Rui Tachibana is a villain in Domestic Girlfriend
Let’s have a clear look at what’s wrong in the Domestic Girlfriend anime.
Domestic Girlfriend is that is an acquired taste. We’re going to review the Domestic Girlfriend anime and you at least have to have an open mind to see beyond the first plot twist that occurs in episode one.
Story Setup
Domestic Girlfriend is a story about a high school student named Natsuo Fujii and the trials he faces as a hormone driven young man after being thrusted into a living situation with his teacher crush and the girl he lost his virginity to on a whim. Natsuo probably would not have faced half of the scenarios that he did in this anime had his father not happened to get remarried.
The new marriage isn’t the problem though. The issue arises when he realizes his one night stand, Rui Tachibana, is the daughter of his new step-mother. The bonus problem is Rui’s sister is Hina Tachibana, his teacher crush from high school.
Rui is the enemy.
Understanding the fact that this anime is a work of fiction, I couldn’t help be feel like Rui Tachibana was the driving force behind all of Natsuo’s questionable behavior.
We can blame Hina for being the adult in this love triangle, but after taking 2 weeks to work my way through this anime, I think Rui was an antagonistic force in Domestic Girlfriend.
She coerced Natsuo to have a one night stand and forgo any future communication for her own personal gain, and once their parents were married, she convinced him that semi (or total) incest was okay for personal gain as well.
During the whole show, Rui’s actions demonstrated that all she wanted was the physical attention of Natsuo. She was the more aggressive sister and inadvertently influenced Natsuo to explore the realistic possibility that his feelings for his teacher crush, Hina, could be returned.
In fact, Natsuo was basically a pawn between Rui and her sister, Hina, for the duration of the anime.
Rui vs. Hina: Love or Lazy?
Hina, admittedly, only became interested in a romantic relationship with her new step brother when she found out Rui had established one. Hina had recently ended a romantic relationship with her former teacher (who was married, by the way).
Instead of working on herself, she gave in to the advances of a high school student (year 2).
Why?
Her love life had been a disaster. She was vulnerable and jealous. As a result she offers Natsuo a key to her home. Doing so challenges him to choose her instead of Rui.
There is a moment in the show where Natsuo has an epiphany about what will make him happy. Rui’s advances toward Natsuo were intense during that time and he needed to make a decision.
Settle for Rui or go for Hina?
He chooses Hina and they experience a relationship behind the closed door of her new apartment after she leaves the family home. It’s only until Rui discovers their “affair” that the story’s climax begins.
Natsuo is treated as a toy by Hina and Rui at this point in the story. The two sisters have a small feud (if you can call it that) to determine if Hina had a right to pursue Natsuo.
Rui, once again, controls the entire situation. She made Hina seriously consider dumping Natsuo one day after she swore to him that they could love each other forever.
Hina, the older sister, the teacher, the adult, ends up accepting her sisters blessing to stay with Natsuo, only to be found out days later by the high school administration.
Conspiracy theory- the camera man that took photographs of Natsuo and Hina was pretty high up to be “taking photos for graduation”. I think Rui had a hand in the school finding out.
I digress.
By force, Hina resigns and leaves town one day after pledging to marry Natsuo. Natsuo spirals into a depression and Hina exits from the story.
Checkmate!
With Hina out of the way, Rui pounces on the chance to seduce Natsuo again. The anime ends without a clear indication of what happens. However, based on Natsuo’s behavior with Rui throughout the show, he may have settled for Rui because Hina was no longer available.
What’s wrong?
The parent’s were completely oblivious of everything thing and Rui ran wild as a result.
This anime displays odd relations and sometimes this anime is difficult to watch due to the nature of the subject. Incest by marriage and inappropriate relationships with a teacher are not common topics.
However, Rui, was wrong. Her motivations to manipulate Natsuo for her own pleasure were apparent from episode one. The show left me clueless about what Natsuo’s next words could possibly be as the scene showed Rui wrapping her arms around him once again.
The parents were so present, but so absent at the same time and I have no clue how they didn’t notice something was wrong prior to Natsuo’s mental breakdown.
To me, there is no happy ending for this show, just a vicious continuation of a manipulative cycle for the victim, Natsuo.
The manga does continue from where the anime ends.
Anime Suggestions:
Categories