There can be any number of reasons why married couples cheat on each other. Perhaps the raging flames of passion have gone out, the spark that keeps things exciting fades away, or they simply fall out of love. A partner could also be caught up in their spouse’s hang-ups, be they physical, psychological, or sexual. Whatever it is that causes the eye to wander has its roots in issues that need to be talked out and laid bare before they get out of control. Such is the case of Tarou in the hentai, Tsuma ga Kirei ni Natta Wake. Tarou is a healthy young man who lives with Misako, his gorgeous, loving wife of four years and while things seem normal between the two, they love each other and have sex every once in a while, the truth ends up being much harder to swallow. 

Tsuma ga Kirei ni Natta Wake doesn’t waste any time. Tarou regales the viewer with how he’s noticed his hot as balls wife getting prettier each day. Now, normally, that might sound like the honeyed words from an adoring spouse but the scene suddenly cuts to Tarou being shown illicit photos of his wife having sex with another man. A detective, whom we are left to assume he hired for whatever reason, goes through the motions of suggesting divorce lawyers. Tarou struggles with the revelation, noting that has wife has said in no uncertain terms that she isn’t into sex and that he’s respected her wishes, content with spending each night sleeping beside her. However, the photo and his imagining of her having sex trigger something inside him. Sitting in his home with a photograph in hand, he feels arousal over his wife’s infidelity. Instead of seeking out a lawyer, Tarou makes an appointment to meet with Misako’s lover.

While Tarou wonders what would happen if he straight up told Misako that he knows everything that’s going on, he can’t help but feel concerned over how much it would turn their relationship upside down. It’s obvious that he still loves her and enjoys the life they share together but at this stage, he’s unable to come out and take charge of the situation. In the very brief time we know Tarou, he’s definitely the kind of person who doesn’t want to rock the boat—especially with someone as drop-dead sexy as his wife. So, he strikes a unique deal. In exchange for his silence on the matter, he demands that Misako’s lover turn over videos to him of their sex sessions for him to masturbate to. And it’s these videos that he learns more about his wife than he ever thought possible. 

Tsuma ga Kirei ni Natta Wake isn’t going to be much fun for those who don’t like the “cheating lover” or netorare genre of hentai. The concept of the spurned wife being taken by another man really doesn’t lend itself to happy stories, with some of them being downright sinister and depressing (Kedamono-tachi no Sumu Ie de is a perfect example). It’s interesting to see Tarou enable his wife’s extramarital activities because he learns something about himself. Since he’s never made a real fuss about being sexually dominant with his wife due to her feelings on sex, Tarou has never really been in a position to feel aroused with his wife until he watches videos of her at night getting fucked by some other dude. The man whom Misako is sleeping with doesn’t seem altogether surprised by this, claiming it to be a fetish that isn’t particularly rare and that he’s totally OK to go along with it. This back and forth—Tarou accepting videos in exchange for silence—does eventually take its toll on the husband who, through a series of agreed-upon circumstances, makes a decision that will forever change the relationship with his wife. 

As much as NTR hentai often fills the pit of my stomach with uncomfortable butterflies, I actually really liked this one. It presents a complicated relationship that isn’t overtly terrible or gross or depressingly sad. I only wish the hentai spent some time detailing the ramifications of the OVA’s final moment if only to see how these people’s lives go on. I felt cheated because of the lack of a desperately needed epilogue to this story. But I suppose it’s meant to let the viewer speculate on what the future holds for the couple. As for the series itself as a piece of animated entertainment, it’s one of the better-looking ones I’ve seen. The animation is fluid and slick, resulting in some dynamic and fabulous sex scenes. There are some fun moments of cosplay which show off just how sexy Misako is, especially with her hair done up in pigtails. I think she’s become one of my new favorite female hentai characters because she’s just so fucking sexy and during sex she totally gives it her all, looking so good while doing it. And I’m not saying that because her boobs are wonderfully large. With scene after scene ending with the most exquisite ahegao look on her face, how can you not enjoy seeing her go at it? 

Most cuckold hentai often leaves me feeling sad and a little guilty but Tsuma ga Kirei ni Natta Wake is one that I found to be less intense than most others. That was surprising to me but considering how much I love watching hentai, maybe I’m finally becoming desensitized to the emotional baggage NTR comes with. Granted, this can still be a bit of a rough watch at times. It’s never easy watching a marriage crumble from the point of view of the person being cheated on and there are certain moments where Tarou’s utter dejection is hard to see. Also, his plan for confronting his wife does come across as a little manipulative but I’ll leave that to the court of opinion. The one thing I really enjoyed about this series is its second episode because it is presented entirely from Misako’s point of view which gives the viewer some really great insight into her thinking and motivations for cheating on her husband. I don’t watch a lot of NTR but this is the first time, I think, that I’ve gotten to see the woman’s perspective and it goes a long way to flesh these characters out. If you’re willing to work past all the feels typically associated with cuckold hentai (and you want to see the most creative use of a jungle gym) then I think you’re really gonna like what Tsuma ga Kirei ni Natta Wake has to offer.