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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
This series gets so damn frustrating, but im still coming back for more! Plus, mimi-chan is back? Looks like some things are going to be happening again soon
Horrified and embarrassed to report that, having watched Seasons 1-3 of the anime, I love this stupid trash series. It is absurdly repetitive, features a Loser protagonist with a capital L, and hinges itself totally on the narrative-stalling tactic of two characters who refuse to speak their minds to each other. I see your complaints. I agree with them. I also totally believe that these are not bugs but features, and ones that the mangaka is very much aware of. Rent-a-Girlfriend is billed as a harem rom-com, but is really more a farcical character study, and instead of copping to the trashy power fantasy of that genre, it chooses thrusts it onto two people that are relatably ill-equipped to deal with all the drama: Kazuya and Mizuhara. Aka, Team One-Brain Cell.
At its heart, Rent-a-Girlfriend is about the horrors of being known (to quote Film Crit Hulk), and these two characters are the best conduit for that. Kazuya is definitely a loser - an all too painfully real depiction of an insecure young man spiralling into indecision and hurting a bunch of people in the process. His POV can make the series a tough watch, but there's an truthfulness to his portrayal that keeps things believable, even when the comedy of errors threatens to spiral out of control.
Mizuhara, on the other hand, is kind of a miracle of character writing. We, tragically, do not get to experience her POV very often, and tend to see her through the eyes of Kazuya, but the specifics of her persona are so well-drawn that we understand her anyway. Where Kazuya is a bumbling buffoon who stalls romantic progress through sheer anxiety, Mizuhara is strong, self-assured, and has built a psychic wall around her so thick that even she can't accept her own feelings. Between them, the series walks a tightrope of two people who are both clearly deeply involved with one another, but also perfectly designed to never admit it.
With Season 3 over, and Season 4 a year away, you can bet your ass that I'll be reading ahead to see what happens next. The distance between Kazuya and Mizuhara is closing, but the closer they get, the more the agony of the writing sets us up for paaaaaaaiiiiiiiinnn. This is genuinely some of the most stressed I have been reading a manga in a long time, and I don't expect it to get any easier, as the two inch perilously close to actually telling the truth, only to bottle it at the last second. Very rare for me to want to hit myself in the head with a book whilst I'm reading it, and for that I have to give my kudos.
4 stars. Not recommended.
At its heart, Rent-a-Girlfriend is about the horrors of being known (to quote Film Crit Hulk), and these two characters are the best conduit for that. Kazuya is definitely a loser - an all too painfully real depiction of an insecure young man spiralling into indecision and hurting a bunch of people in the process. His POV can make the series a tough watch, but there's an truthfulness to his portrayal that keeps things believable, even when the comedy of errors threatens to spiral out of control.
Mizuhara, on the other hand, is kind of a miracle of character writing. We, tragically, do not get to experience her POV very often, and tend to see her through the eyes of Kazuya, but the specifics of her persona are so well-drawn that we understand her anyway. Where Kazuya is a bumbling buffoon who stalls romantic progress through sheer anxiety, Mizuhara is strong, self-assured, and has built a psychic wall around her so thick that even she can't accept her own feelings. Between them, the series walks a tightrope of two people who are both clearly deeply involved with one another, but also perfectly designed to never admit it.
With Season 3 over, and Season 4 a year away, you can bet your ass that I'll be reading ahead to see what happens next. The distance between Kazuya and Mizuhara is closing, but the closer they get, the more the agony of the writing sets us up for paaaaaaaiiiiiiiinnn. This is genuinely some of the most stressed I have been reading a manga in a long time, and I don't expect it to get any easier, as the two inch perilously close to actually telling the truth, only to bottle it at the last second. Very rare for me to want to hit myself in the head with a book whilst I'm reading it, and for that I have to give my kudos.
4 stars. Not recommended.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
fast-paced
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes