Itsuki Tomonari is a high schooler working to support himself, but his deadbeat gambler parents steal all his money and skip town. Then he happens to witness a girl being kidnapped, so the kidnappers grab him too. The girl, Hinako Konohana, is unflappable, behaving like a selfish slob even in the faces of her kidnappers. Rescue soon comes, but Hinako has taken a liking to Itsuki, so her uber-rich family hires him as her caretaker. Hinako’s father explains that she is capable of acting like the perfect lady and student at school, but her slovenly side also slips out all the time, necessitating a caretaker to keep it in check and help her maintain her perfect image.

I have mixed feelings about this one. It reminds me a bit of the classic Himouto! Umaru-chan, a hilarious anime about a girl who seems perfect at school but is a slob at home. That’s a good thing. But I felt like the humor here never quite worked for me (e.g., the pee gag, or the “chop it off” joke). Don’t get me wrong, the episode does have its funny moments, but something frequently felt a little off. For one thing, Itsuki has a lot less angst than I’d expect for someone in his position. And then, with the late introduction (via text message) of Itsuki’s childhood friend Yuri, I worry we’re going to end up with an annoying love triangle. The premise has enough potential that I’ll probably give Rich Girl Caretaker another episode to impress me, but I can’t enthusiastically recommend it. Still, it’s not terrible, and if your sense of humor differs from mine, you may really get a kick out of this one.

Rich Girl Caretaker: I’m Secretly the Caregiver of the Most Popular Girl in This Rich Kid School is streaming on Crunchyroll.