A Happy Marriage For Them, A Happy Reading Experience For Me!
Well not often I do Manga reviews but I just can't not review this one. You know I love my Romance and my standalone series. In my search a good friend of mine suggested to me a series called Happy Marriage?! 10 volumes and 40 chapters, it was worth a shot at some point and boy I didn't know what I was getting myself into this time. When it comes to Romance Manga, this is the peak of what I've read in all my years as a Weeb.
Plot: The story revolves around Chiwa Takanashi, a 23 year-old ordinary office lady that never had the time nor the opportunity to have a boyfriend in her entire life, who agrees to an arranged marriage with the president Hokuto Mamiya of the company she works in a man she doesn't know in order to pay off her dad's debts. Chiwa believes the arrangement isn't binding, but her new partner seems to think otherwise. This series tells the story of two strangers living together and their way to find a happy marriage.
Characters: The story is one in which the main couple Chiwa and Hokuto are already together but also not in a sense. They have closed the gap being married but they still have to become closer together. The dynamic they share is that of 2 people who yearn to be together but with their own personal problems standing in their way. Once they overcome those problems their relationship can further blossom and this is prevelant throughout the series. I absolutely loved following the story 2 people forced into an unexpected marriage only for their own benefits , to then fall in love with each other for real and become the husband and wife they are meant to be. Chiwa is a girl who deserves to be cared for and loved by someone. Strong and independent she always has Hokuto's best interests in her heart despite what happens. Hokuto is a man who would merely use Chiwa as a stepping stone towards his goal only to then fall for her. They give Hokuto's character a lot of depth as he has a deep backstory, something Chiwa tries to uncover. I thought that the 2 were a great couple throughout. They went to lengths for eachother and truly proved their love for one another. The side characters aren't really worth talking about. They were nice to see but in the overall grand scheme of things they did nothing to effect the overarching plot.
Romance: The series has great romance and drama throughout. The 2 share a lot of passionate and romantic moments. When Chiwa is sad or mad Hokuto is there to make things better again in the form of affection. Every moment the 2 have is cute and heartwarming. For any romance lover you can't help but ship the 2. The author does a great job of displaying affection without overdoing it. Even the slightly inappropriate bits are just so passionate and wholesome. Josei Manga is meant to portray more realistic romance stories compared to Shojo and it really shows. Every chapter has a wholesome moment in it so you always have something to look forward to.
Art & Story: While telling an overall completed story it's really easy to read Happy Marriage chapter by chapter. It feels like each chapter tells a story of its own. So you don't really have to worry about how you read the series, breaking at each chapter is completely fine. The art is of course gorgeous. Shojo and Josei Manga have some of the most beautiful art of any Manga. The characters are drawn in a way that you would easily become attached to them. It's not super cute or Kawaii but rather beautiful and your heart melts for it. To see emotion and character displayed in such a way is so heart warming to look at.
Length: I thought Happy Marriage was a really nice and lengthy story. Even at the end I was craving more. If it had an Anime adaptation I wouldn't give it anything less than 50 or so episodes.
Happy Marriage is a different kind of romance story and gave me a real taste of what more mature romance stories are like. I feel like a new door has opened up for me, a gateway to the world of Josei and if that's the case I'm ready and excited to read more.
Honestly you I dig cute, hot, passionate, heart pounding stories like this. Stories that set my heart alight. Happy Marriage was good enough to rise to the number 1 spot of my favourite Romance, Josei and Standalone Manga of all time. I highly recommend you go check this Manga out if you like romance and Josei. I'm a big fan of romance so I know what tugs at my heart strings. Happy Marriage ticked off a lot of romance boxes for me, even some boxes Golden Time didn't check. But that doesn't change the fact Golden Time is my favourite Romance series overall. I give it a 9/10, completely unbiased because I think this Manga is seriously amazing and underrated. Please go check it out and give it a chance cause I'm positive you'll like it. |
