The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-Be Wife ‒ Episodes 1-2

© IWATOBINEKO/Futabasha,The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-Be Wife Production Consortium

This show is godly cozy. Shows that don't necessarily have an overarching story but have more like a “days in our lives” type of narrative structure are always sort of hit or miss for me. On the one hand, they could be very, very boring because nothing is actively happening in the show itself. On the other hand, we get shows like this, which draw me in with a sense of whimsy and charm that make me want to lean back in my seat to take in all of the unadulterated sweetness. Almost everything about the show, from its world to its characters to its art direction, is there to lull you into this sense of comfort.

What prevents the show from becoming boring is the fact that everything feels so likable and charming. There are some things about the world that I question, like how the titular invisible man can make his clothes and other objects invisible without much explanation, or how the overall aesthetic of the show can sometimes be confusing. Some scenes feel like they came right out of an olden time, like other fantasy stories, but then other moments feel explicitly modern. Even the music utilizing instruments like the accordion makes me feel like I'm at a Renaissance fair. But I forgive the occasional bits of conflicting worldbuilding because I like seeing all of these characters interact with each other. Even when we have characters that are supposed to be portrayed as sticks in the mud, everyone cares about each other and has their own way of expressing themselves. If a language or communication style doesn't match well, as we saw between Yakou and Jarashi in episode two, they talk about it. That sums up the overarching theme of the show so far.

Our two main characters are destined to be together; it's right there in the title. This is a show about how they slowly bridge that gap to eventually get to that point of marriage, so I was very surprised that episode two ended with them definitively getting together as a couple. I swore I thought the show was going to stretch that out all the way until the very end, but kudos to them for having the confidence to just showcase that these two characters like each other. Some challenges come with their relationship as the two begin to understand the specific idiosyncrasies of how they live. Tounome wants to understand more about how Yakou lives as a blind person, and Yakou might be one of the few people who is actually able to understand Tounome, who doesn't feel literally or figuratively seen by a lot of people. In a lot of ways, these two characters take for granted a lot of the specific things that have developed for them due to their specific circumstances, but it's those exact things that ironically draw the two towards each other. I know it's very on the nose about how a blind woman is the only person who can “see” an invisible man, but I'm not watching the show because I want it to reinvent the wheel. I'm watching it because it wears its heart on its sleeve.

Every episode is structured with various peeks into the lives of these characters, and that makes me very excited for the future. In two episodes, I am pretty much sold on most of the cast, from our main couple all the way to the elves that run the tea shop. I want an episode focusing on every single character that we have seen so far because this show has sold me on the idea that it can make those situations interesting. It is a bit of a slow burn, and maybe I wish the pacing was a little bit faster, but I can't say that I was bored during this premiere. I like where these characters are, I'm impressed with how far they come in these first two episodes, and I'm very much looking forward to where they go for the rest of the season!

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Bolts also streams regularly on Twitch as the indie Vtuber Bolts The Mechanic where they talk about and play retro media!

The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-Be Wife is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.