Misery seems everlasting in Miyo Saimori's life. Born from an arranged marriage, she was quickly discarded after her mother's tragic death. Her father remarried, and her younger half-sister Kaya received all the affection, while Miyo was degraded to a lowly servant. Lacking the strength to fight against her family's abuse, Miyo loses hope that her luck will ever turn.
Unexpectedly, Miyo's father summons her to deliver surprising news: she is to marry Kiyoka Kudou, the head of the distinguished Kudou family. Despite his noble background, Kiyoka is known to be a callous man who has thus far dismissed all of his former fiancées.
Upon arriving at the Kudou household, Miyo expects coarse treatment and to be tossed aside. However, contrary to her assumptions, Kiyoka shows her the kindness and love that she has desperately needed. Marrying Kiyoka may be Miyo's one chance to break free from her neglectful family and embrace a life of happiness.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Ionliosite2
We all have seen Cinderella, but have you ever seen it in a setting with super powers? Well, that's basically what Watashi no Shiawase na Kekkon is. There are blatant problems with this show, and the most obvious one is the protagonist Miyo, it is understandable why she would behave and think the way she does after living almost her whole life being abused by her family, so she came as extremely passive, submissive and apologetic, this in itself is fine, the bad part comes when she starts developing and switching back to how she was before. We saw her standing againts her family and rejectingwhat they said, actually trying to act individually and taking into account her own feelings above the ones from others, however this doesn't last long as she returns to having no confidence for no reason, it's not like she got tortured again or anything after that, in fact, she was treated better, even getting more people to know like Kudou's sister who was helping her, but Miyo suddenly regressed back, no matter if Kudou told her that she could trust on him and tell him about any problems she has multiple times, she thinks she is a burden to him despite everything he tells her and already being a long time ever since she started trusting him. It's almost like the Miyo who stood againts her family dissapeared and returned to step 1 despite having no reason for doing so, she isn't getting mistreated anymore, she has people who actually love her around and she had accepted that fact before, but she still regressed and that is pretty much frustating. This isn't helped by the fact that she herself is boring, characters with trauma can be done right and sadly Miyo is not one of them, you can tell that she is submissive, scared, incapable of expressing herself, the problems isn't having these traits, the problem is that those traits are her entire character, she's pretty bland outside of her trauma, I'm not saying she should do a big change of personality almost instantly but at least keep her consistent with what she managed.
Talking about Kudou is talking about every shoujo ikemen ever, really. He was said to threat all of her bride candidates while being cold and intimidating to the point no one was able to stand him, but little after Miyo comes, poof, that thing that was said before? It is all gone, he researches about Miyo and becomes this cool and loving fianceé, that will do anything for her, he is also very rich and comes from an important household where he is the head of the family. He is also so incredible with his super natural abilities that he is hailed as the best, and it shows, this guy is basically the Avatar, master of the four elements, of course, I'm kinda exagerating there, but it is almost how it feels.
I was thrown out of the loop when Kudou shoot a lightning from his finger in episode 2, because it somehow took until episode 2 to know that the series has super natural powers and that's the reason Miyo was abused by her family in the first place, despite having it as one of the most basic points of the series, it surely took its time to introduce it. After the series stopped being the 3785th copy of Cinderella, it relied on the super powers far more when evil spirits appeared, and it was far less focused in romance. This creates a mismatch in what it is doing, as the first half focuses far more in the romance and drama aspects and how the relationship between the two leads develops with almost no focus on action except on episode 6, and while it is still focusing on drama the romance aspect gets reduced in the second half as the couple becomes more distanced and spend less time together while also having more action scenes.
This series got me more stressed about it the more I wrote about it, and I mean, this series is a pretty basic shoujo romance when you think about it, a shy girl that was mistreated by her family after losing her mother being rescued by an absolutely hot, tall, rich and perfect ikemen that will stop being the mean guy that he supposedly was and will protect her, treat her well, love her no matter what and solve her trauma with his looks, richness and, in this case, literal fire. Despite the problems of the show, the animation is beautiful, the series looks really gorgeous as you should expect from Kinema Citrus, the colors are so vivid and it is always clean, when the fights with super powers come it becomes really great to watch, it is pretty weird when I'm more interested in seeing the visuals of the opening than hearing the song, not like the song is bad mind you, so you will be seeing a very beautiful series in case you want to sit and watch it, if you can ignore the basic premise and glaring problems with the "wholesomeness" then go ahead, but this is basically Cinderella with Avatar's bending arts.
Thank you for reading.
Mcsuper
My Happy Marriage, at the outset, feels like the 1000th remake of Cinderella. It has the evil stepmother, the family abuses the MC, and she gets “saved” by a strong, powerful man. It’s a bit more than that though, as it’s a largely character driven story with the main female character, Saimori Miyo, trying to find her self worth after years and years of people telling how useless she was, as shallow as the reasons were, in that she supposedly lacked the abilities that her family members had. She is married off to a man named Kudou Kiyoka, who was known to be a cold-hearted,insensitive man who dismissed his previous fiancées, likely in an attempt to get rid of her and have her suffer more. Obviously, as you would expect, Kiyoka treats Miyo in a way she doesn’t expect, and the relationship builds from there.
Then what makes this anime stand out, if it just feels like another Cinderella story? The first thing would definitely be the visual presentation. The animation overall is very fluid, while being rather simple in its designs. There are great looking action scenes, the character expressions are worthy of praise, and the soundtrack by Evan Call, who worked on Violet Evergarden, complimented it a lot. Virtually no issues from the production side of things. I dare say it might have been one of the best produced shows of the summer season. It has strong attempts at characterization, with directing and symbolism that I really enjoyed, as there was a level of nuance there to develop Miyo and Kiyoka’s relationship throughout the story.
What unfortunately holds it back from being in the upper echelon of shows from this season for me is the shallow writing, especially outside the main duo. In that way, it might feel more like Cinderella, in that the characters are very “fairy-tale” like. They’re evil for the sake of being evil, with malicious intent that goes over the top at times. Sure, there are a lot of political aspects in play especially in this setting, with families all thirsting for power, doing whatever it takes to gain reputation, but some of the actions that the Saimori family took early in the season just felt a bit much, perhaps a bit melodramatic at times.
The supernatural aspects were interesting for sure, and I’m sure will be developed in the future, with the upcoming OVA or perhaps in future instalments of this series if it ever happens, but I felt it somewhat took away from the more grounded relationship with Miyo and Kiyoka. The supernatural parts do give the series more flare and pizzazz, but I question whether all of it was necessary, as especially in the second half, where I felt the lore and the presence of Grotesqueries, besides being haphazardly implemented at points, also limited the time that could have otherwise been spent on developing the romance aspects a bit better, as well as Miyo’s character.
The cast of characters was fine, but besides a couple characters outside the main duo, the rest were forgettable. A lot of scummy characters for sure, and I do see that popping up a lot in shoujo series. Miyo’s character was frustrating at times to watch, but she had some very good developments as well at the climax of the first half, and the aforementioned symbolism really helped with that. Kiyoka I had more interest in, especially in his abilities. I liked how he treated Miyo, and how his attitudes changed towards her throughout. You can basically say that Miyo and Kiyoka bring the best out of each other, as Kiyoka helped Miyo break out of her self-deprecating nature and stand up for herself, while Miyo helped Kiyoka open up more as a person.
My attention was always there when the relationship was being developed, but like I said, outside of that, it was an up and down ride. The first half was very strong and at that point had the potential to be the best anime airing this season, but the second half was markedly weaker in that I felt the romance could have been prioritized a bit more, and the supernatural aspects executed in a more meaningful way. Overall, it was still a high quality anime, but just missed the mark a little bit for me to say it was truly incredible.
Klegs
What seemed to be a promising emotional story about a girl who finds self acceptance from a childhood of neglect and trauma from a relationship with a cold yet gentle man. Into a story of saving the helpless princess. It just falls flat. The soft magic system makes the battles almost feel like plot devices to move the story on as the viewer never really knows the limit's of each character's ability. There is a lack of suspense and the victors seem predictable. With the exception of Arata using his illusion at the end of his fight. The idea or message behind her finding self acceptance whilenot being special. Is completely undermined immediately by the story revealing that the whole entire time she was actually super special and is deeply desired by her secret family.
What does this show want to be, a josei/shojo love romance story or a battle shounen story? Not so say that you cannot interweave them together , but there wasn't enough time to properly develop either.
animation and music was great tho!
twinklehoy
This anime is entirely carried by the good-looking characters and the animation. Everything else is just bad: the MC is meek, indecisive, has zero self esteem and her personality is practically being depressed and doing chores for her husband. The pacing is slow and the plot is boring. The action parts are lacking suspance or any real sense of danger and you can easily predict the outcome. The romance scenes are meh, there's no chemistry and the male lead's feelings seem to develop from pity. Watch if you have nothing better to do and want to hear people talking in the background.
Dan_imals
This anime feels like a typical Cinderella story but with strange powers that seem completely unnecessary. The inclusion of these powers caught me off guard and cheapened the overall experience, making the characters seem one-dimensional. Beyond the main character's trauma, she lacks any real personality, and there's nothing to make her stand out. While the animation and music are impressive, they can't fully redeem the weak plot. The story is unoriginal, and the characters have no depth, which made the experience frustrating. The music is the only thing that somewhat compensates for the lack of substance in the narrative and character development.
estherdesu
"My Happy Marriage" is one of the greatest gifts this summer season has given us. It's not all about romance or the emotional challenges the characters may face, but it also incorporates supernatural elements, mystery, and even action. While romances typically follow lighter themes, this one delivers an exceptional performance in addressing delicate subjects."My Happy Marriage" portrays and embraces the imperfections of its characters, especially those of Miyo. What I like most about this story is that, even though from the moment she reunites with Kiyoka, it could have completely ignored Miyo's past and portrayed her as a changed person since she already had herfuture husband's approval, it doesn't hesitate to remind the audience of the impact abuse can have on the victim and that it takes a considerable amount of time to heal. Physical wounds heal at some point, but emotional ones can leave much more painful scars capable of lasting over time.
Its animation, led by Kinema Citrus (Barakamon, Made in Abyss...), is a true marvel, and its soundtrack, composed by Evan Call (Violet Evergarden, Josee, The Tiger and the Fish...), is equally outstanding. I highly encourage you to give it a chance!
Scheveningen
My Happy Marriage is an interesting combination of a very shojo-style period romance mixed in with what one might call more typical shonen-esque features that focus on supernatural powers, setting and combat. The show likely finds a large part of its broader appeal, and therefore positive reception, since it does blend the two elements relatively cohesively. Yet this also highlights that the show does not develop or dig down into either of these elements to turn its story into something exceptional, or perhaps even anything above adequate. To an extent, the show does exactly what is described on its metaphorical tin. There is a focuson the romance and the growing relationship between our leads. Still, the summary frankly does create the impression that it will be a heavily character driven piece that explores the relationship in depth and within the context of the period it is set in. It leaves out the fact that the supernatural elements, which initially seem like merely a twist or aesthetic flavour, actually play a more significant role in the story. To the point where the plot is driven more by the supernatural setting than character relationships, as one might expect for something more firmly in the romance genre. In forgoing the focus on characters and relationships to broaden its genre, it loses a lot of the character depth that makes shows like this stand out. While it still does have many of the usual shojo hallmarks in its trappings and perspective, it more so ends up combining the pitfalls of that genre/demographic with shallow and some less desirable elements from shonen and action-fantasy shows.
The season adapts the first two web novels of the series, allotting six episodes to each. While the supernatural element is present in both of these stories, there is a distinct expansion of it in the latter half of the series. Although this pivot is not jarring, nor comes out of nowhere, it does feel like it spreads the show's focus and narrative resources too thinly. It leaves neither element enough depth to stand up to any kind of closer consideration once the surface veneer is peeled back. Admittedly this does create an effective perpetual hook since the show alternates between centring around the romance and its associated complications to the setting the supernatural conflict. However, this continual regeneration of interest has more to do with dangling the promise of something more engaging than what is currently happening. Or more specifically put, each time the show focuses on the relationship, it reaches a point close to melodrama that threatens to overwhelm the audience. It is then that the hints of the supernatural elements feel more tantalising and draw the viewer's intrigue. Conversely, when the show reaches a period where it focuses on its underdeveloped setting and power system, it is the glimpses of how this all relates back to the relationships between characters that lead the viewer on. While this could be praised as good structuring of the story and integration of two different genres, it also highlights the inability of each element to stand on its own merit.
In particular, this can be seen in the first half of the season, which focuses more on domestic affairs and the growing relationship between our leads Miyo and Kudo. As much as the story draws on Cinderella and Chujo-hime, its execution does feel intensely melodramatic for a significant amount of its screen time. Part of this is, frankly, what the viewer knowingly signs up for. By contemporary standards, any Cinderella-esque story with an abusive, evil stepmother and half-sister is bound to, at the very least, skirt the territory of melodrama. However, the show is particularly heavy-handed with its framing of Miyo's plight and the unreserved villainy of its antagonist. This is not to say that all villains must be relatable. Far from it. But there should be some level of complexity with how blatant and frequently they behave like this. The show frames them reveling so much in their abuse that it reaches almost comical proportions during the mid-season climax. Despite the few moments where the show changes to their perspective, we receive little insight into how they rationalise their actions. This does not need to set up the now equally cliche idea that all villains are simply misguided or facing their own crisis. But having a glimpse of their thought process, no matter how skewed, emotionally charged, or warped, would have done wonders for their characterisation since no one sees themselves as the villain. Even if their thought process confirms what the audience believes, seeing it is the point and what gives the narrative more weight. It would not have entirely done away with the melodrama, but it would have significantly improved things since we would no longer see them as barely more than caricatures.
It is then remarkable that My Happy Marriage is extremely direct with the framing of other characters. It is already quite clear to the audience that the head of the Tatsuishi family is up to something nefarious, conveyed both by his mannerisms on screen and the delivery of his lines. It feels particularly hamfisted when the show feels the need to reinforce this by having us hear his inner monologue, blatantly spelling out that he is using someone or what his obvious motivations are. This happens to a lesser extent with Kudo, when the mystery about his character and the rumours surrounding him are quickly dispelled. Although any genre-savvy viewer expects this outcome, and it is basically in the show's title as well, it undermines any organic tension they could have built between him and Miyo that would show more of their characters. Their initial characterisation of him from Miyo's perspective was already sufficient in showing the rumours were clear exaggerations. Yet we get very little development on why these rumours exist in the first place since the more prickly elements of Kudo's personality are played up by the narrative yet almost immediately dismissed by changing to his internal monologue. Having not read the source material, it is unclear if this problem of entering various perspectives stems from the web novel. But it seems more likely to be an issue with its adaption since most novels either remain in a single perspective or alternate between certain characters instead of being told from an omniscient point of view.
As a result, there is little mystery in our characters but also little corresponding depth to make up for it. The major missed opportunity is in Koji since he is the only character that has any substantial conflicting goals. Despite ample chances to develop this, he is left pigeonholed as the weak but good-natured love interest who puts Miyo ahead of his own feelings. While there is nothing particularly wrong with this character arc or its conclusion, so little about the conflict is explored or even shown that it makes Koji feel far flatter as a character than he should be. As a result, every character fits into very standard archetypes with little to break the mould, including our protagonist Miyo. Though, it is admittedly strange and conflicting to be searching for more nuance or depth to her, given the extreme treatment she has suffered. In a way, that is simply an inherent limitation of a character in that vein and perhaps feels particularly trite because of the long cultural history of tales like Cinderella and Chujo-hime. There still could have been more done to add depth through her relationship with Kudo, allowing her to grow as a known quantity to the audience while revealing his character. As much as the dynamic between them feels done to death, it could have explored how the difficulty in communicating makes them grow as characters. In the case of Kudo, about how to be less abrasive and more emotive, and for Miyo to muster the courage to be direct when necessary despite all the suffering she has been through. There is an attempt to develop them along this line and some touching moments as a result. Yet so much of it feels less earned than it could have been since the pacing does not show much struggle before a breakthrough is achieved. In fact, much of these moments are achieved through external prompting from other characters, which takes away focus from the relationship and potential depth since we are shown less of the introspection.
Even then, the relationship dynamics are not that interesting due to how typical it is for the period. In some ways this seems like a no-win scenario for a period piece these days. Showing a more modern relationship dynamic tends to break the illusion that this is set in the late Meiji or Taisho era. But on the other hand, it is understandable that the very traditionalist nature of Miyo and Kudo's dynamic, if not off-putting to some people, is simply trite. That being said, there is nothing inherently off-putting about what is being portrayed, though the period setting is doing much of the heavy lifting. It would have been interesting and more so justified the historical setting to explore the norms, pushback and complexity of marriage in that era. And the show does offer an inkling of that when it introduces Hazuki, Kudo's sister, who contrasts Miyo's more traditional outlook with her modern girl attitude. However, little is done with this, and it's more of a footnote before the narrative changes focus to Kudo and its supernatural elements. Perhaps it is an unfair expectation of complexity for a web novel since they are generally focused on genre fiction and have about the same complexity as light novels. It is a large, perhaps even dry by genre standards, topic to cover that is usually the preserve of literary novels or non-fiction. Yet having that depth would be one of the few things that could elevate My Happy Marriage from merely competent to something exceptional.
Perhaps then, the time to dive into the relationship element was lacking because the show has more of a focus on the supernatural elements than expected. Admittedly, when My Happy Marriage introduces its supernatural angle in its second episode, it is a compelling twist. The premise provides a convincing reason why Miyo is at the centre of so much family politics and intrigue while also giving it an element that differentiates the show from more traditional shojo fare. This supernatural, political part of the premise also helps keep the viewer interested despite the heavy-handed melodrama the show opens with. It opens the possibility that the show initial melodrama is due to expediency, that it is a sacrifice meant to rush through basic characterisation to do more interesting things with the premise. Unfortunately, the melodrama of the latter episodes and the general vaguity of the setting and supernatural elements dispel that notion. The supernatural elements like the grotesqueries they fight and the superhuman abilities all suffer from the usual limitations they do in shonen action series. They are ill-defined magic powers that generally operate as the plot demands with little account given to how they would alter the setting. As expected, it is the supernatural elements that drive a wedge later on in the series in Miyo and Kudo's relationship. This is little better than the familiar trope of a "homewrecker" type character in more grounded stories becoming an obstacle the relationship needs to overcome instead of working out their flaws.
Ultimately, the supernatural element serves as mere plot utility and a surface-level aesthetic. As usual, very little thought is paid to how different society would be if there were individuals that could create firestorms at will. Like in its shonen counterparts, it undermines the idea that this is a period piece since the world would look incredibly different if even a single person could shoot lightning. While the show does have the fantasy tag on some websites, it does little to make the historical setting seem like anything beyond an aesthetic. The supernatural and historical elements of the setting may then enable a story like this to be told, but they do little to support it thematically. This is not necessarily a problem, since the setting serving the plot is the norm with most series. However, it is another area where My Happy Marriage does not go further than being adequate. What this results in is that the supernatural elements are not fleshed out on their own, have no thematic connection to the character elements, and serve primarily to drive the plot. On the other hand, you have characters that feel very archetypical, with little depth or nuance to any of them, and a sizable amount of melodrama.
Overall, while My Happy Marriage does have its merits in that it is a moderately effective blend of two genres, it seems to sacrifice much of its depth to achieve this. While there have been similar shows like Inuyasha and Kyoukai no Kanata, they generally succeed in balancing their relationship and plot elements since their general characters have a great deal more agency than Miyo. Here, we have the shojo tendency toward melodrama and its issue with passive protagonist, merged with the common shonen problem of shallow characterisation and over focus on its setting and powers without achieving clarity or them serving any thematic purpose. It is almost the worst of both worlds. Yet the execution of the series was still competent enough, with at least enough subtlety with Kudo's initial portrayal to avoid an incredibly stereotypical impression. Perhaps this speaks more to the strength of combining a supernatural period piece with shojo elements than it does to the actual story of My Happy Marriage. But it is still worth a watch, perhaps more so for those interested in the romance or supernatural element than its historical setting. My Happy Marriage is at best a 6 out of 10, perhaps even closer to a 5.5 at its low moments of heavy melodrama. There is the potential that the adaptation of later books will have more depth as the author finds their footing and digs deeper into their world and characters. But it is still a hard ask to have to go through an entire season or multiple light novels before there is any substantial character work being done.
sweetricepudding
The love between husband and wife is shown very beautifully and sweetly in this anime. The simplicity of married life is shown, the romance that blooms from living together is portrayed. The beauty of masculinity and femininity is shown through the story and the simple sweetness of domestic life. Saimorie miyo's voice acting is perfect and very well suited to the character. The actress who played her did a wondaful job. In some ways this story reminded me of In this corner of the world... She is forced to marry a man... and from then on, love blossoms like the cherry tree. The wayshe looks after her and protects her from her cruel family is very endearing and romantic... and makes the tale very heart-warming. The heroine is very sad because of her past...but as soon as she is taken under the care of her chivalrous future husband .... she becomes happy again. this anime is a beautiful romantic tale with some nostalgic hints. The animation is beautiful and I especially thought they character designe of the heroine was very good and suited her personality...
The music, the animation, the voice acting and the story all allow this romantic tale to blossom like a cherry tree...
ZNoteTaku
Watching *My Happy Marriage* surprised me from its first few minutes, though not quite because of any animation, action, or dialogue that it was uttering. Instead, I was struck by just how quiet the series was, as though it was somehow moving through a garden of gently falling petals and leaves. The show seemed to glide its way through its environment and its colors, almost like it had been residing in the fleeting space that lies between sleep and the moment just before you lose yourself in drowsiness. It’s hard to believe that a series that exudes such gentleness could have its central character beso broken, so knocked down by the people ostensibly supposed to love her, and yet still manage to decently pull it off without reading it as too artificial or put-upon as it easily could have been.
In keeping in harmony with the quietness of the surrounding space, Miyo is likewise quiet, though not for the sake of comfort or coziness. Her quiet stems from a neglect so awful that it could be called monstrous at best or beyond repugnant at worst, her self-esteem relentlessly stomped upon time and time again by an unloving sister and parents. They regard her as an undesirable chattel with no supernatural powers of her own, someone whose sense of worth is solely linked to whether she gets jobs done around the house. If she does manage to do so, they’ll find something wrong with what she did – to them, a ragged kimono is already enough of a charity for this Cinderella-esque person. Any small torch within Miyo is cradled by imagery of her mother and her friend Tatsuishi Kouji, and it’s rather clear that the torch he’s carrying for her isn’t so little.
Miyo, as both a product of her unloving home and the time period this material heavily borrows from, is thus framed as a character without a discernible exit. So, when it is announced that she will be married off to Kudo Kiyoka, leader of the supernatural anti-Grotesquerie unit and subject of many unflattering rumors about his past treatment of other fiancées, it seems like it will begin the dawning of another cycle of horrible treatment. Though as we, and Miyo herself, begin to discover, there are aspects of Kudo’s life and personality that the prevailing attitude others have towards him would never reflect. He is like Miyo in that sense, the real self that is whole and self-actualized within the realms of presumptions and forced antagonisms by others. The main difference is that Kudo is already largely assured of himself, while Miyo is not.
Because Miyo is not at that stage yet, every step on her personal journey is full of the mental collisions between her old family’s attitude and continuing presence in her life seeping into her self-perception and trying to be a good wife to not be rejected by her new family. *My Happy Marriage* avoids the pitfall of leaving Miyo’s headspace all tidy and fixed once “the man comes into her life.” Both in his actions and his words, Kudo makes it clear that he is not able to “fix Miyo” and absolve her of all her worries and apprehensions. Instead, he moves more as someone presenting opportunities rather than actively interfering, only stepping in at times which it is wholly warranted, and gently being there for her in listening to her and trying to make himself more presentable.
After all, one cannot expect to undo years upon years of abuse and not have some kind of lingering impact. It is not enough for Miyo to get herself away from the Saimori family, even though that undeniably helps. Miyo has to take those steps of her own volition and under her own willpower, and the journey to that, though long and slow in some not-so-obvious ways, allows us to witness a character transforming before our eyes. And likewise, the relationship between Miyo and Kudo transforms as well – while *My Happy Marriage* is ostensibly about Miyo, the heart of the story lies in both Miyo and Kudo, separately and together, each passively or actively helping the other become the better versions of themselves.
But as their relationship grows, the world they reside in as a couple also begins to grow outwards. As it does so, the mediation between the supernatural and the natural begins to reach a misbalance. Events transpire within the dramaturgy that, within the show’s universe, are undoubtedly significant with heavy gravity, but never seem to have the necessary finesse to land with the punching weight that the earlier drama managed to convey. The new characters and social dimension regrettably move away from Miyo and Kudo’s relationship and introduce several new threads that are meant to weave into a more-beautiful tapestry. The colors and stitching don’t quite rhyme with one another.
With only twelve episodes in its season, many of the ideas introduced through the series, both in its first arc and its later developments, never seem to coalesce into a properly-realized or integrated whole. Kudo’s involvement with the anti-Grotesquerie feels blasé, only becoming vaguely relevant as the need arises, all despite the text itself saying that their duty is too important to keep the city’s way of life secure. Some characterization matters also leave the expanded cast with a worthwhile characterization in theory, though not quite in practice. It moves too quickly, so the ambient warmth that clothed even the earliest episodes’ most-bleak and demoralizing moments can never cling to anything as solidly. In its effort to show how vast its world can be, *My Happy Marriage* had reoriented its emotional center to be less substantial than it was before. It is still present in its bits and pieces, with Hazuki and Yurie in their own dialogues and interactions providing some much-needed perspective, but it feels decidedly more unlyrical when taken in its entirety. It feels less about Miyo and Kudo’s relationship and more about a world in which these two people happen to be important. It lost its gemlike brilliance as it continued, turning its sparkle into something more markedly dulled.
And it’s a shame. The show has a beautiful movement in its walk, creating lovely aesthetic pillows out of its sensitivity to color, light, environments, and the few times that it needs to pull off some semblances of action. When it all aligns, it manages to kindle a soft flame that glows slowly ever-brighter, passing through its sentimentality with warmth and delicate sweetness. With a flame that delicate however, the tiniest breeze can snuff it out. Much like Miyo’s mistaken ideas about how to be a proper wife, the show seemed to have a mistaken idea about how to best orient or prioritize its drama as it continued. It awoke from its dreamlike state and into something where the colder exterior world was intrusively let in.
It appears that, much like Miyo, *My Happy Marriage* wasn’t quite there yet.
Curiouswanderer
I honestly think Kudou and Miyo are so friggin adorable together but I just felt having the supernatural genre and the heavy political family matters shouldn’t be even there in the first place. It would have been better if it was just only a peaceful slice of life historical romance drama then it being way over the top and silly. What even made me put off with what I said is the fact that the fighting scenes were just meh and no hype around them. I mean it’s always Kudou trying to face off the “bad guys” and not involving Miyo. The rest of thecharacters were literally a nuisance like Kujou was a hopeless dummy in not helping out Miyo escape from her abusive family. I wouldn’t knock Miyo as a weak character because she went through crap but at the same time, I wish they made her a more stronger character to defend her battles with Kudou.
I want to admit that the art wasn’t that great like the faces were extremely super stiff in some scenes and then they suddenly get pretty all of a sudden when there’s a wholesome moment. I mean Netflix, wtf what kind of artists are you even hiring here?! They didn’t even bother make the side characters have likeable personalities (well that’s excluding Kudous sister and maid who seemed to be sweethearts) like they might as well be robots! I will add the voice actors were excellent with their roles, that’s probably why I stuck watching the whole 12 episodes.
Music is sorta forgettable even if the opening is nice I have to say.
Anyways it’s not the best romance anime out there I would recommend but it does have fluffy moments with our leads. It’s just storywise and art wise, it’s all over the shop with a lack of effort I’m afraid from my POV. With season 2 announced, I’m pretty certain that I won’t bother continuing watching this series as it was somewhat disappointing….
Hishow_Senpai
Story: I took my interest in the first episode, it was dramatic, my feelings moved and my tears fell, but after continuing to watch there were some simple problems with writing and narrative. Music: The music was beautiful, the opening was quiet and wonderful and the last was ordinary, and the internal music was one of the most beautiful elements that moved my emotions. Drawing: The drawing in this work was beautiful, in many respects of characters or environment and places, knowing that I didn't like some but as a whole it didn't have that annoying effect. Animation: The studio did an excellent job and I thank him for his efforts andgood work and I hope they offer the best in the coming works.
Summary:
If you are looking for dramatic and romantic work that moves you some deep feelings of sadness and joy, this work is directed to you dear viewer.
I wish you met your requirements for some details of this work.
Marinate1016
The revitalisation of Shoujo in recent years has been a welcome surprise. Starting with Fruits Basket(2019), we’ve had solid female targeted stories for the past few years now. I think Watakon is easily the second best of the bunch, only behind Fruit’s Basket and is a beautiful and harrowing tale of overcoming abuse, trauma and finding true love. “What is a family anyway” At its core, Watakon is a juxtaposition of familial bonds. On one hand, Miyo’s toxic and abusive upbringing and on the other, the patient, accepting and healthy relationship she develops with Kiyoka. The story follows Miyo as she breaks free of the metaphoricalchains that bind her and learns to live life on her own terms.
This isn’t easy and it takes time. We gradually see Miyo take strides episode after episode. Despite everyone seeing her as a defective product she eventually comes to realise that her worth isn’t tied to a magical ability or her family’s perception of her.
What I love most about the series is its realistic portrayal of PTSD. After years of abuse from her father, step mother and sister, Miyo is understandably extremely timid and introverted. Even speaking her mind and making eye contact are big tasks for her. Dealing with someone who’s suffering from PTSD and anxiety is a very delicate issue and requires a tremendous amount of reassuring, patience and compassion. Fortunately, Kiyoka has an abundance of all of these qualities. Seeing their relationship develop and Miyo begin to open up and accept that she herself has value, regardless of how her family treated her, was a heartwarming experience.
Speaking of her family, I have to give it to the author. Bravo, the Saimori family are easily one of the most dislikable families in fictional history. Kaya is the worst sister I’ve seen in the history of this medium and I could write a dissertation alone on the punishment she deserves. Alas, there are so many scenes in the first half of the show that made me legitimately angry at Miyo’s mistreatment. Seeing such a kind and innocent soul go through the things she does, purely out of vindictiveness and jealousy.. it’s rough. But it is a testament to the emotional connection the author is able to establish between the audience and Miyo. Every hit, every cruel word she endures, it resonates with you. I’ve always subscribed to the notion that if fiction makes you feel this way, it’s done its job. I’m very pleased with how their story arc ended in this show and believe justice was done.
I am a sucker for a well written realistic feeling romance and there aren’t many series that do it better than Watakon. It doesn’t feel rushed, contrived or cliche. In real life, relationships require a lot of work. It’s constantly compromising and trying to see where your partner is coming from. Very few anime ever really get that right. It’s easy to show off the honeymoon and emotional high of being all cutesy with your partner. But it’s a daily grind to build and sustain a “happy marriage” and the author does a great job of conveying it. Obviously, it’s a fantastical story, but I believe the magical elements are analogous to the real life struggles that couples face. Especially those that involves survivors of abuse.
While there’s an incredible romance, Watakon is more than that. There’s actually a really cool magical ability system in the story that acts as the driving force for the primary conflict. In the anime so far it’s not been explained at tremendous depth, but there is quite a bit of potential to the system and I’m looking forward to expanding upon what I know already by reading the books. There’s a main antagonist who looks like he’ll pose a tremendous challenge in terms of overcoming and some other really cool directions the story can go in if a season 2 is confirmed. While I love romance, I also like getting more than just a couple holding hands and being cute all the time. I like a central conflict that’s happening around the main cast while their love acts as a focal point of the story. Watakon has that making it an ideal experience for me.
You’ve probably seen clips talking about how good the animation is and for good reason, it is absolutely stunning in this show. It’s not Kyoani, but it’s very close to that quality. I was absolutely blown away when I first watched this show. Every single scene is screensaver worthy. The colours are all so bright and for lack of a better word, beautiful. There’s not a ton of action in the story, but when there is, the sakuga really delivers.
I could honestly go on and on about Watakon and in fact, I’m sure I will write and create videos on the story in more detail at some point, but the short of it is, this is one of the best written romances I’ve ever seen. One of the best anime of 2023 and a must watch. It combines gorgeous visuals with a compelling and authentic romantic relationship that you can’t help but root for.
Watakon gets the easiest 10 out of 10 of the year.
UitBlinker
Decent premise ruined by stupid plot device. Now I know that the "Cinderella" trope has been used countless times, but damned I'll be lying if it's not a good base for a story. My Happy Marriage should have been a decent one if not for stupid and unnecessary 'supernatural' part of it. I'm genuinely asking myself as I watch more episodes of this anime, what the hell am I watching? Cause I sure don't expect no damn super power action in a supposed shoujo romance anime. Is this supposed to be romance? A character study? Action? Super power? The show tried to check too many boxesand what turned out is a half-baked anime, it is clearly confused, and more importantly so are we! The supernatural part seems forced as hell, the anime wants us to think that these 'spirits' are supposed to be dangerous for the well being of the characters, but they don't even bother explaining anything about it. They threw some light exposition and then calling it a day, basically shoving it straight up our ass and force us to accept it, it just felt incredibly out of place.
Lets talk about characters. Most of the characters just felt one dimensional and incredibly shallow. Some characters are just evil for the sake of being evil and everyone and their grandmother are after Miyo's ass, their motive as to why is as I've said earlier because of the not-explored enough supernatural power which she has. Even then the method in which they use to get to her is either roundabout, unnecessary, or just plain stupid. Again all of this could have been avoided if the director isn't confused on what the show is going to be. Miyo's progression as a character is hindered by this completely unnecessary plot device multiple times, and ultimately Kiyoka's relationship with her feels like it came out of pity and not her as a character.
In a nutshell My Happy Marriage is way better off just as a pure slice of life, the supernatural aspect just makes the anime felt unclear on where the direction it's going to take. I'll still place my hope on Season 2 nonetheless. For now I'll give it a 5/10.
Carchanime
Music (1/2) : At first music didn't strike that much, you almost don't realize it exists until you start thinking about it. Then you realize it goes smoothly, it is rare but always nicely done. The opening and ending are not very memorable but it grows slowly but surely when watching and it leaves a good trace. Not so impressive but afterwards it is well done. Animation (2/2) : Probably the biggest positive point of the anime is indeed the animation. Details are great, lights and shades are mastered by the team. The design of the characters is very impressive and the supernatural powers are sogreat to see. It is a delight for the eye on most cases.
Story (3/6) : The story itself is a bit boring and has a lot of things lacking. Character development, bar the one of Miyo, is really low level and it feels like they changee when the plot needs it without any important interaction or change. The supernatural part is the core of the story but for some reason you do not hear about it until episode 2, and the theory about it is not really explained apart what is reaaally needed for the plot. It is a bit out of the blue and not so well done.
The good old families and the politics around it is also almost not touched appart to explain why someone is important or not, why a character is strong or not.
Overall it is a love story where the main character needs to be showed love and the lover is someone that usually rejects every woman but for some reason got interested in her. It's about family, love, power, but too much story in 12 episodes made it difficult.
As it is an adaptation of something I didn't read, I cannot state if this was too rushed or not, but I found it a bit boring.
daichikara
Hey, I dont hate cliche romance. If it's done right, it's entertaining and could be wholesome but this ain't it. I have high expectation since the studio first announced it and all the manga reader i know seems to enjoy this one so much. They literally hype it as the best romance of the season, lol. Animation and design wise it is appealing. It has so much potential to be wholesome but the pacing is kinda awful. The first 3 eps seems great, but it quickly become boring after that. And then eps 10 and 11 happened and I lose my shit lol. Nothing ineps 10-11 matter in the last eps. Everything quickly get resolve with no explaination. We only get a glimpse of their "happy marriage" at the end, through narration like a quick summary and kinda like 1 page of epilogue type of things.
gaussian_
Watashi no Shiawase na Kekkon seems like the type of anime that would be for me. It's got romance between adults, a historical setting with some fantasy elements, and good production values. The problem is that it lacks any real heart - not to the extent of completely ruining the anime, but it feels like a pale shadow of what it could have been. Saying an anime lacks heart is a bit of a cop out answer, since it doesn't give any indication of what the actual problems are, so let me flesh those out here. First and foremost, everything is just a little too perfect.You see all the classic romance tropes showing up, from childhood friends, cool and aloof handsome heroes, the wicked stepmother, and pernicious politics to boot. The trouble is these tropes make the world feel like fiction. Even though they try at times to subvert some of the tropes, occasionally well, but mostly in a pandering manner that doesn't subvert anything, this doesn't solve the problem. Tropes are at their best when they let you elide some of the details that are inessential to the story, but where the story intersects each and every trope instead, all that remains is a plot festooned in cobwebs that are all too clearly a cheap decoration.
The tropes hurt the story most because the main characters themselves never manage to cast off their trappings. Yes, Miyo and Kudou manage to not be wholly defined by their tropes, but showing that you could have done better and chose not to is not a good look. You could have predicted their arcs from the beginning, and you wouldn't have missed anything important in the story. There's nothing done here that hasn't been done before and better. That's not to mention the side characters that either upstage the protagonists every time they're in the scene (Kudou's sister) or have no personality beyond advancing the plot however it's needed in the moment (Arata).
I do have to say that at least Kinema Citrus didn't skimp with the art nor the animation. The action scenes are crisp, and their are scenes of genuinely impressive animation that would have done more to elevate the material if there had been real material to elevate in the first place.
So pick this up if you want a run of the mill romance with good production values and some splashes of action. If this is your type of anime, you'll enjoy it - there are not major flaws here. You just won't find anything that you haven't seen before. I'm just disappointed that this was a weekday meal type of romance instead of the banquet I thought it would be.
lawofseven14
I just want to say that I love the characthers dynamic and their relashionship construction so much. To me, it just isn´t a ten because all the power stuff in this anime seems completely unecessary. The story narrative through the episodes does not ressemble Cinderela at all, except for Miyo´s past of course, so its not unoriginal. Miyo´s is an easy characther to relate to, so I don´t think that she does not have personality as some other people said. It´s quite the opposite, her personality is very well behaved due to her past and she´s just so adorable, humble and likeable. if you´re afan of romance, I think it´s totally worth watching 💕
cheesehuffer
This anime is so pretty, but beyond maybe about episode 6 or so, it's so frustrating how irritating this anime got. I really want to like it more than I do because it's a really cute show but AUGH THE AMOUNT OF MISCOMMUNICATION AND CRAP SHE'D GET HERSELF INTO BECAUSE SHE'S BE SO STUBBORN IN TRYING TO DO THINGS ONE SPECIFIC WAY WAS SO ANNOYING. I **WISH** I could have liked this anime more than I did but the irritation got to me, unfortunately. I know it's a period piece and isn't really meant to be judged by today's standards, but it got hard tolook past the baked-in traditional gender roles and borderline misogyny because Miyo's main motive was completely centred around Kudo. Like, good for her, but c'mon girl you can do better than that.
If you just want a show with some rather standard romance drama, supernatural fights and pretty characters, this might be a good anime for you, but it's definitely one you'll want to watch without giving it too much thought if you're anything like me.
Overall 6/10. Had to knock some points off because it got to a grating amount of miscommunication. Characters were serviceable, if a little one-note at times. UUghghghgh I just wish I could like this more than I actually do.
LynxesExe
It's a great anime, surprising that it's from Netflix, the only annoying part is that the Netflix encoding is really bad, with that being said; it's awesome. The first episode is pretty much a setup to justify the MC behavior through the series, which eventually changes as the characters grows and develop facing hardships that place her at risk of going back to square one. The story is interesting and it never gets stale, it just progresses naturally as it should, when one of the problems/risks gets resolved, it just progresses to another one, there is no downtime and there is no "time wasted" for the storyprogression.
The protagonist backstory gradually grows more and more as the anime exponentially adds to both the MC backstory and the current "enemy" motives, which means that there is no never a moment when you say "oh look, more of that, great...".
There are definitely depressing that are a bit harder to watch at times, but the anime does reward you with nicer parts creating a good balance, still, it does this without ever getting boring or stale or by wasting time.
The drawing and animations are good, there are some fights scenes and they are well made.
The voice acting is also nice, the MC voice is fantastic.
I didn't really find something I don't enjoy about this anime, but it's definitely not for everyone, if you can't bear watching depressing stuff stay away from it, that's for sure.
