Stream It Or Skip It: ‘My Happy Marriage’ on Netflix, A Poignant Yet Painful Fairy Tale with a Romantic Twist

When it comes to happily ever after, an arrange marriage doesn’t exactly sound like heaven. But for Miyo Saimori (Miranda Parkin), it just might be the perfect way out of an abusive home situation. In the Cinderella-like My Happy Marriage, Miyo must navigate terrible treatment by her family until one day she finds that she’s been married off, into another family. Her fiance, however, is rumored to be a terrible person who’s already chased off three potential brides. This beautifully animated, at times painful romance promises to deliver drama in droves as we wonder — where’s that “happy” marriage in the title, after all?

MY HAPPY MARRIAGE: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: The camera pans over a cherry blossom tree in full bloom, with flowers aplenty. A young girl is crying at the base of the tree. She’s soon joined by a somber-looking woman as she cries, before fading — likely her older self.

The Gist: Miyo Saimori is the eldest daughter of the Saimori family. Ever since her father remarried after her mother’s dead, Miyo’s new stepmother has treated her poorly, as has her half-sister Kaya (Lizzie Freeman). Miyo is resigned to a life of servitude in the family, but enjoys spending time with her friend Koji Tatsuishi (Michael Lorz) from childhood when he comes to visit. He’s the only one who’s kind to her, and wants to see her happy.

One day, Miyo’s father demands she get ready for a meeting, and it invoves Koji. Her father has decided sister Kaya will be married to Koji, while Miyo will be sent off to marry and live with someone else entirely in another family: Kiyoka Kudo (Damien Haas). Miyo must navigate her new life with Kudo as her husband, who is notoriously harsh and cruel — or is he?

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? This series feels like an intriguing mixture of classic tales like Cinderella with shades of Fruits Basket in terms of animation and tone. It’s clear there are going to be some interesting plot twists around the corner, but the basic setpieces are all there.

Our Take: Everything about the first episode of My Happy Marriage paints a bleak and frankly depressing picture of what Miyo’s life has become. She has no fire inside, nothing but despair, over the life she leads as her family’s servant. She has no hope left, instead replaced by sorrow and sadness that only seems to worsen with each scene. Her family is nothing short of hateful, and watching the first episode with them treating Miyo the way that they do is absolutely gut-wrenching.

But with that in mind, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. Just as we’re lead to believe Miyo being taken away to live with someone else is going to be a negative for her, the anime has laid the groundwork of something positive for our protagonist. There are plenty of hints that life can and will be turning around for her quite significantly in the future, and that makes it much easier to suffer through the abusive treatment she’s been adjusting to ever since her stepmother came into the picture.

It seems Miyo could be in for a fulfilling new life with Kudo, especially as she finds him “beautiful.” Though the series can at times be difficult to watch, as Miyo continues to endure hateful treatment, in the end it looks like the next episode could bring salvation — and potentially the life she deserves to live.

With gorgeous animation and excellent English voice actors, watching My Happy Marriage so far feels like reading and experiencing an adult fable that could end in a number of ways, and you’ll be hoping for a positive one by the end, especially considering Miyo’s past.

Sex and Skin: None at all here.

Parting Shot: ​​When Kudo turns around from his desk, Miyo gets a good look at him — he’s devilishly handsome. The scene changes back to her stunned face as she realizes she believes he’s absolutely beautiful.

Sleeper Star: Lizzie Freeman is an absolutely appallingly evil Kaya, a character that no one will root for — but it’s a credit to Freeman’s acting abilities that you’ll feel so strongly about this evil stepsister’s hopeful comeuppance.

Most Pilot-y Line: “Miyo’s voiceover at the beginning of the first episode is heartbreaking but sets the tone nicely: “It all felt so meaningless. If this was the person I was destined to be, why was I born at all? But everything changed when I met him.”

Our Call: STREAM IT. My Happy Marriage is a great-looking, poignant series that’ll undoubtedly be a slow burn, but its grown-up themes of abuse and eventual redemption will make it an interesting watch for anyone looking for something a little more than high school rom-coms.

Brittany Vincent has been covering video games and tech for over a decade for publications like G4, Popular Science, Playboy, Variety, IGN, GamesRadar, Polygon, Kotaku, Maxim, GameSpot, and more. When she’s not writing or gaming, she’s collecting retro consoles and tech. Follow her on Twitter: @MolotovCupcake.