Since we’re just three episodes from the end now, it’s probably time to acknowledge that Domestic na Kanajo probably isn’t going to jump the shark. At least not in the sense of turning into the offensive, soul-destroying mess I assumed it was going to be when I read the synopsis. It may still have a crappy ending, and 3 eps is plenty of time for dumb stuff to happen. But all in all it’s already far surpassed my expectations both in terms of general quality and staying power. It’s not great, but it sure as hell ain’t half bad.
If there’s anything I can say with some confidence, it’s that pretty much all os the tsuris that’s the fuel powering the engine of this story is Hina’s fault. It’s not that she’s a bad person or evil, but boy is she a mess. And above and beyond being a mess, she’s two very bad “selfs” – self-absorbed and self-destructive. Natsuo and Rui are certainly making their share of missteps, but nothing you’d consider unusual for 16-17 year-old kids. Hina is the one who has to know better, and if anything she seems to know even less.
I would go so far as to say, in fact, that Hina is stringing Natsuo along. Her denials and refusals are all hedged, she keeps giving him a little encouragement with one hand even as she scolds him as to the impossibility of their relationship with the other. Is she doing this because she genuinely feels something for him romantically, or perhaps because she likes the idea of having someone infatuated with her close at hand? Maybe there’s some of both, but I think it’s more the latter. Hina loves to talk about being the adult, but given the mess she’s made of her own life and the mess she’s making of Natsuo’s (and Rui’s, too) she really shouldn’t be giving any lectures.
The whole bit with the underwear thief seems to have been a pretext to introduce Alex (Hatanaka Tasuku), the transfer student who’s interested in Rui. I’m not sure what the whole deal with Alex is – he’s supposedly Japanese by descent, but blonde – but he immediately takes a shine to Rui as soon as he sees here. This is where Natsuo needs to do better, but he’s sort of taking advantage of Rui just as Hina is of him – there may not be a measure of romantic interest on his part, but he seems to like the idea of a girl crushing on him being on standby. Yes, Rui is the one generally (well, always) initiating their contact, but if Natsuo isn’t into her he needs to put a stop to it.
Honestly, declaring she’s moving out (after she walks in on Rui and Natsuo kissing – again, lock the damn door) is probably the first really sensible thing Hina has done in the entire series, though I’m not convinced she’s going to follow through on it. None of the likely alternatives with these three living under the same roof are good, but Natsuo and Hina actually consummating a relationship is almost certainly the worst of them. Hina at least knows enough to realize that, but she’s apparently unable to decisively nip it in the bud, and she admits she’s jealous of her sister kissing Natsuo. But he’s not giving up, Rui isn’t giving up on him, and their parents don’t know about any of it. It’s hard to see this ending well, but in relative terms (pun intended) it’s still probably going to end a lot better than I would have expected when the series started.
