"Domestic Girlfriend": A moving love story depicting complex human relationships and teenage conflicts

Domestic Girlfriend: A forbidden love triangle and teenage conflict

"Domestic Girlfriend" is a TV anime series that aired in 2019, based on the manga of the same name by Kei Sasuga. This work is a love story that depicts complicated human relationships and the struggles of youth, and it left a strong impression on viewers. Below, we will introduce detailed information and reviews of this work, as well as recommended points.

Overview

"Domestic Girlfriend" aired on MBS and TBS from January 12 to March 30, 2019. It consists of 12 episodes, each 30 minutes long, and was animated by Diomedea. It was directed by Ibata Shota, with series composition by Takahashi Tatsuya and character design by Ide Naomi.

story

The protagonist, Natsuo Fujii, is a high school student who lost his mother at a young age. He secretly has feelings for Tachibana Hina, an English teacher at Akamori High School, where he attends. However, he pushes his unrequited feelings to his heart and goes to a group date that a friend invites him to. There, he meets Tachibana Rui, and ends up having his first sexual experience. Meanwhile, Natsuo's father is remarrying, and the new wife turns up is Hina and Rui. Now living under the same roof, the three of them embark on a pure, forbidden, and extreme love triangle.

Main Characters

• Tachibana Hina : An English teacher at Akamori High School. She is very popular with the male students due to her bright and friendly personality and good style.
• Tachibana Rui : A second-year student at Sakuragawa High School. She is unsociable and not good at socializing, but she meets Natsuo at a group date.
• Natsuo Fujii : A high school student aspiring to be a novelist. He has a crush on Hina Tachibana, an English teacher at Akamori High School. He meets Rui Tachibana at a group date.
• Fumiya Kurimoto : Natsuo's childhood friend and a good confidant. He works part-time at the coffee shop "Laman."
• Momo Kashiwabara : A second-year student at Akamori High School. Because she has a tendency to fall in love, the girls tend to shy away from her, thinking she's a man-eater.
• Miu Ashihara : Head of the Literature Club at Akamori High School. Shy and quiet. What is her relationship with her advisor, Kiritani...?
• Yuya Masuoka : Natsuo's classmate. He is the organizer of the mixer where Natsuo and Rui met.
• Kazushi Kine : Natsuo's classmate. Natsuo and Yuya call him "Kazu."

cast

• Rui Tachibana: Maaya Uchida
• Tachibana Hina: Hikasa Yoko
• Natsuo Fujii: Taku Yashiro
• Momo Kashiwabara: Haruka Yoshimura
• Miu Ashihara: Yoshimi Kohara
• Fumiya Kurimoto: Takuya Eguchi
• Akito Fujii: Nobuo Tobita
• Tachibana Tokiko: Hino Yurika
• Yuya Masuoka: Takeaki Masuyama
• Kazushi Kine: Taketo Kajiwara
• Reiji Kiritani: Hikaru Midorikawa
• Hirakawa Daisuke: Hagiwara Hiiragi
• Masaki Kobayashi: Kenjiro Tsuda

Main Staff

• Director: Shota Ibata
• Series Composition: Tatsuya Takahashi
• Character design: Naomi Ide
• Art director: Weisman
• Art setting: Takahashi Maho
• Color design: Yuki Hayashi
• Director of photography: Yasuyuki Ito
• Edited by: Toshihiko Kojima
• Sound Director: Yayoi Tateishi

subtitle

• Episode 1: Would you like to do it with me here?
• Episode 2: Did I do it?
• Episode 3: Is it really true?
• Episode 4: What about you?
• Episode 5: Can I fall in love?
• Episode 6: Kiss me right now
• Episode 7: This is what dating is like
• Episode 8: You don't have to be an adult
• Episode 9: Don't say that.
• Episode 10: Liar...
• Episode 11: Is this really okay?
• Episode 12: I'm sorry. I love you

Theme songs and music

• OP1: Kawaki wo amek
  • Lyricist: Minami
  • Composer: Minami
  • Vocals: Minami
• ED1: Selfish
  • Sung by: Arisa Takigawa

Evaluation and Impressions

"Domestic Girlfriend" left a strong impression on viewers with its story of a forbidden love triangle and the struggles of youth. In particular, the complex emotions held by the main character Natsuo and the relationship between Hina and Rui are portrayed realistically, drawing viewers in. In addition, each character's background and feelings are carefully depicted, making it easy to empathize with the characters, which has been praised.

The quality of the animation is high, and the character and background art are beautiful, making it visually appealing. In particular, the character designs by Naomi Ide highlight the individuality of each character, making it a visual treat. In terms of sound, the effective direction by sound director Yayoi Tateishi enhances the tension and emotional intensity of the story.

However, some viewers feel that the story is being developed a little too quickly. In particular, it is difficult to portray the complex human relationships and changes in emotions in a short 12-episode series, and some have said they wished the series had taken more time to depict them. In addition, some scenes have been cut from the anime version compared to the original manga, which has caused dissatisfaction among fans of the original work.

Recommended points

Domestic Girlfriend is recommended for viewers who enjoy a coming-of-age love story. It is especially recommended for those who enjoy works that depict complicated human relationships and forbidden love. It is also recommended for those who enjoy beautiful animation and character design.

Furthermore, this work depicts the emotional fluctuations and conflicts realistically, deeply moving the viewer. In particular, if you pay attention to Natsuo's growth and the changes in the relationship between Hina and Rui, you will be able to enjoy the work more deeply. Also, by empathizing with each character's background and feelings while watching, you will be able to empathize even more.

Related information

The original manga for "Domestic Girlfriend" was serialized in Kodansha's "Weekly Shonen Magazine" and has 28 volumes in total. Some scenes were cut from the anime version, so by reading the original manga you can get a deeper understanding of the story. The original manga also contains episodes and detailed backgrounds of characters that were not depicted in the anime version, making it a must-see for fans.

In addition, many "Domestic Girlfriend" related goods have been released, including popular character figures, acrylic key chains, T-shirts, etc. The figures of Tachibana Hina and Tachibana Rui are especially popular among fans, and can be enjoyed as part of collections.

summary

"Domestic Girlfriend" is a love story about a forbidden love triangle and the struggles of youth, and is a work that leaves a strong impression on viewers. It is attractive for its beautiful animation, character design, and realistic portrayal of emotions, and is recommended for viewers who want to enjoy a youthful love story. In addition, by reading the original manga, you can understand the story more deeply and enjoy related goods. Please watch this work and experience the story of Natsuo, Hina, and Rui.