The Summer 2023 Anime Preview Guide

Rent-A-Girlfriend Season 3

If possible, Kazuya's relationship with Chizuru Mizuhara has gotten more complicated. On top of holding up their fake relationship – which he still secretly wants to make a real one – he's now dedicated himself to filming an entire movie for her. In order to fulfill Chizuru's promise to her ailing grandmother, they've got to somehow pull together the resources and skills to make an independent film with Chizuru as the leading lady. With the odds already stacked against them, the other women in Kazuya's life – and a new arrival – are sure to make this seemingly impossible endeavor all the more improbable.

Rent-A-Girlfriend Season 3 is based on Reiji Miyajima's Rent-A-Girlfriend (Kanojo, Okarishimasu) manga. It streams on Crunchyroll on Fridays.

“It's changing, little by little. Our relationship is changing. And these times are gonna continue!”

So says Kazuya at the end of this episode, and anyone who's watched RAG this long is right to doubt him. Since about halfway through its first season, Rent-A-Girlfriend has been the antithesis to progress, especially in the romance department. It has a well-earned reputation for spinning its wheels as long as possible, forever teasing at developing these characters beyond their initial personalities and dynamics but never delivering. You can only put the football in front of Charlie Brown so many times before he stops playing, and I think three seasons of TV is long enough to lose faith.

That's why I'm hesitant to say this, but this season's premiere was good. Of course, there are some aggravating parts – Kazuya still cannot stop internally screaming about how incredibly hot Chizuru is – but there are several moments where our lead couple is enjoyable to be around. With the mutual goal of crowdfunding a movie for Chizuru to star in, they finally have common ground that doesn't involve keeping up their fake relationship or Kazuya's sadboy boner, which does a lot of good. We see Kazuya's good side when he's in Business Mode, breaking down the budget for their prospective film and showing how much time and consideration he's put into the process. Chizuru similarly expresses herself outside of how she relates to Kazuya, showing her dedication to making this happen before her grandmother passes. For the first time in the whole series, these two feel like people who could organically build a relationship, romantic or otherwise, and it's strong enough to give me hope for this season.

That said, I've been here before. RAG has teased changes to the status quo only to forget about them immediately, and there are plenty of ways it could stall out this movie storyline. Not only are the other girls waiting in the wings to soak up screen time – except Sumi, who is once more tragically absent – but we even have a new character to throw in. Mini herself doesn't do much besides establish she's obsessed with mobile games and is an airhead, and honestly, I'd be fine if she continues not doing anything. RAG has more than enough characters that it hasn't utilized, so we don't need another. For two, I kiiiiiind of hate her design. The combo of blue streaks in her hair, the ahoge, and the single fang make her feel like a low-rent (heh) VTuber. I do not like her vibes, is what I'm saying, and in a cast where my favorite character is the psychotic, stalking ex-girlfriend who only shows up twice a season, bad vibes are enough to be Worst Girl in my book.

Still, this premiere has at least done some of the things I've been begging for since season one, and I appreciate that. For its many faults, RAG has the components and ideas to be a genuinely good rom-com. The girls' fashion is as impeccable as ever, the non-Mini designs are still appealing, and there is room for some quality comedy and drama. I feel like a dumbass for teeing up this football again, but in the name of good faith, I'm willing to take one last try at kicking it.