Rent-A-Girlfriend is an entertaining romantic comedy/ harem anime series, which becomes surprisingly deep as it progresses. If you want to know where to watch this interesting series online, we can help.
About Rent-A-Girlfriend
The series features unlucky loser and college student Kazuya Kinoshita. At the beginning of the series, he has been dumped by his girlfriend. To help him get over his ex-girlfriend, Kazuya rents a “girlfriend,” Chizuru.
His relationship with Chizuru becomes increasingly complicated as he needs to keep up the charade around his family. As the story unfolds, it becomes obvious that he’s starting to have real romantic feelings for her. And she appears to feel the same way about him (albeit in the most tsundere way possible).
Just to make things more tricky, two more rental girlfriends enter the picture — Ruka, who wants to date Kazuya for real; and Sumi, a shy girl who needs Kazuya’s help to overcome her social anxiety. Kazuya’s ex, Mami, also returns as a jealous girl who tries to figure out what’s going on with Kazuya, Chizuru, and the other girls.
By the third season (July 2023 to present), the story shifts somewhat. Kazuya is now focused on helping Chizuru with her movie dreams. Ruka is more determined than ever to be his real girlfriend (and is suspicious of the movie-making plans).
Mini Yaemori also enters the picture as a nosy neighbor who wants to “help” Kazuya and Chizuru with their relationship.
Series History
The story started out as a manga by Reiji Miyajima. The manga, which started in 2017, is still ongoing as of September 2023. The series’ Japanese title is Kanojo, Okarishimasu, a.k.a. Kanokari.
Seasons 1 and 2 were each 12 episodes long. At the time that this was written, the anime was in the middle of a 12-episode season 3.
List of Places to Watch Rent-A-Girlfriend Online
- Netflix Japan
- Crunchyroll
- Muse Asia (YouTube)
- Disney+
- Sentai Filmworks (Blu-ray)
Note: These are all legal and licensed locations. You will find no pirates here.
Where to Watch Rent-A-Girlfriend Online
1. Netflix Japan
If you like to watch your anime in pure Japanese with no subtitles, Netflix Japan has the first 24 episodes. (Given Netflix’s binge-watching policy, it is possible that the streaming service will release all of season 3 after it finishes.)
I didn’t find the series at Netflix U.S., Singapore, Hong Kong, Korea, Taiwan, Australia, or Israel.
Pros
- A good selection of anime and other content
Cons
- No translation
- Not all of the episodes (yet)
Price: Basic with ads, $6.99/ month. Basic: $9.99/ month. Standard: $15.49/ month. Premium: $19.99.
Language options: Japanese only
Watch Rent-A-Girlfriend at Netflix Japan.
If you’re outside Japan, you will need a good VPN, such as NordVPN, to watch the episodes.
How to Watch Rent-A-Girlfriend Anywhere in the World
This method works on both desktop PCs and mobile phones or tablets.
- Purchase (or start a free trial) of a VPN. I can confirm that NordVPN works for this purpose.
- In the settings, choose Japan as your location.
- Fire up the VPN and wait for it to do its magic
- Once you’re connected, navigate to Netflix (browser or app)
- Search “Rent-A-Girlfriend” in the Netflix search bar and you should see the anime pop up.
Enjoy! Please note that if your Netflix library doesn’t update to reflect the country you selected in your VPN, you may have to clear the Netflix cache first and try again.
To do this on mobile, go to settings -> apps -> Netflix -> clear cache. To do this on PC, you have to clear the cache in your web browser.
I’ve had no trouble using this method and I still use NordVPN to watch anime from various Netflix country libraries daily.
2. Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll can be a good choice in many parts of the world if you don’t want to use a VPN. The language options are good, and episodes show up as soon as they air in Japan.
If you run across problems while using Crunchyroll, we have some tips which can help.
Pros
- Good language options
- A large library of classic and recent anime shows
- All of the episodes are simulcast
Cons
- Geo-locked in some areas
Price: Free, limited viewing is possible for some shows. $7.99 for “fan” level; $9.99 for “mega fan”; and $14.99 for “ultimate fan.”
Languages: Audio: Japanese. Subtitles: English, German, Spanish (Latin American), Spanish (Spain), French, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, and Arabic.
Watch Rent-A-Girlfriend at Crunchyroll.
3. Muse Asia
In some parts of Southeast Asia, you should be able to watch the first 24 episodes of Rent-A-Girlfriend at Muse Asia’s YouTube channel.
I tested Muse Asia with NordVPN, and found that episodes would play in Indonesia and Malaysia. The playlist showed up in Singapore, but episodes would not play.
Pros
- Free episodes
- A decent selection of anime
Cons
- Doesn’t have third season (yet)
- Geo-locked outside of Southeast Asia
Price: Free
Language: Japanese with English subtitles
Watch Rent-A-Girlfriend Online at Muse Asia (on YouTube).
4. Disney+
If you’re in Japan, you can watch Rent-A-Girlfriend at Disney+. If you’re outside Japan, you will need a VPN, and a Japanese form of payment. (PayPal seems to be acceptable.)
A version of Disney+ exists in the U.S. as well. However, I can’t confirm that the series is not geo-locked in the U.S.
The Japanese Disney+ website is also unclear about whether or not English subtitles are available. (A Disney+ viewer complaint would suggest that English is not an option.)
Pros
- A lot of Disney content
Cons
- Geo-locked in some areas
- Limited language options
Price: In Japan: 990 yen a month; 9900 yen annually, In the U.S.: $1.99/ month for three months, then $7.99/ month.
Language options: Japanese in Japan
Watch Rent-A-Girlfriend Online at Disney+.
5. Sentai Filmworks (Blu-ray)
Although Sentai Filmworks’ HIDIVE streaming service does not have Rent-A-Girlfriend, you can get the Rent-A-Girlfriend (Season 1) Complete Collection Blu-ray disc set from Sentai.
Pros
- Get a permanent copy of the series
Cons
- Region A Blu-ray discs will not play in Europe, or most of Asia
- Season 1 only
Price: $48.99 at Sentai Filmworks
Language: Japanese with English subtitles, and English dubbed
Buy Rent-A-Girlfriend at Sentai Filmworks.
Conclusion
Each one of these options has its advantages and disadvantages. Hopefully, at least one of these should allow you to watch Rent-A-Girlfriend without too many problems.
Enjoy the show!
