Rent a Girlfriend

Rent-A-Girlfriend (Japanese: 彼女、お借りします, Hepburn: Kanojo, Okarishimasu) is a Japanese romantic comedy manga series written and illustrated by Reiji Miyajima. The series has been serialized in Kodansha’s Weekly Shōnen Magazine since July 12 2017 with chapters periodically collected into tankōbon volumes. Its original title is frequently abbreviated as “Kanokari” (かのかり) in Japan and various official contexts.

The story begins when 20-year-old university student Kazuya Kinoshita is dumped by his first girlfriend Mami Nanami after a one-month relationship. Distraught by this rejection Kazuya enters into an agreement with Chizuru Mizuhara a rent-a-girlfriend from an online service called “Diamond.” During one of their meetings Kazuya learns that his grandmother Nagomi has collapsed and been hospitalized. The two go to the hospital together. Nagomi takes an immediate liking to Chizuru and driven by his desire not to disappoint his grandmother Kazuya introduces Chizuru as his real girlfriend. Soon it is revealed that Chizuru’s grandmother Sayuri is also being treated at the same hospital and the two grandmothers have met. Rising expectations force the pair to continue their fabricated relationship in front of their families.

As the story progresses it is revealed that Kazuya and Chizuru live in adjacent apartments in the same building and attend the same university. These coincidences make it physically difficult to maintain the secrecy of their fake relationship. The central narrative structure revolves around the preservation of this secret and becomes increasingly complex as other people in Kazuya’s life and additional rent-a-girlfriends become involved in the charade.

^{Chizuru Mizuhara and Kazuya Kinoshita} (IMDb)

The series is set in contemporary Japan primarily in the Tokyo metropolitan area. The core premise of the story is based on the real-life phenomenon in Japan of “rent-a-companion” services adapted into a romantic partner version known as “rent-a-girlfriend.”

This system depicted in the narrative operates under strict professional rules and commercial contracts. The service allows clients to book appointments with individuals whose profiles they review via smartphone apps for an hourly fee. In addition to the hourly rate the client directly covers all incidental expenses incurred during the meeting such as transportation meals entertainment and similar costs.

According to the world’s rules interactions between service providers and clients are strictly limited by agency protocols. Under the contract excessive physical contact visiting private or restricted locations without agency approval direct communication outside working hours and developing personal relationships that exceed commercial boundaries are strictly prohibited. The central conflicts and developments in the story arise from the tension between these rigid agency regulations and the characters’ social obligations.

^{Sumi Sakurasawa} (IMDb)

• Kazuya Kinoshita: The protagonist of the series. A university student majoring in business. (Voiced by: Shun Horie)
• Chizuru Mizuhara / Chizuru Ichinose: The rent-a-girlfriend hired by Kazuya through the “Diamond” agency. A literature student at university who uses the name “Chizuru Mizuhara” for professional activities and “Chizuru Ichinose” in academic and personal life. (Voiced by: Sora Amamiya)
• Mami Nanami: Kazuya’s ex-girlfriend who ended their one-month relationship. She is also a student at the same university. (Voiced by: Aoi Yūki)
• Ruka Sarashina: A rent-a-girlfriend employed by another agency. A high school student. (Voiced by: Nao Tōyama)
• Sumi Sakurasawa: A first-year university student working at the same rent-a-girlfriend agency as Chizuru and new to the industry. (Voiced by: Rie Takahashi)
• Mini Yaemori: A first-year university student who lives in the same apartment building as Kazuya and Chizuru. She engages in online streaming and cosplay. (Voiced by: Yū Serizawa)
• Nagomi Kinoshita: Kazuya’s grandmother. She manages the family business. (Voiced by: Yukari Nozawa)
• Sayuri Ichinose: Chizuru’s grandmother. She previously worked as an actress in the film industry. (Voiced by: Sayuri Sadaoka)
• Yoshiaki Kibe: Kazuya’s childhood friend and classmate at university. (Voiced by: Masayuki Akasaka)
• Shun Kuribayashi: Kazuya’s university friend. (Voiced by: Gakuto Kajiwara)

The series incorporates elements of romantic comedy and harem genres. Central themes include deception social status family expectations and the commercialization of romantic relationships in modern society (reflecting the concepts of honne and tatemae). The plot primarily unfolds through situational comedy dynamics driven by secrets the characters must keep misunderstandings and the constant threat of exposure.

^{Ruka Sarashina Kazuya Kinoshita Chizuru Mizuhara} (IMDb)

The anime adaptation was produced by TMS Entertainment and released in television series format. The first season premiered in 2020 the second in 2022 and the third in 2023. While there is no official theatrical anime film adaptation a live-action television series adaptation was produced and aired by Asahi Broadcasting Corporation in July 2022.

• 5th Crunchyroll Anime Awards (2021): The series was nominated in two categories through international viewer voting: “Best Female Character” (Chizuru Mizuhara) and “Best Couple” (Chizuru Mizuhara and Kazuya Kinoshita).
• Campfire Crowdfunding Awards (2025): The official real-life crowdfunding campaign which raised over 29 million yen based on the series’ popularity was selected as “Best Project of the Second Half of the Year” in the Popular Culture category and won the Fan Community Award.