Images: Kinema Citrus
The latest episode of My Happy Marriage is a major disappointment.
With Naoshi Usui finally making direct contact with Miyo in My Happy Marriage Season 2’s previous episode, it’s clear that this villain likes to play with his prey. Sure, Usui is every bit as intimidating and terrifying as he’s cut out to be, but I can’t help but feel like his characterisation comes off as incredibly stereotypical, even for shoujo anime standards.
Spoiler Warning: Major plot points ahead
My Happy Marriage Season 2 Episode 6, titled ‘The Man Called Naoshi Usui’, isn’t a bad episode thanks to Kinema Citrus’s top-tier animation, but narrative-wise felt like watching a car crash in slow motion. As I continued watching, I felt as if all my praise for Season 2 were coming undone.
Naoshi Usui is just a shoujo Sukuna, and it makes me deeply unhappy
So far, the persona of Naoshi Usui has been looming as a giant dark cloud over Miyo and Kiyoka’s heads, mysterious and threatening with his creepy smile and grating voice. But he’s always just been that in the episodes he’s been mentioned or featured in: evil, manipulative, scheming… and it makes him feel so bland.
Sure, his power to play with his victim’s mind is truly something that can’t be taken lightly, but even when he showcased it for everyone to see, it’s made out to be something truly undefeatable.
But not only that, Usui’s physical abilities are nothing to scoff at either, being able to best even Kaoruko Jinnouchi, who’s established as one of the unit’s top fighters, without so much as a drop of sweat on his brow. What can’t this man do? He’s too overpowered for you to build any semblance of investment towards him, and the action-packed encounter, which was supposed to keep me at the edge of my seat, only became more bland as time passed.
If you want to liken Usui to a character from the shounen side of anime, then he’s almost similar to Sukuna from Jujutsu Kaisen in this regard. Fans will know how his characterisation became a problem as the series progressed. Miyo even tries to bring some form of humanity to Usui, positing the idea that maybe his relentless attempts of taking her away is some sort of repentance towards his ‘inability’ to save her deceased mother. However, he shuts that down instantly, only retreating from his plan upon the arrival of Kiyoka, who couldn’t stop him from leaving.
Yeah, I get it. Usui’s uber-buffed powers may be a necessary plot addition to showcase just how powerful Miyo can be, but did they really have to go that route? He’s basically superhuman at this point.
Kaoruko’s character is wasted potential
I sang such high praises for Kaoruko’s characterisation, but Episode 6 brought all of my hopes and dreams about her involvement tumbling down like a stack of playing blocks. I’ve watched anime for almost my whole life, and so have a knack for spotting stereotypical characters posed as major players, but are actually plot devices.
The moment I saw Kaoruko, I knew that there was a massive possibility she’d turn out to be a plot device - but that didn’t make it sting less when it actually did occur. It’s extremely disappointing to see how the writers decided to prove Kaoruko’s naysayers right about their opinion of her as a woman. Usui played with her perception and feelings like a fiddle, making her out to be the traitor of the group who allowed him to break through Kiyoka’s barrier. It’s incredibly disappointing that they took her story in that direction.
To me, Kaoruko was built up to be someone with more fortitude than this. To me, Kaoruko deserved more than being sent back to the old capital, never to be seen again.
Arata’s next on the list
On the other hand, it’s nice to see more of Arata’s personality, story, and struggle. Being antagonistic in the first season, it’s a welcome change to see more of his humanity show through in Season 2. Faced with the vitriol of the military for his Usuba heritage and familial relation to Usui, Arata does what it takes to prove them wrong by investigating the villa they thought the emperor had been brought to.
Arata’s backstory features prominently in the latter half of the episode, exploring his lonely childhood and the pressure of being the next heir of the Usuba household. Arata realises that what he wants to protect is nowhere to be found, leaving him at a crossroads about what to do next.
But of course, Usui, big bad that he is, has to make himself relevant again. He offers Arata a choice: stay within his perceived discontentment, or join the Gifted Communion. Let’s just hope that the writers do a better job of fleshing out Arata’s story.
Episode 6 may be bad, but that doesn’t mean it’s the be-all, end-all of the series. The upcoming Episode 7 may once again prove me wrong. We’ll have to see when it premieres.
If you want to glean more information, look into missed details, or just read our thoughts on each episode, we’ve compiled a My Happy Marriage Season 2 review collection for your perusal!
