This review may contain spoilers
One of the most Frustrating Male Leads
As someone who really enjoys the fake marriage and co-habitation trope, I thought this was a solid entry in the genre — just not one of the best. There are definitely stronger series out there that handle these tropes with more impact or chemistry, but this one is still entertaining and worth watching if you already love this type of story. It has a very promising start and does a good job drawing you in early. While it never fully reached “must-watch” status for me, it stayed consistently enjoyable throughout. If you’re a die-hard fan of fake marriage stories, I would still recommend it. And if you’ve already watched a lot in this genre and are open to something that’s good rather than exceptional, this is still a worthwhile watch.
I can understand why some viewers rate it a 10/10, and I can also understand why others did not like it at all. But I think most fans of the trope will not be completely disappointed. Personally, I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to rewatch it, but if it happened to be on, I’d likely keep watching because it was entertaining.
Spoilers
If you have seen "Good Morning Call" or "Playful Kiss" you will get the vibe if this male lead character and the couple's original dynamic. The hardest part of watching Only Just Married was honestly how cruel the male lead character, Shu Momose, could be to the main girl character, Akiha Okado, in the beginning. He constantly called her irritating, acted like choosing her was a mistake, and took his frustrations out on her in ways that felt unnecessary. It became difficult to watch her accept every tiny scrap of kindness he gave her and immediately fall deeper into one-sided love again.
What made it worse was the entire situation with his sister-in-law, Miharu Momose. I could not get past the fact that he seemed emotionally more invested in her than in his own brother, Asahi Momose. Whenever something happened involving that relationship, his concern always felt directed toward her first, not his brother. And honestly, the sister-in-law seemed aware of his feelings. Some of her behavior came across as flirtatious, almost like she enjoyed the emotional attention and unintentionally — or intentionally — led him on.
The fake marriage itself also felt uncomfortable at times because of his motivations. Using marriage as a cover story while emotionally hung up on someone else made him hard to root for early on. Ironically, one of the best characters in the drama ended up being the woman who rejected him outright and refused to participate in that arrangement. She became the snarky voice of reason for the main girl and honestly represented what many viewers were probably thinking.
One thing that frustrated me personally was watching the main girl continue tolerating behavior she didn’t deserve, especially when she had the means to walk away much earlier. It hurt my pride as a woman a little watching her repeatedly settle for crumbs emotionally instead of protecting herself.
My daughter, who was my drama-watching buddy for this one, rage quit halfway through. She quit watching after we looked at lower-rated reviews instead of the glowing 9/10 and 10/10 ones to understand why some people disliked it so much. And honestly, those reviews perfectly captured how we felt at the beginning: he was selfish, emotionally cruel, overly attached to his sister-in-law, and completely oblivious to how badly he was hurting the main girl. What those reviews failed to mention, though, is that the drama does eventually turn things around. She does stand up for herself. And he finally comes to his senses.
The big gest payoff for me was seeing the main girl finally develop a backbone and emotionally detach from him. She reaches a point where she is simply done. Done accepting scraps. Done waiting for him to choose her. Done excusing his behavior. That shift completely changed the dynamic of the show.
Ironically, he nearly loses her because he still cannot communicate clearly. He pushes for the divorce intending it as a way to reset and pursue her properly, but he never explains himself well enough, so she understandably believes the relationship is truly over. At that point, she has finally found her self-respect and is no longer willing to chase him emotionally.
It honestly takes him forever — and way too much pushing from the second male lead — to realize what should have been obvious much earlier: that he genuinely loves her. But once he finally understands that what he felt for his sister-in-law was not actually romantic love, his growth becomes much more satisfying.
The ending worked for me because the emotional balance finally shifts. Instead of her endlessly proving herself to him, he has to fight for her. He has to reflect on what he truly wants, pursue her honestly, and convince her to marry him again. After everything earlier in the series, that reversal felt earned and emotionally satisfying.
I can understand why some viewers rate it a 10/10, and I can also understand why others did not like it at all. But I think most fans of the trope will not be completely disappointed. Personally, I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to rewatch it, but if it happened to be on, I’d likely keep watching because it was entertaining.
Spoilers
If you have seen "Good Morning Call" or "Playful Kiss" you will get the vibe if this male lead character and the couple's original dynamic. The hardest part of watching Only Just Married was honestly how cruel the male lead character, Shu Momose, could be to the main girl character, Akiha Okado, in the beginning. He constantly called her irritating, acted like choosing her was a mistake, and took his frustrations out on her in ways that felt unnecessary. It became difficult to watch her accept every tiny scrap of kindness he gave her and immediately fall deeper into one-sided love again.
What made it worse was the entire situation with his sister-in-law, Miharu Momose. I could not get past the fact that he seemed emotionally more invested in her than in his own brother, Asahi Momose. Whenever something happened involving that relationship, his concern always felt directed toward her first, not his brother. And honestly, the sister-in-law seemed aware of his feelings. Some of her behavior came across as flirtatious, almost like she enjoyed the emotional attention and unintentionally — or intentionally — led him on.
The fake marriage itself also felt uncomfortable at times because of his motivations. Using marriage as a cover story while emotionally hung up on someone else made him hard to root for early on. Ironically, one of the best characters in the drama ended up being the woman who rejected him outright and refused to participate in that arrangement. She became the snarky voice of reason for the main girl and honestly represented what many viewers were probably thinking.
One thing that frustrated me personally was watching the main girl continue tolerating behavior she didn’t deserve, especially when she had the means to walk away much earlier. It hurt my pride as a woman a little watching her repeatedly settle for crumbs emotionally instead of protecting herself.
My daughter, who was my drama-watching buddy for this one, rage quit halfway through. She quit watching after we looked at lower-rated reviews instead of the glowing 9/10 and 10/10 ones to understand why some people disliked it so much. And honestly, those reviews perfectly captured how we felt at the beginning: he was selfish, emotionally cruel, overly attached to his sister-in-law, and completely oblivious to how badly he was hurting the main girl. What those reviews failed to mention, though, is that the drama does eventually turn things around. She does stand up for herself. And he finally comes to his senses.
The big gest payoff for me was seeing the main girl finally develop a backbone and emotionally detach from him. She reaches a point where she is simply done. Done accepting scraps. Done waiting for him to choose her. Done excusing his behavior. That shift completely changed the dynamic of the show.
Ironically, he nearly loses her because he still cannot communicate clearly. He pushes for the divorce intending it as a way to reset and pursue her properly, but he never explains himself well enough, so she understandably believes the relationship is truly over. At that point, she has finally found her self-respect and is no longer willing to chase him emotionally.
It honestly takes him forever — and way too much pushing from the second male lead — to realize what should have been obvious much earlier: that he genuinely loves her. But once he finally understands that what he felt for his sister-in-law was not actually romantic love, his growth becomes much more satisfying.
The ending worked for me because the emotional balance finally shifts. Instead of her endlessly proving herself to him, he has to fight for her. He has to reflect on what he truly wants, pursue her honestly, and convince her to marry him again. After everything earlier in the series, that reversal felt earned and emotionally satisfying.
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