English Dub Review: My Happy Marriage “The Gift”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
To surprise Kiyoka with a handmade gift, Miyo goes into town to shop for some materials. Meanwhile, Kiyoka pays Miyo’s parents a visit.

Our Take:
The previous episode showcased Kiyoka giving Miyo a heartfelt gift, a comb described as a proposal. Now, Miyo seeks to return the favor by giving him a gift to reflect her gratitude. Along with Yurie, she heads into town to gather supplies to make him a braided cord to wear daily. Unfortunately, her peaceful shopping trip is interrupted by the arrival of Kaya and Kouji, with Kaya berating Miyo to the point of depression.
But, of course, Kiyoka has bigger fish to fry while he waits for his unsuspecting surprise. Following his discovery of Miyo’s tragic history, Kiyoka travels to her village to confront her abusive family. He wants to make his engagement with Miyo official, but there’s a catch. To ensure a healthy relationship between the two families, Kiyoka wants Miyo’s parents to apologize for the terrible things they did to her. Because of this scene, the series further displays that Kiyoka is not as ruthless as people say he is, especially since he sent Hana to visit Miyo so Miyo can gain the courage to face her self-doubt.
Unsurprisingly, seeing Kaya berate Miyo in this episode still makes me want to drown her in the lake somewhere so she’ll leave that poor woman alone. It also doesn’t help that Kaya shows interest in Kiyoka as he leaves the house. But I think that’s the whole point of the series. Miyo’s family is supposed to be hatable to emphasize Miyo’s quest to find peace and confidence within herself so she can live a healthier life.
Whether this approach works is up to the viewer. In my eyes, it still displays the emotional core of Miyo’s depression and the cruel world she’s in. More importantly, it makes me wish that Miyo’s family would receive a thousand years of karma, including the stepmother. That’s how you know how invested I am in this beautiful and poignant series.
My only complaint is that the voice work for Miyo’s mother in the dream sequence came was a bit bland compared to the rest of the cast. Besides that, this is another excellent episode that benefited from its themes and gorgeous animation by Kinema Citrus. More importantly, it has a sincere conclusion showcasing that the love between Miyo and Kiyoka is stronger than ever. That is if Kouji’s father has anything to say about it.