Being a binge-watcher in the present time is a treat. Viewers get movies, tv shows and series from different countries and languages in no time. Along with K-dramas, another genre of TV shows that has been gaining a lot of popularity lately is anime. Popular anime series come in an array of different formats, with many romance-based anime gaining popularity online in recent years. One such anime that was released in October 2022 is the 12-episode show, More Than A Married Couple, But Not Lovers (Fuufu Ijou, Koibito Miman). The show follows the life of high school students who are paired up as couples and made to live together as a married couple. The show narrates the life of Jiro Yakuin, a high school senior who has a crush on his childhood best friend, Shiori Sakurazada. Things take a turn for the worst when Jiro is paired up with the school’s ‘it girl’ – Akari Watanabe. She hates Jiro’s guts because he was just a nobody. Akari has a crush on Minami Tenjin, who is, to no one’s shock, paired with Shiori. With Akari and Jiro determined to get their respective crushes as their marriage partners, the two pretend to be in love with each other so as to boost their scores and get an A-grade before the term ends. The show is short, sweet and funny where throughout the 12 episodes, we see Jiro learning how he is a teenager with raging hormones. Jiro’s journey is both entertaining and hilarious, where he himself does not realise when he starts falling in love with Akari. The story is innocent yet mature at the same time and it feels authentic because this is how most teenagers behave around girlfriends or potential love interests. In terms of character development, all the different players are well fleshed out, although Mei, Shiori’s friend, needed more screen time. Other than the fact that she confessed her feelings for Shiori, there was not enough of their character bonding that gives us hope that Shiori would also fall for Mei in the seasons to come. The story does not have much conflict other than a will they/won’t they back and forth between Akari and Jiro who were always close to confessing their feelings for their partners. The Japanese version of the show is crisp and to the point while the English Dub of the anime doesn’t stray away from the original version either. The opening theme of the show ‘True Fool Love’ by Liyuu is a decent track that lifts the light and fun mood of the story. The ending theme, ‘Stuck on You’ by Nowlu is a slow, RnB tune that fits with the emotional and angsty side of the story. More Than A Married Couple, But Not Lovers is a quick watch and a fun anime, one easy to recommend if you’re in the mood for some romance, comedy, and angst.
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