My Happy Marriage (2023)

Loved this movie!

Just loved this movie so much. I saw the Anime first and spotted a short video letting me know the movie existed - the search was on until I found it. I have already watched it several times and have shared it with so many others.

Love the leads. When he first meets Miyo and tests to see if she is "...just another in a long line..." type girls - his reactions to how she responds are so perfect - you could almost miss them (and, by reading other reviews - I see that people do).

When an actor becomes so immersed in their character that nothing needs to be said - that is a rare talent. After a first watching of the movie - I bounced over to a BL - Dangerous Romance - that had a stellar cast as well. There is a moment when one of the leads acknowledges/appreciates something done for them and the other characters reaction is so pure - you know it is unscripted and from the heart. It's beautiful to watch and experience. This happens many times in this movie as well.

Some of my favorite parts have no words. When he challenges/threatens Miyo when first meeting and she doesn't respond as expected. When Miyo visits him at the headquarters - worried he isn't taking care of himself and he runs across the room to see her. When Miyo cries after being appreciated for the meal she has prepared. There are so many more.

Put this one in your library so, you can come back to it for a fix when you need it. And, yes - to have that perfect hair.

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Ending was rushed, but otherwise great!

The last 15 minutes felt incredibly rushed, and that made me sad because up to that point this movie was SOOOO GOOOOOOD!!! This would've been best as a 4 part miniseries rather than a 1.5 hour movie. Also, the ML and his smoldering eyes were everything.
Overall, the world building and the story were fantastic and the chemistry between the two leads was lovely.
I do want to note that the script/dialogue was pretty good, but there weren't many words spoken. Most of the movie was comprised of acting without words. Lots of action, longing stares, and inner monologue. If inner monologue and a very abused heroine are a turn off for you, this one might be hard to watch.

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TAKE MY ADVICE: check out some form of the original story before you watch this!!!

In this review I'll be talking about my most anticipated movie this year. Like, I've been waiting for this thing for more than a year. Was it worth the wait? Did I expect too much? Was it adapted well?

I'll be answering all these questions in this review of My Happy Marriage 2023

(if you want to watch it, it's available on myasiantv)


So first I want to start off by saying:

READ THE LIGHT NOVEL/MANGA or WATCH THE ANIME

before you watch this movie, otherwise you'll be quite confused.


So, I get it. They had to squeeze A LOT into a 2h long movie. BUT STILL. So many things weren't explained! To the point where my knowledge of the original story came in handy more than a few times. They left out some important plot points and I think some were a bit rushed.


Spoilers Ahead:

FIRST IMPRESSION:

So I heard about this story through the manga first. Then I found out they would be making a live action and anime and seeing how I enjoyed the first 3 volumes of the manga, I was really looking forward to it. Another reason being, I love period romance movies! And was really looking forward to a Japanese one, since there aren't that many (that interest me). I'm not such a fan of (dark) fantasy, but it's okay in moderation.

Come 17th of March. The day this movie releases in Japan, I was really excited. Until I learned that I would have to wait a few more months for the international release!

This summer the anime aired, so I started watching it.

After finishing the anime, I admit I was a bit disappointed with where the story went. I am looking forward to the second season! I hope there will be more romantic scenes. I think the anime delivered some nice scenes with the couple, but not enough. I was disappointed there wasn't even one kiss scene! Even though I don't think their relationship got that far in the 1st Season.

I do like the cinderella aspect of this story.


LIVE ACTION STORY:
The beginning of the movie doesn't show a lot of Miyo's life at her family's Estate. In fact they rush over it a bit and very soon she's already sent to the Kudo household. But they don't really explain much! If I hadn't known the story beforehand, I would be quite confused. Oh well, then we have the official meeting scene for our couple! I liked this scene.

I feel like a lot of screen time goes to the fantasy aspect. I liked the scenes between Kiyoka and Miyo though, but I wish there were more. They did skip some of my favourite scenes from the manga!

The story feels a bit rushed at times and like I said before, doesn't make sense without knowing the story.

They left out the Kiyoka-Sister Arc! I wish they would have kept it. And because they left it out, the Usuba Arc also seems rushed. They didn't explain the mother's backstory either.

another thing: When Miyo meets her sister in town and doesn't dare to stand up to her, she gets very depressed and stays in her room alone for a few days in the manga/anime, but in this movie it doesn't really show much of that. Then she meets hana again and again the scene in the manga made the most sense! They rushed this in the live action.

I know that screenplay works differently, but I wish they would've adapted it better.

The ending of the movie with the demonic possession outbreak and all was a bit cringey, also that wasn't explained so well.

ACTING/CAST:
Meguro Ren does look good in kimono and with white hair :) He's also nice and tall (comapred to the other actors hehe)
And I think the actress portrayed Miyo very well. I've only seen Watanabe Keisuke in a few good roles, otherwise he usually acts as bad guys lol, but I think he suits the role and there were a few moments my heart skipped a beat cause of him (though I hate to admit lol)
I always picture Yurie as a nice OLD woman, that's how she's portrayed in the manga/anime. I would've preferred another actress.


MUSIC:
some of the music felt a bit overdramatic at times, but I think it was fine. There weren't very many great OSTs, but it's still fits for the most part. I did like the violin OST.


OVERALL THOUGHTS:

Was it worth the wait? Did I expect too much? Was it adapted well?

Even though it wasn't what I initially expected it to be, I did enjoy it for what it was. Despite some bad points I mentioned, it does have it's good ones. Cinematography for instance was good and the colouring is nice as well. Like mentioned before, I like the setting.

Not only with the live action, but the anime and story as a whole, wasn't how I expected it. Like I said I'm looking forward to seeing what happens in Season 2 of the anime. Based in the end credits scene of this movie, I'm guessing there will be a sequel?? I hope so.

Some scenes where done well. The CGI was relatively good. Although the story wasn't as clear as the original work, I think some scenes were good.

overall I'll give this movie an 8/10 (which is good, but not amazing)

8/10 is quite high for me.

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A well adapted Live action of a beautiful love story.

This live action movie surely surprised me on how good it was. Having read the manga and watched the anime I didn't really expect that they could pull this off with the same level of chemistry between the leads but they did.

Ren Meguro / Mio Imada were a damn good casting for the roles. Both of them look really good together. Having watched this movie and the "Trillion Game" drama, I was in quite an awe of their chemistry as their characters were extremely different in the movie and the show yet they nailed both.

The movie was well executed, though felt rushed during the second half which was quite expected as they had to show a big story arc in a single movie. Had this been a show with episodes, it would have been pure gold as it would give plenty of time to show the entire arc and character developments.

The visual FX were satisfactory. I really wanted to see how they will show Kiyoka Kudo rampaging through the house destroying everything and everyone who was trying to stop him from saving his beloved fiance. They surely didn't disappoint in that. The cinematography too was quite eye catching and matched well with the vibe of the story.

Overall it was a good movie with a well suited cast and a sweet storyline. Kiyoka Kudo and Mio Saimori are one of my all time fav couples and it was nice to see their characters being pulled off so beautifully.

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Fluffy, heartwarming story

This is a liveaction of a manga and light novel with the same title, but as someone who didn't read nor the manga and the light novel before, this review based entirely on my impression about this movie.

This is the best movie so far, in 2023 for me. At first, I thought this is just a romance movie, hence when I saw the grotesqueries in the beginning, I thought I've clicked on the wrong title 🤣.

This is romantasy movie. And full of fluff. Kudo acted like jerk at first, but he redeemed himself in the next day, and he apologized. He's such a green flag!

The movie is a bit fast paced, and I found that their story is a bit rushing. In a blink of an eye, Kudo already cared for her, just from her hands and tears, for me. But their chemistry is truly amazing. I loved how he just burned the house just to find Miyo, I loved how he cared for her, gave her a house she deserved, long long ago.

I didn't really satisfied with the ending. The emperor is such an evil guy, I hoped more bad ending for him, but well, he was already on his deathbed. I shed tears, also, when Kudo use his sword to his comrades. In the end, it's only his life, or his comrades. The story is beautiful, and so Kudo and Miyo's heartwarming story. In the end, Miyo got all she deserved.

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I've read the first two volumes of this manga and really enjoyed them. My Happy Marriage is every bit of a Cinderella story, which is a trope/theme I enjoy when done well. So when I saw there was a movie version, I was immediately sold. And all I have to say after watching it is WOW. This movie is phenomenal.

The filmography, the music, the visual effects, the acting, the story, there wasn't anything I was dissatisfied with. The movie had my eyes glued to my screen in rapt attention from start to finish.

Now, I can't say for sure if reading the first two volumes of the manga aided in my ability to follow the story in this movie or not, but I can admit it's possible. From what I can tell, there seems to be an even split between people who understood the story without interacting with any of the other versions and people who didn't understand it because they'd never interacted with any other version, so I would be aware of that. But I do feel that even if you go in blind, there is a lot to be impressed by with this movie.

For my part, I'm even more pumped to keep reading the manga (which I definitely recommend people read) and maybe even the light novels, which is saying something, because I don't really read light novels.

Also, that bonus scene after the credits setting up another movie. I want, I need, I mUSt hAvE!!!

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honestly..

the anime is top tier. this was kinda mediocre because the plot & story line was so rushed. there are so many rave reviews, maybe if I hadnt loved the anime so much I would’ve enjoyed this more.

I wanted to see so much more of the plot, character, and romance development. Even though I have seen the anime, I found myself briefly confused with the jumping around.

Really wasn’t bad, just not up to my expectations. could have done way better.

I felt like they were trying to portray the entire anime when instead there could have been one major climax and not several rushed together.

acting was great, settings on point, “animation”/ graphics great. just the storyline was rushed & jumbled. wasn’t a smooth tell.

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Loved it ❤️

Everything was just perfect about this movie.
The cast ,the story, the characters.
Loved it totally. The way both of them grow their bond omg was too cute . They way they take care of eachother everytime was my favourite thing.now it's my favourite movie of all time .
I watched it and it was totally totally worth it ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Kayoka was so handsome i mean he was just perfect for it and miyo is so so cute.
I felt so bad when her step mother tortured her.
I also liked the part when kayoka went to her house to save her it's my favourite part of the movie and at the end when he asked " will u marry me" awwwwwww that was tooooooo cute mannnn
They are just perfect for it

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Color me impressed

I have watched a few Japanese shows and movies that were dark or mind bending thrillers but this was my first movie and I was not disappointed. I’m looking forward to a follow up. I’m sure it won’t disappoint either.

This movie was better than expected for a suspenseful love story. The writer did a good job building in the backstory and the blooming love story which I’ve noticed is a talent of the Japanese film industry. The actors successfully exuded the emotions and character depth that draws you into the story. Also, absolutely loved the costumes since I’m a costumer myself. Everything went together nicely to give a beautiful and addictive story.

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Meguro Ren !!!!!!!!!!!!! I am a fan WOW !!!

I don't even think I've ever watched a movie like this before. It was as if this was a mind trip lol. Was it an anime? Supernatural-ish? Quite honestly it was hard to follow. Meguro Ren is a STAR !!! Electric and so much charisma in every scene. He is IT !!!! It's almost as if he jumped out of anime? He was insane in this !!!I was not even familiar with him prior to this but he gained a fan in me .Loved the Female Lead acting as well. Im rating this high because the Lead actor was everything, cinematography was amazing and I loved the special effects as well. It was well worth the wait ( we were waiting for English subtitles forever lol so thank you to the kind subbers).

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