AKA: わたしの幸せな結婚 ; Watashi no Shiawase na Kekkon

Genre: Fantasy Romance/Action

Length: Web release, 11 episodes, 25 minutes each

Distributor: Currently available streaming on Netflix.

Content Rating: TV-14 (Violence, Abuse)

Related Series: Season 1 (TV), Live action movie (2023)

Also Recommended: Raven of the Inner Palace

Notes: Based on light novel series by Akumi Agitogi and Tsukiho Tsukioka, published online on Shosetsuka ni Naro, later acquired by Fujimi Shobo (per Wiki)

Rating:

My Happy Marriage (Season 2)

Synopsis

In an alternate-universe version of early 20th Century Japan, where many people have psychic abilities, a group of malevolent psychics called The Gifted Communion engages in a terror campaign against the government, opposed by the Anti-Grotesquerie Squad led by Kiyoka Kudo (who's also the fiancé of the show's main character, Miyo Saimori.) The Gifted Communion's leader, one Naoshi Usui, wants to grab Miyo in particular- to use her (at first mostly latent) supernatural abilities of course, but he also claims to be Miyo's biological father.

Review

Well, I got thrown for a loop; there was a long break between Episodes 11 and the final two of this season, and I thought that the season had ended at 11, and wrote the review on that basis. Now I find that there was a late addition of two more episodes, and I have to change things a bit, but as for my complaint that we don't see Miyo's "Happily Married" life, that still might stand; it's possible we might see 5 minutes (yes, no more than 5 minutes) of Miyo's married life, at the very end- but I'm really not sure of even THAT. The viewers must judge for themselves.

And I wonder if even "My Happy Engagement" would be appropriate, since Miyo always seems to have SOMEONE in her life who treats her like a piece of trash; this time it's Kiyoka's mother Fuyu. (Still, his OWN relationship with his mom does not seem that great. He DOES seem to love Miyo, granted, but there are times when I thought he could have been a little more assertive in her defense- and more aggressive in protecting her. He's supposed to be in charge of protecting Japan and the Imperial Family, sure, but it was pretty clear that Miyo herself was going to be a chief target of the bad guys.)

While Kiyoka does move Miyo into his Headquarters, we'll say that she's never treated with the reverence one would normally expect for the one person whose power might be enough to shut down the Gifted bunch. I mean, scrubbing the stairs, and taking out the trash, not only don't keep her in the safest part of the citadel, but I believe in MOST armies male soldiers are required to clean up after themselves- but Kiyoka's Anti-Grotesquerie Squad seems to be made up of a bunch of pigs of the most sexist variety, not only in their treatment of their most important asset as a maid, but also in their treatment of the female officer in their ranks, named Kaoruko Jinnouchi. Kaoruko and Miyo become friends, but their relationship eventually has to become long-distance. (Stuff happens.)

I guess it must be because he's always distracted by various battles and skirmishes, that explains Kiyoka's not getting around to intervention in the oppression of Miyo (and Kaoruko) by his own soldiers. (Though Miyo's tendency to act like a doormat does NOT help.) Still, the show lets the sexism look just as ugly as it is. We're also given a genderfluid character from the Imperial Family, named Prince Takaihito, who's perfectly comfortable presenting as either male or female. (In a scene I found just a little startling, we later see Takaihito in full femme mode, participating in a ladies' tea party, and they and ALL the other participants- including Miyo, Hazuki (Kiyoka's sister, a very practical and delightful woman), and Kaoruko (joining remotely)- seem as comfortable with each other as if they'd all been friends for years. (As I said, while not everyone in this world possesses magical ability, many do; it also tends to be hereditary, and the families at the top of the social hierarchy are especially noted for it. Takaihito’s particular ability seems to be predicting the future.)

We do get some of the backstory of our chief villain, Usui, including his relationship, as a young man, with Miyo's future mother, Sumi. We'll just note that his tendency to irresponsibly abuse his magical power goes way back. Usui's main ability is creating absolutely convincing illusions in others' minds- and he ALSO has no qualms about turning his followers into literal monsters as well. Further complicating the issue for our side is that Usui has apparently turned traitor one of Kiyoka's inner circle of supporters, one of the very people he trusts to protect Miyo during his frequent absences. As noted earlier, it's fairly obvious that many of the Gifted Communion's attacks are meant as distractions- and, given Usui's backstory, that acquiring Miyo, Usui's supposed daughter, is one of their main true objectives- so I felt Kiyoka could have put a little more priority on her protection.

Still, when his attention IS properly focused, Kiyoka's a pretty capable mage, and I was surprised with his talent for creating shiki (artificial people), and the one he creates to help Miyo is perhaps the most interesting (and oddly charming) "character" in the show so far. (He based it on the one person he could completely trust with Miyo.)

I did like this one better than First Season. There's much more action, and toward the end Miyo's REAL power is finally beginning to emerge- but a group effort, AND a deus ex machina arrival, might still be needed to wrap it all up. Miyo's a sucker for sentimentality, and the show does, sadly, seriously succumb to schmaltz in those 2 final episodes. — Allen Moody

Recommended Audience: Netflix says TV-14. To me the psychological abuse poor Miyo is subjected to (including by those who are supposed to "protect" her) is the worst thing here, but there is plenty of the more visceral sort of violence as well. So Mature Situations, Violence.