Rent-A-Girlfriend It is one of the most popular anime among romantic comedy harems, it currently has three seasons. And since we're in purple tide week, I decided to give it an extra moment of attention. Do you like this delivery? Because? How naively comical do you think it is? I'll tell you what I think about it in this week in which everyone is invited to be more critical and careful with the details.
Rent-A-Girlfriend is a manga series written and illustrated by Reiji Miyajima. The manga began serialization in 2017 (it is currently still in publication) and was adapted to an anime in 2020 by the TMS Entertainment studio.
About Rent-A-Girlfriend
What is Rent-A-Girlfriend about?
Rent-A-Girlfriend is an anime that follows the story of Kazuya Kinoshita, a young man who wants to date someone and, since he does not have a partner, decides to use an application to hire a girl, ask her to go out with him and pretend to be his partner for a day. . These applications are, in fact, quite common in Japan.
Initially, Kazuya dates Chizuru Mizuhara and after that, other girls from the same company will influence the story, and all will prove to have romantic pretensions with Kazuya who, however, is united with Chizuru by a peculiar event, in which both are in the hospital while they go to visit to their grandmothers.
After this, the young people will discover that they are neighbors and will have more moments together. And this is precisely why Kazuya will have the opportunity to meet Chizuru as she really is.
It should be noted that, as is usual in the genre, The girls have a very clear profile of action, in such a way that they are subjected to playing the hegemonic feminine role.For example, being sweet and tender but also reserved; and this goes from attitude to way of dressing.
The girls act according to the taste of their clients and each one changes according to what they are looking for; If a client doesn't like her style, Girls can negotiate it and change according to what he decides. At the end of the day it is a job opportunity.
Although it is known that Japan also has other types of agencies where you can rent to a “grandfather” or a “mother”, Rent-A-Girlfriend focuses on the model bride and this causes a particular noise.
And I say this because how should I be a girlfriend? Are women really that way? What type of mythological woman is drawn in a request that seems open?
An exemplary bride must be quite a lady, right? But, What happens when those ladies exist only in the desires of men who have configured women to desire to be that which satisfies only them?
What differences are there between Machiavelli's educational manuals —Prince— and that of Cristina de Pizan — The treasure of the city of ladies— ?
Women have a mold and these types of situations remind us of it in a stark way.
About women and their objectification
We know that historically the situation of women in many Eastern cultures is complicated and, although it is impossible to delve into these issues here, it does seem important to me. reflect on the circumstances that come to us in “innocent” products, such as an anime.
The women of Rent-A-Girlfriend They function as an object of purchase and sale and leaving it that way would be an understatement, since it is the beginning of the commodification of time, space and the girls' bodies.
I am not going to delve into whether they have a truly free decision—because it is more complex than I could cover at this moment—but rather in the fact that there is a market and an environment that allows and encourages this type of exchange. It is a statement that women are a product for sale, and they have been for quite some time and it is important to always remember that.
Violence on the body, time, role and ideology of women is exercised by being able to possess them in each of these aspects. Because, in short, People can request the characteristics and if the girls want to work, they have to fulfill them. Yes, be just as the man requests.
What does it feel like to spend time with someone who makes you uncomfortable in exchange for the remuneration you need to live? And this is obviously not limited to the face, voice or aroma, but to the way of conversing, the topics and ideological positions. There are also the points on which tastes coincide and those on which we do not. Sharing time with someone you don't like at all is brutal and having a “minimal” approach such as holding your partner's arm can be quite uncomfortable in a situation like this. Assuming you are close or interested in someone you don't know is a tough construct.
It is absurd, of course, to try to review what circumstances lead each girl to work in that agency. While at the other extreme is the public that requests services and knows that it can buy a human experience, which is chilling.
However, you can get a loving human experience from a woman you like, do you know what principle I'm talking about? It's heartbreaking that this is proposed as a romantic comedy and a harem!
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Capitalism and romantic relationships
Although capitalism has an impact due to its foundations of ruthless economic exchange, the truth is that talking about the cost of the body is one issue, and another, reflect on time and the ideology that constructs that body.
Love as a product that can be afforded is not something new either.. In the end, February 14 is one of the celebrations that most values people's romance, interest, and sensibilities.
However, the clarity with which this is expressed in Rent-A-Girlfriend It is shocking; It's incredible that this scenario has resulted in an extremely popular comedy, in which we see a catalog of different women who fall in love with a man whose power consisted of buying them for a few hours a day.
The price of relationships and romance is becoming more stressful and unwise. Although one does not live on love, neither does one live on money – literally or sensibly.
Thus, Rent-A-Girlfriend It ends up being a rather negligible comedy, if we take a look at the deep structure that sustains them, at the core, at the principle that is based on the idea of the commodification of the woman's body. However, it is even more amazing, now it is not limited to the body but the fact of showing affection and interest in a particular way is added.
Rent-A-Girlfriend is a delivery that once again presents the catalog of archetypes of women in the world, recalls and sustains the roots in the ways of seeing, constructing, idealizing and violating women based on what society expects of them and the possibilities of the power that men can exercise over them.
Although women as merchandise is not a new concept – let us remember the marriage agreements in European and pre-Hispanic societies; in addition, of course, to the commodification of women's bodies for a limited time—and currently we continue to see it through different, increasingly sophisticated systems, of which, an example is precisely Rent-A-Girlfriend.
In this way, anime ends up being an ideological construct that, far from solely reflecting reality, helps to continue building it, in addition to maintaining and optimizing existing systems through its legitimation translated into harem comedy.
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Where can I watch Rent A Girlfriend? How many episodes does it have?
Rent-A-Girlfriend Is available in Crunchyroll. Currently the anime series has around 36 chapters and even a drama series.
The manga is published by Panini publishing house and the price of each volume is 119 MXN.
Although entertainment can be conceived as just that: entertainment, it does not mean that we cannot be critical of the content we consume and, even more so, with the content we appreciate. Have you ever wondered what entertains you and why?
Thinking about the ideological structure that supports your favorite anime is also important because it allows you to see things about yourself, as well as realize if they are things that you are aware of – to what degree – or not, and if you are comfortable – or not — with that posture. What do you think of Kazuya and Chizuru?
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