Rent-a-Girlfriend Creator Sparks Debate With New AI Art

Rent-a-Girlfriend artist Reiji Miyajima has posted a new piece of art done entirely in AI.

By Megan Peters

Rent-a-Girlfriend has made its way up the ladder and become one of anime's top romantic comedies. The harem series has third anime season under its belt as well as a stellar manga and live-action drama. All of the series' success comes down to Reiji Miyajima as the artist brought RRent-a-Girlfriend to life in 2017. And now, the artist is sparking debate online with their recent take on AI.

The whole thing came to light on social media when Miyajima posted some art of Chizuru Mizuhana. As you can see below, Miyajima shared a cute take on the heroine, but fans were quick to double take when they learned the artist did not ink this sketch themselves.

"I recently got interested in AI, so I made it learn my drawings only to create an illustration of Chizuru. So cute," the artist shared.

As you can imagine, this AI spotlight has left netizens divided. On the one hand, this artwork of Chizuru is cute, and it does capture the art style Miyajima is known for. But on the other hand, well – fans are not too happy about this AI plug.

After all, AI had stirred a number of controversies in recent years when it comes to the arts. From film to television and manga, AI has been heavily scrutinized by creators and fans alike. From copyright concerns to environmental issues, AI has garnered a bad rap in the community. So while Miyajima orchestrated this AI tribute themselves, fans are hardly pleased it exists period.

If you have never seen Miyajima's work on Rent-a-Girlfriend, the series is easy enough to find. The hit anime is streaming on Crunchyroll while Kodansha oversees the publication of Rent-a-Girlfriend in English. So for those wanting more info on the series, you can read its official synopsis below:

"Kinoshita Kazuya is a 20-year-old failure of a college student. He managed to kiss his girlfriend once, but was dumped after a month. Completely spiteful, Kazuya uses a certain method to date a girl. He goes to their meeting place and suddenly hears, 'You're Kazuya-kun, right?' A beautiful girl brushing her long, black hair behind her ear was there, smiling at him. Her name was Mizuhara Chizuru. Something real is born after just a single rental! A reckless rom-com filled with love and excitement is about to begin!"

What do you think about this Rent-a-Girlfriend controversy? Let us know what you think in the comments below as well as on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!

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