The Rent-a-Girlfriend anime was one of the hottest romance shows of the summer and left fans with tons of questions. Understandably, many have started to look into reading the manga in order to find out what happens to Kazuya. Many fans have presented the manga to be the superior version of the story and are already much farther ahead than where the anime left off.
In fact, the second season doesn't even have a chance of catching viewers up with the manga because so many volumes have already been put out. Before picking up a book, though, there are some things that fans should note about this manga series.
10 It's Published By Kodansha
Rent-a-Girlfriend hasn't been published for that long in the West, but the company responsible for the manga is Kodansha. So far, a total of three manga volumes have been published in English, with the fourth being slated for December.
The English volumes' current release schedule seems to point to the fact that they will all be launched a couple of months apart, meaning that it will take a bit to catch up with Japan.
9 It's Ongoing
The series does not have an ending yet, and more chapters are currently being written. While many viewers probably want to know who Kazuya is going to end up with, the manga hasn't even revealed this fact.
While the manga is much farther along and some evidence has been presented about the final pairing, fans shouldn't go in expecting every one of their questions to be answered.
8 It's A Weekly Manga
Another thing that should be noted is that this is a Shonen series, and it has weekly releases. That means that there is a new chapter every week, but they are not immediately translated into English like Shonen Jump titles are.
Because of this, it is hard to read the newer chapters as Kodansha doesn't have a simulpub program yet, much to the disappointment of the brand's English readers.
7 The Beginning Is Different
Anime series always has a bit of content removed to fit the show into a particular run time. Rent-a-Girlfriend is no different, and several bits of content have been either left out, changed, or altered.
One of the biggest things new readers notice is that the first chapter of the manga is a bit different than the first episode of the anime and that there is more content in the first few pages of the manga.
6 Ruka Is Different
Ruka is portrayed a bit differently in the manga than she is in the anime. For starters, the manga has a whole chapter dedicated to talking about her heart condition and how it has affected her life thus far.
Secondly, Ruka has a much more childish character in the manga than she does in the show. This is somewhat shown in Ruka and Kazuya's expanded scene when he asks her not to tell about Chizuru.
5 Kazuya Has A Pet Fish
One of Kazuya's defining character traits in the manga is that he is a huge aquarium enthusiast. At the aquarium, he gives out tons of facts about the fish, much to the surprise of his dates, and his app username revolves around aquariums.
In addition, he also has an aquarium in his room that features a monologing and angry axolotl the Kazuya is keeping as his pet. This is a huge part of his personality in the manga that is mostly missing in the anime.
4 The Manga Is More Serious
Despite the series being presented as a rom-com in the anime, the manga is much more serious. Readers will note this early on when learning more about Ruka's condition, and especially in the later chapters.
The darker tone may confuse some readers as the whole show had a light and comedic feel to it, even up until the jealous Mami caught Kazuya and Chizuru in the last few episodes.
3 The Chapters Are Short
The chapters are incredibly light, unlike with some manga series that have 50-page chapter counts. Most chapters of Rent-a-Girlfriend can be completed in just a couple of minutes, which is one of the reasons it's a weekly series.
This can get frustrating once a reader is caught up as the chapters coming out feel like an information trickle when put into comparison with other ongoing series.
2 It's More Adult-Themed
The way the characters talk and handle situations later on in the series makes it feel much more targeted towards adults. Many manga readers note that the way the characters speak in the mangaise different from anime.
Chizuru feels much more like an adult, especially when talking about serious situations, while Ruka is made out to be more childish, which fits her character much better.
1 It Probably Won't End Anytime Soon
Even though this series now has 18 volumes and 162 chapters, it probably won't end anytime soon as the complications and mystery around some girls continue to grow. This manga will likely go on for several more years.
For readers who like to jump into finished series, this may be a huge issue as it's easy to quickly read through all of the available content in just a couple of sittings.