My Happy Marriage Season 2 Highlights a Major Problem in Anime

My Happy Marriage is one of the most popular anime of 2023. The second season will be out this winter. This historical romance drama is based on a light novel by Akumi Agitogi. The story follows Miyo Saimori, who lives a life of hardship despite being the eldest daughter of a noble. The Saimori’s have a history of producing talented gift-users, but Miyo doesn’t possess any ability. After her mother’s death, she is forced to work as a maid in her own house.

Her father sends her to marry Kiyoka Kudo, the infamous head of a distinguished family. Since rumors paint him as a ruthless man, Miyo expects to be mistreated in her new house as well. However, she’s surprised to receive kindness from him. With the care and love of the people around her, Miyo soon breaks out of her shell and embraces the happiness she deserves. My Happy Marriage is already among one of the most popular contemporary shojo series, but it still can’t avoid this major hurdles it faces as a shojo series and the Winter 2025 anime slate.

Shojo Anime Often Don’t Get Season 2

Shojo anime don’t always get the treatment they deserve. There are a bunch of interesting but neglected series. Even highly praised anime like Maid Sama!, Kamisama Kiss, and Ouran High School Host Club are no exceptions. Yona of the Dawn, a critically acclaimed manga took a different approach than high school romance, but it still couldn’t get a second season. Other examples are Skip Beat and josei like Watakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku.

All these are some of the best shojo of all time, but their studio won’t spend money and effort on a sequel because they don’t have a chance of making huge profits. Apart from viewership ratings, other factors are in play, such as streaming and licensing issues and problems with production. It’s rare for a series like Kimi ni Todoke to get its third season after 12 long years, thanks to Netflix licensing the anime.

The Biggest Challenge My Happy Marriage Season 2 Will Face

While My Happy Marriage is popular in its own right, it still doesn’t hold a candle to bigger franchises like Solo Leveling, Dr. Stone, and Sakamoto Days. Solo Leveling is an action-packed series based on a popular manhwa. Dr. Stone is already one of the most beloved Shonen series, but Sakamoto Days‘ anime debut is also sure to grab a ton of attention. The manga is already popular and has quite an enormous fan base thanks to its Weekly Shonen Jump following.

On the other hand, although My Happy Marriage has a dedicated audience, it might get overshadowed due to the exciting Winter 2025 lineup. Shojo anime adaptations have always faced challenges after low viewership ratings. Hence, it will be difficult for this historical romance to compete with some of these heavyweights.

Shojo Is Facing A Resurgence in Popularity

While many fan-favorite series may never get a new season, it’s only recently that the latest shojo and josei series, such as My Happy Marriage and Kakuriyo: Bed and Breakfast for Spirits, are getting the treatment they deserve. There has been a steady decline in the popularity of the Shojo genre ever since its golden age in the 1970s to 1990s ended. The genre dominated the anime world with classics like Sailor Moon, The Rose of Versailles, and Candy Candy. However, it is facing a resurgence in popularity in recent years.

The impact is nowhere near compared to what it used to be. However, newer series like My Happy Marriage have wider global accessibility thanks to streaming platforms like Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu, and so forth. Reboots of Fruits Basket and Sailor Moon have also piqued the interest in this genre.

[RELATED: My Happy Marriage Brings Season 2 to Life in New Trailer: Watch]

What’s Next for Miyo and Kiyoka?

Netflix released an OVA episode in November, where Miyo attends her first official banquet as Kiyoka’s fiancee. She meets Prince Takahito for the first time and reveals the truth behind Miyo’s maternal family and her birth. The Usuba family was destroyed and went into hiding due to the emperor’s vile actions, for which the prince apologizes. The first season adapts the first three volumes of the light novel. So, it’s safe to say the second season will cover volumes 4-6, assuming it will have the same number of episodes.

The trailer introduces Kiyoka’s parents. His mother doesn’t hide her hostility towards Miyo. However, the couple will also struggle with new challenges due to the Usuba family. The season will delve deeper into Miyo’s character growth as she learns more about her heritage and the true extent of her abilities. However, she has Kiyoka’s support as she deals with the complexity of her new identity. Unfortunately, a new and bigger threat awaits them when the Kudo family becomes the target of powerful enemies who seek Miyo’s powers.

When Will My Happy Marriage Season 2 Release?

My Happy Marriage Season 2 will be out on January 6, 2025. It was renewed for the second season as soon as the first season ended. The anime will be available to stream only on Netflix. However, there’s still no announcement regarding the release date of the English dub. Netflix will likely share an update after the season’s debut.

The novel currently has eight volumes, with the latest one released in Japan in March 2024, with a January 2025 release for English-language readers. The ninth volume will be released in April 2025 and will likely have more volumes in the future. It is currently being translated into English by Yen Press.