Review: MY HAPPY MARRIAGE

It's January again, which means once more it's Dealer's Choice Month.  That means there's no theme tying together this month's review beyond the fact that I want to talk about them...or in this case, that the second season of the anime adaptation of this work is currently airing. 

MY HAPPY MARRIAGE (Watashi no Shiawase na Kekkon), based on the light novels by Akumi Agitogi and illustrations by Tsukiho Tsukioka, with art by Rito Kohsaka.  First published in 2018 and first published in North America in 2022.

PLOT:

For almost as long as Miyo Saimori can remember, her life has been nothing but misery.  She was the product of a loveless arranged marriage, lacking in the hereditary magical powers that noble families like hers are supposed to possess.  When her mother died and her father remarried, her life became nothing but an endless wave of drudgery, abuse, neglect, and depression.  Miyo has no reason to believe her life could be anything different, even when her father sends her off to be married to the notoriously icy Lord Kiyoka Kudo.

With the help of Kiyoka's kindly housekeeper Yumie, Miyo slowly begins to open up to others and piece together her sense of self-worth.  In turn, Kiyoka finds himself drawn to this strange, sad, lonely young woman, even as outside forces conspire to sabotage their romance before it can properly begin.

2024 In the Rear View Mirror & Holiday Review Giveaway Winner

 First things first, we need to announce this year's winner for our Holiday Review Giveaway!  While I personally did not care for Duchess In the Attic, finalfuryk felt otherwise:

I've really enjoyed J-Novel Club's release of Duchess in the Attic which all four volumes translated released digitally in 2024.

Congratulations!  We'll be getting in touch with you shortly to send you your $25 Bookshop.org gift certificate to buy whatever you wish, be it more J-Novel Club books or something else entirely.

Holiday Review #25: LAST QUARTER

This marks the second year in a row that I've ended our holiday reviews with a Ai Yazawa manga.  It's almost like it took Viz way too long to figure out that there was a majorly pent-up desire for more works of hers beyond Nana!

Regardless, I'm always ready to celebrate when we get more older shojo titles on the shelves and what is Christmas if not a celebration?

LAST QUARTER (Kagen no Tsuki), by Ai Yazawa.  First published in 1998 and first published in North America in 2024.

PLOT:

Mizuki was frustrated with everything: her dead mom, her dad's infidelity and remarriage, her new step-sister, her cheating boyfriend.  She's willing to throw everything away to be with the handsome, troubled musician Adam...until it ends up costing her life.

Young Hotaru had an encounter with Mizuki while she was in a coma.  Now she finds herself drawn to the house where Mizuki and Adam once lived, where Mizuki's spirt now dwells, unable to remember who she was and why she is there.  Thus it's up to Hotaru and her classmates to solve the mystery of the ghost they dub "Eve."

Holiday Review #24: WHOEVER STEALS THIS BOOK

 I was struggling to figure out what to put in this spot so close to the end of our review marathon, but then I stumbled upon this curious little story that's all about the power of books.  What could be more perfect for this site?

WHOEVER STEALS THIS BOOK (Kono Hon o Nusumu-mono wa), based on the light novels by Nowaki Fukamidori with art by Kakeru Sora.  First published in 2021 and first published in North America in 2024.

PLOT:

Mifuyu lives in a town that lives for books.  Her ancestors were avid collectors who created their own private library, one that has been locked away from the public for generations after a number of them were stolen.  She's come to hate her family's legacy almost as much as she hates how much the town around revolves around books.  Things only get worse when her dad ends up in the hospital, forcing her to enter her family's library to keep an eye on its keeper, her reclusive aunt Hirune.  During her visit, Mifuyu finds a strange talisman and an even stranger white-haired girl name Mashiro.  The talisman turns out to be a curse, one that forces Mifuyu and Mashiro to enter the stories of the missing books to recover them.

Holiday Review #23: CAPTAIN MOMO'S SECRET BASE

Another year, another opportunity for Dark Horse to release a new Kenji Tsurita manga.  What can this one offer that Emanon and Wandering Island could not?

CAPTAIN MOMO'S SECRET BASE (Momo Kancho no Himitsu Kicho), by Kenji Tsurita.  First published in 2017 and first published in North America in 2024.

PLOT:

In the far future, interstellar cargo deliveries are an everyday thing.  The companies that run them operate on tight margins, employing only a single pilot, basic amenities, and just enough battery power to get to the delivery site.  Moshi-Moshi Momo is one of these pilots, but she's not one to follow the rules.  She sneaks on her cat Grandpa John, hangs around stark naked, fills every space possible with physical books, and is always scheming new ways to tweak the ship's systems so she can get a little extra power to replicate better food, even if every instance means she is that much closer to running out of power before she gets to her destination.