Rent-A-Girlfriend (彼女、お借りします) is a slice of life romance comedy based on the manga of the same name by Miyajima Reiji. The fourth season was comprised again of 12 episodes and aired during the Summer of 2025.
Following the drama with Mizuhara's grandmother passing away in season 3, Kazuya feels that they are getting even closer, making a crack in the door to possibly going out with her for real. But Ruka has other plans and doubles down on her claim to the flailing man. To make matters worse he finds out that his ex, Mami, is suddenly cozying up to his grandmother. At school she tells him that she knows the truth about his relationship with Mizuhara and the prolonged lies he is forced her into. Kazuya tries to break it off with Ruka but she refuses. To make things even worse, his grandmother makes a sudden finding Kazuya alone with Ruka. Mizuhara soon arrives and grandmother invites everyone to the family vacation in Fukushima. Caught in a trap, Mizuhara agrees to the trip but when she and Ruka are alone in her apartment, Ruka presents an empty condom wrapper and tells her that she had sex with Kazuya.
The trip was stressful enough beforehand but as they head out to resort, more trouble appears. Mami is meeting them there, being invited by Kazuya's grandmother. Kazuya is determined to ask Mizuhara to be his girlfriend. Ruka senses this and is determined to prevent it from happening. Mizuhara is just trying to make it out intact and return the family ring back. Mami is plotting a long game of control and manipulation playing everyone against each other, dangling the treat of revealing the web of lies as a carrot before them. Everything lies in the balance as Kazuya tries to salvage any sense of respect hes built up with his family...afraid of what his life will be like when/if the truth comes out. Just what is Mami's true goal and how vindictive can she truly be?
I struggled to watch this season. It took 8 months to get through. I could usually only stomach one episode of this incredibly painful slow motion train wreck of a story line. In order to keep viewers coming back, or what it thought would be a sure fire way, is agonizingly dragged out the 'will they be exposed' question in almost every episode. What makes things even worse is the entire premise of the season, will Mami expose them, doesn't even get resolved...instead its left to season 5 and continued torment or the viewer. Season three was ultimately a good story, diving deep into Mizukara's past and character. It made me optimistic for season four, which started off well enough. Unfortunately this story needs to keep leaning into the oppressive indecision of Kazuya trying to express his feelings for her. I guess the author realized that trope isn't strong enough to keep carrying this drawn out shit show and dropped the Mami bomb into it...for little more than inciting more confusion and apprehension into the characters. That's it...Rent a Girlfriend is really just an NTR...
Outside of this seasons painfully plodding threats, it also served as a fan-service extravaganza. The back half was pretty much a prolonged beach episode. I feel bad for Ruka, I truly do, but shes also gotta understand when to give up. The entire premise and conclusion of the series is that Kazuya will win over Mizuha. This is a terrible entry into the romance category. I don't know if its worse than Nisekoi...but I'm not willing to watch that show more to find out. At this point I truly am just a prisoner in this story, unwilling to drop it this far into it...season five will hopefully wrap it up or pick its self off the floor. I suspect its going to be as unbearable as season four was...but hopefully only the beginning. The manga industry has a horrible habit keeping successful stories on life support to force as much story as the author struggles to puke out. This story should have wrapped up with this season, without the neurotic Mami plot.
The season was simulcast on Crunchyroll.
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