My Happy Marriage is a romance historical fiction series from the Japanese animation studio Kinema Citrus and streamed to Netflix. It is based on the novel by Akumi Agitogi which would later become a manga illustrated by Rito Kohsaka.

Miyo Saimori (Miranda Parkin) is the daughter of the powerful lord Shinichi Saimori (Richard Tatum). Since she has no supernatural gifts, she is treated harshly like a servant by her stepmother Kanoka (Erica Schroeder) and stepsister Kaya (Lizzie Freeman). Her hopes of escaping by getting married to her only childhood friend Kouji (Michael Lorz) are dashed when he is forced into an engagement with Kaya. To be rid of Miyo, a marriage is arranged to Lord Kiyoka Kudou (Damien Haas) who has a reputation for being ruthless, especially after previous engagements failed. Entering his house, she finds him coldhearted, but with nowhere else to go, she stays and starts to warm his heart even as pressures from his military job mount.

The animation is truly stunning. Kinema Citrus, who recently returned to produce a third season of The Rising Of The Shield Hero, has some incredible artists. They capture the historical context of the Taisho Era and draw the characters with a uniqueness that exemplifies who they are in the context of the story.

The writers of the show did choose to expand on some story arcs that were hinted at in the manga, but never fully explored. I imagine they did this to pad the runtime and also help viewers who may not be familiar with the source material.

As I have said in my reviews of the manga, this is such a wonderful story. It features a misunderstood man who decides to live up to the stoic and cold reputation he has been given and a beautiful, abused woman who comes into his care. The two help one another, allowing them to grow. It is truly a magnificent series that is reminiscent of fairy tales. I was concerned when I heard Netflix was involved as they have a habit of adding wokeness into their dubs, as in Komi Can’t Communicate, but that was not the case here. I am excited to see what happens in the second season.

Check out the trailer below:

PARENTAL CONCERNS: Some distressing images, Minor foul language, Fantasy violence

This review is based on the dub from Iyuno-SDI Group.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments below. Tell me if there is a comic book, movie, anime, or novel you would like me to review. While you are at it, check out my reviews of the second season of Jujutsu Kaisen and The Great Cleric season 1. Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe for more posts like this one.

Connect with me on social media. Consider supporting StudioJake on Locals.