English Dub Review: More Than A Married Couple, But Not Lovers “Living in the Same Place, but Not Living Together”

Overview: Things go haywire when introvert Jiro (Ben Balmaceda) is paired up with the embracive Akira (Lindsay Sheppard) in a school facilitated faux marriage. This causes them to team up and get a high enough grade to freely pair up with their own crushes, Shiori (Macy Anne Johnson) and Minami (Mike Haimoto), who have been matched together in the assignment.  

Our Take: Oil and water do not mix. As far as the romcom space goes though, that could not be farther from the truth as opposites do indeed with the quintessential odd couple pairing being one of the core principles in the romcom handbook. More than a Married Couple, in a lot of ways, is that same formula you have seen countless times. However, there is just enough variety in the concept that it leaves you wondering what kind of funky colored Kool-Aid concoction we will get.

Jiro and Akira school-enforced mock marriage with their own crushes, Shiori   and Minami, being paired up together is a prime, interesting twist of a setup in their goal of getting a high enough grade to freely choose them as their partners.

Akira is a bratty, impassioned gyaru who veers on overbearing in her cruel remarks and judgment. Although in all fairness, it is almost warranted in how equally vexing Jiro can be in how mind-numbingly introverted he is. But, at the end of the day, it is how annoying they are together that holds the relationship in place. 

When he is not painfully annoying in his twitchy reluctance, he has moments of relatable doubt when facing his own insecurities, compared to how popular and cool Minami is, who is growing closer with his childhood friend and crush, Shori. It is Akira’s genuine care for him, disguised in brashness, and being proactive in couple-like activities like goodbye smooches that shows a warmer, more inviting side to her. Her own brief moments of hesitancy and self-doubt also go a long way in making her empathetic, similar to him. It is how she pushes him out of his comfort zone and to actually take a chance, like when he does not have the cojones to walk Shiori home under her umbrella, that solidifies her as a charming and headstrong spitfire. 

Speaking of Jiro’s crush, she is your classic albeit typical sweetheart in how honestly kind and sweet she is. They have a wholesomeness to them in how awkwardly adorable they are around each other. Minami is also your run-of-the-mill nice guy, especially around Akira. Neither of them are egregious characters, just not especially original. With any luck, both will vary, characteristically, as the series progresses, or, at the very least, have unique chemistry with Jiro and Akira.

Jiro, on the other hand, could use more deeper complexity as physical attraction has been the extent of his appeal and chemistry with Akira thus far. He is a nerdy introvert, but that is about as far he goes for now. Hopefully, he will get the same personality layering that she gets to make their relationship deeper. If he can be fleshed out, they could be a real couple to be reckoned with and more than just a one-sidedly strong dynamic moving forward.