Manga

Genre: Drama, Romance, School, Shounen Publishing Date: Apr 23, 2014 Author: Kei Sasuga Score: 8/10 So I have recently finished Domestic na Kanojo manga, and after sitting through its 200 chapters of drama, I have finally decided to write a review. For those who have not heard of this manga, let me first get the synopsis out of the way. Manga Sypnosis: Natsuo Fuji is a relatively healthy teenage boy who is in love with his homeroom teacher, Hina. One day, heartbroken, he attended a mixer in order to forget about his unrequited love. Coincidentally, he met a girl named Rui who wishes to lose her virginity. The next day, Natsuo came home only to the news that his dad is getting remarried. To his surprise, he was now living with Hina, his homeroom teacher, and Rui, the girl he just lost his virginity to. Hence began Natsuo's complicated love life. Positives: First, before going into too much detail, let's just briefly mention some of the overall positives of the manga. Admittedly, Domestic na Kanojo was a great drama manga throughout. From love triangles to forbidden relationships, to more love triangles, and more forbidden relationship. You get the point... Seemingly, Kei Sasuga's never-ending dramatic story-telling was what inclined me to read the manga in the first place. For some of you out there, while the plots can seem like a mess of love and incestuous themes, I felt Domestic na Kanojo was a great example of drama done right. Which somewhat reminded me of the manga GE - Good Ending - which is an amazing manga that y'all should read. The progression of each character's relationships is perfectly paced. And as a reader myself, that was not the only good thing about Domestic na Kanojo. On a more personal note, each character had an incredibly in-depth backstory that made them felt real and multi-dimensional. I could feel their pain and struggles as they try to achieve their life goals. That to me taught me many things about perseverance. Especially the moment when Natsuo suddenly could no longer write anymore. Especially, this occurred when Natsuo and Rui were dating. I took that as a sign that perhaps, Hina was the reason because she was no longer by his side. This was a beautiful metaphor representation, as well as a subtle yet meaningful foreshadowing of the characters and their relationships later on. There were many moments within Domestic na Kanojo that just made me go "Wow, what a smart and artistic scene". In terms of artistic values, Domestic na Kanojo to me is a masterpiece. I just love the art style so much. It just clicks with me somehow. Kei Sasuga never disappoints in terms of drama, but perhaps there is too much drama at an unnecessary period of time. I am especially talking about the ending of Domestic na Kanojo. Yes, everything was great before that ending. Ultimately, that ending made me wonder the reason why I read the manga at all. MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD, PROCEED WITH CAUTION Questionable Ending: I get it, an emotional rollercoaster is a great thing that gets the readers hooked in the first place, but in my opinion, I simply just cannot agree with that ending one bit. Imagine this, you sat through a long and dragged out drama about a forbidden and immoral relationship, only to have the characters back to where they started, like what? Trust me, I am not a part of the Rui or the Hina movement or a part of her fan club one bit, and I honestly don't care who ends up with who so-long as the ending is satisfying. That is not the case, far from it. And what's more, the way Hina-nee wake up at the end merely by having the child putting a ring onto her hand, to me, everything just felt incredibly rushed. Honestly, if you have developed the relationship between Natsuo and Rui up to that point, they should have just gotten married. I felt that this is when Kei Sasuga's drama sort of backfired because that ending seemed so forced. Imagine at the end, Domestic na Kanojo ended up with Natsuo waking up, and the last line being, "Everything was just a dream". Indeed, that was how I felt after having sat through 200 chapters or so of drama, love, pain, and so many more emotions that I cannot describe. I must admit, Domestic na Kanojo is an addicting manga that one cannot resist reading. But in the end, everything does not amount to anything if the characters themselves do not change and are constantly stuck to their past. What was the point of dating Rui and hurting her in the first place, and even, get her pregnant then not marry her? The logic behind that is simply... astoundingly inhumane. And all I could say at this point is, "Welp, Kei Sasuga is at it again". Conclusion: But again, this review is meant to look at the manga as an overall piece, and I wouldn't deny it. Domestic na Kanojo was an amazing read. And so thank you Kei Sasuga for delivering such an amazing masterpiece to everyone. It was an addicting and emotional roller coaster all the way through, combined with amazing art and in-depth character development. Throughout the manga, I felt that these characters have grown on me, and I felt as if I knew them on a personal level. Which again, is a sign of great character development. Aside from the rushed ending, which arguably can make into the worse manga ending of all time, Domestic na Kanojo was a solid drama manga, one that I'm sure everyone had a great time reading as well. As a conclusion note, how did you think of the ending to Domestic na Kanojo? Were you as surprised and unsatisfied as me? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below, because, I would really want to know!