The following contains spoilers for Episode 1 of More Than a Married Couple, But Not Lovers, "Living in the Same Place, but Not Living Together," now streaming on Crunchyroll.
The Fall 2022 anime season has a few exciting romantic comedy series in store for fans, adding to this year's pool of successful rom-coms. With its stunning art and animation and interesting character dynamics, More Than a Married Couple, But Not Lovers has the potential to join the ranks of the fan-favorite My Dress-Up Darling. Sparks fly in the new romantic comedy's premiere episode, and fans can certainly expect that More Than a Married Couple's romance will not be a slow burn.
Titled Fuufu Ijou, Koibito Miman in Japanese, More Than a Married Couple, But Not Lovers is an anime adaptation of Yuki Kanamaru's manga of the same name. It follows introverted high school student Jiro Yakuin and his classmate Akari Watanabe, a gyaru with attitude, as they attempt to live as a married couple according to their school's couples training program. Not only do Jiro and Akari struggle to get along, but they each have someone else they'd rather be paired with. In order to swap partners, Jiro and Akari have to put their differences aside and act like the perfect married couple, but when they do, they realize there might be a spark between them after all.
Jiro and Akari Show Opposites Really Do Attract
As a quiet gamer who is uncomfortable around most girls, Jiro is obviously much too timid to be attracted to Akari's rambunctious personality and style. Likewise, Akari finds Jiro creepy and annoying. With both students expressing their distaste for each other so vehemently, it comes as no surprise that they immediately butt heads on their first day living as a pretend married couple. As part of the school's couples training program, sensors monitor how well Akari and Jiro live together, adding or deducting points based on their performance.
A few jabs and sideways comments is all it takes for Jiro and Akari to lose their first three points, reminding them of the necessity of pretending they can stand each other not only to graduate but also to achieve a high enough ranking to swap partners. While the dynamic of a pair of opposites forced to live together will certainly produce massive comedic value, Episode 1 proves that the pretend couple won't be pretending for long.
In a ploy to reclaim their lost points, Akari asks Jiro for a goodbye kiss on her cheek. The usually shy Jiro makes an unexpectedly smooth move. He pulls her in for a kiss on the lips, leaving her flustered for once. Given the premise of the show, a kiss early in the series isn't too shocking, but viewers may have expected that such a kiss to take place a few more episodes in and would be forced and played up for comedic effect. Even if the purpose of the kiss is to gain points, Jiro's kiss is intentional and confident. This scene puts the chemistry between Jiro and Akari on full display, showing viewers that it won't take long for Jiro and Akari to fall for each other.
More Than a Married Couple's Potential for Greatness or Frustration
For rom-com fans, More Than a Married Couple's premiere demonstrates that there's much to be excited about in coming episodes. The art style itself is enough to impress viewers, as its high quality is evident in the vibrant colors, striking design and smooth animation. Fans will especially love its 90s-inspired anime aesthetic. Beyond the story, the design itself makes More Than a Married Couple worth the watch.
Even with its stunning art style, the fate of the series' success lies in how it handles its characters and tropes. Akari's gyaru personality and style sets her up to be a popular female lead like My Dress-Up Darling's Marin Kitagawa, especially if the series explores the layers of her personality rather than continuously playing up her snarky attitude. However, Jiro has the potential to fall short as a character, his insecure personality frustrating fans much like Rent-a-Girlfriend's Kazuya Kinoshita. Should More Than a Married Couple maintain solid character development throughout the series, it could be one of the more remarkable romantic comedies of this year's anime line-up.
Because the series will obviously play on many popular tropes, such as arranged marriages, love triangles and opposite personality pairings, More Than a Married Couple will also have to balance its use of tropes with a captivating romance to keep fans interested. The premise is similar to Spring and Summer 2022's A Couple of Cuckoos, so More Than a Married Couple does run the risk of exhausting anime fans with the arranged marriage trope if it's not executed properly. For More Than a Married Couple to stand out, the series will have to keep its characters complex and its plot engaging.
More Than a Married Couple's premiere episode proved to be an exciting introduction to one of 2022's newest romantic comedies, demonstrating its potential for success. As the series continues, fans can look forward to even more sparks flying between Jiro and Akari as they butt heads and learn how to be the perfect married couple.