English Dub Review: My Happy Marriage “Deep Within the Heart”

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Overview (Spoilers Below):

Miyo overhears soldiers disparaging Kaoruko and defends her friend.  Later, she has a troubling nightmare.  Is it just a dream or a glimpse of the future?

Our Take:

Last week’s episode introduced us to the most heartwarming friendship of the show’s second season: Miyo and her bodyguard, Kaoruko Jinnouchi.  Much like Miyo’s relationship with Kiyoka, her friendship with the unit’s female soldier had an impressive sentimentality that made me wish it would last forever.  But, of course, it’s not without its share of obstacles that would test their newfound female friendship, especially the unit’s discrimination against Kaoruko.  This continues in this week’s episode, where Miyo defends Kaoruko from the soldiers talking behind her back, including Tanaka, who threatened to hit Miyo.  That guy should be lucky Kiyoka wasn’t around when this incident occurred; otherwise, he would’ve been toast within seconds.  While straightforward in its commentary, it still packs enough emotion to make me root for Kaoruko’s acceptance in the all-men unit.

But the real heart of the episode is Kaoruko’s concern about her history affecting her companionship with Miyo.  The episode showcased that Kaoruko was one of the former marriage candidates for Kiyoka before Miyo came into the picture, yet struggled to confess her feelings.  This left her with plenty of grief, not just from lacking the courage to confess her love to Kiyoka but also from her worries about how Miyo would react to it.  But Miyo quickly accepted Kaoruko as her first female friend despite her history with Kiyoka.  Regarding the direction for this sequence, themes, and Kayley Stallings’ suitable performance as Kaoruko, this heartfelt moment is another reason My Happy Marriage shines in the romance anime department.  Unfortunately, its tenderheartedness didn’t last very long, thanks to the arrival of Naoshi Usui, foretold by Miyo’s vision.  So much for the unit being a haven for Kiyoka’s fiancé. 

About Marcus Gibson

I'm a recent writer for BubbleBlabber who has an extraordinary passion for films and television, especially from the animation genre. I also spent plenty of hours playing video games, most notably from the Kingdom Hearts franchise. My goal is to provide the most friendly and entertaining reviews on the planet. Whenever something might be good or not, I always remain optimistic and curious about a specific concept from a film or television show.