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Hapi Mari: Happy Marriage!?
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Hapi Mari: Happy Marriage!?

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Alternative Titles

Japanese: はぴまり〜Happy Marriage!?〜

Information

Type: Manga

Volumes: 10

Chapters: 40

Status: Finished

Published: Jan 8, 2009 to Jun 8, 2012

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Demographic: Josei

Serialization: Petit Comic

Authors: Enjouji, Maki (Story & Art)

Statistics

Score: 7.77¹ (scored by 18,335 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #1453²

² based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #525

Members: 35,905

Favorites: 862

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Reviews

Filtered Results: 34 / 35

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May 18, 2013

blossomdeath

Recommended

The saying ‘never judge a book (manga) by its cover’ is like a spot-on adage when it comes to Hapi Mari.

The series starts off with an overused plot: poor-girl-marries-rich-stranger-to-pay-off-father’s-debts and whether there could be true love in a marriage that was built upon a monetary mutually beneficial arrangement.

Story:

Despite the cliched plot and smutty moments (which to my surprise wasn’t that overwhelming), the story itself actually has depth and I was somewhat amazed at how the concept of marriage is exemplified here.

The mangaka adopts a realistic approach towards illustrating the challenges young couples struggle with in today’s society. Chapters are often slapped ...

Apr 28, 2011

anjel

Recommended

Preliminary (Unknown/40 chp)

I haven't written a review before so I will ask readers to bear with me. This manga was recommended by someone I consider elite when it come to mangas and animes. I was hooked from the on-set. It is not one of those animes that wastes too much time delving into the main story. Despite the somewhat unrealistic circumstance that surrounds the two main characters, Chiwa and Hokuto, I enjoyed how the author made the development of their relationship very realistic.

For me, both characters strengths lie in the simplicity of their personalities with Chiwa being your average working girl and Hokuto being the serious, ...

Mar 21, 2017

mervollo

Recommended

Outstanding!

I have really enjoyed every bit of Hapi Mari. Hokuto... and Chiwa.. their love is absolutely the best kind. I was mesmerized by Hokuto's love and affection to his lover, Chiwa.

The characters are well put together, you can emotionally get attached to them and get lost in the great art. The story and overall was perfect.
I don't think I will read a better romance manga than this ever again.

Truly recommended.

(I intentionally listened to the song: Rude- Eternal Youth. Which made the atmosphere while reading way too intense).
...

Mar 22, 2018

-Forgotten-

Mixed Feelings

tldr: read it if you are just looking for a smutty josei/shoujo manga with no real substance in terms of plot

story - 4, started off decent and went downhill
art - 8, falls into the “pretty” category
character - 4, some side characters are amusing but the lack of dimension really shows in the main characters
enjoyment - 4, poor plot and characters ruined my enjoyment despite the art
overall - 5, the art can’t cover the poor areas of the manga

This is far from the worst manga that I’ve ever read but it puzzles me how it managed to get such a high rating. I had enjoyed the ...

Jun 17, 2010

sweeny

Recommended

Preliminary (12/40 chp)

Basically, these two people who do not know each other get married. One is the powerful boss of the company, the other is a little minion who works there. The story follows their relationship, and I guess the basic question of- can you fall in love with someone who doesn't love you? With someone who you did not love before?

I gotta say. I like this this story. The art was fine - it is clean, the expressions are great, and I can follow who is saying what! More importantly though, I like the two main characters. I really enjoy them! Haruto and Chiwa. Chiwa is ...

Sep 6, 2023

Siaksx

Not Recommended

Upon opening the pages of "Hapi Mari: Happy Marriage!?", I was instantly captivated by the stunning visuals and intriguing characters. Yet, as I delved further into its narrative, certain themes began to unsettle me.

I genuinely appreciate well-crafted illustrations and engaging character interactions, but the story's approach to delicate subjects, such as rape and harassment, bothered me. The idea of romanticizing these themes and using intimate encounters as a crutch for emotional fulfillment just didn't sit right with me. Even in fiction, I believe it's crucial for us to be critical of the messages we consume, especially when they touch on such sensitive topics.

In summary, while ...

Jun 9, 2017

Masquer

Mixed Feelings

I find it overrated. Josei plot with shoujo approach. The result is what happens when an ok chef try avant garde menu, still edible but obviously feels like a waste as a simpler menu will taste batter. If you're still puberty, this will be an awesome series. But if you past those hormones-filled phase, you won't find it as great as people claim.

But hey, the story is full of pleasure buttons of shoujo genre, so if you like it, it might help to dull the faults. I mean, being average and offering no benefit to the relationship, but receiving uncondional love from a cool handsome ...

May 28, 2019

Pande91

Not Recommended

Having seen it praised around as a staple of josei manga, and having read and liked 'Private Prince' by the same author, I approached 'Hapi Mari' with the hope that I'd find a decent story and compelling characters. And at first I found both of those, even accompanied by great art! But, soon enough, 'Hapi Mari' devolved into a mess of unpleasant clichés that are more typical of shoujo than josei.

Story – 6/10

I've encountered the forced/arranged marriage trope before in manga, but this iteration has something different going for it, with Hokuto being more level-headed and Chiwa - more assertive and reluctant to "make things ... work", as opposed to characters in similar situations. The pacing, story and character development are decent until about 1/3 in, after which nearly all following chapters can be summed up as one half of the couple (most often Hokuto) keeping a secret from the other, who gets jealous and acts rashly while at the same time lamenting about the lack of communication. The problem is solved, Chiwa cries a bit, and on we go, ad nauseam, until the story is over.

Most chapters are standalone, but there's also an arc about Hokuto's family, which is spread out so thin that it becomes boring to follow. This manga should possibly have been about half its current length, since about half of it is pointless, repetitive filler – and not even the kind where the couple grows, because they run into the same issues again and again. Very predictable and frustrating, especially when most are minor issues that can be solved by communicating better - but, of course, that would be too reasonable.

Characters – 4/10

'Hapi Mari' fails the hardest exactly in the area where it's supposed to shine brightest. For the first 1/3, Chiwa and Hokuto have a good dynamic, as both are stubborn and somewhat inexperienced in romance, but past that point Chiwa turns more and more into a melodramatic, jealous, crying mess, losing the rebellious streak that made her interesting and sinking into pointless tsundere insecurity (often caused by herself spinning false ideas in her head). Hokuto becomes somewhat more tolerable, but still makes bullying comments and occasionally gets physically rough and controlling with her, which put me off.

I feel that an initially dysfunctional relationship from which both parties learn and grow would be a fantastic story, but the absolute lack of healthy communication between these two - who seem to believe that crying your eyes out, controlling your partner, and expecting them to read your mind, are the way to go in romantic relationships - had me groaning a lot and took the fun out of reading this.

Other characters, like Chiwa's colleagues, Hokuto's family, and his secretary, Souma, are about what you'd expect from them as supporting characters. They're decent, with Souma being the most interesting out of the lot and quite probably the most reasonable character in the manga.

Art – 8/10

It's the only redeeming aspect that kept me reading until the end. The art is clean and pretty to look at, with good character design and attention paid to details such as eyes and hair. However, I'm deducting 2 points because Chiwa is drawn crying and screaming at least half of every chapter, which becomes tedious and grating if you read multiple chapters in one go. Half of it is the plot's fault, but come on - if I wanted to see women crying I'd just go watch a telenovela.

Enjoyment – 3/10

It's easy for me to get lost in a story and wind up reading multiple chapters at once, but for 'Hapi Mari' the repetitiveness of the plot and the frustrating choices made by the characters made it a chore to get through the last 2/3, and I almost gave up on it because of the flimsy situations used to drag this story on. I mostly finished it to find out what the resolution to the Mamiya family arc was, but even that wasn't satisfying enough to justify reading all of it (and if you pay attention at the beginning, the outcome is clear as day). I guess most of all I hoped Chiwa and Hokuto would snap out of it and realize how toxic both of them are to each other, but, again - that would be too reasonable.

Overall – 4/10

The only saving graces in my eyes are the art and the first 1/3. If I knew all the above before having read the manga, I probably wouldn't even have started it. It's tedious, badly written (even for a wish fulfillment story), the characters learn nothing from the hardships they go through repeatedly (of their own fault), and the fact that the abuse – both physical and emotional – is romanticized, turned me off of this good.

Jul 12, 2013

dakotasapphire

Recommended

It's a mind blowing manga for a normal american girl like me.
It'll give you highs and lows and keep you interested. If you like romance mixed with a lot of drama this is probably the story for you.

Story(8):
I really enjoyed the story, and it kept me wanting more. I basically was real sad when it ended. But be warned, theres a lot of smut, and I mean ALOT! But if that's your thing (it is mine, smut makes for an interesting story most of the time) then this will be a great manga for you to read. If you don't like smut, don't read it. ...

Jul 9, 2024

Neremeno

Not Recommended

I had some hopes with this manga, because it really tries to have both a developed story and a romance that starts early. Unfortunately, it's marred with extremely toxic behavior from both protagonists that makes their relationship's development unrelatable as well as unrealistic. The problem is that the manga tries to cast a positive light on those behaviors.

The protagonists

On one side, there's Chiwa. She's supposed to be an adult, but she has the emotional maturity of a grade schooler. Every meaningful interaction she has is done through crying or shouting. When there's an important discussion to be had she either runs away or refuses to ...

Jan 4, 2015

Dianime

Recommended

After hours of searching for a good anime that was not about high school drama, I came across this one manga! This manga is definitely is for a mature audience, if you know what I mean! This made it important for me because I had just finished high school so I wanted to read something a bit more mature.

What I liked about this manga the most was the art. All the characters were drawn beautifully so this made the manga bearable in my part. There is good character development and life lessons that you can apply in your life with your significant other (trust ...

Mar 19, 2019

linusiaczek

Mixed Feelings

If somebody described this manga as a 'story about a fake marriage leading to obsession and emotional enslavement', I would totally buy it. However, when it's supposed to be a story about finding love and building a true marriage, it definitely is not. It is more a story of how someone who never loved thinking that trying to possess someone's time, body and soul, and to control every aspect of their life, is love. The story has some hot moments for the people who enjoy development of sexual tension, and it has some interesting themes, but in general it is just meh. In real life ...

Aug 7, 2013

Nocti

Mixed Feelings

Preliminary (19/40 chp)

This manga could be rated with a 7, if it weren't for the fact that it has a serious and almost unforgivable plot mistake.

The story is kind of a "fairy tale": poor girl that falls in love with the handsome and wealthy company president. We’ve seen that already. But it is told in a way you can believe it. Things aren´t rushed... they don´t fall in love at first sight... their marriage is arranged, and -in the beginning- they are both distant. Both main characters have strong personalities, and they fight a lot. They must work to get to know each other, and learn to ...

Dec 13, 2017

pomegranit

Recommended

Wow... okay...needless to say, this wasn't what I was expecting. I had heard of this manga on a recommendation site, so I was curious as to what it could be. When I saw it was only 40 chapters (and the fact that I lacked any reading material at the time and was bored) I thought, "Hey, why not?"

The plot (at times) is very cliche and repetitive. Before you click away, stick around, this review only STARTS negative. Chiwa is 'average' but yet she is unexpectedly popular and has more drama in her life than any living being. She spends her time (excessively) crying (she must've ...

May 22, 2019

Victor_Joseph

Mixed Feelings

I guess it had to eventually come to this. Going over the piles and piles of manga, the josei genre has always been considered somewhat disreputable, given its low sales figures and its association with the "ladies comics" which contain rather overt amounts of sexual content. But the Wikipedia page stated that the content portrayed "realistic relationships". Having never been in one, I decided to see the side of the world that not only belongs to a different voice and demographic, but also a different set of concerns.

I admit, I was not ready for this. Not the story, or the characters, or the art, ... or any of the other things that most would expect to see in such stories. What I saw was myself feeling bad about making fun of my mom and my sister when they were watching their regularly scheduled soap operas, which are produced with the kind of alarming frequency all over India that one can understand how women are kept away from the streets, protesting about unequal wages or mistreatment. Not that I felt that I was wrong in making fun of them (yeah, I am a terrible person); I just understood the appeal.

See, I have understood for some time that Steins;Gate's melodramatic elements were necessary for producing that extremely effective climax in episode 22, melodrama that arises from its interpretation of romance. Romance is not really frowned upon in media aimed at men, of course- it is just an extension of the main course of events, and these would involve an adventure that always keeps the pace, so that nobody complains that "nothing is happening". But, here, the point is the nitty-gritty. You touch upon the circumstances surrounding two people who see their relationship as an adventure (a statement I, not too long ago, would be physically unable to write given how stupid and trite it used to sound in my head), or, rather, whose relationship the author sees as an adventure.

The protagonist is Chiwa, a part-timer who just-so-happens to work at the same firm whose chairman fell in love with her grandmother. The chairman is obsessed with having some part of her grandmother in his genetic line (in some creepy justification that makes me want to celebrate the dying trend of believing in the purity of bloodlines and other such close-minded nonsense) and feels that she would make a good wife for Hokuto, his grandson.

Hokuto, the guy who has slept around quite a lot in an (allegedly) conservative society like Japan because he is young, successful, and everything else Japanese women seem to want of a man. Hokuto, the guy who kisses his wife without her permission early on and, at least twice, threatens her with rape, once in front of her. "But he was joking, dude. Besides it was 2005; don't be so harsh." But I am not: I am not trying to suggest that Hokuto is a "bad" guy or a "bad guy" or a bad "guy", even though, to current sensibilities, the latter traits might make him unacceptable to many of the prospective readers (unless it is Japanese women, in which case I genuinely don't know what their reaction will be). The point is that Hokuto is not a man who is driven to change the world or go where no one has gone before, but someone who shows his less-than-palatable side within the context of a relationship that society offers and forces upon him. He claims that he does not want to get married or have kids, but also does not want to be disloyal to his new wife now that he is committed to her- the latter concern eventually triumphs and he comes out a model family man who loves his wife by the end. What bothered me most was how both Chiwa and Hokuto are committed to making the marriage work even though there is no reason why these two people would end up together, because here, in India, arranged marriages are still a thing and I am starting to dread what this manga is suggesting.

That there is nothing of value within this manga is, obviously, untrue- the final line deriding Asahina, one of Chiwa's bosses and her ex-boyfriend from her university days, did hit home a little too hard. But what bothered me more was the realisation that there is an alternative ethics at work here- an ethics which justifies a man threatening her wife with rape to shut her up while she is trying to show her concern for him, or the way in which he tries to make his wife jealous by not calling her or returning her messages when out of town, to the readers. By claiming that all of it is a way for the characters to show that they love each other, the readers have no choice but to keep making concessions about what they thought was the right thing to do in a given situation (and, unlike the shonen or seinen genres, these situations are not out of the realm of possibility for most of the readers). It was, indeed, just like going to a different land and finding yourself talking to people only using the most basic of terminology, without really understanding how alone you really are among this large group of happy people with nothing on their minds except petty squabbles, family politics, and other boring things. I know many may find the trip enjoyable, even enlightening to a certain extent.

But all I could do was remember to call a friend and write this review before I went to bed tonight.

Oct 20, 2018

lunahoney

Recommended

I did enjoy Hapi Mari quite a bit, but it definitely started out with a cliche forced marriage because of heavy debts kind of thing. The beginning was also quite fast. It does change my opinion of it about a few chapters in, when they start realising they have feelings for each other.

I did like the story, I thought it was good and they had their cute moments, I just wished there were more things that would have helped the transition from the like to love relationship! The art was good, not amazing, but it's a style I enjoy looking at. Character-wise, the main characters ...

Aug 29, 2024

kimslayrae

Not Recommended

Preliminary (1/40 chp)

I was very excited about this but here's why I wouldn't say I liked it.

The story started off interestingly but progressively got worse as the story went on. Hokuto is insufferable and unnecessarily rude to Chiwa. He makes these sly "jokes" alluding to r*pe that I'm not comfortable with. Chiwa is also annoying. She starts off as this strong and independent woman and then folds for this bad excuse for a "man" who can't even clean his own house. I also didn't like how uncertain Chiwa's "friends" were of her, as if she was any less capable of finding a boyfriend than they were. No ...

Mar 14, 2018

SovietWeeb

Recommended

I feel that there is an important comparison to make with Takane to Hana and Happy Marriage!? They both have the same premise and are a lot alike. Only real difference is two things.

1. Takane to Hana Is about a High School girl being Engaged to the president of a high class business, Happy Marriage is about a worker becoming married to the President of a high class business . The

2. Takane to Hana Takes itself less seriously while Happy marriage takes itself too seriously.

Honestly i feel that Takane to Hana just does a better job at tell this story. "Happy Marriage" tends ...

Dec 31, 2017

SolarFox

Recommended

This series was funny, serious, and quite realistic in a lot of ways. I really enjoyed it. There were times where I found myself laughing out loud or talking to myself . I love the art work. There's something about it that's fits my tastes perfectly. The panels were really easy to read/follow. Sometimes I read mangas where the story gets confusing to follow in parts or the dialogue just doesn’t work for me. I didn’t have this problem with Hapi Mari. The plot flowed nicely and I enjoyed the dialogue because it felt very natural and realistic.

What I like most about this series is ...

Apr 20, 2014

ygfan

Recommended

Preliminary (20/40 chp)

DEFINITELY RECOMMEND!

Story:
I liked the story. Not sure if this theme of arranged marriage is new in the manga world but it's a bit different than what I have read. Overall, I thought this idea was refreshing and fits perfectly with the characters. (After all, the characters are well into their mid and late 20's which contrasts from the usual "high school age" epitome in mangas. In the beginning, I was a bit confused on why the marriage came to be. He's a rich president of a big company and yet he's marrying a basic girl like her simply because his grandfather said to? ... ...