My Happy Marriage

Episode 9

This is the episode of men grabbing Miyo forcefully. Both Arata and Kiyoka are desperate to get through to her. I don't think either of them really understands what their actions relay to her – they may know intellectually that the Saimori family abused her (and whether Arata is aware of that is up for debate). Still, it's hard to fully grasp how that can affect someone if you've never been a survivor yourself. Based on this episode, it looks like Kiyoka's not particularly good at expressing himself anyway, and his desperation to reach his fiancée comes through in the way he touches her. He doesn't gently take her hand, he snatches it; he doesn't gently hold her, he grabs her shoulders. It's not hard to see where his reputation as someone frightening comes from, because no one ever taught him how to comfortably express his emotions.

Were Miyo in a better state, she would probably understand. But she's a product of what she's lived through, and she thinks that she needs to be a perfect lady to “deserve” to be Kiyoka's wife. That's why she's so shocked when Hazuki reveals that she isn't perfect, although how that led to her divorce may only reaffirm for Miyo that she has to do better. For Miyo, a good life and fair treatment are things that must be earned, because it was hammered into her that she didn't deserve them (or love) simply because she exists. Kiyoka's words about how they're a family now and families are there for each other may not get through to her because her birth family certainly didn't treat her with that respect or care. She's in entirely new territory, trying to find her way, and it's wearing her down in ways that Kiyoka wants to understand, but can't entirely.

He's trying, though. I love the scene where he and Hazuki are just talking because it manages to convey their closeness and familial bond without explicitly spelling it out. It stands in remarkable contrast to all of the interactions we've seen in the Saimori family, and even in the Tatsuishi family, and even if Kiyoka's a prickly man, it's evident that his sister understands him. But because Miyo is such an unknown to him, he's going to mess things up with her, even with the absolute best intentions – and Arata is perfectly happy to use that to his advantage. What his game is still isn't entirely clear, but the fact that a “Sumi Tsuruki” existed where a “Sumi Usuba” did not certainly could be a hint, especially given the prejudice against the Usuba name. Is Arata not pursuing Miyo because he wants to marry her himself, as has been implied? Right now that almost doesn't matter, because the fact is that he's trying to get between Kiyoka and Miyo and he's doing a bang-up job of it. I mean, do you really think he didn't know Kiyoka was at work when he stopped by the house? We know he had a meeting with Kiyoka that same afternoon, so it doesn't pass the sniff test, and it's much more likely that he was looking for an easy way to force Miyo to meet him. The fact that he has the trust, or at least the ear, of someone very high up in the government, could be a problem because he's not above using whatever he has at hand to get what he wants. It's a good thing Kiyoka is just as stubborn, because even without veiled references about whatever Gift Miyo might have, her heart and well-being are on the line – and I know who I think would be the better steward of them.

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My Happy Marriage is currently streaming on Netflix.