with following response, which I was both surprised to see and then equally surprised that no one else said something similar, although one person did quote this: Tyrant_Inferno said: I love how Rent-a-Girlfriend knows exactly what it is and it achieves exactly what it aims to be. The show wants you to feel distraught over how dysfunctional every character is, and it conveys those feelings to the audience perfectly. I know that a ton of people say that they hate this show, and if you’re one of those people, than ask yourself this: do you still come back every week to watch the newest episode? If you still can’t drop Rent-a-Girlfriend despite how much you say you hate it and you actually find yourself looking forward to watching the next episode, then the show is doing exactly what it sets out to achieve. Tyrant_Inferno used the word "distraught." I initially would have chosen the word "depressing" to describe my reaction to this show, but I actually like "distraught" better now. On top of that, exactly as Tyrant said, I can't stop watching it. It wrings the hurt out of me, but I can't put it down. Why does it make me distraught? I think because of the way it plays with feelings, or "matters of the heart," if that makes more sense. The growing relationship between Chizuru and Kazuya is stressful for me to watch. I can sense the miscommunication and the barriers between them, chief among which is of course the "business" aspect of their relationship that Chizuru often throws up whenever she senses that Kazuya wants to be sincere about his feelings. Perhaps that can be described as "dysfunctional," but more I see it as just people's insecurities and expectations, societally and otherwise, placing themselves in the way of their human relationships. I think it's tremendously sad to watch them struggle with all this, more so than just the normal relationship troubles we see in most romance anime, even the good ones. It's kind of unique in that way. And yes, I can't stop watching it. Why would one keep watching a show that tears at your heart all the time? I have three words to say to that: Attack on Titan. Enough said. What I'm most surprised about is that nobody said anything about the VA cast. While I certainly keep watching this show partly because of all I said above, perhaps the biggest reason I keep watching is to listen to the performances by the voice actors. Sora Amamiya is godly in almost everything she touches, and certainly here as Chizuru. Aoi Yuuki is fantastic, a perfect voice for the kind of conniving, likeable-yet-unlikeable, selfish character that is Mami Nanami. The episode where Mami confronts Chizuru is by far the best episode as far as voice acting goes. I'd watch this show just to listen to those voices. Even Shun Horie is doing a great job with Kazuya. And we all love Rie Takahashi, even when she just squeaks and breathes nervously (Sumi). Y'all hate Kazuya! Or a lot of you do. He's a hatable character, but personally I find him mild compared to other harem protagonists. Granted this isn't strictly "harem," but he fits that mold well enough to at least throw him in that character category. He's way better than someone like Issei (HS DxD) or any average loser harem protagonist type. He does think with his dick, and the onanism thing is getting old, but he's not over-the-top like other such characters. Plus that's not so unusual for someone in his state and at his age--it would be more unreasonable to write a character in his place who didn't think in that way a lot. Sure he's a loser, but not as bad as most by far, and I think he has a really good heart in the end. We will see. So yes, I'm enjoying this show, but in the way that makes me wonder if I have some masochistic part of me that I don't know about. Much like Tyrant said, I keep coming back even if it hurts. But that's also part of the anime experience too. As another responder said: Frankis09 said: It is a beautiful, entertaining work, it does not seek to be a masterpiece and it entertains and excites, I declare myself a fan. which is an important, and, unfortunately, an often overlooked part of anime on the part of writers and producers. Also @Tyrant_Inferno: Nice point about this show knowing what it is and accomplishing what it aims to do. That's something I write about often in my reviews, and always applaud when I see it. Nice insight for pointing it out. I agree with you in regards to this show. Now for some fun with the replies! AntiVirgin said: ...Kazuya (the worst mc in any anime i seen) is just a down bad mf who simping for what's basically a prostitute... I will simply point out the distinction here. I think most of us know the definition of "prostitute." So the distinction I will draw is twofold. First, while straying uncomfortably close to that territory for most of us, that's definitely not Chizuru's business, and she would, and anyone in that work, would resent it being called that. Personally I think the difference is often not so stark as we might think, so on a certain level I agree with you, but on another the distinction is important. Which brings me to my second reason: Japan has a long history of this kind of "companionship" thing where there are lots of understood rules and boundaries, more so than most other cultures where the line between "companionship" and "prostitute" is less clearly defined. It makes some sense that an industry of "rental girlfriends," where the girls are explicitly not to engage in sexual acts, would exist in Japan. I don't doubt it exists elsewhere in the world of course--in fact it does, and some of y'all need to go ahead and admit that you've ventured there!--but it makes a lot of sense for this to exist in Japan given its history in this regard. ThoreauBureau said: My core reaction is a constant and unending state of cringe - worse than that of watching Watamote (and that was unbelievably painful enough for me to stop halfway through). I made it through one episode of this one so far this season and can't bring myself to start the next one. My Watamote guy. Good reference. Frankis09 said: El creador tiene una relación rara con su obra jajaja pero eso es tema aparte, a mí me gusta Rent A Girlfriend y me divierto mucho viéndola. "The creator has a strange relationship with his work hahaha but that's a separate issue, I like Rent A Girlfriend and I have a lot of fun watching it." (Google Translate) I've never thought of it that way, but that's a fun thought! Frankis09 said: It doesn't deserve the hate it receives because it doesn't pretend to be an intellectual work and the fact that its creator is kind of weird is a separate issue. The anime is fun, it entertains and at least I get excited when I see it, I think it's a very nice work. 9/10 PD: RukaGOD 🛐❤️ Ahaha, Ruka-chan. Good point. It's not an intellectual work. You're right to mention it's just about entertainment. There is a distinction, though it's not a mutually exclusive one, which most people get mixed up--as in most people that give out awards. Another story for another day. Good points. Kunal33 said: It's irritating, yet entertaining. It's annoying, yet exciting. It's just fun to watch. Irrespective of alll the various aspects of this wow which are hated by many people(even i don't like some of them), the anime, as a show/work of fiction is quite good. Plus the animation is really nice. You probably mean "artwork," so forgive me making an assumption and substituting for your word, whereby I completely agree. It's very beautiful visually. I love the contradictions. You're absolutely right to point them out and show lots of insight doing so. DreadfulControl said: huge dumpsterfire with a terribly written MC and overrated waifus (chizuru is absolute worst). I fucking love it!!! I love the anime community. I'm not being facetious. This made me laugh out loud. I still smile every time I read it. Rinrinka said: Cringe, It's really strange to see Kazuya never get tired blushing over or overreact seeing Chizuru every single time they meet, even after he meets her directly like countless times. I kind of like this. It shows he loves her. It's one of the main visual signs that he views her uniquely compared to the others. But I understand that it could get repetitive, and repetitive, used incorrectly, is usually a bad thing. TheFireNinja said: I personally think this series is overhated. I mean, yeah, Kazuya's awkward with women. But to be honest, what guy out there isn't? I'm sure there are plenty of guys out there who haven't always had success with talking and getting into relationships with women. I'm not saying that I personally identify with him or like him. But he's not really the star of the series unlike the harem of girls he interacts with. Of course, I know there will be some who say that they don't find the girls interesting either. But that's a matter of personal taste as there are some people who may think otherwise. A lot of people probably do identify with him--like probably 90% of the people reading this. On some level at least. Relatability is important in anime, and particularly in post-high-school age anime. I guess this isn't seinen, but it's about that age group, and reliability is very important for this demographic-genre combination. JAKL314 said: I totally get why people hate the MC, and tbh he gets to me too, especially after hearing how the manga does little to suggest long-term growth is in the works. That said, what keeps me coming back is that I enjoy the premise (including how the lies grow and how the characters deal with the aftermath of their lies), and because I genuinely like Chizuru and want to see what happens with her. At the end of the day I find the show charming and likeable enough for me to look past the problems I have with the MC, and keep coming back each week. I mean, yeah, it's still kinda trash, but trash that I enjoy. I want to see him do better, and every time he stumbles I feel more disappointed and frustrated than outright hatred because I know change is hard and growth takes time, but I DO believe that he wants to do better and want to see him put in the hard work to make it happen. I see a good heart buried deep inside this idiot, and at times I think that Chizuru sees it too. I don't see this as just another romcom where it makes no sense why main girl falls for main guy. Does he fully deserve her? No. But maybe just "not yet"? Maybe the anime can/will do what I'm told that manga seemingly won't. The good heart is there, for sure. And I think Chizuru does see it. No, he doesn't deserve her, but not as badly as Issei doesn't deserve Rias Gremory, aforementioned. I like how your focus is on Kazuya. Thanks for the insights! Once again, thank you all for the responses! I love you all and appreciate all the feedback! This post accomplished exactly what I wanted from it. I expected a wide variety of opinions, a lot of mentions of "cringe," and a great deal of Kazuya hate, all of which is appropriate. Then I got some unexpected and fun things too, which I really liked. And I got a few things that echoed my sentiments, which was great too. Thank you all! And feel free to continue adding opinions. It's great reading through them. Thanks! |
BlueHawk02Aug 9, 2022 5:30 PM
| Anteiku Anime Reviews anteikuanimereviews.com |
I guess it's a good thing that I never really got any replies to my answer because one really unpopular reply on this website can turn into a warzone lol. Still, I'm happy to see that you liked my take on the show the best! Also, I chose to describe the characters as dysfunctional as I was going by it's definition: "deviating from the norms of social behavior in a way regarded as bad." I thought that perfectly described the personalities of each of the characters. As for the voice acting bit, I'm watching the English dub so I can't comment on the Japanese performances, but the dub cast has been doing a phenomenal job since the first season. Laura Stahl has such an evil tone while playing Mami that you have to keep reminding yourself to hate the character and not the voice. Sarah Williams perfectly depicts Ruka's disposition as a cute but somewhat crazy character. Lizzie Freeman does a great job when it comes to portraying both of Chizuru's real and fake personalities. Aleks Le also does an excellent job portraying Kazuya as an incredibly pathetic character that can't ever think straight. On a side note, I find it amazing that he can pull off playing Kazuya so well since he usually voices badass characters like Anos and Manjirou. However, he also voices Zenitsu, who as we all know is a somewhat of a pathetic character who somehow turns badass when he's sleeping! |
Tyrant_Inferno said: I guess it's a good thing that I never really got any replies to my answer because one really unpopular reply on this website can turn into a warzone lol. Still, I'm happy to see that you liked my take on the show the best! Also, I chose to describe the characters as dysfunctional as I was going by it's definition: "deviating from the norms of social behavior in a way regarded as bad." I thought that perfectly described the personalities of each of the characters. As for the voice acting bit, I'm watching the English dub so I can't comment on the Japanese performances, but the dub cast has been doing a phenomenal job since the first season. Laura Stahl has such an evil tone while playing Mami that you have to keep reminding yourself to hate the character and not the voice. Sarah Williams perfectly depicts Ruka's disposition as a cute but somewhat crazy character. Lizzie Freeman does a great job when it comes to portraying both of Chizuru's real and fake personalities. Aleks Le also does an excellent job portraying Kazuya as an incredibly pathetic character that can't ever think straight. On a side note, I find it amazing that he can pull off playing Kazuya so well since he usually voices badass characters like Anos and Manjirou. However, he also voices Zenitsu, who as we all know is a somewhat of a pathetic character who somehow turns badass when he's sleeping! Good explanation about "dysfunctional." I cannot disagree. I'm highly anti-dub (one of those), but I love how you describe it. Interesting that Mr. Le voices Zenitsu. That makes a lot of sense actually. That says a lot for his versatility by itself, not to mention those other characters you pointed out. I might have to experience the dub for a few minutes now that you've spoken so well of it. |
| Anteiku Anime Reviews anteikuanimereviews.com |
BlueHawk02 said: Good explanation about "dysfunctional." I cannot disagree. I'm highly anti-dub (one of those), but I love how you describe it. Interesting that Mr. Le voices Zenitsu. That makes a lot of sense actually. That says a lot for his versatility by itself, not to mention those other characters you pointed out. I might have to experience the dub for a few minutes now that you've spoken so well of it. Not all dubs are perfect, and I'm not afraid to call out the ones that are certainly bad, but I prefer dubs because I like the convivence of being able to look at the whole screen instead of just the bottom half. I somewhat understand the hate for dubs since there were so many mediocre-bad ones that released pre-2010's, but I'd say that about 70%-80% of dubs released since then have been good due to a bunch of new, talented voice actors, writers, and directors that keep getting into the field every year. This year alone there have been ton a new voice actors that gotten their first major roles since Crunchyroll has just been hammering out so many new dubs. Many of then are good, and there was also some few bad ones as expected with so many new voice actors. However the worst thing done to English dubs this year is that Crunchyroll has been refusing to translate Japanese text since the FUNimation merger. Dubs aren't always perfect, but at the same time, it's hard to judge just how good Japanese voice acting is either since many us here don't understand the language. |
Tyrant_Inferno said: BlueHawk02 said: Good explanation about "dysfunctional." I cannot disagree. I'm highly anti-dub (one of those), but I love how you describe it. Interesting that Mr. Le voices Zenitsu. That makes a lot of sense actually. That says a lot for his versatility by itself, not to mention those other characters you pointed out. I might have to experience the dub for a few minutes now that you've spoken so well of it. Not all dubs are perfect, and I'm not afraid to call out the ones that are certainly bad, but I prefer dubs because I like the convivence of being able to look at the whole screen instead of just the bottom half. I somewhat understand the hate for dubs since there were so many mediocre-bad ones that released pre-2010's, but I'd say that about 70%-80% of dubs released since then have been good due to a bunch of new, talented voice actors, writers, and directors that keep getting into the field every year. This year alone there have been ton a new voice actors that gotten their first major roles since Crunchyroll has just been hammering out so many new dubs. Many of then are good, and there was also some few bad ones as expected with so many new voice actors. However the worst thing done to English dubs this year is that Crunchyroll has been refusing to translate Japanese text since the FUNimation merger. Dubs aren't always perfect, but at the same time, it's hard to judge just how good Japanese voice acting is either since many us here don't understand the language. I don’t hate dubs, I just have this thing where I want to watch media in its original form. I would never say I hate dubs regardless, as I don’t have any experience with them. It’s good to hear opinions about them though. I think the English dub industry is growing, if that’s the right term. It’s good to hear there’s some new talent there. The biggest negatives of listening in Japanese are those two things you mentioned, focusing on the bottom of the screen and inability to evaluate good versus bad quality because of unfamiliarity with the language. I still personally adhere to my rigid stance on preferring the original through all that, and have learned enough to be able to tell the difference between good and bad quality. But I also understand that it took time and intent to get to that point, and not everyone can or wants to do that. Hence English dubs, and I will always support the dubbing industry as it contributes positively to the world of anime. It’s just a personal thing. |
| Anteiku Anime Reviews anteikuanimereviews.com |
BlueHawk02 said: [ I don’t hate dubs, I just have this thing where I want to watch media in its original form. I would never say I hate dubs regardless, as I don’t have any experience with them. It’s good to hear opinions about them though. I think the English dub industry is growing, if that’s the right term. It’s good to hear there’s some new talent there. The biggest negatives of listening in Japanese are those two things you mentioned, focusing on the bottom of the screen and inability to evaluate good versus bad quality because of unfamiliarity with the language. I still personally adhere to my rigid stance on preferring the original through all that, and have learned enough to be able to tell the difference between good and bad quality. But I also understand that it took time and intent to get to that point, and not everyone can or wants to do that. Hence English dubs, and I will always support the dubbing industry as it contributes positively to the world of anime. It’s just a personal thing. Yeah, I get you mean since I feel the same way about video games with Japanese settings like Yakuza and Trek to Yomi. Yakuza: Like a Dragon is the only Yakuza game with English voice acting, but I chose to stick with Japanese since every other game was in Japanese. Trek to Yomi has an English voice acting option, but I chose to stick with Japanese since the developers clearly intended it to be the desired language. It even starts you out in Japanese without any request for which language to play it in. Plus, the biggest factor as to why I stuck with Japanese is because those games take place in Japan with almost every aspect of them involving Japanese culture. It’s weird how video games make me feel that way instead of anime, especially since almost every anime in existence takes place in Japan or has a character from Japan. It’s probably because video games are more immersive than anime. |
| Find it cringe at best, frustrating at worst. Not getting what the fanfare for the series is all about, but Kazuya and the girls are largely rather frustrating as characters to give a hoot about. Hearing about the glacial pace of the manga's story and character development makes me less tempted to venture further into it. |
| 101 ways to get me triggered lol |
More topics from this board
Poll: » Kanojo, Okarishimasu Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page )Stark700 - Jul 10, 2020 |
317 |
by KawaiNekOwO
»»
Dec 2, 10:09 AM |
|
Poll: » Does this show deserve hate due to MC? ( 1 2 3 4 5 )UsernAme3126 - Aug 16, 2020 |
206 |
by Random_NGNL_Fan
»»
Nov 24, 11:48 PM |
|
Poll: » Kanojo, Okarishimasu Episode 12 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page )Stark700 - Sep 25, 2020 |
345 |
by kazuki_tenta
»»
Oct 27, 3:19 AM |
|
» An visual novel like gotobunkurumidesu22 - Sep 25 |
8 |
by kurumidesu22
»»
Sep 26, 6:56 AM |
|
Poll: » aside from the mc being unlikeable, what else do people hate about this show? ( 1 2 )FruitPunchBaka - May 13 |
54 |
by removed-user
»»
Sep 26, 5:57 AM |