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wh33zy · 3 years

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My Read on Domestica: The Couple Probably 4 people care about, 5 if they’re lucky

Good evening! Tonight, I wanted to analyze Domestica (Yoshiyuki Hatori x Yoshino Chiaki) as requested by the amazing @boyimtrash . I will be analyzing them both separately and then together. They are infamous in ways that to this day still has them on the receiving end of hate and unpopularity. They are probably the least acknowledged couple in all of Nakamura’s works and for some pretty good reasons.

This couple gained infamy just in the beginning of their story in their light novel because of Hatori raped Chiaki. While sexual assault and dubious consent is a running theme in Nakamura’s works, this one was so blatantly rape that the author ended up getting some backlash for it thus why it was left out of the manga and anime with anything concerning Domestica. Other than that, the common criticism for them is their story being quite bland, even though it was equipped with a love triangle. I think it’s because of this that most of their story has been cut from the manga as well as the anime leading the reader to have to delve into whatever light novels are available for answers beyond rushed references and such.

Yoshino Chiaki:

Hate to break to you guys but, uh....this guy? Yeah, far from a cinnamon roll. I mean, if ditsy, selfish, overly immature, not self-aware, and wildly inconsiderate equals a cinnamon roll then you might as well kick Misaki and Nowaki out of that gang. The way he gets stuck in his own head (and how stuck he is in his way) which not only puts out Hatori but his manga team as well.

The kicker is that, unlike Hiroki, this person is completely aware of being selfish and inconsiderate evident by the way he apologizes to Hatori about it but does nothing to change. I’m positive this stems from the fact that he relies heavily on Hatori for a lot of things that he should be taking care of himself. Even this he realizes since he tends to feel “disgusting” when Hatori does all these things for him but still does nothing to change and we’re in our early thirties here, folks!

This kind of brings me to another major problem he has: he’s resistant to change. When he’s really comfortable in a spot, for example where his friendship is with Hatori and Yuu, Chiaki will not go out of his way to make any changes even if they are the right thing to do. This is evident by the way he decides to keep what’s going on between him and Hatori from Yuu in order not to complicate their friendship trio.

Chiaki, although more of a homebody than a lazy housecat, is a very hard worker, of course I’m not going to take that from him. My guy will ignore his basic needs like food, water, and grooming. He put his all into every manga page he works on, even working on it here and there on his time off, so his life revolves around his art. He’s extremely dedicated to his craft and often gets so absorbed into it that he blocks out the world around him. He fully deserves his success.

On this note, Chiaki tends to take a lot of Hatori’s criticisms/advice to heart, especially in regard to his work. Everything from thoughts and opinions, even drunken complaints, they are always in Chiaki’s thoughts. While this could mean a lot of things in regard to why he has no boundaries with Hatori, Chiaki will at least try his best meet whatever standards Hatori is implying. Even with Hatori’s harsh language, Chiaki on some level knows not to take it to heart.

While this is good, Chiaki tends to be afraid to share any criticisms he may have or arguments because of Hatori’s cold/usual harsh responses. Not to mention he’s also intimidated by his superior way of acting even though they’re the same age. This only gets worse after Hatori assaults him, and when afterwards, Hatori kisses him as “punishment” making it hard for him to communicate with Hatori the way he needs to. I think Hatori has always and will always intimidate him on some level.

Chiaki also cares so much about what his readers think. Not just from automatically taking any advice on Hatori about shaping his art to be better digested but also the reason why his author identity is a secret. Chiaki has always had trouble with other assuming that he was a girl since his first name is generally very feminine. So, when he made his pen name, he assumed that it would be better understood that he was a man. However, because he is writing shoujo manga (which, generally more girls read) and also because his pen name Yoshikawa Chiharu still sounded feminine, fans assumed he was a girl. So, in order not to confront that and possible disappoint his readers, Chiaki keeps his identity as an author hidden from the public.

Chiaki is also the kind of person who is very passionate about their likes and an all-around fun loving person. From the way he got excited with Yuu about The Kan to going to all the events he can. I assume this is the part of him that gave him success in dating, since he’s had a few girlfriends in the past and as far as we know, is till on good terms with them.

Chiaki is also a pretty nice guy all around. When it comes to his friends, he genuinely wants to help them and be there for them in the best ways he knows how. This is evident from the way he wanted to help Hatori with his unrequited love situation before he found out and having his ex show him houses that Hatori expressed he liked in a commercial (which he was also indirectly asking if they could live together).

Yoshiyuki Hatori:

First, I’m going to say I understand why he comes off pretty cold for a good portion of the story. In fact, I don’t really blame him (at least until he just up and assaults Chiaki which I do fully blame him because we do not victim blame in my mothafuckin’ house, no we don’t). Imagine the person you’re in love with, who knows full well that you have feelings for them and has procrastinated on giving you an answer, and they are constantly: invading your space, sleeping in your bed, expecting to be taken care of, and saying things that could be easily taken in a romantic context. You’d cop an attitude too, it’d feel like you were being led on or just plain used at that point because it’s so obvious that the person you’re in love with doesn’t care about your feelings and more about what you can do for them.

However, I don’t excuse the blatant selfishness this person displays all before Chiaki finds out about his feelings in the light novel. Sure, Hatori was under stress of working for a pretty inconsiderate person as well as Yuu’s assholery but some of the harshness he displays towards Chiaki is because of his feelings for him. He was pretty bitter about them and his mood would dampen a lot of Yuu was in the mix or his unrequited love was mentioned. He hints that he likes someone (Chiaki assumes it’s a girl) and Hatori admits that he doesn’t think it’ll go anywhere. Of course, this is frustrating and heartbreaking but it seemed as though he was taking the unrequited love he felt out on Chiaki which I thought was kinda gross. It’s not Chiaki’s fault nor his responsibility that his person caught feelings and on some level, I think Hatori is aware.

In relation to this, even though Hatori is meant to be more mature, there are several instances in the light novel really showing that he isn’t too far from Chiaki. His friendship with Yuu, if you could even call it that, always seemed strained as if he never liked Yuu to begin with. Yuu also didn’t like Hatori. This is evident when Chiaki describes his observation of them that they always seem to talk badly about each other in implications. This was because of jealousy since, for a while, it seemed as though Chiaki and Yuu got a long a lot better. Also, when he finds out about Yuu’s feelings only push him to resent Yuu more.

Although Hatori is like this, I can say that he has other ways of showing that he loves Chiaki. For example, Hatori will cook for him, do his laundry, and not enforce boundaries as often as he really should. He also promised Chiaki when he expressed wanting to drop out of uni that if he ever ended up on the streets, Hatori would take care of him. However, I think some of this comes from a bit of desperation as Hatori’s feelings for him are so strong that he’ll take what he can get. This is also evident from the scene where he and Chiaki share his bed and he suddenly cuddles Chiaki when setting the alarm clock.

Like Chiaki, Hatori is actually a really hard worker on top of being incredibly talented at his job. According to the light novel, Hatori has gotten a lot of offers from different companies but chose Emerald and Chiaki’s division in order to be as close to Chiaki as possible.

This kinda brings me to the fact that there is some of Hatori’s identity lost in trying to be with Chiaki. I feel like I don’t really know him without Chiaki which I find to be a bit concerning. Even though they are childhood friends, Hatori kind of framed his life around having Chiaki as close to him as possible. He chose his college, major, and career all based around Chiaki. Although that could be seen as something selfless, I think it’s rooted in a selfish monopolizing desire and the assault only proves this.

A major issue with Hatori is his trouble with expressing his feelings, especially ones that run quite deep. I find this to be a worrying trend in pretty much all the SIH couples (ESPECIALLY TAKANOPE HOLY SHIT-). Hatori seems to hold them in, keep them from the one person who should know, and then act strangely when they’re really affecting him. While Hatori just keep his true feelings to himself, he doesn’t necessarily hide them since he tends ot act on them in some form or another. The only answer to why is because of a crippling fear of rejection.

Later on though, he does get better at expressing himself and even letting his face show emotions but that’s only for Chiaki’s eyes to see as evident by the way he’ll smile or is comfortable enough to get hammered around him.

The Couple: One of the biggest and reoccurring issue between them has been finding the line between their personal and professional relationship. This is become less and less of an issue as their story goes on, but it was hard for them both to find a balance. While it felt like their professional relationship was too personal, their personal relationship felt too distant. It really wasn’t until they became a couple that they basically erased that line all together. Even still, they have issues with intimacy and being more comfortable around each other which becomes a little better with time.

I also found that they don’t have great communication. They pretty much take ideas and what they think would be best for each other and run with it without really talking to each other about it as evident by the house fiasco early in their relationship and so on. While I do believe their hearts are in the right place in terms of trying to do things that will make the other happy, they need to work on being more open with each other.

So, let’s talk about the assault real quick: Hatori does show major instant remorse over the assault, acknowledges that it was inexcusable and should have never happened, and I will admit that it was definitely a lot faster than Akihiko did in Romantica. He was willing to completely start over his life in order to get out/stay out of Chiaki’s after what he did. When Chiaki gave him the chance to start over, he was hesistant to take his forgiveness but eventually accepted. I think a part of this stems from the fact that they both want to be a part of each other’s lives at all costs.

Which brings me to what makes these two a little unique from the rest: they are ridiculously attached to each other. I know there are a lot of different interpretations for why Chiaki was so desperate to stop Hatori from leaving, why Hatori never really enforces his boundaries, and why they both get super upset at just the thought of them being with other people (and doing things with friends without each other!). I think their relationship has always been just a bit farther than friendship due to their attachment. I also think this is why showing affection is generally easier because not only have they known each other for almost their entire lives but also because of the strong attachment they feel towards one another. I think this always explains why they’re a bit prone to jealousy.

And that’s the end here! If anyone would like to add on, please do so! Sorry that this analysis took so long! My classes have been back in full swing since the start of this month. Also, having to read the light novel was difficult because learning disabilities and such.

Also a very special thanks so much to @youmeandteddybears for the link to the light novel! I didn’t want to do this analysis unless I had all the information I could gather! Couldn’t do it without you so thanks again!

DISCLAIMER: I was unbiased and this analysis is based off of evidence in the manga/light novel as well as my interpretations of the work. Remember folks: these are fictional characters, this is art (so there is a level of subjectivity), and this is all in good fun! Be civil, BE CHILL.

#sekaiichi hatsukoi #sekaiichi domestica #domestica #yoshino chiaki #hatori yoshiyuki

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