Forbidden Fruits can be hard to handle
- Episodes : 12
- Genre : Drama, Romance, School, Shounen
- Airing Date : January 2019-March 2019
- Producers : Diomedea
Contains Spoilers
Domestic na Kanojo (Domestic Girlfriend) Introduction
Domestic na Kanojo dives into not one but two very forbidden—or taboo—relationship scenarios. The first is loving a teacher which is considered almost worldwide as abnormal and falling in love with a sibling—in this case not blood related—which is almost taboo in bigger countries. While we here at Honey’s Anime will not say either love is considered wrong or right—because we respect everyone’s freedom of choice—we will say it makes for amazing drama in the anime world. Many anime series—Onegai Teacher, Kiss x Sis and Kuzu no Honkai—take stabs at crafting love/drama themed anime to renowned success or end up falling a bit flat. Domestic na Kanojo falls into a gray area where at times it can be truly captivating and often, it left us with our mouths open but there were moments where melodrama reigned supreme. If you’re curious about last season’s Domestic na Kanojo series, you’ll want to read our full review to see why you should definitely check it out and or why to skip the series. Now let’s bit into this forbidden fruit and see if the taste is sublime or truly nauseating!
1. Love and Drama Done So Well
While the romance and drama done in Domestic na Kanojo can be sometimes hit or miss—more on that later—it often works quite well in terms of enjoyment factor. Natsuo Fujii’s love triangle between two women in his life—Hina and Rui Tachibana—can come off as truly genuine as he learns the beauty of love and the deadly poison it can excrete as well. From beginning to end, watching Natsuo deal with his feelings for Hina—his teacher and then step-sister—and his first sexual interaction with Rui is shocking but understandable. We don’t envy Natsuo who has to walk that tightrope with little support and often falls as he searches for the right way to handle his relationships in Domestic na Kanojo.
2. Outlandish Situations That Work
One has to wonder is there a real chance that the person you have sex with ends up being your future step-sister plausible and/or finally getting the chance to win the heart of your teacher even possible? In our minds, probably not, but Domestic na Kanojo takes these outlandish situations and runs wild with them. We witness sometimes utterly implausible scenarios in the series, but never do we think these situations are silly or downright dumb. Actually, Domestic na Kanojo takes these weird themes and does a great job in making them feel real all the way to the final series dark twist that leaves room for a second season.
3. Fun Cast of Main Characters
Easily one of the strongest elements to Domestic na Kanojo comes from its ensamble of main characters. Rui’s struggle to find herself alongside Natuso’s constant torture of loving either one of his step-sisters makes these characters stand out throughout the series. You often will find yourself rooting for Natsuo to win Hina’s heart or for Rui to make that move that steals Natsuo from her sister. Domestic na Kanojo works on all fronts with its “main” cast and it’s a reason you’ll love the series.
1. That Ending
Spoiling the ending of Domestic na Kanojo isn’t something we want to do, but we will say this: Hands down one type of ending we dislike the most here at Honey’s Anime are endings that require the viewer to either read the manga or wait for an announcement for a season 2. We understand why these endings are done—industry purposes basically—but it can be frustrating to see and ending like Domestic na Kanojo and think…that was the best way to wrap up a series?
2. Unnecessary Side Characters
Domestic na Kanojo has an impressive list of supporting characters that range from extremely important to absolutely unneeded. A few of the “romantic interest” characters Natsuo deals with at times feel added to create more melodrama for no reason other than to just have melodrama. You’ll quickly realize who is necessary for the main cast to succeed in Domestic na Kanojo and who could be removed from the story with little degradation to the script.
3. Melodrama At Its Peak
Any show with the themes found in Domestic na Kanojo are going to have melodrama; that’s a given. Yet, Domestic na Kanojo tends to overly rely on melodrama to the point that it has situations occur for a few episodes to quickly be removed later. This happens often in Domestic na Kanojo and it can be a bit annoying when you see it coming from a mile away.
Final Thoughts
Domestic na Kanojo is a great 12-episode series that stumbles a bit here and there with its over reliance on melodrama but succeeds with its solid romance and drama themes. We honestly can say we enjoyed the series quite a bit and pray for a season 2 to come out when the manga series comes closer to its climax. Are you going to watch Domestic na Kanojo or already have? Leave a comment below to let us know your thoughts either way and for more anime reviews like this one, be sure to keep stuck to our hive here at Honey’s Anime!
Author: Aaron
