Review of My Happy Marriage

Is there such a thing as a "happy marriage"? We should ask ourselves this because even if marriage is not an idea you ever had in mind, what does marriage really bring? Based on the manga of the same name, we are greeted with a show that details what really brings happiness to a person's life. The MAL synopsis of the show definitely paints a miserable picture into the life of female protagonist Miyo Saimori. What's worse is that her situation is out of her control. The way that she has been mistreated by her current family is a sharp contrast to Miyo's mother. I'llget to this later but for now, let's just say that Miyo's life is nothing but filled with trouble and misery. That, is until she is married to a man name Kiyoka Kudou. To her delight, this turned out to be the best thing to happen to her in this timeline because Kiyoka represents the light in her dark tunnel.

Watching My Happy Marriage as an anime only watcher shows that human emotions can truly be fragile. Miyo has to endure physically and mentally the abuse of characters such as her own grandmother and the her half-sister, Kaya Saimori. Early episodes shows that she is not respected or treated equal among the family. It reminds me of the Cinderella story of a kind young woman being mistreated, only we don't have the magic pumpkins or glass slippers. Instead, we get Kiyoka Kudou, a man who was assumed to have a reputation of being a tyrant. In reality, Kiyoka is a strong willed young man who is kind and respectful especially towards Miyo. He serves not just as Miyo's husband but also her protector. Without him, it's easy to say the life of Miyo would be much more miserable. This is evidenced in one episode when Kaya took extreme measures to ruin Miyo's life. And this just goes to show that humans emotions in this anime really has no bounds. The character relationship and chemistry between Miyo and Kiyoka is undeniable however. From the start, it felt like the two knew each other and had a connection. Throughout this season, we take a deeper glance at the pair as they tackle the reality of a married life.

Because of how much the past influences the present timeline, we have to understand the background story of the Saimori family. It's complicated that revolves around jealousy, human emotions, and even death. The most prominent catalyst is Miyo's mother Sumi, a kind spirited woman who serves as a foil to the antagonistic nature of the Miyo's abusers. Born from a noble family, Sumi shares similarities with Miyo in that they are both kind, compassionate, and selfless. Watching Sumi's background story just shows how human feelings can contrast so much between certain characters. The show doesn't take too much time into background storytelling but we should understand enough to know how the story unfolded into the present.

Now, we should also examine the happiness and bright side of the anime because even all this misery, there's light and hope. If Miyo represents the heart of the show, then Kiyoka represents the soul. Both characters together shows that people can overcome the past and build a better future. One of the primary reasons of their marriage is because of Miyo's potential of supernatural abilities. This is hinted before we even realize she may not be a normal girl. In other words, the reason for their rearranged marriage is to produce a powerful offspring. But unfortunately, Miyo hasn't really lived up to her family expectations. Speaking of family, we also do learn some details on the Tatsuishi family although their characters are rather underwhelming. For instance, Tatsuishi Kouji feels like a poor man's version of Kiyoka being weaker and less intimidating. Their family has a history but mostly viewed as inferior and therefore less dominant compared to the Suimoi family. Still, when we trace back all the history, family feuds, drama, this show make us realize just how human we all are.

Maintaining an aura of elegance, My Happy Marriage has a range of character designs varying from the charming looks of Miyo to the more intimidating features of Kiyoka. Most importantly is the way the studio and directors captured character expressions. Compared to shows with similar genres, it meets and perhaps exceeds the standards. It's not easy to show emotions through animation but I believe the show did an outstanding job at delivering their goal. The way character lines are delivered shows raw human emotions through the sheer quality of the animated features. It's impressive being able to capture the magic of human emotions because it is so complicated.

It may not be the masterpiece or talk of the year. However, My Happy Marriage sets an example of how human emotions are protrayed through complicated events and history. Marriage is a word that ties two people together through reasons whether it's political, financial, or love. For Miyo and Kiyokta, I believe they learned more about love more than they both realized.