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"When your dignity is trampled on, being angry is the right response"
It has been a long, long time since I’ve enjoyed a romance drama like I did Marry My Husband: Japan. I’ve not watched or read any of the other versions, so my review will be solely focused on this one. Koshiba Fuka and Satoh Takeru were delightful in the lead roles. While there was the supernatural element and business side, revenge and a modicum of suspense, the drama excelled in developing friendships and characters which I quite enjoyed.
Kanbe Misa is suffering from terminal cancer and to add salt to the wound, her only family in the world turns out to be a traitorous best friend and a murderous husband. She wakes up to find herself 10 years prior, the only one aware of her time jump. In her second life, she keeps bumping into handsome “Noble Son” Suzuki Wataru. Faced with her empty life and disloyal loved ones, she has to scramble to figure out what is going on and even more, can she change her future?
Koshiba gave a wonderful performance as the doormat Misa and also as the woman whose courage and confidence begin to steadily grow. I found myself highly invested in her journey and emotions. At her core she was still the kind Misa, but also learned through Wataru that she’d been a trash magnet. It was okay to have a few thorns to ward off toxic trash. Slowly, she came to realize that there were good people around, people far more worthy of calling friends and that she was worthy of being theirs. Misa could be a dim bulb when it came to putting facts together, bless her heart. In the past her vision had been myopic. She’d not seen the gorgeous student who sat 10 feet from her every day in the park or on the many occasions at work. In the present, hints were dropped with the subtlety of a sledgehammer that she could not add up. While Misa developed a backbone and confronted problems head on, she also failed to use her words on occasion. Someone who had better communication skills…
… was the socially awkward Wataru, whose failure to be brave had led to disastrous consequences. Satoh was lovely as the secret science nerd. At first, I thought he was going to be one of those crass cold male leads, but his acerbic tongue was short-lived...thank goodness. Wataru refused to live with misunderstandings and asked the right questions to get everything out in the open. He was a bright green flag whose loyalty was unwavering. Like Misa, his brain wattage had a tendency to dim at times as well, but like her it made them relatable.
The supporting cast was a good crew. Shiraishi Sei as the sabotaging best friend and Yokoyama Yu as the useless adulterous husband were perfectly vile. Though the script tried to make them a tad sympathetic, the characters were awful in two lives which won them zero sympathy from me. They blamed all their problems on others, the opposite of Misa’s job of assuming the blame. I loved the friendships that developed between Miku, Sumiyoshi, Yotu, and Misa. They looked out for each other, comforted and bolstered each other, and celebrated the small wins in life along with the big ones. The changes in Misa’s life changed theirs for the better, too, showing that confidence and loyalty are contagious. Instead of living in misery many of the characters came to the conclusion that taking chances, even starting over when necessary, had the potential to lead to greater gains and happiness. Life is short, make the most of it!
Misa learned that not only had Reina and Tomoya been lying to her but that the far graver sin was that she had been lying to herself. The truth truly did set her free. And when changing the polarity of her magnet she became a treasure magnet, attracting love and true friendships. Not a bad thing when handsome, kind, Wataru (Satoh!) was around. The two little turtles might have been slow in the romance department but made the journey and scenery worthwhile.
29 July 2025
Kanbe Misa is suffering from terminal cancer and to add salt to the wound, her only family in the world turns out to be a traitorous best friend and a murderous husband. She wakes up to find herself 10 years prior, the only one aware of her time jump. In her second life, she keeps bumping into handsome “Noble Son” Suzuki Wataru. Faced with her empty life and disloyal loved ones, she has to scramble to figure out what is going on and even more, can she change her future?
Koshiba gave a wonderful performance as the doormat Misa and also as the woman whose courage and confidence begin to steadily grow. I found myself highly invested in her journey and emotions. At her core she was still the kind Misa, but also learned through Wataru that she’d been a trash magnet. It was okay to have a few thorns to ward off toxic trash. Slowly, she came to realize that there were good people around, people far more worthy of calling friends and that she was worthy of being theirs. Misa could be a dim bulb when it came to putting facts together, bless her heart. In the past her vision had been myopic. She’d not seen the gorgeous student who sat 10 feet from her every day in the park or on the many occasions at work. In the present, hints were dropped with the subtlety of a sledgehammer that she could not add up. While Misa developed a backbone and confronted problems head on, she also failed to use her words on occasion. Someone who had better communication skills…
… was the socially awkward Wataru, whose failure to be brave had led to disastrous consequences. Satoh was lovely as the secret science nerd. At first, I thought he was going to be one of those crass cold male leads, but his acerbic tongue was short-lived...thank goodness. Wataru refused to live with misunderstandings and asked the right questions to get everything out in the open. He was a bright green flag whose loyalty was unwavering. Like Misa, his brain wattage had a tendency to dim at times as well, but like her it made them relatable.
The supporting cast was a good crew. Shiraishi Sei as the sabotaging best friend and Yokoyama Yu as the useless adulterous husband were perfectly vile. Though the script tried to make them a tad sympathetic, the characters were awful in two lives which won them zero sympathy from me. They blamed all their problems on others, the opposite of Misa’s job of assuming the blame. I loved the friendships that developed between Miku, Sumiyoshi, Yotu, and Misa. They looked out for each other, comforted and bolstered each other, and celebrated the small wins in life along with the big ones. The changes in Misa’s life changed theirs for the better, too, showing that confidence and loyalty are contagious. Instead of living in misery many of the characters came to the conclusion that taking chances, even starting over when necessary, had the potential to lead to greater gains and happiness. Life is short, make the most of it!
Misa learned that not only had Reina and Tomoya been lying to her but that the far graver sin was that she had been lying to herself. The truth truly did set her free. And when changing the polarity of her magnet she became a treasure magnet, attracting love and true friendships. Not a bad thing when handsome, kind, Wataru (Satoh!) was around. The two little turtles might have been slow in the romance department but made the journey and scenery worthwhile.
29 July 2025
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