One of my favorite things about the My Happy Marriage anime is that it is airing weekly on Netflix. I know this is a polarizing opinion because many associate Netflix with binge-watching, so people want to binge the entire anime. However, the charm for me in My Happy Marriage is that it is building up a love story with two people who seem to be complete opposites. Having to wait for an episode each week adds to my excitement for this love story.
Painful Memories
The second episode starts with Miyo dreaming of her past, which is hard to watch. We see Miyo and Kaya being tested to see who has magical/spiritual powers, and Miyo fails the test. Kaya is praised and little Miyo watches from inside while being comforted by a worker. It’s so sad to me that after dealing with the pain of losing her mother, Miyo has to deal with being made an outsider by her family.
Starting Off on the Wrong Foot
It’s hard to believe that without knowing someone, you can upset them on your first attempt. But being that Miyo’s life is very troublesome, she manages to do just that with Kiyoka. On her first full day, she wakes up early to prepare her fiance breakfast. However, Kiyoka who seems to be on edge as a default, accuses her of trying to poison him and refuses to eat.
When Kiyoka returns that evening, Miyo apologizes for overstepping. Kiyoka admits he didn’t really suspect she would poison him, however, he did not want to eat food prepared by a stranger. (I mean, I get it after having so many failed engagements.) As Kiyoka is eating dinner, he notices that Miyo apologizes a lot and basically tells her to stop doing that.
However small and awkward their dinner interaction was, it seemed to leave an impression on Kiyoka. After his bath, he apologizes to Miyo for not eating her breakfast and asks her to make him breakfast tomorrow as Yurie, his maid, will be late.
A Second Attempt
That evening, Miyo dreams again of her past. This time we bare witness to the emotional abuse she experienced at the hands of her stepmother. In this flashback, we see that her stepmother has gotten rid of all items belonging to Miyo’s mother. When Miyo attempts to get them back, she is punished and locked away in a storage room. The employee who helped her was fired.
In the morning, Miyo is greeted by Yurie while she is beginning to prepare breakfast. When she tells Yurie what Kiyoka said, Yurie realizes what Kiyoka was up to. They work together to prepare his breakfast, which he and Miyo eat together. Kiyoka praises Miyo’s food and she feels so happy, as she can’t remember when was the last time someone complimented her.
The Interest Begins
While Kiyoka is preparing to leave, he asks Yurie to keep an eye on Miyo. He feels that she’s mysterious because she is supposed to be from a prominent family yet her clothes are basically rags and she looks very worn down. He tasks Yurie with seeing if she can get any information on Miyo’s past and he will be looking into her family.
Thoughts
I’m happy to see that as early as the second episode, we are witnessing the walls between Kiyoka and Miyo breakdown. Kiyoka is rumored to be awful but it is apparent he may just be misunderstood. With a few small interactions with Miyo, he’s picked up that how she acts seems to be of someone with a troubled past.
Speaking of the troubled past, these flashbacks are so hard to watch. Miyo’s family is truly awful, but it hurts on another level knowing her father allowed this treatment to happen. I cannot wait for Kiyoka to find out about the abuse and do something about it.
Overall, this was a nice setup episode for what’s to come. I look forward to seeing Miyo and Kiyoka grow closer and for him to learn about her past. At the time of writing this, I’m two episodes behind so reviews for episodes three and four will be coming soon. See you in a bit!
My Happy Marriage is airing new episodes every Wednesday on Netflix.
Miyo’s dad is such a LOSER!!! Poor thing bad such a rough childhood it still haunts her but I’m glad she has 2 people in her corner!