I cannot be indifferent about this one because it wasn't the usual romcom anime I was expecting at first. One reason I generally like anime as a medium is that it can always surprise me. Just the sheer amount pumped out every year makes it certain there is an evolution going on and when you think you have seen everything then comes something new suddenly. (I skipped like 15 years so the contrast is shocking me.)
First of all, Rent A Girlfriend is not a romcom. It's a drama. It does start as a comedy but it turns into a sad social caricature pretty soon. You know that overused and luckily, now overprogressed exposition when the loser guy accidentally gets the best girl fall for him or many of them for the matter. Well, this show looks at that topic and just laughs at it and says, no. Chizuru - as a cold headed professional as she is, going out with guys for money -, would tell you with a straight face, not at all, what were you thinking? Maybe, just maybe, you can enjoy her company for a short period, if you pay enough. Is it cruel? On one hand, it's just an escort business, where the girls are called 'talents', on the other hand, I really felt sad for the poor losers to the point where I felt uncomfortable. Even though, it is fantasy, this approach definitely was the selling point for me, I was bought for the rest of the show.
About the rest of the show, there were some great moments and some annoying moments. The script is well done and was given some thoughts for sure. There are some missteps, like how easily the girls can be found on the Rent A Girlfriend site by anyone by their names. Some scenes - unfortunatelly a complete episode -, were pretty disturbing which is not an issue in itself, but those were unnecessary too. Kazuya, the male lead, is portrayed as simply just too stupid and childish, a bit annoying to be honest, but not unrealistic outright.
On the other hand, besides the situation and the script, I really liked Kazuya's relationship with his friends and how they supported each other; they had some strong moments. Some criticize it, but I also think, Mami's character (Kazuya's ex, dumping him in the very beginning) and role were realistic and important, especially in the last episode of Season 1. Her standpoint is completely valid. Other than that, there is not too much fan service, filler episodes, school scenes, cooking/walking/slacking in general. I dare to go as far as to say that with small modifications this could easily be a western script. As I have heard a live adaptation is also coming, which I see totally feasible. (There are some filler episodes, indeed, like the one with the Sumi girl, I don't know, maybe it will be important in Season 2 or Season 3 coming in July 2023.)
UPDATE: After watching through Season 2 I've came back and lowered my 9 to 7. After a promising start it actually turned into a romcom and a bit annoying one. Particularly it's Kazuya, the male lead, who is annoying to the point it's getting all the female leads into humiliating situations constantly. All conflicts are built on his inability to decide and communicate his intentions straight. This show's strongest point is definitely the ladies. All four of them are likeable, cute, sexy, sensible and well presented, in itself makes the show worth watching; that's the selling point and the script only exists to support that... I really hope there will be a positive spin in Season 3 because it's just getting boring. (Or negative spin for the matter, because it's just stuck. Hachiman or even Yukinoshita would just kill this guy in cold blood...)
