Happy Marriage?!, Vol. 9

はぴまり〜Happy Marriage!?〜 #9

by Maki Enjōji

After she is attacked on the street, Chiwa suspects that Hokuto’s ex-lover is behind it, so she decides to confront Misaki Shitara herself. Later, Hokuto and Chiwa visit his father in the hospital, and Hokuto comes to an important realization...

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

192 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 10, 2012

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

[Jes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think HM?! is finally back in my good graces. I appreciated the commitment the author took to portraying such a complicated relationship as Hokuto’s with his father. I’m glad she didn’t result to cheap sob-bait in the scenes surrounding Hokuto’s dad’s death. Also, I really just loved the scenes early-on with Chiwa and the kid on the cruise. Sure, she’s a little cliched as a spunky heroine but that doesn’t mean I don’t love her to bits and pieces.

So yes! I am looking forward to ending this series strong. The cover for volume ten is Hokuto and Chiwa in wedding apparel so I’m super excited. You guys know how much I love fictional weddings.

[Estefany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este volumen fue impresionante y cada vez se resuelve mas el pasado de Hokuto

[Holly Letson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy this series. It's sad to see it ending. 1 more volume after this.

[Deniz Atakan Çamlıca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kıyamam ya Chiwa onu korumak için yaralandıı... Hemen diğer cilde geçmem gerek ;)

[✿яσsαℓιη∂α✿ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yavaş yavaş sona yaklaşıyoruzzzz...
Bitmesin istiyorum..

[Laura✧˚ · . · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5/5
The confrontation with Shitara was good because we saw how she felt about Hokuto and how bitter and angry she was. She had to let him go so he could marry Chiwa and he could become the chairman and she lost him in the process and he felt in love with another woman. She send the stalkers and she’s okay with them going to the police.
The cruise was really cute and wholesome but I felt so sad for sota. He’s just a little kid and he’s sick and doesn’t have so much time left so his parents are doing everything he wants, and he had a great time with Hokuto and Chiwa. Now thanks to him, Hokuto wants kids and he wants to start a family but he doesn’t want a boy which is funny.
Seiji’s death was really sad but in the end he could speak with Hokuto and even though they couldn’t forgive each other of fix their problems, Hokuto went there to be with him and now he knows he wasn’t behind his moms death. He goes with Chiwa to get his belongings and he kept a lot of stuff from hokutos childhood. Chiwa wants to keep it because it’s a reminder of how he felt about his son. But for Hokuto is not enough because he’s not there anymore and neither of them did anything to fix their relationship. Hokuto should’ve asked him about his moms death and he should’ve been less strict but now he’s gone. Later on there’s a meeting with the mamiya family and Hokuto is about to become the next chairman because in the first quarter he managed to make the company profitable. Of course, the rest don’t want that because they believe he’s not a member of the family but they’ll have to deal with it. Chiwa got a letter from seiji and she knows that hokutos mom died to protect him, but there’s something more that could destroy Hokuto. The killer is still there and she doesn’t know who it could be. She gets another letter and if she doesn’t divorce Hokuto they’ll go after her dad. She decides to speak with her husband about it and he hires a bodyguard to protect him and Chiwa feels bad because she’s getting on his way again and he has enough. The mamiya family is trying to destroy his company by spreading false rumors and people are cancelling the tours and their trips. But Hokuto wants to have her by his side forever and she’s changed a lot. Chiwa goes to talk with Shitara but she isn’t behind it. She overheard her talking with seiji about the death of hokutos mother and she thinks someone from the mamiya family is after her because she knows the truth. She decides it’s time to tell Hokuto. He wants to have kids and he wants to start a family so maybe he could leave the past behind and leave all the darkness there. She goes to speak with him and she’s waiting at the cafeteria next to his job. He’s there and she sees him outside bc the cafeteria was really noisy but there’s a man behind him with a knife and I guess Chiwa tried to protect Hokuto from him.
Honestly this was a good volume. I teared up with seijis death because he wasn’t a bad father. He wanted to protect Hokuto from the truth because if he knew his mom died to protect him that could’ve been terrible. In the end, Hokuto went to the hospital, even though he never did and I think that was cute. I wish they had more moments but it was okay I guess and it was really emotional to see how he kept hokutos stuff from his childhood. Also, the sota situation was really sad because he’s so little and he’s sick and honestly he was really cute and he was kind to Chiwa and their relationship was really wholesome. The drama with Shitara was okay but unnecessary and the mamiya family mystery is really cool and intriguing. I can not wait to see who is the person behind everything and I have a feeling about it but I hope it’s not true.

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

2.85!

HAH old man 💀, serves him right.
and finally!! ohmygosh i wonder who it was that killed his mom 😳😳 hokuto’s backstory plotline was the most interesting aspect of this series, and im eager to see who instigated the entire death. also that cliffhanger got me good ngl 🤭 well if i had to assume someone…..hate to do this, but im suspecting souma 🙊

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

bello bello bellissimissimo😍

[Emy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[GuisBell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Que tierno, la forma en que se aman y se cuidan es hermoso de ver, aun hay secretos por revelarse y aun no se quien les quiere hacer daño..

[Cassandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than the last but still keep stuff from each other god knows why. And I’m just glad he didn’t slap her again.

[Arlene 🌸 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gettin' Suspicious!!!! 😎😎😎😎🥵🥵

[Gobokairina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full review: 22/01/2015

Masih menaip review yang tertunggak hahaha.

Okayyy... kali ni rentetan daripada siri yang sudah, rupanya Hokuto bukan sengaja menghilangkan diri tapi ada beberapa perkara yang perlu dia uruskan dengan caranya yang tersendiri.

Kasihan Chiwa! Tapi aku rasa memang itu sikap sang lelaki. Selagi mampu, mereka akan berusaha menyelesaikan segala-galanya dengan cara mereka tersendiri.

Haihhh... orite. Sambung ke siri seterusnya, siri penamat untuk manga ini.

[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.

[Luana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Il volume si chiude con un cliffhanger, evidentemente legato alla lettera che il padre di Hokuto ha lasciato alla nuora: come aveva intuito Chiwa, Seiji Mamiya non era il responsabile della morte della madre di suo figlio, ma il colpevole è comunque uno dei membri della famiglia Mamiya. Resta da capire chi. Da quello che si vede, Seiji era sinceramente affezionato a suo figlio, ma i problemi di comunicazione tra i due (e il maledetto tentativo di aiutarlo a farsi strada in una famiglia dove la competizione è tutto) hanno finito per incrinare il rapporto. Ora Chiwa deve capire chi è il vero responsabile, chi ha cercato di eliminare Hokuto vent'anni prima. Chi ci sta riprovando di nuovo, ora che Hokuto è sempre più vicino ad assumere la carica di presidente. Questo va al di là dei tentativi messi in campo da Misaki per allontanare Chiwa, ma è qualcosa di più inquietante. Immagino che troveremo tutte le risposte nell'ultimo volume 🤔

[Soobie is expired · Rating 3 out of 5]

Non avrei mai pensato che questa serie mi sarebbe piaciuta così... Anche perché avevo letto qualcos'altro dell'autrice e l'avevo piantato subito.

Chiwa finalmente confronta l'ex di Hokuto e la fa riflettere sulla loro relazione. Questo è uno di quei rari momenti in cui lei tira fuori un po' di carattere, visto che di solito tende ad annullarsi per far piacere a lui. O per non disturbarlo troppo.

Ormai non ci resta altro che vedere che c'è dietro tutto quello che è successo.

Prima di leggere questo nono volume, bisogna assicurarsi di avere in casa anche il decimo. C'è un cliffhanger da far paura.

[Rachel Leaf · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok, I guess if I was Shitara I would be bitter too, seeing as he literally broke up with her after getting a message saying he needed to marry Chiwa. Like, of COURSE Shitara didn’t think it would last or was a real marriage.
And Hokuto had said “it was a long time ago” but never mentioned that “long time” is literally the exact same amount of time they’ve been married because he went straight from Shitara to Chiwa? Even if you’re trying to reassure her feelings, at some point you gotta be honest about that…

[Kendra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I still think Chiwa is a spineless sap! She needs to quit being wishy-washy about telling Hokuto about the letter from his dad. That really bugs me when a character spends way too much time contemplating something that should be a no-brainer!

But, oh the cliffhanger! Thank goodness I already have volume 10 in my library!

[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.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s always some beef between Chiwa and Shitara. Shitara is jealous and apparently had someone stalking Chiwa, but they suspect her and she gets caught. Hokuto’s father dies, leaving Chiwa a strange letter with a secret. But someone is still after her. The book ends on a cliffhanger as someone tries to off Hokuto…

[Lempika · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enfin un tome où il y a vraiment une trame !

Le début m’a bouleversée. Je suis triste que Hokuto et son père n’ait pas pu discuter et régler leur différents. Je pense qu’Hokuto est tout de même transformé par cet événement.

L’enquête commence. Qui cela peut être ? Je n’ai pas de réelle piste.

La fin est brutale.

[Jillian -always aspiring- · Rating 2 out of 5]

2020 Read #21

There’s nothing bad about this volume, but it’s just more of the same. At this point I’m just reading to find out how it all ends since there’s only one volume left. Sadly, this has not been a favorite series of mine...

[Marisó · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este es el volumen donde uno ve el crecimiento de los personajes y su relación. Se ve que ambos han madurado, en especial Hokuto quien ya piensa a futuro, ya no es tan calculador y no deja que el pasado lo consuma.

[-moonprismpower- · Rating 5 out of 5]

I especially loved the chapter where they’re on a cruise and little Sota followed Chiwa around. It was hilarious and too cute!


Now the rest of the volume was filled with sadness and that ending was intense! It’s getting juicy!!!!

[Sammie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg this series is so good ! i can't wait to see where it ends :0

[Solace Winter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one ends on a major cliffhanger, but we are almost there, to the end.

[Yuiko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this series

[Cydney Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

And the Plot Thickens

So, here we are with more mysteries and less answers. I hope we get to see everything resolved in the last volume.

[Nathalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

。･:*:･(✿◕3◕)❤

[Olivia P · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume again was great; character development, story development and also some fun bonus adds and the end!! Highly recommended to my fellow romance loving manga fans.