Although More Than a Married Couple began as one of the most eagerly awaited romance anime of 2022, it now appears that it will follow the same path as the majority of cliche shojo shows. Being married as a school project was a novel idea, especially since female characters were more prominent than male ones. But as the number of episodes is drawing to a close, it's becoming apparent that More Than a Married Couple might be headed for yet another formulaic conclusion.
Most high school rom-com build to a huge school festival, yearly gathering, or beach scene as their climax. While this was going on, Jiro, Akari, Shiori, and the rest of the group left for a summer job, which could only mean one thing in More Than a Married Couple.
Jiro's audience is fed up with him
Everybody on the show is getting a little overly ambitious with their romantic pursuits right now, and they'll do just about anything to have the summer of their dreams. Shiori then moved on to an intense smoothie-making session with Jiro, which of course was unsuccessful but still allowed the audience to see Jiro's true motivations.
Fans of Akari find it almost unbearably painful to witness Jiro's adoration for Shiori because it's clear from her overt signals to him that she's interested in developing a relationship with him. She is buying him special bikinis, urging him to treat her more like his wife outside the home, and yelling at him in the dark.
However, viewers are particularly frustrated by Jiro's indecision because Akari is clearly sending him signals. What's disappointing is that the show had numerous opportunities to create its own version of a more mature beach episode than audiences are accustomed to. The only enjoyable aspect of the entire arc is, hands down, Akari, who is keeping her head held high and not stooping to any lows for a guy.
At this point, Akari is undoubtedly the winner
While the girls were taking a bath, it was clear that Akari had no ill feelings for Shiori. She even gave Shiori a compliment and engaged in real girl-to-girl interaction with her. Despite how sexualized the show has made her, this demonstrates the depth and resilience of her character.
Akari, who is unquestionably among the top anime girls of 2022, is undoubtedly supported by the anime community. Her only error may be that she might be falling for a man without a spine because nothing about her comes off as forced or unbalanced. It's puzzling how no one wants to make a move when they practically have a free pass when it comes to building relationships on a forward-thinking show like More Than a Married Couple.
Every character in the show is almost always paired with either a hottie or a cutie, and even then, they're out and about wasting energy on people who may or may not be interested in them. There is still time for the season finale, but if the series goes for another cliche ending or continues the story, it will be one of the year's biggest anime disappointments.
