Overview (Spoilers Below):
While out shopping, Miyo has a chilling vision, only to be surprised by her future father-in-law, who invites her and Kiyoka to their countryside estate.
Our Take:
Seeing Miyo finally earn her “happily ever after” would’ve been the end of her troubles. However, based on the OVA episode that was released in November, it seemed like she has a long way to go to get her “happy marriage” with Kiyoka. I didn’t expect to like My Happy Marriage that much when it first came out, but I was surprised to see it prove otherwise. It was a seemingly straightforward Cinderella story with supernatural fantasy elements that offered a surprising amount of emotion to its characters, plot, and thematic material involving self-confidence, love, and trauma. So, it was unsurprising that I’m continuing this journey with Miyo and Kiyoka to celebrate the new year because after watching the OVA, I was curious to see what would happen next.
The season two premiere, “Another Kudo Residence”, answered the question of what occurred after Miyo and Kiyoka took their relationship to another level. As Miyo experiences a frightening vision due to her Dream Sight, she encounters another member of the Kudo family, Kiyoka’s father, Tadakiyo, who invites the couple to his countryside estate. Unfortunately, it is far from a regular family get-together, as Tadakiyo tasks Kiyoka with investigating the mysterious appearance of demons in the area. Another thing that could pose a problem for the couple is Kiyoka’s strict mother, Fuyu, who rudely mistakes Miyo as Kiyoka’s servant, much to Kiyoka’s frustration. If Fuyu is anything like Miyo’s unforgiving stepmother from season one, then dealing with the demons might be the least of our problems.
With a change in scenery and new problems lying ahead, the second season of My Happy Marriage has unsurprisingly gotten off to an impressive start. It also retains the usual elements that made the previous season as endearing as the protagonists’ genuine chemistry, such as the gorgeous presentation from Kinema Citrus and lighthearted humor. Additionally, Tadakiyo’s voice actor for the English dub happens to be Jason Griffith, known for voicing Sonic and Shadow in Sonic X and Usopp from the 4Kids version of One Piece. It was certainly nice that Griffith is continuing to impress with his works, with his vocal performance as Tadakiyo being no exception. If the later episodes are anything like the first season in terms of depth and presentation, we could see a successful reunion with one of the genre’s delightful couples.