The anime is going to its past where the MC's in romance animes appear to be helpless and cowardice. This male MC's insistent nature in appeasing his family and friends derive from his emotional void from breaking up with his girlfriend. From his pathetic mien, the selfish actions that he takes affect his environment and extends his falsehood statements to their greatest extent.
Though having his heartbroken, Kinoshita Kazuya oversteps the utilization of his service to mend his sorrows. While he regrets his actions at times, the MC is led by his "hormones" so the apologies that he relays becomes dull. Seeing as bad influences surround him, I don't see him coming out and confessing the truth. I'm sure that they'll be together as the series goes on, but their overall relationship doesn't appear meaningful because it's confusing.
Repeatedly, he's set on viewing Ichinose as a service, rather than a human being. As soon as he thinks he has a chance with Nanami, he forgets about her without considering how she feels. Yet he goes and apologizes to her by thinking she's a human girl because of the amount of regret he feels for her. Therefore his constant apologetic remarks to her become irritating. It's difficult to develop sympathy for the male MC because his continuous interchangeable nature juxtaposes his outward appearance.
By far, his decisions solely benefit himself and creates unnecessary trouble for the female MC. If I were to describe his personality, it would be a "simp" as he is continually ogling over Nanami's falsehood personality and body. The multitude of hormones that he exudes for comedic purposes from the females denying him and unforeseen futures becomes stagnant, monotonous, boring. The reason being, the personality that he embodies doesn't match such comedic value as he is constantly depressed and amorous. Instead of being humored by his sexual fantasies and fears, I became convinced that Kinoshita is a hopeless, horny character.
My issue is that his type of character doesn't fit with one of the many types of traditional romance anime where two characters meet, bond over time, and attack their issues together. Problem being, this is Kinoshita's problem and doesn't affect Ichinose at all. She wasn't interested in him, and the issue could have been resolved if he wasn't spinless. While understandable in the beginning, it's becoming evident in the cowardice nature of the male MC throughout the episodes. Regardless of how their relationship will end, their initial meeting is flawed. Also, It's frustrating to witness such pitifulness in the beginning three episodes because the initial episodes give a preview about the anime overall. So far, the side characters pressure the female MC into going out with the male MC. In short, the issue was so minor that their relationship is a joke.
There are some characters related to the male MC, such as Hyoudou (High School DxD), Hiraga(Zero no Tsukaima), Sakurai (Sora no Otoshimono: Project Pink), Michishio (Seto no Hanayome). While I'm not a fan of them, at least they have some redemption and personal growth. I'm not sure what Kinoshita has to offer that would help Ichinose, so I'm not certain how useful Kinoshita will become if Ichinose has an issue.
There is a serious flaw in character development for Ichinose. Instead of having to make independent decisions, she is being influenced by everyone around her. Her development in her feelings for Kinoshita is solely based on Kinoshita's side of people. Therefore, the feelings of the female MC isn't of her own but was influenced by others. Notice how Ichinose became the sole opposer to their relationship. However, her opposition is opposed by nearly everyone in the anime which is clearly toxic.
In my personal take - Ichinose Chizuru is the main focus by depicting the challenges talents from rent-a-girlfriends industry face. While fictional, the relationships and the expectations of the talents represent the real world. They are a service to their clients and are occasionally pressured into performing services outside of their agreed activities. I don't think the anime is focused on the romantic nature of the two, but rather what talents like Ichinose experience daily...at least that's what I would hope. If this were true, I would rate it to like an 8.
Or, Kinoshita realizes the flaws in his character after dating Ichinose and picks himself back up. He starts working hard and got an internship at a business firm. Meanwhile, Ichinose's grandmother died and she got in a huge argument with her parents because they found out what she's been doing for a living.(a bit dramatic, but idk I'm typing this as I'm thinking) After struggling to keep her motivation with school and work, she meets Kinoshita and tells him everything as they go to a cafe. Recognizing the potential of Ichinose, Kinoshita helps Ichinose progress her career and go into modeling. Afterward, they will develop feelings for one another as they have made the journey together and accomplished their goals. This would be like a 7 or an 8 for me.
