Welcome back you degenerates! I can’t believe so many of you are back to enjoy the trashiness that is Rent-a-Girlfriend! The worst thing is, we know it’s trash, and still we come back for more. Are we starting to become as degenerate as Kazuya? Oh no…
I can’t believe I have to say this, but I wish Mami showed up more this season. The reason that Season 1 was mildly enjoyable was because of all the drama, and the hate that the fandom had towards her. Her character felt quite watered down this season, and “mild”, which was unfortunate. Without all that drama, this season just felt like a generic romcom built on misunderstandings, and was kind of boring, to be honest. Well, there are some good points as well, (cough cough, Sumi), and it oddly feels like the inevitable next season might inspire just a teensy bit of hope.
My grading criteria: Story: /25 Art: /10 Music: /10 Characters: /20 Enjoyment /15 Thematic Execution /20
STORY: 3.2/25
The story is a mess, and we expected this. Misunderstandings just aren’t a good formula to tell a story, and watching Kazuya trying to diffuse them was just cringey. It’s hard to understand why the girls even put up with him, but that’s just how it is. Kazuya, you really don’t need to explain everything you do to everyone, unless it’s Ruka, I don’t think any of them care that much about your activities.
It really could have been much better, if more of Chizuru’s ambitions towards her acting career were shown more, and if the emotional moments with her grandma were handled with more care.
ART: 7.5/10
It’s not fantastic, but vibrant enough to look good. No complaints about the animation overall.
MUSIC: 7.6/10
It’s hard to the top The Peggies, but the OP this season did somewhat grow on me as the season went along. The ED was rather tame compared to the hilarious one in Season 1.
CHARACTERS: 3.7/20
The terrible character writing basically makes me want every character to lose in their lives, except for Sumi. I’ll talk about my thoughts about each character briefly.
Chizuru was rather boring to watch this season, to be honest. We knew from Season 1 that she wanted to pursue a career in acting, and we didn’t see a whole lot of that this season. She has her moments as well, since her grandma was in the hospital, which showed her vulnerability.
Why does Ruka even want to be with Kazuya? She was literally thrown to the wayside, but she still clings, and made bold moves this season. I’d feel bad for her, but apart from her love for Kazuya, there’s not much that makes her character stand out.
There wasn’t enough drama this season, because Mami wasn’t prevalent. I know most hate her, but she was the source of entertainment, creating division and discussion. Hope she shows up more.
Sumi’s my favourite character in this show, because she’s what makes the plot advance. She’s a genuinely good companion, and when Kazuya’s around her, Kazuya has to be more responsible, and I believe that Sumi brings out the best qualities of Kazuya. It’s a shame she’s not the main character though.
Kazuya? He’s still trash, most of the time. Sumi, save him please.
ENJOYMENT: 2.2/15
It’s not funny, it’s not trashy enough, and it’s cringe. When Sumi’s on the screen though, it’s awesome.
THEMATIC EXECUTION: 2.8/20
I firmly believe that this show could have been so much better if the themes were executed better. If you want to be trashy, do it to the max. If you want to be emotional, do it to the max. Instead, they throw in jokes when Chizuru’s grandma was ill, and whenever there could be a sign of plot progression, it just never happens.
OVERALL: 27/100
I didn’t expect this to be good, but I expected more from this season. It had the potential to be decent, if Chizuru’s acting career took centre stage, and if Kazuya cleared some misunderstandings. Instead, we just got a generic, trashy romcom that was hard to sit through. I do think though, to be a bit more optimistic, that next season (which has been announced), might be better, because believe it or not, Kazuya does sometimes reflect upon his actions, and that could be interesting.
