Nisekoi and Rent-a-Girlfriend share some similarities in terms of their romantic comedy genre and the use of fake relationships as a central plot device. Let’s delve deeper into their similarities and see what makes them come up in the “related searches” list.
Nisekoi Plot
Nisekoi is a romantic comedy anime that revolves around the story of Raku Ichijou, a high school student and the heir to the Shuei Clan, a powerful yakuza family. Raku’s life takes a turn when he meets Chitoge Kirisaki, a transfer student who is the daughter of the rival gang leader, and they immediately clash with each other.
To maintain peace between their families, Raku and Chitoge are forced to pretend to be in a romantic relationship. However, they have a difficult time getting along due to their contrasting personalities. Raku discovers a pendant from his childhood that he believes is the key to unlocking his past and finding his childhood sweetheart. He made a promise with a girl ten years ago and has been carrying a pendant that might fit the lock she has. Raku’s hope is that the girl will be his true love.
In his search for the girl, he becomes entangled in a love triangle between Chitoge and Kosaki Onodera, his classmate and a kind-hearted girl he has a crush on. Meanwhile, other girls, including Marika Tachibana, a daughter of a police chief, and Seishirou Tsugumi, Chitoge’s bodyguard, also develop feelings for Raku, creating a complex harem situation.
Rent-a-Girlfriend Plot
This anime follows the story of Kazuya Kinoshita, a college student who is struggling with a recent breakup. Feeling lonely and desperate, Kazuya decides to try out a mobile app called Diamond, which allows him to rent a girlfriend for a short period of time.
Through the app, Kazuya meets Chizuru Mizuhara, a beautiful and seemingly perfect girl who becomes his rental girlfriend. Chizuru is professional, and kind, and excels at playing the ideal girlfriend role. However, after their first rental date, Kazuya’s perception of Chizuru changes when he discovers her true personality, which is quite different from the image she portrays.
Despite their rocky start, Kazuya and Chizuru continue their rental relationship, gradually getting to know each other better and forming a genuine connection. As they spend more time together, they begin to develop feelings for each other, but their circumstances and misunderstandings prevent them from fully acknowledging their emotions.
Alongside his complicated relationship with Chizuru, Kazuya also interacts with other girls who become involved in his life. This includes his ex-girlfriend Mami Nanami, who still has lingering feelings for him, and two additional rental girlfriends, Ruka Sarashina and Sumi Sakurasawa, who complicate Kazuya’s love life further.
Similarities between Nisekoi and Rent-a-Girlfriend
Nisekoi and Rent-a-Girlfriend are sister animes based on their plot and character designs and are constantly compared and drawn parallel to each other. Some of their similarities are-
- Fake Relationships: One of the major similarities between Nisekoi and Rent-A-Girlfriend is the concept of fake relationships. In Nisekoi, Raku and Chitoge are forced to pretend to be in a romantic relationship to maintain peace between their respective yakuza and gangster families. Similarly, Kazuya rents Chizuru to appease his family and deal with his emotional turmoil.
- Harem Elements: Another similarity between the two series is the presence of harem-like elements. In Nisekoi, Raku finds himself at the center of a love triangle (and eventually a harem) as he is pursued by multiple girls, including Chitoge, Onodera, and Marika. Similarly, in Rent-A-Girlfriend, Kazuya becomes entangled with multiple girls, including Chizuru, Mami, Ruka, and Sumi, leading to a complex web of romantic interests.
- Romantic Comedy Tropes: Both Nisekoi and Rent-A-Girlfriend embrace and employ various romantic comedy tropes to entertain their audiences. They incorporate elements such as comedic misunderstandings, awkward situations, and romantic rivalries, creating humorous and lighthearted moments throughout the storylines.
- High School Setting: Both the animes take place in a high school setting, with the main characters facing the typical challenges and experiences of adolescence. The high school setting serves as a backdrop for the development of friendships, romantic relationships, and personal growth.
- Character Development: Both series place a strong emphasis on character development as the main characters navigate their relationships and discover their true feelings. In Nisekoi, Raku evolves from a somewhat clueless and indecisive protagonist to someone who learns to confront his emotions and make genuine connections with others.
- Similarly, in Rent-A-Girlfriend, Kazuya undergoes personal growth as he learns to understand his desires and becomes more considerate of the feelings of others, even going as far as making a movie.Â
In conclusion, Nisekoi and Rent-a-Girlfriend both qualify as a worthy light watch and serve their purpose of a rom-com anime. And as far as light-hearted anime goes, the more the merrier. You can watch both the series on Crunchyroll.