Forum - View topicMy Happy Marriage (TV) (w/ index).
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Tony K.
 SubscriberModerator  Posts: 11305 Location: Frisco, TX |
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My Happy Marriage (TV) Source: Light Novel (ongoing @ 7 volumes, written by Akumi Agitogi, illustrated by Tsukiho Tsukioka) Demographic: Shoujo Animation Studio: Kinema Citrus Genres: drama, romance, supernatural Themes: aristocracy, conspiracy, historical, Meiji era, royalty, spirits, superpowers Plot Summary: Miyo Saimori is the eldest daughter of the noble Saimori family, but as the un-Gifted daughter of her father's despised first wife, she's treated like a servant by her stepmother and half-sister. When escape comes in the form of being offered in marriage to the infamously cold Kiyoka Kudou, Miyo barely has enough left in her to hope, assuming that because she lacks Spirit-Sight she'll be rejected and die on the streets as her parents intended. But contrary to everyone's expectations, Miyo is not universally loathed, and her betrothal offers her the most precious chance of all: to learn to stop hating herself. Air Date & Platform: Season 01: July 5, 2023 (Wednesday) Available on: Netflix Season 02: Pending Available on: Netflix Episode Count / Runtime: Season 01: 12 episodes Season 02: Pending Total: 12 episodes ---------------------------------- EPISODE INDEX (Clicking on the episode will take you to my post that has a summary, comments, and screen-caps) -Season 01 Episode 01: The Meeting Episode 02: About My Husband-to-Be Episode 03: Our First Date Episode 04: The Gift Episode 05: Ripples Episode 06: Determination and Thunder Episode 07: Glamorous Lady of Summer Episode 08: Nightmares and Ominous Shadows Episode 09: Drowning in Dreams Episode 10: Summer Cherry Blossoms, and the Mistake Episode 11: My Mother's Legacy Episode 12: Light in the Darkness OP (w/ Lyrics): "By Your Side" by Riria ED (w/ Lyrics): "Vita Philosophica" by Kashitarō Itō ---------------------------------- - Season 02 - Pending ---------------------------------- Kinema Citrus can be pretty awesome. Might give this a chance. Last edited by Tony K. on Wed Apr 03, 2024 12:26 pm; edited 21 times in total |
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Princess_Irene
ANN Reviewer
 Posts: 2614 Location: The castle beyond the Goblin City |
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The books are surprisingly dark, but really good.
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Tony K.
Subscriber Moderator Posts: 11305 Location: Frisco, TX |
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A dark romance? Now, I'm even more curious. The synopsis had me thinking "Cinderella minus the fairy godmother and other cheery fluff." It also sounds slightly magical or supernatural with whatever that "Spirit-Sight" is. I'm always down for less over-the-top (as in, happy pappy) romances. I will add this to my list.
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Blood-
 Bargain Hunter Posts: 23832 |
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Episode 1
I quite enjoyed that but Miyo's "family" really needs to die in a fire. What a pile of odious turds. Thankfully she's already free of those scumbags and it probably won't take long for her sweet nature and soft voice to turn the "cold, merciless" Kiyoka into a pile of mush. Odd that the first episode doesn't have a hint of this "Spirit-Sight" business. I hope that the dude who is forced to marry Miyo's cow of a half-sister makes her life hell. I don't understand Netflix's system. They usually follow the binge model but this show is being released weekly. As a viewer, I prefer the binge model but the weekly thing makes a discussion thread like this more viable. |
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Alan45
Village Elder Posts: 9858 Location: Virginia |
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@Blood-
If the anime follows the novel, spoiler[one fire coming up. Instead of die, they live to suffer.] Should be a couple of episodes though. |
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 23832 |
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spoiler[Excellent. I sort of felt like things would probably go in that direction.] There's usually a price to be paid in fiction for being mean to a sweetie-pie. As there should be.
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Tony K.
Subscriber Moderator Posts: 11305 Location: Frisco, TX |
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Original discussion started here.
---------------------------------- Episode 01: The Meeting ---------------------------------- Summary: Since childhood, Miyo has been mistreated as a servant. Her only friend is Kouji, who is in love with her. To get rid of her in a way that makes her more useful, Miyo's father arranges her to be engaged with Kiyoka Kudou, a notoriously bad-tempered soldier known to scare away potential wives within three days of meeting. ---------------------------------- Comments: Yeah, what a despicable family Miyo has the unfortunate fate of being a part of. This has Cinderella written all over it, but without that Disney cheer. Not sure what all the hoopla over the supernatural abilities are, but I guess we'll see what that turns into, later. I guess the episode does a good job of introducing the main characters and creating enough ill-will towards the rest of Miyo's family that you won't feel the least bit sorry for them when something does happen to 'em. I do feel bad for Kouji that he has to put up with that conceited and dismissive half-sister. Now that I think about it, maybe I should approach this as a mix of Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast. If Kiyoka comes off as callous and cold-hearted as The Beast, then both him and Miyo opening up to each other could be an interesting progression. Production quality is really nice, though. ---------------------------------- Screen Caps:  
 
 
 
 
Last edited by Tony K. on Wed Aug 23, 2023 3:51 pm; edited 4 times in total |
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Tony K.
Subscriber Moderator Posts: 11305 Location: Frisco, TX |
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Episode 02: About My Husband-to-Be
---------------------------------- Summary: Kiyoka notices Miyo's habit of apologizing for everything. Feeling guilty, he asks her to cook breakfast in the morning and praises her cooking, but is perplexed when it makes her cry. Curious about her behavior, he decides to have her family investigated. ---------------------------------- Comments: I like that Kiyoka isn't the big scary jerk rumors had him being. I actually find him pretty forthcoming, albeit a little strict and wound-up, but that's probably from the military training. I also like that he seems very inquisitive. Despite his annoyance with Miyo's hesitation, he genuinely wants to know the circumstances of why she is the way she is. I'm hoping it leads to some kind of retribution, either direct or indirect. The whole Grotesquiries thing could be cool. If they're as rare as they're said to be, maybe they'll provide the occasional wild card to the plot. Like, maybe one actually killed Miyo's mother and has been been manipulating her father since then, which is why the whole family is shitty to her? I eventually want some kind of comeuppance to come back and bite them in the ass. But it'd be especially ironic if a Grotesquire (singular?) were involved and just completely toppled the family's world. I'm also curious what all the hubbub about the Usuba family is. If they're supposed to be the top bloodline for supernatural abilities, does it mean Miyo's is just dormant? Or does she possess something else so powerful, that it'll be more useful, later? ---------------------------------- Screen Caps:  
 
 
 
 
Last edited by Tony K. on Wed Aug 23, 2023 3:52 pm; edited 7 times in total |
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Animegomaniac
Posts: 4093 |
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My Happy Marriage
Wait for it... What if pre-Imperial Japan was a mutant breeding state? And it turns out we have passive powers and active powers and of course if you test someone with active powers with a passive test they will fail it. I thought the "spirit sight" test was a little limited, especially alongside people with elemental and psychic powers but... If people know Ousuba was premier breeding stock for powers, shouldn't they also know what kind of powers would result? It's almost like the Saimoris were just looking for an excuse to shun Miyo... I still hold my first thought on this series, it'd be better off just as a straight drama because the existence of superpowers messes up all character dynamics. For example, if Kudo finds out Miyo truly does have powers, just not the ones Saimori thought, then Saimori could call off the marriage... especially as it actually hasn't happened yet. |
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Tony K.
Subscriber Moderator Posts: 11305 Location: Frisco, TX |
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Episode 03: Our First Date
---------------------------------- Summary: Kiyoka and Miyo go on their first date. But she has no idea how to behave, as she hasn't been shown much affection since her mother's passing. She later receives a new kimono and comb from Kiyoka after his investigation reveals the abuse she'd been suffering from her family. The report also reveals that the Usuba family secret is the power to manipulate people's minds. On his way home, Kiyoka destroys some shikigami he suspects were spying on him. ---------------------------------- Comments: A nice bit of happy time for Miyo. Even through just two episodes, I really sympathize for her, as that step-family is all kinds of bad, and I'm really anticipating some kind of eventual counter-action to their abuse. But Miyo's basking of positive emotions will do, for now. The Usuba family secret reveal also got me to thinking about a theory. Since Miyo wasn't revealed to have any affinity for Spirit-Sight as a child, what if that revelation, somehow, triggered a passive response to her actual power of controlling minds. But because she was so abused, her own worldview of being a nothing and nobody affected her mentality, and thus made everyone think she didn't have any powers, when all this time she actually did? It's like her self-realization affects and tunes her mind-control powers. But based on how she's feeling, it might manifest itself differently? And given that she's been suffering years of abuse, maybe that's what was holding her back the whole time, and everyone else just thought the same because of how it affected her? At any rate, I'm liking the introduction of the supernatural elements. Shikigami, elemental control, and the ability to see spirits seems like a good start. I wonder if we'll eventually get to see what Grotesquireies look like? ---------------------------------- Screen Caps:  
 
 
 
 
Last edited by Tony K. on Wed Aug 23, 2023 3:52 pm; edited 4 times in total |
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Tony K.
Subscriber Moderator Posts: 11305 Location: Frisco, TX |
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Episode 04: The Gift
---------------------------------- Summary: Miyo wants to make a gift for Kiyoka, asking Yurie for assistance on what to make, and they decide on a kumihimo (braided cord) for Kiyoka to tie his hair. While shopping for materials, Miyo encounters Kaya and Kouji, with Kaya continuing to bully and demean her. Elsewhere, Kiyoka is visiting the Saimori household, telling them he has discovered their abuse of Miyo and that he has no plans to support or include them in any marital proceedings. ---------------------------------- Comments: This episode is a nice roller coaster of emotions. We start with Miyo being super happy and optimistic after she finally gets some positivity in her life. She was so cheery, she even wanted to make a gift for her husband-to-be, and even got a little giddy from the prospect of making said gift. But then Kaya shows up with her bad attitude, and she single-handedly manages to completely collapse Miyo's spirit within minutes. Thankfully, Kiyoka gives the Saimori's a piece of his mind and basically tells them they suck, he plans to cut ties with them, and that they owe Miyo an apology for all the shit they've put her through. And to top it all off is the reaction from Kaya when she finally sees what a beautiful man Kiyoka is. The shikigami at the end being revealed to be from Kouji's father is a nice twist. My initial theory was that those were either from a Grotesquery or some other yet-to-be-shown assailant that had a beef against Kiyoka like, a jealous officer looking to gain rank, or some kind of low-key villain character. That fact that it's Kouji's father, though, could have a lot of potential. Since he seems pretty adamant about getting that bloodline onto his side of the family, I could see some kind of dramatic thing happening between Kouji and Miyo because of said possible conspiracy. I'm also curious, now, about how many people in this world actually have supernatural abilities. At first, I was under the impression that very few people had any abilities. But maybe it's a much more widespread thing than I realize? Kaya has, at least, Spirit-Sight. Kouji's brother has whatever that Force-choke was. Kouji's father can send out shikigami. Kiyoka can manipulate the elements. And heck, they even have a military unit of supernaturalists. If the amount of supernatural people in this world are as widespread as it's starting to appear, I'm glad they're being subtle with it. I feel with them showing less of that, it helps keep the show slightly more grounded and feeling like a traditional period piece with the magic stuff on the side. ---------------------------------- Screen Caps:  
 
 
 
 
Last edited by Tony K. on Wed Aug 23, 2023 3:51 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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Tony K.
Subscriber Moderator Posts: 11305 Location: Frisco, TX |
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Episode 05: Ripples
---------------------------------- Summary: After Kouji's father shows Kaya a picture of Kiyoka and informs her that both, he and Miyo, are getting along very well, Kaya becomes jealous and decides to plot against Miyo for being happier than her. When Kouji discovers that his father and Kaya are plotting, he tries to use his powers, but is subdued by his father. Later, when Yurie and Miyo go to visit Kiyoka at the military base, Miyo reveals she forgot the protective amulet she had received earlier, when a car appears and kidnaps her. ---------------------------------- Comments: In the words of Ron Burgundy, "well, that escalated quickly." Here I was thinking the show was gonna' be on the quieter and more solemn side. But here we are with psychic powers and kidnappings, now. I think it's safe to say nobody likes Kaya. Arrogant, childish, impudent, and spiteful are just some of the words one could use to describe her. Seeing her throw a jealous tantrum actually made me happy. I don't hate her, but I am a very vengeful person. And every bit of emotional distress or admonishment she receives feels very deserving. I like seeing people reap what they sow, good or bad. I was happy for Miyo finally getting some love, and I'm happy for Kaya getting some of her just deserts. I don't see her as a character developing any kind of redeeming qualities any time soon. So, seeing her get emotionally destroyed will do, for now. I'm also guessing each family has their own supernatural abilities. Spirit-Sight seems to be a semi-universal thing. But I'm curious to see what else everyone can do. Looks like we have telekinesis and elemental conjuring, so far, with possibly mind-control on the horizon. I'm also wondering if this whole Usuba bloodline thing will turn into this big conspiracy. The fact that the light novels are still going has me a little worried that the story won't be completed any time soon, let alone reach a manageable stopping point. I will say, however, the pacing seems pretty good. Not even (presumably) halfway through the season, a lot has happened. But I feel the episodes give just enough exposition and character development to keep things entertaining. It's kind of like a soap opera, but not quite as overly dramatic. ---------------------------------- Screen Caps:  
 
 
 
 
Last edited by Tony K. on Sat Aug 26, 2023 3:31 am; edited 3 times in total |
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Tony K.
Subscriber Moderator Posts: 11305 Location: Frisco, TX |
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Episode 06: Determination and Thunder
---------------------------------- Summary: After being kidnapped, Miyo awakens to find herself tied by the wrists. Her step sister and mother (Kaya and Kanako) try to force her to verbally renounce her engagement with Kiyoka. When she refuses, they beat and demean her, but Miyo stays resolved in her affection. Kouji leads Kiyoka to Saimori residence, where they encounter Minoru (Koji's father) and Shinichi (Miyo's father), who attempt to stop Kiyoka to no avail. ---------------------------------- Comments: Scum. That's what these people are. So much effort to cause all this pain and suffering to Miyo. But at least the house is burning, which is even better, since it's Minoru's fault  ! I'm usually pretty easy-going, but watching Kaya and Kanako threaten Miyo like that even got me feeling all vengeful. This was almost Game of Thrones level of cruelty.
I'm glad Kiyoko is a certifiable badass, though. His determination to find and rescue Miyo seems pretty obvious in his ability to just wipe the floor with the fathers. The subtlety in a lot of these supernatural powers has seemed quaint, so far. But I'm hoping it doesn't get too ostentatious, outside of Kiyoko inflicting a little wrath on some deserving baddies. My favorite part was when he took Miyo and just shrugged off Kaya and her arrogance like she wasn't even worth acknowledging. I feel like that's the deepest wound you can inflict on people who are so narcissistic and full of themselves, in that you don't give them the attention they want, and they just mull in the hole of misery they dug themselves into. The whole emperor angle has me curious. If Minoru was actually working for him, then the story has potential to get all kinds of convoluted. Hopefully, it won't get too complicated and will be more of a back-end part of the narrative, kinda' like what Jigokuraku seems to be doing. Then again, if he's sending his right-hand black ops whatever guy to take care of business, maybe this'll lead to something grander and more epic. I wouldn't mind if it ended up leading to a little more background on Kiyoka's family, though. Is he the prodigy of the family? Why is even in the military? Is his family tree and bloodline as coveted as Miyo's? ---------------------------------- Screen Caps:  
 
 
 
 
Last edited by Tony K. on Sat Aug 26, 2023 3:33 am; edited 2 times in total |
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Tony K.
Subscriber Moderator Posts: 11305 Location: Frisco, TX |
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Episode 07: Glamorous Lady of Summer
---------------------------------- Summary: After the destruction of the Samimori residence, Miyo is informed that her father and step-mother have been moved to a house in the countryside. Meanwhile, Kaya is revealed to have been moved to a strict household where she will be working as a servant. Later, Kiyoka introduces Miyo to his older sister, Hazuki, who begins tutoring her to become more ladylike. And finally, a group of rogues working for Arata (who, in turn, is working for the Emperor), unseal some gravestones, freeing Grotesqueries. ---------------------------------- Comments: A lot of transition going on in this episode. It looks like Miyo's parents will be out of the picture for a bit, Kaya will get a chance to wallow in the shitty self-pity hole she dug herself into, Miyo levels up in the wife department after getting some lessons from Hazuki, and now we've got those Grotesqueries running loose that seemed like such a big deal around the beginning of the series. My main takeaways were Hazuki and the Grotesqueries. Hazuki seems so much more laid-back than Kiyoko. I wonder if we'll get to see more of the family, at some point, and what they might be like. I get this prodigy vibe from Kiyoko, but his military background makes me wonder if he joined them for a reason. Maybe Grotesqueries have a part to play in his family's history? Like, what if some time somewhere, a Grotesquery hurt or killed someone close to him, and he joined the military either as preventative measure or even for revenge? He seems pretty cool-headed, though, but that could change once he encounters a Grotesquery. And speaking of which, I wasn't expecting them to look so Gargoyle-y. I was initially thinking they'd just be some weird shapeless spirit and take a semi-humanoid form, or even possess a person. Looks like we'll have, at least, a few more episodes to present and build them up, for what I'm guessing will be a 12-13 episode cour. I wonder if there's actually just a bunch of them sealed away and hidden throughout the land, and that maybe someone is keeping track of them (like Arata or the Emperor) to use for devious purposes. Here's hoping the Grotesqueries present a nice change-of-pace from the human villains (mainly Kanako and Kaya). ---------------------------------- Screen Caps:  
 
 
 
 
Last edited by Tony K. on Sat Aug 26, 2023 3:34 am; edited 3 times in total |
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Tony K.
Subscriber Moderator Posts: 11305 Location: Frisco, TX |
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Episode 08: Nightmares and Ominous Shadows
---------------------------------- Summary: Kiyoka, Oukaito and Kazushi meet with prince Takaihito who reveals that the imperial captial will soon be invaded by Grotesqueries. Elsewhere, Miyo continues to learn Western etiquette with Hazuki, causing her to think over the meaning of family. Later, Kiyoka meets Arata to discuss his (Kiyoka's) ongoing investigation. During her training, the next day, Miyo collapses, but into the arms of Arata. ---------------------------------- Comments: Good to know not just anybody can beat a Grotesquery. And I'm actually wondering if the Grotesqueries will end up having minion-type soldiers they can summon or even be able to possess people, at some point. Their poison also got me to thinking, [theory]what if there's a way the Usuba power of mind-control can be combined with Grotesquery poison, and thus be used to not just potentially control people, but Grotesqueries, as well?[/theory] That could be an interesting twist, thanks to the carryover from what I've been seeing in Mononogatari, this season. Hazuki continues to surprise me. She almost seems like a complete opposite of Kiyoko with her etiquette and girlishness. But I think it's great, because she's essentially the good sister Miyo never had. The whole thing about family, which Miyo pretty much never had, either, should be great for rebuilding her psyche. I also wonder if Hazuki has some kind of cool supernatural power we don't know about, yet. Arata seems like a pretty shady dude. He's got that "calm and manipulative" vibe which I feel usually makes for the more dangerous antagonists. I feel like Kiyoka is pretty good at reading people, though. But if he can't read Arata before it's too late, he (Arata) might be able to do some major damage either spreading misinformation or, as we see in the end of this episode, getting to Miyo, and doing who knows what. It kinda' stinks we only have, probably, 4-5 episodes left for the season. I feel like the story has the potential to go fairly deep in terms of this conspiracy with Miyo, but also whatever underlying purpose the Grotesqueries seem to be tying into. I did not expect any of this based on the initial summary, and am pleasantly surprised in what it's turned into. ---------------------------------- Screen Caps:  
 
 
 
 
Last edited by Tony K. on Tue Sep 12, 2023 10:18 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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