Rent-A-Girlfriend

[Zenoslash]

@Adiazgonz Hey, I can't lie when that's what you get

The main problem of this series is that the FemMC has no real "flaws". Shit, she takes on all the burden of the work and can't trust others. Such a flaw, it's not like we just feel more sympathetic towards her otherwise.

Yeah, it's a bullshit psudo flaw, hiding from the fact that unlike the other females who have very noticeable characteristics (which are never really developed), Chizuru actually has no real flaws. She's the epitome of the wish-fulfillment waifu heroine. It's hardly engaging to see essentially a story about some loser getting the girl of his dreams by doing nothing except throw away his pride and time. His world revolves around this girl. He spends every waking moment thinking of her, and what else he can throw in her direction to make her happy. He has no other interests, activities, or anything to really give him any character. Oh, I guess you can call him being a spineless prideless loser as "character traits", but I mean, how else would the audience relate with such a bland generic personality?

 

[Adiazgonz]

@Zenoslash

But she has flaws. She is unable to see what her true feelings are or decide if she really should continue with Kazuya at the beginning of the story, when she could leave him easily when she gets the chance. She is always breaking her own rules, and the manga asks the audience if she is doing it because she has feelings for him or simply because she is losing control of her work and professional behavior. Also, she is always wrong trying to disguise his personal life with her grandmother, her dreams, her parents, etc. Literally, the strange phrase "I don't like him... but it's not that I don't like him" (the strictest Japanese translation) is the core of all her flaws. Yes and no at the same time. . She is even weirder than Kazuya.

Kazuya, on the other hand, has trauma, perhaps some kind of Impostor syndrome, and a very stupid moralistic mindset of being a nuisance to everyone, therefore he is mistakenly convinced that he is worthless, when actually everything he thinks of himself is false. He is just a student and he is in love, nothing more

He is not very interested in his own pride and his time is divided between helping her since chapter 102 and UNI. Before that chapter, we only see the interactions of Kazuya and Chizuru because this is a love story after all, and Kazuya is just a good student, nothing more. I don’t think the audience should read something for whatever reason with the hope that they can relate to the character. They should understand him, though.

 

[Zenoslash]

@Adiazgonz “I don’t like him, but I don’t not like him” is not a contradictory statement at all. She can’t answer with “I like him” as it implies romance, but it’s not like she dislikes him, which leans more towards hate. So she states that she doesn’t dislike him.

She couldn’t get rid of him because she’s too kind-hearted.

I mean, “not being aware of your feelings” isn’t really a flaw. It certainly doesn’t detract at all from what her core personality is, nor does it blemish the whole “perfect girl” image that the manga continues to project with her.

And yes, hopefully you can see why people would think a guy that has no hopes or aspirations, no extracurriculars or hobbies, no dreams or future, who only thinks of one thing and one thing only - a girl way outside of his league - might be pathetic and uninteresting. What sort of character is entirely dependent on their relationship to another? He continues to belittle himself and throw all these resources at the girl of his dreams, never looking introspectively at what he can do to improve himself, rather looking at how much can he as a loser give to the beautiful goddess.

 

[Adiazgonz]

@Zenoslash

Let me add something to my last comment.

But firstly I want to say that I really like Kazuya as a character, he is unique and amazing in a ocean of characters that the readers consume just for have instant satisfaction. His flaws, thoughts and traits makes him interesting enough to want analyze him and ask what will happen with him.

Saying this, here we go:

Chizuru's biggest flaw was letting Kazuya get so involved in her personal life and get her involved in his life too. She should just stop, never approach to him again, never appear when Kazuya’s grandma asked for her... in other words: LET KAZUYA BEHAVES LIKE A MAN AND FACE THE CONSEQUENCES. LET KAZUYA DEALS WITH MAMI’S RUPTURE ON HIS OWN WITHOUT HAVING HER AS A LIFESAVER.

Since the beginning of the manga everything is telling us that truth: THEY SHOULD BREAK UP THE FAKE RELATIONSHIP. THEY SHOULD JUST STOP LYING. THIS IS UNHEALTHY, FORCED, WEIRD, DANGEROUS.

Do you think the mangaka doesn’t know that? Of course he knows! He knows that a relationship between Kazuya and Chizuru will be disastrous. The haters also know that Kazuya can’t even look at her eyes without pissing his pants, and they are right! How do you believe will be that depending and weird relationship? But Chizuru has feelings, she is a woman, she doesn’t count to have feelings for him and neither Kazuya was thinking to fall in love with her at all.

Right now if Kazuya confess, they will be together. But the relationship will be forced, difficult, based on pity or gratitude, with love feelings trying to grow up within flawed characters.

What will happen then? How they can have a healthy relationship?

The manga has the answer: THEY MUST BREAK UP. (THE BEST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN WITH KAZUYA IS TO BE REJECTED)

However, this story isn’t finished yet.

 

[Adiazgonz]

@Zenoslash

“has no hopes or aspirations, no extracurriculars or hobbies, no dreams or future“

This is wrong, this manga isn’t a sociological examination of Kazuya as a person outside the story. Actually the manga develops Kazuya’s hobbies and extracurriculars, and in recent chapters he is thinking of his future. But it doesn’t have huge relevance for the core situation INSIDE Kazuya’s mind. The title of the manga is “Rental Girlfriend”, not “The story of kazuya Kinoshita”.

People always forget that he is living by his own and demands him to have a lot of things in mind outside the love story. Maybe they want chapters without Chizuru to explore the reasons why Kazuya choose his apartment, what are his favorites tv shows, what is his political preference or what is his favorite music, who knows?

This is not an objective point of view of a character that is just an university student telling about his virgin life, as stated in the first chapter. Everything was clear from the beginning.

Maybe the haters have hopes, aspirations, dreams, futures, hobbies, etc, etc... they should write their own interesting biographies then.

 

[Zenoslash]

And series such as “Kaguya Wants to be Confessed To” aren’t called “The Life of Miyuki Shirogane”, yet manage to develop and expand on a colorful, interesting cast while never neglecting the heroine and her development.

There is no impossibilities. There’s only the skill level of the writer and what he can manage. It doesn’t take much to show a bit more of Kazuya. Hell, you can do so in the opening or even in his interactions with Chizuru.

What you’re stating with the whole lies and whatnot is more of a plot device than a serious flaw. Ask yourself why she pretended to be with Kazuya, and the answer you get is that “she’s a really nice person who felt sympathetic towards him.” In that case, her flaw is that she’s too nice and willing to take on burdens that aren’t hers, which can you even really consider that a real flaw?

 

[Adiazgonz]

@Zenoslash

This manga is about what is real and what’s not. You can’t know a real person expecting only to check the bad aspects of the personality. But Chizuru isn’t a perfect girl. She’s just a normal girl. The goddess Chizuru is just presented through Kazuya’s eyes.

I never read kaguya, but I know that in the high school environment is easier to present hyperbolic characters to an audience used to them. In Kanokari, both characters doesn’t belong to the manga format.

 

[McLXIX]

😑

 

[justforthelulz]

Could you imagine the salt if MC ends up with

Spoiler

no one

at the very end?

 

[lunloon]

Best Wingman Ever.

 

[KasKyo]

Hard to read, mc is literally 7yo retard, why there's so many chapters of this

 

[phatj]

Thanks @Zenoslash. You summed up many of the issues I have with this story.

The plot is frustrating and contrived. The art makes the MC into a caricature most of the time. Chizuru feels more of a sexual prop (sans thiccness) than a character.

Thankfully, we have stories like https://mangadex.org/title/30945/pseudo-harem instead. Relatable, plausible characters.

@justforthelulz That would be epic. Pro mangaka move.

 

[akomni]

Got a question for people who read further than I have.
I'm on chapter 10.. Until when does the charade of them keeping up appearances as BF/GF end? Although I have no problems with the over arching plot of the story, it is incredibly hard to dredge through the falsities and never-ending pit of lies that the MC is digging himself into. I'm fine with the characters themselves as they're supposed to start off naive and problematic, but god damn is the MC punchable.
I'll probably put this series on hold till the anime comes out, or until someone answers this question of mine.

 

[SamuAnca]

I'm totally catched by this manga! Can someone recommend me some similar titles? Thanks

 

[justforthelulz]

Because Kazuya/Chizuru/Ruka are all fuckups in terms of characterization:

Spoiler

_{I didn't make this, no credit to me.}

 

[Megahu]

Simp

 

[Kampfarsch]

Unbearable simp MC trying to get into unbearable FMCs panties for like 100 chapters with dogshit pacing
Only read this if you have a some kind of maso fetish for reading actual garbage
Like ive seen a lot of shit manga get anime adaptions but the level of quality this vomit is getting is actually fucking infuriating

@akomni it doesnt

@McLXIX

Spoiler

 

[Adiazgonz]

@akomni it does, but the psychological traits of the character must be consistent with the narrative, timeline and plot.

Don’t let the stupid haters fool you. This is a complex story after all, not suited for kids used to different stories.

 

[firefox1234]

This is a complex story after all, not suited for kids used to different stories.

@Adiazgonz its hilarious reading comments from pseudo intellectuals trying to act like this is some novel piece of work. Who are you trying to impress? Was shakespeare or Mark Twain too much for you?😂

 

[NGOtaku]

*NEWS ABOUT ANIME?!?!?!!?!*