Rent-A-Girlfriend (彼女、お借りします, Kanojo, Okarishimasu) is a 2020 television anime series based on Reiji Miyajima’s manga series of the same name. The series was adapted by studio TMS Entertainment, and the staff credits include director Kazuomi Koga, series composition writer Mitsutaka Hirota, character designer Kanna Hirayama, and music composed by Hyadain, Tomoyuki Otake & Yūsuke Itagaki. The series first aired in Japan on July 2020.
Background:
“When Kinoshita Kazuya’s new girlfriend brutally dumps him, he discovers a surprising new alternative – renting a girlfriend instead! However, while this does let Kazuya avoid the embarrassment of explaining to his friends and family why he’s suddenly partner-less, he’s unprepared for what happens when Mizuhara Chizuru arrives to fulfill his rental contract. Not only is she completely not what he expected, but her real life has a frightening number of cross-overs with his own! And when it turns out that his grandmother is just crazy about Chizuru, it’s not like he can just swap her out for a different model! Or can he? Will Kazuya and Chizuru’s relationship progress beyond a “goods purchased” mode? And what happens if Kazuya’s ex-girlfriend decides to re-enter the picture? Find out when love and romance are delivered on an installment plan in RENT-A-GIRLFRIEND!”
Plot Synopsis via Anime Limited, April 2024.
Never have I had watched an anime where there’s a lot to like about it but there’s always that one specific thing that just throws you off constantly. Rent-A-Girlfriend is an example of that. I love the concept of the series and the cast in particular, but Kazuya is a perfect example of how to seriously divide an audience, and credit to the author for managing to put out at least 30 volumes of the manga which is still on-going to this date. Now I have yet to watch the second season so my opinion can change, but I am determined to survive the cringe that comes through.
What I also found interesting about the series are the different variety of the main female leads throughout, which has also caused so much debate on which is the best and which is the trashiest between Chizuru, Mami, Ruka and Sumi. Ruka is great for the snicker meme and Sumi is a mascot. Mami I just don’t yet understand her character but I suppose it’s not something that gets addressed until much later in the story. Chizuru I do like and she also has great expressions. But I am not going to say who’s the worst out of the four or who’s the best, everyone has their own preferences.
Crunchyroll licensed the streaming and home video rights for the first season and eventually the second and third seasons (and I keep forgetting they made a third season). Because the first season came out before the merger between Crunchyroll and Funimation was complete, Sentai Filmworks received the sub-license to release Rent-A-Girlfriend for home video but only the first season, as Crunchyroll themselves released the second season.
Sentai even provided a premium edition package for the series which is still around. Anime Limited in a similar deal to Sentai with these select number of Crunchyroll titles, managed to secure the UK & Ireland home video rights for Rent-A-Girlfriend. Whether they manage to get the second or third seasons is up in the air, but at least the show is now more accessible, even if its quality is all over the place.
Collector’s Edition Contents:
Sentai have released a premium edition as mentioned but Anime Limited have also provided one of their own for Rent-A-Girlfriend, though to be honest the artwork used throughout is definitely a bit weaker in that aspect.
This release is presented with a rigid box containing an Amaray case to house the Blu-ray discs, in addition to a 36-page booklet and 4 art cards. The booklet includes episode synopsis, character information and illustrations from the anime series. This is pretty much the same booklet used for the Sentai Filmworks premium edition.
The artwork is free of any information or BBFC content and the info sheet covers the information and specification like previous Anime Limited releases. The collector’s edition Blu-ray has 1000 units printed for an SRP of £69.99, and is also available in a standard edition Blu-ray.
The series was made available as an early bird during the month of April, and was on offer for £39.99 with the Anime Unlimited membership lowering the cost down to £35.99.
Physical Contents:
- Rigid Box with Amaray packaging and clean artwork
- Info sheet for specification and BBFC description
- 36-page Booklet
- 4 Art Cards
On-Disc Contents:
Distributor: Anime Limited
Released: 15th April 2024
The collector’s edition release for Rent-A-Girlfriend Season 1 contains all 12 episodes of the show’s first season across two Blu-ray discs, with the encode & authoring done by Sentai Filmworks via their release in 2021. The audio options include Japanese with English subtitles and the STUDIOPOLIS, Inc. English dub commissioned by Crunchyroll. English subtitles for the Hard of Hearing are also available.
The yellow subtitles are locked during playback, and the regions are accessible to Blu-ray players set to A & B.
Blu-ray Specs:
| Languages | English, Japanese |
| Audio | English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 |
| Video | 1080p High Definition Native format 16:9 aspect ratio |
| Region | A B |
| Subtitles | English, English HOH |
| Locked Subtitles | Yes |
| Discs | 2 (1 BD-50, 1 BD-25) |
Blu-ray On-Disc Extra Features:
Disc 2:
- Clean Opening “centimeter”
- Clean Ending “Kokuhaku Bungee Jump”
Unboxing Photos:
Final Notes:
Rent-A-Girlfriend Season 1 is available to purchase on Blu-ray by Anime Limited in the UK & Ireland. The collector’s edition Blu-ray release can be bought through the AllTheAnime Store.
For the standard edition, it is also available across different retailers including Amazon UK, AllTheAnime Store, and Anime-on-Line.
(Disclaimer: Amazon links are also included when available. They are affiliated so if you decide to order them, I’ll earn a small percentage if they ship which will help me with any hauls or small bills.)
The Normanic Vault 
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