I LOVED IT

SIKEEEEEEEEE, Like everyone when they read this manga the first time im completely fumbled and shaken down (didn’t cry tho) but holy fuck this is a rollercoaster. Mad respect for the author, it’s just really a great romance drama.

Probs an unpopular opinion but i prefered Rui, but hey, in the end everyone’s living happily so i guess that can consolate me.

gotta be honest, this manga is the one that impacted me the most as a drama and romance, its gonna take me a while to move on

I’ve seen all the posts and stuff about people saying the same stuff but hey guys, im glad im not the only one feeling like that

What I also loved a lot about this manga is simply the small comic parts, they were genuinely funny and obviously all that nosebleed made me laugh way too much <! especially that part when Natsuo was thinking about Rui during the vacations in class as well as that moment he was taking off Rui’s clothes then got the urge to scream outside man, way too funny !>

All those scenes at like the end of half the chapters ”caught in 4k” were also really interesting. At the beginning it made me say DAMN really loud, then I got used to it and it just made me laugh, especially that moment Natsuo sees Hina moaning about his ex or something then 2 secs later Hina caughts him kissing Rui… lmfao

I guess thats all yall, 👍🫡

Howdy folks,

I finished reading domestic girlfriend. It was amazing, it’s been a long time since a piece of media has completely ensnared me and made me feel so much. I couldn’t put it down, I spent one night reading well into the morning because I lost track of time. The issue I have is obviously with the ending, not that I don’t like it or respect the choices made, but with how I feel about it. I was thrilled Rui was going to be Natsuo’s choice, until she wasn’t. I don’t dislike Hina, I rooted for her in the beginning, but Rui and Natsuos relationship seemed more genuine. It grew slowly over time and appeared to have a stronger foundation than his relationship with Hina, then there’s the obvious they have a child together. I don’t hate the ending, my issue is that since I finished it I have been feeling off. I have a lack of appetite, I don’t seem to find simple joys in my hobbies anymore and while I’m not depressed or anything, I am not happy. I’m severely neutral, and the only thing I can relate to this from personal experience, is heartbreak. I am heartbroken over a fictional relationship, I’m heartbroken for Rui, so of course I feel silly but I also feel guilty. I am happily married to my wife who I’ve been with for six years and we’re having our first child, we got to see the first ultrasound yesterday. I should be over the moon but all I can think about is this manga. So, how do you all feel now and/or when you first finished this manga? What did you watch or read after to get over it? Did you like or hate the ending? It seems from what I’ve seen people either love it or hate it so I’d like to just hear people’s thoughts on it.

Later Players,

Rose

I just finished the anime. And I have to say, I've never been so invested and interested and borderline obsessed with an anime in a long time. Something about this really struck a cord with me. And I know some might not like me for this, but Hina really made the anime complete for me. It's kinda hard to explain how much of an impact this has made on me but it really has. My only complaint is how they ended it. I know theres the books but I wanna see it animated, know whatI mean? I was looking around and I saw that there are no plans for a season 2. But I hope one day that changes and I would do anything to make it happen. Sorry for this little I dont even know what lol, but I really wanted to tell people how much I loved this anime, and Hina-Sensei <3.

I’ve been reading on mangadex, and for some reason all those chapters don’t have an english translation and there’s no way in hell I’m skipping almost 50 chapters ahead. I’ve been binging this and can’t find these chapters and I’m DESPERATE

I read the manga, and I think it's not as bad as people are saying it. I think Natsou will still take care of Rui and Rui still loves him, or did she left for the chefboy? Please explain. And also tell me if extra chapters will be released or are already released.

Can you suggest me more mangas like domestic girlfriend?

Title lol

Do you dislike the ending? Do you dislike hina as a character? If you answered yes to both of those questions congratulations this post is about you. Why? Because you read the story wrong and most likely made a “let’s talk about the ending” post, detailing everything you disliked about it.

I want to start but saying that if the student x teacher, or adult x minor relationship rubs you the wrong way causing you to dislike Hina I’m sorry but you’re already doing yourself a massive disservice in terms of story comprehension. Hina is such a well written and deep character that simply writing her off at any point in the story especially the beginning will completely ruin any chances of understanding how Sasuga intended you to read the ending.

As much as I’d love to go through every little moment hina has and explain why it adds so much to the story I’m not going to because 1. that takes the fun out of a new viewing experience and 2. I just got off my overnight shift and want to sleep. Anyways, I want you ending haters and hina haters to reread the manga but this time with a new perspective, focus your attention more on hina. Focus on what she is doing and why is she doing it especially when natsuo is around. Will you still be confused? Yes, a lot of things are left up to ambiguity but that doesn’t mean you can’t come to a conclusion yourself.

I actually had big plans and ambitions for this post, going over like I said earlier little details and things like that but I’m so tired I don’t feel like doing that anymore. I mainly just wanted people to enjoy and understand the manga as I have so they can stop blindly hating on it. I know this is a public forum for all things domestic girlfriend but my god if I have to see another person hating on the ending and the manga as a whole bcz they didn’t actually take the time to read it I’m gonna loose it. lol

I finished the anime a while ago and just found out the manga keeps going (and also that the anime left out alot of stuff), so i went to google and searched "At what chapter does domestic girlfriend anime end" ... The first search result, not even a website, just some highlighted text from a website, IS A FUCKING SPOILER OF THE END OF THE MANGA?!?!? LIKE WHAT????? THAT IS NOT WHAT I LOOKED UP. It went something like Nat does XY with XY at the end of the manga, i tried to scroll off when i realized that its a full blown spoiler but im pretty sure i know what happens.

Fuck Google

I'm not going to go into spoilers but we should probably start with how goofy it is but I love it with all my heart there were some weird moments and very heartfelt ones. I cried at the end but not for the reason I believe Sasuga intended, I related to a lot of the characters (I don't fuck my step siblings tho) but it really made me realize some shit about myself, ending was strange but happy enough to be enjoyable, I wish it didn't end but I'm ok with how it did end.

is there ANYTHING after ch 276.2? cause i was so invested,but then got hit by a car(if ya kno what i mean) by the ending. like BRO. So,do we have a sequel, something about a sequel, or just some extra chapters?

The story takes place after 2011 (Most likely just 2018-2019) which is the time when smartphones were already a thing, so why is Hina so technologically primitive?

I'm actually not on rui or hina side i love both of them but I saw that many guys in reddit says that rui will move out of house and live alone ....life WTF bruh its clearly mentioned in the last chapter when haruka says "mom will that she will come home late tonight due to work " ... Which means they are still living together as a family of four .....if I'm wrong correct me ....I think it was kinda happy ending and rui never loved the chefboy

I like both hina and rui but I think that rui had spent most of the time together with natsuo ...but in the end he marries hina and leave rui .....i wanna know that is rui haruka and hina staying together with him forever or rui just moved on or went to date other guys it makes me depressed so answer me plz .... I haven't completed reading manga

You read the title and still clicked so however you feel about this ain't my fault.

I hate the ending with a burning passion. I just finished the manga tonight and I cannot get over how terrible that ending is. "LETS LOVE HINA AS MUCH AS SHE LOVED US" So Natsuo and Rui are just pitying her and being like "ahh she did so much for us so she deserves it!". WHAT DO YOU MEAN NATSUO AND RUI SPEND HALF THE MANGA TOGETHER AND RUI JUST ENDS UP HANDING IT OVER TO HINA!??!? this sucks. I was so invested. If you wanna say I'm wrong about them pitying Hina then you must believe Natsuo and Rui's time together was nothing IN COMPARISON to Natsuo's love for Hina. And I said IN COMPARISON. Obviously, it wasn't nothing, but clearly if THEY ARENT PITYING HINA, then Natsuo's time with Rui did not ever make him love her more than Hina. Which is stupid. Destiny is stupid.

I know this is a rant and not constructive criticism but I don't care. I like this manga so much that this trash ending will eat at me forever if I don't. I'm fine with adding conflict to keep a story interesting, but it's so crappy to add such a dumb twist at the very end. The story should have ended with Rui and Natsuo getting married, being a family, and Natsuo talking to Hina while she's still a vegetable telling her about it. Or a timeskip where Hina is like a big sister to their daughter. Whatever. Makes no damn sense for Natsuo to choose Rui and then turn around just because she turned into a vegetable and did a bunch of stuff for him. Expressing appreciation doesn't mean doing a 180 like that. I HATE THIS ENDING. I HATE IT. No amount of foreshadowing or whatever writing bs anyone tells will fix that. This ain't even bias in favor of Rui. I WOULD'VE EVEN PREFERRED A SERIZAWA ROUTE OVER THIS ENDING, I WILL GO THAT FAR. Literally anything over this ending.

His relationship with Rui was just better. They were romantic. They had conflict. They grew as people. Natsuo and Hina were just good friends that had sex sometimes. I teared up every time Rui and Natsuo professed their love for each other. I never felt anything when Hina and Natsuo were together. Not once. And again, I AM NOT BIASED for Rui or against Hina. I knew nothing before I started reading and I even rooted for Hina at the start.

I was so glad when Hina moved away after her relationship was discovered by the school. I like Hina, but at that time I wished with all my heart that she'd be gone for good or at least became a background character. Because then Rui would have no contest, no matter who showed up, Natsuo would practically be guaranteed to end up with Rui. Obviously that wouldn't be the best choice writing wise, but I didn't and do not care. Rui's dynamic with Natsuo is just better. Just more enjoyable. More emotionally driving. Her and Natsuo's relationship is the best part of the manga. It wouldn't have moved me without it. I wish I could forget the ending. Erase it from my memory. So I could love this series without getting reminded of this ending...

Dg

My opinion as of just finishing the manga is mixed, I think the manga is a read you should do because I find it very good, although if you want to save yourself don’t read the last 2 chapters… Although the manga is good in itself the ending feels like it’s just messed up and rushed, I feel like what the author did was 100% unnecessary and would’ve been better to end it how everyone was expecting it to end few chapters before the end, again I enjoyed reading the manga but the end kinda ruined it…

I just watched season 1. (debating on weather I should read the manga or not) and wondered if anyone would see a season 2 if they made one

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Before I begin, I must clarify that I don’t consider myself an expert in creating stories, I am not a specialized critic, and I’m not looking to threaten anyone. I’m just a simple reader like everyone else who enjoyed the manga until the end. I should warn you that I will mention some spoilers.

I mentioned before that I discovered this story through a friend who told me about the plot, the characters, and everything else. At first, I wasn't very interested because he only told me about the anime. I watched it completely, and then I started reading the manga, which was much better. At first, I expected the same, but I was wrong. It has more details that weren't adapted in the anime, and that's better. I really need to read more in my life. 

All the characters that appear manage to be charismatic, annoying, funny, etc., but there are also the antagonists who take things way too far. Some act without thinking about the consequences, and others are out to cause harm. Talking about the protagonists like Natsuo, Hina, and Rui, I have to say they are my favorite characters. And also the supporting ones, starting with Fumiya, Natsuo's best friend, Momo, Alex, and Togen-sensei. For me, they are his support system, people who want to help and find opportunities to move forward in their lives. The antagonists, on the other hand, are extremely irritating and completely lack charisma. 

I used to fear that Alex was about to rape Rui, but in the end, he regretted it. The same thing almost happened in New York, but it never did. The author knows how to create suspense.

Now, when I first saw Natsuo, Rui, and Hina, I saw them as typical cliché characters from a romantic comedy, but I didn’t forget that it’s also a drama. Something that happens frequently are misunderstandings, which are clichés too. What happened at the beginning was something new because it started differently compared to other stories. I was surprised that Rui asked a stranger like Natsuo to have her first time with him, something uncommon, and they only did it out of curiosity. At that moment, I didn’t expect anything special, nor did it feel exciting. When it was revealed that Natsuo had a crush on his teacher, I found it adorable and strange, but that’s normal because many teenagers can have feelings for their teachers—another cliché, I suppose.

I paid close attention to all the details because that’s important to understand the story. In short, Natsuo acts like someone obsessed with Hina at the beginning, while Rui seemed like someone who didn’t yet understand the reality she lived in. But gradually, she became kinder and sweeter, becoming less cold thanks to Natsuo. Kobayashi, the café owner, also helps the protagonists. Some might have been surprised that he was once a gangster who left his past behind to follow his dream. 

Fumiya is someone I admire because, as Natsuo’s friend, he provides motivation not to lose sight of life. Momo is just a regular girl like everyone else, trying to find happiness, nothing out of the ordinary. Alex is a good guy who can’t control his drinking, but he’s still doing his best. I was genuinely afraid that he would do something terrible at the beach, but it was a relief that things didn’t go as far as I thought. While everyone was at the beach, and Hina and Natsuo were in the room, I found that moment adorable up until then.

When the truth came out through the photos, it was unexpected, and during the couple's trip outside of Tokyo, things felt calm. The most important thing about that trip was when they bought the rings. This last part should be taken into account for something important. Later, when Hina disappeared for a while, it felt sad. During that time, it was curious that their parents somehow knew that Natsuo liked Hina. Do they have psychic powers, or were there times they found out? 

Anyway, the story continues. Natsuo is motivated to pursue his dream, Rui takes the chance to improve her relationship with her brother to the next level, as we all know. However, he was still thinking about Hina. When they went to the island, it was a key moment for the sibling trio: Natsuo still holding feelings for Hina, Rui fighting for Natsuo to see her, and Hina avoiding Natsuo. That began to depress me, but I still wanted to follow the story. The key part of this subplot was when Natsuo returned the ring he was given, a sign that he was no longer interested.

The next part of the story I enjoyed was the spring or summer festival, as Natsuo had previously been motivated by Rui. In the end, I was expecting something dramatic but not too much. Rui began to change thanks to everything she had learned, and Natsuo started to notice something new. In short, before the festival, Alex liked Rui, but Natsuo hesitated to give him permission. What I found cruel was when Alex kissed Rui unexpectedly, and Natsuo saw it—a key moment for the two of them. At the end of the festival that night, it concluded as we already know: Natsuo rejected Momo, and Rui rejected Alex, and I must confess it was something I expected and loved.

From there, the following storylines became even more enjoyable for me. The new characters and special chapters were also interesting to see. What I liked most was the storyline in the village during the winter because it was there that their behaviors began to improve by listening to the elderly owners of the inn. To sum up the rest of the story, Natsuo entered university, and Rui pursued her culinary career. Another key point is when Natsuo and Rui wore the moon necklaces, symbolizing their connection and mutual commitment. It was equally great to meet new characters like Serizawa and others, who have unique perspectives on life—some good, some bad, and even harsh, considering how they've lived. I genuinely think it’s not a bad idea to learn about their stories.

On the other hand, when Hina returned, it was obvious that tragedies, both small and large, were bound to happen, such as the attempt on Hina's life, Rui's absence while she was in New York, Natsuo’s writer’s block, and so on. What really bothered me was when Serizawa kissed Natsuo, even though she knew he was in a relationship. I’m not sure if it was out of jealousy, doubt about his sincerity, or because it felt strange to her that he was with someone unrelated by blood. In the end, she regretted it, and things became even sadder. They say conflicts are necessary for a story, and this manga is no exception.

Rui and Natsuo’s breakup really surprised me, but I understood it was done for a good reason (which I’ll explain later). One positive thing was that Hina never stopped encouraging Natsuo while he was unable to write. Togen-sensei was also key in helping Natsuo, along with Fumiya and the café owner, Kobayashi—they shouldn’t be forgotten.

Now, the reason for the breakup is that both Rui and Natsuo were taking different paths and needed to follow their goals on their own. Rui was focused on her culinary career but lacked personal growth. The same was true for Natsuo, as he needed to develop as a writer and continue his own journey. This created a bit of hope since they were emotionally dependent on each other during their relationship. In the end, both were able to reach their full potential.

The next storyline that I didn’t like as much was the one involving the female drug trafficker, because I feared that Natsuo would end up involved in something more dangerous than just being stabbed by a stalker who turned out to be a horrible person pretending to be kind. But everything ended well. That plot made me realize that despite our problems, it's never too late to seek solutions in our lives. This was something Natsuo needed, as he lacked independence, and as this happened, it made sense that Rui also felt down but knew she had to move forward. This could have been an opportunity for Hina to start over with Natsuo, but I knew it wouldn’t be right—she would be taking advantage of him.

Togen-sensei, despite his past, has remained a recognizable character. He seemed strange to me at first, but over time I understood that he had suffered and tried to improve. I respected the way he worked, and it was truly sad when I learned about his cancer. I hoped he would fight it, but it seemed he no longer cared to continue. However, he still cared about Natsuo because he not only helped him improve as a writer, but also as a person. He had gone through so much and didn’t want Natsuo to suffer the same way he had.

Natsuo continued to doubt how to move forward with his life and who to choose—Hina or Rui. On the other hand, everyone knew that Rui wasn’t doing well either; she faced daily discrimination like many others, yet she kept moving forward thanks to Daniela and Kajita. Before Rui’s harassment, I have to admit that when Kajita first appeared, I feared the worst for obvious reasons. However, I made sure to see how the story developed, as it's wrong to judge someone before knowing them. His actions in his work were for the benefit of his family. He taught Rui new things about cooking and even helped her when she was in danger. When the competition began, where if Rui and her group won, they would return to Japan soon, I was afraid of something I didn’t want to happen, but it was inevitable. However, I felt great relief when Rui rejected Kajita. That moment when the guy confessed his feelings was something I expected—not that it was bad; it’s not wrong to express how you feel about someone you like—but I feared it would be a repeat of what happened with Alex. I was wrong; Kajita has a good heart and always looks out for the well-being of his friends, and I appreciated it when he approached Natsuo to tell him that Rui was in danger. That part became very important because it was there that Natsuo made a definitive decision.

What follows from that moment on was like a sign of hope. The chapters that followed started to inspire hope for a new beginning because when Rui lost her sense of taste due to stress and her broken necklace, it was a sign of danger and despair. She almost considered giving up on her dreams, but Natsuo arrived to fix things. But not only that, as we all know. At that point, I thought everything would be fine, but there were still unresolved issues, like Hina. I understood that the rings she kept meant she still had feelings for Natsuo, but she couldn’t express them. Meanwhile, the story continued to improve: Natsuo completed Togen-sensei’s work in his memory, Rui found out she was pregnant, and Hina tried to help them reveal the truth about their relationship.

That moment when their parents found out was also important because it showed they had never realized the truth, even though Rui and Natsuo had kept their relationship a secret. It was curious since Hina and Natsuo had done the same to hide their relationship before, but I still don’t understand how their parents knew the truth before Hina disappeared, considering they were always working too much. Now that Rui is pregnant, Tsukiko disappears for a while, which left me wondering if she truly accepted the reality that awaited her. Meanwhile, Natsuo and his father visiting the cemetery where his mother now rests showed maturity, as he was able to make his decision for the first time, and it wasn’t out of whim that he chose Rui. It demonstrated his seriousness and responsibility, showing that he had evolved. Now that only Tsukiko’s blessing was missing, I thought it would be complicated, as I believed she would refuse due to social and emotional reasons, but it could also be related to the issue with Hina. However, Natsuo continued to show seriousness about his new feelings, and he wasn’t the only one—Rui did the same. With that, it was clear that everything would end well, as her mother finally understood that they had good intentions of staying together.

Finally, in the last volume, I expected a small conflict at the beginning that could be resolved quickly and without problems; however, the wretch who ran over Hina went too far, and it was a very disturbing moment. It was truly unexpected what was happening. The idea of keeping Hina in a coma seemed very strange to me, perhaps it was so that the rest of the protagonists could reflect while she was asleep and doing nothing. And on the other hand, what I really don't want to say, but I have to, started to happen. I'm referring to the sudden idea of canceling Rui and Natsuo's wedding, which was the strangest thing I’ve read, just because when Kiriya and the Café Boss came to visit them, and when the boss revealed that Hina had never stopped loving Natsuo while Rui was hiding behind the wall, listening to everything, it was at that moment that things truly fell apart. From there, the story's development feels off, and although five years have passed since Hina's tragedy, her progress doesn’t bring any sense of satisfaction. Natsuo acts as if nothing happened, and the same goes for Rui; it's hard to empathize with either of them, while only the secondary characters manage to find happiness. By the end, things wrapped up so quickly that it’s hard to understand the progression of the last few chapters. Since when did Natsuo stop developing feelings for Rui? During Hina's absence, his feelings were gradually developing (this comes during a flashback of Hina’s rehabilitation). It hurt me a lot to hear that strange part, but it also left me confused. By the end of the wedding, even though Hina and Natsuo end up together, it doesn’t create a feeling of joy; there are no justifications, and it’s hard to understand why Natsuo stopped loving Rui. Was it because of what he heard from the Boss during the coma in the hospital? Or was he just trying to please the people who always knew he was obsessed with Hina?

I have reread the manga twice. The first time I finished it, it left me feeling depressed, angry, and uncertain. But the second time, it now left me confused, with doubts, and I reflected more carefully on what was relevant and what I had seen before. I had been told that there were signs pointing to how it would end in Hina’s favor; however, those signs are vague.

Some may think I did this because I hate Hina, but it’s quite the opposite. I still like this story because, apart from the drama and romance, it has humor, even if it’s scarce, some clichés like other mangas, the characters, etc. The point is that, although the manga ended a while ago, it felt like a poorly told joke. That’s the problem this story has, but on the other hand, it’s still a good plot despite ending in such a strange way.

The idea of marrying his teacher isn’t something new that we’ve seen in the world, while his younger stepsister having a child with her stepbrother was something that surprised me. That revelation had much more impact than Hina’s disappearance. I say this because, despite being family, it’s not seen as an incestuous relationship, and I like that since they aren’t blood relatives. On the other hand, I saw Hina’s development as someone insecure who sometimes had to depend on others, and I understand that the rings she kept are a sign that she still has feelings for Natsuo. However, she was progressing to become stronger and more independent throughout the story, which is what I like about Hina, but that progress was forgotten at the end.

Being a realistic manga focused on romance and drama, the truth is it's not a genre I'm used to following, but this story surpasses any other romance story. However, it also has negative factors that prevent it from being a perfect story due to its strange ending, but I still love it:

Cultural issues: I'm not an expert in Japanese culture, but I would like to learn more about it. The narrative could have influenced the development of each character by adhering to these traditions. For example, when they go to the temple to find out their fortunes, and Hina checks hers, it could have been a sign in her favor. But it's not very likely that we can believe what we are told, like a fortune cookie accurately predicting our future, or a fortune teller who scams people to give them hope. This can generate superstitions within the story. 

These cultural practices, while enriching the story, also introduce complexities that may be interpreted differently by non-Japanese readers. The reliance on rituals and belief in external signs can lead the characters to act in ways that seem predetermined by forces beyond their control. This can result in a narrative that, while consistent within its cultural context, may seem puzzling or even forced to readers from other cultures, who might expect a development more based on the internal logic of the characters rather than the influence of rituals or mystical beliefs.

Furthermore, the way these elements affect the characters regarding fate and human relationships can create a sense of inevitability in the story, which could be seen as a limitation on the characters' autonomy. This cultural crossover may enrich the story for some but also create a sense of distance for others, leading to different interpretations and levels of satisfaction with the ending.

It's too ambiguous: The progression of the story is not very clear regarding what the author had planned from the start, such as the vague hints that Hina would win. This makes it difficult to understand some decisions at the end, creating great uncertainties about the conclusion, which affects the characters’ development. The lack of clarity in Natsuo’s intentions, in particular, contributes to this confusion. At times, it seems like his affection for Hina is just an echo of the past, while at other moments he appears fully committed to Rui, creating an inconsistent and hard-to-follow narrative. Additionally, the use of symbols and narrative elements, like the rings and necklaces, could be interpreted in multiple ways, leaving more doubts than answers. The decision to present an ending that seems rushed and disconnected from some of the narrative threads developed throughout the story adds to this sense of ambiguity.

Lack of empathy: Although some characters seem happy by the end, their decisions seem questionable and aren't convincing or coherent, which impacts the satisfaction of the conclusion. The decisions they make don't seem to align with the situations they face, and they act without considering how it might affect others. This creates an emotional disconnection between the characters and the reader. They seem insensitive or detached from the experiences they've lived through, leaving behind a dissatisfaction that doesn’t do justice to the development of the plot. They now lack emotional autonomy and appear to give in to external pressures. For example, when the Boss revealed the truth about Hina during her coma, Rui shed a tear, but why didn't Natsuo get upset when receiving this sudden news, as he did last time? This continues until the end, like in the last chapters when Rui and Haruka leave for who knows where, while Natsuo and Hina stay in the house. I'm not sure why Natsuo sleeps alone in his room if he's already married. But what's important is that even though Rui is seen happy in the end, having Natsuo's daughter and Hina being married to him, there’s still a lack of emotional autonomy. Despite still being a united family, Rui’s actions—like leaving with her daughter to an unknown place—make her seem like someone who will never be heard from again, becoming more like a myth or a legend.

Personality changes: It’s not believable that characters overcome their problems just because someone tells them what they should do. This change in the protagonists' personalities and resolution is unconvincing. When Rui overheard Natsuo's conversation with the Boss in the hospital, and he said that Hina still has feelings for Natsuo, the boy doesn't seem to have a clear reaction to what he heard, leaving the development more confusing, and in the end, he seems to behave like a submissive man. On the other hand, Rui was starting to develop as a character despite everything she had been through, which helped her improve as a person, but it’s not normal for her to stop being happy. The strange and sudden cancellation of her marriage doesn’t have an obvious build-up of problems. Rui ended up being an insecure woman, as if her character had reset. When she is seen smiling in public at the end, her behavior is unconvincing. You shouldn't have to sacrifice your happiness just because someone tells you what you should do. Maybe some think I now hate the Boss, but it's obvious it wasn’t done with bad intentions. Still, if I could talk to him, I’d say: "Sometimes you say things that go too far." 

Hina seems like a normal person who has suffered as well, but she has managed to overcome it. I would say she’s a victim of Natsuo since the beginning. I saw her as more reasonable because this started as an obsession, a platonic love, as if Natsuo lives in a world where only Hina exists. Don’t his parents, friends, and others exist in his life to support him in his dreams, even Rui?

Now, Natsuo’s evolution as a character is affected by these abrupt and unbelievable changes. Throughout the story, he showed himself to be a sensitive young man with clear dreams and ambitions, though sometimes immature in his relationships. However, from the start, you could see a kind of obsession with Hina, a love that goes beyond what’s reasonable and led him to make impulsive decisions (for example, when he kissed her without warning, and Hina pushed him away). This fixation on Hina seems to have defined much of his emotional life, pushing other important relationships and his own personal growth to the background. As the story progresses, particularly in the last chapters, his behavior, as I mentioned earlier, becomes submissive and passive, losing the spark that defined him. His reaction to the Boss’s comment is surprisingly indifferent, which contrasts with the emotionally reactive Natsuo we knew. It’s as if he has given up on taking control of his life, allowing the circumstances and decisions of others to drag him along without questioning them. This obsession with Hina and the lack of emotional autonomy make him seem like a character who has lost his way, someone who just goes with the flow of events without actively engaging in them. Natsuo becomes a reflection of the lack of direction in the narrative, a character who, in the end, seems to have forgotten who he is.

The progress reflected: Perhaps the rings worn by Hina and Natsuo are a strong sign of progress in their relationship, but they’re also questionable. They symbolize immaturity and a rushed impulse, characteristic of a teenager who still needs to learn about the complexities and risks of falling in love with an adult. Hina also seemed to be trapped in a kind of obsession with getting back to her relationship. Although she was trying to move forward, her insistence on rekindling what they once had reflects a resistance to leaving the past behind. Meanwhile, the moon necklaces that Rui and Natsuo wear are more like symbols of progress, representing connection and unity, personal commitment, showing dedication, sharing experiences, wanting to care for and support each other, highlighting their intimacy and understanding. The fact that the one Rui wears was repaired reflects how, despite the difficulties and challenges, their relationship strengthens and improves over time, giving a deeper and more serious development to their growth.

It ended like a parallel story: I’m not lying when I say its ending was both horrible and very strange. It left me feeling depressed for a while, but over time I started to understand what had happened. If the story had ended as a harem, it would have been the most surprising, but it's a story grounded in realism, and that's also rare. When I read the penultimate volume, it made me feel encouraged, motivated, and hopeful that everything was going to improve—it was the best. But with the final volume, I wasn’t expecting the worst. It was like a punch to the stomach as the story progressed in the way we now know. I refused to accept that everything had ended, but it's logical that everything must come to an end. 

When I reread the manga in its entirety, I paid attention to the details I needed to understand: why did this happen? How did they make those decisions that came out of nowhere? How did Hina manage to wake up? Is it normal to break off a relationship so quickly when it was progressing well, and then be cheerful the next day and spend years taking care of your sister, just because of something said by someone who isn’t even important in their lives? 

This point is important to mention because, given the progress that had already been developing, the last volume (#28) moves away from everything that had been learned. That’s why it’s hard for me to take the ending seriously, as it fails to give a new sense of satisfaction as a reader. It’s as if this volume belonged to an alternate or parallel world, and seeing it for a second time now makes me feel very confused. Eventually, I realized it’s not worth being upset about something that has already been enough. I consider the penultimate volume a better ending, omitting the last one, because it’s difficult to clearly understand what the protagonists are doing. 

The final manga only serves to please those who supported Hina (although even some of them didn’t like it), and the penultimate volume (#27) is really enough to finish the story for those who supported Rui. I could add that the disconnect between these two volumes creates a sense of rupture in the narrative. While volume 27 offered a natural and satisfying progression of events, aligned with the development of the characters, volume 28 seems to force a drastic turn that contradicts the expectations built throughout the series. This change not only confuses but also undermines the emotional journey that readers have followed. 

Instead of offering a conclusion that respects the growth and decisions of the characters, the ending opts to satisfy a specific part of the audience, which can leave many feeling dissatisfied. Furthermore, the fact that the last volume feels like a parallel story or alternate world highlights the lack of continuity and consistency in the plot. It’s as if the characters we knew were replaced by versions that act on unknown motivations, leaving behind everything they had learned and experienced. This sense of disconnect can be especially frustrating for those who were emotionally invested in Rui’s narrative arc, only to see their hopes vanish abruptly and without a clear explanation.

Finally, we can explore how the lack of resolution in certain aspects of the story (such as the characters’ quick and seemingly irrational decisions) contributes to making the last volume feel incomplete or rushed, reinforcing the idea that it’s more of an unnecessary extension than a satisfying conclusion. This contrast between a potentially powerful ending in volume 27 and the bewildering outcome of volume 28 leaves a bittersweet feeling that is hard to ignore.

The harassment the author faced: Putting fiction aside, it’s necessary to understand how this story progressed because if it weren’t for the author, I wouldn’t have loved these characters as much as I did. I’m aware that there are people who admire their work, and others who don’t like what they do. The worst part was when they received death threats from anyone who was following the story, whether on the internet, Twitter, or any other platform. I can’t take the way the manga ended seriously due to the author's professional or personal problems. The harassment the creator went through makes me question the strange direction the story took at the end—perhaps they felt too stressed or scared about what was going to happen. 

Harassment can have a devastating impact on anyone’s mental and emotional health, especially for an author already dealing with the pressures of meeting deadlines, editorial expectations, and maintaining the coherence of a complex story. The constant exposure to hateful messages and threats could have created an environment of fear and anxiety, significantly affecting the author's creative process. It’s not hard to imagine how stress and fear could have influenced the author’s narrative decisions, leading to an ending that feels rushed or incongruent with the rest of the series. The author may have felt a loss of control over their own work, which can be extremely demoralizing for a creator.

The time when it ended: I still love this story, but every project must have a definitive end; however, this work is the exception. It’s very curious that the author decided to end the manga in such a questionable way, lacking development. For a project to be fully complete and function well, it requires time. This applies to designing a building, a house, a car, programming a robot to be safe, developing a video game with good mechanics and gameplay, and also creating a well-developed movie or book. That’s why I consider the manga an incomplete project, as it’s quite strange that the story concluded during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic period. Most projects and works that were being developed during that time showed very questionable results, hindering their progress and making sense of them, and in the case of this story, it’s logical that the advancement was also affected by this deadly virus.

The pandemic affected many people, forcing them to accelerate their projects or change the way they worked. Like other works that were forced to change their plans due to the imposed restrictions, Domestic Girlfriend's ending seems to have suffered from a lack of time and proper development. The environment of uncertainty generated by the situation may have led the author to feel the need to finish the manga quickly, rather than focusing more on its conclusion.

One of the most evident aspects is how the pace of the story changed abruptly in the final volume. Plots that had been carefully developed earlier were resolved quickly, and conflicts that seemed to have more depth were closed hastily. These types of conclusions usually point to a problem with planning or a lack of space to expand ideas, and in this case, the pandemic is one of the causes behind this outcome. Many other works also showed abrupt results due to the virus, from movies, series, games, comics, mangas, novels, etc., leaving people with endings that didn’t always meet expectations. Domestic Girlfriend is part of this situation where external circumstances directly influenced the quality of its closure.

It’s possible to believe that Domestic Girlfriend was originally planned to conclude as we know it; however, the author was unable to correctly implement the vision they had for this project, as it leaves many unanswered questions, generating situations open to subjective interpretations. This results in an ending that doesn’t clearly reflect what the author intended. The various factors and issues that influenced its development, such as the pandemic and the characters' questionable decisions, make it hard to take the story’s ending seriously. On the other hand, the earlier development, which left deep and emotional moments, is what still holds the manga as a work of value, making it such an interesting, peculiar, and strange story.