It truly seems like My Happy Marriage is going from strength to strength, with the third episode offering a deeper insight into Miyo’s trauma along with her bloodline and the circumstances of her birth. Meanwhile, Lord Kudo’s icy exterior is beginning to crack as he spends more time with Miyo—but will he allow this troubled girl beyond the walls surrounding his heart?
Please be aware of spoilers in this article!
We often think of Miyo as a shelter puppy—adorable and full of boundless love, but curled into herself and fearful of everyone outside the confines of her prison. And who could blame her? She was raised in a toxic household where her step-mother loathed her, her half-sister bullied her, and her father did nothing but wait until she could be married off.
It’s no wonder that Lord Kudo’s small acts of kindness—asking her to come see the town, gifting her a new comb, or just complimenting her on her cooking—can elicit such a wide gamut of emotions in Miyo. Her desperate need to reject kindness stems from kindness itself being a foreign, perhaps even dangerous, element in her life until now. All she needs is love and support—and the time to grow accustomed to a world that doesn’t despise her simply for existing.
The last episode introduced supernatural elements to the show, letting us into the secret world of the Special Anti-Grotesquerie Unit that Lord Kudo commands. Following on from the post-credits scene at the end of Episode 2, we see that the Saimori and Tatsuishi family heads are engaged in a quarrel over Miyo. Miyo never awakened to her supernatural powers, but she possesses the blood of the Usuba family in her veins. Should a child of hers awaken that power, they could manipulate human emotion—a powerful, almost mythic ability.
Meanwhile, Lord Kudo is a capable magic-wielder himself, detecting and destroying shikigami at the end of the episode in a whirlwind of fire. The supernatural elements of My Happy Marriage blend seamlessly into the overarching story, tying back into Miyo’s self-esteem and fears, while serving to bolster Kaya’s arrogance.
My Happy Marriage has served up an excellent third episode that is beautiful and heart-warming, while cleverly weaving magic and bloodlines into a gorgeously animated shoujo anime. Don’t forget to vote for My Happy Marriage in the Summer 2023 Anime of the Week poll!