Images: Kinema Citrus
In episode 2 of My Happy Marriage’s 2nd season, Miyo is once again thrust into a struggle against a domineering maternal figure.
My Happy Marriage doesn’t fail in making you dislike its antagonistic characters. Although the anguish caused by Miyo’s stepmother is already far behind her, Kiyoka’s mother Fuyu seems to have taken it upon herself to take on the role as Miyo’s tormentor. Season 2’s episode 2, titled “New Ordeal," doesn’t really translate into an all-new ordeal; which begs the question if Miyo will ever catch a break from toxic and abusive mothers.
Spoiler alert: major plot points ahead.
Fuyu when I catch you Fuyu
Although episode 2 starts off with Miyo thinking back on the whole fiasco of sharing a bed with her husband-to-be, the sweet moment is immediately tainted when the servant Nae entreats the quiet girl to Fuyu’s room.
The moment I watched this occur on my screen, I knew full well that nothing good would come out of Miyo’s interaction with Kiyoka’s mother, who, in the last episode, voiced some harsh and undeserved criticism about our protagonist. Let’s just say that if Fuyu was a real person, she’d have definitely caught these hands.
Miyo doesn’t back down this time around though, and accepts Fuyu’s demands of turning her into a maid with a quiet determination that could only be described as her wanting to prove that she is capable enough to stand beside Kiyoka, which is a huge breath of fresh air for her character. Internally, I cheered her on, thinking: ‘go girl! Prove that hag wrong!’
Miyo definitely looks adorable in her western-style maid’s outfit and shows off her knack for cleaning, no thanks to her abusive family last season. She sweeps the grounds, cleans the windows, and even gets on her hands and knees to scrub the floor without so much as a sigh of complaint.
Fuyu, in all her rich woman haughtiness, gets knocked off her high horse when faced with the fact that her simple-minded bullying tactics don't work on Miyo (I mean, the girl survived being kidnapped and tortured by her stepmother and half-sister, Fuyu can do nothing worse). It's satisfying to see her get shaken when Miyo doesn’t break, and even moreso when Tadakiyo steps in to put an end to her shenanigans. It’s nice to see Miyo’s efforts being acknowledged by the house staff, but it does leave a bitter taste in my mouth to know that Kiyoka didn’t explain Miyo’s history with the Saimori family to his household.
Miyo tries to see the good in Fuyu, and attempts to build a relationship with her, even though the older Kudo lady seems to be vehemently against this. Miyo also tries to smoothen the rough patches between Kiyoka and his mother, though it’s looking to be a difficult ordeal for her. On one hand, you have a strict mother who placed extreme expectations upon her eldest son. On the other, you have a son who grew to dislike his mother’s overbearing presence, and on both you have two people who seem to have similar viewpoints. I can go on and on about how toxic parenting is a cycle, but it’s clear to see that Fuyu is a product of her surroundings, hence why Kiyoka also was the way he was in the first season.
The mystery deepens for Kiyoka
Kiyoka’s investigation on the Grotesquerie sightings leads him to a dilapidated mansion filled with wooden cages and an incredibly nasty looking rat. He discovers the sigil of an organisation called The Nameless Order, an emerging religious group that’s cited to have been a recent problem being investigated by the government.
Kiyoka faces off against a hooded figure whom he defeats easily, but leaves him with more questions than answers, particularly about a “sacred power beyond human knowledge” that’s been gifted to his assailant by the order’s mysterious founder and “The Gifted Communion," before the figure inadvertently blows himself up.
Kiyoka second guesses himself with his choices, acknowledging the fact that his selfishness has brought Miyo into a dangerous situation once again. It all comes to a head when a villager comes to beg for help, but ends up fainting in fright at the fact that a demon came to devour his friends. Miyo is resolved to save the man, although Fuyu attempts to step in and make her stop (with her usual insults no less).
Miyo reveals her Dream-Sight ability and her identity as a daughter of the Usuba clan, but Arata comes in clutch to stop her before she gets embroiled into more danger.
More romance, please!
Although My Happy Marriage season 2 is only 2 episodes in, the romance between Miyo and Kiyoka has been sparse compared to the previous season. However, the couple’s tender moment in front of their fireplace is definitely a heartwarming sight to behold. The complete and utter trust between the two is on display for everyone to see, and it’s a factor that the couple places great importance on. I just wish there were more sweet moments in the series, rather than Miyo repeatedly being forced to suffer.
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