In a world and time where your supernatural powers give you a status in society, our beloved Miyo Saimori had none. Because of this, her childhood was the worst, giving her trauma from the abuse she received. Luck wasn’t on her side because in the midst of all this she is given to Kiyoka Kudou for marriage.
Yes, that was her being unlucky because she had no say in this. Kiyoka had a reputation of not being a good person but Miyo saw the other side of him. She realized that he is actually a good person that no one knew of.
Getting married was just something she did out of desperation but it became her road to a happy life. Kinema Citrus produced this masterpiece that all fans have loved since its release. Noone could resist the attention grabbing story and how emotional it is.
From this romance anime set in the 19th century, there are other series that give off the same vibe. So with this list l believe you are not going to regret going through each and every one of these. Let’s get right into it without wasting more time.
1. Kimi No Todoke
Starting off the list with one of the best anime that gives off the same vibe as My Happy Marriage. The plot centres around a girl named Sawako, who is just 15 years of age. Her problem is that she is always getting picked on by her peers from school.
All the bullying just because she looks like Ring’s Sadako. Sawako had a very good heart but lacked self-confidence, just like Miyo Saimori from My Happy Marriage. With all their hate for her, they couldn’t take away her big heart.
Even to those who humiliated her, she was still there to help them with a genuine spirit. It was all like this until she became friends with Kazehaya, who was very well-known in school.
There was a lot that had been said about her, especially the bad, but they were just rumors. Kazehaya takes his time to learn Sawako and when he gets to know who she really was, his heart is stolen.
2. Romeo X Juliet
If you don’t live under a rock, of course, you know that the inspiration for Romeo X Juliet is taken from none other than Shakespeare’s most famous work. However, this one has a storyline that is completely different from what you know.
The story talks about Juliet, whose family died when she was still a little girl, just like Miyo from my happy marriage. Instead of being like Miyo after this tragedy, Juliet grows cold and becomes a fighter who doesn’t take any nonsense.
Juliet covered her face and named herself The Red Whirlwind. So eventually, she comes across Romeo, whose mother was Juliet’s enemy. Apparently, he was also the only son she had, but as you know, love is inevitable.
She couldn’t help but just fall in love with him after seeing how caring and considerate he was. The story isn’t just a normal love story but becomes the root of a fight that is to come in the future.
3. Kaichou wa Maid-sama!
Unlike all the other series on this list, Kaichou wa Maid-sama doesn’t jump straight into a full-blown relationship. They faced many obstacles for Misaki and Takumi Usui to finally settle down in a harmonious relationship.
The story follows Misaki, who is the president of the student council at Seika High School. She isn’t the type of girl who would expect to find around many boys at school; she deliberately avoided them. Her real life outside school was not all glitter and gold as it looked. Misaki had to help her family financially; she was a maid at a cafe after school.
Takumi is a well-known guy at school, and he is now aware of what she is doing behind all the glamour she displays at school. Don’t worry about Misaki’s reputation; he never said that to anyone but kept returning after that. With time, they developed feelings for each other and entered a relationship. It was just from the beginning, but fortunately, they overcame it all.
4. The Ancient Magus’ Bride
The relationship that you will see in this anime is not between two ordinary human beings. It’s between a human and a mystical being who has the wisdom and knowledge of life he had accumulated I’m six centuries.
The series explores the life of Chise Hatori, who is British and is just 15 years old. She was sold to the magical world and ended up in the hands of Elias Aimsworth.
The plot progresses with her learning from Elias and, eventually, the two getting together. Chise is having difficulty adjusting to her new reality in a new place she never knew before.
Her partner, Elias, the old man on the other hand was also struggling to understand how her feelings as a mere human being work. Their relationship is something that you would never see coming.
There are a lot of aspects that we see being displayed, especially when Chise is growing and finding out who she is. The problems they face in the initial stages of their relationship show exactly what Kiyoka and Mayo were going through in their relationship at first in My Happy Marriage.
5. Horimiya
Talking about love and relationships in a school setting is something that is very normal these days. This series shows two high school students, Izumi Horimiya and Kyouko Hori, seventeen years of age.
Kyouku was a social butterfly at school, very interactive and seemed to be so full of life. This side of her isn’t who she really is when she is because outside, she only cares about her little brother and him.
Horimiya is nothing like her because at school it’s like he is almost invisible. Outside school, let’s just say he had the personality of Kyouku when she was in school.
His handsome looks are a bonus for him because it draws people close to him. Not forgetting he is a very good character, I can safely say he is a complete ten. Soon after, they realized that they had been faking the whole time but chose not to let people know.
As they kept holding on to their secrets, they formed a very good relationship that lasted for the rest of their lives. You should watch and feel the moment. It is a beautiful love story.
6. A Galaxy Next Door
This emotional story follows the life of Ichirou Kuga, who was left to cater for his younger siblings. The death of their father had left them in this position.
He became a manga artist as a way of hustling. Soon enough, the work became too much for him, and he started looking for a hand because the orders were getting too much.
Shiori Goshiki was the one who got the job as an assistant to save him from all the pressure he was going through. For an assistant, Shiori is all you could ever ask for. Her speed was exceptional, and she put thought into everything that she did.
One of the nights they were working during late hours, something from Goshiki’s body nicked Ichirou. It was not until now that they realized it was no longer possible to keep a distance between them without suffering the consequences.
In accordance with what is required of them by the law of the land, it’s like they were fiancé. Both this series and my happy marriage talk about two people who coincidentally come together. A Galaxy Next Door doesn’t say anything about this bond being an arranged marriage like the latter. It was just something that happened out of the blue.
It even ruined the plans that Shiori’s mother had for her daughter. But all in all, both talk about romance but focus more on a relationship that has to do with divine powers. It’s an easygoing relationship with no problem, especially on the romantic side.
Miyo just has to work on her self-confidence, the opposite of characters from a galaxy ñext door. It was just two people who had personal issues bothering them and had to fix that. But in all honesty, their relationship is actually something you’ll admire.
7. TONIKAWA: Over The Moon For You
Get ready to have your mind blown by this story and even more shocked by the ending. Nasa Yuzaki is the main character who is having trouble with his classmates.
They are kinda bullying him and making fun of him because of his name. Apart from the harassment from his classmates, Nasa had a good life and had dreams for his life. He was so ambitious and focused. One day, his life took an unexpected turn when he saw this gorgeous girl at a bus stop.
Unfortunately, he got in an accident before he even got to approach her. He woke in a hospital, not even knowing where he was, but of course, in a hospital.
Nasa had no single clue where to find that beautiful girl. The girl knocked on his door out of the blue the day he turned eighteen. She wanted him to sign a contract, a marriage contract! I can only imagine what his reaction was like.
8. Fruits Basket
Fruits Basket is going to demand all of your attention because of how gripping the plot is. The story follows Tohru Honda, who lost both her parents and ended up living with her grandmother.
Life is unpredictable, and because of something she didn’t see coming, she had no option but to live in a tent. From the Sohma family, two peculiar people welcomed her to stay in their home. What she didn’t know was that a curse had been in the family for a long time.
Whoever was of the zodiac was to never come into physical contact with the opposite sex, lest they turn into an animal. The more time Tohru spends with these people the more she digs deep into the dark secrets.
She learns about all the traumatic things that have been through. Fruits Basket talks about overcoming fears, haunting memories, and getting happiness at the end of the day with people you never imagined being with. Your feelings are going to be ticked and your memories taken aback to My Happy Marriage.
9. Demon Girl Zakur
Demon Girl Zakuro will entice the thrilling plot that follows the life of Kei Agemaki, whose father is a very popular General. Like most general kids, he started working in the government when he became an adult. No one knows that his whole life he was afraid of the supernatural. With time, he is given a job that requires him to work with spirits.
As an official of the ministry of spirits, he was not running away from this; he had to be with them. Kei was partnered with a girl called Zakuro, who was half human and half spirit.
She didn’t like how everyone was neglecting the spiritual aspect of life that had been going around in Japan around the Meiji Era. So, the two of them and everyone else they worked with were focused on finding solutions to the problems happening in the otherworldly.
One big similarity between this anime and My Happy Marriage is that both of them were set in Meiji, touching on issues of romance and the paranormal.
The difference comes with the characters because Zakuro is a tough girl as compared to Miyo, who is rather humble. Kei has a firm-looking appearance but is hesitant when spirits get involved.
Kudo is a brave man who can keep his composure. Both the series have romance in common, but there is a lot of action going on in Demon Girl Zakuro.
10. Blue Spring Ride
It seems like self-discovery is a major theme that was explored in the series, similar to My Happy Marriage. Here, it was directed by Kou Mabichi and Futaba Yoshioka, who are also the lead characters.
Fun fact: some of the things happening happened in this manga creator’s real life. Futaba was living a dull life, but just when she got fed up with it, Kou showed up again. He had changed to a different person and different personality.
While Futaba wishes to change this, she fails to help him and eventually gives up. Soon after, she gets into a relationship with someone else, but her heart is still with Kou.
So, of course, the relationship didn’t go any further, and they reconciled with Kou. This time, Kou wants to make things right as he acknowledges that he was wrong.
11. Emma- A Victorian Romance
Here is another enticing story that takes place during the 1900s, just like it was in my happy marriage. The plot explains a love story that begins when an ordinary maid feels a very strong affection towards someone completely out of her league.
The man in question was called William and was bloody rich. Fortunately, it’s not only the maid who is head over heels because apparently William also feels the same.
I know this sounds normal in the times we are living right now, but trust me, back then, it was not even going to be considered by anyone. People were so obsessed with maintaining their social status and as rich as William was, he had no business being with her.
For a long time, the relationship continued without discovering anything about it. But they were not going to fold their hands and watch their dream being taken away from them. So eventually, William convinced his family to accept their relationship.
12. Engaged to the Unidentified
As the list goes, things are getting more interesting. The Engaged to the Unidentified’s insane plot begins when it is discovered that Kobeni Yonomori’s grandfather had already planned a future husband for him.
All this was realized on her 16th birthday, shocking, right? Hakuya Mitsumine was the man planned for her, so now she has to move in with her husband.
They were together with Hakuya’s naughty big sis and her cunning little sister. Kobeni has to accept the situation, get comfortable with this life, and get used to her new family. This series does not entirely focus on romance but also has funny moments that will make you laugh.
What really separates this from my happy marriage is that Engaged to the Unidentified is modern. The main theme of an arranged marriage is still maintained however. Also, the other difference is that Hakuya and her family were the ones to go and join Kobeni’s family.
In my happy marriage, it was Miyo who went to her fiance. This anime lies more on the comedy side but that completely rubs the romance. The paranormal aspect was not shown initially but later revealed as the series progressed. You wouldn’t be able to guess it from the beginning, but I have let you in on a little secret already.
13. Say I Love You
Another emotional story that will make you sob is Say I Love You. Buckle up, and let me explain the story of Mei Tachibana, a loner all her life at school. She had no circle or anyone to socialize with whatsoever.
Mei didn’t choose this life, but this was just a result of the accident that had occurred to her when she was young, hence the trauma. Since that time she was never able to get any friends. There is a well-known gut by the name of Yamato Ktosawa who likes her and starts to look in her direction.
As Mei gives Yamato a chance, she realizes that he isn’t so bad after all. He was not judging her or making her feel bad, either. The connection grew deeper with time, and Yamato started encouraging me to go outside more. Mei began to overcome her fears of being amongst other kids. In no time, her life turned around, thanks to Yamato.
14. Clannad
Finalizing it with another anime like My Happy Marriage, set in high school. The story centres around one of the notorious boys in school named Tomoya Okazaki.
He met a shy girl who was redoing a full year course called Nagisa Furukawa. Their relationship’s development is cute to watch, but it turns to butterflies pretty quickly.
The story continues to show how Tomoya changed into a very responsible young man while maintaining his relationships with other kids in school, as well as Nagisa herself. If you are looking forward to watching something that talks about personal development, family and love, then you should try Clannad.
Nagisa did well in clearly illustrating Miyo and My Happy Marriage because they are both shy. This, however, doesn’t stop them from going for what they want and holding on to their beliefs.
