To the surprise of absolutely no one RentAGirlfriend returns to prove that its still a series whose only wholehearted effort it insists on making is its absolute commitment to not allowing any growth or developmentcharacter or otherwise. Pretty much every time I get my hopes up and convince myself that it might actually do anything besides spin and spin and spin its old web of lies bafflingly stupid conflicts and empty promises rehashed solely for the sake of keeping the marketing machine rolling Im slapped in the face with another repugnant helping of Kazuya Kinoshitaour cipher of a leads endless moping and perpetual internal monologues. At the core of the concept the constant clash between him trying to maintain the facade while simultaneously attempting to forge a genuine relationship with a rental girlfriend of all people makes for scenarios I admittedly love to indulge ineven if handled in ways straightup frustrating by design. Some of which would make even the most stonefaced viewer physically recoil in their seat with cringe or even outright yell at the screen. 41000https://64.media.tumblr.com/b0eb06e45d723e8956956582b52a4ca7/00b376801fe5bcc52d/s1280x1920/aa7f85605e63715bb330b90d031c7ac6471a2a09.jpg At this point its honestly impressive how much of a degenerate Kazuya allows himself to be as long as its in service of the idea that hes doing it for his grandma which doesnt even matter anyway since she would obviously rather just know the truth. The headacheinducing romantic and I use that term lightly hijinks he somehow always manages to find himself in are not only a result of the increasingly pathetic neverending web of lies and misunderstandings hes wrapped himself up in theyre a result of his widely agreed status as one of the most utterly hopeless downright embarrassing main characters around only driven by his inferiority complex and general victim mentality. I mean no one with a sliver of selfrespect would have found themselves in the predicament Kazuya did in the first minute of episode one in the first place. How someone like him could feasibly manage to successfully guilttrip a rotation of women who ought to be modeling for magazines into liking him is a feat in itself better yet swapping from girl to girl each episode. All the while lying to his friends and family about every aspect of his life. Its painfully apparent that hes the authors own selfinsert which makes it that much worse. 1000https://64.media.tumblr.com/f551fa3eb36a279eb02c3b98d23b0c23/3a06b7970c33c8576a/s1280x1920/99d884c54b5b68bae5b3aaa4be164dafc5d9475a.jpg Way too much of this show is wasted spent inside of Kazuyas head detailing every redundant thought and flagrant misunderstanding that accompanies them. But to be fair we do get hints of a few nice ideas this time aroundChizurus confidence turning to genuine heartbreak over missing her big break because the director of that play she gave her all in chose to recruit someone who was clearly less qualified for the job solely out of favoritism caught me off guard. It was a much needed moment of development outside of her just being viewed through the filter of being Kazuyas crush. Comparably for as cringeworthy as he can be Kazuyas earnest offer of support to Chizuru was something I was pleased to see even though I knew it ultimately wouldnt lead anywhere. Its nice to see them have a real conversation and get to know each other better and Im glad she gets to be an actual character in her own right even if what little growth is granted to her instantly makes her the only one with some honest thought spared to thembesides Sumi of course whos still the best character in the show. And I dont just say that out of waifu loyaltyshes literally the most likeable character at this point just by virtue of having a respectable personal objective. 1000https://64.media.tumblr.com/4bce91963752042af896800f0ec3aab7/cc9748768b371281ed/s1280x1920/a6484fbafc5ba36283f986591da93f9c49cc6b0e.jpg 300https://64.media.tumblr.com/8a5923bffa44179ce8e18123e4702e09/16ace36dd0a22be723/s400x600/dc990e0397b636fa715fd628c6e7290081773361.gifv Seeing her conquer her debilitating social anxiety to be the compassionate friend Kazuya has somehow been for her brought a genuine sense that these characters have grown for the better through their healthy chemistry together which may well be a first for this series. The few episodes that put the spotlight on her are a pleasant muchneeded step back from the mildly entertaining degeneracy which Im so glad shes never overtly been inserted into. Well not yet at least. Shes endearingly purehearted far far sweeter than this show deserves and the only character who brings out what few positive aspects our cipher of a lead has. Rather than the idealized Girlfriend Experience the show so often endorses Sumi offers the sort of sincere unconditional emotional support you would actually want from a romantic partner. It almost makes it feel as if the show itself acknowledges the fact that the rental girlfriend service is no foundation for a real relationship whatsoever. But these flickers of substance are few and far between and the trudge to get there is so unrewarding that the only thing that might make the whole thing worth it is seeing Kazuya actually grow a pair and ask Chizuru out for real. We both know thatll never happen though. 1000https://64.media.tumblr.com/a60e7ca199d37ea58f8f516fa53ab1b4/30a7688e2c5294eacc/s1280x1920/27bb1b59172c1358c6cedd61497efa9ef92a4bfd.jpg And while the new OP is definitely an unquestionable downgrade from The Peggies delightfully catchy single which practically made the first season as far as visuals go it still feels like this is as good of an adaptation as this series could get. There isnt much animation and the backgrounds frequently leave a lot to be desired however the individual shots are beautified and the vibrant colors almost make up for the shows dull construction. The character art is always on point and the shows eye for fashion continues to deliver. Im honestly convinced the author just flips through the latest Japanese fashion magazines and picks out the most popular outfits. All the girls dress like magazine models aside from Chizuru who dresses sliiightly more classy than her other rental girlfriend counterparts. None of them has a particularly unique taste or flair and so you get to see lots of stylish outfits in the show but I always feel like Ive literally seen this while scrolling through Pinterest or something. Not to say that these girls wouldnt wear these kinds of outfits obviously they would because their job literally depends on them looking dressing and acting their best in every facet of their presentation. I guess Id rather their outfits reflect their personalities more or be discernibly unique from one another rather than always looking straight out of the latest fashion catalog. I realize Im probably talking out of my ass here since this IS the Asian style capital of the world were talking about but still. At the end of the day I still unironically enjoy this show way more than I probably should. Im not sure what that says about me as a person but Im willing to be fairly generous and give it a 4the same score I gave the first seasonbecause upon taking a step back from the moral bankrupcy of it all Ive realized there may well be a tiny crumb of merit in a socially stunted lost soul like me indulging in it indefensible construction and all. RentAGirlfriend is immensely popularbut for all the wrong reasons and as a result of the astronomically infamous and wholeheartedly deserved reputation this series has built for itself most come away from it instantly casting it off as fundamentally illconceived romcom filth only appealing to the lowest common denominator. A show that has nothing to say about anything. And while I no doubt agree with the former I think those who believe the latter are too blinded by the cringe to notice what little hints of selfawareness suggest otherwise because Id say theres at least one noteworthy element under the trash heap the shows depiction of social dynamics. From Ruka believing that just because shes an attractive female she has the right to be relentlessly overtheline and all over people without permission to how Mami is a cold and calculating BPDridden social manipulator who presents herself as this bubbly goodnatured angel who can do no wrong or even Kazuya and his pathetically pussywhipped betaorbiter nature which is a look in the mirror for a concerning portion of young males in our current generation. Many of whom would be quick to clown on him not even realizing the irony of the sentiment. Now Ive been alone and loveless all my life but be that as it may I know for damn sure that there is no shortage of people this superficial twofaced and socially reprehensible in the real world. Anyone could very well be unfortunate enough to know or happen to have been in a relationship with a Ruka or a Mami or a Kazuya. Lord knows there are plenty of the latter two out there. In no way do the characters themselves escape from falling snugly into place of the archetypical cookiecutter harem or romcom dynamics. However the way RentAGirlfriend portrays the interpersonal relationships therein could genuinely be seen as a cautionary tale if anything for more inexperienced viewers who dont know how it really is out there a perfect example of how NOT to approach relationships in general. And for what little thats worth I think I can surprisingly say theres a smidgen of merit to watching this stagnant ceaseless dumpster fire that I just cant look away from. Story: 5 Animation: 7 Sound: 7 Character: 5 Score: 4 Enjoyment: 8