After a delay in the broadcast schedule, My Happy Marriage Season 2 Episode 12 is well worth the wait.
Are there any words to describe the depth of emotion that My Happy Marriage Season 2 will pull you into? This season has had its ups and downs, with both stellar and disappointing episodes and the surprising delay of its last two episodes. The much awaited Episode 12, titled “Feelings Beyond Dreams,” caps off the climax to what some say is a quite satisfying ending to Miyo’s battle against Usui.
Spoiler warning: major plot points ahead!
With Episode 11, “A Resolute Departure” finally giving Miyo her time to shine, Episode 12 continues where it left off, with Miyo and Kiyoka having come face to face with Naoshi Usui and Arata Usuba in a final showdown. Episode 12 is packed with drama and action, but what really made it for me was how Miyo stood headstrong against Usui, when just a few episodes ago, she could only see him as an inevitable threat; a storm she wasn’t even sure she could weather.
A slap for the ages
Miyo tells Usui that she won’t help him create his ideal world, but he threatens to torture Kiyoka if she doesn’t give up. Miyo instead fights Usui, pushing Usui to use his abilities to harm Kiyoka. As Miyo attempts to save Kiyoka, Arata steps in to stop her, revealing that, surprise surprise, he's actually not siding with Usui and only feigned in doing so in a bid to stop him. Colour me surprised (sarcastically).
Although Kiyoka tries to stay on level ground with Usui, it’s evident that Usui’s power level is a cut above the rest. Usui subjects Kiyoka to mental torture, forcing him into a dream space where Miyo dies several times.
While Kiyoka struggles to break free of Usui’s hold, Miyo sees a vision of the future where Usui and Arata seemingly attack each other with their weapons, before finally using her Dream-Sight ability to rescue Kiyoka from Usui’s torture. In her dream space, Usui weasels his way in.
You can tell how much Miyo is fed up with Usui's antics. She steps up to him, telling him that she isn't like him. She doesn't use her abilities to harm people because she knows it isn’t the right thing to do. With emotions running high, Miyo finally does something that gave me an incredible rush of satisfaction when I watched it: she gives Usui a slap in the face that's fueled by her anger and disappointment.
I all but laughed at the surprised Pikachu expressions on Kiyoka and Arata, cheering Miyo on as she released all of her feelings on that impactful slap. I knew my girl had it in her, even though she still has all that kindness to want Usui to change for the better. She tells him that her mother wouldn’t smile at the person he is now and that he should respect her wishes, but Usui, who I reckon is feeling cornered, explodes (not literally, but it would have been nice).
Naoshi Usui has nowhere to run
Miyo airs the same sentiments I gave when I reviewed Episode 9, “Dream Tidings”, where I pointed out how Usui never really understood Sumi’s wishes for him, essentially betraying her for his selfish desires. Miyo tells Usui that she knows about Usui and Sumi’s history with each other, and even describes it as similar to her and Kiyoka’s relationship. It was a bond so deep that the grief of losing it can change people, either for better or for worse. To Miyo, losing Kiyoka during Episode 9 was akin to Usui losing Sumi to the Saimoris. However, she can’t bear to find it in herself to forgive Usui for his sins.
Miyo also reiterates the point that Sumi only ever wanted for Usui to be happy, which was made evident in Episode 10 “Promise”. Sumi’s wish for Usui was to find purpose for himself, and to push through with their dreams for a world that’s changed for the better, not for him to descend into debauchery and evil. Miyo tells Usui that he needs to stop before it’s too late, but we're not surprised when Usui refuses. Usui is a lost cause, that much has been evident throughout the season.
As Usui envelops Miyo and Kiyoka in inky darkness, Arata aims his gun at Usui in fear, but Miyo begs for him to stop and wait before disappearing in the sludge. Suddenly, Sumi’s spirit makes an appearance, shocking Usui so much that the darkness he was wrapping Miyo and Kiyoka in quickly pulls away.
We get a bit of a talk-no-jutsu strategy employed after that. Usui asks Sumi why she died and left him, telling her that he won’t accept a fate where she is gone, and that he will destroy the world to create a new one just for her and Miyo. Sumi tells him that he hurt her family, but sees him as her family too even through his faults. Usui goes on a tirade about what happened to Sumi because of her views on family, positing that he can finally truly make her happy.
But Sumi, the queen that she is, tells him point blank that she never wished for that. Cue me snapping my fingers to every word: yes, Usui, we’ve been telling you for over three episodes now, what you are doing is not *snap* what *snap* Sumi *snap* wished *snap* for! *Snap, snap, snap*.
At the end of it all, Sumi sees what Usui had become due to his obsession with her, and begs him to return back to her side, not as her “protective sword”, but as the man she once knew him as. Usui refuses her, and in a bid to exit Miyo’s dream space, stabs himself with a knife he conjured up. Miyo and the others follow immediately after him.
Is there redemption in the afterlife?
Back in reality, Miyo wakes up to see Kiyoka on the ground. As she rushes to his side, Usui calls to her, and he’s visibly weakened with blood leaking out of his nose. He tells her that they should finish everything, but his powers fade away from him. Arata shoots Usui on the side, shocking him, and shoots Usui again in the chest. Usui retaliates by throwing his knife at Arata, which lands on his abdomen. As both men fall to the ground, Miyo runs towards Arata in tears asking why he did it, but he only begs for her forgiveness.
As the life fades away from Usui, he once again sees Sumi’s spirit reaching out to him, and with nothing left to lose, he takes her hand. The two are reunited in their youthful forms, running together towards the sunlight as Usui finally passes away.
I understand why some people think that Usui’s end was quite unsatisfactory. Through all the atrocities he has committed, some form of unimaginable suffering was what Usui was destined for, but honestly, I’d beg to differ.
It’s been made clear that Usui was a man that lived a life of unimaginable suffering. He had lost everything as a child, and lost everything as an adult. The pain of loss and yearning for those who are gone drove him to become the kind of vile man he would present himself as to viewers of the show. Sure his actions were unforgivable, but even Miyo believed that he deserved better, to be more than what he thought he could be. To have a chance at redemption, even in the afterlife, is something that he at least deserved at the end of the day.
What we become in our adult lives is a result of what we’ve been through, and ultimately, the choices we make. Usui had paid for his sins with his death, and he did not die loved, nor will he be remembered fondly. Only Sumi’s soul could see him for what he truly was: a lonely, broken man who could have done everything right had he looked beyond his ocean of pain. Only Sumi will know that he was once a boy full of love. No one else will ever remember him that way.
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!
