Bien que tout ait commencé par un contrat de mariage arrangé, Chiwa est réellement tombée amoureuse de Hokuto, mais elle se refuse à le lui avouer tant que ses sentiments ne seront pas partagés. En visite dans la famille de son mari pour le nouvel an, elle se retrouve confrontée à la réalité de la vie de Hokuto, en tant qu'enfant illégitime au sein de la famille Mamiya. C'est alors que dans un sursaut de colère protectrice, elle jette à la face de l'assemblée son amour pour Hokuto. Quelles seront les conséquences de cet aveu pour leur vie conjugale ?
Maki Enjōji is a Japanese manga artist. Among her works, Happy Marriage!? is one of the best known and it has been published in English under VIZ Media’s Shojo Beat, in French by Kazé, in German by Tokyopop and in Italian by Star Comics.
This is my favorite volume so far! A LOT happens! First they fight, second Chiwa gets kidnapped, Hokuto rescues her, he gets injured and goes to the hospital, Chiwa decides to resign again and gets a divorce, she goes back to her father's house, Hokuto gets her back, they say "I love you"s and after his work trip they finally consummate their marriage and make love.
The bonus story is so cute about how Hokuto meets Chiwa and his feelings towards her.
Antara siri yang menarik aku rasa. Yalah, dari siri pertama hingga masuk yang keempat, ha baru inilah ada perkembangan baik buat Chiwa dan Hokuto. Kiranya dalam siri ni tak putus-putus aku tersenyum dengan telatah mereka.
Akhirnya, love starts to bloom. Yeayyy! Ingat senang masing-masing nak mengaku isi hati? Pheww... berbaloi-baloi rasanya jadi ‘kawan baik’ dengan pakcik lappy semenjak kebelakangan ni. Okayy, next Vol. hoho~~
This was the volume that I was waiting for! While some of the stuff that happened was over the top, I didn't let it take away from them finally admitting how they felt about each other.
It was my favorite volume so far and I adore this couple. I'm also scared because we have a few more volumes left before the end and I know things can't stay good for them. Please be kind to these two!
Chiwa's father has been nothing but trouble and a financial mess for her to clean up. Even working extra nightshifts don't seem to round up the money but an unusual offer might get her out of this mess: her company's CEO Hokuto can only keep his position in the family business if he were to marry. Hokuto is in need of a wife, Chiwa needs the money. A quickly signed marriage certificate turns them into unlikely flatmates - it's not as though they are romantically involved.
For the longest time, I only read shoujo manga and disregarded any series that were targeted at older readers. I'd often seen Happy Marriage?! during the time when I was working at a comic store and mentally shelved it as not interested - office romance, married couple - none of it caught my interest. It was only during a moment of extreme boredom that I picked the first volume off the shelf and flipped through it. I came to the conclusion that it was one of the most hilarious manga romances I had read and immediately ordered the entire series and promoted Maki Enjouji to an auto-buy author.
About a decade later, I still love this series. Chiwa and Hokuto's relationship is absolutely hilarious, they have me laughing so many times. But in addition to the comedy, I love the chemistry between them and the bond that grows between them as the series progresses. I think this is most strongly seen in Hokuto who transforms from a calculating businessman into a caring husband. I also consider both Chiwa and Hokuto to be very realistic characters as they both definitely have their faults. Funnily, this seems to be one of the most common points of criticism this series seems to receive from other many other readers.
It seems others consider Chiwa a weak female lead and Hokuto as abusive and arrogant. Arrogance aside, I can't agree on either of the other points. Both of them have an argumentive nature - they argue, in fact, they argue a lot. I don't believe either of them is worse than the other in this point and, as both of them rightly say, it's part of their relationship dynamics - they grow stronger after each argument. The difference is the way they express themselves; Chiwa is less confident and cries easily, but she rarely backs down and stands her ground - crying in itself is not a weakness of character, the fact that she can still pull through shows that. Hokuto is very reserved when it comes to showing warm feelings but he is very outspoken when he's upset which in my mind is very realistic. Not everyone is able to express how they really feel and I think it's why these two are often irritated yet also bring out the good in each other.
While domestic abuse certainly is an issue that needs to be addressed more often, I do feel that many people overshoot their target by narrowing down on books or movies that show even the slightest hint of a male character not playing the perfect gentleman. Hokuto is by no means perfect but there isn't a single action of his in this entire series that I would consider as abusive. There is a scene where he slaps Chiwa - a slap is a far cry from hitting or abuse. There is a reason why it's called a wake-up slap - there are times when something like that might really be the only way to get through to someone who is, as in this particular case with Chiwa, in a complete panic and not listening to reason. Had it been the other way around with Chiwa slapping Hokuto, no one would have said a thing. People aren't always rational and the way many fictional characters are criticized in this regard sets unrealistic standards of real people.
With that off my chest, other than the comedy and romance, there's also a bit of a mystery and family issues on both sides to deal with. I don't usually like longer romance series (although Happy Marriage?! isn't all that long with 10 volumes) as they tend to drag but here there are plenty of other elements that keep the story going. Despite the introduction of other love interests along the way, I like how neither Chiwa nor Hokuto ever showed the slightest interest in others.
Finally, I really enjoyed the art in this one. I generally like Maki Enjouji's art but I am particularly fond of it in this series. Her art is also a strong drive for the comedy but the romantic scenes are also beautifully drawn. While I may still prefer shoujo manga (I don't seem to outgrow it...), thanks to Happy Marriage?!, I know that there certainly are manga for older readers that can appeal to me as it's been one of my favourites since I first read it.
Zum Inhalt: Nach dem Neujahrsessen bei Hokutos Familie bleiben die beiden in einem Hotel, doch entgegen Chiwas Erwartungen schläft Hokuto nicht mit ihr. Als Chiwa am nächsten Morgen den Grund wissen will, kann Hokuto ihre Aufregung nicht verstehen. Sie stürmt wütend aus dem Hotel und betrinkt sich. Als es fast zu einer Aussprache zwischen ihr und Hokuto kommt, wird dieser wie so oft dringend in die Firma bestellt. Chiwa will geduldig auf ihn warten, doch als sie sich etwas zu essen kaufen geht, wird sie auf offener Straße entführt ...
Cover:
Das Cover ähnelt den anderen dieser Reihe und zeigt wieder das Paar Chiwa und Hokuto, was durchaus passend ist und somit einen absoluten Wiedererkennungsfaktor hat. Fraglich ist hierbei nur, ob die beiden sich in diesem Band nun endlich näherkommen oder nicht, denn vom Cover her sieht das wirklich danach aus.
Eigener Eindruck: Nach der Familienfeier denkt Chiwa, dass sie und Hokuto sich endlich näherkommen. Doch weit gefehlt. Denn Hokuto schläft nicht mit ihr. Als sie am nächsten Morgen mit ihm darüber sprechen will, lässt er sie auch noch einfach stehen, weil er einen wichtigen Anruf bekommt. Zu viel des Guten. Chiwa betrinkt sich und ertrinkt darauf fast in der Badewanne, was ihr megapeinlich ist. Sie nimmt sich vor auf Hokuto zu warten und dann mit ihm ein klärendes Gespräch zu führen. Doch als sie zum Supermarkt geht, wird sie entführt! Schnell wird klar, dass Hokutos Cousin hinter der Sache steckt und das Abenteuer endet mit einem Ausflug im Krankenhaus, wo Chiwa ein Gespräch belauscht aus dem sie schließt, dass sie Hokuto nur im Weg steht. Sie will die Scheidung!
Die Romanze zwischen den beiden unfreiwilligen Eheleuten Chiwa und Hokuto geht also in die nächste Runde. Mit gewohnt guten Zeichnungen präsentiert der Mangaka den vierten Teil der Reihe „Happy Marriage?!“. Mit einer guten Portion Humor aber ebenso viel Liebe zum Detail und einer ordentlichen Portion Emotionen werden wir hier durch die Geschichte geführt. Dabei fällt leider aber vor allem auf, dass die beiden Protagonisten sich das Leben unnötig schwer machen und die eine oder andere Reaktion doch recht kindisch ist. Sieht man davon ab, bekommt man aber wieder eine sehr solide und dynamische Geschichte, die die beiden Eheleute durchleben. Dabei muss sich vor allem Chiwa wieder die Frage stellen, ob es das ist, was sie will und wie sie ihr Leben weiter gestalten will. Die Rolle Hokuto ist weiterhin recht bedeckt und kommt erst zum Ende des Bandes mit seinen Absichten und seinen wirklichen Gefühlen daher. Nun darf man also gespannt sein, wie es mit den beiden Charakteren weiter geht und welche Probleme sie wohl noch zu bewältigen haben, denn mit 10 Gesamtbänden scheint hier noch einiges zu passieren. Hoffentlich bleibt uns die Spannung erhalten und die Mangaka neigt nicht dazu die Geschichte nun zu verkitschen.
Fazit:
Eine recht solide Fortsetzung des Mangas, auch wenn das ganze Hin und Her zwischen den beiden Protagonisten langsam etwas kindisch wird. Ich bin gespannt, wie es mit den beiden weiter geht und ob die Geschichte ihren Spannungsbogen wieder aufrechterhalten kann.
Opinione personale, ma si viveva bene pure senza la scena dello pseudo rapimento. Lo stesso dicasi per tutte le pippe mentali di Chiwa. Certo, i membri della famiglia Mamiya non sono del tutto normali e trovo francamente inquietante il modo in cui il vecchio abbia sottovalutato i rischi di questa lotta per il potere. Sono basita, ma facciamo finta di niente. Se non altro, dopo l'ennesimo problema di comunicazione tra moglie e marito (come al solito, è Chiwa che prende e parte per la tangente, senza confrontarsi con il consorte), Hokuto decide di dichiararsi in modo chiaro, così pure quella scema di Chiwa non può dire di non aver capito. In più vanno a letto insieme, così forse la finiamo con tutte le pippe sul sesso 🫠 siccome mancano ancora sei volumi alla fine, ho paura di scoprire quali altre mirabolanti avventure attendono i nostri protagonisti...
Standing by Him When No One Else Will Witnessing Hokuto’s strained relationship with his family, Chiwa resolves to become his unwavering support, even as she begins to feel invisible in their marriage.
Love Tested by Distance and Danger Hokuto’s emotional neglect chips away at Chiwa’s confidence, until a sudden injury sustained while protecting her changes everything.
Divorce Papers… and a Confession Just when Chiwa decides to walk away, Hokuto drops the words she never thought she’d hear, turning heartbreak into a moment that could redefine their entire marriage.
LMAO she got kidnapped 🤣 (and right after sending that message too pft what are the chances) im sry im sry but this is absolutely hilarious 😭 i cackled when she was like NOOOO and then it cut to him lying in the hospital bed 😭😭 girl that was not the time to be asking what his feelings for u were AHSJDJD it would be funny if she got kidnapped again when she went to get his clothes lol also, chiwa , u idiot, stop being dramatic😩 you’re not in his way ya dummy and finally they got together !!!…now what 🧍🏾♀️ik there’s like six more volumes after this what the hell
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review (for the whole manga): Out of most of the mangaka's manga that I have read so far, I enjoyed this one the most. It's a typical story of how an ordinary girl is forced to marry a rich and superior guy (who was previously her boss) and how the overcome their differences and obstacles that they face along their marriage journey and yet I still enjoyed reading it.
I gave it a 4 instead of a 3 because he finally tells her he loves her… which leads to… stuff. :P. The kidnapping part was stupid and dropped it a star. Plus the whole part where he starts to confess and she decides she wants a divorce because she stood up for him, which made the stupid cousin kidnap her and he got injured so he may have missed a business deal? Dumb.
4,4 von 5 Manche Entscheidungen kann ich nicht ganz nachvollziehen, aber ansonsten war der Teil wirklich schön. Vor allem weil die Beziehung zwischen den beiden sich nun wirklich immer weiter festigt.
Per quanto la storia sia assolutamente esagerata e lei... mi verrebbe di tirarle un scarpa ogni tanto... Però insieme son divertenti e simpatici. Certo, lei viene rapita e lui deve andare a salvarla... ma son tanto ninini!
Mi chiedo cosa succederà nei prossimi sei volumi adesso.
Eh. The Big Moment happened, and it was...okay? I don’t know, I guess I didn’t react as much because it was less will-they-won’t-they and more an inevitability of sorts. I just didn’t feel a sense of the emotional pay-off. And that makes me sad.
Ah. OK. My trash-read binge is now over! It took four volumes of this manga over two days before I got to the point where the sense of the main characters' stupidity overrode the silly pleasure of things.
Este es mi tomo favorito. Me sé las páginas de memoria, sé lo que va a pasar, lo que van a decir, exactamente que dibujo sigue, pero aun así aquí ando gritando porque me sigue sorprendiendo. Ay como los amo.
4.5 for this one, mainly because a few words were missing from a few different sentences and it’s a huge pet peeve of mine- although, I get it. We all make errors and mistakes. Still so in love with this story and these characters 🥰
Super cute volume! I loved the romance in this and I was so happy to see the ml and fl open up to eachother about their feelings finally. It does get very adult spicy so I don’t recommend younger people to read this.
I'll revise my original statement (review of volume 1): I have a soft spot for humorous love stories. The humor went away from this story and I am dreading plowing through the last six volumes. But, the art is okay and the story is clear, so if you are a romance fan, this will probably please you.