Domestic Girlfriend

I was skeptical of this show at first. How did a trashy incest show get r/anime's juror pick for 3rd best romance of the year? However, after finishing the series, I can confidently say Domestic Girlfriend is worth the watch. It’s an addictive, nail-biting story about forbidden love. As far as trashy harem anime goes, this is one of the best.

Domestic GF starts off rough. Consider this show the Steins;Gate of incest romance. It starts off slow, and the visuals are nothing impressive. However, once the plot kicks in around episode 6, the plot becomes so engrossing that you can't stop watching.

At the start, there’s a lot of melodrama. The show tries to be both a drama and a slice of life at the same time but fails the balancing act, as the drama is cliché and not executed well. It’s a typical harem (every girl wants our protagonist Natsuo); there’s an affair; Natsuo lost his mother tragically; etc. In the latter half though, the show manages to balance the slice of life and drama parts. It tones down the drama just enough to make it believable and fully utilizes its core premise to give the incestual love story one expects - no dillydallying until the end of the show like other similar anime. This latter part makes the show compelling to watch. The story explores the passions and risks of forbidden love and examines the societal pressures and moral issues the main characters have to overcome to justify such a taboo act of dating one's step-sibling. The show becomes a high-stakes dramatic romantic thriller, with the looming suspense of "when will they get caught" always in the background. Not only that, the melodrama is shocking. Throughout the series, one really gets attached to these characters, and watching these girls fall or rise in the romantic war is an engrossing experience.

Basing off production values, the show isn't impressive. The visuals are fine but don't stand out. There's no sakuga moments except this brief scene where words metaphorically fly off the page. The OP is fun to listen to and is a fan favorite, although it did not stick with me after watching. Contrastingly, I really enjoyed the ED and insert songs. The ED shows Ruka's perspective on the whole situation and provides a somber backdrop to reflect on the chaotic events of the preceding episode. The insert songs are nightmare fuel (my favorite being "Monochrome"); whenever those songs start playing, you know something crazy is going to happen. As for the soundtrack, the background music suits the show, and I enjoyed the background track "The room where the sun hits" because it accentuates the calm daily life moments and shows how familial and caring the siblings are to each other.

Pacing is hectic, but diomedéa made it work. It’s impressive how the studio fit in such a large amount of content, and this is one of the few harem anime that actually concludes satisfactorily with no looming cliffhanger finale nor lack of confession. Trivial events, such as a cultural festival, get the slideshow treatment and are quickly time-lapsed. Despite the frantic pacing, diomedéa manages to add enough pauses to let the impact of events sink in. Of note, the studio adds in moments of character expressions and body language that provide insight into the characters’ emotional state.

The characters are well-written for the most part. The cast is large, and I occasionally had trouble recognizing supporting characters by their names. Despite that, the main characters are memorable and well developed. Natsuo has a crush on his teacher Hina, and his secondary trait is that he wants to be a writer. Hina plays the role of juggling being a teacher and a sister. Rui starts off as a reclusive, isolated individual, but she becomes friendlier and sociable after meeting Natsuo. In addition, the secondary characters, such as the club members, have their own personalities and motivations as well.

Domestic Girlfriend sports great characters and an engaging plot. It doesn't have the best start, and its production values are average. But don't let this stop you from watching this highly entertaining piece of work. I give Domestic Girlfriend a rating of “very good.”

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