The fourth season of the TV anime " Rent-A-Girlfriend, " based on the romantic comedy manga by Reiji Miyajima currently being serialized in "Weekly Shonen Magazine" (Kodansha), will begin airing on MBS, TBS, BS-TBS and other late-night anime slots, "Animeism," from July 4. The fourth season will enter the "Hawaiians Arc," which is also popular in the original work. Kinoshita Kazuya's devilish ex-girlfriend Nanami Asami, who knows the "true" relationship between him and Mizuhara Chizuru, suddenly gets close to Chizuru, creating a tense situation. We spoke to Sora Amamiya, who plays Chizuru, about the fourth season, which is said to be filled with suspenseful developments.
◇The bond between Kazuya and Chizuru
"Rent-A-Girlfriend" is a story about Kazuya, a 20-year-old college student who was dumped by his girlfriend, and meets Chizuru, a beautiful girl who is a rental girlfriend. The series began serialization in Weekly Shonen Magazine in 2017. The first season of the TV anime aired from July to September 2020, the second season from July to September 2022, and the third season from July to September 2023.
It has been about five years since the first season began broadcasting, and this will be the first new anime in about two years since the third season. "I'm also a fan of the series," says Amemiya, who is happy that it has become a series that has been loved for so long.
"The fans are very passionate about the series, and I feel like it's continuing for so long, which makes me really happy. Although 'Kanojo Okarishimasu' is a romantic comedy, the human drama aspect is getting stronger, and Chizuru shows a variety of different expressions. As a voice actor, I feel like it's a fulfilling role, and I'm really happy about that."
In the third season, Kazuya successfully crowdfunds a movie production, and the distance between him and Chizuru is reduced. The final episode is the one that Amemiya found most memorable.
"The scene that left a particularly strong impression on me was when I cried my heart out in front of Kazuya after the fireworks in the park. In the original work, there were almost no lines, and the changes in Chizuru's expressions were carefully depicted. I think it was a memorable scene for fans of the original work as well, and that's why, when it was made into an anime, I wanted Chizuru to be just like the fans had imagined her to be. However, when I had to act in front of the microphone, I got into Chizuru's feelings without having time to worry about that kind of pressure. I was on the verge of tears, but I used my tearful voice and put it on the microphone as part of my acting. There was pressure, but I was immersed in the scene and was able to naturally get into Chizuru's feelings and act, and that flow was very memorable."
As the bond between Kazuya and Chizuru deepens, Chizuru shows a different side of herself in the fourth season.
"In the third season, the bond between Chizuru and Kazuya as people has deepened. Even if Chizuru sets aside the romantic aspect, he has become someone she can trust, so there are times when she shows her weaknesses. There are also expressions she shows because the distance between them has closed. She recognizes Kazuya as an important person. They share a secret, and she takes action more in order to protect it for Kazuya's sake. I was conscious of the fact that their relationship of trust has deepened through the three seasons when I acted."
◇The right answer is to let Asami manipulate you.
Asami will leave a big impact in the fourth season. Asami is a "soft and devilish ex-girlfriend" who dated Kazuya, who attends the same university, for only one month, but they soon broke up. Contrary to her cute appearance and demeanor, she sometimes shows a dark side. She is aware of Kazuya and Chizuru's "true" relationship, and shows signs of shaking things up. In the fourth season, the shaking gets even bigger. Amamiya says about Asami in the fourth season, "She's scary... right (laughs)."
"In the third season, Asami, who has mostly kept a low profile, will play an active role. I don't know if I can call it an active role (laughs). Of course it's scary to see her in action! Because she's on the move, every episode is suspenseful. I couldn't stop reading the original manga, and I think there are many fans who have been waiting for Asami to appear, so I hope you'll look forward to it."
When Asami appears, a tense atmosphere spreads. This is also what makes her a fascinating character.
"She looks really cute, doesn't she? I also like her twin ponytail hairstyle in season 4. But, yeah, she's scary (laughs). That contrast is addictive. Just seeing Asami-san makes me excited, wondering what's going to happen!? As someone who plays Chizuru, I'm really scared, but I also feel a lot of excitement. I wonder how they're going to make it interesting (laughs)."
Asami is played by Aoi Yuki. She has shown some amazing acting up until now, but we can expect even more amazing acting in the fourth season where Asami plays an active role.
"In season 4, there are a lot more scenes where I interact with Asami, but Asami has always been scary. When I'm with Asami, Chizuru is always anxious, wondering what to do. In season 3, there were no scenes where I spoke to someone with fear or anxiety, and I played Chizuru with emotions that were completely different from season 3. Ao really looks like she's having fun acting. I laughed many times during the test (which is done before the actual dubbing recording). It's so scary that it makes me laugh. The end of each episode of season 4 often ends with a cut of Asami, but when Ao's lines or breath are added, it's just too scary!"
Calling Asami's acting "scary" is the highest form of praise I can give her. I was greatly inspired by acting with Yuki-san.
"Chizuru's emotions, will and thoughts are consistent, but Asami's expression changes as she talks. She was smiling and kind just a moment ago, but suddenly her voice goes low, and when they're talking, you get swept up in her pace. In the scene between Chizuru and Asami in season 4, the right thing to do is to be swept up in her, so I was toyed with and my pace was constantly thrown off. There was a certain kind of pleasure in it. It's because of Ao that I get swept up, even when I don't feel the need to be swept up. It's scary!"
It seems that on set, they sometimes talked about the relationship between Yuuki, Chizuru, and Asami.
"I can sympathize with Chizuru and I like her. Talking to Ao-san, I've come to like the relationship between Chizuru and Asami-san. I got excited when I heard Ao-san's speculation about what would happen if the two of them met again in the future. It seems like an amazing drama would unfold. Right now, I like the pairing of Chizuru and Asami-san."
◇The charm of Chizuru, who is straightforward and clumsy
Chizuru, played by Amemiya, is an ideal girlfriend, pure and innocent, and has a serious personality that makes an effort every day to achieve her goal of becoming an actress. Amemiya says that she loves Chizuru for that very reason.
"Chizuru is a beautiful girl that everyone turns their heads to look at, but she doesn't rely on that. She has a strong core and pursues her dreams, and is straightforward to the point of being clumsy. I think her straightforwardness, to the point of being naive, is her charm. After all, you want to support honest people. Kazuya likes Chizuru not just as a woman, but as a person, too, and that's why Kazuya acts with sincerity. I think she has the human charm to truly move people. The story also depicts human drama, such as family relationships, and it's because Chizuru is straightforward that the human drama hits home. I don't know how many times she made me cry."
She says she can empathize with Chizuru in many ways and is able to act naturally.
"I can effortlessly empathize with Chizuru's feelings. There are times when I naturally empathize with Chizuru's feelings without having to put together an internal structure and make an effort to understand them. I'm also the type of person who wants to face things with integrity, and there are times when I choose to fight for my beliefs. That's why I can empathize with Chizuru. I acted in a tone that was close to my normal voice, and there are times when it came naturally. There were times when I found myself crying naturally in line with the story."
Be sure to check out Amemiya's acting, which synchronizes with Chizuru, in the fourth season as well.
"The visuals are beautiful, and the heroines are portrayed very cutely. The relationship between Chizuru and Kazuya deepens, so in the beginning you can see Chizuru's adorable, vulnerable expression, and then Asami plays an active role, and the story continues to unfold in an exciting way that you can't take your eyes off it. It's basically a battlefield (laughs). Kazuya's family also appears, which adds to the human drama, making it even more exciting. There may have been some 'Ami loss' in the third season, but she will be released in large numbers in season four!" As he said, season four seems to be full of highlights.
