We all disliked Mami Nanami because of her antagonistic role in Rent-A-Girlfriend anime.
She may be less vicious than a treacherous snake, but she’s still dubbed as a “kindhearted liar” who is always up to no good because of her “mean girl” status.
From what we have seen her so far, she spells trouble for Chizuru and Kazuya.
Not a day has gone by in the resort spa where Mami isn’t keeping tabs on the rental girlfriend and her fake/would-be boyfriend. She pushes the fake couple’s buttons and drives them to a corner until they felt guilt-ridden.
But what many fans of the popular manga series are not aware of is how heartbreaking her past love life has been. And even though I don’t particularly like her from the anime, there’s more to Mami than meets the eye.
And once you put yourselves into her shoes by peeking into her past love life, you will feel the gravitational pull of her character arc in this romantic-comedy series.
Mami’s Heartbreaking Backstory
Mami Nanami’s backstory was revealed in chapter 215 of Rent-A-Girlfriend! manga. Mami was only 15-years old when she got pregnant with her ex-boyfriend, Taro Urashima, during junior high.
The backstory of any foolhardy, heartbroken character is very common in anime and manga; so, over time, it has become a stale and bland narrative.
But Mami’s backstory possesses a unique flavor to it because it deals with depression, anxiety, and a “rebellious phase” that many people in real life could have also pondered and experienced had they been cornered into “teen pregnancy” and “unprepared parenthood” dilemmas.
How Many Romantic Relationships Did Mami Have?
Mami has only had two romantic relationships that we know of. The first one was with her ex-boyfriend during junior high; the second one was with Kazuya during high school.
Taro Urashima was Mami’s first boyfriend, and they met each other through a mutual friend (possibly, a gaming friend because they both love playing games on their cellphones).
Happy and silly times went by for the couple just like many other romantic manga couples.
Business and politics were involved because Mami’s parents, (particularly, his father) had already picked a would-be husband for Mami. And “strict” is an understatement to describe her parents.
Their grasp on her was so tight that every day, Mami suffocates from it. Hence, her choice of dating Taro and sleeping with him is her “dazzling experience” that encouraged her to lean on her wild and fun side.
The baby in her belly would have been living proof that she can take care of herself, that she can achieve independence; become her own woman; find her voice, and finally, prove to her parents that “walking a tightrope” just to feel some form of excitement is fine during a teenager’s “rebellious phase.”
Why Does Mami Want Kazuya And Chizuru To Break Up?
Mami wants Kazuya and Chizuru to break up because she wants them to stop playing make-believe.
It seems reasonable to a certain extent because Kazuya and Chizuru aren’t officially going out anyway. At the end of each date, they’re just “rental girlfriend” and her “renter”.
A pitiful concept — but one I must sympathize with cause Kazuya’s getting poorer while Chizuru is getting richer.
“Why not just finish all the drama and lies? It would have been so much easier if the web of lies tangling Chizuru and Kazuya would just obliterate to pieces. Burn all the facades that a romantic relationship offers between so-called lovers.”
Hate her. Love her. She’s Mami Nanami. Hasn’t she become the unbreakable iron maiden force whom Chizuru and Kazuya constantly feared of?! She’s not yielding from the lies that they’re covering up with.
She has learned her lessons through her failed romance. Henceforth, she won’t back down anymore from a fight if she believes she’s helping the people in question.
About Rent-A-Girlfriend
Rent-A-Girlfriend, also known as Kanojo, Okarishimasu, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Reiji Miyajima. It has been serialized in Kodansha’s Weekly Shōnen Magazine since July 2017 and has been compiled into thirty volumes as of February 2023.
A spinoff manga “Rent-A-(Really Shy!)-Girlfriend” which focuses on the character Sumi is also in serialization since June 21, 2020. An anime television series adaptation by TMS Entertainment premiered in July 2020 in the Animeism block.
Kazuya Kinoshita is dumped by his girlfriend, Mami Nanami, after dating for about a month. He then decides to use an online app to rent a girlfriend named Chizuru Mizuhara, a beautiful and attractive girl.
The story moves on as their lives become complicated and entangled with each other. Later, other girls from the girlfriend business also join in dating and showing interest in Kazuya.
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