I'm very well aware of how controversial the incest theme in either manga or anime is, so I'm not surprised by a relatively low score for this title. In this review, I'll try to focus on the story plot, how it is built, and how the character development is going, more than on the incest theme itself. There are a few sentences about it in the "enjoyment" section. Before starting, it's worth mentioning I thoroughly enjoyed the whole manga, whether counting the incest or not.
[Story - 6]
The plot itself is just fine. With a lot of potential for something better. There are some unnecessary time skips and notable plot holes, but it doesn't affect the story in a major way. This manga goes way faster when it comes to relationship progression than anyone would expect. Even though I don't doubt there's a possibility to fall in love with someone at the first sight, Hitomi seems to be way into Shin from the very beginning. It makes their relationship a bit forced by this "fate". The plot progression is okay, and the story is pretty cute after all. Focusing solely on the romance aspect, the dynamics between the two main characters are really good. It won't be weird to say that in some moments it's really heartwarming to see them together. There was a lot of unnecessary drama, especially in the last few chapters. Behaviour of some characters was unexplainable in many parts of the story. The indecisiveness of Hitomi about their relationship, and her change of plans, just for the sake of her dying mother (don't get me wrong, I probably can't sympathize with Hitomi enough, but I don't think it should be the reason to resign from your love) is at least weird, and honestly adds a lot of unnecessary drama to the story from nothing.
[Art - 9]
It's surprisingly beautiful. Especially Hitomi, which looks stunning. I love every single drawing of her in this manga. The environments look really good and give the proper mood to every scene. It's worth noticing there are times when some characters' faces are looking a bit weird.
[Characters - 7]
Shin is a pretty shy guy, that has visible problems with his self-confidence. There are many times at the beginning of the manga, where he's comparing himself to Hitomi, saying how much inferior he's compared to her, or that he has no chance to be in a relationship with her. In some parts of the manga, it's becoming pathetic, which makes Shin looks like an actual loser. It isn't beneficial to the story at all. It's rather annoying to see this type of pathetic MC getting with the prettiest girl in the town (a theme that is used way too often in romance anime/manga). Throughout their relationship, Shin is definitely becoming a much better character. Especially when it comes to his self-confidence. It looks like he's much more mature, when it comes to his relationship with Hitomi, near the end of the manga than he was before. It's probably the character with the best development in this story.
Hitomi, according to Shin is the prettiest girl he knows. Hitomi is undoubtedly a very pretty individual, which was confirmed many times when she went somewhere in public. This can hint that Hitomi isn't aware of her beauty, or rather doesn't want to show that she cares about it to Shin. She seems to be a very reasonable and considerate character at the beginning of the manga, but as the story progresses Hitomi becomes much more indecisive and anxious, which causes many problems in the growth of her relationship with Shin. Considering all the factors that could make her behave like that, it's understandable, but worth noticing, towards the end, it's rather an underdevelopment of the character, even if finally she made up her mind, regarding her love for Shin.
Kozue and Koutarou - If there's someone that didn't have enough screen time in this manga, it's definitely going to be Kozue. Even if viewers got to know her a bit better, thanks to the flashbacks, she's still a character with a lot of potential. She was left off with a really shallow personality, and in the end, killed by the author (to add some more drama, because why not). Besides most of the time, she was rather annoying, due to her objections to the relationship between Hitomi and Shin. Koutarou didn't have much screen time as well, but I wasn't interested in more of his backstory either. It's worth mentioning he surprisingly reacted extremely well, after he discovered the truth.
[Enjoyment - 9]
The rating of 9 already suggests I enjoyed this manga. I, in fact, enjoyed it a lot. Considering it's an incest love story, there's a feeling of guilt with it as well. The romance is done in a very good way and the story of forbidden love is really moving for some reason. This is probably the best incest story I've read (although I usually try to avoid incest themes). The love between the main characters is pure and heartwarming. I loved how the main characters were only interested in each other. No one else. No NTR, no hidden motives, just love. Either way, it's fiction, and in fiction, anything can happen. That's why people are choosing mediums such as manga or anime, right? Besides some unnecessary drama, I enjoyed nearly every episode of this manga. The ending is also pretty satisfying, considering how many worse possibilities to end this story arose.
"Domestic na Kanojo, but it's actually good" gets a solid 8.
Leaving the review with "Mixed feelings", as I don't factor the incest theme as negative in my rating.
