WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Episode 4 of Girlfriend, Girlfriend, "Girlfriend and Girlfriend" now streaming on Crunchyroll.
The new 2021 summer harem anime Girlfriend, Girlfriend really gives its protagonist, Naoya, everything a teenage boy could ever want. So far, three girls are begging for his attention. One of them, Nagisa, even puts his needs over her own just so she can have the opportunity to spend time with him. So what's so great about Naoya? What about him entices girls to flock to him like birds?
Naoya is just an ordinary high school boy, and yet he seems like the hottest commodity in Girlfriend, Girlfriend. While the anime has spent most of its time thus far fleshing out the girls' various characters and personalities, Naoya has been relatively left by the wayside. But he must have some substance, otherwise, all these girls liking him would be outright unbelievable.
But Naoya's appeal isn't so hard to understand. In the very first episode, we're introduced to him by way of Saki, his childhood friend and now girlfriend. He's so ecstatic that she finally agreed to date him that he showers her in affection, to the point of her embarrassment. But Naoya doesn't seem to have any shame in regards to loving Saki, or girls in general. He will show his affection full-tilt, no holds barred.
While anyone would love to be showered in adoration in a relationship, Naoya is also incredibly understanding. When he asks Saki for permission to include Nagisa in their relationship, he does so without expectation, knowing full well that it may not happen. But when she reluctantly agrees, he immediately does whatever he can for Saki because he understands how much this will cost her.
In Episode 4, Naoya's kindness shines through even more. When Rika threatens to share his secret with the students at school, Naoya still swears that he wouldn't share her secret MeTuber identity with anyone, no matter what. Even when his own secret is threatened, Naoya doesn't back down from being honorable and just genuinely nice. It's one of the reasons that Rika decides she should join their little ensemble.
While Naoya may seem like he doesn't have a lot to offer, all of his strengths lie just beneath the surface. There's a reason why Saki agreed to go out with him after all these years, why Nagisa confesses to him out of nowhere and why Rika decides to join their threesome. Though he seems to be a taker, asking these girls to share him, he gives just as much. When Saki comes home from school, Naoya lets her relax while he does all of the housework. While he is somewhat compensating for his ruthless relationship request, it shows that he's determined to stick to his word, which is definitely admirable.
Though we haven't seen too many layers of Naoya yet, he's definitely not the worst person for these girls to fall for. He's caring, thoughtful, and most importantly, he understands the gravity of the situation he's desperately fighting to have and maintain with them. He tries to be understanding of their feelings and always errs on the side of caution. True, Naoya is definitely the lucky one in this scenario, but he's earnestly trying his best to be deserving of all these girls and their affections.
