My Happy Marriage is a popular light-novel that has been adapted into various versions such as a manga and recently as an anime that ended its first season with plans for a second season in the making. I have long been a fan and had previously mostly read the manga and watched the anime and felt like this was perfect for me.

Imada Mio in the main role as Saimori Miyo does an incredible job and she really interpreted Miyo as how I read her in the manga. All of the cast felt good and delivered with what they were given to work with.

That being said, the main issue in the movie is the fact that they try to squeeze in too much in the time-frame that is offered. If I hadn't had a previous knowledge about the story and the worldbuilding, this would have been very confusing. I did feel like the story was unfortunately rushed and would've loved it more if it had focused on the main leads relationship and Miyo's past struggles in her household she grew up in instead of the emperial storyline. There were many plotpoints that were shaved off or stripped down to the bare minimum for the story to fit into the movie and if I had no prior knowledge of the storyline I do feel like many things would have flown over my head completely.

The story mainly centers on the romance between the main leads so this is definitely a budding romance movie at its core with alot of fantasy and action in a historical setting.

You can't deny, even with the changes in pacing, the budget for the special effects and for the cinematography is really nice and you can see how much care they have put into the movie visually. It is also quite clear that they released the movie with plans to produce a sequel movie. (Do check out the ending credits for a mini-extra scene hinting that they are planning the sequel!)

I really do suggest to watch the movie but I highly recommend to do some research about the story by reading the manga/light novel or watching some episodes of the anime if this is completely new to you. That way, it will be easier to follow the story and you can enjoy the visual aspect and the acting without struggling with the plot.