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I’ll preface this review by saying that I am a huge fan of Rent-A-Girlfriend. I have rewatched the first season three times. I have spent days worth of time listening to OPs, EDs and the OST of this show. The show resonated with me so profoundly that it is no exaggeration to say that it changed my life, in ways I cannot even begin to describe. Even for me, however, Rent-A-Girlfriend season three was not enjoyable.

This season centers more around Kazuya and Chizuru’s dynamic as director and actor instead of client and rental girlfriend. In this arc, Kazuya actually acts quite courageously for a change, ... especially as he helps Chizuru fulfill her dream of her grandma getting to watch her on the big screen. Season three takes itself somewhat more seriously as the two main characters work together to achieve a common goal. This is EXACTLY the problem. Audiences watch Rent-A-Girlfriend for it’s over-the-top drama, and it's absurd comedic antics. You’ll never find yourself on the edge of your seat, eagerly anticipating the next episode or anything of the sort. The entertainment value appears to have suddenly driven off a cliff. I wasn’t laughing at much of the “comedy” in each episode. When broken down, the show has just one recurring joke to offer which can be summed up as “hot girl with loser guy lmao”. The story is predictable and feels drawn out when compared to Kanokari’s signature fast, all-up-in-your-face pace.

One of the worst aspects of season three is Chizuru herself. She was once someone who could change herself on a whim to fit the situation, but now she comes across as bland and emotionless. It’s strange how they clearly tried to add additional depth to her character, yet she acts almost soulless this season. Mami is completely missing from the story, which is a shame because she is best girl from a storytelling perspective. Kazuya’s friends and family have also basically vanished, it seems their screen time has instead been taken over by the new girl, Yaemori. She is a quirky Gen Z cosplayer who supports Kazuya’s relentless pursuit of Chizuru. With Yaemori’s assistance, there ends up being some “development” (I’m using that term VERY lightly here) between the two. She’s an interesting and unique character, for sure, but she definitely wasn’t worth the sacrifice.

The visuals are a further downgrade from an already underwhelming season two. Many scenes legitimately look as if they were put together in MS Paint. The animation (when there even is any) looks janky and rushed. My eyes felt strained after staring at the way too bright, god-awful illustrations, I would’ve dropped any other show for the abomination that was put on screen. Characters often don’t even look like they fit in with the background properly. It’s difficult to enjoy something which doesn’t feel like it had much effort put into it. Art this season does not do justice to the remarkable art of the manga. The art style in season one was perfect for the show and changing it was a poor choice. Budget cuts? Maybe.

The opening song was literal earrape every time it played. Sound design for the rest of the show isn’t quite as bad, although at times soundtracks sound either out of place or are much too abrupt in timing. Credit to the VA’s though, they did their job spectacularly well for the third season in a row.

If you were not very fond of the earlier seasons of Rent-A-Girlfriend, you probably won’t like this season either. If you’re planning to hate watch this, don’t bother, you’ll quickly find yourself bored. The only good thing about this is the fact that it’s the sequel to the sequel of the greatest masterpiece in anime history.