There’s the trashy content I signed up for.
Granted, I hesitate to say Domestic Girlfriend has jumped the shark…yet. Yes, this show is finally diving head first into wincest territory but come on, it was inevitable. Honestly, I’m just impressed the show took this long to get here. And you know what? With all the time spent exploring the characters, I am invested with wherever this story takes them. It’s just a matter of how well can this show tread these waters.
Not going to lie, I really did think the date Natsuo and Hina are going on would result in the two of them hooking up. I saw Hina propose the get together to him last episode and my mind naturally went to places. But in true Dome x Kano fashion, things play out differently than expected. In fact, for a while, the date is platonic in nature. Just step-siblings sightseeing and trying out the local delicacies. Nothing naughty about that. At one point, Hina even deflates a passerby’s assumption that she is Natsuo’s girlfriend.
Things do get real when the two reach the beach as Natsuo decides to be upfront with Hina that he’s in love with her. He even reveals the protagonist of his novel is based on her. When Hina actually offers to go out with him, I thought maybe that was going to seal the deal but once again, this show goes in a different direction. I really like how Hina dragged Natsuo deeper into the ocean, symbolizing that to undergo such a scandalous relationship would almost be suicidal. While I imagine Hina was kind of hoping Natsuo would have the guts, this test of courage ultimately reveals that the boy does not, the cons presumably outweighing the pros in his mind. Had this show wanted to resolve the romantic tension between Natsuo and Hina, this scene would’ve been its best chance. Natsuo confesses his feelings, Hina forces him to accept reality, and the two hug it out. This chapter of their lives is now over.
Alas, that would be too easy of a way out.
It is really interesting to learn that Hina met and fell in love with Shuu during high school. Not only does it make her decision to have an affair more understandable, it also parallels with Natsuo falling in love with her. This even causes Natsuo to have epiphany, realizing that he had been holding his stepsister up to a double standard this whole time. At the same time, this new detail kind of explains why Hina would start to reciprocate Natsuo’s feelings towards her. She’s been in this kind of situation already and should she date Natsuo, she’d more or less experience it again albeit with the roles swapped. And to be honest, I get the impression that she is craving for it.
Yes, the part at the end where Natsuo catches Hina masturbating is hilarious. I get that it was trying to be provocative but I’m sorry; the music and the censorship made my sides hurt. And here I thought nothing could top Code Geass R1 for silliest masturbation scene ever. This all aside, it’s worth noting that while fingering herself, Hina utters Shuu’s name. She might’ve broken up with the man but evidently, she’s still fantasizing about her time with him. That could mean that she wants to be with Shuu again but this also kind of supports my hunch that Hina at least desires to replicate the thrills of participating in an affair. And again, with Natsuo, she could make that happen.
Whatever the case may be, there are plenty of other moments that suggest Hina is becoming attracted to Natsuo. As mentioned earlier, there’s the scene where she drags him into the ocean as a symbolic test. Again, I imagine she was hoping on some level that he’d have the guts to go through with dating her. There’s also the part where she reads Natsuo’s novel. The text seems to have struck a chord with her, suggesting that she realizes how much her stepbrother understands her. And finally, there’s the part where Rui asks Natsuo if he and Miu are a couple. On the surface, Hina wants to hear the juicy details but a pained look on her face sneaks in at one point.
Oh and speaking of Rui…
Midway through the episode, you have Rui asking Natsuo to kiss her. Mind you, I get why she’d make such a request. She’s at that phase in her life and at this point, she’s become jealous of every other girl in this show. Even Hina she envies as she apparently did catch on that Natsuo tried to kiss their sister in Episode 1. What baffles me a bit is why Natsuo actually agreed to fulfill Rui’s request. This scene is right after the date with Hina. You’d think after resolving things with one sister, Natsuo wouldn’t press on with the other. The best I can wrap my head around this decision is that Natsuo was hoping it’d be a one and done deal like it was when he and Rui had sex.
Well, the joke is on him because Rui ends up liking the act of kissing and wants to do it again! Understandably, it validates her feelings and puts her mind at ease, even if briefly. She even admits that she hopes her stepbrother feels the same way which is the closest she can get to confessing her feelings without directly saying them. I’d say Natsuo should’ve thought his plan through more but then again, we wouldn’t have a show if he did.
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