Images: Kinema Citrus
My Happy Marriage’s latest episode is a struggle to watch, but not because it’s bad.
It’s hard, being a woman trapped within the machinations of toxic patriarchal expectation. You’re expected to act only in a certain way, and if you rise above your station, you’re met with vitriol and disdain. At some point, you’ll want to prove these cocky and entitled people wrong; after all, your gender does not, and should not, define your capability as a person.
Spoiler warning: major plot points ahead.
The latest episode of My Happy Marriage (Season 2 Episode 5), titled ‘Deep Within the Heart’ starts off by enveloping viewers in a bitter taste, courtesy of unnamed male characters gossiping about Kaoruko Jinnouchi, Miyo’s newest female friend who debuted in episode 4, and ends with Usui wreaking havoc at the military station.
Miyo shines in this episode, gaining confidence and strength through her friendship with Kaoruko, to the point of openly challenging the ideals of those who attempt to bring Kaoruko down.
Does it make you more of a man when you bring others down?
It can get frustrating and painful to see outdated and toxic patriarchal rhetoric in your favourite anime of the season. But My Happy Marriage explores these damaging gender ideals with purpose; how should a woman act in a man’s world? Why does it have to be a man's world anyway?
Seeing Miyo stand up for Kaoruko, who is looked down upon for being a woman with military rank, brings about a swell of pride in me. The misogynistic rhetoric spouted by the various men in the episode is the same: “women are weak and have less stamina, so they shouldn’t meddle in male-centic affairs like combat” – but Miyo refutes this with a fact that everyone should already know: the capability of getting things done does not rely on the makeup of your chromosomes or genitalia, but instead should rely on your strength of will and resolve. The men who repeatedly insult Kaoruko are incapable of realising this, instead relying on the physical strength they pride their gender for.
Yet strength alone shouldn’t be based on a person’s ability to throw hands, like Tanaka who almost hits Miyo. In their exchange alone, you would come to realise that Tanaka himself is the weakest out of the two. Relying on violence when faced with fact does not attest to any perceived “greatness” for “being a man.”
The black-and-white perception of gender roles is becoming undone in My Happy Marriage, and it makes me so happy to see it happen. Miyo is painted as a capable and inspiring female lead whose tenacity and will, although minimal at first, grows in strength as she gains the courage and confidence to live unapologetically. Sure, Miyo's actions are motivated by her desire to stand by Kiyoka’s side, but it doesn’t mean that she has to live in his shadow. Miyo’s growth paints her as woman who’s breaking away from expectation to become a powerful force of her own making – patriarchy be damned.
Kaoruko’s depiction and character are also incredibly relatable, coming across as the inverse of Miyo’s burgeoning strength. At the surface of her lively and strong demeanour, Kaoruko greatly struggles with the negative perception of her peers and her own feelings, cracking under pressure in one of the anime’s most heartfelt moments. But this isn’t the moment of weakness Kaoruko thinks it is: there’s strength in admitting when you can’t handle it all yourself anymore, too.
The drama escalates to a dangerous degree
With Miyo putting Kaoruko’s naysayers in their place, the episode goes into further detail about the threatening enigma that is Naoshi Usui. Miyo and Kiyoka visit Godo at the hospital, with Kiyoka appearing shocked and guilty at the extent of Godo’s injuries after surviving an ambush orchestrated by the Gifted Communion.
Godo goes into detail about his past with Kiyoka, revealing to Miyo that his father and Kiyoka’s father, Tadakiyo, had worked together during their time in the Anti-Grotesquerie unit. It was Godo’s father who entreated Kiyoka to join the unit, seeing his latent potential as an ability user. Kiyoka refused Godo’s father’s invitation, with the latter extending the offer not only for Kiyoka’s potential, but at a chance for retirement since his ability was already weakening. Godo’s father would die in the line of duty not long afterwards, leaving Kiyoka distraught with grief and guilt.
Godo also reveals that Kaoruko was originally Kiyoka’s prospective fiancee, shocking Miyo. Although the marriage prospect fell through immediately, it seems that Kaoruko may be harboring feelings of sadness about her lost engagement, although Kaoruko herself said that she couldn’t bear to see Miyo as her enemy in love.
After leaning all of this, Miyo’s desire to know more about Kiyoka’s past grows deeper and stronger, and Kiyoka, always the greenest of green flags, tells her that she’s free to ask Kaoruko anything about him, as he has nothing to hide. However, this sweet and tender moment is quickly overshadowed. Later on in her dreams, Miyo is immersed in a prophetic dream that tells of a disastrous encounter between the military unit and Naoshi Usui.
Indeed, Usui is already orchestrating his plans. Arata stumbles upon a tense scene at the imperial palace, where the emperor is seemingly abducted by members of the Gifted Communion. Kiyoka heads out to assess the situation at hand, leaving the station immediately vulnerable to Usui’s attack. And finally, Miyo finds herself face-to-face with Usui himself. What horrors will transpire in the next episode? Well, we'll find out soon enough.
Want to learn what happened in the latest episode of Apothecary Diaries? We have the detailed analysis right here. Looking for an analysis of Solo Leveling season 2's latest episode? We've got you covered here. And if you're wanting a play-by-play of the latest episode of Sakamoto Days, you can read it here!
