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Last season I promised to release mini analyses of the running anime that piqued my interest/gave us stuff to talk about. Unfortunately life got in the way. It's actually happening this time around. These threads will be updated regularly and may become essays. RENT A GFPermalink On twitter.com
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I can't help but compare Rent a Girlfriend to Uzaki-chan for at least a little bit, in the sense that they both feature loner dudes in their early 20s who get busty women thrown their way to fix their loneliness.Permalink On twitter.com
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Rent a Girlfriend does have a few positives over Uzaki-chan. Namely: - a plot of any kind - characters with any personality whatsoever - redeeming qualitiesPermalink On twitter.com
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It's a love drama, and a fairly competent one at that. We're introduced to our main character Kazu and are immediately pulled in to his frustrations, emotions, and insecurities.Permalink On twitter.com
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At the same time, we also meet our female lead, Chizuru. I especially like how they give her the generic sweet and innocent waifu personality before making it painfully clear that it's an act. And we know it's an act because main dude pays her to do itPermalink On twitter.com
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Since the show is actually... good (?) one benefit is that I get to talk about something a little more complicated than "this is bad" and "that is problematic", which as an essayist is always exciting.Permalink On twitter.com
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I'm interested in how the show sexualizes its female characters. It's no secret the show is filled with conventionally attractive women. And the show likes to show them off to you. There are more explicit screenshots I could've taken but oh well.Permalink On twitter.com
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But unlike a lot of other shows, all these shots are from the perspective of our main character. It's fan service, but a kind of fan service that communicates the sexual and emotional needs of our characters.Permalink On twitter.com
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I know there are some feminists and womxn in general who don't like fan service period. I've heard the argument and I'm willing to have the conversation. I do think that this kind of stuff can be healthy in the right contexts, and, from what I've seen, Rent a Girlfriend is onePermalink On twitter.com
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In general, Chizuru has a surprising amount of agency for a story that's basically about her getting dragged around into various situations she never asked to be in. I hope she gets some of her own stories in future episodes.Permalink On twitter.com
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The one point of frustration so far is that Kazu seems to be surrounded by people who don't give a shit about him? I mean, Chizuru's relationship with him is purely transactional, and Mami is a fucking petty ass SNAKE. He's got the one friend who turned out to be a real G butPermalink On twitter.com
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I don't know I just want Kazu to be in a functional relationship. But also, me caring so much about it must mean the show is doing a number of things right, no?Permalink On twitter.com
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Anyway, the rest of this post is dedicated to Chizuru faces. EnjoyPermalink On twitter.com
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This show kinda embarrassed me. I told my friend Rent a Girlfriend was a serious and competently done romance drama and then we were immediately met with a 3-minute scene of Kazuya masturbating furiously to his ex while chippy electric guitar played in the background anywayPermalink On twitter.com
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Episode 5 touched on a few pet peeves of mine. The show isn't "bad" by my book, but still it does things that are I think worth talking about.Permalink On twitter.com
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First, the main reason why this episode doesn't work. This is supposed to be the first episode where Kazuya and Chiziru start developing "real" feelings for each other? But nothing that has happened implies romantic attraction.Permalink On twitter.com
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The inciting incident for this scene is that Kazuya saves Chiziru from drowning, and then Chiziru gives Kazuya CPR to save his life. From there they're like "he/she saved me could they be into me?"Permalink On twitter.com
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So here's the thing though, right? I don't think not letting someone die right in front of you necessarily means you want to start dating them. The show acts like the only reason why a man would care about a woman and vice versa is romance. Not true, yeah?Permalink On twitter.com
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Second: in the aforementioned masturbation montage (lol), there's a clear juxtaposition between Kazuya's feelings for Mami and his feelings for Chiziru. Sorry again for no screenshots.Permalink On twitter.com
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When Kazuya thinks of Mami, he thinks of her tits and thighs. He desperately wants to be inside this woman and part of his frustration is that she dumped her for no reason before he got the chance.Permalink On twitter.com
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When Kazuya thinks of Chiziru, however, he gets clean, wholesome thoughts. Of her smile. Of the way she cares about him in her own way. The implication being what Kazuya and Chiziru have is "real love" and what Kazuya and Mami have is not. I'm not here for it tbhPermalink On twitter.com
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There's nothing wrong with wanting to have sex with someone? And I consider the idea that you have to feel romantic attraction otherwise you're "shallow" and your feelings aren't "real" to be toxic as fuck. Also....Permalink On twitter.com
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There isn't really a meaningful difference between how Kazuya relates to Chiziru and Mami. Kazuya is def horny for Chiziru and he def cared about being a good boyfriend to Mami. The difference comes down to framing and also Mami is a fucking snakePermalink On twitter.com
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I was a disappointed in Rent a Girlfriend this week for one simple reason: the whole rental girlfriend concept I think has overstayed its welcome. Let me explain.Permalink On twitter.com
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I was all for the rental girlfriend stuff to be used as a way to bring Chizuru and Kazuya together initially. And tbh I think it was really going well for the first few episodes. But then it was like "our relationship is built on a lie" and "we need to break up"Permalink On twitter.com
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Kazuya likes Chizuru now, right? If so, he should just... ask her out. And Chizuru should just give him a yes or no. If no, Kazuya should move on and talk to other people. See, because I know what's going to happen, right? ...Permalink On twitter.com
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Chizuru and Kazuya are going to keep accidentally going out until they realize they like each other for real. I think that's kind of dumb. It robs both characters of any agency. You don't fall in love by accident, at some point someone somewhere makes a decision.Permalink On twitter.com
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This is like an arranged marriage but instead of two family's it's overly contrived meet-cutes.Permalink On twitter.com
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It was pointed out to me that Chizuru is basically a therapist. Kazuya is paying her money to figure himself out. That's also regrettable because it reinforces the whole "your girlfriend should be your therapist" trope. Your therapist should be your therapist, actuallyPermalink On twitter.com
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Okay, so this is the first episode that I think I'll label as categorically bad. Rent a Girlfriend has been going downhill for me for a while now and this episode sealed its fate for me 😢Permalink On twitter.com
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We're introduced to Ruka from last episode, and we learn that she was a rental girlfriend this whole time. This was not a surprise to anyone who thought about it for more than 2 seconds.Permalink On twitter.com
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For some reason, whenever she's on screen, no one acts like a human being? Like okay take this scene where Kazuya and Ruka run into each other, and then Kuri shows upPermalink On twitter.com
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Kazuya whisks her off into a secret room, where they're forced to hide under a desk together touching each other before they get caught.Permalink On twitter.com
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But, like, isn't the logical thing for Kazuya to do here to just act normal? He ran into his friend's girlfriend. Nothing has happened. There are no stakes other than the one he invented by being a dumbass.Permalink On twitter.com
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A similar scene happens later when Ruka wants to know if Chiziru is Kazuya's neighbor, so he frantically covers the name on her door. Instead of just.... saying no???? And saying "let's talk somewhere else"????? WHY?Permalink On twitter.com
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Instead of introducing a new girl, why not just have Mami go through the same thing? It would be more dramatic for the story, seeing how Mami and Kazuya made out at the beach and she's his shift ex.Permalink On twitter.com
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But the show isn't interested in drama, is it? There are four girls in the OP who look like they smell like flowers and meadows and my GOD are we going to have four girls in as many fanservice scenes as humanly possible!Permalink On twitter.com
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The larger problem, I think, is that the show has transitioned from the Rent a GF gimmick onto actually doing romance. And it has decided to do romance by trotting out every bad anime romcom trope in the fucking bookPermalink On twitter.com
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I praised this show for a nuanced take on sexualizing female characters but we're increasingly getting more blatant and unwarranted fanservice shots as time goes onPermalink On twitter.com
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Needless to say I'm really disappointed, and a little embarrassed. I tend to be a little bit better at spotting shows that'll turn out like this, but I think I had a blindspot with this one.Permalink On twitter.com
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The protagonist is a college virgin who had exactly one short-lived relationship that went to shit really fast and is left figuring out what to do with himself. I think I mistook identifying with the Kazuya's situation for actual quality writing😑Permalink On twitter.com
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Though I will say, I love Chiziru's sweater, and I want one just like it. I'll never look as good as her but it's okayOn twitter.com
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uuhghghghgh uughasfiowgeuorekjfas AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHGKLSSKLAGLKEGNWEJKLSAPermalink On twitter.com
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I need to talk about Kazuya a bit, right? He's kind of a sad, awkward, lonely, virginal hornball. And I actually think his horniness, and how it ties into his loneliness, is rather true to life. In a better show, this would be a strength maybe.Permalink On twitter.com
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So, what happens here is Kazuya stalks his crush for the entire episode. It's just 24 minutes of him following her *everywhere*. I was super uncomfortable, and I'm a dude. It was so bad that I would actually put a CW here, especially for women who have been stalked and morePermalink On twitter.com
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Being horny and lonely is one thing. But what men will do is they'll use those feelings to justify and normalize abusive behavior, and that's just what happens here. Kazuya is clingy and possessive the whole fuckin time while he seethes and fumes and listens to their convosPermalink On twitter.com
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The show MENTIONS that what he's doing is wrong. But he doesn't face consequences for his behavior? Actually, if anything, he's rewarded, because Chiziru becomes the first girl ever to give him a Christmas presentPermalink On twitter.com
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This line here kind of implies that Kazuya's behavior is "what caring boyfriends do" which like AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPermalink On twitter.com
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Leaving the politics for a second, from a writing perspective, this tanks the show. Seriously, these two are supposed to be the couple I'm rooting for. But I just learned that half of this prospective relationship does not respect the rights or privacy of the other.Permalink On twitter.com
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"Wow so hot, I ship it" This is supposed to be about Kazuya becoming a better person. But he's exactly the same. Chiziru just forgives him for committing crimes, lmao. A lot like Re:Zero actually but we don't have time for that conversation.Permalink On twitter.com
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There's an added hypocrisy to the show that just makes this worse. Because Ruka is ALSO stalking Kazuya. She's clingy. She doesn't respect his boundaries. She shows up unexpectedly. She's a bad girlfriend. Shocker, considering she literally blackmails him to go out with her?Permalink On twitter.com
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Why is stalking bad when the girl does it but forgivable and a "sign you really care" when a guy does it? (sexism) (that's the answer) (it's sexism) (case it wasn't clear)Permalink On twitter.com
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This sequence makes no fucking sense considering that Kazuya himself is lusting after the girl with the biggest tits and lightest skin in the whole fucking cast. Maybe she SHOULD go with a 10/10 Chad instead your stalkin ass. DAMNPermalink On twitter.com
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Here's the Chiziru face of the week? I guess. I can't really enjoy it because the episode is so badPermalink On twitter.com
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Oh, bonus, because I almost forgot. Rent a Girlfriend is quickly turning into a show where the only "good woman" is the one that likes the male lead. Maybe it won't do this but I'm looking out for that going forwardPermalink On twitter.com
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Rent a Girlfriend is... awful. Were it not for The Misfit of Demon Academy, I'd be confident in calling it the worst thing I'm watching this season. Even then, Misfit actually has a few things over Rent a GF, like consistent characters. (this is not a compliment)Permalink On twitter.com
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I feel frustrated and more than a little betrayed? The show features a lot of things I personally struggle with in life. I thought, by bothering to speak to me, the show would do something interesting. What I ended up with is incel-bait garbage that normalizes abusive behaviorPermalink On twitter.com
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And what do I get in return? Oh I can be #ChizuruGang or #RukaGang? Cooool?????? Who even are these people? What are they like? Do you know? Can you know with how much the show refuses to give them any sort of consistent characteristics whatsoever?Permalink On twitter.com
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I could go on forever about this garbage, but I'm actually here to say this thread is being discontinued for 4 main reasons 1. Working on this thread is no longer fun. 2. This thread no longer represents how much I loathe this showPermalink On twitter.com
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3. I'll talk about Rent a Girlfriend in my upcoming video essay on romance anyway 4. People close to me are doing a thorough leftist analysis of everything wrong with this show, and what they come up with will be far better than this thread. So yeah, fuck this show, peace y'allPermalink On twitter.com