My Happy Marriage: Top-tier romance or just hype?

When My Happy Marriage, also known as Watashi no Shiawase na Kekkon, debuted in the anime sphere in 2023, it was met with a positive response. In the world of anime, where many romance series take place in high school, the premise often feels unrelatable to mature audiences.

While this series certainly has a charm to it with its elegant landscapes and tragic-yet-hopeful tone, fans question whether My Happy Marriage is truly an elite romance, or does the style and sentiment just hypnotize the audience?

My Happy Marriage is a top-tier romance series for those who enjoy slow-burn intimacy, respectful love, and emotional healing framed within a subtly magical world. The story is set in slightly supernatural Taisho-era-inspired Japan.

Miyo Saimori, a soft-spoken and broken young woman, is the protagonist born into a prestigious family but is ill-treated by her stepmother. Miyo is sent off in an arranged marriage to Kiyoka Kudou, a powerful, feared military officer with a reputation for driving away fiancées.

From this classic setup, the anime spins a slow-burning romance that intertwines trauma healing with fantasy politics. It blends fairytale tropes of an abused heroine and a cold prince in Japanese culture.

But what sets My Happy Marriage apart is its commitment to gentleness amid pain. Rather than forcing melodrama or a rapid development, the anime allows trust and affection to build through mundane interactions, delicate gestures, and subtle emotional shifts.

Initially, Miyo is portrayed as little more than a shell of a person, as she was made to believe that she is worthless by her Stepmother and Stepsisters. She does not have over-the-top reactions to or heavy flashbacks.

But the audience knows how deeply rooted her trauma is in quiet moments. As she slowly begins to trust Kiyoka, Miyo starts to reclaim her sense of self and regains her confidence to stand up against bullying.

Kiyoka, on the surface, appears to be the archetype of the cold male lead. He is not cruel, but rather just a reserved person. His reputation for cruelty is a result of his high standards and distrust of shallow nobles seeking status through marriage.

When he was going to be married to Miyo, he initially was distant but never unkind to her. His love for Miyo is slow to bloom, but deeply rooted in respect. To witness their relationship evolve, their quiet devotion to one another becomes one of the show’s most powerful elements.

My Happy Marriage is romance done right

One of the strongest points in favor of My Happy Marriage as a top-tier romance is its emotional pacing. While many romance anime either rush into confessions or have misunderstandings to push the plot forward. This series takes its time. There’s no grand first kiss. There’s no sudden confession. Most importantly, this anime handles the concept of consent beautifully.

Moreover, Miyo’s trauma is not romanticized, and Kiyoka never pushes her beyond her comfort zone. Their relationship as husband and wife is based on mutual understanding, not dominance or dramatic tension. The meaning of love is shown as a haven, something that fosters growth rather than demands change.

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To summarize, My Happy Marriage truly stands in the top tier of romance anime. Surely, in the end, while many applaud the anime, others remain skeptical. Critics have a slight issue with the slow pacing. My Happy Marriage might feel a little dull to viewers who are expecting a dramatic romance full of twists, tension, and passion. However, if given a chance, this anime tells a tale of empowerment and making one's way into newlywed life, a theme that needs all the more coverage.

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