Rent-a-Girlfriend Season 3 Episode 9 Review

99% Lies and 1% Truth

The first half of Rent-a-Girlfriend Season 2 Episode 9 was very good. And then, the second half happened. But, let’s forget about the second half for now. In the first half, we got to watch Chizuru and her grandmother spend their final moments together.

In my professional opinion, Sora Amamiya, Chizuru’s voice actress, did an amazing job. I’ve seen her in a lot of other anime, probably most notably as Aqua in KonoSuba. But, her performance in this episode of Kanokari might be my favorite. Also, full disclosure, I had no idea she played Aqua until right now.

Anyway, before her grandmother died, she was able to see at least part of Chizuru’s movie thanks to Kazuya. He made it back to the hospital with the movie in time. So, that was great to see. Though, I assumed Granny Sayuri would survive long enough for that to happen.

After the movie finished, we got what I’d say was the best part of the episode. Even this late, Chizuru was still conflicted about telling her grandmother her lie. But, she did tell her grandmother that she lied — even if she didn’t say what the lie was.

Well, I should say that we don’t know if she told her grandmother what the lie was. We never actually got to see what Chizuru chose in the end. Did she stay quiet about herself and Kazuya? Did she come clean? Or, did she vow to turn that lie into the truth?

Personally, I’d like it if we later found out that the latter is the case. After all, if she and Kazuya do become an official couple, then she can say she followed through with her lie. It started out as a lie, but it became the truth.

RIP Granny Sayuri

Chizuru’s Granny Sayuri passed away in the middle of the night with Chizuru by her side. That’s sad and all. But, we’ve hit the point in the review where I’m going to start complaining about things. This is an episode of Kanokari, after all.

My first complaint goes back to that whole 99% lies and 1% truth flashback. Now, this isn’t specific to Kanokari. But, I was thinking about it during this flashback scene. How is Chizuru remembering that conversation? I know it’s relevant to her current dilemma. But, that happened years ago.

I literally can’t even remember a specific conversation I had yesterday. So, when I see flashbacks like this, it breaks my immersion. You expect me to believe Chizuru was paying that much attention to a random conversation?

Maybe I’m the problem, though. Too much anime is known to cause brain rot.

The other problem I had with the first half of the episode was Granny Sayuri’s speech. I know it’s for dramatic effect. But, Granny Sayuri was able to give an entire final speech even though she couldn’t open her eyes? I don’t believe it. But, again, maybe I’m the one who’s wrong.

Other than those two nitpicks, I don’t have anything else to complain about. At least, not when it comes to the first half of the episode. And, for most anime, I wouldn’t even call those things out. But, there’s something about Kanokari that makes me notice the little flaws.

Nitpicks aside, I’m curious to see how Granny Sayuri’s death will affect Chizuru. My assumption is that it’s going to push her toward Kazuya more. I know he’s not her family. But, at this point, he’s the closest to thing family that she has. Even their grandmothers were best friends.

Something Only Kazuya Can Do

The second half of Episode 9 was where all the cringe came into play. Even the cut from Chizuru’s grandmother dying to Mini crying on the ground outside was bad. Suddenly, I couldn’t take anything seriously anymore.

But, that’s by no means the worst of it. When leaving the wake, Kazuya’s grandmother says that there must be something he can do. He’s Chizuru’s boyfriend (as far as she knows), after all. Shouldn’t he be able to do something for her in her time of need? Of course. But, this is Kazuya we’re talking about.

He could have stayed behind at the wake with Chizuru. Even if she didn’t admit it, I’m sure she’d appreciate him standing outside with her. And, it’s not like it would be entirely unexpected for him to do that. As far as Granny Sayuri was concerned, Kazuya’s family.

As expected of Kazuya, he didn’t stay at the wake. He went home and freaked out over Chizuru, as usual. And, this is when the cringiest part of the episode occurred. What’s the one thing Kazuya thinks of doing for Chizuru? Booking a rental girlfriend date.

The implication here is that Kazuya booked a date with Chizuru. And, if that’s indeed the case, he’s surpassed all the other cringy things he’s ever done. I shouldn’t need to say that you should not try to make the girl you like feel better by booking her as a rental.

However, my prediction is that Chizuru isn’t the one Kazuya booked a date with. Surely, even he wouldn’t do something like that. Instead, I’m betting he booked a date with Sumi. And the reason he did it is so he can ask Sumi for advice regarding Chizuru. If anyone would help him, it’s Sumi.

Final Thoughts

What do you think of Rent-a-Girlfriend Season 3 Episode 9? Did you expect Chizuru to tell her grandmother the truth about Kazuya? Did you think her grandmother would live long enough to see the movie? And, what do you think Kazuya should have done for Chizuru? Let me know in the comments.

If my prediction is right, next week should be the first Sumisode (Sumi episode) in a while. I’d like to see Sumi finally make a move. But, I can’t really imagine her doing that considering the circumstances.

If you enjoyed this review, remember to share it with everyone you know. Also, follow me on your social media of choice so you don’t miss out on any future articles — links are in the footer.

Finally, I’d like to thank Roman and JasonHK for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month. And I’d like to thank Key Mochi for supporting at the Senpai tier. To learn more about supporting this blog, check out Patreon.com/DoubleSama.

My review of Episode 10 is available now.