Review of My Happy Marriage

Neither as atrocious as some might claim, nor the amazing twist to a Cinderella others would say, I find this series to be... middling. A perfectly serviceable anime that you can pass some time watching if you don't mind slower paced, more wholesome watches revolving around healing from times spent in an abusive household and making a marriage work out. |[ Visuals - 7/10 ]| While not egregious, I did find there to be some very minor inconsistencies in the characters faces - though, that could've just been me. On the whole the quality is pretty solid, some of the scenes are very pretty, but...I question the highlights in the characters' hair (was that even what it was?). The colour choices were so... dubious there. I mean, Kudou seemed to have purple (?) highlights despite having blond hair and it just doesn't look right. It looks like a mistake, but it's a mistake that is consistent and it feels so... off. He's not the only one either, and as the anime goes on, you - or at least, I - noticed it more and more. But that's down to personal taste, I suppose.

When it comes to how much it stands out... I really couldn't say. I think the character design stood out a little more than the art style itself, which strikes as fairly standard. Clean, pretty - except for the weird highlights - and I guess mostly fitting.

|[ Sound - 6/10 ]|
I honestly remember nothing of the sound, and the OP and ED were not, if I recall correctly, the best from this season. They felt quite... standard. It's hard to explain why, since I'm not an expert in sound design and music, but that's just my experience. Don't get me wrong, the intros and outros felt fitting, but they were neither emotional nor otherwise memorable to me. Maybe, given the series themes I expected something more cathartic sounding, but I wouldn't even know how that would sound in such a way that fits with the anime. None of it was terrible though, to my memory and the voices seemed fitting for the characters. At least in the dub.

|[ Characters - 6/10 ]|
Honestly? I just thought they had nothing going for them. The bad guys sucked at being bad, the good guys could barely manage being good, but it didn't feel that this was because these characters were nuanced. Mostly, I think there was just something lacking. A few too few commendable traits, an insufficient variety of characters and nothing bold enough nor endearing enough to stick in my mind. Considering this was supposed to be - at least given the other people's reviews - something of a Cinderella retelling you would think that the studio would take advantage of this being a series and give Cinderella a more well rounded personality. Instead, good ole' Cindy seems even more meek than her Disney predecessors. And, look, I know strength exists in more than one form, but c'mon.

I should add, that the character designs while interesting in that the female character is brown eyed and brown haired, , which is unusual for a female character in anime, is actually fairly common place for a Shoujo protagonist. So... nothing exciting. Her personality is "abused by family" and "endlessly grateful to Master Kudou, while his personality is "doesn't listen to his wife" and "cold but secretly caring. Thing is, I have no idea where Mr Tsundere/Kuudere really got his personality from - but maybe I just fell asleep in the middle of the relevant episode - or why he has multiple powers.

The world and power system is barely touched upon, which in turn only serves to make the characters more forgettable, because nothing seems to make enough sense. At most, there is a hereditary component to powers and powers evolve. Sort of like quirks, but in a more wishy washy manner. Oh, and the character motivations feel weak, the families are just in general very weird and underexplored, and the dynamics between them... they feel kind of dull?

I wouldn't say that the characters had nothing to them. Just not enough tot stand out. Certainly nothing that would suggest this reimagining of the Cinderella story needed to happen. But lately "old fairy tales but the FMC is more magical" seems to be a popular way of rebooting things.

|[ Writing - 7/10 ]|
I don't think in terms of set ups and pay offs (of events and twists) things are that bad when it comes to writing, but I feel that the character development and power developments feel a weak, and in terms of the latter unearned. Moreover, the pacing can feel very slow, and the world isn't really written with more in mind than "let's give the characters powers" because it'll look cool. Plus, the fight scenes are kinda' meh at best. That said, this isn't battle shounen, so I suppose this makes sense.

|[ Enjoyment - 6/10 ]|
Granted, this is a very subjective thing, but while it never dragged so much or felt so stale as to make me drop i, and I did remember some aspects of it. Certain parts even felt quite nice - like the sister's acceptance of the new bride, or the pretty flower trees. But it also felt lacking in places, and more than just a little bit. Moreover, it never felt as if, should I click out for just a second that I'd be missing anything. Exactly the sort of show you might watch when double tasking, not so much the show you watch to be at the edge of your seat and really feel the thrill or the emotions. And, to be fair, I think that's okay. In that sense, it makes for a perfectly "fine" series.

|[ Overall - 6-6.5/10 ]|
I was honestly debating whether to make this a six or a seven. Ultimately though, this show is mostly just fine. Neither so obnoxiously frustrating that I wanted to drop it, nor so exciting that it was at the top of my list of priorities.