Review of My Happy Marriage
Cinderella Shonen. At first glance, My Happy Marriage can be brushed away as another Cinderella old-timey-wimey romantic period drama about an abused young lady who escapes from a life of torture and servitude under her wicked stepmother and her cruel step-sister into an arranged marriage with a man with unsavoury rumours surrounding him and his past finances who turns out to be a much kinder and gentler partner than she feared. Hence the Happy Marriage part. However, it’s a pretty good Cinderella story. Gorgeous background art and animation, melodramatic writing and direction performed excellently by the Japanese voice actors (I haven't watched the dub) that willtug on your old, jaded heartstrings with all the ways the show beats the Cinderella in question, Miyo down and memories of her mother of literally cut and stomped down by all of the assholes around her.
Of course, this wouldn’t be a Cinderella story without magic or in this scenario, superpowers. In this version of old Japan, people are sometimes born with supernatural abilities that could be used to fight evil spirits and ghosts. People born with “the sight” are highly valued which is why Miyo’s father starts doting on her step-sister and and keeps her around as a political marriage bargaining tool.
Honestly, I wish the show wasn’t about superpowers. As cool as it was to watch Miyo’s husband, Kiyoka single-handedly walk into enemy territory and destroy everything and anyone in his path with fire and lightning just so he could rescue Miyo, and as incredible as some of the combat scenes are, this anime is at its best when it's focusing on characters and their relationships rather than Shonen battles with generic evil ghosts that most of the population can't see anyway.
Miyo and Kiyoka’s relationship is slow and methodic. The way they both build their bond with the help of the supporting cast is the most beautiful part of this story. Even the villains get satisfying comeuppance for trying to get between them. Kaya’s cruelty has entered her into the special hall of infamy neckbeard weebs have for cartoon women such as Mami Nanami from Rent-a-Girlfriend and Matly Melromar from Rising of the Shield Hero.
My Happy Marriage is really good. It won’t be everyone's thing and it is a shame the story bogs itself down with cliches that feel like they belong in an average Shonen manga, but the way the show crushes your soul and builds you back up again with the power of love, the ultimate superpower, is truly good and I highly recommend it.
8/10 Great.