Me, My Husband, & My Husband’s Boyfriend Watashi to Otto to Otto no Kareshi [2023] – Final Impressions

I’m glad I finished this series with encouragement from Exxus. The final thoughts are very different from the thoughts I had at the beginning of this series. It became a slow starter but ended very well.

—Edited by TheFNGee

We left off when Misaki walked away from their apartment, suitcase in hand, to stay with her reconnected friend.  She visits with both her friend and her friend’s roommate, who put her at ease right away. She spends a pleasant evening laughing, drinking, and eating with the pair. At the night’s end, without spilling her guts, she decides to go back home. The roommate walks her home, and she is happily smiling with him, which her husband sees when she is almost home.

I’m not going to delve into the plot points of what happens but into the generality of the issues they tackled maturely and thoughtfully.

No Black or White

There are no heroes or villains for any situation in this show. Each person has a story from their point of view. Even when you think they might be villainous, they come back episodes later and lay bare their intentions and negative emotions too. And rather than be rejected, they are accepted. You can never know what a person will do or say until you speak your truth, even if it’s not pretty or happy.

Acceptance

Each character has to figure out what they can and will accept to be happy. Even if it seems unconventional, how far are they willing to bend to keep loved ones close by? Also, if you aren’t accepted by some, by the judgment of others, you don’t have to force yourself to fit their ideals. Your life is yours. You have the right to be happy and be your true self. However, that is.  Even if it bucks the “normal” way, there are those who will accept you and love you.

What is Normal Anyway?

As a society, especially in Japan, there is uniformity and homogeneity not to make waves for others. The collective whole is more important than the individual. As the three try to find their way, they all wrestle with the judgment of others. That isn’t normal. You are unhappy like this. If you are hurting, you should divorce. Only one person is allowed to love one other person.

You have to fall in line, be normal and only love a member of the opposite sex so you can get married, have children, and take over the family business. Others are told nobody will accept you like that; nobody can like more than one person, and that’s not normal.

What is Love?

How many types of love are there? Do there have to be only one type? Can you have a platonic love, a passionate love, and the love of deep friendship? Who defines the type of love you are allowed to have? So many questions our three characters navigate to find their true happiness and love, whatever form it takes.

Misaki, Yuuki, and Shuhei learn to be equal in all parts to create their perfect happiness. It’s quite a bold and beautiful story that doesn’t take the easy way out.  I hope you give it a shot. If you haven’t started it, please do. It’s worth the watch.  Available on GagaOOLala.

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars. [See our Review Guide]