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I am way late to review this, and I am sure this will get lost in the reviews and 1 or 2 people will ever read but I had to write this review. Because I have a lot to say about "Rent a Girlfriend". After reading some comments and reviews I can see people siding into 2 factions, the high scorers (8-10) and low scorers (1-3) but I can surely guarantee you that this show is neither those. Why? Let's get into it, shall we? Also I did a prelim review on episode 7 and edited/ added things after completion which I have labelled as ... "(EDIT: added review...)"

[Disclaimer: I apologize for any grammar mistake or if I miss some words. This will be a long review and so it would be tough for me to revise and edit flawlessly. Also English is my Second Language.]

In the review I will give 2 perspectives, first, as someone who has watched/read a ton of rom-coms, romances, shoujos and drama which makes romance my strongest suit and so I have a lot of experience with this genre, so it would be an objective view. Second perspective would be my personal opinion and how I actually find the characters in this story, do I relate or I cringe hard? So, before going forward let me say this, I like to analyse the characters more than plot, story, art etc. when romance is concerned. In a romance, character is your strongest asset as well as the ultimate liability. So let me briefly analyse the other stuff with 1-2 line objective review.

Story: (6/10)

The story is nothing we have not seen before, the only added "spice" is that it is based around Renting girlfriends. Which is why I totally understand how it will rub some people the wrong way. Apart from that, the story is really generic which I have seen a lot of times before. Exhibit A - Nisekoi. Exhibit B - Hajimite no Gal. (EDIT: Also after watching the whole thing I realised that maybe this rental gf concept was really interesting since it is actually showing character progress in Kazuya especially since the Sumi-chan episode. So I am actually now looking forward to season 2 with the way things wrapped up and it show in this review as well.)

Art: (8/10)

Fairly good, the use of comic faces is sufficient and the character designs are on point with the subtle ecchi this tries to insert into the character designs. Nothing out of ordinary or bad.

Sound: (6/10)

Super average. The exact what you would expect from a rom-com. Nothing I would download and listen to.

Characters: (4/10) [Why 4/10? Reason given in under Overall Score segment]

Now let's actually begin the review of Rent a Girlfriend's characters. I will be saving Kazuya (The MC) for later because he is obviously the most controversial one.

Let's start with my personal favorite Ichinose (Mizuhara) Chizuru. I really like what the author has done with her character, unlike other main girls Chizuru stands out because she has set ambitions and resolves for herself. Yes, we don't know why she is doing something which can be borderline prostitution but in no way it is. I don't care what her job is, what I care about is - what she brings to the table. Chizuru is the metaphor for stability and the pillar of support. She is head strong, mature and knows how to handle herself without relying too much on people around her, she is the independent college girl some of us may know from our college batch-mates or friends IRL, on top of it she is kind and totally believable character. I have no complaints about her, as of now. I am not taking into account her job because that would be unfair until we see the backstory. This is my objective as well as personal opinion about Chizuru. Now how she contributes to Kazuya's character I will explain when I talk about him. (EDIT: Also since she wants to fund her acting career and I found that renting gf can also be seen as practice/therapy for the introverted shy guys who can't keep calm around girls and realized this rental gf concept is not that bad, it actually good for boys to develop confidence. So Chizuru is now flawless as of episode 12.)

Now, about Nanami Mami, yes she is interesting as hell, she is not your generic rom-com or harem trope character which I expected before going into the anime. Objectively speaking, Mami is the most layered character as of now, we have seen nothing about her true self apart from a little glimpse here and there. We have no idea about her past self and I am sure that she will actually become the most complex character of the bunch, while personally I like Chizuru, but more objectively I lean towards Mami because she is as I said different. Now Mami is the double-edged sword character, if used properly she can be a lethal weapon the author can use to bring depth to Kazuya's as well as Chizuru's progression but she can also destroy the whole mood and ruin the story if she is just used as the toxic antagonistic possessive character the author has portrayed as of now. Which he should, because we are just at the starting line of the story and we have a marathon to run. Now personally speaking, I really don't like character's like Mami, the "cute outspoken" girl is not my cup of tea even if she is not a double faced character like Mami. For instance, I don't like Yui that much in SNAFU, she really is a solid character but I just don't like girls like her. I am more into the reserved and tsundere girls. But that's just my personal opinion on Mami and doesn't affect my judgement of her character.(EDIT: And as of episode 12, I can confirm that the author has really good plans with the character and I am actually looking forward to Mami the most next season.)

Next would be Sarashina Ruka. Well for one she looks like Tsugumi (Nisekoi) if she had a little sister, idk why? Anyway, I don't have much to say about Ruka as of now. Because, I have yet to see her character and from what I have gathered so far, Ruka is not an original character. We have seen characters like her before in many harems and romance stories out there, the devoted girl. She is the girl who would be the first one to fall hard for the MC and would end up sidelined as hard. Ruka is your "guilty pleasure" character, as I like to call it. A character whose sole purpose is to give hope to the MC of the story that, he is not worthless. An escape from reality. Ruka will become that character from what I have seen so far just like Tsugumi from Nisekoi. Personally, I feel bad for characters like Ruka's. They are made to get hurt and give the MC some kind of guilt which he needs to get redemption for towards the end by choosing the main girl. (EDIT: So from what I have gathered, Ruka is that girl as of now and now after 12 episodes I can confirm she is that character.) Won't be surprised if authors pulls some twist or reveal another layer to her character but it seems unlikely.

Now I have yet to encounter Sakurasawa Sumi, she has not debut yet after 7 episodes. I will add it after episode 12. (EDIT: AND now that I have watched the whole thing, I actually like Sumi much much more than I had expected, she is my type of girl, but she is still second for me after Mizuhara, IDK man Mizuhara is just on another level, but Sumi is a favourite of mine and that's my subjective opinion on her. Now objective, we only had 1 episdoe interacterion with her and I can see what her character represents, she is the girl who will fall for MC because he will help her grow as a person bcz she is basically the female version of Kazuya, she is shy, not confident, cannot hold hands and can't even speak to boys and she is not intended to compete for MC like Mami and Mizuhara or even Ruka, now she will fall for him (bcz harem) but she is not actually in the race. She is actually a good character because I can already see her helping Kazuya develop some confidence when his "take care" instinct will get turned on around Sumi. This is what I can say as of now since we got only one episode with her and this opinion can change in season 2 for her and I am looking forward to know her character more.)

Moving on towards the star of the show, the root of all controversies and the supposed "spineless" character, Kinoshita Kazuya. Well this the guy who single-handedly gave rise to the low score faction, all the comments and reviews which are below 5 have some awful things to say about him and so do I. But that would be my personal opinion and won't affect my judgement on his character or the score. First let me analyse Kazuya objectively.

Kazuya is also not an original character, he is your typical generic awkward guy who gets nervous and in doing so screws things up. Now you will either immediately resonate with his character or you will hate him to his core. Why would you do that? Now, this is where things get interesting. There are 4 kinds of people who would watch Kauzya's character and accordingly distribute 50-50 on both ends of spectrum. But here is why this 50-50 split gets interesting, the guys on same team which are either resonating with or hating Kazuya are themselves polar opposites in society.

RESONATING or RELATING WITH KAZUYA:
1. So the first group of people resonating/relating to his character would be the ones who are relating because they see themselves in Kazuya. Ofc not as bad as Kazuya actually is but, some of his traits like getting nervous around girls or overthinking things. These things actually happen to many guys out there. So this relating or resonating comes from a place of seeing someone worse off than yourself do better and rooting for him which is totally understandable and so, they would give this story a 8 or even 10.
2. The second group of people would be the extroverted guys or the "kind" people who would pity Kazuya's character. They want to root for Kazuya because they think nobody deserves to be unhappy in this world. So, they would again resonate with his character. See how polar opposites these views are but don't they actually makes sense? To me it does and I can see why they would be on the same team.

NOT RESONATING or HATING KAZUYA:
1. Similarly, the third group of people who will be hating Kazuya are actually the same guys as the first group but rather than rooting for him, they hate the fact that Kazuya reflects their own shortcomings. Nobody wants to be reminded of their shortcomings, people who hate Kazuya because he is a pussy or he is awkward, and sometimes cringe because they want him to not be them. They want an escape from reality and at least don't want to see their own reflections making some mistake they are likely to make in real life. They don't want to insert themselves into a pathetic character. They would rather insert themselves into a badass character or a player when it comes to romance, which is also a reason why sometimes guys read shoujo (guys in shoujo are generally players or strong willed characters who can handle girls), they want an escape from there own selves which is totally understandable. Entertainment should be an escape from reality and not the stressful reality. So you can see why they would hate Kazuya and so give low scores.
2. Now the 4th and final group would again be the extroverts who can't believe people like Kazuya exist. Well they do. They just hate Kazuya without actually understanding why he is the way he is. That is because they have not personally experienced something like that, they don't get nervous around girls and they have had relationships. So they just don't get how can someone be that pathetic. This is again an understandable view.

SO imo Kazuya is a very simple character. He is the portrayal of the introverted, shy, pushover, nervous, awkward guy who just wants one thing in this world, someone who can love him for who he is. And sometimes in doing so, he neglects his own growth as he blames himself for being pathetic. Kazuya is a very simple character which I have seen in hundreds of harems and rom-coms and so have you. (EDIT: And after reading a review on this anime's manga section I also thought that yes, this rental GF thing can actually work as a practice for when you get the real girl. There is not even kissing invlived in the dates apart from holding hands, so its not even soft prosti, its a practice for shy and awkward to learn how to be confident around girls so that they don't blow up when the real girl comes, this rental thing is not a substitute for real girlfriend but a therapy for being confident around girls and when you see it that way this makes so much sense and I can see this happening IRL and with the progression kazuya has shown in the last 5 episodes I am actually happy where he is and looking forward to season 2 which I really thought I would not be this thrilled...)

Now my personal opinion on Kazuya: I don't like Kazuya (EDIT: I actually like him a bit now) but I don't hate him. I belong to the 5th group of average scorer. Why? because I was Kazuya until a few years ago, not as bad as him but I did overthink things. The only thing that helped me or I had going for myself was my looks. I don't want to sound arrogant but I am aware of my good looks. People have pointed it out my whole life, they think I would be a player because I have my looks going for myself. But I still am an introverted person. I still overthink things. This has been a barrier in my growth as a person. Now do I relate with Kazuya? NO, not that much cause I have had girls asking me out and so I can't relate to that aspect. I don't get awkward around girls that much but I do overthink things even today. This has resulted in bad outcomes in my love life too. I have been rejected. I have lost the race to get the girl because I overthink things. So while I don't relate I still understand what Kazuya is going through. I have friends who go through the same. At the end what I want to say is, I know how much Kazuya needs to grow as a character and that is what matters to me in a romance for the protagonist. Protagonists are not supposed to be perfect, they are supposed to be pathetic and they are supposed to grow and learn. This is where the opposite lead comes in. The opposite lead is supposed to be a perfect or near perfect character so that our protagonist can find strength in that character to move forward. Now, I am not saying that the love interest has to be perfect, NO they just have to look perfect for the time when protagonist grows, and then become their strength so that when the love interest is vulnerable and that illusion of a perfect girl/guy shatters, the protagonist can step up and become the strength themselves. It is just about taking turns in supporting each other.
This where Chizuru comes in. How she contributes to Kazuya's character? Well she has to become Kazuya's strength, his stability and the pillar of support (I mentioned before) until Kazuya matures as a person. So, when Chizuru becomes vulnerable she can lean on Kazuya for support, and Kazuya can do the same for her as she did for him since the beginning. This is what the main leads do, they give and take, they support each other and grow together. So any story that handles the character development this way with their leads is going to be a successful romance story. (EDIT: And after watching episode 12, I am confident Mizuhara will become that pillar for him as he grows as a person.)

And that concludes my opinions on characters of the story.

Overall score: (6/10)

It should be fairly obvious by now that I don't find the story any different than what I have been seeing for past 5 years of my hardcore anime journey. Shy boy meets out-of-his-league girl, gets a few other girls jealous and fawn over him and finally choose the girl he was supposed to be with from the start in a story of destiny and fate. The characters are also simple with a few exceptions being Mami and Chizuru (to some extent). I am very strict with my character scores. I only give points for original or complex characters and so Mami and Chizuru are the reason for my score of 4/10 for characters which MAL sees as decent. So do I recommend this? YES and NO

YES - for people who are new to rom-coms and anime. You guys will enjoy the awkwardness and comedy of the story. The story of the awkward average looking guy getting the girl of his dreams, well beyond his dreams. (EDIT: And he actually had progressed a lot as character in the final 5 episodes so yeah go ahead and give it a shot, just see the rental GF concept not as something bad but see it as a therapy for shy guys to handle girls and you enjoy it a bit more, I actually do now.)

NO - for veterans and people who are fed up with the typical shy guy trope. It will become a chore for you. You will easily see the tropes coming from a mile away and will cringe at some moments, it has become a chore for me at least but I will finish it because I want to see how the author handles Mami's and Chizuru's characters. (EDIT: ACTUALLY even vets may enjoy if you are willing to look past the cringe of it all, the last 5 episodes showed me that this has potential and can be really interesting next so I actually am recommending it now, but not improving score bcz it has things it lacks and the typical tropes are there...)

WOW THIS WAS A LOT OF WRITING, I REALLY APPRECIATE IF YOU READ THIS CAUSE I KNOW MANY WON'T. Anyway, I will update the review after episode 12. Peace out for now. (Sept 17, 2020)... Updated: 15 Jan 2021 (I know I was too late in updating but I just finished it..LoL).. I say updated but I deleted my prelim review pasted it again with EDITS...

I was compelled to write a review for this since only one review is written for it yet. SO after the controversy of "disaster-piece" Fuuka, Seo Kouji this time brings us the story behind the fabulous industry of Manga. As from the synopsis, the story is about a fresher editor for the Weekly Shounen Magazine, Ryuunosuke Kensaki and a newbie managaka, Tsubasa Takanashi (Ryuunosuke is her editor). Ryuu wants to make Tsubasa the number 1 author in all of Japan. The story you may think is very similar to the BAKUMAN but, this is from the editor's point of view and not solely the mangaka. ... So that's a fresh take on the concept. So before I go further let me tell you something:

"If you have read SEO's previous work and you love them, even the oneshots, trust me as a fellow SEO fan and a fan of KNIM and Suzuka, you are going to love this manga. Just trust me on this."

I will spoil more later not now. Now for the non-Seo fan or who have not yet read any of Seo's previous works. You guys are going to like the story for what it is but will not be able to fully appreciate the characters and so the overall enjoyment will be not be as fabulous as this piece of art actually is. SO MY RECOMENDATION WILL BE THAT BEFORE YOU READ HITMAN, YOU SHOULD COMPLETE SEO'S OTHER WORKS ESPECIALLY KIMI NO IRU MACHI, FUUKA AND SUZUKA. YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO APPRECIATE IT JUST AS MUCH, TREAT IT MORE LIKE A SEQUEL TO FUUKA (THOUGH IT IS NOT). SO TAKE MY WORD GO READ THE OTHER WORKS FIRST BEFORE YOU ENTER THIS STORY AND GET FAMILIAR WITH SEO UNIVERSE

NOW FOR SEO FANS LET'S TALK ABOUT HITMAN SHALL WE?

Story:

The is story is not as fabulous. If you are familiar with Seo's works you guys know what I am talking about. But this time it is different from his other works. The signature Seo drama is taken down a notch and a more "cheerful" story is depicted? If I may describe in a single word. Still you will see typical Seo moments in the chapters. There is no NTR or drama at the level of KNIM (yet, I have to say this, you may never know cause it Seo we talking about). The Story : 7.5/10 (0.5 for unique perspective) Before going into spoiler for all the Seo fans: Just read the manga you will love, it has better characters and drama toned down a notch than previous works so don't worry.

Art:

Well it is Seo we are talking about. Only the best out there for his drawings. The art is fabulous with more details to characters then ever before. You have your signature ecchi illustrations which are just a treat to watch. You many criticize Seo's stories, but his artworks are just diamond. The Art: 10/10 (Wish I could give it a 11).


_______MINOR_________SPOILERS_______AFTER____THIS_______POINT____

(not related to plot but related to characters and non Seo fans can continue)




Characters:

This time around Seo has given up on your typical high-school character and has gone for the adult shounen character, Ryuunosuke Kensaki. Let me tell you this right away, He is a better character than any of Seo's previous works, even Kirishima (KNIM). Ryuu is a confident (little dumb) out-spoken guy who is kind and shy sometimes but unconsciously is very clever (not too much, though just tad bit). He is not a genius, he just knows how to come with ideas when a problems arises (similar to maybe, Kirishima), he just does not rely on others as often and comes up with own solutions.

The next character is your female lead, Tsubasa Takanashi, I will say this, she is the best female character yet by Seo. She is a self-motivated tsundere girl who wants to take challenges head on. She does not get depressed easily rather makes a comeback immediately with more dedication, unlike Seo's other girls who succumb to drama and makes things complicated. She is definitely my favourite so far.

There are other character's too who are your typical Seo characters. Other than Tsubasa you have 2 more girls added to Ryuu-harem (typical Seo harem) first is mangaka girl (Nonoka Shimakaze) who is a popular author at 18yrs of age and junior editor (Rena Shikishima) who is new to the company and joined 1 yr after Kenzaki and maybe a 3rd one (which is yet not set in stone), that is Amaya Shiori (that's right, Amaya from Kimi no Iru Machi is a supporting in this) and Ryuu is her substitute editor. If you guys remember from Kimi no she was a mangaka in that as well and so in this she is a successful mangaka who is managed by Ryuu's mentor Natsume (her full time editor).So there are 4 girls (Tsubasa, Nonoka, Shiori and Rena) in Ryuu harem as of chapter 45.

Then there are other supporting characters like Akira Natsume (Ryuu's mentor and senior editor), Kazutake Yagami (Ryuu's other unofficial mentor and senior editor), Hiroto Asama (Ryuu's rival and freshman editor) and others from the Manga department of Shounen Weekly Magazine including Mio Kawaguchi (Ryuu's college friend from different department in the same company who likes him) who will potentially be later introduced into Ryuu's harem (I know for a fact!).

Now the best part about the characters in Hitman is that all the other characters from Seo universe are having cameos in this. And not just as Easter Eggs but more. If you are a Seo fan you will be delighted to see the way Seo is handling the cameos. Especially characters from Kimi no Iru Machi who have made more cameos than ever before, not to spoil much. Even Blue Wells from Fuuka. SO if are Seo fan you will be delighted. Not to spoil any further. It is like The MCU of SEO fandom.

Overall the inherent main characters of Hitman are better than Seo's other works and cameos from previous works just make everything more satisfying to read. The characters : 9.5/10 (0.5 taken out for the typical Seo harem, nothing major)

Overall enjoyment: (no spoilers for non-Seo works' familiar people)

There are 2 ways for you to enjoy this story. First, is as a Seo fan and someone who has read his previous works. You will enjoy this too much. The nostalgia that this has in its cameos are just too precious and satisfying to read. For that reason alone you should give this a go. The story is good and fresh and drama is a bit tone downed.
Second, is as someone who is oblivious to Seo's works, I have to be blunt here, you guys have to go and read the previous works, treat this like a sequel more than a standalone series if you want to enjoy it more. Trust me. It is a good standalone series but it is a better sequel imo. The overall enjoyment : 10/10 (First situation), 7/10 (Seo oblivious people)

So, finally I would say this show is promising as of right now, the idea is still fresh but I can totally see this also going dragged on later (knowing Seo). So I hope he will not overdo any plot device and take drastic measures of NTR that he did in Fuuka. Overall I can see this series become better than other Seo's works. But that is still very early to say. Overall : 9.2/10 (It has potential)

**The next update on review - Between 80-90**

(A Non-spoiler review and what should you expect before diving in.)

I can totally understand if people won't like this short anime. It has open plot filled with unanswered questions and a umpteen possibilities for both the MCs future.

So before jumping into this take a step back from the usual anime and relate this anime with your own life experiences. Reminiscence the time you were in a similar position yourself. We all have done it -- Create a facade in front others so that they can just accept us and slowly pull up the curtain if you click with someone. This short anime is a ... mirror to our social life in society, whether you are an introvert or extrovert, you always show something else even to someone you actually really like, just for the sake of the approval.

Remember the time you first met the love of your life or someone you really like? Did you not portray yourself much more than you actually are?? Someone more to likes of the other person and the other person does the same thing if not show what they really are. This is how socialising and relationships work.

This anime is a satire of the our social lives. How we present ourselves in front of different people.

Now let's talk about the Story and plot :

The story is already explained by me, it's your and mine and our story. A story of our social life in the real world. As for the plot, it's an open plot story with so many possible endings -- Good, Bad, Complicated, Tragic, Dramatic, this anime can take any form of ending and there we have the metaphor of our lives. We also have all kinds of endings for us. The ending of this anime only is a beginning to a story, a story which can take any form when played further. JUST PUT YOUR OWN STORY AFTER THE ENDING OF THIS ANIME AND SEE HOW THIS ANIME IS A SATIRE OF OUR SOCIAL LIFE. (Story - 10/10)

The Art style :

The art style is great if not excellent. There is realistic vibe which surrounds the whole episode. The dull colors represent the satire which all the facades create around the classroom. Maybe I'm reading too much into this but it does make sense somehow. (Art & Style - 9/10)

Sound :

No seconds thoughts here. The music is downright fabulous. I'm not exaggerating but every piece of music only compliments the sequence which is going on. Not to mention the ED which is again -- A satire. (Sound & Music - 10/10)

Character development :

So there are 7+1 characters in the anime. 2 MCs, 2 Male MC's friends, 2 Female MC's friends, 1 Conflict character and The Girl who is +1 because she is an exposition one.

Both MCs have a world of there own, An introvert and an extrovert. Male lead is an introvert who wants to enter the Female leads world and for that what he needs is bridge -- a connection, a similarity. He kind of lucks himself in because of her initiative when she heard piano's music and did what she did next (won't say for spoiler's sake). Which not only made the bridge possible but also created that delusional ending. The male lead is not your typical anime character, he is as realistic as we are in life everyday. For the Female lead, she is the extrovert in story who has created a world for herself to live in (The reason explained by the+1 character and the other thing)

The supporting characters just explains and emphasizes the worlds of the both MCs. Who they actually are, well yeah there is more to her world, which is better if you uncover yourself by reading into the Dream sequence. (Characters - 10/10)

Overall - 8/10

I really liked this short anime. I would highly recommend watching this with no expectations of any drama, conflict, intense romance or satisfying/unsatisfied ending (like any other anime). Just expect an honest satire on our lives which the anime represents.
Yes, there is drama, conflict and romance in this short anime but doesn't our own lives have these 3 as well?? Satisfied or unsatisfied with how our relationships turn-out to be?? Well see for yourself...

Hope this extensive review helps.