Warning: The following contains spoilers for Rent-a-Girlfriend Season 3, Episode 1, "Home Cooking and Girlfriend," now streaming on Crunchyroll.
After a few rattling developments during the conclusion of Season 2, Rent-a-Girlfriend’s initial wave of corny antics have started to wear off, setting a more serious tone for the latest season. The ambitious decision to crowdfund a film served as a wholesome conclusion to such a chaotic row of episodes. Now, with Chizuru’s grandmother’s ailing health and Kazuya’s newest entrepreneurial venture, Season 3 is expected to subvert expectations with a more serious and refreshing approach to the stale harem rom-com narrative.
While the show’s tonality may experience a shift, one aspect is bound to remain consistent – Kazuya’s ever-expanding list of lovers. A college first-year student and Kazuya’s new neighbor, Mini Yaemori has entered the scene to stir up Rent-a-Girlfriend’salready-controversial harem landscape. With several new developments, the series’ latest season has taken off with an ambitious yet profound twist on Kazuya and Chizuru’s rental relationship.
The New Girl on the Block
Staying true to its harem roots, Rent-a-Girlfriend has introduced a new potential consort for Kazuya Kinoshita, further expanding his already-crowded lineup of beguiling beauties. Mini Yaemori, Kazuya’s neighbor and college junior, is the series’ newest supporting character, adding another layer of intricacy to a volatile narrative. Mini is as blunt as they come, though her kindness and consideration for others shines through with her respect for others' privacy.
Unlike Chizuru and Sumi’s dreams of finding success on stage, Mini has a rather unconventional and eccentric passion for finding fame as an internet personality. Her oddball personality and charming antics are sure to add a new dimension to the show’s premise. Unlike the previous candidates, however, Mini’s interest in Kazuya seems to be rather minimal. Her feelings for Kazuya could possibly blossom as the series progresses, though there is also the possibility of Mini simply serving as a supporting character without becoming a part of the harem. Choosing the latter route would certainly be a refreshing take, possibly serving as a breath of fresh air in a highly saturated harem genre.
Kazuya and Chizuru’s Newfound Relationship
After the grave revelation of Sayori’s diagnosis and ailing health, a shift in Kazuya and Chizuru’s relationship has become quite apparent. Kazuya’s adamancy in bringing Chizuru’s dreams to fruition has set a new tone for their relationship, one with a slightly more professional undertone. After she agrees to let Kazuya crowdfund her movie, the two find themselves in a new relationship of producer and actress.
The newfound relationship serves as a slow and gradual break off from their initial rental relationship, allowing the two to become acquainted in a professional, albeit slightly personal, setting. The rental agreement also barred the two from ever becoming a legitimate couple, meaning this new chapter is a nod towards Kazuya and Chizuru finally stepping out of their client-customer relationship to a more intimate setting.
The awkwardness of being a rental girlfriend also seems to be thawing out, evident from Chizuru’s lack of hesitance while entering Kazuya’s apartment. While their journey of finding each other romantically is nowhere near an end, this development might serve as the first step towards such a conclusion. Still, the outcome is heavily dependent on Chizuru’s unyielding counterparts, making Kazuya’s love life nothing more than a hot mess.
Kazuya’s Growth as a Person
Most harem protagonists tend to be one-dimensional characters with little to no profundity even after hordes of episodes. Kazuya, on the other hand, has experienced tremendous growth since the beginning of the series, turning into a relatable character with some semblance of growth and development. Most of season 1 went by with Kazuya wallowing in self-pity, further deprecating himself with negative self-talk. His experience with Mami had sent him to an all-time low, yet his own clueless mistakes threw him down the rabbit hole of self-loathing.
Through his experiences and countless rental dates with Chizuru, however, Kazuya has finally started to exhibit a range of expressions and emotions that go far beyond a shallow goal of boasting a girlfriend. Instead, Kazuya genuinely wants to make Chizuru happy by supporting her dream, even if it meant the two would never go on another date. Such growth is certainly a rare sight in the rom-com harem side of anime, especially considering the show’s fanservice-heavy narrative.
This is also the first time fans get to witness Kazuya’s passionate side, as he utilizes his business major skills to concoct a befitting budget for Chizuru’s film. His competency and business-minded approach to the entire crowdfunding ordeal showcased an entirely new side of Kazuya, one that both Chizuru and the audience were thoroughly unaware of. Such a display of ambition has presented an unproductive Kazuya in a relatively more positive and intriguing light. With these new developments underway, season 3 of Rent-a-Girlfriend is off to an amusing yet gripping start.