The new season starts off with a host of mysterious occurrences of Grotesquery attacks that lead Kiyoka and Miyo to visit Kiyoka’s parents. This introduces new familial challenges for Miyo that she must navigate through to be accepted by Kiyoka’s mother.

Video Review

What Stands Out the Most?

Impressive Storytelling

I am at the point in my life where great storytelling trumps any genre in anime. One of the most impressive parts about My Happy Marriage in this episode, is how quickly it introduces every important element at the start of this arc. Coming off of season 1, where Miyo finally unlocked and was able to have some kind of hold on her Dream-Sight ability, the hook of the episode addresses just that. This tells us that her ability to use Dream-Sight is still what the story is going to be revolving around, as it is too powerful of an ability to not address—leading us to various known and unknown players that have to protect Miyo or want to do something more nefarious to her. .

While the main plot still seems like it mirrors the Emperor’s intentions to quell Dream-Sight, the next villain pulling the strings behind the scenes still remains a mystery. One of the most underrated storytelling qualities is how effectively a mystery is kept under wraps. When I think of mystery, I think of it as a “genre,” but in reality it is a necessary literary device in all stories. Since My Happy Marriage leans heavily on the character arcs of the hardships facing Kiyoka and Miyo, and how their romance grows from it, the pacing of the story from a slice-of-life perspective feels slower. However, that is where introducing many major players right away gets you to buy into the story quickly.

With the mysterious man with the hat keeping watch on Miyo from a distance and the rise of these “demon” Grotesqueries surrounding Kiyoka’s father’s neighborhood, it naturally builds this desire to unravel the context of how these entities and events are all connected. Prince Takaihito bringing in Arata Usuba to make him fully aware that their future essentially rests on how the Usubas can protect Miyo and her Dream-Sight, is one that raises the stakes to the highest degree. Miyo’s Dream-Sight and these mysterious instances are ones of major concern as the translated word of “calamity,” was used to describe what perils they will all soon be facing.

From Trauma to More Drama

Main plot aside, the most rewarding parts of My Happy Marriage are those little slice-of-life romantic moments between Miyo and Kiyoka. Through their trust and bond being built brick-by-brick since season 1, against various antagonists like Tatsuishi, Miyo’s stepfamily, and the Emperor himself—it only makes sense that the next hurdle Miyo faces, after all of her years of family turmoil is now still.. family turmoil. Kiyoka’s mother, Fuyu Kudo, can almost be summed up like if Kaya actually succeeded in marrying into a rich and powerful family. Fuyu Kudo is represented by the smugness that stereotypically comes with being rich and powerful. That is Fuyu Kudo. It is all about the social facade of being near the top of the totem pole in society. Miyo represents the literal opposite of that. Naturally, this pits Miyo trying to prove her worth to Kiyoka’s mother and puts Fuyu in a position, where she has to realize the downside of her elitist snobbery.

If Miyo ends up getting along with Fuyu and Fuyu ends up treating Miyo better overtime, this would result in Kiyoka building a more positive relationship with his mother, after seeing how deep-seated his negative feelings are against his parents..

It still surprises me that half way through the episode, the new arc presents almost everything you need to know for you to be back fully invested into the story. I’m sure it helps with Dream-Sight already being established and the theme of Miyo overcoming her awful upbringing. With Kiyoka’s mother, it clearly presents what each character needs to grow from a family dynamic stand point. With Prince Takaihito bringing in Arata and telling him how important he is going to be for this upcoming calamity, the excitement already feels right around the corner. As the main plot commences and our MCs get closer and closer to immediate danger, it’s going to be entertaining to see how all of these elements unfold differently than season 1.