Rent-A-Girlfriend: Kazuya is THE WORST

Rent-A-Girlfriend: An Example of Head Scratching Character Writing

     One of the hottest new shows this season that has sprung a number of internet memes and waifu's has definitely been Rent-A-Girlfriend (Kanojo, Okarishimasu). It's a show revolving around a man in college named Kazuya Kinoshita, a self-proclaimed virgin who is awkward around women and who just had his girlfriend dump him. In his sadness of losing his girlfriend, Kazuya stumbles across an advertisement for a Rent-A-Girlfriend, an industry that lets men rent out women to pretend to be their girlfriend for a day. Through this he meets a beautiful girl named Chizuru Ichinose and a web of lies and drama ensues as these two's lives become intertwined with one another. 

For this show there is a lot to talk about when it comes to the characters and how they act, but the biggest and most standout character that just leaves a bad taste in your mouth has to be the main character in Kazuya. There's nothing I hate more in writing than when a writer tries to make a character "likable" by making the side characters talk about how "likable" that character is. That does nothing for me and that's where the character of Kazuya falls.

• His depiction of being socially awkward around women because he is a virgin is a bit off-putting. Not because of the fact that he is a virgin but by the way this series seems to portray virginity as if virgins are some alien species that can't be comprehended. For example, when he starts acting awkward in any social situation the first response is usually, "Sorry, he's a virgin." What? Last I checked virginity doesn't impair a person's social skills.

• Next would be the relationship between Kazuya and Chizuru. Throughout the episodes so far Chizuru has maintained this viewpoint of wanting to stop with all the lies and to move on with her life, but every time an opportunity arises that would allow for her to leave, she plays along with it while still claiming, "This is the last time." So does she not want to end it or does she? And as of the most recent episode (episode 4), there seems to be this hint that Chizuru might have feelings for Kazuya. Why? I have no clue and there hasn't been a good job as to explain why she would feel that way. Up to this point Kazuya has done nothing but lie about their relationship and whenever a problem occurs, Kazuya keeps creating these lies while dragging Chizuru into his life problems. Why she would be attracted to someone who is intentionally not allowing her to live her own life is beyond me.

• Going back to what I said earlier about how writers try and make the main character "likable"by having the other characters around them preach about how "likeable" that character is. This has show up a lot of times already through four episodes and it honestly makes me like the main character less when a writer does this. Too often Kazuya will do something stupid that ends up being manipulative to the one's around him and yet everyone treats him like an angel. Why? Because obviously the writer can't have the main character ever be in the wrong (sarcasm). The fact that the main character can do such terrible things like manipulating a girl into being your girlfriend, lying to your friends about her and her life, lying to your family about it because he's too scared to tell his family he's single, and repeatedly involves others in his problems without their consent, AND STILL the characters around him will shrug it off with a "It's not your fault" or "He's such a great guy". That is pandering on another level.

Keep in mind that this is just through the first four episodes of the show and there are this many glaring issues with Kazuya as a main character. And from what I've heard from the people who have read the manga of this series, this is something that is not going to change. 

But hey, at least the OP is pretty good. 

(Centimeter by the peggies)