Story: 7/10
My Happy Marriage at its core is a story of a victim overcoming her abusive past to find value in herself through love and kindness. Miyo, the FL, lives a life of abuse under her rich family scrutiny due to her lack of superpower sight. Her evil step mother and step sister physically / verbally abuse her daily, while her real father only show contempt. Until one day, she gets send away in place of her sister to be the wife of a infamous heartless commander Kudou. The story is as cliche as it gets, but every beat still hits.
What makes it works so well is how vulnerable Miyo was in the beginning. Of course, someone who was abuse all their life and barely received any love would be in the state of constant self deprecating. Every moment of kindness towards her felt rewarding to watch. Even as she received more love, old habits die hard and her growth journey really takes time to heal. I appreciate that nuance so much, even though it can be frustrating.
Animation: 8/10
Certainly, the best part of the show. I still remembered seeing the thumbnail of this anime announcement trailer on YouTube almost a year ago and instantly clicked (it shows the ML Kudou lol). It was so beautifully animated that I just couldn't wait, and searched for the manga right away. The art in the anime certainly surpass it origin. It was so beautifully drawn in the key moments of romance and superpower. Still, the quality is not consistent in every scene (very nitpicky, but I find some walking scenes a bit weird). The direction focus on fanservice quite a lot (I like the ML being cool scenes, that's even why I started watching, but it made you feel less tension).
V/A: 8/10
V/A really sets the tone of each character's stereotype. I especially like Miyo's voice cause she almost always sound shaky until she gradually grows out of her shell.
OP/ED: 9/10
The art style for OP and ED was gorgeous. Especially the OP, makes me emotional every time, it gets you into the mood of the story going between melancholy and hopeful. The songs were both beautiful.
Overall: 7.5/10
A great fairytale-like escapism. My Happy Mariage might not be the best anime ever, but it's certainly a step up from most romance anime. I wished more shoujo/romance stories received this much care and budget.
