“She's Too Cute!” “Too Cute to Be Real”: Sumi Returns to the Cover of Rent-a-Girlfriend Volume 48 as Cover Art Is Revealed

Manga artist Reiji Miyajima updated his official X account to reveal the cover art for Volume 48 of the Rent-a-Girlfriend manga, due out on November 17, generating major buzz. The cover features Sumi Sakurasawa, one of the series' popular heroines, on a cover for the first time since Volume 18, and her endearing design has drawn a strong response from fans.

Rent-a-Girlfriend is a popular manga by Miyajima. Serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Shonen Magazine since 2017, it is a romantic comedy that begins when Kazuya Kinoshita, a hopeless college student, is dumped by his first girlfriend, uses a "rental girlfriend" service, and meets the perfect girlfriend, Chizuru Mizuhara. Starting with the first season of the TV anime in 2020, the series has run for five seasons, and a sixth season (the Cohabitation Arc) has also been announced. It received a live-action drama adaptation in 2022 and a game as well, showing a wide range of media expansion.

The revealed image shows Sumi Sakurasawa with her cherry-blossom-pink hair braided adorably, dressed in a black Lolita-style dress trimmed with frills. Her upturned gaze and blushing cheeks are charming, and together with the cherry-motif bag and the fancy pink accessories scattered throughout, the cover brings out Sumi's appeal and visual beauty to the fullest, making it a must-see for fans.

In response to the post, fans have left many delighted and glowing comments, such as “Soooo cuuute~~~,” “She's too cute to be real,” “My favorite is too cute!!!,” “This is seriously so exciting!!!!!!!!!!,” “The cover is super cute, and the placement of the cherry bag is genius. Sumi isn't my favorite, but I really like her…,” “A princess from a fairy tale…,” “Thank you for drawing Sumi on the cover of Volume 48! Sumi's smile and kindness give me energy! I hope Rent-a-(Really Shy!)-Girlfriend resumes and I get to see Sumi find a lovely romance and be happy,” “It's been so long since Sumi was on a cover,” and “Is this Sumi's first time on a cover since Volume 18????”

(C)宮島礼吏・講談社／「彼女、お借りします」製作委員会2022