Hapi Mari

はぴまり〜Happy Marriage!?〜 #2

by Maki Enjōji

Men - they're the root of Takanashi Chiwa's problems, which is why she never had the time nor the opportunity to have a boyfriend in her entire life. A full-time office lady and a part-time hostess, she works night and day to pay off her dad's debt from his failed business. One night at her part-time job, a high-class customer has her fired. Then the next day, she's called in to see the president - whom she had never even seen before in the office - only to find out she's to marry him! But what kind of guy is Mamiya Hokuto anyway? Will he become one of Chiwa's problems, or will he save her from them? And will this marriage even last?!

Genres: Manga, Romance, Josei, Adult, Graphic Novels, Contemporary, Fiction

Unknown Binding

First published October 9, 2009

About the author

Name (in native language): 円城寺マキ (えんじょうじ マキ)

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.

Reviews

[Büşra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yaaaa :') Gittikçe güzelleşiyor 😍

[Kayla Brunson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this one as much as the first volume. So much of this could have been cleared up with just a conversation.

[Patricia · Rating 2 out of 5]

This series was recommended to me by someone on MangaUpdates, I think, when I asked for "classic" Josei.

I'll copypaste the following part to all my reviews of this manga, because my main point of critic remains the same: It's annoyingly sexist, to the point where the male MC tells the heroine to shut up or else he rapes her. It was said jokingly, while they were both lying in bed, but seriously, while there are most certainly a lot of words to express what I think of it, I decide to just keep it at.. "It's sexist", because I'm too lazy to turn this one into a rant.

My standard for romantic manga is surprisingly low. It's not like I expect women and men to be in any form equals anymore, but there's a line you really shouldn't cross. I don't care if your male character is the #1 sexual harrasser, the point is, don't trivialize it. If he says shit like it, at least have the heroine be genuinely offended and have an open discussion, instead of scandalized in the typical "blush blush oh he said something related to sex blush"-way that is so common in many manga these days, I just want to slap people.

Otherwise not bad, in how there are several real conflicts and a relationship that doesn't just magically work because the mangaka wants it to. (As flawed as their working their issues out might be.)

No rating.

[Manon「マノン」 · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought the first volume was bad, but the second one is even worse. Do you really want me to root for a couple like this? Really?

Just to be clear, there is NOTHING remotely romantic in this manga. The relationship between the two characters is toxic, Hokuto tries to make her jealous, and he constantly plays with her feelings. She even says at one point that she is scared of him. What kind of relationship is this? Since the beginning, Hokuto is controlling and the power dynamic is clearly unbalanced. Even after they are married, Hokuto is still the one with the money, her superior at work and the once who decides of everything. She can’t even quit her job. The character even says it multiple times that he is controlling her life and that she can’t do anything. When she sees a former university classmate, Hokuto does a background check on him. That’s not how a husband should behave, this is the behavior of a controlling person. Nothing is healthy here.

The portrayal of their relationship isn’t even the worst thing, which does say something about how mediocre the manga is! I read the French version of the manga, so that’s what I will focus on first. At the one point, Hokuto says to Chiwa: “Et puis rhabille-toi…On dirait que tu viens de te faire violer. Alors, à moins que tu ne veilles l’être vraiment…” which can be roughly translated as, “Get dressed. You look like someone who just got raped. Or maybe that’s what you want”. I was flabbergasted when I read this because I innocently thought that a manga with that kind of lines could not be published. How wrong was I! So the main character threats to rape her, and I’m supposed to find it cute? The English translation seems to be a little different and doesn’t use the word rape but still: “That is, unless you want me to continue. Though it looks like you’ve been assaulted”. The tone is still threatening, even though the wording is different.

I’m really surprised that this volume has such a high rating, 4.17 stars, when I’m writing the review. I will read volume 3 because I own it and see if the relationship is still problematic.

[Dana Al-Basha | دانة الباشا · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really feel bad for Chiwa, her life hasn't been easy and she really wants to be stable, and that's not much to ask, I hope she and Hokuto fall deeply in love!



Two strangers dating after being married! Chiwa is super jealous over Hokuto dating a famous actress and he is crazy jealous of her male friends at work. They start doubting each other, so Chiwa decided to resign her position so Hokuto can take her seriously!

[Gobokairina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hmm, nampaknya satu hari satu Vol. hahaha

Okayy, kesinambungannya.
Chiwa dan Hokuto mula menyesuaikan diri. Makin susah bila Hokuto tu bos di tempat Chiwa bekerja. Tidak dapat tidak, masing-masing ada perjanjian yang perkahwinan mereka perlu dirahsiakan daripada sesiapa kecuali keluarga.

Goshh.. makin mendebarkan. Tak sabar nak sambung. So, nexttttt

[Jes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I totally understand the annoyed reviews about how poorly China and Hokuto communicate. But after a certain point, you gotta remember you’re reading a romance story and there’s certain plot conventions in place to keep the story fresh and full of dramatic tension.

And speaking of tension, my lord do I enjoy reading josei manga. I love the extra heat level and working girl struggles. Is this as good as Wotakoi? No. But man, am I loving this series.

(P.S.— I have to read 30 books by the end of the month to reach my reading goal so I’m literally pulling all nighters to read as much manga as humanly possible.)

[GuisBell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Al parecer no es del todo indiferente, como lo quiere hacer ver, pero sus acciones siguen siendo un tanto confusas...

[MasterSal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Our couple approach the jealously arc of the shoujo manga lifecycle - aka if you both just talked to each other this entire volume could have been avoided

This entire volume was nothing but the two not talking to each other. It got a bit much to be honest as there weren’t one but two men sort of after our heroine. It all got a stale by the end as there wasn’t much progression in the relationship at all.

The art is nice but nothing too different- so I’m going with an average 2 star rating - it was ok.

[bow down to our ace king victor vale · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.7!

these characters are lowkey stupid and immature….🥴👌🏽 nice.

he’s a maj dick with no boundaries, and she mentioned being his wife to an annoying extent bc of unnecessary jealousy.

howeverrr, as the volume went on, i began to kinda root for her yknow!! 😋 and her new aspiration to start a job somewhere else so she won’t act as his pawn. his royal ass, unfortunately, is still a dick (“she’s mine!!1!1” sir stfu lolz) i wish she could’ve gotten that job offer 🥲

their relationship is kinda trash but im a raccoon 🦝

also souma <3

[Klemiki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why there's no ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ option (ಠ_ಠ)━☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ

[Jaya Blanchard · Rating 1 out of 5]

Amazingly, this was worse. I’m done now !

[Maria Drago · Rating 2 out of 5]

A super frustrating volume, but that one scene near the end made it all worthwhile. They just began (finally) venting out their feelings; unfortunately, it was right in front of Sakuraba. But it was so funny, cause Mamiya appears out of nowhere and the other two are shook, and then he starts making declarations and Saku's life "Dafuq is this" and Mamiya's like "WE ARE MARRIED" and Chiwa's like "!!! No we're not!" But then they start passionately yelling at each other like an old married couple and Saku's like " 0.o Mm yeah they're definitely married ok bye"
Just a wonderful and amusing scene that really served to clear up some arguments and confusion.

[Vivian Lu · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't like this second volume as much. I was kind of annoyed by both the male and female leads. They both said some really dumb things. I wouldn't say the pacing is slow, but instead what it feels like is if there's any slight progress the couple will suddenly jump back a huge step. I'm not liking any of the characters, romance, and progression. I will give the third volume a try and see how I feel from there. Honestly, I was hoping for more funny antics. Nonetheless, I still like the art style and there hasn't been anything that has turned me off from the story. 3.3/5

[Bibliothecat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review for complete series



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.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[charlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why is it that all anime heroes are so gorgeous it's illegal ugh this story is cuteness overload.

[Yoyomaus Die Büchereule · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zum Inhalt:

Gerade, als sich die Büroangestellte Chiwa an den Gedanken gewöhnt hat, mit ihrem Chef Hokuto Mamiya verheiratet zu sein, kommen ihr Zweifel an seiner Treue. Kann es sein, dass sie sich in Hokuto verliebt hat ...?





Cover:

Auch das zweite Cover der Reihe gefällt mir sehr gut. Es zeigt die beiden Protagonisten Hokuto und Chiwa, wie sie nebeneinander liegen und sich dabei in die Augen schauen. Dabei mag ich vor allem wieder den Zeichenstil, die tollen Farben und die Interpretation, dass die beiden Charaktere sich in diesem Band noch ein bisschen näher kommen.





Eigener Eindruck:

Chiwa hat schlussendlich doch nachgegeben und ist wieder mit zu Hokuto zurück gegangen. Doch ihre Beziehung muss nach wie vor geheim blieben. Als sie auf Arbeit einen neuen Kollegen bekommt und diesen einarbeiten soll, scheint sich eben dieser gleich in Chiwa zu verlieben. Als Yagami sie sogar küssen will, muss Chiwa erkennen, dass sie ihren Chef scheinbar doch mehr mag, als sie zugeben will. Als Chiwa dann auch noch mit Yagami einen drauf macht und betrunken nach Hause kommt, scheint das Hokuto jedoch recht kalt zu lassen, oder doch nicht? Immer wieder geraten die beiden aneinander und als Chiwa auf ihren ehemaligen Exfreund Shingo trifft und der ihr auch noch einen Job anbietet, den sie gern annehmen würde, kommt es zu der ersten handfesten Krise.



Auch der zweite Teil der Reihe konnte mich überzeugen und hat einfach nur Spaß gemacht. Vor allem stehen Missverständnisse und Eifersucht hier im Vordergrund. Das liest sich sehr kurzweilig und man hofft immer wieder, dass die beiden Protagonisten noch die Kurve bekommen, aber immer wieder scheint Hokuto dabei zu unfairen Mitteln zu greifen und schreckt schlussendlich nicht einmal davor zurück Chiwa vorzuführen. Das war gemein und da konnte ich ihn mal eine Weile wirklich nicht leiden. Dabei dachte ich vor allem wegen der Eifersüchteleien, dass er Chiwa gegenüber doch mehr empfindet und sie vielleicht auch ein bisschen besser behandelt. Nun, aber was nicht ist, das kann ja noch werden, mir scheint die Reihe jetzt nicht so zu sein, dass wir es hier nur mit einem bösen Buh-Mann zu tun haben, denn die romantischen Elemente sickern immer mehr durch. Ich für meinen Teil bin gespannt, wie es weiter geht und fiebere schon dem nächsten Teil entgegen.





Fazit:

Weiterhin herzlich, realistisch und humorvoll. Ich glaube, das könnte meine neue Lieblingsreihe werden! Unbedingt reinlesen!





Idee: 5/5

Charaktere: 4/5

Logik: 4/5

Spannung: 4/5

Emotionen: 4/5





Gesamt: 4/5



Daten:

ISBN: 9783842027220

Sprache: Deutsch

Ausgabe: E-Buch Text

Umfang: 192 Seiten

Verlag: TOKYOPOP

Erscheinungsdatum: 19.05.2016

[Marisó · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entiendo porque a tantas personas les puede disgustar esta historia, pero yo no puedo hacerlo jeje.

Primero, sí, Chiwa es una gran chillona y también medio tonta, pero con todo y todo es quien dirige y carga con los pantalones de la relación. Es quien no tolera las tonterías de Hokuto y quien lo obliga a comunicarse con ella poco a poco.
Definitivamente no es la ideal "mujer fuerte e independiente" que uno quisiera leer, pero también es cierto que su actitud, como piensa y su capacidad de perdonar a Hokuto son una consecuencia de lo que ha vivido, los traumas y lo que tuvo que cargar por tanto tiempo (las deudas y a su papá).
No digo que no pueda ser mejor, pero está en proceso de tratar de mejorar su vida y su relación de las formas que puede.

Luego Hokuto... Uff
Es un personaje complejo, manipulador y hasta este punto, fácil de odiar, pero después de leer esta historia mil veces empiezo a ver las cosas desde su punto de vista:
Para él la vida es un gran juego de ajedrez. Todo, incluso él mismo, son piezas del juego. Cuando llega Chiwa a su juego es la primera "cosa" que no puede controlar, por lo que trata de imponerse ante ella con palabras (tú eres mía, yo soy tuyo). Ella no escucha. Temiendo la posibilidad de que Chiwa le arruine el juego enamorándose de otro trata de imponerse sexualmente [de lo cual se arrepiente, pero sigue estando mal (aunque también toda esa escena está mal, incluido el comportamiento de Chiwa, en fin)] y luego abusa su posición de poder y no le permite renunciar (problema que volverá a aparecer en el futuro).
Todo para mantener el orden en el juego.
Esto lo hace menos basura? Para nada, pero creo que ambos personajes crecen durante la historia y a mí me gusta su final lol

Aún así, ambos deberían ir a terapia y trabajar en sus problemas personales.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ah. All the drama and angst and lack of communication. I love it!!!

This volume is a guilty pleasure for me because of all that tension and jealousy. It's delicious. Do I like that in real life relationships? No!! But I do love it in fictional ones.

I think it is so weird when reading other reviews that people comment about how it is toxic or it could have been solved by communication. I mean, yeah, but then where is the story? This is what this story is about. I don't want to read about a perfect couple that magically hit it off. I want the drama and tension; the lack of communication. I want it to feel real - and it does.

[Nao ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

still funny BUT chiwa needs to get herself 2gether and be real abt her feelings . hokuto.... well he's on thin thin THIN ice. lets hope things change for the better next volume! in the meantime its #ChiwaSupport till i die like so wht she ditzy?! so wht she cries?! ik she's got her lil communication issue going on rn but yall cant tell me uve never been afraid to communicate whts in ur heart w a romantic partner or close friend 😭 this all being said she can't stay like tht 4ever ...im keeping my fingers crossed for some character development..SOON!!

[Soobie is expired · Rating 2 out of 5]

Non mi piacciono le storie che vanno avanti solo perché i protagonisti non parlano tra di loro. Lei c'è rimasta male per qualcosa che ha origliato e capisce fischi per fiaschi. Lui un po' non capisce, un po' non sa esprimere quello che pensa. A parte quando diventa tutto possessivo e guai a chi tocca le sue proprietà.

Vediamo come procede. Se sarà una sofferenza arrivare fino al volume 11 o ci sarà qualcosa di positivo in questa serie.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was adorable!!! I enjoyed Volume 2 more than Volume 1. It really enjoying seeing their relationship develop. I almost thought halfway through this one that they’d actually get together and I wondered how the series would continue. However, every chapter had its own little drama causing them to pull away a little. One of them always reverses the positive step forward.

I love reading about jealousy that is NOT infidelity. I’m so excited to see where this series goes!!

[Cydney Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh

I really want to fall I. Love with the characters, but this volume was so dramatic. Chiwa is so dramatic in almost every decision she makes, but even when she's making those decisions she's not sold on the choices she's making. Now she's stuck in the loveless marriage, I feel that a lot of their problems could be solved with communication, but they both suck at having decent conversations.

[Nisa Greennnpanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3.5 stars

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.

[Megan Mickey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gahhh. Another ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ for the second volume in this manga series 😅 I literally haven’t come across one thing I don’t like about it (yet). The characters are enjoyable, and the arguments they have just make everything fall into place. It’s such a cute series so far. I’m really pleased with it 😌

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still silly and stupid but still fun. Chiwa is trying to figure out her feelings for Hokuto. He’s obviously got feelings for her, though it’s bordering on obsession. She’s just too oblivious to notice. The issue I have is that his thing seems to be more about possession. That’s kind of the only time he calls her his wife- when he thinks she might turn to someone else.

[Lempika · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5

J’avoue que ce tome m’a laissé plus d’une fois légèrement perplexe. J’ai trouvé le personnage masculin bien trop « mean », trop colérique, trop macho et surtout, qu’il avait des réactions disproportionnés.

Néanmoins, j’apprécie toujours autant le personnage féminin et les personnages secondaires qui lui ont permis de mieux se comprendre.

[Beary Into Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating 3.75 The relationship between the two main characters is definitely problematic. But if you look past all of that it is a good story. Definitely skip this series if you are not a fan of miscommunication. Overall, I loved the first one but thought this one was just okay. However, I will continue the series because I'm still interested to see where everything goes.

[Annie Erwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished the 2nd volume of Happy Marriage.

I still think it is a very cute series, and I do plan on continuing with it. I don't really have much to say for this review, as it is still very early in the series!